What is sampling?

Sampling is the process of reusing part of an existing song in a brand new recording. These parts, called samples, can contain rhythm, beat, melody, sounds, vocals or speech. These elements are then repitched, looped, layered, or manipulated in any kind of way to create new music. Samples are created using hardware called samplers or software such as digital audio workstations.

According to the website WhoSampled, James Brown is the most sampled artist of all time, appearing in more than 3,000 tracks. The drum break from his 1970 song Funky Drummer is one of the most influential pieces of sampled music.

James Brown - Funky Drummer (Full Version, 1970) - HQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQ4AtsFWVM

Who Sampled? James Brown – The Funky Drummer Break

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKB2N_Fyyh8

 

Sampling has huge cultural and legal implications. For some artists, sampling is the best way to take inspiration from the past and make new original music for the present. For others, it's musical theft – a technique employed by those without the talent to create their own piece of work. The quote "Good artists copy, great artists steal.” is often attributed to famous painter Pablo Picasso. Other famous artists have said:

 

"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.”
- TS Eliot, Poet

"It's not where you take things from—it's where you take them to.”
- Jean Luc Godard, Film director

"You can't steal a gift. Bird [Charlie Parker] gave the world his music, and if you can hear it you can have it.”
- Dizzy Gillespie, Jazz musician

There are many prime examples of this in music, which is why sampling is a controversial topic that's been up for debate since hip hop's early days in the ‘80s. In one perspective, it's a way for artists to share their own compositions. Likewise, it's considered cultural history. Having samples of early recordings preserves the original beat, influencing future generations of musicians, artists, and composers. 

How sampling transformed music | Mark Ronson 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3TF-hI7zKc

 

Sampling has influenced many different genres of music. The iconic drum beat Amen break from The Winstons' 1969 song Amen, Brother has been used in thousands of recordings from artists like Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Oasis, and more. Sadly, The Winstons didn't receive royalties for their popular drum solo until much later.

 

Evolution of the Amen Break 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISwgBLXEE00&feature=emb_title

 

The first album created almost entirely from samples, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, was released in 1996. 

 

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZRoUyPgsGJyJlVqAVP0PxGpnIVu6_tzU

Copyrights

Sampling requires knowing and understanding music copyrights. Each musical track comes with two copyrights – the composition, which includes the melody, beat, and lyrics of the song, and the sound recording, which is the recorded version of the song. For example, Bob Dylan originally wrote and composed the song All Along the Watchtower, with Jimi Hendrix performing and covering the song. Here, Bob Dylan (or his record label) owns the copyright in the composition, while Jimi Hendrix (or his label) owns the performed and recorded version of the song.

Unlicensed sampling can be subject to copyright infringement. That's why artists must obtain permission from the owners of the original music before using a sample for their own musical work. This is especially important if you're planning to release your record commercially and earn from its sales. To properly and legally sample another musician's work, a sample clearance is required.

 

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 This is a step-by-step, beginner-level tutorial to create a simple but powerful composite. You'll use only 6 very basic elements to build this beautiful picture.

If you have a hard time following the steps, you can check out the resources listed at the end. These links helped us learn different techniques and approaches to composites, and we hope they help you as much as they helped us.

Now, onto the tutorial. All images used here are from Pixabay.

Step 1: Get a Base Image

Begin with a "base” or "background” for the composite. This is our starting image:

Step 2: Adjust the perspective

Our starting image is nice and clear and sets the mood for the rest of the composite, making it a good base. However, the perspective needs to be adjusted to fit the final image we want. So, let's adjust the perspective and stretch the image a little, vertically.

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 Starting a new illustration can be intimidating, especially when you're looking at the empty canvas. You might have an idea of what you want to create, but without a clear anchor—without a clear inspiration—you have no clue what the result would look like, what the colours would be, or what line art style it will have.

 

Inspiration is crucial, but how and where do you find it?

Finding inspiration 

Often, the process of looking for inspiration is overlooked and forgotten. When people look at art, they appreciate the artwork itself, and they rarely think about the inspiration behind it.

But when you're creating an illustration, it's important to have some visual representation of what the illustration might look like. 

 

The best place to get inspired is through an experience. So head out for a walk in the city, take a stroll in the forest, or drop by wherever you feel like you'll find the answer. 

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How many times have you had a certain song stuck in your head? Why do you tap your foot or nod your head while listening to the beat? Scientists call these types of tunes earworms. While it's not easy to explain what makes a song catchy, some characteristics that make up this type of music, like repetition, hooks, and alliteration.

 

Listeners like music that's easily remembered but producers rarely think of memorability nowadays. They make music with complicated rhythms and beats or simply put, their music lacks the hook that capture's a listener's attention and hooks them in.

 

So how do you create a hit song that people will remember? Below, we'll talk about 6 effective strategies for creating catchy music you can't get out of your head.

 

1. Begin with a good song structure

 

 

A good song is a well-structured song. It builds momentum, sustains the interest of the listener, and emphasizes the song's message as clearly as possible. 

 

Every genre can have a different song structure. In today's popular music, formats like ABABCB (verse / chorus / verse / chorus / bridge / chorus) and AABA (32-bar form) are commonly used and easily remembered by listeners.

 

While songs don't necessarily need to follow any specific structure, a catchy song should flow smoothly. There must be a seamless transition between the different sections, with some kind of hint being given before jumping from one part to the next. After all, listeners have high expectations and they want to know what they're listening to at any given moment. 

 

Having a logical structure, smooth flow, and clearly defined sections make a song easy for listeners to remember. These three elements can help you create music that's familiar but stands out from what's already out there.

 

2. Keep things simple

If you want your music to be catchy and memorable, it has to be simple. People usually don't remember complicated polyrhythms, advanced sound design, or complex arrangements. What they do remember are the simplest ideas and sounds, the catchy hook.

 

Fundamental skills like songwriting and composition are very important when creating a catchy beat. It doesn't matter how many tracks you have in a project, what's important is the music content in it.

 

People who'll listen to your music won't care that you've spent 10 hours automating a 5-second part of the track. What they'll care about is the emotional side, what they feel when they listen to it.

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 Say you came up with an idea for a music track. You opened your DAW, started creating, and a song soon takes form. But at some point, you stop. You get stuck. You run out of ideas and lose inspiration—there are simply too many options.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Don't worry, we've all been there. When you start a fresh track, everything feels easy. But things start to feel demotivating when you've been working on that track for weeks. Finishing a project is universally difficult.

 

So here are tips and tricks to help you finish your music tracks and make it to the finish line.

Set a deadline

If you really want to finish your track, the first step is to set a realistic deadline. It's a simple but powerful trick to get you into the thick of things—your mind works toward a purpose. Something as simple as "wrap the song up by Wednesday, 9 PM” conditions your mind to see things to the end.

Set goals for each studio session

A deadline limits the time you spend on a track, while goals help you focus (and finish) specific tasks. If you don't have a goal for a session, you're more likely to procrastinate and accomplish nothing. 

 

So for each studio session, write down a goal you want to achieve. It could be as simple as:

• For this session, I'll focus on finding a sonic palette; or 
• Today, I'll record the final vocals

 

A timer is your friend; it keeps you focused on the task at hand. Try setting the timer for one hour, and during that period, there should be no distractions or interruptions, so you can tick off the items on your checklist.

 

Set limits for yourself

It seems counterintuitive to limit yourself when you're feeling super creative, but hear us out: endless options prolong the work. Also, you'd be surprised with the number of ideas you can come up with, even with a limited set of tools. 

 

So limit the synths and plugins you work with. Explore the full potential of one synth or instrument before moving on to the next. 

Photo by Joe007

Create first, technical details later

This might be a tough habit to break, but leave the technical mixing processes toward the end of the project. If you think about equalization and compression at the beginning, you might limit your creativity. 

 

So have fun creating first! Compose and layer the song and build the arrangement. And when that's done, turn your attention to the technical details.

Stay organized

Your files easily get messy and cluttered as you work on your track. 

 

So trust us, it's better if you stay organized. You don't want to forget that amazing chord progression, nor do you want to spend 20 minutes finding a file because you forgot the file name.

• Write things down. Take notes as you move along. It helps you keep track of all the aspects of the song, like chord progressions and synth patches.
• Make a samples folder for each project. Put all the samples you want to use for a project in a single folder. Also, make sure that each sample file and folder is properly labeled.

• Expand your sound library. It's handy to have lots of samples to work with.

 

Turn off your phone

It's no secret that phones can be productivity killers. We're very responsive to every ping, and every buzz from our phone takes our minds out of focus and lures us into a rabbit hole of social media scrolling.

So for your next studio session, turn off your phone (or put it on silent). Let yourself get into the zone until the timer rings, and it's time for a break.

Take breaks

Breaks are just as important as the work you do. After all, musicians and music producers are prone to ear fatigue, where sensory overload makes it hard for the ears to make out the details. You've probably experienced this; after long hours of working on a track, none of the sounds make sense anymore. You find yourself cranking up the volume or playing the same section over and over.

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 Before the digital age, people normally used organic materials to paint colors. They used these materials to create the paintings discovered in the walls and ceilings of caves and even art during the Renaissance. However, for every medium, the colors behaved differently when applied on canvas.

 

Today, illustration software has made creating artwork much simpler and easier in terms of colors. Most digital software programs using the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model work with three parameters—hue, saturation, and value. 

 

So what are these parameters, and why are they important? As an artist, you must know the basics of color theory and how to apply them to dramatically improve your paintings and illustrations. Let's talk about them more below.

 

Hue

Image by stux

 

By nature, colors take shape from a range of light wavelengths in a visible spectrum. From warm oranges to cool blues, hue refers to the position in that spectrum. The common representation of this spectrum is the color wheel, as shown in the image below.

 

Image by TheDigitalArtist

The right side of the color wheel shows warm colors, while the cool ones are on the left. Remember where each color's position is on the color wheel. Some design software makes it easier for artists by having a temperature knob that you can quickly adjust depending on how warm or cool you want your image to look.

 

Take note of the following basic color schemes when enhancing your work. 

 

Complementary colors

Complementary colors are opposite from one another—these colors contrast, typically on the opposing ends of the color wheel.

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are three adjacent colors. They are near or next to one another on the color wheel. For example, red, orange, and yellow.

Split complementary colors

Split complementary includes a base color and two secondary colors. To achieve this color scheme, choose one color and find its complement, then use the two colors on either side.

 

Bear in mind that when coloring a scene, all hues are affected by the color of the light. An example is this illustration created by Pheladii.

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