Sample packs and downtempo?

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ThreadMusic
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Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:02 pm

sorry if this is a stupid question guys but I've been making downtempo tracks as of late and spending LOTS of time on sound design.... then I hear these guys who use sample packs and their stuff sounds really fresh and original yet they put in about 1/4 the time that I put in..

That said, I may be buying a few sample packs to mess around with, the thing is, how do you produce with these sounds? I mean, I'm not about to drag and drop and create a song. For the guys that use sample packs, what's the workflow like on putting together a track. Not talking about mixing or anything like that. Just creating the song?

Look forward to your responses!

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eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:52 pm

ThreadMusic wrote:sorry if this is a stupid question guys but I've been making downtempo tracks as of late and spending LOTS of time on sound design.... then I hear these guys who use sample packs and their stuff sounds really fresh and original yet they put in about 1/4 the time that I put in..
who are you talking about? famous dudes? or people on the forum? friends of yours? give an idea of what or who is influencing you. "downtempo" is pretty broad.
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ThreadMusic
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:15 pm

Nah not famous dudes, I can't really get much info on what those guys are doing... influences are Emancipator, Tycho, Album Leaf, etc...

Some friends of mine as well as people on other forums have posted some tracks. They sound really good and when i ask, they tell me they used Sample Magic sunset sessions or something like that... I just don't know what theyre doing to make them their own...

Meanwhile, Im sitting in front of an FM synth for HOURS trying to create one sound... Mine usually end up sounding a bit shallow in the mix whereas the guys using sample packs sound really up front and the sounds cover a wide range of the frequency spectrum...

eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:56 pm

i own the sample magic sunset and sunrise sample packs...the thing about those packs is, they are a whole bunch of pre-processed loops. so its like drag and drop....and you have a pretty decent beat going on. i've been trying to get away from using loops from sample packs, but i use them to kind of make my stuff sound a little richer or fuller. they add an extra layer. but those packs, the sunset and sunrise sample packs in particular...you can pretty much drag and drop, and have a decent song happening. easy peasy...but you are probably doing yourself a favor, by doing sound design.
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ThreadMusic
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:04 pm

Thx for writing back.

Thats the thing though, I definitely do not want to drag and drop, but how would you creatively use loops from sample packs? chop em up and re make em? but then you're bordering hip hop land, and im afraid you'll get that hip hop sound, you know, a reworked sample... .not what im looking for...

Man, I'm lost with this sample stuff!

Maybe what I should be looking for are really cool patches for the synths I use? Load up a patch, tweak it to my hearts content and create a whole new sound.... Do they sell patch sets? :) Time to research :)

ThreadMusic
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:17 pm

Eddie, been listening to your tracks, great stuff man!

How did you make that synth in for you 2? Love that sound...

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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by Tarekith » Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:21 pm

I think a lot of it is recontextualizing the samples. Slice then, dice them, mix them up, snare from one sample kick from another, etc.

You can add effects, layer them with your own sounds, all sorts of ways of using samples just as a starting point.
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eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:50 pm

ThreadMusic wrote:Eddie, been listening to your tracks, great stuff man!

How did you make that synth in for you 2? Love that sound...
thanks man :D yeah i wish i could say i made that sound, but that sound is a stock sound in absynth...i think its calleD "black smith" or something...if i remember correctly, i think added some delay to it. i like Native Instrument's synth's (especially massive and absynth) im real lazy with the sound design stuff..i am a tweak a preset type of guy. :lol: the ambient stuff with no drum beats on my cloud..that is more my stuff, sound design wise...the drone sounds. i use SKYCHORD stuff :arrow: http://skychord.com/ it's my buddy, he makes these crazy synth boxes and effects boxes. you can just layer and layer an add some reverb and delay until you get something that sounds like you are in outer space or something.

as far as sampling goes. i use one hits for drums, and make my own beats. i don't do too much chopping up. but from time to time i will use a loop, maybe manipulate it..tune it up or down, effect it...or maybe just leave it as is, turn it down in the mix to add a little more depth or texture to my own stuff. i think it is a great tool to add something to your sound...or maybe jump start the creativity. i actually like that it is in hip hop land. those first sampler dudes were definitely on to something. :wink: i wish i had more of a hip hop sound (for drums anyhow) there is so much you can do with sampling, it doesn't have to sound like hip hop. you just have to play around with it.
honestly though. i feel you will be better off with the sound design stuff. it may take you longer, but in the end, you will be more satisfied with your stuff.
cloud>https://soundcloud.com/eddiexdarko
i love you,please don't die.

ThreadMusic
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:05 pm

Eddie,

I'm REALLLLLLLY digging your stuff man!! This stuff is incredible, I really hope you are playing shows somewhere out there in Portlandia?? :)

And thanks for the tips, yea man I think I'll just stick with the sound design, might have to screw around with preset tweaking too, whole lot easier than starting with a square wave :)

Your music really has a great feel to it, very Tycho-ish, do you listen to him? I do the same as you, I create all my own kits from one shots, I really love the delay on the drums in the first part of "i hope wherever you are....." Great stuff man!

Thanks for the link man, I'm gonna check out skychord when I get home from work later.

That's a whole other topic for me. I'm a guitar guy. full sail grad, I've got the mixing down pat, i just have NO IDEA how to convert the tracks i make in ableton into a live set that I can perform.... it's mind boggling and i feel so damn lost! when i go see shows, these guys seem to do it with ease, I still have no idea how to turn my 10 or so tracks into a live show... any advice?

eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:09 am

:D thanks man, you are too kind. i wish i was half as creative now, as i was when i did all the stuff on there. im writing some new stuff now. along the same lines....we'll see how that goes. i have yet to perform live. i have some people who would hook me up and places i could play here. its just all about getting the stones up to do it.
are you "kler"?
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i love you,please don't die.

ThreadMusic
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by ThreadMusic » Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:31 pm

Yep, I'm kler :) Some of those tracks suck, i just got into electronic less than a year ago. I play guitar but its tough making music with that without a band! electronic is great cuz I can produce every part of the track myself.

Stones to play? dude get on that! Would be so fun to play shows. How do you play your tracks live though? that's where i get stuck, no idea how to get a whole set going in ableton!

eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:51 pm

dude, you stuff is better than mine. you should be throwing it out there in your signature and stuff. get it out there.
im like you, i started out playing in bands. it takes a bit to get your head around it. i haven't figured out how i want to play live yet. i have an apc40 which is cool for launching clips in session view. also push is coming out, curious to see how that would be as far as controlling, or playing live. there are a lot of different ways to go about it. i would probably use my apc40 to launch clips. then use my mpd32 pad controller to either play synth parts, or percussion parts over a mostly completed track. maybe weird out with some effects? im not really a beat dude, so i don't think i would do it ala "flying lotus" or "nosaj thing" but i wouldn't want to just press play either.
look up "tom cosm" on youtube...he has a lot of good ideas for that type of thing.
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eddiex
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Re: Sample packs and downtempo?

Post by eddiex » Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:52 pm

:lol: i forgot you had a "playing live" thread....which i had posted about checking out tom cosm. :lol:
cloud>https://soundcloud.com/eddiexdarko
i love you,please don't die.

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