Is this really music?

It's algorithmic composition. Artists like Aphex Twin and Brian Eno use similar generative systems to create evolving soundscapes.

Can I use this for sampling?

Absolutely. The chaotic 'noise' makes for excellent snare drum textures or glitchy percussive backgrounds.

Why does it sometimes stop making noise?

At certain high settings, the math can 'escape' to infinity or crash to zero if the starting parameters aren't balanced. Just hit reset!

The Chaos Composer

Listen to the sound of math.

📜 The Origins

What does chaos sound like? By mapping the Logistic Map's output to musical frequencies, we can hear the transition from steady rhythm to complex polyrhythms to white noise.

🚀 Master the Tool

Slide the Growth Rate ($r$) from 2.0 to 4.0. Listen for the 'galloping' rhythm of period-doubling at r=3.0, and the onset of pure noise at r=3.57.

The Chaos Composer

Listen to the rhythm of math. Hear how simple Period Doubling turns into complex Orchestral Chaos.

Press Play to start the simulation

Growth Rate (r): 2.00Stable (Period 1)

2.0 (Stable)3.0 (Bifurcation)3.57 (Chaos)4.0 (Max)

Pausedx = 0.5000

Musical Scale

Tempo (250ms)

How to use: Slide the Growth Rate ($r$) slowly from left to right.

At r=2.5, you will hear a single steady beat. The population is stable.
Pass r=3.0, and you'll hear a "galloping" rhythm (high-low-high-low). This is period-doubling.
At r=3.5, the rhythm splits again into a complex 4-beat loop.
Enter r > 3.57, and the pattern dissolves into non-repeating, chaotic jazz.

Hearing the Math

We usually visualize data, but our ears are actually better at detecting patterns in time. This tool converts the Logistic Map (the same formula as the Chaos Microscope) into sound waves.

What am I hearing?

The "Thump-Thump": At low values ($r < 3.0$), the math produces a steady, single value. This sounds like a metronome.
The "Gallop": At $r=3.1$, the value splits in two. You hear a *high-low-high-low* rhythm.
The "Chord": As divisions multiply (4, 8, 16...), the rapid oscillation creates a complex, textured tone.
The "Static": Once we hit Chaos ($r > 3.57$), the values are non-repeating. To the human ear, this creates White Noise (pure randomness).

Why Music?

Musicians have used chaos math to generate melodies that sound "human." A completely random melody sounds like trash. A completely repetitive one is boring. Chaos provides "Structured Surprise"—the essence of good jazz.