Selecting Samples

dont rule out sample packs u can chop as if it was an open sound on a record

removed by author due to the double posting rule

I use three methods depending on what I feel like.

1. I will be listening to some music and I like a snippet of it, so I remember it then sample later.
2. I turn on spotify on my phone, plug output straight into mpc and randomly pick a bit of music, trying not to think about it for too long.
3. I am playing an instrument (usually keyboard) and hear a riff I like the sound of so plug in mpc

I usually think in layers... What sound or frequency will mesh with the others to create something new? I like multi-layered tracks, so one dope sample is never enough for me.

Sometimes the dopeness only happens when you've got those 5 or more different layers interacting. That takes a lot of practice to pull off, and most of us will never master it unfortunately.

something unique to the production or engineering of whatever youre sampling. like why sample couple piano notes or guitar chords if they have no character or if theroetically you could reproduce the exact same sound with that instrument and a mic? sometimes not even sampling instruments being played, but the ambience of the room in breaks of the songs, quiet parts where things are fading out. stuff that you dont instantly catch when you add it in a beat or a song but notice if you were to take it out

Coz wrote:I usually think in layers... What sound or frequency will mesh with the others to create something new? I like multi-layered tracks, so one dope sample is never enough for me.

Sometimes the dopeness only happens when you've got those 5 or more different layers interacting. That takes a lot of practice to pull off, and most of us will never master it unfortunately.

^^ And you're rolling your eyes because??

^ cause,cause,um cause,see um....well because,oh I feel so ashamed

my man coz....but seriously though what do you mean by layers?

rookie wrote:what do you mean by layers?

Keys, strings, brass, guitar, synth etc. Layers.

my MPC samples folder was idiotically divided up by month. fail. what did i think, that i was only gonna do this for a year and then stop? dumb.

now it's just a massive folder that i occasionally drop into an even more massive folder on my DAW...
when i sample i don't even grab stuff that i know for a fact i will make a beat out of.
i'm just grabbing stuff that makes me smile or go "aw sh!t" or just a memorable phrase.
sometimes instead of puttnig on music i'll just go to that huge folder of samples, queue them up in a music player, and listen to them in one go. it's like a kick in the pants, a shot of adrenaline, and a puff of some inspirational sativa.
i've got stuff in there that will keep me making beats for years to come.

sampling improves your memory.

i infrequently layer samples other than drums/one main instrument line. i find it difficult and unpredictable. back when i had LESS control (edge city) i did it a lot more. the difficult part is finding if 2 samples are in a key that can be tuned/chopped to complement each other. tuning is a crazy science, and i feel like it gets more difficult as your ear gets better. a guitar tuner is a seriously powerful weapon for a samplist though

a guitar tuner is a seriously powerful weapon for a samplist though

right but chromatic tuner is better

just follow ur ear

what you like is gonna be different from everyone else

[quote="mindcontrol"

what you like is gonna be different from everyone else[/quote]

This isn't really true, though, if you look at how certain artists/songs/genres get sampled time and again...