This article introduces the possibilities of the software Pure Data (Pd), explains a bit why it’s so popular among artists and shows what Pd can be used for. The goal is to help artists decide if Pd is a tool for their own work.

Pure Data, or PD for short, is a software written by mathematician and musician Miller S. Puckette. It  has become one of the most popular tools for artists working with digital media. Originally conceived in the late 90s as an environment to create sounds and to compose music, it was soon extended by modules to work with video and graphics. Pd is freely available for no cost, and it is Free Software in that the source code can be obtained, modified and distributed without restrictions as well. Pd runs on many operating systems including the big three: Linux, OS-X and MS-Windows.

PDF: Digital Artists Handbook: Pure Dataflow – Diving into Pd

 

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Your files, anywhere
Any file you save to Dropbox also instantly saves to your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website.

2GB of Dropbox for free, with subscriptions up to 100GB available. Your files are always available from the secure Dropbox website. Dropbox works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Works even when offline. You always have your files, whether or not you have a connection. Dropbox transfers just the parts of a file that change (not the whole thing). Manually set bandwidth limits — Dropbox won’t hog your connection.

Website: Dropbox
Website: Dropbox for ucl.ac.uk email address 500MB extra free!

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LibreOffice is the power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. Support and documentation is free from our large

See what LibreOffice can do for you »

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Instant USB-bootable creative desktop

Puredyne is the USB-bootable GNU/Linux operating system for creative multimedia.

Puredyne is a live distribution, you don’t need to install anything. Simply boot your computer using the live USB or CD and you’re ready to start using software such as Pure Data, Supercollider, Icecast, Csound, Fluxus, Processing, Arduino and more. Read more

 

One tiny USB provides you with the complete puredyne GNU/Linux system including all software, and extra space to store your files. Ideal for workshops, installations, or super lightweight travelling.

For who?

Puredyne is developed for artists, by artists.

It’s used for live music, installation art, hardware hacking, teaching, and more.

Get Puredyne here – download it for free, or buy a clever little USB stick.

 

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Scribus is a free and open-source alternative to InDesign. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux, and does most of what InDesign can, but it’s not quite as polished. If you can’t stretch to InDesign this might work well for you.

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