Turing Machine Sequencer
Inspired by Tom Whitwell's Music Thing Modular Turing Machine. 0% = locked loop. 100% = random noise. In between = controlled forgetting. The Turing Machine is the entire spectrum between two things you already understand.
The Shift Register
A shift register is a row of bits (0 or 1) that shifts right on every clock tick. The bit that falls off the right end wraps around to the left. The pattern repeats every N steps, a locked loop. If you convert the register's binary value to a voltage, you get a repeating melody. This is functionally identical to a step sequencer, just stored as bits instead of knob positions.
Probability
What if each new bit had a chance of flipping? At 0% probability, the loop never changes. Perfect repetition. At 100%, every bit is random, which is exactly the sample-and-hold from Part 16. Between 10–25% is the sweet spot: the melody gradually mutates, familiar phrases eroding into new ones. You hear something recognizable, then it drifts, then a fragment returns.
Controlled Forgetting
The Turing Machine (named after Alan Turing's theoretical tape machine) is a spectrum between order and chaos. The probability knob is the composition tool. Low values produce theme-and-variation. Medium values give evolving generative melodies. High values approach pure randomness. The beauty is that there's no sharp boundary; it's a continuous fade from memory to amnesia.
Try it: start with "Locked Loop (0%)" to hear the base pattern. Then try "Gentle Drift (15%)" and watch the register bits change one at a time. The pitch history canvas shows how the melody evolves over time.
References
- Music Thing Modular: Turing Machine, the original hardware module by Tom Whitwell
- Wikipedia: Linear-Feedback Shift Register, the math behind the shift register
- Wikipedia: Turing Machine, the theoretical concept that inspired the name