Re: [microsound] Mac vs PC (linux information)[pd readymades]

[Kurt Ralske <kranning@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> People like Frank Barknecht and myself [from time to time] are busy
> building end-user "applications" in PD as educatinal tools, but I really
> prefer building things from low-level objects rather than cobbling
> together all the ready-made "blackboxes" in Max/MSP. It was a reason I
> disliked Reaktor so much: when I wanted to use a granulator, they had
> one or two "granulator objects" which you could send parameters to, but
> no way of getting inside the object to chnage its basic function. So I
> build my own in PD, and know exactly how they work and what I can change
> on the most basic levels. This way, I feel that the sound I make is my
> own creation, and not that I'm just twiddling someone else's buttons.

I agree, and work in the same way, by programming my own tools. But I do
think the opposite view is totally valid: tools that have a lot of
funtionality out-of-the-box and a good interface, make it easier and faster
to finish art.

I understand the need for personalized tools. Like many people, I feel that
my ideas are not possible with off-the-shelf tools. But I also sort-of
resent the time + effort required to make these tools, and sometimes feel
the time + effort would be better spent on art-making.

I don't mind the left-brain effort of building a tool if it's transparent
enough for me to enjoy it thoroughly in right-brain mode. It should be
totally intuitive at playtime. In the words of one of America's greatest
poets: "I wanna get up + do my thing, I wanna get into it, man, you
know...like a, like a sex machine, man...movin', doin' it, you know. Can I
count it off? One two three four"

Kurt