Boltzmann plugin interface, showing the live probability histogram, the TEMPERATURE dial, the SOURCE and MODE selectors, the six-octave register lattice, and the rhythm controls

Live · temperature

0.30entropy 0.9 nats

Temperature 0.30

States 21

This is the plugin's interface. The mechanism behind it: temperature rises, low-energy pitches near the root lose their grip, and the distribution flattens toward equal odds. For the full derivation, read the statistical-mechanics note.

Boltzmann treats pitch as an energy landscape, not a flat pool of equally likely notes. Each pitch is weighted by pᵢ ∝ exp(−Eᵢ/kT), so the root and its consonances dominate when temperature is low and the field levels as temperature climbs. The partition function normalizes the odds so they always sum to one. For the deeper technical explanation, read the statistical-mechanics sequencer note.

From a tight motif to controlled chaos.

01 · cold

Order

At low temperature the line sits near the ground state: a tight, repeating motif on the root.

02 · warm

Excite

Raise temperature and higher-energy pitches gain probability. The fifth and nearby consonances enter.

03 · hot

Scatter

At high temperature the distribution flattens toward equal odds, expressive, high-entropy motion.

04 · capture

Export

Every state is valid MIDI. Drive any instrument, lock a phrase you like, or drag the loop out.

What Boltzmann does differently.

One knob over the whole field.

Temperature sets how sharply the distribution favors low-energy pitches. Cold collapses onto the root; warmth admits the fifth and other consonances; hot flattens toward equal odds. Everything reorganizes continuously in between, and it automates.

Energy is dissonance.

Each pitch's energy is its interval distance from the root. The root sits at the ground state; the tritone and minor second sit at the top. The Scale and Root you pick reshape the landscape, or draw your own on the custom scale ring.

Two ways to walk it.

Independent draws each note straight from the distribution. Metropolis takes single steps and accepts them with probability min(1, e^(−ΔE/T)), reaching the same distribution by a melodic contour instead of leaps.

A phrase you can lock.

LOCK re-seeds the generator at every loop top, freezing the stochastic stream into a repeatable phrase. MUTATE redraws a tunable fraction of steps each pass, from a bit-exact loop to molten. SEED names the phrase; the dice draws a new one.

Hear it warm up.

Same engine, every temperature

Boltzmann is a generator, so there is no dry signal to compare against. Each demo is the same engine at different settings.

One phrase · three temperatures

The same locked phrase, sampled cold, warm, and hot. Only Temperature moves.

0:00

Warm. The distribution opens; the phrase wanders but stays tonal.

Crystal Groove · factory preset

A locked eight-bar phrase straight from the preset bank, no edits.

0:00

What is in the box.

Generator engine

Boltzmann-distribution pitch selection over discrete energy states. Temperature, States, Scale, Root, and a custom scale ring. Two samplers: Independent (direct draw) and Metropolis (stepwise walk). Six-octave register lattice with octave-hop; GEN and ARP modes.

Expression & rhythm

Velocity and duration optionally coupled to note energy; Humanize, Swing, Density, Steps, Rotate, Barrier, energy-scaled Ratchet. LOCK phrase model, MUTATE defect lane, FILL heat spike, SEED and reseed. Live histogram with Order, Entropy, and microstate read-outs. Drag the last loop out as MIDI.

Formats

macOS 11+ VST3, AU, Standalone. Windows 10+ VST3. Apple Silicon and Intel native. A MIDI generator: it writes notes and routes them to your synths. Every control position is a valid operating state.