When it comes to creating sound, companies love to sell us on the latest and greatest synthesizers and sound engines. And don't get me wrong – I love synthesizers just as much as anyone else, if not more. But there's one method of sound creation that I think often gets overlooked: sampling.
Sampling is the process of recording and manipulating real-world sounds, and it has been used in music production for decades. From the early days of hip-hop, where producers would sample old funk and soul records to create new beats, to modern electronic music, where producers use sampling to create complex, layered textures, sampling has been a cornerstone of many genres of music.
But sampling is more than just a way to create beats and textures. It's the ultimate form of sound creation, because it allows you to create any sound you want, and to manipulate that sound in ways that are impossible with other types of synthesis.
Take, for example, the sound of a bell. With a traditional synthesizer, you might be able to create a decent bell sound, but it would never sound quite like a real bell. But with sampling, you can record the sound of a bell, and then manipulate that sound in ways that are impossible with a traditional synthesizer. You can stretch it, pitch it, reverse it, chop it up into little pieces and rearrange them in any order you want. You can add effects like reverb and delay to create a sense of space and depth. And when you're done, you'll have a bell sound that is truly your own.
The best part about sampling is that it's not expensive. You don't need to shell out thousands of dollars for a fancy synthesizer – all you need is a sampler and some source material. And there are no limits to what you can create. If your sampler only has 2 layers, you can resample those 2 layers and add a layer to that. You can layer sounds on top of each other to create complex, evolving textures. You can take a single sample and use it to create an entire track.
But perhaps the most exciting thing about sampling is the places it can take you. When you set out to sample a sound, you never know where it might lead you. You might sample a bell and end up with a pad. You might sample a bird chirping and end up with a percussion loop. You might sample the sound of a car engine and end up with a bassline. Sampling is a challenging, but ultimately satisfying experience, because it allows you to create sounds that are truly your own.
So the next time you're looking for a new sound to add to your productions, don't overlook sampling. It may just be the ultimate form of sound creation.