Talk to me about Sampling

[Psyre]

I am venturing into more electronica noise territory but really know nothing about sampling. What is "acceptable" as far as using them (I understand the legal aspect) but I'm wondering more about live use. Is what makes it "acceptable", the fact that some people just manually trigger the sample/sequence live instead of fully on a backing track?

[Never]

I'm guessing by "acceptable," you mean "not lame"? Like how to really play live, not just playback something

I'd say what people want to see depends totally on the scene -- AFAIK, it's fine for techno producers to just trigger a bit, tweak a few midi knobs. I'm sure some are checking email. I make noise, love and use samples sometimes. If I just stood behind a laptop, whatever I was doing on it, I doubt people'd be into it. (Although it's fine for your John Wieses or your Merzbows.)

When you're dealing w/ that much volume and bizarre sound, tho, adding a few pedals or vocals or mic feedback or power tools gives it a very Live "feel." Plus, old hardware samplers are cool. One thing about making noise that keeps sampling from feeling stiff is that you can never sound the same way twice if you try -- keeps it fresh.

There's so many tools out there, whatever you're making, you can be as live or programmed as you want. Try Ableton if you haven't, w/ a MIDI controller or two you can trigger and tweak all your parameters in real time. I'd say as long as you're manually in control of either the rhythm or the "lead"/"voice" track at all times and modulating it, it sounds plenty human and "live" -- Really if you just keep your body and both hands in motion, you're fine

[spacelordmother]

^ nailed it. If you approach it like an instrument it will be an instrument.

What sort of gear are you using? Ever see what those monome guys do with samples running MLR??

[Psyre]

Never, That's exactly how I thought of it, and agree, good to know, as I'm really new to this.


As for gear, I just got a ballin mac book pro that I will be using Abelton with along with a midi controller. I also like a lot of the sequencers, samplers,and moog apps for my iPad, we still plan to use it. I would love to get an MPC or something like it but that's a ways off.

[IEatCats]

Personally, I like to just mine for isolated samples and then use them as the main instruments. Layer like 4 songs that way and introduce some VST instruments, but I also don´t do any live stuff with my electronic work, so it´s probably not the same method of writing and playing.

Producing with samples vs Playling live with samples, I guess.

[rfurtkamp]

Be aware as you look at hardware samplers that some of the old, vintage units have volatile memory - ie you power it down, and you lose what it has stored. There's external storage or other options in those cases, or triggering a sample via other hardware.

I've never been much into sample/trigger stuff myself - if I want 'samples' I play something on an instrument and use it as a pseudo-looper and mangle that. So my specific advice outside of this caveat will not be of relevant use - I hate softsynths and the like simply because three years from now, they probably won't work and I like to not lose favorite toys.

Hardware is more expensive but it's "forever" and not tied to a specific operating system.

[D.o.S.]

I'm guessing by "acceptable," you mean "not lame"? Like how to really play live, not just playback something

I'd say what people want to see depends totally on the scene -- AFAIK, it's fine for techno producers to just trigger a bit, tweak a few midi knobs. I'm sure some are checking email. I make noise, love and use samples sometimes. If I just stood behind a laptop, whatever I was doing on it, I doubt people'd be into it. (Although it's fine for your John Wieses or your Merzbows.)

When you're dealing w/ that much volume and bizarre sound, tho, adding a few pedals or vocals or mic feedback or power tools gives it a very Live "feel." Plus, old hardware samplers are cool. One thing about making noise that keeps sampling from feeling stiff is that you can never sound the same way twice if you try -- keeps it fresh.

There's so many tools out there, whatever you're making, you can be as live or programmed as you want. Try Ableton if you haven't, w/ a MIDI controller or two you can trigger and tweak all your parameters in real time. I'd say as long as you're manually in control of either the rhythm or the "lead"/"voice" track at all times and modulating it, it sounds plenty human and "live" -- Really if you just keep your body and both hands in motion, you're fine

That was an epic first post.

[rustywire]

^ nailed it. If you approach it like an instrument it will be an instrument.

What sort of gear are you using? Ever see what those monome guys do with samples running MLR??

+1 Samplers can be instruments/effects, and that's where they shine the brightest.
They can also be a crutch for lazy, uninspired rehashing and coat tailing of old ideas.

Compare an album like Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), or even better DJ Shadow's Endtroducing... to the sort of copypaste relooping associated with late 90s P.Diddy.

I'm a fan of hardware samplers and the character they give sound when acting as a filter. They tend to make everything that's sampled sound more interesting, as opposed to isolating sounds without otherwise altering them in any way, by using a DAW.

[D.o.S.]

Ever since I've snagged my sampler I've learned that A) learning something from relative scratch is really hard and B) Endtroducing is even better than I thought now that I've got even the slightest idea about how Shadow went about making that record.

[kbit]

What are your techniques on sampling your own original material?