Abstract

The increasing complexity of contemporary electronic music practice has led to performance systems that combine multiple sound-processing devices within extensive signal chains. While such configurations enable sophisticated sonic transformations, they are typically organized through fixed linear architectures that limit the dynamic reconfiguration of processing relationships during performance.

This paper introduces the concept of a Matrix-Routed Sonic Ecosystem (MRSE) as a framework for organizing complex sound-processing environments through programmable routing architectures. In this approach, individual processors are conceptualized as functional nodes within an interconnected ecosystem, while a routing matrix defines the topology of interactions between them. By modifying routing configurations, the performer can explore multiple ecosystem states in which spectral, temporal, spatial, and memory-based transformations interact in different structural relationships.

The study presents the architectural structure of a performance system built around a routing matrix and a network of hardware processors. The system allows the performer to reorganize signal pathways dynamically through stored routing configurations, enabling the exploration of diverse sonic environments while maintaining continuity of performance. Particular attention is given to the role of routing topology as a structural parameter shaping the behavior of the system.

The Matrix-Routed Sonic Ecosystem is presented as a practice-based research framework emerging from long-term studio experimentation and performance practice. Rather than proposing a universal design paradigm, the paper articulates a conceptual vocabulary for understanding complex sound-processing systems as dynamic networks of interacting transformation nodes.

Keywords: routing matrix, sonic ecosystem, processor nodes, configurable architecture, practice-based research