{"id":34027,"date":"2025-01-10T12:43:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T17:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=34027"},"modified":"2026-05-11T15:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:56:18","slug":"how-to-create-the-perfect-sample","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/how-to-create-the-perfect-sample\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create the perfect sample: 5 tips and techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Splice team recently visited the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and had the opportunity to share a bit about the magic that happens behind the curtain.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There, 2x GRAMMY-nominated music producer and Splice’s Senior Content Producer John Smythe<\/a> spent a few hours with the students in the control room, breaking down the process for how he creates a perfect sample. Below, we summarize the insights Smythe shared with the students, from ideation to completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creating<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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1. Capture inspiration as it strikes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The process for making a great sample begins before Smythe opens his DAW or sets foot into a studio. “I usually start with a voice memo on my phone,” he says. “I often do this quickly on my guitar in one take whenever ideas come, to capture a general idea of the chord progression, bassline, harmony, and rhythm. It requires a bit of creative vision and skills on an instrument, but having some ideas handy in your voice memos can cut down time fiddling around on the guitar or piano in the studio.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I even like to speak on the voice memo, providing context for my future self coming back to the idea. Sometimes, I play it a second time around, singling out just the melody in case it wasn\u2019t clear when it was coupled with the guitar chords.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Establish a foundation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once he identifies an idea he wants to track, Smythe typically starts with the bass. “The bass outlines and gives structure to the rhythm and harmonic structure of the sample,” he shares. “For slower tempos, I usually record at double the tempo to get a subdivision on the metronome (75 BPM = 150 BPM, 60 BPM = 120 BPM, and so on). Once it’s tracked, make sure it loops nicely.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Build around your strengths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now it’s time to build on the established foundation. Here, Smythe encourages musicians to play into their unique strengths. “After laying down the foundation with the bass, I’ll usually go for guitars, since they’re my strength,” he says. “I\u2019ll do a track outlining the chord progression, and a separate track to add some character and inflections. Sometimes, one track can highlight both the chord progression and the fancier inflections. Then, I’ll lay down another guitar track to play the melody.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the guide below for more tips from Smythe on capturing high-quality recordings of live instruments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recording live bands: 5 fundamental tips for getting a great sound<\/a><\/blockquote>