Okay,

I've never been one to be into Sample CDs. I would sample my own sounds and use them if need be. BUT after checking out Big Fish Audio there are just too many great loops and stuff to be had.

My question is just what is the ediquette to using these things?

Garageband comes with loops and all but I feel weird using them...

#1. EVERYBODY who has a mac has access to them.. (hmm just like Sample CDs) so if I use them then folks can say oh thats "Hiphop 3" in that song.

#2. Wheres the creativity come in when you use phrases? Never did that (much). I understand people cut the phrases and place them differently. It seems easier just to write a new part.

I must admit though, that I'm as lazy as the next guy. Oh,.. he's not (you're not) that lazy?... uh... I meant that guy over there. Boy is HE lazy!

If I find a kicking loop then I have no intention of changing the snare or whatever. I will leave it as is. Is that wrong? Is the onus (ooh I used the word "onus") on me to personalize it, customize it, change it? Do people really notice that stuff? Does anyone really care?

Wait, I know musicians can tell what kind of guitar was used in a song, sh!t I heard someone say what kind of strings were on it. I'm talking NORMAL people.

I wanted to put these questions in the sample category but I think its a newbie question. Please if admin thinks I'm in the wrong place, feel free to move it.

Oh and do I need to reference what Sample CDs I use on the CD Jacket or whatever?

And OH yeah, I've just been using the libraries that come with my Kontakt and stuff. I CAN use these sample CDs with Kontakt right? As I understand they don't come with a handy Virtual instrument interface.

Is there a simple, easy to use, sample player/interface RECOMMENDED by the all knowing intelligentsia (whew I must be going for broke - wheres my thesaurus?) of MACMUSIC?

Thats a good number of questions. I hope you guys don't mind helping me out with opinions and answers.

Thanx ahead of time.

You don't have to do any customizations if you can live with the fact you've used a loop straight from a sample-CD or whatever.

I always end up slicing loops to come up with variations, it kinda sounds boring to have the same thing going on all through the song. I also find that it's almost impossible to get the bassdrum / snare / etc. balances right if everything is already mixed down as a loop. Thus I usually cut the low end off and use my own BD, in most cases I also have my own snares and hi-hats layered on top of it.

So in the end the loop's just somewhere, adding to the mix. Most cases is end up removing it after adding too much programmed or played stuff on it.

But in the end, in my humble opinion, it all comes down to using loops creatively. If you come up with a track that uses a loops straight from Garageband with a bass guitar on top of it and you manage to make it sound ingenious, nobody can tell you you're wrong. However, if instead of ingenious the track ends up sounding just like a loop straight from Garageband with a bass guitar on top of it, then you'll probably be judged as a lazy bastard with no creativity.

The Prodigy used a loop straight from Jungle Warfare sample-CD in "Fire!", but I haven't really heard anybody bashing Liam Howlett about that.



Usually not, but it depends on the sample-CD. If they require some kind of clearing, licensing or a mention in the leaflet it is written in the user agreement that comes with the CD.

For instance Rammstein used Spectrasonics "Symphony Of Voices" in their track "Sonne", as credited in the "Mutter" -album's booklet, as Spectrasonics requires to be credited whenever their work is used. They don't want any money, though.



There are no limitations on what kind of sampler you can use them with. Even if there was, I don't think anybody could hear the difference.

for organising and easily finding your loops ,AudioFinder from icedaudio is a very useful bit of software.

[EDIT LPM linked to the tracker]

This post has been edited by lepetitmartien: Tue 28 Mar 2006, 02:47

music is magical

i mean that really

if you get things just right nobody notices a damn thing
except that its a brilliant track

later on after a few listens, things start to stand out - good or bad

if you produce these brilliant tracks intuitively you are a music god

the rest of us have to work at it

sample / sound / drum / string spotting has nothing to do with music

your sound is your sound no matter what you use

the whole sample thing surely came out of hip hop / breakbeats

palying other peoples vinyl records -some DJ's parties were full
some (er) werent so its just like the song says

it aint what you do......

This post has been edited by gogmagog: Mon 27 Mar 2006, 15:11

I'd put it in a short, simpler way:

If people mark the sample you use, your tune is not good enough.

i can beat that little alien dude

I....