Analyse the timbre
When we’re making music, we’re often drawing from an array of sources—different sample packs, software instruments, live recordings, etc.—and it’s our job to arrange all of these things so they feel like they’re a part of the same, cohesive whole.
When you’re comparing different samples, think critically about timbre and how each sound’s characteristics will fit into the larger track. Will sound A nicely fill out an unoccupied part of your track’s frequency spectrum, while sound B would mask an existing instrument? Is a particular snare too ‘hi-fi’ for your lo-fi hip hop track?
Of course, some of these ‘flaws’ can be remedied with processing; we could EQ sound B so that it conflicts less with the rest of the mix, or use a plugin like XLN Audio’s RC-20 Retro Colour to add some lo-fi grittiness to the snare in question. The point is that we want to choose the sample that’s either (1) naturally set up for success in our mix (the ideal scenario), or (2) could be set up for success with the tools we have at our disposal, without totally compromising the aspects that drew us to it in the process.
Break down the notes
If you’re A/Bing melodic ideas, another strategy that might help you arrive to a decision is analysing the shape, or contour, of each sample. Sometimes, a melody sounds great in isolation, but simply doesn’t work with the chord progression that has already been established in your track.
If you can pick up on this by ear, great. If you’re struggling, try transcribing the samples using MIDI—even if it’s just outlining the most important pitches (as opposed to recreating every detail). From there, see how they interact with what’s going on in your composition. Does your chord progression end on a dominant V chord, while the melody lands firmly on the tonic? Does the sample actually revolve around a mode that clashes with your track? If tension is desired as an aesthetic effect, these things can be totally fine—if not, perhaps that sample isn’t the best fit.
One thing to note is that similar to timbre, there’s always some room for manipulation here. If you’re auditioning pitched vocal chops, for example, you can easily cut and rearrange the waveform to better align with your chords, or repitch a particular note by a few semitones to compliment your cadence. However, if you’re looking for a more organic sound—say a trumpet melody for a jazz breakdown—then chopping or repitching might introduce undesired artifacts.
Dig deep for your samples
Lastly, if you’re auditioning sample after sample and just can’t seem to find ‘the one,’ consider experimenting with how you’re searching. Are you always ordering your results the same way? Do you tend to instinctively reach for the same batch of samples you recorded a few years ago?
Many of us gravitate towards auditioning the same handful of sounds out of habit, even when they might not be the best match for our track—being a little more intentional about changing up our process can spark new ideas and inspiration.
Context is key
The salient theme that permeates all of the techniques we explored today is that context is key when it comes to auditioning samples. Rather than evaluating a sound in isolation, we want to always be thinking about how it’ll add value to our track.
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