The notion of transformation is integral to electroacoustic music. The term is commonly used with three nuanced meanings.
- The processing of sound to highlight some attribute intended to become part of the musical discourse within a compositional strategy.
- The use of technology to make a sound appear to seamlessly morph into another as part of the musical discourse.
- The use of technology to make a sound with strong referential attributes appear to morph into another referential sound. This imagistic use of Sound Transformation has constituted the discursive basis of entire pieces, Trevor Wishart's "Red Bird" providing a notable example. In a similar fashion, sounds may be consciously transformed along a continuum between recognisability and abstraction, forming the basis of a musical argument.