Generative

Lesson 02: Probability And Mutation

Use probability to keep a system moving without letting it collapse into noise.

Generative

Build systems that change over time using probability, mutation, and feedback.

  • sample and hold
  • Turing-style mutation
  • feedback and slow modulation
Lesson

Markdown content

Theory, structure, and practical context are all driven from content files.

3

Related patches

Concrete repository anchors already exist for this lesson track.

Theory

Probability is one of the main tools that makes a modular patch feel alive.

It controls whether something should happen, not just what should happen.

That means it can affect:

  • note density
  • rhythmic variation
  • trigger skipping
  • pattern mutation

Why It Matters

A repeating patch becomes generative when repetition is softened by conditional change.

Probability gives the patch room to evolve while keeping a recognizable identity.

Patch Idea

Clock -> Probability gate -> Trigger stream
Trigger stream -> Sequencer / Envelope / Event logic

Practice

Make one patch with highly stable behavior and one patch with higher variation.

Compare:

  1. how often events are skipped
  2. how much identity the pattern keeps
  3. when variation becomes too loose