my chops sound too choppy... suggestions?

even though i zero out my chops i cant get them to sound right unless i play them in the regular order.
i sample from vinyl edit, extract, discard, chop, slice etc... i will playout a sequence with chops record, i like the vibe i get, but it sounds like a bunch of chops rearranged almost sounds off beat at some points...
is there a step im missing to smooth things out?

also if i want to filter out specific sounds i.e. drums, hats, vocals or melody will the mpc filters do the job?

i've always made beats on a keyboard or synth or reason, but ever since i got this mpc i'm brand new to sampling any info or advice is most definitely appreciated.

I would reccomend chopping to individual notes and rearranging them completely. this way you can choose your own tempo and are not restricted at all.
If you do want to keep the same progression I find speeding the song up maybe 1 bpm or so helps to keep it flowing.

thanks for the info
i am going to have a go at cutting the notes individually tonight.
i dont think i'm doin this right so its gonna take foreva-eva just to chop up one bar...

decay....

I usually start by picking my favourite notes, chopping them and laying them down. Can help you get into it.

djobserv wrote:decay....

and attack!! decay will really help if you hear a tiny pop/click at the end of your chops/sample. setting your decay to 1 will solve this problem.

attack is really helpful if your chops start with a kick or snare and you want to smooth it out a bit so you can add your own drums over them. an attack setting around 8 and above will solve that problem.

i zero out my chops so pops and clicks arent too bad, but the attack advice is def a jewel thanks for tha info

I used to have the same problem man. Id find samples and never be satisfied with the way theyd turn out after i chopped em until one day i counted a 2 bar loop then cut it into 8 slices. It ended up being chopped perfectly for 1 note on each pad and after that ive been very happy with my beats. I almost always chop it all into individual notes. 4 Bars ill chop to 16 , 2 to 8 and so on. I think this should help you out alot cause i know it helped me.

Flip Wilson wrote:...It ended up being chopped perfectly for 1 note on each pad and after that ive been very happy with my beats. I almost always chop it all into individual notes.

YES
100% cosign
the second you have 1 pad with multiple notes on it, you have given away a lot of control

Even adding a slight bit of delay(after you sequence your chops) helps with the swing and sensation of "too much chop".

Use a spoon instead, cos it's blunt........?

Hilarious.

All the above advice is really useful. I always think that if you've some kind of element - be it a horn sample, some piano stabs etc - which play through your chops unchanged, it will give you a more continuous sound that will help your chops carry and seem less disjointed.

Peace!

dolo you're absolutely right!! and especially adding drums over the chops. im tellin you, it covers things right up!! as long as your chops arent just straight jacked up then once you start adding other elements, it usually covers small mistakes right up

Word, Smoove.

I usually use wooden spoons - like the big ones my mum uses to make jam and cakes with. They give a really soft sound to the chops.

Anyway, I think it's important that you get your chops to flow, especially if you're on some Pete Rock tip. Only practice is gonna make your chopping skills more honed.

Unless - and this is (debatably) the most important element when it comes to music making!!! - you're going for your own individual style or sound and you intend to make it sound a bit f*cked up with jumpy chops that don't flow - a la Prefuse 73 or some other shizzle like that.

Dolo wrote:Unless - and this is (debatably) the most important element when it comes to music making!!! - you're going for your own individual style or sound and you intend to make it sound a bit f*cked up with jumpy chops that don't flow - a la Prefuse 73 or some other shizzle like that.

prefuse is about the definition of choppy chops

edit/smalltip: chop just the drums out, seq them up and then drop hats, claps, tamborines, whatever in over the top to cover. helps me with making more creative patterns. thinking in this way as opposed to just layin em down with the same taps my fingers automatically go to, as well as doing a bit of coverup.

prefuse

[vomit]RAAAAAALLLLLLFFFFFFF [/vomit]