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Looper's Delight
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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