In the Real-Time Systems course, which is part of the Creative Music Technology major of the Bachelor of Music at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, students create and perform bespoke software instruments using Pure Data (Pd), an open-source visual programming language that offers a graphical environment ideal for creative experimentation. Topics include computer programming, digital signal processing, synthesis, live-sampling, and audio for mobile computing. This course builds upon technical and aesthetic concepts introduced in the Interactive Music course and furthers student understanding of techniques appropriate for the composition and performance of real-time systems. Outcomes include new bespoke software instruments, live performances of original compositions using them, and an increased understanding of sound synthesis and audio processing.
Partly in response to remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I created a series of instructional videos about real-time music and sound in Pure Data, for use in this course.