Where do you start?

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TaylorV

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Hey guys, first post so please excuse my lack of etiquette. I have a few questions tho . When you're chopping samples do you find just a chunk of the song you want to sample or do you attack the song as a whole to find your chops? Also how do you use multiple samples? I understand key signatures and all that I just feel like when I try it the samples sound completely different even if it's two different samples hitting an A note. I feel like I'm stuck doing simple chops or loops. (All my samples are coming from vinyl I hear there's a separation between e-diggers and crate diggers?) I'm relatively new to making beats about a year now. Most of that time figuring out my DAW. but I've been a musician for 12 years. Started on drums now I mainly play bass. I find beat making to be a good way for me to make music by myself plus who doesn't like a good sampled beat???
Thanks again for any input and sorry for the long unorganized post.
 
Ive done sampled beats for like 8-9 years and played piano for 3-4 years yeah some stuff just doesnt fit, even tho it works from a music theory standpoint. EQing and filtering helps but you should also consider which frequency spectrum the new sample covers - if it interferes with the first sample problems may occur (you can work around them tho).

But to answer your question: I start with the sample usually, pitch/chop/rearrange it to where i think it sounds the best, then add drums to ehance the groove. Then i add a bassline and perhaps some rhodes. Then theres two ways i go at it; i may know a record that has a cool open sample like a sax that i know would fit well, but sometimes i just go to the crates and see what i come across.

A lot of vinyl samples are detuned tho so be careful for that.

Feel free to check out my soundcloud and ask directed questions, i dont mind.
 
marrelarre said:
Ive done sampled beats for like 8-9 years and played piano for 3-4 years yeah some stuff just doesnt fit, even tho it works from a music theory standpoint. EQing and filtering helps but you should also consider which frequency spectrum the new sample covers - if it interferes with the first sample problems may occur (you can work around them tho).

But to answer your question: I start with the sample usually, pitch/chop/rearrange it to where i think it sounds the best, then add drums to ehance the groove. Then i add a bassline and perhaps some rhodes. Then theres two ways i go at it; i may know a record that has a cool open sample like a sax that i know would fit well, but sometimes i just go to the crates and see what i come across.

A lot of vinyl samples are detuned tho so be careful for that.

Feel free to check out my soundcloud and ask directed questions, i dont mind.
Click to expand...

I do detune a lot of the samples on the turntable to avoid having to use time stretch. I get artifacts when I use time stretch a lot. I probably need to work on my EQIng and filtering skills more too. Thanks for the reply. Pad Thai vol. 4 I like the name and sweet beat!
 
Hey guys, don't mean to butt in on your conversation but I think I have something to add that might be of some use to everyone as a matter of fact.
When
it comes to sampling and Note mapping, this is something you should also be doing to your drum samples as well. If you have a bassline that's playing in a certain key and you have a really hot 808 kick that you want to use, you need to note map the kick to fit the key of the bassline. You might find that it tightens everything up and it will hit even harder. Do this with your snares and map it with your mid-range instruments, especially the vocals. Make your Hi Hats fit your high end synth pads or instruments as well. You don't have to map them to the root note either. If the song is in the key of Bflat, you can map the kick to an Eflat or any other note in the chord that makes it fit.

As an audio engineer for 15+ years, mostly recording real instruments in large studios, we would even tune the drum heads to fit the tuning of the rest of the instruments. A lot of beginning engineers and producers don't realize that it's not the most expensive gear that is going to get you a good mix. It's knowing how to get the right sounds from the source.

I hope this helps or maybe sparks a light !!

Good luck.
 
The separation of e-diggers and crate diggers is purism, don't get caught up in it and any other purist views regarding Hip Hop as it's bad for your health.
 
Hey guys thanks for your input. I usually tune my kick to match the key of the song which definitely helps. Never tried doing it to my snare or hi hats but I will now. Since this post I saved some money and got a mpc renaissance so I'm on a whole new learning curve. New software and hardware which is frustrating to learn but mpc is notorious for the sound I'm chasing. Thanks for the clarification OGbama
 
You should have passed on the Ren. What are you experienced in hardware-wise?
 
I don't really have any experience using hardware. Before this I used FL studio and a mpk 49 as a controller. I found a good deal on the ren so I jumped on it thinking maybe it would help my workflow and help me achieve "the sound". Which I'm two 4 bar loops into the learning process and I like the sound also like not having to be glued to the computer. I kind viewed hardware like guitars ex. Gibson has that Gibson sound vs. fender having that fender sound.
 
Forget about "the sound" as knowing the ins and outs comes from spending ample time with equipment. You play instruments so experiment with sampling yourself, not to solely be different, but to know that knowing how to play an instrument is the ultimate form of musical appreciation.
 
I appreciate your replies man. sampling myself? Wouldn't that be playing something in live? Or do you mean writing and recording a whole song to chop up? The reason I'm trying sample-based Beats 1.) I love listening to music and then finding out it came from somewhere else. 2.) sometimes samples may be something I wouldn't come up with by myself. Why do you say pass on the ren? I hated assigning knobs and sliders to do jobs I wanted and with the ren everything is assigned already it's just a matter of figuring out how to use it.
 
I think what he means about the ren is that there are other machines out there that are pretty much the same but now have way more features. There is Maschine (Native Instruments), IK Multimedia also has a controller for their iRig called iRig Pads, and others. They are all similar to the MPC with pads and assignable controls but with way more computer connecting features and software. The iRig is cool because it is designed for iPhones/iPods and iPads. (iRig is the software and Pads is the controller).
 
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When I say sampling yourself I mean as in sampling yourself playing your instruments.
 
Ahhh true there are a lot of options. I saw large pro. Use mpc and dj premier raves about it but then guys like 9th wonder and nottz are using macshine so I figured pick one and learn the ins and outs. Plus $300 seemed like a good deal on it.
 
Ohhhh so record lets say a bassline then sample that as individual hits? Like what you would get from a sound pack?
 
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