There are many ways to get and use samples to make music. Traditionally, sampling would take pieces of other songs and make it into something new. You can see this with many famous and popular songs (Example: Beyonce´s Crazy in Love was sampled from InDeep´s Last Night A DJ Saved My Life). I will talk about how you can use samples for free using my Smoothie Beats Sample Pack as an example to keep things simple. I have broken this down into 3 styles of sampling.
Style 1
I would say that this style is best for the hobbyist / practitioner producer. It is not the best for monetizing or distribution. The main reason I believe it is not best for monetizing is because royalty-free sample pack will have you competing with other producers and songwriters and you will all have the same sound.
Allow me to give a personal example. In one of my songs, ¨Symbiotic,¨ I used a royalty-free sample and now someone else's name is shown under my song (regardless that I released mine first).
When you listen to both songs, you can tell they are 2 totally different songs but there is that one main royalty-free sample we both used from the Cymatics FL Starter Pack: Future Base E Piano Loop 2. If you are trying to prove copyright, this can easily become complicated. With this style of sampling, proceed with caution understanding this main point. This is why it is best for the hobbyist / practitioner that doesn't need to monetize or distribute and why it is better to do Style 2 sampling if you want 100% creative freedom and ownership. With all that being said, I still enjoy doing Style 1 for fun and for practice. 😊 So let's talk about how to do Style 1!
Style 1 STEPS
Import the sample to your DAW.
Find other samples like drums, synths, etc. to add to your song. There are many websites for free and royalty-free samples. I will link some at the end.
If you prefer to take on more of a creator position than that of an arranger of samples, make your own drums and patterns using your musical skills on a keyboard, sampler or MPC with VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology Instruments)/Plugins or One-shots.
Arrange your music into a song form of your choice -OR- Leave it as a 2, 4, 8 bar loop for someone else to make it into a song to sing / play / rap on (e.g. collaborations).
When you are satisfied with your sample, export it as a .wav file at 48kHz or 96kHz.
Style 2
This is the ¨make it your own¨ style that I recommend for the Indie/Pro musicians, songwriters and producers because you can monetize and distribute it easily. This is what I do with 15% of my songs.
Style 2 STEPS
Import the sample to your DAW.
Slice / Chop the sample into something new (I use Studio One's Impact XT to do this).
Find or make your own drum beat pattern.
You can slice / chop other samples like synths, keys, etc. to add to your song. Again, I will link some websites for more royalty-free websites at the end.
Using your musical skills on a keyboard, sampler or MPC with VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology Instruments)/Plugins or One-shots to add some nuance and change. You can try thinking of a Trio (3), Quartet (4), Quintet (5) band to be your guide when making a song to help you keep your song simple before you get too happy by adding too many instruments.
Arrange your music into a song form of your choice -OR- Leave it as a 2, 4, 8 bar loop for someone else to make it into a song to sing / play / rap on (e.g. collaborations).
When you are satisfied with your sample, export it as a .wav file at 48kHz or 96kHz.
Style 3
This is the most recommended ¨make it your own¨ for the Pro / Indie Musician, songwriter and producer. You get 100% ownership, monetization and distribution comes easily. This is what I do with 80% of my songs.
Style 3 STEPS
Import the sample to your DAW.
Slice / Chop the sample into something new (I use Studio One's Impact XT to do this).
Find or make your own drum beat pattern.
You can slice / chop other samples like synths, keys, etc. to add to your song. Again, I will link some websites for more royalty-free websites at the end.
Using your musical skills on a keyboard, sampler or MPC with VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology Instruments)/ Plugins or One-shots to add some nuance and change. You can try thinking of a Trio (3), Quartet (4), Quintet (5) band to be your guide when making a song to help you keep your song simple before you get too happy by adding too many instruments.
Arrange your music into a song form of your choice -OR- Leave it as a 2, 4, 8 bar loop for someone else to make it into a song to sing / play / rap on (e.g. collaborations).
When you are satisfied with your sample, export it as a .wav file at 48kHz or 96kHz.
Royalty-Free Sample Websites for Free Downloads
I will add more to this list as I find them!😉
Looperman - This is a community of music makers. Share what you create with the sample maker to keep the community alive!😊
Freesound - You need to create a free account to download samples.
Landr - You will have to create an account and scroll down the bottom of the page to find the FREE SAMPLES and you only have about 6 credits (i.e. 6 free sample packs) you can download for free.
Loopazon - Create a free account to download the samples. Another music maker community.
Noiiz - You need to create a free account to download samples
Free Plugin and VST websites
*Most of these you need to create a free account to download the plugins
Do a google search for more free VST & FX plugins like: Production Music Live, SoundBrenner, Output, etc.
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