Are you a looper or chopper?

B

beatarama

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I think both of these methods/techniques require a good ear and creativity but some producers feel that looping is lazy or not creative and then other producers think sampling in general is wack (especially musicians that know how to play music).
what do yall think. anyone combine synths and samples or live instruments and samples to expand just beyond the samples?
 
Any musician who says "sampling is wack" is narrow minded.

It's always fun to see someone say "looping is lazy" to someone who knows who someone like Madlib is and then witness the backlash. All Madlib does for most of the stuff he puts out is loop on his SP303, then EQ that sh*t until the drums pop out from the the vinyl crisp. Magical stuff.

From the perspective of someone who's currently working with a couple of producers who all have different styles, and being a part of a project which is seeing them collaborate styles... I find this quite an interesting topic.

For the project I mention, the base of the tracks have been some sort of sample loop, some sort of addition to drums or percussion, then some very fine synth add ons which enhance the overall feel of the instrumental and a heck of a lot of EQing. It's a bit of a Madlib-esque sounding project, if I think about it.
 
In my opinion it only sucks if it's not a hybrid of stuff most of the time.
You can also loop anything but since you're talking about sampling, depends on the sample.

It's a pretty good question but the answer is honestly too broad. You can literally do anything to audio whether it's synthed or regioned. You can turn james brown and africans drumming into rain drops [Diego Brando]
You can do all types of crazy crap with unexpected results. The reason I still use kong is by it's design and function. Thor is the king of kong tbh
 
i do both honestly.. i started off straight looping.. made a lot of old school bangers... but it gets kinda boring.. then one day i went to my boy crib and he has maschine.. then he found a loop and chopped it and made something COMPLETELY NEW.. i never thought to do that.. so i went home and started trying that.. and instantly made a banger.. i find that loops with synths make the best tracks though
 
I think there are samples that have to be looped and samples that have to be chopped. So it's a matter of experience and personal taste to know what to do to each sample.

For example Alchemist many times loops stuff while other times he chops the sample hard(i.e. Alchemist feat Prodigy- Keep the heels on)

However I think a producer gets more sutisfied when he chops the sample, at least I do!
 
Exclusivo said:
Any musician who says "sampling is wack" is narrow minded.

It's always fun to see someone say "looping is lazy" to someone who knows who someone like Madlib is and then witness the backlash. All Madlib does for most of the stuff he puts out is loop on his SP303, then EQ that sh*t until the drums pop out from the the vinyl crisp. Magical stuff.

From the perspective of someone who's currently working with a couple of producers who all have different styles, and being a part of a project which is seeing them collaborate styles... I find this quite an interesting topic.

For the project I mention, the base of the tracks have been some sort of sample loop, some sort of addition to drums or percussion, then some very fine synth add ons which enhance the overall feel of the instrumental and a heck of a lot of EQing. It's a bit of a Madlib-esque sounding project, if I think about it.
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Madlib doesn't overthink the process. He relies on his ear and leaves it at that. I chop because It's easier to chop a popular record and create something of your own. Vinyl has been used and abused for over 30 years now. It's not easy finding good loops. Plus I got that 9th wonder in me that feels like some of the best parts to sample has vocals so I chop them up too.
 
I do whatever fits the mood I'm in for the sample and whatever sounds best to me. Sometimes a loop is just good enough right off the record for me and then I just make a drum pattern for it and its done. Other times I might wanna chop it up and sequence it a slightly different way. Just follow your ear and don't be afraid to experiment. There's an infinite amount of ways to flip a sample.
 
both ... they both have their different ways of being creative. i mean loops give you insight to what a producer is looking for ... chops give you insight to how a producer hears it. so they both have their own distinctive creativity added to them.
 
Exclusivo said:
Any musician who says "sampling is wack" is narrow minded.

It's always fun to see someone say "looping is lazy" to someone who knows who someone like Madlib is and then witness the backlash. All Madlib does for most of the stuff he puts out is loop on his SP303, then EQ that sh*t until the drums pop out from the the vinyl crisp. Magical stuff.

From the perspective of someone who's currently working with a couple of producers who all have different styles, and being a part of a project which is seeing them collaborate styles... I find this quite an interesting topic.

For the project I mention, the base of the tracks have been some sort of sample loop, some sort of addition to drums or percussion, then some very fine synth add ons which enhance the overall feel of the instrumental and a heck of a lot of EQing. It's a bit of a Madlib-esque sounding project, if I think about it.
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Hey do you think you could go into a little bit more detail about this method? I always hear beats from harry fraud or alchemist or kanye and when I check on who sampled it literally just sounds like somehow they got the drums from the vinyl to just be more present and popping out of the record.
 
StanleySteamer said:
Hey do you think you could go into a little bit more detail about this method? I always hear beats from harry fraud or alchemist or kanye and when I check on who sampled it literally just sounds like somehow they got the drums from the vinyl to just be more present and popping out of the record.
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Yeah, with pleasure. I don't do it, but there's a project I'm currently executive producing which is utilising the technique quite a bit. I'm sure the producers who do it won't mind me explaining it.

Say you had a snare in a sample, and you want it to pop out... You'd eq in the high region, I'd imagine around 4kHz to 12kHz. Then it's all about taste and what the sample calls for from there. If you wanted to bring out the kick drum then it's the opposite end of the scale, 40Hz to 700Hz.

You'll also find that upping the high end may bring out the percussion and vinyl crackle, while the low end will make the sample really muddy as the bass and kick drum distort.

After that you can layer drum sounds on top to enhance them even further.
 
depends. Sometimes u find a loop thats just so ill by itself that it would be a shame to chop it. I allways try to make it sound different than the original sample by adding other instruments or samples, changing the bassline etc. I agree that it feels kind of lazy to do it like some dre beats where the beat sounds exactly the same as the original sample, but then again, if it sounds dope it sounds dope. Chopping is defenitly the most satisfying method, but i dont chop just for the sake of choping
 
i do both. anyone saying looping is not creative or whatever misses the point. you're a producer (or beatmaker,) your job is to make bangers, not be creative. (please don't think i'm knocking creativity here.)
 
Whatever fits the song. Never get the idea doing "more work" equates to a better production. The best producers make well produced songs, no more, no less.

"Bad boy" by Ma$e was a well produced song(great energy, well arranged and catchy chorus even though it stemmed from a classic, crystal clear mix for the late 90s), and I'm not sure 1 instrument was added to that loop.

 
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When I find a sample that i like. I usually listen to it over and over. My style is more choppy but if it's hot, i'll just find ways to make the drums and percussion work around the loop. Just do what you gotta do to make a hot beat. Just my 2 pennies.
 
Keyivanni said:
I'm neither, just admire sampling. I create compositions then chop/loop them as if they were samples.
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Then you're both... You're just swapping out digging for composition and that's pretty cool in its own right... The time spent on beat creation is probably quite similar just a change in process.
 
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