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Is It Possible or Just Plain Sci-fi: The Looper Pool
Hello! Ever since about 2004, I've been having these dreams about a device
(more or less an
exhibit). At first, it seemed like an extremely unrealistic,
science-fiction dream, but with the
technology these days, I'm sure it can be done. It is music sample and
loop related, so that is
why I'm sending this article here. So, I will describe the dream (or
dreams) as if it is an
actual device, and I want you to tell me how plausible it would be. It
would require science and
tech people, and probably a lot of money.
The exhibit includes a swimming pool. Outside of the swimming pool is a
speaker box (people in the
pool can hear whatever sample is playing clearly). There are sensors that
can sense what is going on
in the water. The exhibit admin has sound samples (most of them about 30
seconds long) on the
sound box. So, the user enters the exhibit, and the doors open. The user
selects one of however many
samples recorded on the box. When one is selected, the user goes into the
pool. After the sample
plays all the way through, it starts back over at the beginning. But the
looping of the Looper Pool is
much more than that. So, let's say that you want to play a quarter-second
sample over and over again
(live loop; it will not alter the recording). So, you have your sample
playing, and the word "Even" is on
your screen. This means that you have taken an even number of sips out of
the pool. (Yes, sipping out of the
pool!) Smaller sips are smaller samples; a small sip is a quarter-second,
a big
gulp is more like a half of a second. So, you want to play back a quarter
of a second-long loop,
and you want it to be ten seconds into the sample. As soon as the sample
starts over from the beginning,
count ten seconds in. Right where you want the loop, take a tiny sip. The
word on the screen
changes to "Odd," for one (as in one sip) is an odd number. When "Odd" is
on the screen,
the quarter-second loop keeps on playing. When you want the sample to
resume as normal (even),
take another sip of any size. Sip size only counts when going from even to
odd; odd to even
doesn't measure sip size. Remember, odd mode is the short loop, even is
the sample
playing normally. If you wanted a half-second loop of the sound five
seconds into the sample, you
would count five seconds, then take a big gulp. There's your "Odd" mode,
with a half of a
second of audio, starting from when you took the sip, looping on and on.
To make it even again, take a
sip (according to the dream, it was designed so even a tiny sip can shut
off a bigger sip's loop). So,
if you think taking a drink out of a swimming pool is a little ...
awkward, there's another way to loop.
Putting your face underwater. Going underwater a little bit is a short
loop. The further down you go, the
longer the loop. When you stand back up, it goes back to even mode. In the
Looper Pool, there is
a faucet handle with a cap on it. When you take the cap off, it will go
into odd mode (make a loop).
The length of the loop is measured by how far the cap hangs down from the
faucet by the string. The string that
makes sure that the cap doesn't go anywhere. When the cap is put back on
the handle, it is even
again. If, for some reason, you have more than one "odd enabler" in use
(you're underwater with your sip count
odd, or your cap is off while you're underwater, or your cap is off while
your sip count is odd),
the box just shuts off, until you make sure there's one odd enabler. Then
your short loop will continue
playing. You undo it, and it's even again. So, how possible would it be to
make an exhibit like that? I
would definitely watch someone use it, and, eventually, I'd use it myself.
Tyler Z