Professional Hip Hop Sampling Techniques

"Blog Article"

This article is about principles in sampling whether it is hardware samplers or software samplers.  The biggest problem in the past with samplers was the fact that they didn’t have enough memory. If you are using a hardware sampler you want at least 32 megs or better of memory. Samplers like the Emus, Ultras and Esi series all have more than enough memory. The Akai S2000 goes above and beyond the needed memory. If you are using virtual samplers like Gigasampler, Kontakt, Intakt, the EXS or any other software sampler these tips will apply. It’s a good Idea to have a wave form editor that supports your sampler. This really works out if you have an old hardware sampler with SCSI port that supports SMDI sample dumps. Propellerhead, has dropped hardware sampler support with Recylce 2.1.  It’s very important to have a computer with a good quality audio card that can playback at different sample rates whether it’s 44.1K, 22.050K or other odd rates.  Most samplers recommend cards that work with particular manufacturers.  When it comes to storing the data, the days of saving samples on floppy disk are all but done when it comes to hardware samplers. Most of todays samplers are equipped with Flash card drives. If you are running software samplers get the largest hard drive you can afford within your budget and dedicate it to samples.

There is a faster and quicker way to sample sounds than to sample them directly into the sampler. If you sample into an editor it is far easier and efficient to sample into a waveditor like WAV LAB or Sound Forge. With an editor you can record different variations of the sound or sample. You don’t have to start and stop by working with ithe instrument.  Say for example you want to sample a piano lick or two. Rather than record each single note into your sampler. Try recording a chromatic scale on the piano 3 or 4 times. Inside your waveform editor look at the notes and wav and see which one are the best ones. Grab the choice notes and cut and paste them into their own individual files.

Using a sample editor you can use plug ins to fatten up drums by adding EQ and effects to individual instruments just like you might mix a track you mix the individual sound, whether it’s drums, EFX or instrument sounds.  You work with sounds and keep the one you like and delete the sounds you don’t like. You can better audition your sounds in a waveform editor than just sampling them directly into your sampler. Sample editor can save you time and effort and make can processing audio faster and quicker.