PdMaxCon25: Pd/Max Conference 2025 University of Illinois Urbana, IL, United States, September 5-7, 2025

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 PdCon to accommodate the addition of the Max community.

Submission Guidelines

All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following paper categories are welcome:

• 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.
• Demo or workshops submissions: 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.

Committees

Organizing committee

• Kerry Hagan
• Eli Fieldsteel
• Jake Metz
• Sharath Ramakrishnan
• Nathan Mandel
• Stephen A Taylor
• Marc Trevisani

Invited Speakers

• Miller Puckette
• David Zicarelli

Venue

The conference will be held at the School of Music at the University of Illinois, located in Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to kerry@illinois.edu