Loco Loop
FABIAN WERFEL, TU Be lin, Ge many
NICOLE LUJÁN, UdK Be lin, México
ACM Re e ence Fo ma :
1 DESCRIPTION
Loco Loop is an ins alla ion o up o eigh pa icipan s o eco d sounds in o a loop, which hey can c ea e and
manipula e oge he in eal ime.
I has he shape o an oc agonal able wi h eigh pai s o headphones in which he su oundings can be hea d h ough
wo mic ophones embedded in he able op. The e a e h ee main con ols in he cen e o he able: one bu on o
eco d, one bu on o e ase and a o a y knob o change he speed – and hus he pi ch – o he loop. Two addi ional
knobs on he sides p o ide mas e e ec s such as e e b, delay o dis o ion. Finally, he e a e small ins umen s on op
o he able eady o be played and eco ded o he o e dub loop.
Fig. 1. The Loco Loop Table
Licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License (CC BY 4.0). Copy igh emains wi h he au ho (s).
Fabian We el and Nicole Luján. 2024. Loco Loop. 1, 1 (Sep embe 2024), 5 pages.
Music P oceedings o he In e na ional Con e ence on New In e aces o Musical Exp ession
NIME’24, 4–6 Sep embe , 2024, U ech , The Ne he lands
2 We el, e al.
1.1 Ha dwa e
Sounds om he en i onmen a e picked up by wo small omnidi ec ional elec e mic ophones. The sound p ocessing
is done on an Axolo i Co e V1.2 embedded audio boa d o which knobs and bu ons a e connec ed. Bo h push bu ons
also gi e isual eedback: unp essed hey ligh up and begin o lash apidly when p essed. Finally, he Axolo i’s s e eo
ou pu is ampli ied o each pai o soundp oo headphones. A 12 V lead ba e y is supplying powe o all componen s
excep o he mic ophones, which a e plug-in-powe ed (PiP) by a sepa a e 6 V lead ba e y.
con ols (knob, bu ons)
isual eedback (LEDs)
sound
p ocesso
(DSP)
powe supply
(ba e y)
s e eo mic ophone
one same s e eo signal
o eigh headphones
Fig. 2. Diag am o Loco Loop’s Ha dwa e
1.2 So wa e
The o e dub looping is ealized simply by a ime a iable delay wi h only e y li le a enua ion in i ’s eedback pa h.
Despi e i ’s simplici y his design can lead o complex esul s h ough mul iple o e dubbing. E e y mo emen o he
empo knob ha con ols he delay ime i e e sibly dis o s he ime s uc u e and hus he pi ch o he con en o he
"loop" since no hing is pe manen ly s o ed bu ins ead signals a e me ely delayed and ed back o e and o e again.
So las ly i is no able ha he he mo emen s o ha knob con olling he empo a e low pass il e ed. This leads o
apid mo emen s ge ing smoo hed, esul ing in a mo e elas ic eel o ime/pi ch dis o ions. Fo sound examples please
wa ch he demo ideos in he media links sec ion.
loop
0,99
delay
Fig. 3. Signal low diag am o Loco Loop’s So wa e
Loco Loop 3
1.3 We wa e (pa icipan s’ expe ience and in e ac ion)
Playing wi h his collabo a i e loope esul s in an a en ion shi owa ds audi o y pe cep ion and a eeling o connec ion
be ween pa icipan s h ough hea ing he same hing and sha ing a c ea i e ac i i y. The Loop p o ides an unde lying
pulse and he epe i ion causes e e yday sounds o e en wo ds o lose hei associa ed meanings which ans o ms
hem in o musical ma e ial. In con inuous epe i ion, e e y sound becomes music.
Wi h e e y in e ac ion, he sound is a ec ed and changed o good. I is no possible o modi y he loop and es o e
i o an ea lie s a e in o de o come back o how i sounded be o e. This makes i less like a classical loope and mo e
like an in ini e sound manipula ion jou ney.
Ul ima ely, he minimalis in e ace allows all pa icipan s – bo h wi h and wi hou musical educa ion – o ha e a
musical expe ience h ough sound manipula ion.
2 SPACE REQUIREMENTS
The able op measu es 65 cm
2
and he ins alla ion is 80 cm high. Addi ionally we would like o loca e chai s, banks o
any si ing objec s a ound i . Al e na i ely Loco Loop can be paced on i ’s unde ca iage which makes i sui able o be
played s anding wi h no need o chai s and a o al heigh o 106 cm.
Including pa icipan s he ins alla ion occupies an a ea o abou 3 m2.
Any public space whe e people like o hang ou is ideally sui ed. Since closed headphones a e used, i doesn’ bo he
he people a ound no does i equi e absolu e silence, al hough a calm a mosphe e is bene icial since nea loud music
om ou side could spill o e in o he loops.
I can be loca ed ei he indoo s o ou doo s. We do no equi e any powe connec ion, since i is powe ed by lead
ba e ies ha las o days. Also, an unde ca iage wi h wheels and a handle ha e been specially cons uc ed o
con enien mobili y o he able, which would e en make i possible o ake i o di e en loca ions each day o he
con e ence.
3 MEDIA LINKS
•Video demo o Loco Loop’s basic unc ionali y: h ps://you u.be/ K7VZcHIm88
•Video o people playing oge he h ps://you u.be/y35L CnNak8
4 FLOOR PLAN AND LOGISTICAL REQUIREMENT
Time o se up is no longe han an hou . We only ha e o o ganize he chai s o be com o able o he people o be
he e. I does no equi e powe connec ion no in e ne .
5 FEASABILITY
The p ojec has been ins alled and u he de eloped o mo e han 6 yea s. I has since been p esen ed in se e al
es i als. The basic concep s ayed he same bu has some imes aken di e en shapes.
2017 34 h Chaos Communica ion Cong ess, Leipzig, Ge many
2018 Fusion Fes i al, Lä z, Ge many
2018 Ga bicz Fes i al, Ga bicz, Poland
2019 noches de au o , Mexico Ci y, México
2019 36 h Chaos Communica ion Cong ess, Leipzig, Ge many
4 We el, e al.
2022 Monumen Fes i al, Oslo, No way
2022 Somme .Film.Akademie, Gö li z, Ge many
2023 F eiland Fes i al, B oock, Ge many
2023 Me a Solis Fes i al, Mili z, Ge many
Fig. 4. Fi s e sion o he able design a Chaos Communica ion Cong ess, Leipzig, Ge many in 2017
Fig. 5. The same collabo a i e loope i ed inside an old im a Fusion Fes i al 2018, Lä z, Ge many
Loco Loop 5
Fig. 6. He e buil in collabo a ion wi h mexican wi e a is s "Masca as de Alamb e" a Noches de Au o 2019, Mexico Ci y, México
6 EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS
We will b ing he ully unc ioning able wi h i s ba e y and he eigh pai s o headphones. We will only need he
assigned space (o di e en spaces o each day) as well as some chai s, so as o banks, o p epa e a com o able
a mosphe e o people o play.
7 ETHICS STATEMENT
Loco Loop has been ope a ional o ex ended pe iods o up o i e days on a ious occasions, wi h no isks o dange s
o pa icipan s obse ed o epo ed. I ea u es an inbuil comp esso /limi e o con ol high olume peaks. Should he
expe ience become o e whelming, pa icipan s may emo e hei headphones a any ime. The powe supply, equipped
wi h sa e y uses and ope a ing on 12 ol s, poses no isk o elec ical shock. Fu he mo e, pa icipan p i acy is ully
p o ec ed, as no da a is collec ed and pe o mances a e no eco ded.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The au ho s would like o hank Raphi, Babbo, Phili o he e y i s expe imen s leading o his de elopmen and
he Expe imen al S age P ojec o ini ially making possible he cons uc ion o he able and aking i o a ious es i als.
