Do you think that using loops/presets/sample packs is 'lazy'

[corpu5]

i dont think there's anything wrong in using loops as long as you layer them with your own elements.

[Gurnumsbug]

I don't use loops..but I sure use too many samples!
Nothing wrong with loops though..just make them your own!

[wub]

Get over the feeling that you're doing something wrong and make music.

Nothing wrong with loops though..just make them your own!

If it sounds good, it sounds good.

All of this. People bitching about whether they should use a sound that comes from such and a such a place is utter waste IMO, detracts from the process entirely.

[bassinine]

personally, i wouldn't completely rely on loops/presets and never bother to learn synthesis...

but like they said, there's no such thing as 'wrong' if the end result sounds good.

[mthrfnk]

Depends how you use them.

If you say take a piano loop, layer it on say 2 live drum loops, chuck over a shouty vocal loop, then add a sub bass and call it a day - that's a bit of a sham.

If you take a piano loop and incorporate it into a track and make up accompanying chords/bass or adapt the actual notes into a new synth, that's more credible imo.

Same goes for drum loops, I really don't see the problem in chopping and EQ'ing up a few loops to sit nicely over some exisiting drums you may have (I do this sometimes - I layer multiple live drum loops over sequenced drum patterns to get a more "live feel" to things like hats and ghost hits, using EQ to cut everything except the elements I want).

[Electric_Head]

Get your heads out of your asses.
I've used a complete drum loop before, I make sure it is unique though.
I'd like any of you to go and identify one of the samples I've used.
Using samples does not imply using the same sample packs used by 1000000 ppl.

Once again, it all boils down to how you use it.
You can know everything about synthesis and all the technicalities involved, if your produce crap with your knowledge then you've achieved what?
Focus first and foremost on producing music.

[bassinine]

Get your heads out of your asses.
I've used a complete drum loop before, I make sure it is unique though.
I'd like any of you to go and identify one of the samples I've used.
Using samples does not imply using the same sample packs used by 1000000 ppl.

Once again, it all boils down to how you use it.
You can know everything about synthesis and all the technicalities involved, if your produce crap with your knowledge then you've achieved what?
Focus first and foremost on producing music.

everyone in here since your last post has agreed with you, you realize that right? so who's supposed to be getting their head out of their ass? is it you?

only people who are shit will tell others not to use samples/loops. also, people that are just beginning to grasp synthesis also might hate on your for using them. but fuck everyone else but you - when it comes to your tunes at least.

[Zkeeto]

Hey all,
Im thinking about buying "Arabic Vibes" from prime loops. It says it has 20 Complete Song Kits
162 Loops, 39 Arabic String Loops. since they're loops, does that mean I can only use them in thier loop or can I use them as their own instrument to make my own loop(without re sampling). one more thing, Would it be best do download it as .wav files or an ableton live pack?
Thanks

[nameless133]

Chop the loops and load them to samplers.

[Zkeeto]

yeah im gonna do that if I cannot find a workaround

[Aufnahmewindwuschel]

loops are samples that loop!?

you can loop pretty much everything and make pretty much every loop into a one shot stab or sth like that

[Benedict]

Yesterday I posted a topic about converting audio drum loops to MIDI and now I have my answers...

However, what happens when you really, really want to use a specific loop? Surely the hip-hop guys get away with using sampled drum loops all the time?
If there are any experienced producers here, please share your thoughts

> Do we split them into the separate hit sounds, then EQ each on it's own channel?
(The obvious solution but it never works for me. Perhaps it's my own mixing ineptitude, but my drum loops usually sound patchy and weird because high-hats get lost when mixed with bass drums etc)

> Do we layer it a bunch of times and apply different EQ to emphasize different parts?

> Is it plain-old-out-of-the-question because an audio loop can never be mixed properly?

[constrobuz]

if you want to maintain the groove of the loop then just use careful eqing. use an EQ with spectrum analysis and spike the frequencies of the kick, snare, and hat, so you dont muddy everything up. this is what i tend to do if a use a drum loop.

or if you dont care so much of the groove or rhythm of the loop, then cut hits out of the loop then sequence them however you want, then you can EQ and/or add effects to each drum seperately. of course you could try to recreate the exact rhythmic pattern of the loop after cutting them out but it will be very difficult to get the exact same groove.

[Sharmaji]

just use it.

[Electric_Head]

As sharmaji says, just use it.
If it works and sounds good then what's the issue.

[deadly_habit]

if you want to maintain the groove of the loop then just use careful eqing. use an EQ with spectrum analysis and spike the frequencies of the kick, snare, and hat, so you dont muddy everything up. this is what i tend to do if a use a drum loop.

or if you dont care so much of the groove or rhythm of the loop, then cut hits out of the loop then sequence them however you want, then you can EQ and/or add effects to each drum seperately. of course you could try to recreate the exact rhythmic pattern of the loop after cutting them out but it will be very difficult to get the exact same groove.

It's nice to see you not trolling for a change considering you make dope music.

Basically if it sounds good use it be it a preset/loop/sample pack, it's the end result that matters. It's easy to tell when something is 100% dry presets and samples though so processing becomes more of a thing.
Here's a personal example for you

One of my most popular tunes and it's all 100% samples no synthesis at all.
The crowd noises I think I got from freesound or just googling or asking a bud for some crowd sounds.
The sax is from a jazz sample pack a bud posted on DOA (originally from a history of jazz book I think).
The rhodes was a preset midi demo for lounge lizard iirc or from an old akai sample/loop cd.
The vocals are from an old akai blues and jazz vocal sample cd.
The bass is an 808.
The upright bass is an akai sample cd multisample.
The main break and the breakdown one are both from sample packs as well.

This tune landed in as unsigned tune of the month in Knowledge magazine back when it wasn't just digital and still in print and quite highly praised.
The remix by Theory which just basically sped it up to more modern mixable bpm landed on Marcus Intalex's Fabriclive mix cd.

Just goes to show you that it doesn't matter where you get the sources, but how you use them that counts, that's not to say I wasn't chopping and processing the hell out of things, it's still a lot of work.

Use whatever sounds good.

[Artie_Fufkin]

What if the oscillators in my soft synth are actually just single cycles from samples?

[Hircine]

What if the oscillators in my soft synth are actually just single cycles from samples?

aka massive and absynth.

[Cryoshok]

2009...What resurrected this thread? lol

I agree with the idea that loops/sample packs/etc are fine. I think as long as you make them your own in at least some way, whether it be processing or rearrangment then you are not being truly lazy...you are just doing intelligent selection of elements in your work. That being said, there are no real rules here...are you making music for people who enjoy music or for other producers? Normal people will never care or know.

I consider the extreme example of this is that Steve Angello track "Knas" which I believe is primarily just a vengeance loop with nothing special really done to it which achieved mainstream popularity. I consider that lazy...but regular people don't give a shit so good for him.

[Artie_Fufkin]

^Normal people don't care

What if the oscillators in my soft synth are actually just single cycles from samples?

aka massive and absynth.

They're just fancy samplers.
How do soft synth oscillators work, actually? Do they all just use looped samples? What about noise oscillators?