A semi-looping random CV source (Turing-Machine style) balances a repeating loop against occasional new random values

Pure clocked random CV sounds chaotic because there is no repeating pattern for the ear to latch onto. A semi-looping random source solves this by cycling a buffer of CV values that repeats, then occasionally replacing an output value with a new random one — per the RNG’s docs, ‘every time it outputs a value, it has a change to replace that value with a new random one.’ This gives a spectrum between locked (the loop repeats, feeling musical) and fully random (constant change), with generative music living in between: familiar enough to feel intentional, changing enough to feel alive. The freemodular RNG is ‘clearly inspired by the MTM Turing Machine, but it works differently’ — it uses more buffer lengths and a discrete value per step rather than constructing values from a shift register.

Examples

With replacement effectively off, a short melodic loop repeats identically. With a low replacement chance, the loop evolves slowly — a value changes every few cycles. With a high chance, the pattern drifts continuously toward pure randomness with no recognizable loop.

Assessment

Explain why a fully random clocked CV usually sounds worse than a semi-looping one. Describe how you would use a semi-looping RNG to make an evolving-but-coherent melodic sequence over a several-minute performance.