Sample Quality and Characteristics...???

[Chew_Bear]

Since I am still a newbie...My ears haven't fully understood or learned as to what makes a good quality sample and how it should sound like.

I know that in order to pick the right sample...you need to be able to decipher the CHARACTER of a sound/sample and how it makes you FEEL and whether you like it or not. And ultimately...whether you choose to use it or not.

I always hear producers say the word..."FAT". Like..."oh man...that kick drum sounds fat yo!" kind of thing.

The problem is...I still have no idea how to determine the character (quality) of a sound and determine whether I like it or not. For instance...I have several sample packs that I downloaded and some have over 20+ one shot kick drums and it still takes me a long time to finally make a decision as to which kick drum I like and ultimately want to use. Every time I am auditioning kick drum samples...seems like...I like them all equally and can't choose.

So...For example...

1. How do you determine what sounds "FAT" to you...when its obvious everyone has different opinions and taste as to which music/samples they like and listen to...???

2. How do you know which kick drum samples are "golden" or have the right sound for what you want...??? Are there specific frequencies, distortion or effects I should be listening for in a sample...???

3. How would you know to pick KICK__83 that has a low rumble character....say over....KICK__08 that has a distorted effect character...??? And than how about one of the other samples that is in the same folder...???

Is it as easy as....listening to music/sounds that you like and than going out and trying to find a sample that comes "close" to that sound/music....???

OR...is it more complicated than that...and is the main reason why good producers will actually make their own samples (Sound Design) and theoretically...is what every producer should be doing/practicing anyways...???

 

[solarflux]

Honestly, I think it's a bit contextual and has a lot to do with how a sample fits into the mix of a track, especially with drums and percussion. A sample might work great for this track, and less so for that track. That being said, you can spend a lot of time processing and applying eq to change what a sample sounds like, so just comparing bass drum or kick sounds and seeing which one you like or which one sounds better out of context...that might drive you a bit crazy. The best you can do is compartmentalize the samples into different categories - this one has a lot of sub-60hZ thud, this one is "boomy" and sort of crappy-sounding, with some lower mid-rage frequencies around 300Hz, this one has some nice slap/punch somewhere around 4-8kHz, ect. Even with a "perfect" sounding sample that sounds great by itself, you'll likely find yourself having to apply some eq at some point to make it sit in a mix.

But like you said, the best way to figure out what you want is just to listen to and work with a lot of sounds, and try to emulate sounds you like. It also helps if you have the right gear - if you are using really cheap headphones or monitors, kicks are going to start to all sound the same, because the frequency response just isn't there to be able to hear all the nuance.