A pattern is where we perceive the structure of its making in the structure of its outcome

Alex McLean’s working definition of pattern bridges perception and process: a pattern exists when a listener/viewer can infer how something was made from the way it sounds or looks. In live coded music this means the audience hears the code — they perceive repetition, reflection, or interference that reveals the underlying algorithm. This is a more demanding definition than ‘any repeated element’: it requires that the making-structure be legible in the result. Learners can use this as a test: does my audience hear the logic? If the output is opaque, the pattern is hidden, not absent.

Examples

A simple bd*4 kick pattern makes its loop structure immediately audible. A Euclidean rhythm like bd(3,8) is less obviously ‘structured’, but an attentive ear can still follow the even spacing. Noise or a single sustained tone passes no pattern test.

Assessment

Given two short audio excerpts, identify which one has perceivable making-structure and explain what structural feature (repetition, reflection, interference) makes it audible.