# Learning new libraries without tutorials

**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152
**Category:** Libraries
**Created:** [June 25, 2020, 7:45am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152 "2020-06-25T07:45:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![yhlaskerimov](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/yhlaskerimov/32/9725_2.png) [@yhlaskerimov](https://discourse.processing.org/u/yhlaskerimov)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 7:45am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/1 "2020-06-25T07:45:42Z")

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Hi everyone. I wanna ask how to learn Processing libraries without tutorials ?  
I want to learn sound libraries but there isn’t any tutorials about them. Also, I want to learn Geomerative library.

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### Author: ![josephh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/josephh/32/210_2.png) [@josephh](https://discourse.processing.org/u/josephh)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/2 "2020-06-25T13:50:21Z")

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Hi,

For sound tutorials, just a quick search on internet and you have this :

- [Sound / Processing.org](https://processing.org/tutorials/sound/) (Processing Sound)
- [http://code.compartmental.net/tools/minim/quickstart/](http://code.compartmental.net/tools/minim/quickstart/) (Minim library)

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LcX36OxgZgg/maxresdefault.jpg "Using Sound in Processing with Minim") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcX36OxgZgg)

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Pn1g1wjxl_0/hqdefault.jpg "17.1: Loading and Playing - p5.js Sound Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn1g1wjxl_0)

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2O3nm0Nvbi4/hqdefault.jpg "17.11: Sound Visualization: Frequency Analysis with FFT - p5.js Sound Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O3nm0Nvbi4)

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Bk8rLzzSink/hqdefault.jpg "17.6: Sound Synthesis - p5.js Sound Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk8rLzzSink)

And also this pdf looks really nice :

[http://responsivedesign.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tutorial-06\_processing-soundmapping2.pdf](http://responsivedesign.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tutorial-06_processing-soundmapping2.pdf)

Also the `SoundCipher` library that I didn’t know :

[http://explodingart.com/soundcipher/index.html](http://explodingart.com/soundcipher/index.html)

For the geomerative library, you can take a look at the examples on the GitHub page :

> <https://github.com/rikrd/geomerative/tree/master/examples>
>
> //github.com/rikrd/geomerative/tree/master/examples

Remember that you have everything online, if there’s no tutorials, just read the documentation to see function and methods definitions! 😉

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### Author: ![yhlaskerimov](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/yhlaskerimov/32/9725_2.png) [@yhlaskerimov](https://discourse.processing.org/u/yhlaskerimov)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/3 "2020-06-25T14:24:22Z")

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I found all of this, but I couldn’t get any benefit from them…

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### Author: ![monkstone](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/monkstone/32/64_2.png) [@monkstone](https://discourse.processing.org/u/monkstone)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/4 "2020-06-25T15:31:55Z")

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@yhlaskerimov Amon Owed has created a number of tutorials eg [Geomerative](https://www.creativeapplications.net/processing/generative-typography-processing-tutorial/) but you need to join [creative applications network](https://www.creativeapplications.net/register/) to view them.

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### Author: ![yhlaskerimov](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/yhlaskerimov/32/9725_2.png) [@yhlaskerimov](https://discourse.processing.org/u/yhlaskerimov)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/5 "2020-06-25T16:01:50Z")

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If i join to that, will it help me ? Can i learn full geomerative library ?

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### Author: ![yhlaskerimov](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/yhlaskerimov/32/9725_2.png) [@yhlaskerimov](https://discourse.processing.org/u/yhlaskerimov)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/6 "2020-06-25T16:09:10Z")

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Will it deserve for that 20$ ?  
In our country visa card doesn’t work, that’s why it is very hard to pay that…  
If we want to pay, we have to find person from another country to pay for us.

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### Author: ![josephh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/josephh/32/210_2.png) [@josephh](https://discourse.processing.org/u/josephh)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/7 "2020-06-25T17:59:49Z")

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> [@yhlaskerimov](#):
>
> I found all of this, but I couldn’t get any benefit from them…

Could you please elaborate? Do you have a project to achieve? What are your problems? What is missing from the above tutorials?

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### Author: ![furinax](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/furinax/32/9699_2.png) [@furinax](https://discourse.processing.org/u/furinax)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2020, 5:29am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/8 "2020-06-26T05:29:57Z")

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I am kind of in the same boat. I started on processing 2 and it seems like my “File” -\> “Examples…” is mostly broken for the libraries I downloaded on processing 2. None of the libs I have added for p3 seem to add to that examples list.

Those videos are excellent though. It seems like they are perfect for core libraries but if you just want to browse the functionality of different libraries offered in the downloads list, what other preview do you get besides the description?

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### Author: ![yhlaskerimov](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/yhlaskerimov/32/9725_2.png) [@yhlaskerimov](https://discourse.processing.org/u/yhlaskerimov)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2020, 6:54am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/9 "2020-06-26T06:54:15Z")

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Yes, I want to do things like Studio Dumbar does (see their work on youtube). I need sound libraries for that…  
Geomerative libraries for things like this [https://www.instagram.com/burnier/](https://www.instagram.com/burnier/) ; see his works. He said that he did all of his works with geomaretive library.

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### Author: ![hamoid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/hamoid/32/58_2.png) [@hamoid](https://discourse.processing.org/u/hamoid)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2020, 8:33am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/10 "2020-06-26T08:33:38Z")

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What helps me:

1. to look at the source code of the library
2. to use a good IDE like IntelliJ Idea or Eclipse. There you can control click on any method and it jumps to the source code. When you type `.` after an object the autocomplete is very good and it lets you explore all the available options, it shows you the types. I find that with good autocomplete the documentation is less crucial.

The autocomplete in the Processing IDE is much more limited which doesn’t help much when using libraries.

Drawback: switching to a more powerful IDE takes some learning, as the code is pure Java and not “Processing-flavor Java”.

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### Author: ![everythingability](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/everythingability/32/937_2.png) [@everythingability](https://discourse.processing.org/u/everythingability)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2020, 8:57am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/11 "2020-06-29T08:57:31Z")

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I tried all of the soundLibraries in Processing and all of them are a pain… each has bits missing, or terrible documentation with not enough examples (minim, SoundCypher, Beads, Cassette, and others)

Here are three sources that I learned from and are brilliant…

- [https://p5-demos.glitch.me/](https://p5-demos.glitch.me/)
- [http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/](http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/)
- [https://codepen.io/search/pens?q=p5js](https://codepen.io/search/pens?q=p5js)

I still love Processing but feel it’s a bit of leaky ship, going down gracefully. Why not try p5js. There are a raft of audio libraries (Tone.js suffers from austere docs though).

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### Author: ![matthewortega](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/matthewortega/32/309_2.png) [@matthewortega](https://discourse.processing.org/u/matthewortega)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/12 "2020-06-30T18:06:33Z")

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I actually find it a bit difficult to learn libraries in Processing without tutorials or examples. In some of the new IDEs, you have the ability to jump to definitions that you allow you to find out more about the methods, review comments, etc. You can also do this by navigating to the folder where the library is and reviewing the classes, but its just a bit more work. But I have found that this method of learning allows you to discover things where no tutorials have been made yet.

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### Author: ![monkstone](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/monkstone/32/64_2.png) [@monkstone](https://discourse.processing.org/u/monkstone)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/learning-new-libraries-without-tutorials/22152/13 "2020-06-30T18:55:54Z")

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@yhlaskerimov @furinax If you are looking for geomerative examples in particular, how about [this](https://discourse.processing.org/t/bringing-a-geomerative-library-3d-text-sketch-up-to-date/21860). It is an example I brought up to date for processing-3+. Or there is [this](https://discourse.processing.org/t/geomerative-fitting-text-inside-arbitrary-shapes/4917) response I gave to a previous query (actually to get this to work I needed to provide the library with a [fix](https://github.com/rikrd/geomerative/commit/321266ef864d57b349bfce2b05ccb5f3318876d4)). Then there’s my JRubyArt examples [here.](https://github.com/ruby-processing/JRubyArt-examples/tree/master/external_library/gem/geomerative). It should not be too difficult to work back to java processing.
