Tips and Tricks to Using "Hopeless" Samples.

Michirican123

Illistrated Man
By hopeless I mean no matter how many times you try and make a song with it, It just doesn't do justice to the original. I'm know the pitch you play it, the chops, and other things have a great deal to with it. Anyone willing to shed some light on this kind of stuff? A skilled producer can take any sample and make it work.

Thanks ahead of time, let's keep this topic movin! :cheers:
 
A skilled artist of any trade doesn't try to force it either.
True..
But I like this thread.
I can take a Rock & Roll sample and turn it into some chill ass beat.
From philtering, EQ'ing, etc. You can turn any sample into just about anything. So in my opinion, any sample you take on..has potential to be something HOT..But its just how you manipulate it around and all that good 'n juicy stuff. lol
 
A skilled artist of any trade doesn't try to force it either.

I'm sorry if that's what was implied, I'm in no hurry at all. I finally got a sample that I had been scoping out for at least 6-7 months to a decent beat last month. I've noticed there are certain work methods producers use when chopping a sample that make it easier to create something out of them.

@Danny Dee... That's most def the truth, anything is really possible.
 
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You shouldn't force it, or it will turn out to be garbage. When I find samples I want to mess with but can't, I just throw them in the vault and come back to them a few months later. Usually I have a different ear and taste for samples every few months, so if something didn't work back then, it might work after you forget about it for a while and come back to it.
 
You shouldn't force it, or it will turn out to be garbage. When I find samples I want to mess with but can't, I just throw them in the vault and come back to them a few months later. Usually I have a different ear and taste for samples every few months, so if something didn't work back then, it might work after you forget about it for a while and come back to it.

Exactly. If you can't come up with anything good, just leave it for a while and come back... try chopping it up differently or going back to the sample and finding some more parts.

Never force it. If it doesn't come somewhat naturally its not worth wasting time on.
 
I'm sorry if that's what was implied, I'm in no hurry at all. I finally got a sample that I had been scoping out for at least 6-7 months to a decent beat last month. I've noticed there are certain work methods producers use when chopping a sample that make it easier to create something out of them.

@Danny Dee... That's most def the truth, anything is really possible.

In that case
When I make my slices, It's cut to bits.
I just cut at places as I listen, hitting at points that I hear I can use in a flip.
 
hey fellas as you were talking about chopping i've got a question ?
now i've got a sample i reeeeeally wanna work over but just cant get it to fit.
now i always thought on the lines of chopping where i hear fit, the length of the chop should resemble the length of the loop you want. but recently i got told to (95% of the time) chop on the quarter beat because
it a) translates better to mixed tempo's
and b) gives better freedom over the sample.

any thoughts on this ?
 
@ Kenith....I have no idea. I chop all by ear, I've tried doing on the beats and all but never turns out good. I say use your ears to tell you where to chop, might be on a beat might not.
 
trouble shooting, getting things to fit and flow to a new tempo is one thing.

I can't sample something I like too much, I would never do it justice. Not unless I replayed a new version of the song and just took a small open part and layered it with my instruments. Basically an unofficial remix.

But a tip is to use the chops more than once, use them like watercolours.

Kenith, if you chop even smaller than quarter notes then you have these small tones, you can elongate, widen or add density by doing this and the original melody is still there.

But if something is not gonna loop, don't loop it, I'm talking more about detailed editing.
 
Not sure if any one said this already but...

Take the parts you like from that sample and see if you can use them in another beat, with different samples.
 
Not sure if any one said this already but...

Take the parts you like from that sample and see if you can use them in another beat, with different samples.

Yeah, brilliant fun to do. It's crazy how you can find something to match, helps boost your understanding of music, especially when you can transpose a guitar chord and have it make sense musically at more than one overall 'pitch.'

if that makes sense.
 
look for chords and chop them up. at least gives you some ground basis. then look for riffs and high pitched guitar stuff or vocals then take them and filter them.

[walks out of a shed with scruffed up hair and a green farmer vest] this week i have been mostly listening into kev brown. he uses very little of the actual song as his own. and uses various samples even the same samples at different pitches and for the hook just puts a tremelo.anyway he then add his basslines which leads the whole song.

also reverb and delay can open up some oppertunity's when im stuck
 
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