lesser known secret

the "sampling ear" isn't trained
it's one part attentiveness, two parts current biology, and five parts luck.
how attentively do you listen to your records/cds/vhs/radio/life sounds?
are you distracted by reasonable life during the crucially beautiful part of a song?

magic, skill, AD converters...no.
persistence and dedication, yes.

we like to give too much credit to our learned capabilities, when really, you know as well as i that you coulda panned that andean folk music LP in favor of some other nonsense...so easily...and you'da never known. give chance its due credit for your "skill." mine included.

Nym wrote:are you distracted by reasonable life during the crucially beautiful part of a song?

this happens all the time to me, also when im watching a movie ill usually go into sample spotting mode and make notes of where that would sound dope or, this line would sound sick in a beat.

last night when i was watching the new batman he said "light it up" i was thinking, oh shit, that would be perfect on a beat for an emcee that smokes alot.

Luck plays a huge part.

I just sampled one of my usual car boot cheapo records.

This one...



And with a touch of reversing and general twonkery it has been transformed from the cheesiest sample known to man, to something altogether quite lovely.

How much does foresight play a part though?

How much does foresight play a part though?

as far as fx, reversing, general knowledge of possibility? it plays a part for sure, i won't deny that. but few are "true" samplers - the type to mangle and warp beyond sensible recognition. that is a different skillset, more akin to being able to create your own badass synth patches, etc. THAT ear must be trained, yes. but for the loop finders (gold diggers??) and drum break choppers............. my above comment stands.

I think a lot of what you're talking about hinges on how far people want to push their ideas and overall sound. And themselves to some degree.

The "gold diggers" and "drum break choppers" are probably perfectly happy to skirt around the more creative aspects of being a samplist, and just want to drop tunes that get heads nodding. That's cool if they pull it off.

My mantra for a good few years has been "music for the head and the feet". Get the mind thinking and the toe tapping and you're attacking on two fronts. Sometimes I pull it off and other times I don't. Peaks and troughs are inevitable.

If 15 years ago I found an amazing killer sample I wouldn't have had the skill set to wrap it up in a coherent package, whereas now I can deliver if I set my mind to it.

So is what you're saying more about the mindset of the average samplist or wannabe samplist, or something else entirely?

Those samplist (myself included) are beatmakers. We're not musicians. We're the evolution of the DJ.

And I think it's cool. It used to be about knowing records. Sometimes (especially in the late 80's early 90's) a beat was made with a real DJ state of mind: 'listen to this break, you don't have this one in your crates.'
BUT...
We must not mistaken ourselves with musicians (till a certain degree) or call ourselves producers with every loop we make.

You either have an ear for funk, or you know how to bend it to make it your own. Or maybe you can recreate it yourself.
At the end of the day, you can't fake the funk.

Nym wrote:magic, skill, AD converters...no.
persistence and dedication, yes.

AAMEN

Really, what I admire about past producers of the golden era is, the records they dig to get the beat. Most times I wanted to know the sample just so I can listen to the record in its entirety because it sounded so good. But the skills and craftmanship that went into making it into a beat is what makes them distinct in their own style. And because of that is why I think Hip Hop is so universal and unique in the most simplist form. Its love for your music but in an abstract way. People see as sampling other people's work but to the mind of the samplist, its paying homage to a lost sound.

i love this ! sampling always been an art to me. i use to worry about who i was sampling or what records i have just for bragging right. but now, i sample from any source and mix blend chop filter layer speed up slow down, whatever i need to do to get the idea across. its more of a reflection of the way i hear shit in my head. to me its like a painter who mixes colors and choses the right brushes to paint there picture. on some bob ross shit **** around and see some happy little trees in my beats.

manipulate the noise until it sounds right

iNdaVizual wrote:to me its like a painter who mixes colors and choses the right brushes to paint there picture. on some bob ross **** **** around and see some happy little trees in my beats.

This ^

Now where did I put my fan brush?

I have been apart of this site for far longer than it says on my profile (3 years) and have never posted anything...

This has something to do with all the haters and it's true that theres alotta newb's that just gotta RTFM. This is my first post and felt obligated to respond to Menco's message.

This is really well spoken brother and have finally found a way to explain my style of art and creativity "beatmaker. not musician. but evolution of the DJ."

People throw around "I'm a producer" without ever stepping foot into a real studio.

I love this art and would like everyone to keep up the positive vibes.


Cheers,

Spenessey