Best way to listen to sample packs?

[Gribble]

Maybe your memory isn't too good, I'm sure most people can remember which samples they like

Yeah, out of several thousand kicks. You're a bit of a dick aren't you?

[mthrfnk]

Maybe your memory isn't too good, I'm sure most people can remember which samples they like

Yeah, out of several thousand kicks. You're a bit of a dick aren't you?

I have my samples pretty well organised and I know what my "go to" samples are and where they're located pack/folder wise... (not that this is a dick measuring contest but my instrument/sample directories come to over 100GB)

If you have several thousand kicks, you have too many imo - you don't need that many and half (or more) are probably shit.

You're only hindering yourself by not at least being semi-knowledgable about packs you have and what the good samples are within that pack (especially if you've bought them - surely you listen to most of a pack after purchase?).

Admitedly it does depend on the track you're making and being "in the moment", which is why I like FL because I can just click through a pack to preview samples on the fly using FL's browser and pick the right one for that track, however having said that if I do get a new pack or collection of samples I'll generally browse through it as soon as I get it (using MPC or FL) to identify what's good and what's not - so I know where to look in the future.

[Artie_Fufkin]

Several thousand kicks? Why not just have 5 that are useable and grab one of those and make a init. Or better yet, just synthesize everything you need, gribble.

I downloaded a pack of female vocals and I didn't have any samples of that before, so I listened to a lot of them. I wasn't trying to make a tune with them, so there was no creative flow to disrupt. Sometimes I just listen to drum samples and find ones I like, make some beats and save them. I can go back to these if I feel like making a tune with them. If I'm just drafting without using the drum sounds I really want, I usually just grab the 808 instrument in renoise.

[sunny_b_uk]

FL is great for this, iv dug thousands of sample packs & lost many hours but i have compiled GBs of organised favourite folders with useful sounds at my disposal.. although half the time i use the sounds as a reference to synthesize something better.
in the long run it was still worth it because it aids in creating better sounds by training your ears to what sounds good and bad.

[Mr 50]

On the subject, always worth having a folder of drums samples that you've per-processed.
Every time I make a track I'll bounce out the really juicy sounds so that they can be used nex time without having to go through muchl processing (only having to adapt the sound for that track rather than wholesale processing).