sampling and theory question

[DJ Moocher]

hey fam, i got a quick question about sampled beats. i use a lot of samples, but i keep it very simple. what i wanted to know is if i was gonna chop and pitch a sample, how would i go about playing other instruments or adding other samples to it? like how can i find the key of it and make everything sound well together? thanks

 

[BeenJammin]

The only way your going to find it is with your ear and a little bit of knowledge about keys, modes, and scales. For me my goal in music was always to layer tracks over samples, or sample the sample by recreating it and transposing it. Just recenty have i been able to find the keys of my samples pretty easily now, like something just clicked in the past few weeks. But only after a lot of ear training, theory, playing and making some tracks of my own. Honestly i would just start by doing a lot of ear training. This guy Jermaine Griggs on the internet has a really helpful website, and i know bandcoach knows another website with a bunch of excercises but i forget the name.

 

[Blackmoore5050]

Either learn how to call it by ear, try to replay the melody on a piano, or google the song you sampled and find the original key.

 

[LG4343]

If you're feeling lazy then there's some dj software called mixed in key that's pretty cheap and will tell you the key of a tune - pretty damn handy for finding new mixes too! (It doesn't get it 100% of the time and is best at major/minor material - don't think it's capable of modal based music)

Ear training is still worth it though but that's a quick fire short term option

If you're only sampling individual sounds then just throw one in a sampler and open any instrument whose pitch you know to be as per the note played and tune them together by moving the root note in the sampler so both end up playing the same pitch on the same midi notes

 

[BeenJammin]

Damn i wouldnt mind copping that, but wouldnt want to end up relying on something like that. When you start ear training its real handy to have a person or a program or exercise like this that can tell you exactly what your in, you don't want to build a bad ear or be a semitone off and think your on it.

 

[e-mixmaster]

Learn some music theory.. It is not that difficult. You'll gain so much from it.

Don't just go for easy things, it doesn't help to go the easy way and rely on this program or the other. Music is an art, and it comes form your mind, spirit and soul.

There is no way around it !