Alexandre Torres Porres

The main computer music languages for Live Electronics nowadays are: Max, Pure Data (or just “Pd”) & SuperCollider. In comparison to the other two, Pd offers a very limited set of functions in its main distribution (a.k.a “Pd vanilla”), relying heavily on external libraries as add-ons. This presentation talk describes the ELSE external library for Pd <https://github.com/porres/pd-else> – which brings elements that were missing in Pd and its current external libraries when compared to other computer music environments.

The ELSE library also tries to fill in the void after Pd Extended got abandoned and presents a single cohesive system for live electronics. It also includes functionalities not available elsewhere and revises elementary building blocks of computer music already found in Pd or other systems, such as in the design of oscillators. The ELSE library provides a large collection of objects that were carefully and meticulously designed to improve the patching experience for Pd, allowing some techniques of computer music to be implemented more conveniently. It is also part of a didactic project for computer music that uses Pd to cover a wide range of computer music techniques and DSP topics in a tutorial.

This presentation/talk discusses the challenges in developing this free/open source DIY system for live electronics.

PhD in Computer Music at USP. Master in Composition by Unicamp University. Organizer of cultural events in São Paulo. Musician, performer, composer, researcher, teachaer. Pure Data expert and developer.