Question about sampling

[Brandsmannen]

Hello!

Sorry if this should be posted elsewhere!

Since I am new with electronic ambient music I would like to ask this rather noobish question: do you have any tips for sampling? I am currently building a hardware drone/ambient rig, I've got an old drum machine and a 4 track cassette porta and I am in the process of getting a sampler. I was thinking an akai MPX8 might fit the bill, cheap and not computer dependent. Has functions to loop samples and stuff as well. It struck me just now that I know nothing about sampling! Should I just wander the streets and record whatever comes up? Do you mostly use sample packs? Or just cut up some of your own playing? If you shared some tips to get started I would be utterly grateful

The inspiration for this question comes from this track: https://soundcloud.com/hi-mo-2/dreams

Thanks!
Nils

[KrisM]

I record things with my iPhone or Zoom H2n, I hit up places like freesound.org, or some times people post free samples on messageboards, etc.

There's really no wrong way to get samples for mangling. If you're using them straight, well, that's another story depending on the source ;)

Can the MPX8 sample or just playback audio files? Too bad Korg's new electribe sampler won't be out until next year.

[Brandsmannen]

Thanks for your reply!

It only plays samples, but in my mind atleast thats all I want it to do. I'm trying to keep down the costs with this hardware rig thing, since my main instrument will still be guitar

[KrisM]

ah ok. Then I also seem to recall people using their MPX8 pads with their feet, but I'd look into that to see if I'm right, or crazily remembering something else.

[Brandsmannen]

Well, It has midi ins and outs, so I suppose it would be entirely possible to control it with your feet? Here is the website to it, http://www.akaipro.com/product/mpx8. Maybe you'll find something that would be a definite dealbreaker

[phoenstorm]

Go with the flow & do whatever comes to mind. Participate in the One Sample CHallenge on here & use just your hardware-sampler...or try and write theme-tracks...all sounds recorded at the supermarket, etc...Samplers are beautiful instruments...I'm mostly relying on Ableton's plugins, if i need to feel good about my sounds, I fire up my old AKAI
Dreaming of an Octatrack...that MPX8 looks good, though. As for my methods...I use the occasional prefrabricated sampled things and mangle them...once again, it feels special to me, if i come up with the samples myself. Resampling (sampling your own playing e.g) and then possibly resample again & again...it's magic!

[KrisM]

Apparently using the MPX8 with your feet directly is fiddly (pads are close together). You can trigger the MPX8 on ch10 iirc, with a MIDI foot controller.

[Brandsmannen]

Go with the flow & do whatever comes to mind. Participate in the One Sample CHallenge on here & use just your hardware-sampler...or try and write theme-tracks...all sounds recorded at the supermarket, etc...Samplers are beautiful instruments...I'm mostly relying on Ableton's plugins, if i need to feel good about my sounds, I fire up my old AKAI
Dreaming of an Octatrack...that MPX8 looks good, though. As for my methods...I use the occasional prefrabricated sampled things and mangle them...once again, it feels special to me, if i come up with the samples myself. Resampling (sampling your own playing e.g) and then possibly resample again & again...it's magic!

Thanks for the reply! I think limiting myself in the beginning is kind of a key thing. With too many options i spend waaaay too much time looking for a "perfect" sound. The themed tracks idea is great, thank you for that!

Apparently using the MPX8 with your feet directly is fiddly (pads are close together). You can trigger the MPX8 on ch10 iirc, with a MIDI foot controller.

Ah. I wont use it with my feet anyways. One drawback that I feel might be relevant is the fact that it has only 8 pads. But that's alright for now.

[KrisM]

you mentioned still playing guitar, so I assumed you'd want to trigger something with your feet.

How silly of me o.O

So the guitar won't be involved in this endeavor? It's just a side project?

[Brandsmannen]

Exactly! I've always thought that a good guitar player becomes great when he/she learns when not to play. If I added a hardware rig to the equation I could do something else in the parts where I'm not needed. <- This is the official band context explanation. I mostly do it for the fun :D

EDIT: I suppose I could check around the forums a bit, but if anyone has suggestions about small/cheap hardware units to use in a drone-y/ambient-ey setting they are most welcome

[KrisM]

If you want to actually sample while things are happening, and want fairly cheap, a basic looper pedal would fit the bill (you may even have one already in a delay pedal if you own one). A little more money would get you a Roland SP (202, 303, 404, or 404sx in order from lowest to highest). Or you could record drones to a 4 track and use the faders to bring different parts in and out ala Allesandro Cortini. Details here. I actually own the same Tascam that Cortini uses, I got it for $20 locally a while back, so it can be done really cheap if you shop around and/or are patient. The MPX8 is hard to beat if you just want to trigger sounds.

There are a lot of ways to go about doing things like this

Old rack samplers might even be a possibility, but these seem to be really climbing in price in recent years...

[Brandsmannen]

Cool! I have five looper pedals (akai headrush, digitech Timebender, strymon el Capistan, digitech pds 8000 and a Ditto looper) and i recently bought a tascam porta 3, so I've got most of that covered. I'm planning to buy a looper with sd-card compability to trigger speeches like GY!BE. Anyway, good idea to incorporate those things in in this rig

[Brandsmannen]

If you ask me GY!BE is probably THE best band ever! They single handedly made me start playing cello hahaha