Sample Generation

After generating one-shots and loops, recheck length, tuning, tail and rights.

Related

SamplerSample ClearanceVelocity

The problem

Generating one-shots and loops is easy. What comes after sampling them is not. The length is wrong, the root note is unclear, the tail is cut, the loop point clicks, and the rights are undocumented. Thirty seconds of generation can turn into three hours of housekeeping, because the material was judged as audio rather than as a sample.

How it works

A one-shot needs a single note, a clean attack and a tail you can control. It will be transposed, stretched and layered, so any reverb or delay gets multiplied. A loop needs whole bars, a stated tempo and key, and ends that join without a seam. Generative models tend to deliver a complete sound with space, atmosphere and an ending, which is the opposite of what a sampler wants. A sample earns its place by being reusable, not by sounding good once.

Practice

Turn off reverb and delay when generating. Leave fifty milliseconds of silence before a one-shot and let the tail decay naturally instead of cutting it. Make loops one, two or four bars long, and put tempo and key in the filename. After sampling, find the root note, then transpose by twelve semitones and listen for formant drift. For percussion, check the phase of each hit and never stack two kicks that oppose each other. On rights, confirm the commercial terms of the generation service and keep the date, prompt and account. Never process a copyrighted recording and present the result as generated.

What to listen for

In the funk groove at 138, listen to where the snare lands. In the hiphop groove at 87, listen to the swing of the hi-hat. In the jazz-funk fill, listen to its length and how it ends. In the jazz-swing groove at 185, listen to the ride pattern that holds the loop together. These decide whether a slice can repeat.

Sources

• 采样制作与循环切分的做法，依采样器与鼓组编配通识核对，未抄原文
• One-shot and loop preparation, checked against general sampler practice, no text copied

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.