About

Pure Data (Pd) and Max are graphical programming environments for audio and video. They were originally authored by Professor Emeritus Miller Puckette (UC San Diego). Pd is open source, and Max is developed by Cycling ’74, now a subsidiary of Ableton. David Zicarelli is the founder and CEO of Cycling ’74 and the head of development for Max.

Independent artists to industry experts use Max and Pd as part of their regular practice. Their graphical programming environments also make them excellent pedagogical tools for teaching programming, algorithmic composition, sound design, digital signal processing, and more. Universities around the world include Pd and Max in their curriculum.

Pd has an ad hoc conference, the PdCon, convened through grassroots initiatives by its community. We are hosting an expanded PdMaxCon at the University of Illinois. In 2025, Pd is approximately 30 years old. Max is approximately 40 years old. In light of these milestones, we will create a more inclusive Pd-Con to accommodate the addition of the Max community.

Miller Puckette and David Zicarelli will be our keynote speakers. The conference will include research presentations, musical events, demos, and workshops. Submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.

Registration for the conference will be free, and all events will be open to the public. However, as we do not have funds to support travel and accommodation, the delegates will be responsible for those costs.

Call For Submissions

The PdMaxCon25 is soliciting submissions in the tracks of Music, Installations, Research, and Demos/Workshops. All submissions must rely on Max or Pd software in some way.

Submission Guidelines

There will be four tracks: Music, Installations, Research, Demos/Workshops

Please follow the paper template (LaTex or Word) for the research track. And please review the tech rider guidelines before making your submission in music, installations or demos/workshops.

Music submissions must be appropriate for either our concert hall presentations or late-night informal venue. You will be able to indicate which of these two options in the submission form. We will require title, name, duration, year, program note (250 words), a description of how Pd or Max is used (250 words), a link to a recording or video of the work or equivalent documentation, and a complete tech rider.

Installation submissions will be selected on merit, but we cannot guarantee that we can honor all space or equipment requests. We will require title, name, year, artist statement (250 words), a description of how Pd or Max is used (250 words), a link to a recording or video of the work or equivalent documentation, and a complete tech rider.

Research submissions can fall under a short paper (2000 words) or long paper format (4000 words). We will provide a paper template when the submission portal opens. We will require a title, length (short or long), abstract, and a PDF of the paper.

The demo/workshop track is designated for projects or research that are interactive, classroom- or lab-based, or require more technology than research presentations. We will require title, duration, abstract, short description of how Pd or Max is used (250 words), a complete description of the demo or workshop with links to any documentation, and a full tech rider.

In all tracks, a work may be ‘accepted’ based on the double-blind peer review process. However, we reserve the right not to program or host a work that we cannot support with the resources available to us.

Submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=pdmaxcon25

Important Dates

Call for submissions: opening soon
Deadline for submissions: May 16
Reviews to be completed: June 20
Delegates announced: July 11
Registration/Confirmation of attendance: July 18 (Registration is free)
Final program released: August 1

Organizing Committee

Our committee consists of:

Kerry L Hagan, Chair
Eli Fieldsteel, Research Chair
Jake Metz, Music Co-Chair, Installations Co-Chair
Sharath Ramakrishnan, Installations Co-Chair
Nathan Mandel, Facilities
Stephen A Taylor
Marc Trevisani

For all queries, please contact kerry@illinois.edu