Not to beat a dead horse(ok, that’s exactly what I’m doing. sue me), but here is an example for all the people who were doubting the validity of sampling in art a few months ago:
ungratefulgrandchild.com/djg … titled.mp3
ungratefulgrandchild.com/kov … tremix.mp3
The second file was composed completely with samples from the first one(I made it, so I know).
Not to beat a dead horse too. But what was interesting about the second song? I was playing that beat on a drum kit yesterday. Hell my kindie kids can play that beat too. But then I know it’s hard to come up with an interesting original song. Good for you.
Sampling is not so much an art as a tool.
Done well it can make for a great song but all too often artists sample because they can’t come up with a decent melody/beat/song of their own.
Man, you’re going to have to try harder than that. the drum beat in PART of the song was nice and simple, because that was the effect I wanted. Not everything is going to be a solo all the time. I was specifically trying to go for an indie rock sort of feel, and lots of songs like that have pretty simple beats. If I WANTED to it would be easy to program beats that physically cannot be played live, and that’s without even getting into chopping up the hits, varying the pitch, etc.
But you knew that. Let me ask you something: can your drum play the other sounds in the song? Of course not. As a matter of fact a large number of the sounds used could not be played by any instrument at all.
You seem to want to trash the quality of my composition. That’s a matter of taste. However, the fact is that it was created completely from the other piece(which also heavily used samples of course). Since you’re addressing it separately, you’ve validated my argument.
If it’s so easy, be my guest and make your own. That mp3 was all I used.
[quote=“Spack”]Sampling is not so much an art as a tool.
Done well it can make for a great song but all too often artists sample because they can’t come up with a decent melody/beat/song of their own.[/quote]
Did you listen to the files? Please listen to the files. I don’t see how you could be saying that if you had.
PS:
Let’s hear one of yours.
[quote=“joehiphop”][quote=“Spack”]Sampling is not so much an art as a tool.
Done well it can make for a great song but all too often artists sample because they can’t come up with a decent melody/beat/song of their own.[/quote]
Did you listen to the files? Please listen to the files. I don’t see how you could be saying that if you had.[/quote]
Yes, I listened to the files. I liked the first one, but didn’t care much for the second. However, I do admire your technical skill at being able to use samples to create music. Make more. I believe you will get better and better at it.
The point I was trying to make is, that sampling is a tool. Use this tool well, like Fatboy Slim, and you’ll make great music and a lot of money.
Sure, but following that line of reasoning any instrument aside from the human voice is a tool as well. I’m not saying that piecing together samples on a computer is the same thing as playing an instrument live; it’s not and each presents its own unique set of challenges. As for fatboy slim, what he does is very, very simple. His music gets people going, and that’s cool, but he’s really not someone I would personally look up to as a producer.
So you agree that sampling is an instrument (a tool if you prefer) of sorts?
A distinction also needs to be made here between two kinds of sampling:
Yours is an example of this second kind; you’re clearly not just copying someone else’s song or stealing the main ‘idea’.
I am not against the first kind of sampling as long as the result is something different, something that sounds good, and is not just a pale imitation.
As a fellow sampler I would have thought you would admire Fatboy. The guy’s a legend, but perhaps you think his sampling skills are mediocre at best? Help me out here.
Sure, he’s famous and he makes a lot of money, but that’s because he caters to a mass audience. He makes pop, which is not wrong per se, and I enjoyed listening to some of his work when he was younger, but technically and musically what he does lacks subtlety/complexity.
As for the distinction between types of sampling, I agree. The first kind is plagiarism. However, there is a large gray area between the two categories. I would say that for instance when puff daddy used that led zeppelin song it definitely fell into the first category, but a lot of other hip beats involve enough modification to the original samples to make them something else entirely(the gray album is a good example of this).
Actually Jimmy Page objected to that. He went in and rerecorded the riff from Kashmir. Listen to both songs they are different
See, there’s the rub: if I were in a cover band and we played kashmir note for note at gigs, nobody would have a problem. But if I made a completely new composition from kashmir(and likely other sample sources) that was very different in sound and mood from the original, many people would. Does that really make sense?
Yes it makes sense. If you were a robot you could play it note for note as it appears on the album. However because we are humans and therefore not perfect we tend to make mistakes either in tone (the way the guitar, bass, vocals, drums and other instruments) or in the tonal aspects of the song, maybe your guitar or bass or drums are not in tune. These mistakes are what makes music fun. If we played perfectly everytime life would be so boring. As for me posting a song online it’s a process more involved than smapling. My band is going through some growing pains. We may have lost another drummer, number 2.
I found the first one “untitled” very difficult to listen to. Maybe I am to used a beat I can follow!
I like the remix better!
Anyone using Fruity Loops or Rebirth? I just got these 2 programs and I LOVE them!!!
Swing, tone, yes. That’s why it’s standard practice for producers to vary the timing/volume/pitch/etc. of their notes/hits by slight amounts if they want a live sound. Of course, nobody is trying to replace live instrumentalists, so if that’s what makes the whole idea threatening to you then you can lay it to rest right now. Sampling is its own thing, with its own strengths and weaknesses. Many bands these days sample and manipulate their jam sessions. Why? Because it provides a different way of thinking about music, a different creative outlet, and some things can be done with sampling that just can’t be done any other way.
As for the cover band thing, I’m not arguing against cover bands. Not at all. I just think what they do is much closer to “stealing” than what a lot of artists who use sampling do.
I guess simply learning to play a guitar or drums is just too damn hard. I think I’m going to “sample” Hemingway and write the Great American Novel. 
Listen to the files. Your arguments have been addressed. You are a reactionary.
Are collages art?
And what about people who sample themselves playing instruments? What about bands who do so? Why, in your world view, would they possibly do this? I’m dying to know.
No talent?
Whatever sounds good. Stop being a baby BLueface.