In the world of music production, samples serve as an incredibly versatile tool for achieving unique sounds and textures.
While resources like Splice Sounds offer access to millions of high-quality samples, your creative possibilities expand exponentially when you consider all the different ways you can manipulate them, as opposed to solely using them in their original form. In this article, we explore a few innovative sample processing techniques that can help take your production chops to the next level.
Let’s dive in!
1. Granular synthesis
Granular synthesis is a processing technique where a sample is broken down into tiny fragments, or ‘grains,’ and then rearranged to achieve new sounds.
One possible use case of granular synthesis is transforming a percussive sample into a melodic one—for example, here’s a synth pad we created out of a two-second hit of a frying pan:
By emphasizing smaller groupings of the grains, the opposite can also be achieved—a soaring melody could be reimagined into a glitchy, rhythmic texture. For a step-by-step walkthrough on how to get started with granular synthesis in the DAW, check out our detailed guide below:
2. Resampling
What if you made a sample out of a sample? Resampling is a popular production technique where a processed version of a sample is printed and then further manipulated as a new sample. This can be repeated as many times as you wish, and can allow you to layer a multitude of effects to create complex textures (while also preserving your CPU, since you’ll be working with a fresh audio file each time).
Below, we showcase how you can craft a sample with Create and then resample it to design unique timbres:
You can also now upload your own audio to Create, which further expands the flexibility you have when it comes to creating a sample that feels like it’s uniquely yours.
3. Spectral processing
Spectral processing involves manipulating the frequency spectrum of a sample. Unlike traditional forms of EQ, which adjust the volume of certain frequency bands, spectral processing can selectively alter specific frequencies, harmonics, or even the phase relationships within a sound.
Plugins like iZotope’s RX can be used to view and manipulate audio in a spectrum analyzer, which visualizes the distribution of individual frequencies in a way that’s completely unique from a standard digital EQ. Spectral processing can be used to warp the core characteristics of a sample, or for much more subtle use cases such as noise reduction and audio repair.
A violin part, as seen on a spectrogram
4. Reversing effects
Reversing samples is an easy way to create interesting and unexpected sounds. That said, you can take this idea a step further by reversing isolated effects or attributes of a sample.
For example, reversing reverbs and delays while maintaining the sample as-is can add a unique sense of movement to your sound. Blending a dry sample with its reversed counterpart can also yield interesting results—if it’s a harmonic sample, just make sure you slice the audio region by chord before reversing to avoid unintended dissonances.
5. Multi-band processing
Last but not least, multi-band processing involves splitting a sample into multiple frequency bands and processing each band independently. This technique allows for precise control over different characteristics of the sample, and can be used for both corrective and creative purposes.
For example, using multi-band processing to apply reverb solely to the high frequencies of a sample can create a shimmering, ethereal effect, while keeping the lower frequencies untouched avoids muddiness. Or, distorting just the mid frequencies can add grit and presence to a vocal or instrument sample, while keeping the low and high frequencies clean for clarity.
If you’d like to try experimenting with multi-band distortion yourself, Unplugred’s Prisma is a plugin that we featured in our list of top free plugins that’s made for the task:
5 sample processing techniques you need to try: Conclusion
And there you have it! We hope this article gave you some ideas for sample processing that inspire you to open up your DAW and start experimenting. Do you have any techniques of your own that you’d like to share? What other topics would you like to see us cover next? Start a conversation with us and an ever-growing community of music creators via the Splice Discord.
Find and arrange new samples with Create:
August 1, 2024
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