i posted above but just wanted to say - again - how invaluable this resource is @emviveros. thank you so much.

if anyone would care to update this thread (for us non-developer-types) with a way to put a pd icon on the desktop, it would be a nice addition. not essential, but would really make this resource complete and a one-stop-shop.

j

sorry to revive dead thread - just a huge thx to emviveros for the tuto. i have .51-0 on my pi now.

this is great. lots of homework, but all doable. will report back. thanks much!!

hi all,

i'm working on a multichannel installation that will be up in a gallery for a few months, running pd (relatively simple patch that incorporates a few .wav files). i'm currently running this off of a mbpro (10.13.4, late 2012 - not terrible, but not especially powerful), which is also usb-powering a half-rack motu as the multichannel interface.

the mbpro is also my main laptop, and bc the show will be up for two months, i was hoping to run everything off of a very clean 2008 mb, but i just hooked this all up and the sound is really staticky.

question 1: is there something i can do to optimize the old macbook to get rid of the sound issues?
question 2: if not, what is the cheapest rig i can use as a substitute? i was feeling like a laptop is a bit of overkill anyway, but because i need this to run not just the patch but house wav files, the motu software, and power the motu, i'm thinking that a pi or an arduino (both of which are currently out of my experience set) wouldn't cut it? perhaps i'm wrong! i've run patches off of iPads/iPhones before using MobMuPlat and PDParty, but I need a USB-out to power the motu, and i also need to house a few gigs worth of wav files.

was thinking something like a refurbed mac mini, but the gallery people are going to probably need to start the patch each morning, so a no-mouse/screen/keyboard setup may not be ideal. looking to spend as little as possible as this project has already been a $-suck, but potentially willing to invest if there is a reasonable workable solution that could also benefit future installs.

thanks, apologies as i'm sure this is a very newbie question.

j

thanks, this is very helpful, all. really appreciate your time and expertise.

thanks so much, guys. so, to make this idiot-proof for me... is the following chain correct?

pure data patch ending in a [dac~ 1 2 3 4 5 6]---->
audio settings on mac (and in pd) set appropriately (? see question)---->
usb to external soundcard interface (? see question)---->
8 in / 8 out (unless i can find a 6 in/out) external soundcard---->
6 cables (one from each of the first 6 outs)--->
amplifier(s) (possibly 3 with l/r stereo outs, unless using powered speakers)--->
cables (as appropriate)--->
6 speakers

if so, can i clarify that (1) when i install the driver (?) for the external soundcard that the option to multichannel will appear in system preferences/sound? right now, it's just a l/r option, and relatedly, (2) i'm correct that it is a usb interface between the laptop and the soundcard (that i don't need to somehow further split the input to the soundcard or use a special kind of cable), and finally (3) that i'm not conflating the idea of a soundcard with another audio interface that's needed in the chain?

thanks for helping with another installment of "multichannel sound for dummies" (i really appreciate it). hopefully this is of some use to others, not just me.

hi all, i'm an extremely new PD user, so please pardon any very dumb questions i might be asking. i'm developing a sound art installation at the moment, and as envisioned it will require 6 channel sound. two questions: 1) i've never done anything other than 2 channel sound in PD... is this as simple as creating a dac object with 6 inputs? 2) for output, i am thinking of buying something like this (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC204HD), which has 2 rca outs (so, four channels) and 2 1/4" outs ("main out", also l/r). i'd just run a USB in between the laptop and the behringer. again, i'm completely new to this kind of sound design and so i fully expect i'm oversimplifying this. will i also need a special kind of sound card or a program like soundflower that can generate multi channel sound? thanks in advance for your input.

wow, you guys... have to say i'm completely blown away by everyone's generosity and community spirit! thanks so so much to everyone who's taken the time to write (much less actually build their solutions!!!)

brand new to abstractions, but conceptually i understand what is going on. gilberto, thanks for pointing me to loadbang. (there's a ny-based new music ensemble with that name; i now get that haha.)

anyhow, i will read the material, start experimenting, and round back in. essentially, i've been building some conceptual models on paper that deal with pitch space and require microtonality and more hands than i have the ability to personally render on a standard keyboard. this calculator you are helping me to build will give me the opportunity to sketch out some proofs of concept in aural space, fail horribly, try again, get closer, re-work, etc. ad infinitum, before actually writing the material i plan to write. exciting stuff and very much appreciated.

more soon and thanks again to all.

that's super generous! in a nutshell, using totally generic data:

let's say i want to build three pitch sweeps, [a], [b], [c]. sine waves are fine. [a] goes (in a straight line) from 100-200Hz starting at 10000ms and ending at 20000ms. [b] goes from 150-250Hz starting at 15000ms and ending at 25000ms. and so forth with [c]. i'd like to have this three line pattern loop (untriggered) at regular intervals defined by me. i would love for all of these parameters to be modifiable: the starting/ending frequencies of [a,b,c], the starting/ending time parameters, the rate of loop occurrence.

later, i might want to add in a fourth line [d], or perhaps several more, without needing to redesign the patch.

i know this is embarrassingly preschool level stuff, but when i say i'm completely new to the world of pd/max, i mean i literally learned what an "object" is last night. (hence the 1-on-1 i'd love to set up!)

if you're in the nyc area, or have a half hour to spare with remote desktop, i'd love a hand with this, and would be glad to paypal you some date money.

hi all,
i'm a brooklyn-based composer who is completely new to the coding world, have never used pd, have never used max, etc. looking to do some VERY basic stuff -- essentially would like to build a simple patch with time-triggered, looping frequency sweeps of various dimensions that i can modify as needed to support some paper/acoustic-based experimentation i'm doing. i downloaded pd yesterday, and spent a few hours down the rabbit-hole, and think i would greatly benefit from an hour with a nyc-based expert who can walk me through some very basic technique and make sure all of my ins/outs are lined up elegantly. of course, happy to pay for the lesson. please dm me if you have an hour to spare this week and need some scratch!