Sometimes I'll find a record sample I want to use and I want to play something over top of it with kontakt and probably half of the time Its totally out of tune and no matter what I do I cant seem to find anything that is in tune with that particular sample. Im confused.

 

If you open a sample with Serato it will tell you what key the sample is in. Also Kontakt has a Tracking feature so you can find the right pitch in your Midi keyboard.

 

I like to keep samples in CKEY then work from there! but some sample packs have all keys

 

A good training/skill is to pitch (the fundamental, if there is one) by ear to the rest of the music.
If there is no clear fundamental you might have trouble tuning your sample to the music.
But if there is a clear fundamental as well as other notes in it that makes up a chord, you need to also make out the key it's in and place it so that it fits the modal key. If you transpose that sample it might not fit, as the relationship between the intervals will be fixed (creating disharmonic notes if used "incorrectly").

 

Last edited: Jan 9, 2023

Fundamental? modal key? I can find what key its in pretty quickly if its the correct pitch as the rest of my kontakt instruments. I also notice sometimes if I transpose the sample it also will throw it off and I wont be able to match anything to the sample. But sometimes whether i transpose it or not I can still play something over it... Is it the fact that the pitch is in between the pitch of the pitch of my other instruments and that if I used a tuner to detune it a little it would match or something? I feel like I tried this and it didn't work

 

Just tap a key on ya midi keyboard with a piano vst & find out where it's drifting or the main key of that sample! Maybe ears!

 

I mean it's great to train your ear to tune it by ear, but tuning it by tuner could work. It depends on the sample, sometimes it's a bit problematic as some samples don't have a clear fundamental/tonic.

 

You mention they are samples recorded from vinyl? Turntables +/- do not work in perfect semitones. You could chase all your other instruments after the one sample, or you could more easily fine tune the sample to make it fit.

 

I always do it by ear, tuners can be iffy, but if all else fails sometimes try a spectrum analyzer and follow the peaks?