How do you use more than one sample in a song

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DavidStarz

New member
I'm still a little new to producing, but it baffles me how people mix samples from different songs into one. Do they have to be in the same key? Around the same tempo? Do you warp them or something? So far, I've only been able to use one sample as a primary part throughout a song, but if someone can shed some light on how producers (or you yourself) mix more than one sample in a beat, it'd be greatly appreciated.
 
Depends on the samples.
I know cats say the key matters but i've done tracks where i've used 2 tracks and just used what sounded good.The piano from one track and the guitar from another.Wasn't in key as far as i know but it sounded dope to me.Maybe it's more of a factor if you loop but if you get in and really chop a song up,i don't think it really matters.Tempos don't even have to be that close either imo.But like i said,i guess it depends on the songs and what you want to do.

Peace
 
well, this won't work if the sample doesn't have the same Scale in the same Key.

Just make your own Scale in the Piano Roll if you use FL Studio with ghostnotes.
Than make your own melodies on top of your sample.
That's what i do.
 
Just make sure the samples are in the same key, and that's the hardest part. I use Melodyne to help me out to an extent but it's challenging.

Like dude above said, sometimes you may grab 2 random samples and just use whatever sounds good, but even at that, one way or another the samples are in the same key.
 
1) Draw on a black floor with white chalk an inverted pentagram
2) Draw the baphomet in the pentagram
3) Violate candles on each corner
4) Throw samples and sampling source into the penta
5)Summon Aleister Crowley
6)??????
7)"Profit"
 
Your samples do not need to be in the same key on their original recordings.
First match the rhythm you want, then match the pitch. Its not that hard.
They dont need to be in the same scale either.
Things can turn out a multitude of different ways just by the way you chop alone.
Also, sometimes samples that are in different keys can go together really nicely without manipulating rhythm or pitch.


TDOT said:
one way or another the samples are in the same key.
Click to expand...

Not always, plenty of songs have samples in multiple keys. Some arent as pleasing as others tho :cheers:



mark1234 said:
well, this won't work if the sample doesn't have the same Scale in the same Key.
Click to expand...

Not true at all. expand your horizons young grasshopper :D



For example purposes, heres a track i did that had 5+ samples (not including drums) all of varying keys. most of them I matched keys manually, a couple I left alone.

 
I would think as long as your sampling something that has that note in scale it should work like your first sample is in c man and you pick a horn riff that the notes are D and B even though it might be in a different scale then the song it still works
 
Here's what I do:
(for the sake of explanation, I'll assume you're making a song in A minor)

1- Find the samples you want to flip
2- find their scales
3- Lets say sample #1 was in F minor: all you have to do is pitch the sample up or down, all the way to the A note. (moving from minor scale to minor scale)
4- Sample 2 is in G major: now what you have to do is find it's relative scale (E minor in this case) and pitch it up or down depending on what the "minor" key is, so move from E to A & there you have it, both samples playing in the same scale. (change tonal center - pitch to match song key)

hope this'll help.

keep in mind though, this might not sound good sometimes; as "PresentProducer" said, some sample may sound off when you pitch & speed them up.
 
i begin making the drums on one sample and then i try to add the other sample/s when the first sample has his drums.
 
How-To Guide from Harmonic-Mixing.com

I have all their software, but I also use a free one from KeyFinder that tags your files either in an ID3 tag or in the filename. With that one you just have to add the 1A-11B notation as custom ones that correspond to the actual key and your files are ready for mixing. Club DJs use this to go from track to track in a set mashing without worrying they're gonna ruin it.

It's not a 100% science, but the idea is if you have a song that's in 10A, you can change to an adjacent number or switch the letter, so you can mix something from 9A, 11A or 10B. Since not ever song is using every note in whatever scale it's using, you can usually mix 2 samples and come out with something tonal. The mashup software they have will even warp your tracks into the same tempo so you can test out rhythm and tonality in one shot. It won't give you a good track like they say it will, but it will give you samples to work with really easily. Within 5 minutes on it I'll mash up at least 4 bar phrases from different tracks that work perfectly.

The free one is great for wav loops of individual sounds. I have them all tagged at the beginning of the file name so I just do the harmonic mixing in Ableton and build construction kits in like 5 minutes.

The most trouble you're going to have is with your samples having different swing, but if you really think something has potential just quantize both your samples the same way in Ableton and then either apply the same groove to both or render them to a single sample quantized and try grooves or warp the rhythm on that.

Time stretching can get weird but if you really want it you can warp the attack, sustain and release on individual notes to make it sound natural.
 
Well it depends of whats the sample sounds like if i chop a sample who has 2 sounds at once i dont need a another,maybe a effect i would sample to add.But mostly i sample more than one sample cuz i like mashing up sounds
 
If you have a keyboard in front of you try playing the notes in the sample then write them down. Figure out which keys use those notes and go from there. Or go by the bass line, you can usually find the root notes of the chord there.
 
For me, the samples have to be in the same key. I suppose you can pitch up certain samples so (depending on what you're going for) but even then you still have to use your ears to determine if it sounds good together. I've done it though so it is possible.
 
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