plugdata
A visual programming environment for audio experimentation, prototyping and education
plugdata is a free/open-source visual programming environment based on pure-data. It is available for a wide range of operating systems, and can be used both as a standalone app, or as a VST3, LV2, CLAP or AU plugin.
plugdata allows you to create and manipulate audio systems using visual elements, rather than writing code. Think of it as building with virtual blocks – simply connect them together to design your unique audio setups. It's a user-friendly and intuitive way to experiment with audio and programming.
plugdata comes with the ELSE library installed by default, providing a wide range of general-purpose objects that offer high-level abstraction on top of pure-data. plugdata also ships with the cyclone library, to make Max users feel at home when they use plugdata.
With Heavy integration, audio plugin capabilities and cross-platform builds, your patches are going places.
plugdata integrates with the Heavy/hvcc project to allow patches to be converted into C/C++ code. It ships with a compiler toolchain to make exporting plugins, or running patches on the Electro-Smith Daisy platform a piece of cake.
Seamlessly integrate plugdata into your DAW workflow as a VST3, AU, LV2, or CLAP plugin. Mix and match with other plugins or control them with MIDI: the possibilities are endless!
plugdata is fully cross-platform, and is available for most common processor architectures. Officially supporter operating systems are Windows, macOS and a wide variety of Linux distros. Run your patches on a PC, Mac and even Raspberry Pi. plugdata can also run on FreeBSD when compiled from scratch.
plugdata is fueled by a passionate group of volunteers who are dedicated to providing an exceptional user experience. Our commitment to open-source principles ensures that plugdata will always be free and open for everyone to use and contribute to.
From high schools to universities, plugdata has found its place in classrooms and workshops, providing a simple yet powerful environment to learn the fundamentals of programming and explore the depths of audio creation.
For artists seeking to push the boundaries of sonic expression, plugdata offers limitless possibilities. Craft unique soundscapes, experiment with audio synthesis, or encorporate it into your effects chain. plugdata provides the tools and freedom you need to bring your artistic vision to life.
Customizability and accessibility are at the core of our platform. Adapt plugdata to your style with full theming, including a light and dark mode. Or use the font, color, and scaling features to enhance accessibility and cater to your specific needs.
plugdata is directly based on pd-vanilla, with minimal modifications to the original source code. This ensures very high compatibility between pure-data and plugdata patches. This also means that your pure-data skills seamlessly transfer to plugdata, and vice versa!
We have built plugdata on top of JUCE, the industry standard framework for plugin and audio application development.
On top of that, plugdata integrates with some of the best projects in the pure-data ecosystem to expand upon its capabilities.
A visual programming environment for audio experimentation, prototyping and education
Go to downloads
pure-data
JUCE
Heavy
ELSE
Cyclone