What and Why...? Your Sample Habbits.

[tracer_221]

Hey.

I've been wondering... there are so many damn samples that you can download from the internet for free, and there are so many sample collections you could buy, and I've been wondering what peoples habbits are. What samples do you have, what do you usually download, or buy, and why? How do you use them? Record them yourself? Love these, hate those? ... etc. etc.

Also, what samples have you really wanted, but never find, or think would be great to have access to?

I'll start off...

I have a sample folder of 23,576 files, which takes up 8.02Gb on my hard drive. I have bought a couple of the generic SoundFX cd's etc. and I keep all my ComputerMusic samples on the computer too, but besides that, most others are either created by me or downloaded for free (Although I am about to buy a Symphonic Orchestra Collection). Most my samples are weird sounds and effects, which I use to either add subtle effects to pieces, or completely blow up and manipulate to create main parts of my music. I don't have many loops, they are almost all hits. I have SHITE loads of drum hits, and complete sample sets of every vintage drum machine I can find. I usually use old drum samples as a starting point in making my own drum sounds, and I also collect them. The only reason I ever search the internet for samples, is usually for industrial type effects and hits etc. that I can't really record for myself (like machine noises, bleeps etc.). The main thing I DON'T download are loop/riff samples of synths, they are just so useless, unless I'm in the mood to really f**k around with them, and create something completely differant. Anyways, I think that's it, if not, I'll post more of my thoughts...

So, how bout you and your interaction with samples?

[Kriminal]

I tend to make sample sets for other ppl, so i sample X amount of notes per octave, depending on the type of sound. I dont often do mulit layer samples, its not the way i work for the type of sounds i create. I have done some drum loops, but i would never do synth loops.

Im gonna be doing some serious sampling next week actually, and its gonna be hard work

As long as you make sure you samples are good quality soundwise, and are trimmed properly, they will sound ok.

I've made a shed load of drumkits, usually 12 hits per kit.

All my stuff has been free so far, apart from some commisioned(sp?) sets.

I try to make stuff a bit diff, or sample stuff that is hard to find if possible.

[Lawnmower Of The Damned]

I've made a shed load of drumkits, usually 12 hits per kit.

you mean 12 hits per drum?

Recording yourself hitting the drumkit 12 times would be kind of interesting. Who would the customers be for that sort of thing?

Guy 1: I want a 30 second sample of some guy smashing a drumkit to pieces.
Guy 2: How many hits should it take?
Guy 1: I dunno... About 12, maybe?

[androidlove]

i like the real stuff - piano, bass, drums etc. i'm still lookin fer a honky tonk. i've got around 700 mb. that doesn't include freebie romplers

[Sascha Franck]

Samples I regularly use:
- Individual drum hits. A lot of them are free ones, but I make more or less intense use of DR-008s (and now also GURUs) library too.
- My wellsorted folder of recycled drum loops. There's not all that much because the loops are what I'd call "generic", so modifying them is easy because they don't sound too predictable.
- Some soundfonts. But I reduced the amount drastically.
- The Kontakt 2 library, partially also the Kontakt and Kompakt 1.x library.
- My rusty, yet still usefull "Vitous Mini" library (AKAI CD converted to EXS and Kontakt format).
- The EXS "Extreme Analog" and "Extreme Digital" libraries. Very nice synth-based patches among them.
- The free EXS patches of the german "Keyboards" mag (over the years there's been a whole bunch). They're truly brilliant (keymapped samples of Nordleads, MW XTs and the likes).
- A few free EXS and Kontakt patches (there's an amazing double bass, a great Vibraphone, some saxes, flutes and whatever).
- A whole shitload of own sample patches. I'm a lot into VSTi sampling. Why? A) It saves horsepower. B) Once sampled, I only need to deal with the most familiar interfaces of the EXS and Kontakt. C) The EXS's filter is still one of the best around, Kontakt has some amazing modulation abilities.
- The free Hollowsun collection and a bunch of the commercial patches. There's some true gems among them.

My complete sample partition is around 60GB (can't tell exactly as there's a lot of "to be sorted" stuff as well). And I'm planning to buy something for good horns and probably another orchestral library as well.

[androidlove]

I want a 30 second sample of some guy smashing a drumkit to pieces

i've always wanted a cymbal rolling and fluttering on the floor

[Kriminal]

I've made a shed load of drumkits, usually 12 hits per kit.

you mean 12 hits per drum?

No, i mean 12 diff single hit samples per kit.

[tracer_221]

...Im gonna be doing some serious sampling next week actually, and its gonna be hard work ...

What are you sampling?

...I try to make stuff a bit diff, or sample stuff that is hard to find if possible...

koolness, what kinda stuff, is there any where i can see? i love diff. lol.

...i'm still lookin fer a honky tonk...

honky tonk???

[tracer_221]

... I'm a lot into VSTi sampling....

So you tweak in the sound you want on whatever VSTi and then sample the thing, and then use the samples? (sorri if i completely don't understand)?

...My complete sample partition is around 60GB (can't tell exactly as there's a lot of "to be sorted" stuff as well). And I'm planning to buy something for good horns and probably another orchestral library as well.

Shit... that's alot. I'd be looking at an external HD.
Oh, and with the horns, I don't know if you'd spend that much, but try out the Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Horns!!! They are truely amazing.

[Sascha Franck]

So you tweak in the sound you want on whatever VSTi and then sample the thing, and then use the samples? (sorri if i completely don't understand)?

Kinda. I usually just sample the "essentials" and keep moving stuff (such as LFOs) out. I'll do that inside the sampler.

Shit... that's alot. I'd be looking at an external HD.

Well, I've got an extra HDD for samples only in my machine.

Oh, and with the horns, I don't know if you'd spend that much, but try out the Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Horns!!! They are truely amazing.

I know, but for the classical stuff I may need the Kontakt 2 horns are fine with me. I'm more waiting for some good pop/bigband style horns.

[tee boy]

I like to make my own samples alot of the time. No particular reason, I just enjoy making sounds. I will use samples from a CD, but more often than not I spend more time trying to pick them apart than making music with them!

Say I have an idea for a piece - I'll go for what ever sounds suit the job best. This could be from anywhere. But more often than not I find myself going for my personal stash instead of any commercial offering.

I think the really important releases are the ones you just cant reproduce yourself - the orchestral libraries, rare or obscure instruments etc. Also to an extent high quality fx libraries like Distorted Reality and co. There are samples on those CD's that just fit the bill sometimes!

[androidlove]

honky tonk???

a saloon piano

it's been a while since i've beat on sumpin to sample it. i got a nice steel drum out of a soda can once