Audio Sampling: Application and Techniques

Audio Sampling:

Applications and Technique

by

Brijawi

Audio Sampling: Applications and Techniques

Agenda

- What is sampling?

- Composition application

- Sampling aesthetics

- Techniques

- Synthesis and Effect Generation

- Discussion


What is Sampling?

“In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion (sample) of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song or piece”


Composition Application

Inspirational (“I like that sound”)

Remix

Official (Commissioned, Fan engagement)

Bootleg (solitary, mashup)

Intentional

Subversive: sampling as a statement

Reverent: sample source has meaning

Stylistic: the sample or technique is a part of the genre vocabulary

Utility

Need a sound and don’t have resources for creating recording

Have source but want to work with it inside the sampler or daw


Sampling Aesthetics

Sampling Usage

Candid: Sample is used “as is” with little perceived treatment

Example: Loop repeated, with subtle treatment to fit the song

Divergent: Sample has been noticeably altered from the original

Example: Loop source rearranged in smaller fragments, different tempo, effects

Original: The Winstons “Amen Brother”

Candid: Mantronix “Beat Master” (also NWA “Straight Out of Compton”)

Divergent: Shy FX/UK Apache “Original Nuttah”)

Note: Even with candid sample usage, several techniques are often utilized on the sample to fit the composition


Sampling Aesthetics

Sample Source

Digging

Sample Library

Field recording


Sampling Aesthetics

Why Important?

Uniqueness: Use a sound in a way nobody else has

Practicality: Don’t have resources to replicate

Context: the sample source has meaning

Character: source adds texture to song [some producers add dirt (vinyl noise, saturation)]

Sample Integration

How much and what part of the source to use?

To what extent shall the original qualities remain intact?

(Groove, stereo imaging, eq)


Techniques

Phrase Sampling

Play back a recorded sound source. Common functions of samplers:

Sample trigger: set where the sample will begin.

Fade in/out of start/end points

Filter: adjust the tone/timber of the sample. Make it brighter or duller

Transposition: change the pitch, keep the tempo; create pitch bends

Time stretch: change the tempo, keep the pitch

Pan: Left/Right/Center

Velocity: sample loudness

Reverse: play back the sound backwards

LFO: automate the filter, velocity, etc.

Polyphony


Techniques

Additional processing and effects

Reverb, delay, compression, bit crushing, saturation, eq

Create unrealistic sequences (stutters, pairings)

Layering

Parallel harmony

Resampling


Techniques

Sample Playback and Performance

Trigger plays sample from start to end, regardless of hold

Sample plays for as long as trigger is activated

Choke group: sample plays until choke or end point; whichever comes first (ohhaffected by chh)

Chop sample into smaller pieces and assign to midi notes

Multi-sample: samples mapped across midi note range to create realistic replication of sound

Quantization


Synthesis and Effect Generation

Synthesis

Sample-based/Rompler Often to recreate realistic replication of actual instrument (piano) Several recordings of instrument, such one for every five tone steps

Wavetable

Periodic reproduction of single-cycle waveforms

Wavetable includes more than fundamental frequencies

Granular Grain: tiny snippet of sound Graintable: sequence of grains

Effects- Convolution Reverb

Recorded sample of an acoustic space or reverb unit (Impulse Response)- Vocoder

Not exclusive to sampling


Discussion

Why are certain sounds popular?

Semiotics of sound

Audio Sampling: Applications and Techniques © 2016 Brian Wishka

Audio Sampling: Application and Techniques

Technology

Transcript of Audio Sampling: Application and Techniques