Treating Samples

Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
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Treating Samples

By i need a mpc Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:24 am
What are some things that you guys do to treat/mix your samples(vinyl). Do you compress, how loud do you like your sample in the mix? Do you pan? What are some tricks/techniques you guys do. I always see a lot of mixing techniques but I hardly ever come across techniques for samples. So I want to hear what you do to get your sample to sit nicely in the mix.

One thing I like to do is put a spreader on the sample so that the sample sounds wider due to some of the frequencies being panned. I also like to take out the lows to give room for my own bass line or to low pass the bass on a different track.
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Re: Treating Samples

By es-k Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:01 am
i need a mpc wrote:One thing I like to do is put a spreader on the sample so that the sample sounds wider due to some of the frequencies being panned. I also like to take out the lows to give room for my own bass line or to low pass the bass on a different track.


i do similar.. while keeping the bass frequencies mono
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Re: Treating Samples

By Lampdog Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:33 am
i need a mpc wrote:spreader on the sample so that the sample sounds wider


I do this also.
i need a mpc wrote:I also like to take out the lows.......
........low pass the bass on a different track.


I do this also.


Most vinyl samples have already been professionally compressed and mastered.
Re-compressing isn't always best.

Sometimes add 1ms-3ms of silence at the beginning tn order to throw off the timing a little bit, I can nudge ticks also, you can do both or none, it's just a choice and experiment.

Almost always a quick fade out to prevent popping/clicking.

Sometimes I'll use a pencil tool to re-draw a point or peak to smooth it out, you probably won't notice it in a full mix but alone, just the sample, it will bother me to no end, into the sound forge car wash it goes.

Add small amount of reverb, so I won't have to add reverb on active tracks and use cpu process.

NOTE; LEGAL DISCLAIMER; jk; These are not RULES that I live by, it's just stuff that I've done and sometimes enjoy, other times I won't bother.
None of this is permanent in my brain.
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Re: Treating Samples

By Coz Fri Feb 10, 2012 3:32 am
I start every project with the intention of doing something uber-simple, but it always ends up morphing into a mixing nightmare with shit loads of tracks! I find it exciting/annoying/challenging all at the same time...

For a 'standard' Hip Hop track with a main sample, drums, bass and maybe keys, I would do what you've already mentioned and keep the sample in the middle but play around with widening the overall sound. A touch of reverb or delay can also help, as can compression if you need a distinctive attack or pump to the processing. With most vinyl samples you can probably avoid tape saturators and tube effects etc. EQ's and filters are universally useful in most situations though.

If you're working with multiple samples this is where panning can bring everything to life. Two complimentary guitar parts panned hard left and right, with strings half right and keys half left works really well. I obsessively pan everything apart from kicks, bass and snares. I'm happy to sacrifice a bit punch in 'da club' to make my tunes a more immersive listening experience at home. That's just personal preference though.

When it comes to actually mixing, one thing you sometimes hear pro's say is "don't use the solo button". This makes a lot of sense but it's a hard habit to get out of. I obsessively solo tracks to give them some additional processing, then work on mixing them back in with everything else. Probably just another one of the many bad habits I've picked up along the way... :oops:
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Re: Treating Samples

By Lampdog Fri Feb 10, 2012 5:29 am
Coz on beatmaking.....

Coz wrote: I find it exciting/annoying/challenging all at the same time...

Production quotable right there. +1.
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Re: Treating Samples

By Ill-Green Fri Feb 10, 2012 6:44 am
My method is just totally stripping the sonic frequencies in 3 parts; Low, Mid and High. And then create a composition with them...yeah, I'll explain. Take No Grenade for example. It was just a 5 second sample and it was in mono. On the MV there's an effect called OLD SAMPLER and it filters basslines silky smooth. I stripped off the bassline and put it to a pad, then with Isolator, I stripped off the mids which was the organ piece and put that on a second pad and the highs which contained the guitar and cymbals crashing and put that to a third pad. Now I have control over a 5 second mono sample and can turn the bass on or off etc. This trick is really dope with stereo samples because sometimes the guitar is on the right channel and the piano on the left so I'll be stripping a 5 second sample for days. Then when I mix it down, I add just a pinch of boost to the low, mids and highs. Thats the Ill Green way.

Re: Treating Samples

By RoyGBivs Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:20 am
Ill-Green wrote:My method is just totally stripping the sonic frequencies in 3 parts; Low, Mid and High. And then create a composition with them...yeah, I'll explain. Take No Grenade for example. It was just a 5 second sample and it was in mono. On the MV there's an effect called OLD SAMPLER and it filters basslines silky smooth. I stripped off the bassline and put it to a pad, then with Isolator, I stripped off the mids which was the organ piece and put that on a second pad and the highs which contained the guitar and cymbals crashing and put that to a third pad. Now I have control over a 5 second mono sample and can turn the bass on or off etc. This trick is really dope with stereo samples because sometimes the guitar is on the right channel and the piano on the left so I'll be stripping a 5 second sample for days. Then when I mix it down, I add just a pinch of boost to the low, mids and highs. Thats the Ill Green way.

Do this on the 303 sometimes, need to play around with this idea more, thanks!
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Re: Treating Samples

By AntonPD Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:39 am
Ill-Green wrote:I add just a pinch of boost to the low, mids and highs. Thats the Ill Green way.


can you explain this? it sounds like boosting everyting :?:

Re: Treating Samples

By roxstar Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:59 am
almost 99.9%, I zone out when making beats. I can't tell you what I do or how I did it after the joint is done. If your talking to me while the MPC is on, I may see you, but probably haven't heard a word! Sometimes, I can listen to a beat for hours, walk out the room, and totally forget what the beat sounded like. Props to anyone that can remember the details on the process! :)
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Re: Treating Samples

By harry.ethics Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:42 pm
Lampdog wrote:
Sometimes I'll use a pencil tool to re-draw a point or peak to smooth it out, you probably won't notice it in a full mix but alone, just the sample, it will bother me to no end,



:lol: :lol: i'm glad im not the only one.
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Re: Treating Samples

By Mike Boogie Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:25 pm
Cases wrote:Is anybody capable of answering my question?
I'm curious man..


A stereo expander...

....aural exciter...

..imager...

...spreader,

whatever nifty name they call them sh1ts!!
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