How do you dig?

Just curios to hear some people's methods for digging & finding samples... Where is your first spot to look? What genre do you like to sample from the most? Some stuff like that.

 

I am an avid flea market digger. and as far as finding what works it depends on my mood, somedays I wanna be more specific I will bring out the vestax handytrax and listen to records before I buy other times I read the production credits and track the producers, arrangers, and players, other times you just can't ignore a dope looking cover lol...
I sample from damn near every genre and that goes back to my mood. I know certain genres tend to do well for certain beats for me and other genres I tend to make something in a different way to.
also I love trying to find records from obscure countries... always a good way to get inspiration.

 

Thift Stores, Antique Shops, Record Shops. Basically anywhere that I think there may be records. You never know what you can do with a sample of a random song. I like to pick out the most random records and just chop up parts of the song and create something out of it. But I do sometimes do the same thing as Flux. I usually look at the year, the record label, and the title if I don't have my portable turntable. Other than that just listen to the whole song or just skip to different parts of the song. I am quite new to all of this though, however I do remember I told my friend I was gonna chop up the Red-Nose Reindeer Song. It took me FOREVER to figure something out, but it worked. Oh, how I love my Maschine.

 

im actually pretty excited to get out there and start digging. that seems like one of the more exciting parts of making beats... hunting for the right sample. when you guys come across a record do you just know how your gonna flip the sample? or do you have to chop it up and play with the pads for a while until you find a good groove?

 

I'ma say it like this.... Any & everything! Sampling has NO BOUNDS! All the guys above are correct, just pick what's best for you! Flipping samples is about how you feel at the time. Playing the sample sped up, slowed down, playing it normal, but chopped to hell & back, in reverse, with/without effects, etc. It's just endless MadHatter, IT'S UP TO YOU bruh!

 

To the thrift store I go!

 

Yea, I prefer listening to the full song and recording it at the same time. Go through the song, chop it up till you find something you like. Add some effects, put it in reverse, speed it up, slow it down. Take it to the keys. You can do anything with a sample! Just think of it as a bass or any other sound on the Maschine. There's so much you can do with it. I love my Maschine.

 

as you get more and more used to digging you will find alot of the time when u hear a sample the beat just jumps out at u even if you have to do lots of chopping filtering and re arranging... usually when i hear a record I can hear the opportunity too.

 

its a trial and error thing in many ways at the start....
at some points u think , yeah , thats the **** , to find out it doesnt work at all in a beat , or the way you planned it.
with the time i got a filter in my head that says , ok , nice piece of music .....but too bizzy .... too many hat artefatcts , to slow , wont work pitched ect.

 

yea i like thrift stores and antique stores.
i really just let the covers get me

or the titles

ice cream castle how can you pass eeither of those up? haha

that asian ones all in chinese and its aweosme i also have one thats all in spanish ive gotten cool samples off of.
as for finding samples i ususalyl jsut listen through and wheni hear something cool the beat forms in my head and with maschine its so easy its aweosme
i love maschine

 

Sometimes i like rocking up to a salvation army store and buying their whole collection of records ... then sit their and listen... I have mountains of doubles from doing so but.. meh ... it fun... I don't restrict myself to wax... .. live radio.. itunes of iphone... iphone recording of live instruments... (the iphone mic shits itself and adds mad color to things... ) I sample everything.......

 

thrift stores near where i live - Wimbledon in London UK- don't have any decent stuff

if any Londoners reading this thread could recommend some places to go for digging i would appreciate it.

nice thread

sowari

 

Although I sample primarily from vinyl records, dont forget E-diggin. Its easy to find similar artists in the search engines. Lots of stuff on you tube also, I made a couple beats with you tube samps i'm sure.

 

I'm kind of a sampling freak myself, to me everything can be sampled, modified. Air compressor, Car birds, dogs, whatever.... even TV show & ads. But I guess it depend of how my single brain cell decide to work. Pay attention of any surrounding sound and sample them if you feel you can work with. It's amazing how things pans out after some tweaks.

 

Any of you have a portable recorder? I've been thinking about purchasing the Tascam one thats 150 USD and using it to record anything and everything at good quality. Any recommendations for something with better quality or cheaper that's just as good?

 

@ Jay yeah I use the zoom. H4n. And love it .. very very detailed with alot of options made getting my found sound recording waymore enjoyable.

 

i have a zoom handytrack h2...very portable, and crisp recordings.

 

Sony PCM-d50 for me, really nice unit, sounds pretty good.

 

I love these forums. You post a question and it really does get answered within a few hours even minutes. Native Instruments, oh how I love thee

 

I believe in Notting Hill there is a pretty big record store with 2nd hand stuff. A couple of doors to the right from Nando's.
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If you like Jazz you should visit Ray's Jazz Shop upstairs at Foyle's on Charing Cross. Not cheap though.
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I have a Zoom H2... very clear recordings and pocketable. Batteries don't last very long though.