Pros/Cons of a huge sample library...

[SirSedric]

My sample library is off the charts... no other way to put it... I've got around 10GB of drum samples, near 100GB of Reason ReFills, about 5GB of REX files I bought and another 2-3GB in REX files I've made and I don't even know how many mp3s and wavs/aiffs of samples I've pulled but have yet to chop or even really get to..maybe 1GB total of those.

On the upside, I have access to just about any sound that I could want. I've taken the time to catalog and program all my favorites to EXS instruments for Logic and NN-XTs for Reason so I can use them in either program... wherever I end up doing my composition that day. Also, it's rare that I hear a sound that in my head that I want on a track that I can't recreate through samples or software...also real familiar with Reason, so sound design is not an obstacle.

On the other hand, sometimes my eyes get crossed pouring through perfectly numbered and organized lists of hi-hats and snares and kicks and stabs and fx and percs and tambourines and timbales and whatever the hell else I'm looking for.... also, sometimes I get stuck on focusing on the specifics of managing such a large library which when combined with the glorious green and sticky can be distracting to actually getting stuff done.

I've some producers out there say "you only need 10 kicks, 10 snares, 10 hats, etc...", I've seen some of my friends libraries rivaling mine as well...

How do you guys feel about it?

 

[lion-ucs]

Way I see it, the pros outweigh the cons of a huge sample library

really the only con that isn't really that controllable is the capacity.
other than that, you can organize your libraries to make finding specific sounds easier.

But having a seemingly endless supply of sounds available to you, to gather ideas and inspiration from is more valuable.

 

[LDB]

It's a drug. I have waaaaaaaay more than I need or will ever use but I can't see myself deleting any of it. It's definitely a bigger headache than it's worth and if I had it to do all over again I wouldn't have half of it. In reality all you need is a handful of kits that you would actually use based on the type of music that you are GOOD at producing. I would love to be a great RnB producer but I am not. If I would tailor my sounds based on the type of music that I'm actually pretty good at producing I would lose probably 3/4 of my library.

What I'm doing now to curb my appetite for kits and sounds is to build templates for each genre of music that I either already produce in or would like to learn how to produce. I find that this has given me more focus. I get songs started and completed more frequently like that.

Having an arsenal of sounds and going through them looking for that magic combination does nothing but frustrate you and waste time. You'll end up sacrificing creativity! Took me a loooonnnngggg time to figure that out.

 

[SirSedric]

Having an arsenal of sounds and going through them looking for that magic combination does nothing but frustrate you and waste time. You'll end up sacrificing creativity! Took me a loooonnnngggg time to figure that out.

Indeed, I feel like I've wasted time gathering and organizing that could have been spent making music or staying up on my website or something. Also very true that it's like a drug... I'm hooked for sure.

 

[eldiablo]

Having an arsenal of sounds and going through them looking for that magic combination does nothing but frustrate you and waste time. You'll end up sacrificing creativity! Took me a loooonnnngggg time to figure that out.

Id have to agree, you have to put your foot down somewhere and decide if that 3 hours you spent looking for the perfect kick is time well spent. I like it when my workflow is faster. Usually I'll have an idea of what needs to go where and if I spend to much time looking for that element I'll just try to manipulate or recreate to fit. I have been in other peoples studios working, and going through their sounds at times have been nightmares. Organization is a must for a streamlined workflow, but what good is that if you have the world to look through.

Pros: you have all those sounds
Cons: storage, the time it takes finding what you want out of it.

 

[slik da relic]

i have alot of samples as well, but the one thing ive realized is that 1gb is alot when ur talkin bout one shot sounds like drums... i figure 3 - 5gb is good enuff for me... 10gb is too much to go thru... and alot of times 10 sounds is actually one sound with some type of effect or pitch on it, that u can do urself... thats what made me actually stop... i only keep the most unique sounds now when i search thru folders and websites.

da relic

 

[Relic]

I have @ least 500 gigs of crap , not very organized either but I couldnt part with it.

 

[eldiablo]

I have @ least 500 gigs of crap , not very organized either but I couldnt part with it.

thats wasting up good porn space,,,,

who am i to judge i have like 2.25 TB of misc data

 

[lion-ucs]

Maybe you guys should take those loads of samples, kits and sounds and get into other forms of music

Everyone always asks me what kind of music I produce, usually I just say something like "Mostly Hip-Hop. You know, Rap, R&B, Neo-Soul -- Neo-Soul more than R&B, cause I like it better. But honestly I can do anything. If I listen to the kind of music and study it, I can make it..."

I know its may come off as a jack-of-all-trades thing, but I don't it actually is. If you have the ability to do a bigger range of genres, styles, etc. that will make you more valuable. There is more opportunities that can open up for you. So I'd say instead of worrying about how much space you have left, just get another hdd and study up on the samples you have and think, 'what does it (typically) take to make this kind of music? How do you get *this* sound?' That is, if you're open to it. I mean, I've been wanting to do rock for a long time, and I'm just now doing so for a film my uncle is doing in the future (something else I've been wanting to do, film/tv/games/commercial) because now I don't just have the ear, but the knowledge and sound for it.


Oh and eldiablo, does anyone download porn these days?
Its all about the redtubes and pornhubs now. lol

 

[Sucio]

It's always better to have more than not have enough....

But when you don't have enough, you begin to get creative with manipulating what you have....so you guys are kind of spoiled to have so many sounds at your disposal....I wish I had all that shit at home....I'd have to drive 30 min to get access to all those good sounds....

Downloading porn? youjizz .com is where it's at! Days of downloading porn are over....there's a youtube site for porn every which way through the net...

 

[slik da relic]

yea... even the pornstars aint makin that much money these days.

da relic

 

[Chrono]

Samples are an important element in my projects but they can be a waste of time on the creative process spending the time to search instead of get down to the music. Composing is the foundation of what I do, I use an Acoustic and Bass with RTAS with many projects and it's a lot more fun just to jump on the instrument and play with melodies.

Samples are important to me with on the mpc, in pt or on torq.. but they still take a backseat to the melody

It's interesting how each one of us have our unique take on the production process

 

[frankx]

I've never really managed to wrap my head around the fact that people actually have TBites of one hits and loops and all that. I only have 1.8 GB and I feel I have infinity. I'm trying to slim it down to 128 MB or 1,000 hits (not counting loops) so that I can emulate having a SD card or something on an MPC or SP.

 

[SoberMindedMuzk]

I've never really managed to wrap my head around the fact that people actually have TBites of one hits and loops and all that. I only have 1.8 GB and I feel I have infinity. I'm trying to slim it down to 128 MB or 1,000 hits (not counting loops) so that I can emulate having a SD card or something on an MPC or SP.

guilty as charged. dont see my self getting rid of too much though. just gotta shuffle some stuff around