Chance VST/AU User Manual
What Is Chance?
Chance is a probabilistic MIDI sequencer. Instead of playing a fixed pattern, it improvises — firing notes and rhythms based on probabilities you set. You act as the conductor: you define the pitch pool, the rhythmic character, and the density. Chance plays within those constraints, differently every time.
The result is something between a sequencer and a collaborator. Set a key, a rhythm tendency, and a range, and Chance generates an evolving musical performance that never repeats exactly.
Installation
Mac — Using the Installer (Recommended)
Download Chance Sequencer V1 Installer.zip from secretadmiral.com. When the download finishes:
- Double-click the zip file to extract it. A folder called Chance Sequencer V1 will appear next to the zip file (typically in your Downloads folder).
- Open the folder and double-click Install Chance Sequencer V1.
- If macOS shows a dialog asking whether to open the file, click Open. This prompt is expected for software downloaded from the internet — Chance is notarized by Apple and safe to proceed.
- A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Install.
- The installer copies the plugin files to the correct locations and shows a success message with next steps for your DAW.
Where the files are installed:
| Format | Location |
|---|---|
| AU (Logic Pro and other AU hosts) | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ |
| VST3 (Bitwig, Cubase, Reaper, FL Studio, and others) | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ |
The ~/Library folder is hidden by default in Finder — the installer handles navigation there for you. If you ever need to access it manually (for example, to remove the plugin), open Finder, hold Option, and click the Go menu — Library will appear as an option.
Mac — Manual Installation
If you prefer to install the files yourself:
Copy Chance Sequencer V1.component to:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
Copy Chance Sequencer V1.vst3 to:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
To reach ~/Library in Finder: hold Option and click Go in the menu bar, then select Library.
After copying, rescan plugins in your DAW.
Windows — VST3
Copy Chance Sequencer V1.vst3 to:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
After copying, rescan plugins in your DAW.
DAW Compatibility
Chance is a MIDI effect — it generates or transforms MIDI and passes it to an instrument on the same track. DAW support for this plugin type varies by format.
| DAW | Format to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Logic Pro | AU | Load in the MIDI FX slot above your instrument. |
| Bitwig Studio | VST3 or AU | Both formats work natively as MIDI effects. |
| Cubase / Nuendo | VST3 | Load in the MIDI insert chain on a MIDI or Instrument track. |
| Reaper | VST3 or AU | Both formats load and function in Reaper. |
| FL Studio | VST3 | Load as a MIDI effect in the MIDI settings of a channel. |
| Studio One | VST3 or AU | Load as a MIDI effect before your instrument. |
| Ableton Live | — | Not supported as a native MIDI effect. Use the Max for Live version of Chance instead. |
Note for Ableton users: Neither the AU nor the VST3 will appear in Ableton's MIDI effect chain. The Max for Live version of Chance works natively in Ableton on the same track before any instrument.
Setting Up in Logic Pro
- Open Logic Pro (or quit and relaunch if it was already open after installing).
- From the menu bar, go to Logic Pro → Settings → Plug-in Manager.
- Click Full Audio Unit Reset (labeled "Reset & Rescan All" in some versions). This rescans your system for newly installed plugins and may take 1–3 minutes. Wait for it to finish, then close the window.
- Create a Software Instrument track with any instrument of your choice.
- In the channel strip, click the MIDI FX slot above the instrument (it may say "MIDI FX" or be blank).
- Choose AU MIDI Effects → Secret Admiral → Chance Sequencer V1.
- Press play and adjust the note and rhythm probability controls. Chance will start generating MIDI into the instrument.
Interface Overview
The interface is divided into four horizontal zones:
- Title bar — Plugin name, Secret Admiral logo, and the UTH toggle button.
- Display — The main creative area. Left side controls when notes fire (rhythm curve + subdivision strip). Right side controls which notes fire (notes curve + keyboard strip + Key / Scale / Chord Follow row).
- Knob section — Two groups of three knobs. Left group shapes rhythm character. Right group shapes note character.
- Function row — Loop controls, Randomize, and Manual Clock.
Display
Rhythm — Left Side
The rhythm curve has five nodes, one per subdivision: 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16.
Each node's vertical position represents the probability that Chance fires a note at that subdivision. High = more likely. Low = less likely. Zero = never.
How to adjust:
- Click and drag any node up or down to set its probability.
- Click and drag horizontally to sweep across multiple nodes at once — each node snaps to your cursor's vertical position as you pass it. This is the fastest way to set a shape across the whole curve.
How the rhythm model works
Chance does not run a standard step sequencer. Instead, each subdivision owns only the beats that fall on its boundary and not on any longer subdivision's boundary.
| Subdivision | Fires on… |
|---|---|
| 1/1 | The downbeat of every bar |
| 1/2 | The halfway point of every bar |
| 1/4 | Every quarter note not already owned by 1/1 or 1/2 |
| 1/8 | Every eighth note not already owned by a longer subdivision |
| 1/16 | Every sixteenth note not already owned by any longer subdivision |
Practical examples:
- 4-on-the-floor: set 1/1, 1/2, and 1/4 all to 100%.
- Sparse, downbeat-only: set only 1/1 to a high value, leave the rest low.
- Off-beat 16th note chatter: raise 1/16 while keeping 1/1 and 1/4 high.
- Setting only 1/16 to 100% plays the off-beat sixteenth notes — not a full 16th-note pulse.
The key insight: to build density, raise subdivisions from top to bottom. Each layer you add fills in the gaps the previous layer left open.
Notes — Right Side
The notes curve has twelve nodes, one per pitch class (C through B).
Each node's vertical position represents the probability of that note being selected when Chance fires. Only enabled notes (shown on the keyboard strip below) are considered. Disabled notes are always silent regardless of their curve position.
Keyboard strip: The row of note labels at the bottom of the notes zone toggles individual notes on and off. An enabled note is highlighted in cyan. Click any note label to toggle it.
Drag interaction: Same as the rhythm curve — drag vertically on a node to set probability, drag horizontally to sweep across multiple notes.
Scale Row
Located between the notes curve and the knob section.
Key — Sets the root note for the scale (C through B). When you change the key, the enabled notes shift to the corresponding scale degrees in the new key, and probabilities transfer by degree order.
Scale — Selects the scale type. Available scales: Chromatic, Major, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Natural Minor, Locrian, Melodic Minor, Dorian b2, Lydian Aug., Lydian Dom., Mixolydian b6, Locrian #2, Altered, Harmonic Minor.
Chord Follow — When on, the key and scale controls are disabled. Chance uses incoming MIDI notes — from a clip on the same track or a live keyboard — as the pitch pool instead of the internal note toggles. The display changes to show two overlapping curves:
- Cyan curve (dimmed) — your underlying probability landscape, visible but inactive as a pitch source.
- Amber curve — the chord follow pitch pool. Peaks appear at the notes currently held in the clip or on your keyboard. Only notes in this curve are triggered.
Gate behavior: Chance generates notes only while a MIDI note is held. When the clip note ends, generation stops and any sounding notes cut off immediately. If the chord changes (some notes release, new ones arrive), the old notes are cut off and Chance fires fresh notes based on the new chord. The clip note duration acts as a gate.
Adjusting probabilities: Amber nodes show at full brightness for held notes and at reduced opacity (ghost nodes) for notes with a non-zero probability that aren't currently held. You can drag any amber node — held or ghost — at any time, including when stopped. Ghost nodes let you pre-set probability values before the next chord arrives.
Octave knob: Greyed out in Chord Follow mode. The held note's octave in the clip determines the register — the Octave knob has no effect. The Range knob still works, spreading notes above and below the held pitch.
Knob Section
Two groups split by a divider. Left group controls rhythm character; right group controls note character.
Rhythm group
Length — Note duration as a percentage of the step's subdivision length. At 90%, a 1/4 note step holds for 90% of a quarter note before releasing. Lower values give a staccato feel; higher values give legato or overlapping notes (in polyphonic mode).
Velocity — The MIDI velocity of every triggered note. All triggered notes share this value. Range: 1–127.
Swing — Pushes eighth and sixteenth note steps slightly behind the beat, adding rhythmic groove. 0% = straight. Higher values push the feel further behind the grid.
Notes group
Octave — Sets the center octave for note output. The octave knob and key selection together determine the absolute MIDI note numbers Chance outputs. Greyed out when Chord Follow is active — the held note's octave in the clip takes precedence.
Range — Expands the note range symmetrically above and below the center octave. At 0, all notes play in the same octave. At 1, notes may land one octave higher or lower. At 2, up to two octaves in either direction.
Polyphony — Controls the probability of triggering more than one note simultaneously. At 0%, Chance is monophonic — one note at a time. Above 0%, multiple enabled notes can fire together. Higher values increase the likelihood of chords. Each note's individual probability is scaled by the polyphony setting.
Function Row
Loop
Loop button — Captures the current bar and loops it. The first time you press Loop, the bar you just heard is frozen. Subsequent bars extend the loop non-destructively — Chance captures new bars up to the Loop Length, then cycles through them.
Bars knob — Sets the loop length from 1 to 8 bars. Adjust in real time: shrinking the loop trims the cycle, extending it adds new bars of live stochastic generation.
When Loop is active, the curve drag controls are disabled — the pattern is frozen. Press Loop again to release.
Randomize
Assigns randomized values to rhythm probabilities, note probabilities, polyphony, and octave range in one click. The algorithm is biased toward musical outcomes: it guarantees at least one active subdivision, weights toward moderate polyphony, and avoids extreme octave ranges by default. In a non-chromatic scale, note on/off states are preserved — only the probabilities within the active scale are randomized.
Use Randomize as a starting point, then sculpt from there.
Manual Clock
Man. clock button — Disengages from the DAW's transport tempo and uses an independent BPM.
BPM knob — Sets the independent rate when Manual Clock is on. Greyed out when Manual Clock is off.
Double-click the BPM knob to snap it to the current DAW tempo instantly — useful for jumping back in sync.
Manual clock is particularly useful for ambient or generative music where free-flowing, non-tempo-synced triggering is desirable, or when you want Chance running at a different rate from the rest of your session.
Tips & Common Patterns
The conductor mindset
Chance is not a step sequencer you program — it's a performer you direct. The goal isn't to specify exact notes; it's to define a musical space and let Chance explore it. Set a key, a rhythmic density, a probability curve, and listen. Adjust what you don't like. Leave what surprises you.
Building a rhythm from scratch
Start with all rhythm nodes at zero. Raise 1/1 to about 70% to establish a downbeat anchor. Then raise 1/4 gradually to fill in quarter notes. Add 1/8 for off-beat movement. Only touch 1/16 if you want dense, rapid-fire activity. This layered approach produces coherent rhythmic patterns rather than random noise.
Creating evolving textures
Set most note probabilities to low-to-medium values (30–60%) across a spread of pitches. Keep polyphony at 20–40%. The result is a shifting texture where different note combinations emerge over time — useful for pads, backgrounds, and generative ambient work.
Using Chord Follow for harmonic progressions
Draw a chord progression in a MIDI clip on the same track — simple block chords, one per bar. Enable Chord Follow. As each chord plays, Chance generates probabilistic lines using only those pitches. When the chord changes, old notes cut off and fresh notes fire based on the new chord.
The clip note duration acts as a gate — Chance generates notes only while a clip note is held. Use longer clip notes for continuous generation, shorter notes for rhythmically punctuated bursts.
To pre-set probabilities before the clip plays: pause playback, enable Chord Follow, and drag the dim amber ghost nodes. Probabilities are saved per pitch class and persist between sessions.
Freezing a phrase with Loop
When you hear something you like, press Loop immediately. Chance will capture the current bar and begin cycling it. The moment of capture is intentional — you're selecting a phrase you responded to. Once looped, you can adjust probabilities while the loop plays, then disengage Loop to return to live generation.
Randomize as a reset
When a session feels stale, hit Randomize without expecting the result to be good. It rarely is on the first click — but it breaks you out of your current settings and often lands somewhere surprising on the second or third. Use it to unstick yourself, not to find a finished patch.
Troubleshooting
Chance doesn't appear in Logic's MIDI FX slot after installation.
Open Logic Pro and go to Logic Pro → Settings → Plug-in Manager. Click Full Audio Unit Reset (labeled "Reset & Rescan All" in some versions) and wait for the scan to complete. This forces Logic to rediscover newly installed plugins. If Chance still doesn't appear, confirm the .component file is in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ and repeat the rescan.
Chance isn't making any sound.
Check that at least one rhythm node and at least one note are enabled and at a non-zero probability. Also verify the DAW transport is playing — Chance only generates MIDI during playback.
Notes are stuck / hanging.
Stop and restart playback. Chance sends an All Notes Off message when the transport stops, which clears any hung notes.
Chance doesn't appear in Ableton's MIDI effect chain.
This is expected. Ableton does not support third-party MIDI effect plugins in any format (AU or VST3). Use the Max for Live version of Chance for Ableton.
Chord Follow isn't generating notes.
Chord Follow requires held MIDI input to define the pitch pool. Notes must be reaching Chance from a MIDI clip on the same track, or from a live keyboard with MIDI input enabled. Chance generates notes only while a clip note is held — if the clip note has ended, generation stops until the next note-on.
Notes triggered by Chord Follow hang or don't stop cleanly.
This can occur if a long note length setting causes a triggered note to extend past the clip note boundary. Try reducing the Length knob, or ensure clip notes are long enough to contain the full triggered duration.
Loop doesn't resume after stopping and restarting transport (Logic Pro AU).
In Logic Pro, if you stop the transport while Loop is engaged, the loop will not resume automatically when you press play again. To restore the loop, disengage the Loop button and re-engage it — this re-captures the current bar.