A method for determining at least one frequency component that is present in an input signal having a time varying structure, the method being designed to ascertain the structure of acoustic signals comprising the steps of: communicating a time varying input signal x ( t) to a network of N nonlinear oscillators, each having a different natural frequency of oscillation and obeying a dynamical equation of the form τ n z n ̇ = z n a n + b n z n 2 + F z D + G x t, z, S + Q ξ n t providing an input stimulus layer that communicates said time varying input signal x ( t) to the network of nonlinear oscillators through a set of stimulus connections; generating at least one frequency output z n from said network useful for describing said time varying structure, wherein said frequency output is at least one of (a) a frequency that is in the input signal, and (b) a frequency that is related to the input signal by an integer ratio; wherein z n is the complex-valued state variable corresponding to oscillator n; τ n > 0 is oscillator time scale a n and b n are complex-valued parameters in which a n = α n + i γ n and b n = β n + i δ n; α n is a bifurcation parameter; γ n > 0, together with τ n determines oscillator frequency according to the relationship f = γ n /(2πτ n); β n < 0 is a nonlinearity parameter; δ n is a detuning parameter; F ( z,D) defines the internal network coupling among the oscillators as a weighted sum of the individual resonance terms of the respective oscillators, where D defines the connection strength between a first oscillator and at least a second oscillator within a first group of oscillators; G ( x (t), z,S) defines the input stimulus coupling as a weighted sum of the individual resonance terms of the respective oscillators, where S defines the connection strength between a first oscillator in the first group of oscillators and at least a second oscillator within a second group of oscillators, and Q ξ n t defines internal noise. communicating a time varying input signal x ( t) to a network of N nonlinear oscillators, each having a different natural frequency of oscillation and obeying a dynamical equation of the form τ n z n ̇ = z n a n + b n z n 2 + F z D + G x t, z, S + Q ξ n t providing an input stimulus layer that communicates said time varying input signal x ( t) to the network of nonlinear oscillators through a set of stimulus connections; generating at least one frequency output z n from said network useful for describing said time varying structure, wherein said frequency output is at least one of (a) a frequency that is in the input signal, and (b) a frequency that is related to the input signal by an integer ratio; (a) a frequency that is in the input signal, and (b) a frequency that is related to the input signal by an integer ratio; wherein z n is the complex-valued state variable corresponding to oscillator n; τ n > 0 is oscillator time scale a n and b n are complex-valued parameters in which a n = α n + i γ n and b n = β n + i δ n; α n is a bifurcation parameter; γ n > 0, together with τ n determines oscillator frequency according to the relationship f = γ n /(2πτ n); β n < 0 is a nonlinearity parameter; δ n is a detuning parameter; F ( z,D) defines the internal network coupling among the oscillators as a weighted sum of the individual resonance terms of the respective oscillators, where D defines the connection strength between a first oscillator and at least a second oscillator within a first group of oscillators; G ( x (t), z,S) defines the input stimulus coupling as a weighted sum of the individual resonance terms of the respective oscillators, where S defines the connection strength between a first oscillator in the first group of oscillators and at least a second oscillator within a second group of oscillators, and Q ξ n t defines internal noise.