Turing Machine
TURING MACHINE
A shift-register sequencer inspired by Music Thing Modular’s Turing Machine. A chain of bits shifts on each step, with a probability of the last bit flipping. The result is a sequence that evolves gradually — from frozen loops to pure randomness.
Double-tap a Turing Machine node in the Scene (or press EDIT in the Dock) to open the Turing Sheet — a circular register ring visualization with output history.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”| Knob | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LEN | 2–32 | Register length — how many steps before the pattern can repeat |
| LOCK | 0.0–1.0 | Stability — 1.0 = frozen loop, 0.0 = fully random, 0.5 = evolving |
| DENS | 0.0–1.0 | Probability of a step being active |
Three output modes, selectable via toggle buttons:
| Mode | Output |
|---|---|
| NOTE | Register bits map to pitch within the note range. Density controls step activity. |
| GAT | Fixed pitch (center of range). Register bits control which steps are active — useful for hi-hat patterns. |
| VEL | All steps active. Register bits control velocity (0.3–1.0) — for ghost-note grooves. |
Turing Sheet
Section titled “Turing Sheet”The sheet shows the register as a circular ring of bits (filled = 1, hollow = 0). The center displays the current register value and output note.
- FREEZE — instantly locks the register (sets LOCK to 1.0). Tap again to restore the previous LOCK value.
- ROLL — re-randomizes the seed, producing a completely new register pattern.
- Output history — a horizontal bar graph showing the value at each step, with note names below.
Note Range
Section titled “Note Range”The Range display shows the MIDI note bounds (e.g. 48–72 = C3–C5). In NOTE mode, the register value is mapped to a pitch within this range.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Quantizer — chain after Turing Machine to lock output to a scale
- Generators — merge mode, seed, presets, step sequencer integration