1.2 Creating Drums With Audio
Sampling used to be done by physically cutting and splicing pieces of tape. Later, digital machines made the process easier, fueling the rise of Hip Hop and EDM. Sampling is another way to give a song its unique identity.
Terms
Sampling: The art of transforming a sound recording into a new piece of music.
Copyright: A type of law that protects people’s creative work—such as music, books, movies, and art—so others can’t copy it without permission.
Public Domain: Creative works whose copyright has expired because they are so old, making them free for anyone to use.
1 | Drums Part 1
Choose a template
William Tell | Moonlight Sonata | Funeral March | Maurice Tango | Toccata And Fugue | Rhapsodie Hongroise
and write a basic drum pattern.
2 | Choose The Tempo
Change the tempo of your song intentionally by finding the BPM of a track you like. Just search for the song name + “BPM” in Google.
3 | Find Main Sample
Find a four bar section of your sample that you would like to use for the main part of the beat.
4 | Drums Part 2
Make adjustments to the drum pattern by listening to it along with the sample for inspiration.
5 | Add Bass
Add an 808 track and add a low pitched, rhythmic melody using the root note of the song. The root note is in the title of each template.
6 | Note Slices
Change your grid size to 1/2 note and split a section of your sample into slices. Name the slices to make them easy to remember.
7 | Make A Pattern
Create a sample based pattern by reorganizing the slices into a four bar phrase. Listen back and adjust with intention.
8 | Arrange
Arrange your sample slice pattern, main sample, drums, and bass to create an intro and main section.
9 | Adjust
Listen back to the arrangement and adjust the main section if needed.
10 | Add Detail
Add detail with drum fills, subtraction, crashes, builds, or sound effects to give your arrangement more refinement.