Pandora Presents... The Art of Sampling

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March 23, 2009

The Art of Sampling

The three members of hip hop group V.E.R.A. Clique, one producer/beatmaker (Dan Craig) and two MCs (Anderson Ray and Macsen Apollo) join producer/beatmaker Johnny Igaz to talk about sampling. We look at hardware vs. software sampling, hear how different drum tones are layered to make for fuller hits, and dissect a sampled production. Craig and Igaz both work here at Pandora as well. (11 mins.)

That link above is to V.E.R.A. Clique's site, but this one is to their Pandora artist profile.

MUSICAL TERMS INCLUDED IN THIS PODCAST

Sampling	Cratedigging	Stick sound	Audio track
Hardware sampler	Rhythm	Snare	Cubase
MPC	Drum beat	Rimshot	Layered clips
Found sound	Snare	Sample library	Low-pass filter
EQ	Bass frequencies	High cut	High-pass filter

WARNING: The musical samples linked below contain explicit lyrics.

JOHNNY IGAZ'S FIVE FAVORITE SAMPLE-BASED TRACKS
in descending order, favorite first -- with comments by Johnny

by the Beastie Boys (1989)

This is my all time favorite sample-based song, produced by the Dust Brothers for the Beastie Boys. Each element is recognizable to even casual listeners (Curtis Mayfield's Superfly bassline is instantly identifiable) but the combination of the different drums and alternate bass / horn loop gives the sample new context. Pay close attention to how many times the drums change (for example on the B-section, quickly switching to a 12-bit crunch) and how many sound effects pop up in the background (Cheech Marin, the little girl screaming, the Jaws theme, etc). A masterpiece of sampling.

by Gang Starr (1998)

You can really hear where DJ Premier is chopping the sample on this. While the main sample is all culled from the same source, each snippet is used rhythmically in a way that the original source clearly was not.

by Blackalicious (2002)

Chief Excel shows that he will sample anything with this basic production. The sample is clearly taken from The Point, a children's film featuring a soundtrack by Harry Nilsson of "Coconut" fame.

by Slum Village (1996)

This classic J Dilla production features a smooth R&B styled beat. The real treat of this song is hearing the James Brown vocal samples that interact with the rap vocals. A production like this must have taken a massive amount of time and great communication between the producer and the vocalists.

by Edan (2005)

This modern song has an old school sound deeply rooted in early 90's sample-based hip-hop. You can hear the layers of samples with the drums, guitar/synth part, and vocal samples in the background. I'm not 100%, but I think the bass synth sample over the verses is from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

Johnny Igaz, one-half of the Ill Mondo production team.

Comments

C'mon, enough with this hip hop "music" ("Music" because it's not real Music, with people singing, it's a bunch of people talking the lyrics) and let's back to serious Music for a change!

Posted by: John at May 3, 2009 07:37 PM

Homie, you have no idea what you're talking about. If you want to say it's not singing, okay, fine. You can't say it's not music though. Either you're bitter about something or can't understand music is bigger than what you can fit inside your tiny brain. You know...the thing a little back and between the horse blinders you wear? Yeah, that.

Posted by: Tha Govna at June 23, 2009 06:52 AM

Okay, back to what I came here to post in the first place.

This "Art Of Sampling" presentation was pretty lame. Though I think the previous poster simply doesn't know what he's talking about, I can't blame him for making the post after listening to this.

Posted by: Tha Govna at June 23, 2009 07:02 AM

March 23, 2009

The Art of Sampling

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