Author: Krzysztof Czaja
Multi-instantiation is the process of taking a single declaration of an object, or a patch, and creating several instances of it, replicating the structure, while possibly varying the initial state. An important application, among many others, is supporting the implementation of polyphonic instruments.
There are two distinct design options: the process of replication may be initiated and controlled either from the outside, or from the inside of the replicated patch. The latter possibility is explored in this paper in an attempt to advocate for self-replication as a conceptually simple, yet quite generic and powerful mechanism.