Hello all, and sorry for how uninformed this question may sound...

I’m new here. It’s clear to me that pd takes some time and effort to understand/learn and isn’t a “one-stop shop.” But being primarily a(n acoustic) musician, I have specific goals I’d like to realize with pd. And I’m starting with almost zero programming / code-building knowledge.

Basically, I want to be able to route audio and do panning and fading either in .pd or in another piece of software which is controlled via pd (e.g. via midi or OSC commands). I’m working with a Mac, some midi footswitches, Sooperlooper, some effecting equipment and acoustic instruments with pickups. I currently use AULab for routing, which I find to be rather cumbersome and primitive. I've recently begun figuring out how to use Sooperlooper standalone in JACK (w/ multiple simultaneous loops, stereo...), and have had some at least partial success.

What I’m wondering: how to find the most direct possible way of learning to build a simple automated mixing console for live work while bypassing all the synthesizer-related material which I really don’t need for my purpose? What sets of knowledge do I need? What tutorials should I read? What order do I do it in? There’s so much material available, and I’m having difficulty filtering it all.

Any pointers in the right direction(s) would be greatly appreciated -- even just a link to some forum post, document, page etc. which says "what to read to learn how to do A, B or C..."

Thanks…!