A Pure Data object's creation argument only sets an initial value; incoming signal or messages override it

When you create a Pd object with an argument — e.g. osc~ 440 — that argument only sets the object’s initial value. As soon as the object receives another value at that inlet (a number from a message, or a signal), the incoming value replaces the internal one and the creation argument no longer does anything. This is why, in the pitch-sweep patch, osc~ is written with no frequency argument: it would be useless, because the mtof~ signal feeding its inlet immediately takes over the frequency. Understanding this rule explains why the same object behaves differently depending on what is wired into it, and why arguments are best thought of as defaults, not fixed settings.

Examples

osc~ 440 plays 440 Hz until a signal or number arrives at its left inlet, then follows that instead; in the octave-sweep patch osc~ is left with no argument because mtof~ drives its frequency.

Assessment

Explain what happens to osc~ 440’s frequency when a signal is connected to its left inlet. Why is osc~ left with no argument in the phasor→mtof pitch-sweep patch?