Processing samples - why?

bicedidit wrote:
there is no right answer. its all up to the user. i always sample into the 2kxl dry and then do what needs to be done. and have been doing so for over 10 years. its the way i sample. if i sample everything with the same effect for a personal signature, that gets a little old after a while. i like the freedom to do whatever i want with my samples. if i sample with an effect, im stuck with that processed sample forever

There is a right and wrong in everything the world just teaches you other wise to weaken your perspective on things.


No one said sampling dry, we were talking about not processing your samples which is a totally different thing.

No one said sample with the same effect, they said create a signature sound.
Dilla is Dilla yet he used various effects and methods on his work.
He was a good example because he tried to get things right prior to tracking.

The real reason people are stuck with something if they process it is because they reuse things.
It's easier than creating new stuff for a song.

Unless I'm using LIVE or Maschine the only thing I do with plugs will be for tracking vocals or finalizing the mix.
Sound creation and character from hardware will be right prior to tracking in the DAW, MDM etc.

Wal Martian wrote: It's nice to keep the samples dry in the MPC then track in through outboard. If you change your mind you can always reload the original sounds and try something else.

And once again that's processing the samples, which is what this was all about.

No one said sampling dry, we were talking about not processing your samples which is a totally different thing.

2 outta the 4 replies prior to yours make direct mention of sampling using some of fx processor.

The real reason people are stuck with something if they process it is because they reuse things.
It's easier than creating new stuff for a song.

huh? if you track out to a daw, or even use fx in the mpc, you can reuse that dry sample over and over and use different fx on each channel/track, so you wouldnt be stuck with anything other than the original dry sample, which to me is optimal.

Unless I'm using LIVE or Maschine the only thing I do with plugs will be for tracking vocals or finalizing the mix.

so if there is a right way and a wrong way to do things (or as you put it.."There is a right and wrong in everything the world just teaches you other wise to weaken your perspective on things)...... what are you saying?

Sound creation and character from hardware will be right prior to tracking in the DAW, MDM etc.

[/quote][/quote]

i have very little to do with the sound creation and character of the samples i use. i use these samples because of the sound creation and character.

Thy_Cow_punchers wrote:getting samples to fit in with your own music ,synths ,basslines whatever u choose

that is impossible to do without any Eq'in ,compression .

this is untrue if u pick sounds with certain tonal qalities and use appropiate levels and filtering u wont need compression and eq

Sounds like some are overthinking stuff here... Listen to your sound in context of your tune and decide if it needs some additional work and do that work. EZ.

Edit: I know it's hard (to me at least) to try and resample stuff constantly as the tune progresses. But this way one needs to make decisions which in the future will lead to knowing which ones will work and which wont before you even do them.

Having all the options available all the time hinders me from finishing the tune.

I EQ everything that I sample.

Lately I'm really into sampling into the s950 in different type of sample rates before I record it into Ableton to chop it up in there.

i hardly ever resample. i layer stuff, and do Eq live as the beat is on loop. i make sure certain sounds are the way i want them before i move on to the next.

(you may wake up the next morning and think "shit, why i did i sample those drums into the mpc with that type of EQ?" and then go back and have to-record them)

IE...if my beat is focused on chopped samples/or a loop and i want my drums to bang, then i'll spend all day eq'ing/tuning/adjusting voume of the drums until they match perfectly with my chops/loop.

i spend a lot of time erasing and loading up new drums and layering those.

i think it helps to have wide amount of sounds at your disposal, so that you can cut the time it takes to "find the right sound" to start of with, before any Eq/effects happen.

shouldnt be something that is over thought.

Lampdog wrote:Go as far as you need to fit your vision of your beat then stop. If you don't need any processing then don't do any.

Word.

Sometimes leave the crackle, it might cut through the mix, sometimes shave the high end off, it might be too bright.

depends on what you want it to sound like really. i dont really use anything while composing but filters, if i cant get it to sound right within the mpc then there is something either really bad in the mix, or i have just not chosen sounds / filters correctly.

If im stuck after this, i will then turn to EQ's, but tend to avoid compressors and leave them for mastering eh. i like headroom.

Dynamic processing is more or less what I was originally asking about. EQ and filters can and should be used to shape a sounds. But I think if you don't know how to use downward or upward compression then you can really destroy the original audio quality - particularly with 'samples' - i.e source material that has already been professionally recorded, mixed, mastered. On the other hand, if you are recording or mixing musicians yourself, then its a different story when it comes to dynamic processing.

Parallel compression is now my preferred alternative to compression, as you keep the original audio and blend a compressed version over the top. This keeps all original transients un-touched and produces a tighter 'snappier' outcome (especially for drums).

Out of habit I record flat, but recently i've had good results with boosting/cutting with the parametric on my DJ mixer. No harm in experimentation.