Today's discussion will concentrate on one of the most fundamental pieces of equipment in hip-hop, the sampler. We'll discuss the function of a sampler, and how it can be integrated into your studio to improve your sound.
Samplers are devices that let you play back pieces of audio via your keyboard or drum pads (if you are using a drum machine that samples). Imagine that there was a lovely percussion sound that you got when you hit a certain pot or pan in your kitchen and you wanted to put that in one of your beats. With a sampler, this is possible. You can add that sound to your sampler, and play it like any other sound in your keyboard setup. Furthermore, you can play back that sound at many different pitches. This is achieved via pitch shifting. Essentially, the sampler will speed up or slow down the speed of the sample, and the pitch will rise or fall accordingly. For those of you old enough to remember cassette tapes, you could slow those down or speed them up by messing with the fast forward and rewind buttons. This is how you got that "chipmunk" sound. Samples can be sourced from a variety of sources such as:
Sound Design Companies: Nowadays, there are tons of companies, such as Big Fish Audio, that sell sample cds in many different genres for their users. The samples can be anywhere from drum kits and multi-sampled instruments to loop cds. There are also many companies that specialize in selling drum samples and drum kits aimed at the hip-hop market such as Modern Beats.
Commercial Audio: You can also sample commercial records for interesting drum hits, sounds, or entire sections of a song. This is the classic form of sampling in hip-hop. However, take heed that there are legal ramifications and you could be violating copyright law with this method. Before releasing work with samples in it, be sure to go through the proper legal channels, clear your samples, and credit the original artist.
Self-Recorded Samples: Grab your microphone and do anything from beat boxing to recording yourself knocking on various surfaces. One of the benefits of this method is that you get unique sounds that are completely yours.
The possibilities that a sampler opens up are endless. A sampler really is critical to the role of a hip-hop producer since sounds that are in fashion are constantly changing. In our next article, we'll talk about some of the more advanced terms that you'll hear of when discussing samplers.
Samplers are devices that let you play back pieces of audio via your keyboard or drum pads (if you are using a drum machine that samples). Imagine that there was a lovely percussion sound that you got when you hit a certain pot or pan in your kitchen and you wanted to put that in one of your beats. With a sampler, this is possible. You can add that sound to your sampler, and play it like any other sound in your keyboard setup. Furthermore, you can play back that sound at many different pitches. This is achieved via pitch shifting. Essentially, the sampler will speed up or slow down the speed of the sample, and the pitch will rise or fall accordingly. For those of you old enough to remember cassette tapes, you could slow those down or speed them up by messing with the fast forward and rewind buttons. This is how you got that "chipmunk" sound. Samples can be sourced from a variety of sources such as:
Sound Design Companies: Nowadays, there are tons of companies, such as Big Fish Audio, that sell sample cds in many different genres for their users. The samples can be anywhere from drum kits and multi-sampled instruments to loop cds. There are also many companies that specialize in selling drum samples and drum kits aimed at the hip-hop market such as Modern Beats.
Commercial Audio: You can also sample commercial records for interesting drum hits, sounds, or entire sections of a song. This is the classic form of sampling in hip-hop. However, take heed that there are legal ramifications and you could be violating copyright law with this method. Before releasing work with samples in it, be sure to go through the proper legal channels, clear your samples, and credit the original artist.
Self-Recorded Samples: Grab your microphone and do anything from beat boxing to recording yourself knocking on various surfaces. One of the benefits of this method is that you get unique sounds that are completely yours.
The possibilities that a sampler opens up are endless. A sampler really is critical to the role of a hip-hop producer since sounds that are in fashion are constantly changing. In our next article, we'll talk about some of the more advanced terms that you'll hear of when discussing samplers.
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Learn more about hip-hop beats for sale by visiting Frank Lubsey's site on how to purchase beats.
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