Re: [microsound] MUTE article on PD + free software

[Kyle Klipowicz <kyleklip@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Apr 7, 2005 11:48 AM, Alex Young <alex@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 7 Apr 2005, at 17:02, Kevin Ponto wrote:
> > Doesn't it usually take many years to get to a point where you can use
> > a program like PD with any great efficiency, and wouldn't these years
> > of limitation have a drastic effect upon one's music?
> 
> It can do depending on your previous experiences - hence me finding
> tools like Supercollider easier than Logic at first (being used to odd
> programming languages like Lisp I can think that way fairly well).

Here's another quote from Derek's interview:

"It's a bit like learning a language, you start with some vocabulary
you start with some grammar, maybe the first year you can order beers
and say hello to pretty waitresses, the next year you might be
speaking like a small school child, the year after that maybe you've
writing poetry, who knows. It's this kind of way of working it's
building up on a language in the metaphor the same way that a
tradition musician would start off by playing doo-re-me and eventually
would be writing sonatas or whatever, so I like this approach very
much, it's building up nothing pre-determined."

I totally agree with this statement.  It takes a lot of time invested
in the concepts behind something like Pd, Max, SC or any other
programming environment.  Although frustrating, it is a benefit in the
end.  Once these fundamental concepts are ingrained, you have become
highly portable.

CS departments work the same way, teaching multiple languages at
first: C++, Java, etc, until the students are fluent enough to
understand algorithmic thought in the form of abstract pseudo code. 
So even if it seems like you're wasting time reinventing the wheel
with one dinky platform, in reality you are training your brain in the
art of algorithms; a skill that is highly transferable.

-- 
http://perhapsidid.blogspot.org
(((())))(()()((((((((()())))()(((((((())()()())())))
(())))))(()))))))))))))(((((((((((()()))))))))((())))
))(((((((((((())))())))))))))))))))__________
_____())))))(((((((((((((()))))))))))_______
((((((())))))))))))((((((((000)))oOOOOOO

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
website: http://www.microsound.org