How to use samples in a creative way

Discussion in 'samples' started by §Ìfcada98, Mar 16, 2025 at 3:13 PM.

  1. §Ìfcada98

    §Ìfcada98 Ultrasonic

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    I am not quite sure how to use the sample....
    Is there anyone who uses them as is?
    Or do I have to modify it in some way?
    Is there any technique other than applying effects or slicing the sample?

    You may not want to reveal your techniques, but I would like to hear how you all devise them.
     
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  3. Will Kweks

    Will Kweks Rock Star

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    Well, a "sample" is a pretty loose term, it could be anything from a millisecond click to a several minute wrong loop. Nothing wrong with using a sample as is (unless you're sampling somebody else wholesale), but often there's fun to be had by playing with it.

    Say I record a Em7 chord on a guitar and stick it in a sampler, now, I can play it an octave higher, use a short envelope and get a rave stab. But lets say I play it -17 semitones, and it becomes a boomy Am7, and something that will not sound like a real guitar. However, listening to it, seeing that apart from the harmonics, all of the resonances and noises are also tuned down. There's bound to be something interesting there, so I can focus with filters to get the attractive bits and remove the unusable messes. Maybe I could loop the sustain part and timestretch it to have an ominous drone, maybe reverse it to get a weird sweep to use in a transition of a tune, or chase it to video for a scene change.

    It's all really taking the source material, whatever it is, and finding the good bits in it and focusing on those. The technique will follow.
     
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  4. Baxter

    Baxter Audiosexual

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    Use samples as impulse responses in convolution reverbs.
    Granulize samples in granular samplers.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM
  5. xbitz

    xbitz Audiosexual

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  6. Radio

    Radio Audiosexual

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    Use the: "Togu Audio Line - TAL-Sampler" !

    TAL Sampler Grain Engine Demo

    Tal-Aampler - time Stretch feature
     
  7. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    cut parts of the sample into frames, which you can put into WT and load them into a WT synth, Serum, Vital, etc

    - one sample challenge: create a song with just one sample or x number of samples and create a song out of it.

    - use the sample loop parts of it, drench it in reverb and delay and create drone music with it.

    samples can be a very creative base for almost all elements in a song.
     
  8. shinyzen

    shinyzen Audiosexual

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    drum samples, either one shots or loops. I'll often use them as is, with maybe some choppage. Other time's ill program my own.

    melodic samples, my main use is as inspiration, using them to inspire a feeling or vibe of a track, building around that sample with other elements and eventually removing the sample.

    creative use's:

    Resample and chop. Load up a handful of your favorite crazy fx. Infiltrator, Turnado, Beam, etc, tweak some knobs and scramble through presets, recording the output the entire time. Find little bits of your resampled audio and use those as elements in your song.

    Use a sidechained gate, sidechained to your kick, snare, or whatever, so that the gate opens when the sample hits. Use this technique with a long sample, like a whole song, you get a constantly evolving strange percussive element to layer with your drums. Tune the sample to key of your song before hand

    Granular - yup, pretty straight forward. One of my favorite things to do.

    Monkey C Rando - one of my all time favorite plugins. You hit the magic button and it loads a bunch of random samples from your collection that for the most part all work together. Then play those samples. Crazy, unexpected, interesting results. Use as it, or build around them.
     
  9. Radio

    Radio Audiosexual

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    TX16Wx Software Sampler --> www.tx16wx.com It is 100% free!
    - Extensive sound shaping, - Unlimited modulation, - Wave editor and beat slicer
     
  10. Shiori Oishi

    Shiori Oishi Platinum Record

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    For inspiration, check out Jemapur, Todd Edwards and Akufen!
     
  11. Will Kweks

    Will Kweks Rock Star

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    Oh, and of course there's the great technique of resampling. Really.

    I mean sure, repeated processes of anything will get some interesting results, but there's magic into rerecording what you just put in. Get some drums into a sampler, create a drum pattern, add some reverb, compression, whatever. Now record that into a sampler again, chop it up, and process again. It's a surefire method of creating some truly monstrous sounds. Layer two samples, compress and saturate together, record into a single sound, go again.
     
  12. tiril

    tiril Noisemaker

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    as per 808 State...

    "The group... it also uses a technique it calls “silhouetting,” where a track is built around a sample which is then removed, leaving only a musical ghost image."

    https://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=808
     
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