music-thing-modular/turing-machine
Turing Machine
A binary shift-register random looping sequencer that produces clocked stepped randomly changing control voltages — melodies, basslines, and sequences — which can be locked into repeating loops or allowed to gradually evolve.1086
Capabilities 4
- Random CV Generatorrandom-cv-generator
- 1086
- Random Sourcerandom-source
- 1086
- Sequencersequencer
- 1086
- Shift Registershift-register
- Core mechanism is a 16-bit shift register; each clock pulse circulates bits, with the loop/probability knob controlling whether incoming bits are randomized or fed back.1086
Jacks 5 (2 in / 3 out)
| Name | Signal | Voltage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inputs (2) | |||
| CLK | clock | — | External clock input; each rising edge advances the shift register by one step.1086 |
| CV | cv | — | Externally modulates the LOOP knob probability; controls how likely each bit is to be flipped each clock cycle.1086 |
| Outputs (3) | |||
| NOISE | audio | — | Outputs raw noise from the transistor noise generator circuit; note that using this output can potentially affect the rest of the circuit.1086 |
| PULSE | gate | — | Outputs a rhythmic gate pattern synchronized to the sequencer clock; goes high for shift register steps with values over 1.5V, producing a cyclic trigger pattern that mutates with the sequence.1086 |
| VOLTAGE | cv | — | Main stepped CV output derived from the top 8 bits of the shift register via a DAC; range set by the SCALE knob.1086 |
Parameters 4
| Name | Type | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| LENGTH | switch | 2steps – 16steps | Rotary switch selecting the loop length in steps; determines the number of steps before the sequence repeats when locked.1086 |
| LOOP | knob | — | Controls the probability that each incoming bit in the shift register is randomized versus fed back, steering the sequence between fully random and fully locked looping.1086 |
| SCALE | knob | ≥0V | Controls the voltage output range of the VOLTAGE output jack, from zero up to several octaves of range.1086 |
| WRITE | switch | — | Momentary switch that injects a zero bit into the shift register, providing a way to manually reset or steer the sequence.1086 |
Firmware history 0 versions
No firmware history recorded.
References 4
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[1083]
Turing Machine product page — Music Thing Modularproduct_page● verified 2026-06-03
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[1084]
Turing Machine Mk1 documentation (block diagram + circuit description)manual● verified 2026-06-03
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[1085]
Turing Machine MkII GitHub repository (README + build notes)manual● verified 2026-06-03
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[1086]
Sound on Sound — Music Thing Modular Turing Machine MkII reviewthird_party_review● verified 2026-06-03