I recently started learning SuperCollider, but at the same time I can't help myself being somewhat curious about Pure Data and its completely different approach in generating music - especially when it's so similar to Max/Msp, which is used commercially by so many awe inspiring artists.

To be honest, I literally just started learning SuperCollider - and this is probably going to be a big undertaking, but I'm thinking of picking up Pure Data as well at the same time and try to learn both at least to the basic level so I can determine which workflow and style I gravitate towards more in the end.

Does anyone here perhaps have had experience with both? What made you pick Pure Data in the end? More importantly, are there certain aspects or areas in the music making process that one perhaps does slightly better than the other? Can the two perhaps work in conjunction with each other; applying the strengths of both together? Maybe using SuperCollider's text programming for creating the synthesis or sounds to avoid the tedious aspect of having to create so many boxes - then input them into Pure Data and use the graphical approach of Pure Data to control the sequencing and timing of these sounds? (which I imagine would be easier when it's displayed in a graphical manner on the screen while reducing the need for so many lines and boxes on the screen?)

I really don't know enough about either though, so perhaps what I'm asking doesn't even make much sense at all as I only know the styles of these at a very surface level.

Lastly, for someone interested in learning Pure Data, should I get the Vanilla version? Extended version ? or Purr Data? And while I do see a few learning materials listed on the reddit forum, which would you guys recommend as the most suitable, beginner friendly materials for someone starting out?

Thanks in advance!

Actually, personally I think I'm going to go for the opposite: Supercollider for composition & Pure Data for synthesis, because Supercollider has routines and Patterns, which are more useful for composition than what pure data has to offer imo. There is no such thing as a routine in pure data, the closest thing you get is qlist/text sequencer. Supercollider has conditional branching etc. and it's just easier to do algorithmic composition in text.

I would use Pd for synthesis mainly because the signal-flow representation is easier to visualize in Pd, and because I started on Pd. That being said, Supercollider is the best for creating "voices" on the fly and having something like 500 voices playing at the same time.

@uptick Hello there,

I took a somewhat similar path in that I began learning SuperCollider, and then found myself decisively drawn in to the world of Pd. From my experience, I'd say the suitability of either depends greatly on your background—would you consider yourself to be comfortable with coding, or does a visual dataflow language allow for more clarity? In my case, obviously the latter is true (which is why I took to Pd), but I have friends with coding chops that are able to realize their ideas in SC more easily/quickly/efficiently.

The main breakthrough that I had as a Pd beginner was in studying the work of advanced Pd programmers (open source is a beautiful thing!), and discovering the power of abstractions. I spent hours/days/weeks/months connecting hundreds of objects together, copying & pasting, and debugging messy canvases before I learned how quickly the same work can be realized in minutes with a set of abstractions. I'm sure the same is true in SC, but I myself never got beyond the basics there.

As for versions: definitely not Extended, it's no longer supported. I use vanilla, and download any externals that I need with the Deken plugin ("Find externals" option in the help menu). Purr Data is a great Extended alternative, with many externals already pre-installed, and an HTML5 gui. I use it for certain applications, but my main performance patch is vanilla-based.

Learning resources: this forum & the Pd-list archives (which you can access through the top menu of this forum above) are good to search through for specific questions, sometimes via google. I also found this series of videos very helpful as a beginner:

And don't forget to go to Pd's built-in help browser and check out Pure Data/2.control.examples & Pure Data/3.audio.examples (the latter of which teaches the basics of DSP programming in Pd, and also realizes more general computer music technique as presented in Miller Puckette's book.

Enjoy!