sampling ethic

don't tell anyone that you secretly sample reggae

KEEPIN IT REAL SON

my main thing is dont sample something that has been battered already unless i can flip is differently.

and

dont sample stuff that sounds wack in the 1st place

Don't try and copy Kanye's or Lil Jon's or Just Blaze's style.
Think for yourself.
Come up with some original sheeeeit.
Keep it thorough.

No Re-issues
No Comps
No MP3's
No hiphop records (drums)
No CD's unless never came out on Vinyl

Otherwise buy a Triton

doing the mp3 thing for a miniute. but lost em all when computer crashed, and started diggin' through my record collection again. forgot about how much good stuff i have. and the sound also.

samplerate wrote:No Re-issues
No Comps
No MP3's
No hiphop records (drums)
No CD's unless never came out on Vinyl

Otherwise buy a Triton

I think this list is a bit extreme. sampling from cd's, comps & mp3's are fair game imo, you just have to be very particular. my main rule is to try not to sample something that's been sampled by somebody else, even if you think you can put a different twist to something it's still been done so it's not going to be as fresh sounding. DJ Shadow raised the bar with sample based music because he dug deep for his samples, most of the sampels used on Endtroducing are pretty obscure (except for Bjork & Metallica), but he chopped shit up and made it work as an album. if I were to sample beats I'd probably find something old and just sample the individual hits....snare, hi-hat, bass drum, etc., and piece together my own beats.

The numero uno rule for me is don't limit yourself to just vinyl. They got 1 cds at the pawn shop with nice samples on them. If they sound to clean I'll sample it through a tape recorder first. Also vhs's and dvd's are fair game to. I can't wait till I get a mic. Then I'll be able to sample people burpin and crazy stuff like that.

Man, this topic keeps getting bumped.
It will continue to be debated too.
I can understand though, I've struggled with figuring out how I feel about the whole thing.
For me, I use mostly vinyl for the sound....but also, I usually dig in the dollar bin - not too many CDs comps or re-issues in the dollar bin.
Plus vinyl is easier to skip through to find the sounds I'm looking for.
I understand the purist point of view about "cheating" and stuff......but I also think rules and art don't go together.

There's a book about sampling called "Making Beats" that has a whole chapter about ethics. It's not trying to tell you what the rules are or should be......it's an outsider's analysis of the ethics after interviewing many hiphop producers. It's interesting at the least.

I respect what Madlib is doing. By using a cheap-ass $300 sampler, and publicly proclaiming that he samples re-issues and comps, it seems like he's trying to force the elitist attitude out of hiphop.

itchyvinyl wrote:I respect what Madlib is doing. By using a cheap-ass $300 sampler, and publicly proclaiming that he samples re-issues and comps, it seems like he's trying to force the elitist attitude out of hiphop.

the elitist attitude is commone with most DJ's and vinyl fanatics. I've heard of DJ's talk about when spinning records out they absolutely MUST be the OG. I mean who gives a shit if someone is spinning an OG or a re-issue of an album? it still sounds the same doesn't it? it's pretty stupid when a DJ has to brag about owning an original copy of such-and-such 12" and paid $200 for it. If I paid $200 for an album I wouldn't want to play it out because it could 1)get stolen and 2)get the shit scratched out of it.

the same goes with sampling. there are no rules if you think about it, just as long as your shit is original and people like it then you've done your job.

I'll sample pretty anything as long as it hasn't been used (or at least I didn't KNOW it has been used). And I NEVER sample drums from hip hop

It has to move the people no matter what. It could be crickets like in One in a Million Aaliyah or a woman wailing cuz she lose her child on the street Cant be life Jay-Z if it is a wack a*s sample it won`t work. You have to feel and the public has to too. Next flip anyway you want.

If I had to sample drums from hiphop, there would be less challenge in my music, no flavour.

By the way a cats who made their shit told me to sample from hiphop to get "that" sound so... a lot of cats do it. Maybe someone is now sampling your music, you don't know.

HIT ALL YOUR SAMPLES AT ONCE WHILE IN RECORD MODE THEN GO