Modular Monthly

Qu-Bit Electronix Chance

Qu-Bit made a splash on the Eurorack scene back in 2013 with the granular sampler Nebulae, before going on to release a series of FX, modulation and control modules. Our personal favourite from Qu-Bit was the Nano Rand, which offered four switchable random algorithms and random gates that were always musical derivatives of the internal (or external) clock. It was fantastic for ‘musically random’ CV and gate signals, so we were delighted when we saw Chance enter the new Qu-Bit product line up.

Chance is a one stop shop for random signals with noise sources, musically changing rhythms, random bursts, smooth or discrete stepped random and a random wavetable LFO that randomly shifts waveshape and LFO rate – ace! The Qu-Bit website states that “Chance is a unique modulation source that uses chance operations and musical voltages. Inspired by John Cage’s use of the Chinese divination text, I Ching, Chance generates random voltages in response to a digital generated coin toss.” But if all that sounds a bit too experimental for your tastes, rest assured Chance still offers lots for you too.

Think about a drummer playing a hi-hat – however hard they try they cannot play the cymbals exactly the same each time, nor could a guitarist pluck a string in the exact same place with the exact same picking angle and velocity. Adding some subtle changes to our patches can add more organic, lifelike and all-round more human musical result.