I have nothing against sample packs broadly but they’re not for me personally… for the most part. I guess I’ve never found much use for commercial packs. In a pack of 1000 samples there might be 3 or 4 that grab me in some way yet they’re usually samples I could easily make myself and I enjoy sampling. That being said I’ve traded homemade packs with friends plenty over the years and have had a fair bit of inspiration and utility from those.
Again, to each their own. I certainly see the appeal for some people. I’m not trying to produce unit shifters or MainStage edm bangers or whatever (again, to each their own) and making samples is a big part of the reason I use them at all.
For sure. The approach I take is to randomly pick a few for whatever part I’m using samples for (9/10 times, it’s drums of some sort). I rarely use melodic samples so this approach works quite well, but my sample collection is also pretty heavily curated and highly organized. I will happily delete samples or folders out of packs if I don’t like those particular ones. I imagine if one’s samples aren’t organized or if the collection is massive it might not work.
My main problem with samples at this point is that I know that some of my samples aren’t cleared and will never be cleared, which makes me hesitant to use them in certain contexts.
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Yes I use sample packs. I don’t really deal with option paralysis because I use an AI sample browser and just punch in searches for what I need. So I don’t let the theme of the pack influence me at all. I know what I want to make already and am just looking for specific sounds to get me there.
What’s the best pack for Juno bass sounds? I miss my 106 which I sold 9 years ago and the Legowelt pack doesn’t cut it. Ideally I’m looking for monophonic multisamples with a nice bottom end.
edit: nevermind - decided to record my own sample kits using a vst…
Answering OP’s question: I’ve bought a lot of sample packs (mostly drum one shots) over the last years, but never really liked the results. I think I lack the knowledge of how to make these sound good and like my music at the same time, especially with sampled acoustic drums.
Only now that I’ve started to sample my own stuff (mostly drums from Elektrons, a few of my synths, a few field recordings), I’m making music with them that sound good and like me. So at least for me, it’s important to know where these sounds are coming from and have some kind of relation to them in order to make them work in my own music. But I know there’s lots of people making bangers with samples from mars etc. so it’s something personal.
Glad to see you opened your eyes, OP, I did the same and I don’t think we need to be gaslighting tools. There is no reason to be negative about people using purchased samples in general music production. If we find someone that claims to be something they are not and they use samples, maybe it’s a good idea to call them out, maybe not. It won’t change anything relevant anyway. I had the fear of squandering my own unique creativity so I avoided getting sample packs and made the sounds myself. Terribly inefficient! This negativity around sample packs is similar to bro science in gyms, when it comes down to it, there is no right and wrong to predict, only results. We can’t avoid creating our own sound if we practice over time
I can see how avoiding samples for a practice project can be good to get you out of a rut if the rut involves samples but that is the same as a carpenter saying “I’ll be using hand tools today”. This is a non issue unless you can’t make music without copying others (you’d be limited to a lucurative professional carreer) and the fix is simple (become a bedroom producer). That last bit was humor if that was lost on anyone.
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I don’t have any strong position on samples, but I don’t really like using “complete” or composite samples like full chord progressions or drum loops.
I use a lot samples for drums, instead of synthesis, although I will normally use a synth for the kick.
Also use samples a lot for utility reasons like risers, crashes, noise textures, single notes or chords.
If I use a more complete sample, I would typically be chopping it up, heavily modifying it, or otherwise recontextualising the sample into something very different from its origin.
Another exception is I’ll often record drum loops or chord progressions from my own synths then use them like a sample pack in later compositions.
I get the feeling these use cases are pretty typical
No Juno sample pack suggestions tho
Yeah for me this is kinda it.
For me the question comes down to how substansive something is. Dropping in chords, melodies etc are substansive parts of a song. It’s why Ten by Fred Again was so contraversial last year year, since it’s basically a sample pack layered up.
But it’s possible to take a sample pretty far. Eg; take a chord progression. On its own, yeah it’s probably a bit much to take it and run with it, because melodic elements are the basis of most songs. However in Ableton, you could slice that chord up, sequence it through an arp then pitch it up/down - run it through effects or randomisation etc. At that point, there’s a moderate or even a major difference between source and modified sound. Then if you take that, play a synth over it and come up with a unique melody, then that sample loop may just come in pretty handy.
I tend to find that non-substansive supporting elements are more OK to use loops for, if for no other reason that you can use that time for writing the track itself. By non-substansive, I mean you could swap the sound out and it wouldn’t affect the track. This mostly applies to things like perc loops that sure make a slight difference to the feel, but don’t define the overall track itself. Same goes for things like hits and individual sounds, or little effects noises. Again you can still process these, but since they’re hits that’s kinda what they’re for.
So yeah, I find it useful to think whether something is really substansively altering the track and that’s a pretty good idea of whether a sample from a pack is worth using or not. If it’s doing too much work then it needs more mangling. And of course there’s the age-old trick of making a track with a sample or loop in in and then deleting it right at the end.
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I love all samples. Loops, one shots, synths, drums.
I manipulate the ever loving crap out of them. And THEN I’ll add synths or whatever Im feeling.
Heck, I enjoy sample packs just to spark more time on the 404 or Maschine.
But I also love fully analog semi modular stuff too. I’m just a fan of sound in general.
No wrong answers, yay or nay in my book. We need both camps in the game.
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Life and everything in it is nothing more than a bunch of big organic sample packs.
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I was kind of fiending for Maschine Expansions for a while but found option paralysis too much, so I threw most of them off my Maschine and keep the Browser in user view (unless I am browsing through synth patches).
I do sample a lot (mostly from records), and can bend a small amount of drum samples I have been using over the years to my style.
That’s enough for me (and has actually turned my Maschine+ from a weird groovebox to the best ‘classic MPC’ there is.
ynay
Sorry for necrobumping this old thread! I couldn’t find a better topic and didn’t want to start a new one just to ask about juno samples…
And on the topic: I think most sample packs are garbage and waste of time and money, but otherwise I’m all for sampling. One-shots or loops, whatever gets you there!
In that context, I say yay all the way!
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you might check out LEGOWELT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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I’m a big Samples From Mars fan.
If you wait 11 months, they do a sale on Black Friday for some ridiculously low amount for all their samples.
Anyway, for Juno stuff, you can try this: JUNOS FROM MARS | Samples From Mars
Black Friday sale still on.
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