Turing Machine Mk II

Music Thing Modular 10HP
SEQUENCER RANDOM UTILITY

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Random looping sequencer built on a 16-bit shift register. Big knob sets probability of bit-flip per clock, locking into repeating melodies at extremes. Backpack header drives Volts, Pulses, Voltages and Vactrol Mix expanders.

Patch Ideas · 10

★ Locked generative melody
External clock drives a locked 8-step loop, CV OUT goes through a quantizer to an oscillator, and nudging the big knob CCW introduces slow mutations.
Walkthrough
  1. Set the LENGTH switch to 8.
  2. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise so the loop is locked (5 o'clock).
  3. Set the SCALE knob to about noon (~2-3 V swing).
  4. Patch your external clock (e.g. Pamela's) → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  5. Patch Turing Machine CV OUT → quantizer IN; set the quantizer to minor pentatonic.
  6. Patch quantizer OUT → VCO V/OCT.
  7. Patch Turing Machine PULSE OUT → envelope TRIG; envelope → VCA CV; VCO → VCA → output.
  8. To evolve the phrase, nudge the BIG KNOB just CCW of 5 o'clock — the LEDs will flicker and notes swap one at a time.
Signal out CV OUT — stepped 0 to ~5 V pitch CV into a quantizer, then to a VCO's V/OCT.
Listen for An 8-note in-key melody that repeats exactly while locked, with the PULSE OUT punching envelopes on the high notes. Nudge the big knob CCW and single notes begin to swap out, mutating the phrase.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Clock, Quantizer, VCO, Envelope. Signals: 2 pitch, 1 gate, 1 clock.Turing MachineClockQuantizerVCOEnvelopeLength: 8 · Big knob: fully CW (locked)CLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octPULSE OUTgateOutclkIn1v/octOut1v/octV/Oct1v/octTriggatepitchgateclock
★ Probability modulation
A very slow LFO into KNOB CV drifts the module between fully random and fully locked without touching the panel.
Walkthrough
  1. Set the BIG KNOB to noon (fully random).
  2. Set the LENGTH switch to 8.
  3. Patch a slow LFO (triangle, ~0.05 Hz / 20-second cycle) → Turing Machine KNOB CV.
  4. Patch your external clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  5. Patch Turing Machine CV OUT → VCO V/OCT (optionally through a quantizer).
  6. Patch Turing Machine PULSE OUT → envelope TRIG for rhythmic accents.
  7. Listen for the LFO peaks — the big knob 'virtually' sweeps to the extremes, locking the loop for a few bars before unlocking again.
Signal out CV OUT — stepped pitch CV that cycles between random and locked melody, feeding the VCO.
Listen for The module breathes between chaos and order: random burbling when the LFO is near zero, and a settled repeating melody when the LFO peaks positive or negative. Great for unattended live drift.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, LFO, Clock, VCO. Signals: 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 clock.Turing MachineLFOClockVCOBig knob: noonRate: 0.05 Hz triangleKNOB CVcvCLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octOutcvOutclkV/Oct1v/octcvpitchclock
Write-switch melodic editing
Lock the loop CW, then hold the WRITE switch DOWN on strong beats to carve phrases out by forcing zeros into the register.
Walkthrough
  1. Set the LENGTH switch to 16.
  2. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise to lock the loop.
  3. Patch your clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  4. Patch Turing Machine CV OUT → VCO V/OCT (optionally via a quantizer).
  5. Patch Turing Machine PULSE OUT → drum module TRIG.
  6. Let the loop play until you hear a phrase you like.
  7. Hold the WRITE switch DOWN on strong beats to inject 0s — the drum thins out as register bits clear.
  8. Flick WRITE UP on other beats to inject 1s and rebuild density. Release to centre to re-lock whatever pattern you landed on.
Signal out CV OUT — locked stepped pitch CV, editable in real time; PULSE OUT — gate that thins/densifies as you edit.
Listen for A locked 16-note line that you sculpt live: holding WRITE DOWN drops notes out of the melody and sparsens the drum, WRITE UP fills it back in. Performance-ready subtractive editing.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Clock, VCO, Drum. Signals: 1 pitch, 1 gate, 1 clock.Turing MachineClockVCODrumLength: 16 · Big knob: locked CWCLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octPULSE OUTgateOutclkV/Oct1v/octTriggate11. thins out as register clearspitchgateclock
★ Bassline + drum pulse
One external clock drives both the kick and the Turing Machine — quantized CV OUT plays a locked bassline while PULSE OUT adds hats.
Walkthrough
  1. Set the LENGTH switch to 8.
  2. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise to lock the loop.
  3. Set the SCALE knob to ~1 o'clock (roughly 2 octaves of swing).
  4. Patch your external clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN and mult the same clock → Kick drum TRIG.
  5. Patch Turing Machine CV OUT → quantizer IN (set to a minor scale).
  6. Patch quantizer OUT → bass VCO V/OCT; bass VCO → VCA → mixer.
  7. Patch Turing Machine PULSE OUT → hi-hat TRIG.
  8. Adjust SCALE to taste — lower for a narrow bass range, higher for octave jumps.
Signal out CV OUT (via quantizer) — 8-step locked bassline into bass VCO; PULSE OUT — hi-hat trigger.
Listen for A tight 8-step techno groove: steady kick on every beat, repeating bass riff underneath, and hats punching in on register highs. One clock, one module, a whole rhythm section.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Clock, Quantizer, Kick, Bass VCO, HiHat. Signals: 2 pitch, 1 trigger, 2 clock.Turing MachineClockQuantizerKickBass VCOHiHatLength: 8 · Big knob: CW lockedCLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octPULSE OUTtrigOutclkIn1v/octOut1v/octTrigclkV/Oct1v/octTrigtrigpitchtriggerclock
Volts expander 5-step sequencer
With a Volts expander attached and the loop locked, each of the 5 pots becomes a step of a tuned mini-sequencer.
Walkthrough
  1. Connect the Volts expander to the Turing Machine backpack header (power off first).
  2. Set the LENGTH switch to 5 so the loop length matches the number of Volts pots.
  3. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise to lock the loop.
  4. Patch your clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  5. Patch Volts OUT → VCO V/OCT.
  6. Patch Turing Machine PULSE OUT → envelope TRIG; envelope → VCA CV; VCO → VCA → output.
  7. Tune each of the 5 Volts pots by ear while the loop plays — it is a locked 5-step tuned sequencer.
  8. Nudge the BIG KNOB slightly off lock to reorder the steps on the fly.
Signal out Volts (Out) — stepped pitch CV, one value per pot, into the VCO V/OCT.
Listen for A locked 5-note phrase where every note's pitch is under your direct fingertip control via the pots — like a tiny hand-tuned step sequencer glued to the Turing Machine's shift register.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Volts, Clock, VCO, Envelope. Signals: 1 pitch, 1 gate, 1 clock.Turing MachineVoltsClockVCOEnvelopeBig knob: CW locked5 faders set 5 CV steps: CLOCK INclkPULSE OUTgateOut1v/octOutclkV/Oct1v/octTriggatepitchgateclock
Pulses expander euclidean-like rhythms
The Pulses expander exposes 11 gate outputs, one per register bit — route a few to different drums for repeating euclidean-flavoured grooves.
Walkthrough
  1. Connect the Pulses expander to the backpack header (power off first).
  2. Set the LENGTH switch to 16.
  3. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise to lock the loop.
  4. Patch your clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  5. Patch Pulses OUT 1 → Kick TRIG.
  6. Patch Pulses OUT 2 → Snare TRIG.
  7. Patch Pulses OUT 4 → HiHat TRIG.
  8. Patch Pulses OUT 7 → Perc TRIG.
  9. If you dislike the pattern, nudge the BIG KNOB CCW one click to swap a bit and re-lock — repeat until the groove lands.
Signal out Pulses (Out 1/2/4/7) — four 0/+5 V gate streams into four drum trigger inputs.
Listen for A locked 16-step drum pattern where each output fires on its own subset of steps — kick, snare, hats and perc sit in different-but-related rhythms like a hand-drawn euclidean groove.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 7 modules and 5 connections. Signals: 4 trigger, 1 clock.Turing MachinePulsesClockKickSnareHiHatPercLength: 16 · Big knob: CW locked11 pulse outs from register bits: CLOCK INclkOut 1trigOut 2trigOut 4trigOut 7trigOutclkTrigtrigTrigtrigTrigtrigTrigtrigtriggerclock
Voltages expander dual CV
The Voltages expander's 8 faders define two CV sequences — one for pitch, one for filter — moved live to re-harmonize.
Walkthrough
  1. Connect the Voltages expander to the backpack header (power off first).
  2. Set the LENGTH switch to 8 to match the 8 faders.
  3. Turn the BIG KNOB fully clockwise to lock the loop.
  4. Patch your clock → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  5. Patch Voltages CV A → VCO V/OCT (optionally via a quantizer).
  6. Patch Voltages CV B → filter CUTOFF.
  7. Tune the faders by ear: upper row for melody, lower row for brightness per step.
  8. Turn Scale or the filter input attenuator to taste — each fader is now a note + a timbre, playing in lock-step.
Signal out Voltages (CV A) — stepped pitch CV to VCO; Voltages (CV B) — stepped modulation CV to filter cutoff.
Listen for A locked 8-step melody where every note also has its own filter brightness. Sliding a fader instantly re-tunes or re-colours that step without stopping the sequence.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Voltages, Clock, VCO, Filter. Signals: 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 clock.Turing MachineVoltagesClockVCOFilterLength: 8 · Big knob: CW locked8 faders · 2 CV outs: CLOCK INclkCV A1v/octCV BcvOutclkV/Oct1v/octCutoffcvcvpitchclock
Noise source utility
Ignore the sequencing entirely and use NOISE OUT as a dedicated white-noise source for hats and drones.
Walkthrough
  1. Leave CLOCK IN, KNOB CV and CV OUT unpatched.
  2. Patch Turing Machine NOISE OUT → filter IN.
  3. Set the filter to bandpass or high resonance for a hi-hat tone.
  4. Patch an LFO → filter CUTOFF for a shimmering sweep, or leave static.
  5. Patch an envelope → VCA CV; filter OUT → VCA IN → mixer.
  6. Trigger the envelope from any clock for hats/cymbals/noise bursts.
Signal out NOISE OUT — ~10 Vpp white noise into the filter, then into a VCA.
Listen for A clean white-noise source — perfect for closed hats, wind textures or sample-and-hold fodder — with the rest of the Turing Machine sitting silent.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, Filter, LFO, Envelope, VCA. Signals: 1 audio, 2 cv.Turing MachineFilterLFOEnvelopeVCANOISE OUTaudioInaudioCutoffcvOutcvOutcvCVcv11. hi-hat-style percaudiocv
Audio-rate chaos oscillator
Feed a VCO square into CLOCK IN — CV OUT becomes metallic digital grit tracked by the VCO pitch.
Walkthrough
  1. Set the BIG KNOB to noon (random) and LENGTH to any position.
  2. Patch a VCO's square output (audio rate, ~100 Hz–1 kHz) → Turing Machine CLOCK IN.
  3. Patch Turing Machine CV OUT → filter IN.
  4. Patch an envelope → VCA CV, filter OUT → VCA IN → mixer.
  5. Play the driving VCO's V/OCT from a keyboard or sequencer — CV OUT now tracks its pitch as inharmonic noise.
  6. Sweep the BIG KNOB toward either lock point for metallic resonant tones; leave at noon for full noise.
Signal out CV OUT — audio-rate stepped signal (treated as audio here), 0 to ~5 V, into the filter.
Listen for A gritty, digital noise voice that follows the driving VCO's pitch — great for FX, crash cymbals, and growly bass-noise hybrids. Locks into metallic tones at the knob extremes.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Turing Machine, VCO, Filter, Envelope, VCA. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 clock.Turing MachineVCOFilterEnvelopeVCABig knob: noonWave: square · audio rateCLOCK INclkCV OUTaudioSquareclkInaudioOutaudioOutcvCVcvInaudioaudiocvclock
Dual Turing duet
Two Turing Machines share one clock but run different lengths and lock states — a polymetric two-part duet.
Walkthrough
  1. Set Turing A: LENGTH = 8, BIG KNOB fully CW (locked 8-step loop).
  2. Set Turing B: LENGTH = 12, BIG KNOB fully CCW (locked 2×-length = 24-step loop).
  3. Patch one external clock, mult it → Turing A CLOCK IN and → Turing B CLOCK IN.
  4. Patch Turing A CV OUT → quantizer IN 1; quantizer OUT 1 → VCO 1 V/OCT.
  5. Patch Turing B CV OUT → quantizer IN 2; quantizer OUT 2 → VCO 2 V/OCT.
  6. Set both quantizer channels to the same scale (e.g. minor).
  7. Trigger envelopes for both voices from the shared clock or from each module's PULSE OUT.
Signal out Turing A CV OUT and Turing B CV OUT — two stepped pitch CVs into one shared quantizer, feeding two VCOs.
Listen for Two locked melodies of 8 and 24 steps playing simultaneously in the same key — they only align every 24 beats, so the duet keeps finding new harmonic combinations without ever truly drifting.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Turing A, Turing B, Quantizer, Clock, VCO 1, VCO 2. Signals: 4 pitch, 2 clock.Turing ATuring BQuantizerClockVCO 1VCO 2Length: 8 · Big knob: CW lockedLength: 12 · Big knob: CCW locked (2x = 24)CLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octCLOCK INclkCV OUT1v/octIn 11v/octIn 21v/octOut 11v/octOut 21v/octOutclkV/Oct1v/octV/Oct1v/octpitchclock

Behaviors

Shift-register mechanics clock edge

On each clock, bits shift right and bit 0 is re-filled: a copy of bit 16 XORed with noise, with the mix set by the big knob. Extremes yield pure feedback (locked loop) or pure noise (random).

Loop locking big knob fully CW or CCW

Fully CW locks the 16-bit pattern into a loop of the length set by the switch. Fully CCW locks into a 2x-length pattern. Small knob twists away from extremes sprinkle mutations.

Write-switch editing write switch up/down

Lets the player edit a locked loop live. Up gradually fills the register with 1s (rising melody); down with 0s (dropping). Tap on specific beats to carve phrases out of a random stream.

Backpack expander bus ribbon cable to expander header

16-bit parallel bus exposes every register step to expanders. Volts (5 pots), Pulses (11 outs), Voltages (8 faders), Vactrol Mix (matrix) all tap the same bus. Daisy-chainable.

Audio-rate clocking VCO square wave → CLOCK IN

Feeding an oscillator into CLOCK turns the module into a chaotic oscillator / noise source. CV OUT produces metallic grit; PULSE OUT becomes a rhythmic subharmonic.

Controls

Global Big knob (probability) Sets probability of inverting the first bit each clock. Noon is 50% (fully random); extremes lock the loop; sides slip occasional notes.
noon: random · 3 o'clock / 9 o'clock: slips occasional notes · 5 o'clock: locked loop · 7 o'clock: locked loop at 2x length
Global Length switch Rotary switch selecting loop length in steps. Combines with big knob CCW position to double the effective length.
2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 · 12 · 16 steps · doubled when big knob at 7 o'clock
Global Write switch Momentary 3-way. Up injects a 1 into the first bit each clock (fills LEDs); down injects a 0 (clears LEDs). Centre is normal.
up: force 1 · centre: normal · down: force 0 · acts on clock edge while held
Global Clock knob Rate of the internal clock. Unused when an external clock is patched into CLOCK IN (input normalled to internal).
~1 Hz to audio rate · square wave · disconnected when CLOCK IN patched
Global Scale knob Attenuates the main CV output. From silence up to several octaves of swing. Quantizer recommended for 12-tone work.
0V up to ~5V (multiple octaves) · attenuator on stepped DAC output

I/O

IN · 2

  • CLOCK IN 0 to +5V trigger · threshold ~1V GATE
    External clock. Rising edge advances the shift register one step. Square wave or trigger works; audio-rate clocks produce noise-like textures.
    NORM → internal clock set by Clock knob
  • KNOB CV ±5V · attenuverted by big knob ENV
    CV input summed with big knob position. Modulate probability with LFO/envelope for jumps between locked and random states.

OUT · 3

  • CV OUT 0 to ~5V · 8-bit resolution CV
    Main stepped DAC output. Sum of last 8 bits of the shift register scaled by the Scale knob. 256 discrete levels before scaling.
  • PULSE OUT 0 / +5V gate · synced to clock GATE
    Gate output tapped from the shift register — goes high on clock steps whose register bit is 1. Useful as a rhythmic accent trigger that tracks the locked melody.
  • NOISE OUT ~10Vpp white noise
    White-noise source that feeds the internal shift register. Independent output for external use as noise source or sample-and-hold fodder.