How do you combine vinyl samples and virtual intruments ?

Not so the technical side, but rather tips etc on making the two sound natural together.

I just tried before and got a loop off some vinyl and then trying to play some stock sounds out of Ableton Lite over the top. Not the best sound set true.
It was my first time combining these methods but dam it sound nasty,

Any tips etc on trying to make the samples and vst instrument sound as if they are one ?

just listen

you'll hear it fit while going thru sounds

study music theory.

learn to discern the key of your sample

Lord Toranaga wrote:study music theory.

learn to discern the key of your sample

word. that cant be emphasized enough.
but try hitting your instruments with a low pass filter. and maybe some eq. will make a helluva dif.

bicedidit wrote:

Lord Toranaga wrote:study music theory.

learn to discern the key of your sample

word. that cant be emphasized enough.
but try hitting your instruments with a low pass filter. and maybe some eq. will make a helluva dif.

+1 on that. Listen and use eq and maybe even some reverb to better blend your sounds together.

Sometimes sampling yourself playing the VST helps, too

Willis Reed wrote:Sometimes sampling yourself playing the VST helps, too

really good advice.


some times I play a line out through a keyboard amp.
I mic the amp for recording.
then chopp that up and load it into my sampler

All good suggestions. Just wanna note that sometimes you have to back off of the reverb too. A lotta keyboard sounds have way too much reverb drenched all over them.

Also try compression in addition to filtering and EQ.

What it all comes down to is what sounds and samples you are using, so its gonna be different in every case. Try matching sounds. Add bright synth sounds if you're sampling 80's synth pop. If you're sampling 70's funk, add some electric bass and maybe some thick moog type lead sounds. If you're sampling some old school rock, add some slightly distorted rhodes or organ sounds.

Try running your sounds thru a cassette deck.

Don't forget that somebody spent a whole lot of time getting the sounds right in the original song you're sampling. Matching that doesn't come easy. And it shouldn't.