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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