Is there a way to monitor the cpu and memory usage locally? Some object that would allow to see the resource usage of a specific subpatch? How do you know which objects are most resource consuming?

I would like to benchmark my patches and see what subpatches or abstractions are critical, so that I can concentrate on optimizing what's really worth it.

I know that I can get an idea of an object's or abstraction's resource usage by creating a patch including only this object, or multiple instances of it. But since the cpu and memory needs depend on what's sent to the object, it would be much more useful to monitor them directly inside any patch.

Hello!

I'm not really new to pd since I use it now and then since a year now, but I'm still on the learning curve (is there an end to what you can learn with pd?!). As my patches get bigger and more complex, I would like to optimize ressource usage.
I hear that a lot of you experienced patchers use pd-vanilla instead of extended, and I was wondering why. Is it more ressource economic? I understand the more libraries and externals you load, the longer it takes to start pd, and the more memory it will use, but is there any difference between vanilla and extended if the same libraries are loaded? I mean besides gui stuff...
Apart from that, is there an advantage to compile the externals by yourself? Will they be more CPU/memory efficient? Or is it to get the latest version? I have the same question about Pd itself, is there any reason to compile it yourself?

Hi,

Here it is! Still don't know if this works with 10.6 though, I'm still using 10.5...

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/percolate.pd_darwin

Here is an abstraction I made for doing this. I made an example patch to explain how to use it.
I'm not quite sure it really what you want though, they are several ways to prevent controller value jumps..

hope it helps!

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/lastValuePickup.zip

Have a look at the audio examples in the help browser. You'll find a shepard tone generator (D9.shepard.tone.pd).

I have never heard of an external or patch that could receive or send midi sync signal.
Maybe you can try to set Live's tempo via midi notes or cc message. Connect pd's midi out to ableton via IAC (osx) or midi yoke (win) and map a cc controller to the tempo or a note to the tap tempo in Live. For Live -> pd communication you could simply use a dummy clip as a metronome.
I don't know if any of this will work as I didn't try it. These are just some ideas..
It would be nice to have a way to sync pd with any DAW. I think it would require a external that understands MTC and MMC messages, but I have not enough programming skills / time to learn to write one..

hope it helps.

Sorry again.. Looks like I can't attach the file. Anyway here is a link : http://www.sendspace.com/file/sxqnth

Sorry, here is the file...

Hello,

Here is a osx intel version I compiled from the source on my macbook pro running OSX 10.5 and Pd-0.42-5. I don't know on what systems it should work though, I'm curious..

If this doesn't do it, then you shoud compile it yourself.

Thank you for your advices! These are some good habits I will try to make.

So the choice between vanilla and extended is only a question of personal preference? I know that pd runs two processes, one for the pd engine and another for the gui. Is the engine process the same in vanilla and in extended?