The Three-Oscillator Problem: Chaos and Emergence

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Simple rules to sonic chaos: the “three-oscillator problem” & Rob Hordijk’s “Benjolin”

In this video, I talk about the “Three-Body Problem” and created an analogous Pure Data patch, where three oscillators frequency-modulate each other. Just as in the physics problem, this cross-modulation network creates unpredictable, chaotic patterns.

This emergent complexity from simple rules perhaps connects to ideas of motivic development in music, how great artistic works can grown from simple and small ideas.

Eurorack Neural Network Jam: “An Explanation of the Universe”

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A mess of Eurorack CV feedback that’s not random. It’s chaotic!

This instrument creates chaotic synthesized music that I interact with using four knobs. The music that this synthesizer creates is not random. It is determined by a set of “rules” created by the different components interacting with each other. However, because each of these modules influences and is influenced by several others, the interconnected network of interactions obfuscates the rules of the system. This leads to the instrument’s chaotic, incomprehensible behavior.

As with all chaotic systems, though, if it were possible to understand all of the different components and their relationships, and do complex enough calculations, we would be able to predict the outcome of all of our interactions.

Patch notes: ….Uh…. I just kept patching things back into each other, and this is where I ended up.