Looping a chop pattern

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dbfuru

New member
Hey everyone, I am going to try and articulate my question as best as I am able.

I've been trying to make beats for a month soon and am interested in sampling. Most of my favourite music is sampled beats. I have had very little success so far with sampling, in fact the most successful sample attempt was my most recent one, I sampled a piano I found on the Flip This forum.

I must have done something right because it is the first time I have had my chop pattern loop properly. I tried to count the beats and used the tempo tapper and used the auto slice on the beat. It was a fluke in my opinion, but I managed to compose a new melody with the chops and I got the new melody to actually loop. I can't link just yet, but the track is called "Guadosalaample" and is on my soundcloud of which there is a link in my signature.

So in pattern 1 I made a new loop using the chops, and in pattern 2 I made a loop using the chops etc.

However, most every single one of my other sampling attempts has the following problem.

I try to tap the tempo as best as I am able, I choose a bit of the sample to trim and make my chops, either automatically or by hand, I usually get the same result.

I then use my midi controller to try and make a new melody with my chops, but there is always something missing at the end, there's usually a gap that stops the new chop patterns from looping properly. What could be causing this? Are my chops too short? Maybe it's my choice of sample and I am missing that one extra note? Am I tapping out the wrong tempo or maybe not cutting enough bars or too many bars? Once I tap out the tempo I don't usually listen for the bars I try to trim the sample that I want based on the grid in the background of Slicex or Edison.

When I trim a sample I don't usually make it loop first either, I am not sure if that's important to have. I don't usually use full loops because I don't like it personally, so I take segments out and try to rearrange chops to make new melodies.

I've tried searching for an answer but everything I have found so far hasn't had the exact answer I need.

I know this question is a bit nebulous and a bit "hand-holdey", I have not asked any questions before as I prefer to find answers myself, but sampling truly has me stumped. It has been way easier reading up on music theory and composing new tracks than sampling in my opinion!

Thanks for your time.
 
Which DAW are you using? There can be several solutions to your problem, and yes, the sample on your soundcloud sounds a bit out of time. If you're using DAW's like Logic or Ableton you have flex tools where you can mark your waveforms and drag them to fit properly. Be sure to find the correct tempo, and change it to your preferred destination - before you start slicing.
Tap for Beats Per Minute BPM I've been using this bpm-tapper for a long time now and it works great.
 
I actually flipped that sample to, this is my flip:



Anyway, I use FL as well so I'm going to try and help.
First off I'll say don't become overly obsessive about stuff like this. As you said your a beginner so this is all apart of it.

Now tapping out the tempo may or may not matter depending on how you are sampling. I never even did that at all for my first year or so of making beats because I would always slice at sounds instead of beats or bars. You just have to know when to pitch the sample or change the beat BPM. Now I can go either way depending on the sample and what I wanna do.

Personally I never use auto slice either. I just don't see the point I guess.
I do always use slicex in FL, I find it the easiest option for sampling in there. Don't slice to the grid though that could definitely throw you off.

As far as you chop patterns being off, it could be multiple things. Your timing could just be off or maybe the way you are playing your chops just doesn't work with the sounds. I looked at some of your other beats and the "Super rough sample practice" one sounded like it was too fast for example. If the over all bpm had been slower it probably could off worked much better. Just hearing that sample it sounds like it would have flowed better if the beat was slower.

Really just keep going. I suggest going into the flip this section and listen to the samples and peoples flips. There are some dope cats on here so you will hear what they are doing. Then you go and flip that sample. Of course don't copy them, but with time you will learn to identify what parts of a song you could sample, and how etc.. Also just listen to your favorite producers and just see what there chops are(are they long and fluid, short and choppy, short but melodic, many different chops, maybe theres only 2 or 3 chops in the beat, etc..) even if you don't know the sample. Just listen and see the groove in the song. Study and practice.

With time you will pick it up. I also suggest you start collection good drums sounds and such early on, I noticed that that was a lacking area in the beat.

Anyway, I hope that helped at least a little. Feel free to shoot a PM for help as well.
 
dont use auto chop....chop it where you want to chop it, thats the art in sampling. I normally start by finding the section i want to sample, then i get that looping perfect by its self. Then i start the chops then i tap tempo and give the sample tempo info and put it in the project and speed/slow to taste or keep the same
 
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GodParticle said:
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Good call on the drums, I admit I got lazy during the track and forgot about the drums as it was mainly just me experimenting. I also need to build my own drum kit instead of using free kits.

I more often than not use Slicex, but the piano sample I just tried using Fruity Slicer.

I guess it does come down to practice and trial and error. So I imagine if you don't count the tempo you just chop at sounds and try to make a 1 bar loop out of those sounds? And if you can't get it to loop well or sound good try rearranging the sounds to adjusting chops or taking a different part of the sample, or even timestretch?

Sorry for all of the probably dumb questions, I want to make sure I ask the dumb ones first. It seems with sampling it's more of an art than a science.
 
dbfuru said:
Good call on the drums, I admit I got lazy during the track and forgot about the drums as it was mainly just me experimenting. I also need to build my own drum kit instead of using free kits.

I more often than not use Slicex, but the piano sample I just tried using Fruity Slicer.

I guess it does come down to practice and trial and error. So I imagine if you don't count the tempo you just chop at sounds and try to make a 1 bar loop out of those sounds? And if you can't get it to loop well or sound good try rearranging the sounds to adjusting chops or taking a different part of the sample, or even timestretch?

Sorry for all of the probably dumb questions, I want to make sure I ask the dumb ones first. It seems with sampling it's more of an art than a science.
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IMO, building your "own" drum kit ain't that important. Just make the yours through layering, eq, etc.. Like I have drums I chopped out of records, ones from free kits and ones from paid kits. I'm always mixing to get a nice sound.

What you mean one bar loop? The sound I chop may just be one beat or not even that. It seems like you are sort of preoccupied about following some sort of technique, just use your ears. When I said I spent my first year not chopping in bars is because I didn't think of that. I never even heard all sorts of different techniques for sampling like this until I had been doing it for awhile, so from the get go I was just using my ears. I think it helped me in the long run to just find my own way a bit there.

Like I've made beats where I just looped a part of sample where the sample wasn't the tempo of the beat but I cut it in a part where it fit up on time cuz I chopped it off time if you get what I'm saying haha.

Study, then practice then study and more practice.
 
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GodParticle said:
IMO, building your "own" drum kit ain't that important. Just make the yours through layering, eq, etc.. Like I have drums I chopped out of records, ones from free kits and ones from paid kits. I'm always mixing to get a nice sound.

What you mean one bar loop? The sound I chop may just be one beat or not even that. It seems like you are sort of preoccupied about following some sort of technique, just use your ears. When I said I spent my first year not chopping in bars is because I didn't think of that. I never even heard all sorts of different techniques for sampling like this until I had been doing it for awhile, so from the get go I was just using my ears. I think it helped me in the long run to just find my own way a bit there.

Like I've made beats where I just looped a part of sample where the sample wasn't the tempo of the beat but I cut it in a part where it fit up on time cuz I chopped it off time if you get what I'm saying haha.

Study, then practice then study and more practice.
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Say in FL studio I set my pattern to 4 beats per bar, that pattern would be one bar. I think. I try to arrange chops to fit in that 4 beat section.

I'll try and feel it next time I try instead of getting worked up over technicalities.
 
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