Re:sampling
After writing that post a few day ago about experimenting with the EPS-16+ sampler, I listened to a friend’s podcast which happened to be about sampling as an art form. It got me thinking: there’s definitely something about the overall sound of the early sampling era that is both distinct and difficult to replicate (authentically, IMO) using modern production techniques.
As I mentioned in my post, early samplers could only record a few seconds of audio; you had to build a groove out of many layers of sonic fragments. If you wanted to record longer passages of music (or simply a greater number of different sounds) you had had to lower the sample rate (record at a lower quality setting) to get the best mileage out of the sampler’s limited memory (~1 megabyte in the case of the EPS-16+). At the same time, recording at a lower sample rate obscured the sounds, making them darker, grainy, distorted.
But as “better” samplers became available for less money, higher fidelity meant samples weren’t necessarily obscured by the act of sampling itself. Larger storage capacities meant it was possible to assemble entire libraries of crystal-clear samples and long phrases. Both factors would have meant that samples were easier to recognize within a mix unless a producer went out of the way to edit and intentionally obscure them. Moreover, having long, clear phrases makes it a lot easier to build a solid (though potentially more “derivative”) groove from pre-fabricated parts of other songs.
It makes me wonder what kind of correlation might have existed between the rise of sampling-related lawsuits and improvements in the technology.
There’s probably a name for this
It was the ambient dusklight, the taste of exhaust hanging too long in the air, wishing I had worn a sweatshirt.
Sifting through a barrel of memories, grasping a handful of matching shards.
Déjà-vu-like but not, echoes “I felt this before, sometime else.”
Tonight: it’s stepping outdoors with Spring bathwater-neutral against your skin,
in reverse.
Last year, the year before? Which records were I listening to then?
Sometimes I imagine myself standing on the very cusp of the amazing-rest-of-my-life just waiting to unfold. And I’ve got everything I need.
I live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, and my rent is reasonable. I live in a comfortable apartment, with the biggest bedroom of any place I’ve ever lived, in a neighborhood I love. My landlord is friendly and responsive to my concerns. I can see the Empire State Building from my roof. I am friends with my roommates, and we avoid cable bills by watching TV on the computer. I am friends with my neighbors, who offer me cold drinks and jerk chicken hot off the grill on weekends.
In an aimless mood tonight
Just goofing around with layering some synths and samples.
Put Your Flags In The Air
Last Night
“Excuse me, officer, but can you tell us what the problem is?”
“This in an UNauthorized party. I’m only going to tell you to leave one more time.”
“I understand, but I was just wondering if there was a particular problem or offense? Maybe they could turn the music down a bit?”
“I’m just following my orders. What, are you…some kind of reporter?”
“No, I’m just a guy who lives in the neighborhood and was enjoying the party.”
“Because you’re asking questions like a reporter.”
“We going home,” my neighbor said, defeated. “Home, sweet Home.”