Programming Sound with Pure Data (PragProg)

Add sound effects or music to your web, Android, and iOS apps and games—sound that can react to changing environments or user input dynamically (at least in the native apps). You can do all this with Pure Data, a visual programming language for digital sound processing.

Tony Hillerson

edited by Jacquelyn Carter @jkcarter

Add sound effects or music to your web, Android, and iOS apps and games—sound that can react to changing environments or user input dynamically (at least in the native apps). You can do all this with Pure Data, a visual programming language for digital sound processing.

Programming Sound with Pure Data introduces and explores Pure Data, building understanding of sound design concepts along the way. You’ll start by learning Pure Data fundamentals and applying them, creating realistic sound effects. Then you’ll see how to analyze sound and re-create what you hear in a recorded sample. You’ll apply multiple synthesis methods to sound design problems. You’ll finish with two chapters of real-world projects, one for the web, and one for an iOS and Android app. You’ll design the sound, build the app, and integrate effects using the libpd library.

Whether you’ve had some experience with sound synthesis, or are new to sound design, this book is for you. These techniques are perfect for independent developers, small shops specializing in apps or games, and developers interested in exploring musical apps.


“This book covering Pure Data is pure fun. Where else can you learn how to make lightsaber sounds with code? It’s a very nice intro to Pd and basic sound design and focuses on practical things you can use in your own apps.”

–Jack Moffitt, senior research engineer, Mozilla


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