How do you develop your ear so you can find good samples?

I'm hving problems lately finding samples. Just starting off a beat and finding a sample that sounds potentially like something i'd like to make a beat out of. I mean how do you actually develop your ear so that you can listen to a record and at that right moment think 'there's my sample?' Do you already have a beat in your head or is it the sample that just catches your attention?

How do you actually become good at picking samples that make great hip-hop? Is it trial and Error?

Being able to DJ is a big help. While I'm looking for samples I constantly bounce the drums/groove in and out just see if anything sticks. I rarely look for just one killer sample though.

So yeah, having some basic drum loops at the ready can be a bonus. Also, switch up your sample sources. If you always try to mine Soul and Jazz, maybe check out some Blues and Classical. If you ALWAYS sample from vinyl just dig out some old tapes or search around online to see what's out there.

You could also play a few keyboard lines and then try finding samples to fit. Whatever works for you...

Anytime you do something intensely, you get deeper within that particular subject.
Just keep listening, producing and diggin' and everything will fall into place.

wow.. dude ur avatar just got me distracted..


..ya.. back on topic.. I guess it just draws ur attention.. The sample that is ( the ass too... ) what was I saying..
I just listen till it goes snap, and I know: " I need that!" . Usually I'll mess with it then and see what happens.. meaning, that I don't usually have a plan beforehand.. or somtimes I do.. but results may vary.
Othertimes, you just know, that a sample will be usefull.. like "open sampls" of all sorts. Just a bass note by itself or whatever, for INST programms. Or obviousley drumbreaks. Or potential loops ( eventhough I usually end up flippin and rearanging em anyways ).
I dunno.. to summit up: I just know I what I want when I hear it. It's more finding than searching really..

Always remember that when sampling from vinyl you have a left & right channel.

whose booty is that in the avatar but , lol any how jusrt sample the most interesting parts of the records, tthen play aound

jnorth wrote:How do you actually become good at picking samples that make great hip-hop? Is it trial and Error?

absolutely... but do it almost daily and you'll learn what kind of samples you work best with... what sounds good with 16 levels and what doesn't, etc... and then you'll be able to pick up on samples while needle-dropping with the quickness.

"How do you actually become good at picking samples that make great hip-hop? Is it trial and Error?"

When I saw that avatar, I knew an mpc-forums update was necessary! ...but yea..back to the topic! HAHAAA!

There's an old saying that I think about all the time. Its goes like this:
"You don't have to be the best to get started, but you have to get started to be the best!"

Beside the things already been said here,
I find it easier with shitty songs than with good songs cause you really notice a good part in a shitty song while good song exclusively got good parts

Another method when the song is on the computer. Open in DAW set the tempo of the song and mark a loop of 1/2 or 1 or 2 bars near the end of the song zoom in and hit play then slowly shift the audioclip so the marked loop always play a new loop. This way you'll find loops you simply wouldn't find by nomal listening thru the song. It will provide looppoint and melodies you can't really expect.

peace

i really like it when i hear a sample and i say "thats it," then i re listen to it a few times and kinda arrange it in my head, although lately i have been finding samples that i like a few parts, or this part sounds ok, so i just chop it up and eventually make a dope beat out of it.

sometimes with these songs that dont just jump out at me at first, ill have chops on my computer for months or years even ( i just made a beat out of a sample ive had for more than 2 years last week), and finally ill go back to them and make a beat.

its best to take your time and let the samples come to you though, i'd rather do that than make a beat out of an ok sample, but it gets frustrating when you cant find one for a long time.

Also listen to any songs you like that contain samples and lookup what the original samples were. That helped me understand early on what those producers heard and decided to grab so i made sure to keep my ears open for the same type of thing.

It could also be argued that there is no such thing as a 'good sample'. People make amazing tracks out of samples people wouldn't consider desirable and people make horrible tracks with samples that a lot of people like.

I guess there are some loops that really don't need to be chopped, but I don't think a 'good sample' necessarily exists. Only someone who can sample properly does.

However, if a 'good sample' does exist, I'm not sure it's the same for everybody or that you can train yourself to find one. I'm pretty sure you'd just know.

don't just listen......,,, listen to LISTEN
listen to songs repetitively.. when i search for samples, i find a groove then reply that song bout 3-5 times, recording loops into thee sampler from my mixer...
then,,, to thee deli shop to catch a choppin...

also besides crate digging invest some time into some basic music theory and practice some keys coz copyrights are a b***h

Its just something that hits your ear and if it connects with the soul, then I sample it.

Got to have a clear mind. Trust yourself and let go. You know what sounds good to you, the sounds you seek. Keep focus on those sounds and they'll come to you as soon as you hear it.

I've been digging and sampling for 23 years and its like I got a sampler implanted in my head because I can listen to anything and chop and loop certain parts mentally. And if a couple of weeks go by and those loops are still playing in my head, then I sample it in the physical because 99.9% of the time it'll be a banger.