Miller Puckette
Encyclopedia
Miller Smith Puckette is the associate director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts
as well as a professor of music at the University of California, San Diego
, where he has been since 1994.
Puckette is known for authoring Max
, a graphical development environment for music
and multimedia
synthesis, which he developed while working at IRCAM
in the late 1980s. He is also the author of Pure Data
(Pd), a graphical programming language
for the creation of interactive computer music
and multimedia works, written in the 1990s with input from many others in the computer music and free software
communities.
, an honor he earned in 1979.
He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University
in 1986 after completing an undergraduate degree at MIT in 1980. He was a member of the MIT Media Lab
from its opening in 1985 until 1987 before continuing his research at IRCAM, and since 1997 has been a part of the Global Visual Music project.
On May 11th, 2011, he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa
from the University of Mons
.
Center for Research in Computing and the Arts
The Center for Research in Computing and the Arts is an interdisciplinary organized research unit of UCSD in San Diego, Califorina. CRCA provides support for numerous projects which intersect with the fields of New Media Art, Software Studies, Game studies, Art/Science collaborations, Mixed...
as well as a professor of music at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, where he has been since 1994.
Puckette is known for authoring Max
Max (software)
Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. During its 20-year history, it has been widely used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers, and artists for creating innovative recordings,...
, a graphical development environment for music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
synthesis, which he developed while working at IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
in the late 1980s. He is also the author of Pure Data
Pure Data
Pure Data is a visual programming language developed by Miller Puckette in the 1990s for creating interactive computer music and multimedia works. While Puckette is the main author of the program, Pd is an open source project with a large developer base working on new extensions to it. It is...
(Pd), a graphical programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
for the creation of interactive computer music
Computer music
Computer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...
and multimedia works, written in the 1990s with input from many others in the computer music and free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
communities.
Biography
He is a Putnam FellowWilliam Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
, an honor he earned in 1979.
He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1986 after completing an undergraduate degree at MIT in 1980. He was a member of the MIT Media Lab
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...
from its opening in 1985 until 1987 before continuing his research at IRCAM, and since 1997 has been a part of the Global Visual Music project.
On May 11th, 2011, he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the University of Mons
University of Mons
The University of Mons is a new Belgian university located in the city of Mons, created by merging the Engineering Faculty of Mons and the University of Mons-Hainaut...
.
Selected publications
- For a full list, see: http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/publications.html
- Puckette, Miller (2004) “Who Owns our Software?: A first-person case study” Proceedings, ISEA, pp. 200-202, republished in September 2009 issue of Montréal: Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / Canadian Electroacoustic Community.
- Puckette, Miller (2002) "Max at seventeen". Computer Music JournalComputer Music JournalComputer Music Journal is an American academic journal that covers a wide range of topics related to digital audio signal processing and electroacoustic music. It is published on-line and in hard copy by MIT Press. The magazine is accompanied by an annual CD/DVD that collects audio and video work...
26(4): pp. 31-43.