Using OSC in Pure Data

Vanilla Only

Sending OSC

The default version of PD is referred to as Vanilla. OSC can be used in Puredata without further packages, by means of the ojects netsend, oscformat and oscparse. The patch osc-send-vailla.pd sends a message to port 6666 on the localhost (127.0.0.1). The message has the following structure and contains one float argument:

/oscillator/frequency/ [float]

/images/basics/pd-osc-send-vanilla.png

Receiving OSC

The corresponding receiver patch osc-receive-vanilla.pd listens on port 6666. Using the route object, the message is unwrapped until the single float argument can be processed by the number box:

/images/basics/pd-osc-receive-vanilla.png

Exercise

Send messages between the patches. If possible, use two computers and change the address in the send patch.

Using Externals

Dependencies

Sending OSC

The following example is based on additional externals. For using them, install the external mrpeach with the Deken tool inside Puredata: https://puredata.info/docs/Deken The send patch uses the hostname localhost instead of an IP address. The path /oscillator/frequency of the OSC message has been defined arbitrarily - it has to match between client and receiver. Before sending OSC messages, the connect message needs to be clicked.

/images/basics/pd-osc-send.png

Receiving OSC

Before receiving OSC messages, the udpreceive object needs to know which port to listen on. Messages are then unpacked and routed according to their path, using the routeOSC object.

/images/basics/pd-osc-receive.png

Exercise

Use both patches for a remote controlled oscillator. If possible, use two computers and change the address in the send patch.


References

1997

  • Miller S. Puckette. Pure Data. In Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC). Thessaloniki, \\ Greece, 1997.
    [details] [BibTeX▼]

1988

  • Miller S. Puckette. The patcher. In Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC). Computer Music Association, 1988.
    [details] [BibTeX▼]

Digital Filters

Digital filters are delay-based processing units. In short: they affect a signal by overlapping it with delayed versions of the same signal. There are two basic categories of digital filters:

FIR filters

Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters can be considered simple convolution processors. They are implemented without recursion, respectively feedback. IIR filters are robust and easy to design, yet they are more CPU expensive.

IIR Filters

Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filters are recursive computational structures. They are used for many time-critical operations, since they are less CPU hungry. In contrast to FIR filters, they can become unstable and may affect the signal in unwanted ways.


Both categories will be introduced in the following sections. In a detailed comparison, they show a couple of differences, both having advantages and disadvantages.

Using the Git Repository

Git is a distributed version control system. Changes to (text) files are grouped in chunks called commits. You can create new branches of a repository for specific features or tasks and merge those branches after you finished your changes.

Cloning a Git Repository

git clone https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git

This creates a directory with the name SPRAWL and clones the git repository locally.

With git log you can see all recent commits.

Create Branches, Adding Changes and Committing

Let's create a new branch for our changes:

git checkout -b new_changes

Now we are on a new created branch called new_changes. If you omit the -b you checkout a branch that is on the remote repository.

The easiest way to committing changes is to commit every changes of files.

git add file.txt
git add file2.txt
git commit -m "Fixes wording of file.txt and file3.t wsgh s"

Sometimes it happens that you commited your changes too early but didn't pushed your changes to the remote server. If you only want to change the commit message you can use git commit --amend. The same command works for adding more changes to the last commit. Don't forget to use git add filename.

Pushing Changes to the Remote Server

With git you can have more than one remote repository. After you cloned the sprawl repository you will have a remote repository with the name origin.

student@h2912420:~/SPRAWL$ git remote -v
origin  https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (push)

But you don't have any push access to this repository. To get your changes into the mainline SPRAWL repository you have to fork the project on github. At the right top corner at the sprawl's repo you must click on fork. Then you can add your own repo to your local SPRAWL clone:

$ git remote add ntonnaett https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git
$ git remote -v
ntonnaett       https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
ntonnaett       https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git (push)
origin  git@github.com:anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
origin  git@github.com:anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (push)
git push ntonnaett

Exchange ntonnaett with your personal remote name. After you committed all your changes you can open a pull request on the mainline sprawl repository.

Using the Git Repository

Git is a distributed version control system. Changes to (text) files are grouped in chunks called commits. You can create new branches of a repository for specific features or tasks and merge those branches after you finished your changes.

Cloning a Git Repository

git clone https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git

This creates a directory with the name SPRAWL and clones the git repository locally.

With git log you can see all recent commits.

Create Branches, Adding Changes and Committing

Let's create a new branch for our changes:

git checkout -b new_changes

Now we are on a new created branch called new_changes. If you omit the -b you checkout a branch that is on the remote repository.

The easiest way to committing changes is to commit every changes of files.

git add file.txt
git add file2.txt
git commit -m "Fixes wording of file.txt and file3.t wsgh s"

Sometimes it happens that you commited your changes too early but didn't pushed your changes to the remote server. If you only want to change the commit message you can use git commit --amend. The same command works for adding more changes to the last commit. Don't forget to use git add filename.

Pushing Changes to the Remote Server

With git you can have more than one remote repository. After you cloned the sprawl repository you will have a remote repository with the name origin.

student@h2912420:~/SPRAWL$ git remote -v
origin  https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (push)

But you don't have any push access to this repository. To get your changes into the mainline SPRAWL repository you have to fork the project on github. At the right top corner at the sprawl's repo you must click on fork. Then you can add your own repo to your local SPRAWL clone:

$ git remote add ntonnaett https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git
$ git remote -v
ntonnaett       https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
ntonnaett       https://github.com/ntonnaett/SPRAWL.git (push)
origin  git@github.com:anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (fetch)
origin  git@github.com:anwaldt/SPRAWL.git (push)
git push ntonnaett

Exchange ntonnaett with your personal remote name. After you committed all your changes you can open a pull request on the mainline sprawl repository.

Sending OSC from SuperCollider

For sending OSC from SuperCollider, a NetAddr object needs to be generated. It needs an IP address and a port:

~out_address  = NetAddr("127.0.0.1", 6666);

Sending Values Once

This first example sends an OSC message once when the following line is evaluated. The previously created NetAddr object can be used to send OSC messages with its sendMsg method:

~out_address.sendMsg('/test/message', 1);

Sending Values Continuously

Based on the previous example, a routine can be created which continuously reads values from control rate buses to send their instantaneous value via OSC. The osc_routine runs an infinite loop with a short wait interval to limit the send rate and the CPU load:

  ~cBus = Bus.control(s,1);

  ~osc_routine = Routine({

        inf.do({

      // read value from bus
                  var value      = ~cBus.getSynchronous(~nVbap);

      // send value
                  ~out_address.sendMsg('/oscillator/frequency', value);

                  // wait
                  0.05.wait;

          });
});

Once created, the routine can be started and stopped with the methods play() and stop(). While running, bus values can be changed to test the functionality:

~osc_routine.play();

~cBus.set(300);

~cBus.set(700);

~osc_routine.stop();

Exercise

Exercise

Run the PD patch osc-receive.pd to receive values from SuperCollider via OSC and control the pitch.

Wavetable Oscillator with Phase Reset

The Faust oscillators.lib comes with many different implementations of oscillators for various waveforms. At some point one might still need a behavior not included and lower level approaches are necessary.

This example shows how to use a phasor to read a wavetable with a sine waveform. This implementation has an additional trigger input for resetting the phase of the oscillator on each positive zero crossing. This can come handy in various applications, especially for phase-sensitive transients, as for example in kick drums.

The example is derived from Barkati et. al (2013) and part of the repository:

import("stdfaust.lib");

// some basic stuff
sr = SR;
twopi = 2.0*ma.PI;

// define the waveform in table
ts =  1<<16; // size = 65536 samples (max of unsigned short)
time = (+(1) ~ _ ) , 1 : - ;
sinewave =  ((float(time) / float(ts)) * twopi) : sin;

phase = os.hs_phasor(ts,freq,trig);

// read from table
sin_osc( freq) = rdtable(ts ,sinewave , int(phase)) ;

// generate a one sample impulse from the gate
trig =  pm.impulseExcitation(reset);

reset = button ("reset");
freq = hslider("freq", 100, 0, 16000, 0.00001);

// offset = hslider("offset", 0, 0, 1, 0.00001);

process = sin_osc(freq);

2013

  • Karim Barkati and Pierre Jouvelot. Synchronous programming in audio processing: a lookup table oscillator case study. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 46(2):1–35, 2013.
    [details] [BibTeX▼]

Receiving OSC in SuperCollider

OSCFunc

By default, a running instance of sclang listens to incoming OSC messsages on the port 57120. For listening to a specific OSC message, an OSC function can be defined with a specific path. SC will then evaluate the defined function when OSC messages are received at the default port with the matching path:

~osc_receive = OSCFunc(

{ arg msg, time, addr, recvPort;

post('Revceived message to path: ');
msg[0].postln;

post('With value: ');
msg[1].postln;

}, '/test/message');

OSCdef

OSCdef is slightly more flexible and allows to change definitions on the fly, without deleting nodes:

OSCdef(\tester,
        {|msg, time, addr, recvPort|

        post('Revceived message to path: ');
        msg[0].postln;

        post('With value: ');
        msg[1].postln;

},'/test/another', n);

Exercises

Exercise I

Use a SuperCollider OSC receiver with the first PD example on sending OSC for sending OSC to change the value of control rate bus and monitor the bus with a scope. The section on buses is helpful for this. Keep in mind to set the correct port (57120) and path in the PD patch.

Exercise II

Use a SuperCollider OSC receiver with the PD example for controlling the subtractive synth in the previous example. This can be done with control rate buses or by a direct set() to the synth nodes.

Additive & Spectral: IFFT Synthesis

The calculation of single sinusoidal components in the time domain can be very inefficient for a large number of partials. IFFT synthesis can be used to compose spectra in the frequency domain.

/images/Sound_Synthesis/ifft/ifft-0.png

Main lobe kernel for \(\varphi = 0\)

/images/Sound_Synthesis/ifft/ifft-1.png

Main lobe kernel for \(\varphi = \pi/2\)

/images/Sound_Synthesis/ifft/ifft-2.png

Main lobe kernel for \(\varphi = \pi/4\)

/images/Sound_Synthesis/ifft/ifft-3.png

Main lobe kernel for \(\varphi =c3 \pi/4\)

Laplace Transform