Which is better for chopping samples?

[Schizo-Manic]

Slicer X > Edison for FL Studio, Drumracks for Ableton Live 7. I tried recycle deleted it off my pc shortly after..Whats the point of bringing chops from software into the MPC smh

 

[Shonsteez]

Dude, Recycle does way more then that.
As a Reason user its most useful, but even if your just trying to slice up a sample quick and easy and then batch export all the slices to a folder, Recycles easy as hell....
When i made beats in Reason all the time Recycle was like my best friend.
Cant front on Live either tho, i just had more of a need to utilize Recycle.

 

[LDB]

I'm going to do one tutorial on slicing up a sample in Ableton Live...I promise you that when I do people are going to be like "OMG, I GOTTA GET THAT PROGRAM"! When you have the ability to timestretch to the tempo of your beat just by dropping the sample in a cell, I'm telling you there's nothing better. Ableton is the only program that I know of that will allow you to audition that sample at any tempo before you do anything to the sample. I.E. I'm producing a hip hop beat, I know the tempo I need to work with is between say 90bpms and 96bpm. All I have to do is start my session in Ableton set my tempo, drop the sample into my project and "wah la", the sample is time stretched to the tempo automatically. Say I started at 90 but I now I see I want to increase the tempo after I've drop'd the sample into the project. All I need do is "ADJUST THE TEMPO" and the sample will follow suit without me having to do one single thing to the sample itself. I can go on and on and on but I won't....some of you catz are from Missouri, "the show me state", mentally that is...lmao

As far as maintaining the sample quality if you sample str8 from vinyl. They do have sound cards with the same A/D converters that are in MPC's or A/D converters that are superior to an MPC! You just have to find a sound card that has phono ins. I have one that I use for my DJ rig http://www.stantondj.com/v2/fs/whatisfs.asp

I think Shon mentioned that using an MPC trains the ear for the chops as oppose to being able to visually see the wav file and "seeing" where you would place your marker. That's cool, but it's definitely not needed training imo(especially today...it was when the MP's first drop'd) nor is it as accurate as seeing where your chop/slice/marker should be. Seeing where the zero plain is and seeing where the up swing of the wave is means accuracy, which means the right hit point, which means no clicks or pops. All very very important imo, and seeing them means I don't have to keep adjusting it "by ear" which gives me more time to jump in and create!

If you can do it by ear (which I have and can because I've had my mpc since 96) have at it. But there's no way that doing it by ear is more productive or accurate. When you place that marker at the zero plane at the beginning of the up swing of the wav you KNOW you got it...u don't have to guess if you do or not.

 

[Schizo-Manic]

I find it easier if you use the spectrum view as opposed to the wave editor its more detailed plus the colors help separate each sound. Post up that video LDB I know its mad simple to chop in live set your warp markers right click slice to new midi and its done. I used live before I gotta agree with you on the tempo you can throw in anything and it automatically sync works good for remixes, plus I like the fact how you can change the time signature anywhere through out the song. Making music is fun in that program especially once you figure out the routing/midi mapping and choke groups its mad simple to do things I need to explore it more in depth

 

[2nd_Man]

I really dont see why its hard to people to chop on the MPC, its all about developing a process and sticking to it like anything else...
Granted the computer's more visually pleasing and you got that big screen to show your edits, but using your ears is just as important.
Matter fact, thats why i like to chop on the MPC more, it forces u to use your ears more.

Plus, and this is a big one...You sacrifice the sample quality if your getting your sources from elsewhere. Thats 1/2 the reason i stay inside the box and go straight from the record player to the MP because you get the most organic sound that way thanks to the MPCs A/D converters.

I could certainly chop in the MPC, i have no problem with it, especially with JJOS. Its just I record from vinyl to computer, then chop in edison, export the regions as wavs, and copy them over to the mp

i jus find it easier with sorting files, i can name my chops as i want them (chop1, chop2, hit1, loop1 etc etc etc) far easier, i can organise them on my computer (i have the most organised folder system you will ever find ) and most of all, its probably a force of habit

your def right about using your ears tho, i really should start chopping in mp more

but, back on topic, whatever program u find easiest to get the chops u want from a sample, is the best program to use, processing and applying effects, shifting etc etc is a whole different matter

 

[thedreampolice]

"Ableton is the only program that I know of that will allow you to audition that sample at any tempo before you do anything to the sample."

I love live, but Pro tools can do this, Sonar can do this, Acid can do this.......

 

[eldiablo]

i do both as well. the comp keep the files nice and tidy. chop here and there whatever. i like shippin over to the mp cuz the timing is so damn solid on it.

 

[LDB]

"Ableton is the only program that I know of that will allow you to audition that sample at any tempo before you do anything to the sample."

I love live, but Pro tools can do this, Sonar can do this, Acid can do this.......

like me clarify....do they do it like Ableton with next to know effort! But once again...I said that "I know of". If they do it like Live with the warp feature and all I guess Live shouldn't hold that patent.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I do most of my chops in soundforge then import them into the NNXT.
Sometimes for beatloops and if I want to chop the hell out of something I use recycle but put the chop points manually, recycle can be slightly inaccurate so it pays to do the chops manually after zooming right in.
Doing that has taken away the need to rewire and work with two programs at once, now once its in reason I can do what I want with it and only export to protools once Im happy with it.
Its even got to the point that If I want to import a pella, I chop it into verse/hook/verse/hook etc then import it into the nnxt in sections.
The easiest method of remixing a pella is to have a program like Acid Pro play the mp3s and have reason rewired into it. That way you have more flexibility when adjusting tempo without adjusting pitch. But this also adds anomolies to the final sound.

 

[mono]

your def right about using your ears tho, i really should start chopping in mp more

i co-sign that. working on GUIs all the time makes your ears lazy.

i chop samples in battery, which gives me the advantage that i dont have to make definite slices. i zone them samples and can adjust start and end points later on when the beat is actually playing. so basically its a bit like on the mpc.
and i can easily batch-pitch my samples with pitch knob, which i got assigned to my mpd

 

[thedreampolice]

"like me clarify....do they do it like Ableton with next to know effort! But once again...I said that "I know of". If they do it like Live with the warp feature and all I guess Live shouldn't hold that patent."

Ha ha, its all good. Actually ACID was the first to do it as far as I know. Long before Live even existed. Sonar came next I think, then Live. Then Pro tools with elastic audio, and yes it is all just as easy. In fact the Pro tools stuff really rocks.

 

[Cell 2Dee]

I guess I'll give Live a go then. If I can't get to grips with it I'll always fall back on ReCycle...

 

[LDB]

"like me clarify....do they do it like Ableton with next to know effort! But once again...I said that "I know of". If they do it like Live with the warp feature and all I guess Live shouldn't hold that patent."

Ha ha, its all good. Actually ACID was the first to do it as far as I know. Long before Live even existed. Sonar came next I think, then Live. Then Pro tools with elastic audio, and yes it is all just as easy. In fact the Pro tools stuff really rocks.

lmao...I know you're "mista sweetwater" Chris, but I don't think any of the other programs that you named gives you the ability to auto time stretch, record that into another track, take that and slice to midi which will spread it across the pads or keys like Ableton. I love and still use Acid, didn't like Sonar and really have no use for Pro Tools for how I make music now. I may not work at sweetwater but I've tried many a program. Not to mention with Ableton you have ONE SCREEN! I have multiple monitors but only one is needed with Ableton because of it's design. With Pro Tools and the others you'll have screen upon screen upon screen. You can easily find your self with upteen screens open and unless you have 2 or more monitors that shit can get hectic really fast!

I have the new Acid 7 and it doesn't do it. Drop a sample in, time stretch it, use the chopper, use the Sony acid format thing but it's no way as self contained as Ableton. After you use the chopper in acid to chop the sample up you have to rewire something to it, load those chops up in it in order to go to work. It's much easier, faster and will allow you to get to work on the track a whole hell of a lot faster with Ableton.

Anyway, I'm not trying to prove or disprove anybody elses EXPERIENCE. At the end of the day USE what works for you! Any of the things mentioned here or in other peoples post will get the job done. It's really about how you want to go about getting that job done.

 

[Shonsteez]

Only reason I mentioned the A->D on the MPC earlier vs straight into your soundcard is because not everyone has a card that has converters of that quality, thats all. Now if you got a RME fireface or a Apogee Ensemble by all means, if your really dedicated to chopping on the computer vs the MP, then i dont think your gonna loose anything.
And even if u do loose anything its not like its hugely drastic, i just prefer to not loose ANY quality at all if possible when theres no need for it, hence my proposed process.

And I only said what i did about chopping on the MP because it really is quite easy and fast. This is all my personal preference mind you. I hate having to ping-pong around between the computer and the MPC just to get my samples ready, just not worth it to me.

Just to clarify.

 

[LDB]

Only reason I mentioned the A->D on the MPC earlier vs straight into your soundcard is because not everyone has a card that has converters of that quality, thats all. Now if you got a RME fireface or a Apogee Ensemble by all means, if your really dedicated to chopping on the computer vs the MP, then i dont think your gonna loose anything.
And even if u do loose anything its not like its hugely drastic, i just prefer to not loose ANY quality at all if possible when theres no need for it, hence my proposed process.

And I only said what i did about chopping on the MP because it really is quite easy and fast. This is all my personal preference mind you. I hate having to ping-pong around between the computer and the MPC just to get my samples ready, just not worth it to me.

Just to clarify.

I feel you. In my case my mpc and axiom 25 are only controllers. I quit sampling out of the mpc a couple years ago. I actually had stop'd using it all together. Brought it back out because I wanted more pads to play with as oppose to only the 8 on the axiom and I got tired of beating drums out on keys, didn't have the same feel. I don't have to jump around from one piece to the next at all with my set up. I guess we do have to take into account what people use and how they use it.

 

[thedreampolice]

"Anyway, I'm not trying to prove or disprove anybody elses EXPERIENCE. At the end of the day USE what works for you! Any of the things mentioned here or in other peoples post will get the job done. It's really about how you want to go about getting that job done."

oh ya its all good, I just meant the auto tempo stuff. Acid cant chop and split to keys, but PT with transfuser and sonar both can do that as well. How live does it IS very cool!

 

[2nd_Man]

yea its all gd steez,i would record straight into mpc if i could (for some reason i dont get a good recording, never looked into it), but a great recording into pc. then because its there i can chop there and then
ive started chopping loops in edison, then dropping into mpc and slicing into beats (easy enough, 4 bar loop, 16 beats, 16 slices, then tweak each slice). seems to be a nice little method


and mono, that feature in battery sound great, zones not chops

 

[Shonsteez]

I feel u tho! If its any consolation - I had the same problem when i first copped my MPC until i bought a preamp for my turntable, after that it sounded as expected. The stylus u use is almost just as important as well.

 

[2nd_Man]

trying not to send this to offtopic, but thats whats weird, i got a preamp, got everything set up right, plug it into line in (im using my stock soundcard) and record into audacity or w/e and the qualities great. put it into the mpc record in and i get poor qualtiy. never understood why, but its never really bothered me too much either

 

[Shonsteez]

Yeah sorry to veer off topic everyone, but yea thats a bit odd man???