The project:  Make a phase composition based on the sounds of three switches.

Record the audio of three objects in your home or workplace that have on/off switches. Capture the unique sound of them being turned on and off. For each of the switches, record several seconds of this on/off action so you can create loops of a steady pace. Then create an original piece of music that employs phase shifts — that is, in which the tiny distinctions between loops create noticeable patterning as time progresses. You can use some light processing, but the sense of "switch-ness" of the source audio should never be lost.

With this project I'm using Samplr on an iPad Air.  I recorded three different switch samples, all from pull chains.   One was from a troublesome fluorescent light fixture in the deepest storage area of our lower level - that got the most texture.   The second was from a single bulb switch near the laundry.  The third involved two switches for a ceiling fan and it's light, and these were pulled at a faster but uneven tempo.  I used a Zoom H1 mounted on a mic stand on a chair, and recorded each switch for about 20 to 30 seconds.

In the Samplr project I doubled each loop and ensured that loop's twin was not reading the same areas - also, one loop had a slight bit of reverb and the other didn't.

Composition was recorded live, direct to Zoom H1.  It took me a number of attempts to create something I liked.  Ultimately, I started simple, added samples in the middle added a light touch of reverb, and in final third I withdrew different loops until ending abruptly.  There's a bit of hum in the background - I can't tell if that's from the fluorescent sample or a bad cord from the iPad to the H1, possibly both.

After 80 seconds, it gets wildly rhythmic, but a couple of loops keep a more steady pace and seem to punctuate the denser rhythms with a bold presence.  The piece begins to withdraw after 2 minute and 30 seconds.

I can't believe nobody had used "Switched-on" as a title by the time I made my piece.  It was too irresistible.  An alternate title I considered using was "Bad Chain Puller" (after Captain Beefheart), which is probably funnier.

More on this 101st Disquiet Junto project (Make a phase composition based on the sounds of three switches) at:  http://disquiet.com/2013/12/05/disquiet0101-analogbinary/

More details on the Disquiet Junto at:  http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Switched-On and Off (disquiet101-analogbinary)

Mark Rushton