Sampling from vinyl vs MP3

How do you usually sample?

  • Digitally

    Votes: 8 61.5%
  • from Vinyl

    Votes: 5 38.5%

  • Total voters
    13

DetinatorF

New member
Is there a real difference in quality between the two? I know some of the best new producers just sample digitally now (e.g. J. Cole). What are your thoughts and which do you sample from more regularly?
 
I sample vinyl rips a lot of time, there's that nice crackling and stuff.

Sometimes I sample vinyl but there's no record store in my town and my record player is like 30 years old.
 
Digital is a lot more accessible, and affordable. If I had the money I would buy a Vinyl-to-USB converter, and crate dig. Izotope has a free plugin download on its website called "Vinyl" that can add the crackles and sounds of an old record to an mp3. I use that when I sample mp3s. It's probably just based on personal preference.
 
The game is quickly shifting towards the basically free online .mp3 sampling, but the OGs will always strongly oppose and say that vinyl is the sh*t, which it is when you're sampling.

But personal preference like the others said, some times the grit in the sample you don't want, you might want a clean, smooth, beat.
 
Personally, I say sampling from vinyl is the best. The warmth of the record adds that special touch. I don't really like sampling from Cd's or Mp3's, unless if its some music of today. Which is rare for me to do...
 
There's something about vinyl to me, but that's a thing of taste. I sample mp3s a lot more often than vinyl though.
some people will say things like "I'll never sample mp3 because of the bad sound quality" I would say that, if these people hear a track that they want to sample and they can only get in mp3, then refuse to sample it...they're losing an opportunity in the name of stupidity.
If you find something you want to sample, then ****in sample it. Mp3, wav, vinyl...whatever.
 
The quality only depends on the source of where it comes from, it you are using junk hardware and a worn out record then quality will be lost but it could be the additional artifacts that make your record great. There is something about a record that you sample from a vinyl source as it holds more value than something just jacked from YouTube (or a web source of some description). If you go to the effort of finding a hot 2 bar loop but it takes you 5 hours to find and you add drums then that is all part of the process. Don't limit yourself to one or the other but take everything you read or hear with a grain of salt.
 
I've never had problems sampling from MP3. Just make sure to check out its Kbps before using it, and usually EQ should help make it sound right.
 
True , People don't care where it came from as long as it sounds good.. As far as sampling I like vinyl because of the challenge, workflow etc. but I dont have the time in the world to be running around digging. bills gotta get paid. so the internet has really helped, Plus the flip this section in this site!
 
i like sound of records. i dont feel
comfortable with mp3 sounds.
Aim of diggin is makin dope beat
so if you feel fine with mp3,
nothing wrong with using mp3.
 
MP3 and YouTube rips suck ass. I take the character and grittiness of analog sample-sources (vinyl, cassette, etc.) over low bitrates and digital artifacts any day.

Vinyl has an audible broader frequency-range than your average 128kb/s MP3 file, because the MP3 format uses a lossy data compression algorithm to squeeze a whole song into a 3MB file. This means you lose audio-frequencies vital to the feel of the sample. MP3s ie. will generally lack bottom end which makes the sample less beefy. Especially if the MP3 is a YouTube rip. Then you get a 3rd/4th generation audio file with no character to it (and lots of digital artifacts).

I sample from a CD here and there, but I try to avoid it, simply because digital formats are also too cold and the digital signal is flawless, so there is no character added like tape or vinyl does...

There's also a great tradition for vinyl in hip-hop (and other related genres). If you are new and cocky and the best producer in the whole world, then you probably don't care about hip-hop tradition and history. I do. I carry on the tradition of the legends whom I learned everything important from just by listening to their music: Marley Marl, Mark the 45 King, Buckwild, DJ Muggs, Dr. Dre, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock, DJ Shadow, etc. etc. etc.

But just to flip it 180, I will say this: do you. If you don't give a flying duck about all of the above, then sample away from sucky Youtube channels, and be lazy: get all your samples from online MP3 blogs. God forbid that you'd have to actually get hands dirty with cratedigging in a record shop...

NB: I haven't read any of the replies to OP, so sorry in advance for repetitions.
 
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