Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked

The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters.

Step 1: Think of a machine (or process) you use frequently.

Step 2: Push that machine (or process) by speeding it up, until it begins to break down.

Step 3: Record something making use of the sounds resulting from Step 2.

Deadline: Monday, August 4, 2025, 11:59pm (that is: just before midnight) wherever you are.

Details: disquiet.com/0709

Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked

This is my submission to this week's Disquiet Junto assignment.

More on the 709th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Overclocked — The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters — at Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked – Disquiet.

250731 [disquiet0709]

"Speed it up until it begins to break down" was the directive for Disquiet Junto 0709 Overclocked. I can do that!

I work a lot with samples from old radio programs and movies, and one of my other projects has me working with the audio track from the Vincent Price classic "House on Haunted Hill". Since it was handy I started this piece with a chunk from that movie. When I'm done with file prep and ready to start cutting samples, I sometimes start with an audio app called Fission that has an auto-slicing feature. You set a db level and silence width, and it cuts things into neat words and phrases.

"Speed it up until it begins to break down." I took several passes at the source audio, dropping the volume sensitivity and reducing the silence width, getting finer chunks of words and eventually syllables. I loaded three sets of these into sampler instruments, and set out making MIDI patterns for sample triggering. The tempo climbs in 5bpm intervals as the whole thing turns cacophonous. 

Sped up until they started to break down: Roland TR-08 drum machine and Moog Minitaur bass synth.


None of the Murders Were Ordinary (disquiet0709)

Recorded, edited, mixed & mastered on 11 Nov 2020 & 31 Jul 2025 by Jim Lemanowicz at Blissville Electro-Magnetic Laboratories of Massapequa, USA.

Synths, effects

Process notes - 

In Nov 2020, I started a video series that was mostly small electronic instruments and guitar pedals filmed from above. When I first started the series, I recorded a few test takes and I decided to use one of these as the basis for an entire album I plan to release this year and currently is in progress. This one was (probably) a Korg Volca FM, an old Electro-Harmonix Microsynth & a TC Electronic Nova.

Besides this recording, I also will use different synths to layer onto the original recording. For this piece, I am using some wavetable-layered-samples (as kicks, more or less), the Cherry Audio Chroma and the Arturia Mini. Each one of these I generally increased the resolution/speed of short midi phrases I wrote. This broke down some of the effects I had and did a few nutty things but I really liked how it fit right into the piece.

There was a sweet accident of feedback in the DAW that I captured and layered on near the end, too.

Photography/Art - Jim Lemanowicz, 18 Nov 2018, LIRR, NY, USA

Music & art © 2018, 2020, 2025 Jim Lemanowicz

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This original version of “Electronic Reality Appliance  (disquiet0709)” was submitted as part of Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked. The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters.

More on the Disquiet Junto at: disquiet.com/junto/

More on the 709th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Overclocked — The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters — at Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked – Disquiet.

Electronic Reality Appliance  (disquiet0709)

For this track I used a short electronic sequence. passed it through a granular vst with speed and other settings at maximum values then added a little delay and detuning. Needless to say, the result is totally different from the original.

More on the 709th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Overclocked — The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters — at Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked – Disquiet.



Granular Max (disquiet0709)

Track for the DIsquiet Junto challenge. I sped up my usual sound design process, starting a track with a five minute sound design session.

Spectral Sprint (disquiet0709)

Disquiet Junto Project 0709: Overclocked
The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters.

I used to do this thing with the guitarist in my old band where we kind of leap frog off of each other's riffs to create new parts for the song.  So he'd have a riff, I'd write something for it, then he'd listen to my part and write a new part on top of it, and so on.  It's something I still do occasionally just to see what comes out of it.  For this prompt I decided to use this technique but cut the bars in half at a regular interval until the song speeds out of control.  As it started to really speed up, it felt kind of comical to switch back and forth between bass and guitar after recording only one little note.  The synth pad was just to make everything blend together a little better and distract from some of the more jarring changes.  I like it because it seems to kind of herald the chaotic break.  After the breakdown, it felt kind of short so I brought back the groove but tried to make it sound kind of broken, like a walkman running out of batteries or something.

More on the 709th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Overclocked — The Assignment: Speed up a machine (or process) until it falters — at https://disquiet.com/0709/.



Bridge to Nowhere (Disquiet0709)

M. Ackerman's second page, mostly for Disquiet Junto pieces projects.

Bridge to Nowhere (Disquiet0709)

modusMatt