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Your First Patch

This tutorial will guide you through creating your first working patch in plugdata. You’ll build a simple sine wave oscillator with volume control, introducing core concepts of visual patching along the way.
This guide assumes you have plugdata installed. If not, start with the Installation Guide.

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Launching plugdata

1

Open plugdata

Standalone mode:
  • Launch plugdata from your Applications folder, Start Menu, or desktop shortcut
  • You’ll see the main interface with a blank canvas and sidebar
Plugin mode:
  • Open your DAW
  • Create a new instrument or audio track
  • Load “plugdata” (instrument) or “plugdata-fx” (effect) from your plugin list
  • The plugdata editor window will open
2

Understanding the interface

The plugdata interface consists of several key areas:Main Canvas (center): Where you create your patch by placing and connecting objectsSidebar (left or right): Contains panels for:
  • Object browser/palette
  • Inspector (object properties)
  • Console (messages and errors)
  • Documentation browser
  • Search panel
Toolbar (top): File operations, edit mode toggle, zoom controls, DSP on/offStatus Bar (bottom): Shows CPU usage, audio status, and current mode
Toggle the sidebar visibility with the button in the toolbar, or resize it by dragging its edge.

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Creating Objects

1

Enter Edit Mode

Before you can create objects, ensure you’re in Edit Mode:
  • Look for the Lock/Edit toggle in the toolbar (padlock icon)
  • Click it so the padlock is unlocked (Edit Mode)
  • The canvas background may change slightly to indicate edit mode
Edit Mode: Create, delete, and move objects and connections
Run Mode (locked): Interact with GUI objects like sliders and buttons
2

Create an oscillator object

In Pure Data and plugdata, objects are created by typing their names:
  1. Double-click on the blank canvas, or press N key
  2. A text entry box appears
  3. Type: osc~ 440
  4. Press Enter or click outside the box
You’ve created an oscillator object that generates a 440 Hz sine wave (A4 note)!Understanding object syntax:
  • osc~: Object name (the ~ indicates it processes audio signals)
  • 440: Creation argument (the frequency in Hz)
3

Create the audio output

Now create the object that sends audio to your speakers/headphones:
  1. Double-click below the osc~ object
  2. Type: dac~
  3. Press Enter
The dac~ object is the “Digital to Analog Converter” - it outputs audio to your audio interface.
dac~ stands for “digital-to-analog converter” while adc~ is “analog-to-digital converter” for audio input.
4

Connect the objects

Now connect the oscillator to the output:
  1. Hover over the small rectangle at the bottom of the osc~ object (the outlet)
  2. Click and drag to the rectangle at the top of the dac~ object (the inlet)
  3. Release to create a connection (patch cord)
You should see a line connecting the two objects. This connection carries the audio signal from the oscillator to the output.Connection rules:
  • Outlets (bottom of objects) send data
  • Inlets (top of objects) receive data
  • Connections flow downward from outlet to inlet
  • Thick connections carry audio signals (ending in ~)
  • Thin connections carry control messages (numbers, symbols, etc.)

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Starting Audio

1

Turn on DSP

DSP (Digital Signal Processing) must be enabled to hear audio:
  1. Find the DSP toggle in the toolbar (speaker icon or “DSP” button)
  2. Click it to turn On (the button should be highlighted)
  3. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut (typically Cmd/Ctrl + .)
Make sure your volume is at a reasonable level before turning on DSP! The default osc~ 440 will play at full volume.
2

Hear your first sound

With DSP enabled, you should now hear a continuous 440 Hz sine wave tone!If you don’t hear anything:
  • Check your system audio output is not muted
  • Verify DSP is enabled (button highlighted in toolbar)
  • Ensure connections are correct (thick line from osc~ to dac~)
  • In standalone mode, check Audio Settings (menu bar) to verify correct output device
3

Stop the sound

To silence the tone:
  • Turn DSP off using the toolbar button, or
  • Delete the connection between objects (select it and press Delete/Backspace), or
  • Close the patch

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Adding Volume Control

A continuous loud tone isn’t very useful. Let’s add volume control:
1

Create a multiplier

Insert a volume control between the oscillator and output:
  1. Create a new object between osc~ and dac~
  2. Type: *~ 0.5
  3. Press Enter
The *~ object multiplies the audio signal. The argument 0.5 reduces the volume to 50%.
2

Reconnect the patch

Update your connections:
  1. Delete the direct connection from osc~ to dac~ (click it and press Delete)
  2. Connect osc~ outlet → *~ inlet
  3. Connect *~ outlet → dac~ inlet
Your signal flow is now: osc~ → *~ → dac~
3

Add a slider for interactive control

Let’s add a GUI slider to control volume in real-time:
  1. Create a new object above the *~ object
  2. Type: hsl (horizontal slider)
  3. Press Enter
A horizontal slider appears! This is a GUI object that outputs numbers as you move it.
4

Configure the slider range

The slider needs to output values between 0.0 (silent) and 1.0 (full volume):
  1. Right-click the slider
  2. Select Properties from the menu
  3. Set the following values:
    • Minimum: 0
    • Maximum: 1
    • Width: 128 (or your preference)
    • Height: 15 (or your preference)
  4. Click OK or close the properties panel
You can also access properties through the Inspector panel in the sidebar when an object is selected.
5

Connect the slider

Connect the slider to control the multiplier:
  1. Connect the slider’s outlet to the right inlet of *~
The right inlet of *~ controls the multiplication factor (volume).
6

Test the volume control

  1. Switch to Run Mode (click the padlock to lock it)
  2. Turn on DSP
  3. Move the slider left and right
You should hear the volume change as you move the slider!Run Mode vs Edit Mode:
  • In Run Mode (locked), GUI objects are interactive
  • In Edit Mode (unlocked), you can move and edit objects
  • Toggle between them frequently as you build and test patches

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Adding a Frequency Control

Let’s add another slider to change the pitch:
1

Switch back to Edit Mode

Click the padlock to unlock (Edit Mode).
2

Create a frequency slider

  1. Create another horizontal slider above the osc~ object
  2. Right-click it and open Properties
  3. Configure:
    • Minimum: 100 (Hz)
    • Maximum: 1000 (Hz)
    • Initial value: 440
  4. Click OK
3

Connect frequency control

Connect the frequency slider’s outlet to the left inlet of the osc~ object.The left inlet of osc~ controls the frequency.
4

Test pitch and volume control

  1. Switch to Run Mode
  2. Turn on DSP if it’s off
  3. Move the top slider to change pitch (100-1000 Hz)
  4. Move the middle slider to change volume (0-100%)
Congratulations! You’ve built an interactive synthesizer with pitch and volume control.

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Adding Labels and Comments

1

Add text labels

Make your patch more readable with comments:
  1. Switch to Edit Mode
  2. Create a new object
  3. Type: comment Frequency Control
  4. Press Enter
The comment object displays text but doesn’t process any data. Position it near your frequency slider.
2

Add more labels

Create additional comments to label:
  • “Volume Control” near the volume slider
  • “Sine Wave Oscillator” near the osc~ object
  • “Audio Output” near the dac~ object
Well-labeled patches are easier to understand and modify later!

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Saving Your Patch

1

Save the patch file

  1. Go to File → Save (or Cmd/Ctrl + S)
  2. Choose a location and filename (e.g., “my-first-synth.pd”)
  3. Click Save
Patches are saved as .pd files (Pure Data patch format).
2

Understanding .pd vs .plugdata files

  • .pd files: Standard Pure Data patch format, compatible with vanilla Pd
  • .plugdata files: Compressed package format that can include subpatches, abstractions, and dependencies in a single file
For most purposes, use .pd files for maximum compatibility.

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Understanding Message Flow

Here’s what happens when you move a slider: 
Frequency Slider (440) 
  ↓
osc~ 440 (generates sine wave at 440 Hz)
  ↓ (audio signal)
*~ 0.5 (multiplies signal by 0.5 = 50% volume)
  ↓ (audio signal)
dac~ (sends to audio output)
  ↓
Your speakers/headphones
Key concepts:
  • Hot inlets (leftmost): Trigger computation and output
  • Cold inlets (others): Store values but don’t trigger output
  • Audio signals (~ objects): Process at audio rate (e.g., 44,100 samples/second)
  • Control messages: Process on-demand when triggered

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Expanding Your Patch

Try these enhancements to learn more:
Replace osc~ with:
  • phasor~ - sawtooth wave (brighter sound)
  • square~ - square wave (hollow sound)
  • noise~ - white noise
Each has a distinct timbre!
Connect your audio to both channels of dac~:
  • Connect your signal to both the left and right inlets of dac~
  • Or use dac~ 1 2 and connect to separate inlets
  1. Create object: number or floatatom
  2. Connect it parallel to a slider
  3. It displays the exact value and allows precise typing
  1. Create: vsl (vertical slider) for envelope
  2. Create: line~ to smooth value changes
  3. Connect: vsl → line~ → right inlet of another *~
  4. This creates smooth fades instead of sudden volume changes

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Exploring Objects

1

Open the object browser

Discover more objects using the built-in browser:
  1. Open the sidebar (if hidden)
  2. Click the Palette or Browser tab
  3. Browse categories:
    • Audio (oscillators, filters, effects)
    • Control (math, logic, sequencing)
    • GUI (sliders, buttons, toggles)
    • ELSE (extensive collection from the ELSE library)
    • Cyclone (Max/MSP compatible objects)
2

View object documentation

To learn what any object does:
  1. Right-click an object
  2. Select Help from the menu
  3. A help patch opens showing:
    • What the object does
    • Inlet/outlet descriptions
    • Usage examples
    • Related objects
Alternatively, use the Documentation Browser panel in the sidebar.
3

Search for objects

Use the search panel:
  1. Open the Search panel in the sidebar
  2. Type keywords (e.g., “filter”, “delay”, “random”)
  3. Results show matching objects with descriptions
  4. Click an object to create it on the canvas

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Essential Objects to Learn

Here are fundamental objects to explore next:

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Oscillators and Generators

  • osc~ - sine wave oscillator
  • phasor~ - sawtooth/ramp oscillator
  • noise~ - white noise generator
  • saw~ - sawtooth oscillator (ELSE)
  • square~ - square wave oscillator (ELSE)

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Math and Control

  • +, -, *, / - basic math operations
  • +~, -~, *~, /~ - audio-rate math
  • random - random integer generator
  • metro - metronome (triggers at regular intervals)
  • line~ - smooth value changes

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Filters and Effects

  • lop~ - lowpass filter
  • hip~ - highpass filter
  • vcf~ - voltage-controlled filter
  • delwrite~ / delread~ - delay effects
  • rev~ - reverb (ELSE)

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GUI Objects

  • hsl / vsl - horizontal/vertical slider
  • tgl - toggle button
  • bng - bang button (triggers)
  • number - number box
  • vradio / hradio - radio buttons

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Audio I/O

  • dac~ - audio output
  • adc~ - audio input
  • soundfiler - load/save audio files
  • readsf~ - play audio files

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Next Steps

Now that you’ve created your first patch, continue learning:
  1. Explore example patches: Look for example patches in plugdata’s installation folder or community resources
  2. Read the object reference: Browse the documentation browser to learn new objects
  3. Watch tutorials: The plugdata Discord has shared patches and tutorials
  4. Build something: Try creating:
    • A simple drum machine using metro and bng
    • A low-frequency oscillator (LFO) to modulate pitch or volume
    • A filter sweep using vcf~ and a slider
    • A delay effect with feedback
The best way to learn is by experimenting! Don’t be afraid to try things - you can always undo (Cmd/Ctrl + Z) or start fresh.

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Common Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:
ShortcutAction
N or 1Create new object
Cmd/Ctrl + EToggle Edit/Run mode
Cmd/Ctrl + .Toggle DSP on/off
Cmd/Ctrl + DDuplicate selection
Cmd/Ctrl + ASelect all
Delete / BackspaceDelete selection
Cmd/Ctrl + ZUndo
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ZRedo
Cmd/Ctrl + +/-Zoom in/out
Right-clickObject menu (properties, help, etc.)

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Getting Help

If you get stuck:
  • Discord: Join the plugdata community at https://discord.gg/eT2RxdF9Nq
  • Help patches: Right-click any object → Help
  • Pure Data documentation: Much Pure Data documentation applies to plugdata
  • GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
Happy patching!

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