# Exploring Situated Stabilities of a Rhythm Generation System through Variational Cross-Examination

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.05145 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.05145/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 25 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 Sep 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Learning to Groove with Inverse Sequence Transformations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.06118/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Architecture and Affordances of PLAUD: Performative Latents and Unsupervised DDSP](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.13724/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper investigates GrooveTransformer, a real-time rhythm generation system, through the postphenomenological framework of Variational Cross-Examination (VCE). By reflecting on its deployment across three distinct artistic contexts, we identify three stabilities: an autonomous drum accompaniment generator, a rhythmic control voltage sequencer in Eurorack format, and a rhythm driver for a harmonic accompaniment system. The versatility of its applications was not an explicit goal from the outset of the project. Thus, we ask: how did this multistability emerge? Through VCE, we identify three key contributors to its emergence: the affordances of system invariants, the interdisciplinary collaboration, and the situated nature of its development. We conclude by reflecting on the viability of VCE as a descriptive and analytical method for Digital Musical Instrument (DMI) design, emphasizing its value in uncovering how technologies mediate, co-shape, and are co-shaped by users and contexts.