The Ship of Theseus Paradox
When Audio Features Become Wooden Planks
The Ship of Theseus asks a deceptively simple question: if every plank of a ship is replaced over time, is it still the same ship?
Identity crisis!
Modern audio software evolves in much the same way. Not through dramatic redesigns, but through a continuous stream of engineering decisions, one wooden plank at a time. An audio feature becomes a shared component into other products, one component becomes one entire SDK for many audio streamlines, and that SDK becomes the foundation for an entire product ecosystem.
Behind every reusable framework lies a product decision. Through real-world examples of modular architectures, and product evolutions through time, we'll explore the often-overlooked relationship between engineering decisions, creative workflows, and the long-term identity of audio software - and whether every improvement is simply another step forward, or another wooden plank replacement for the ship.
Individually, each decision improves the product. Together, they raise a much harder question: what exactly are we preserving in modern audio products?
Gonçalo Bernardo
Audio Software Engineer
ARTURIA
Gonçalo Bernardo is an Audio Software Engineer at ARTURIA, where he develops and maintains core audio engine components and plugin frameworks used across software instruments and effects, shaping workflows for advanced music and sound production.
With a background in spatial audio and generative systems, his work explores the intersection of software design, creative coding, and computational acoustics, supported by publications in computational music and ambient generative systems. He previously contributed to the development of spatial sound tools and synthesizers at Sound Particles. Alongside his engineering practice, Gonçalo maintains an artistic activity under the alias “ÇALO DO MAR E DA TERRA” exploring immersiveness through interactive and generative installations.