SampleRobot 3 will be publicly presented at the 2008 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, from the 17th to the 20th of January 2008. With SampleRobot 3, musicians can create their own virtual musical instruments as well as sound and loop libraries. SampleRobot 3 includes Cakewalk’s Dimension LE software sampler, which is connected via a clever… Read More NAMM Show: Skylife Releases SampleRobot 3
This minimal 20-minute video by Nate Harrison looks at the history of the “Amen Break,” arguably the most important sample in history. Along the way, it touches on the art of sampling and genres from jungle to f’d-up beats. The six-second drum sample came from the b-side of a chart-topping single from 1969. The sample… Read More Secrets Of The Amen Break
Skylife has released version 2.50 of SampleRobot, SampleRobot Essentials and WaveRobot. Here’s the details: SampleRobot is able to digitize any kind of instrument. When cloning MIDI gear, SampleRobot even works completely on its own. After connecting an instrument via MIDI and audio with the computer, SampleRobot will “suck out” the sounds from the unit.… Read More Skylife releases Version 2.50 of SampleRobot, SampleRobot Essentials and WaveRobot
Creative Commons, a non-profit organization that releases licenses for sharing music and other creations freely over the Internet, is retiring one of its sampling licenses, citing lack of use. Here’s CC’s Lawrence Lessig’s explanation of the decision to retire the license: Until today, we have offered three versions of the Sampling license. Two of those… Read More Creative Commons Kills One Sampling License
Here’s an old video demonstration of classic Mellotron sampling technology: The Mellotron is an electromechanical polyphonic keyboard musical instrument originally developed and built in England in the early 1960s. Mellotrons used a series of tape playback heads triggered by a standard organ-style keyboard to create a crude but pioneering sample playback device.
Banned Music is a web project that promotes music activism, especially the non-commercial distribution of works that major record labels have driven underground. The site is one of several that are raising important questions about the role that the law plays in determining what we can experience. The site is a project of Downhill Battle,… Read More Banned Music
This 1997 release by Martin Russ is one of the best introductions to synthesis and sampling in print. It discusses both analog and digital synthesis concepts and sampling in a fairly non-technical fashion, making it a great way to expand your understanding of synthesizers. Sound Synthesis and Sampling is extensively illustrated with diagrams that help… Read More Sound Synthesis and Sampling
Musicians using samplers are faced with an unique set of legal problems. Using samples of copyrighted works has become a minefield, often just best avoided. Now new licenses from Creative Commons promise to make it easier for samplists to find samples they can use without fear of getting sued. Sampling and lawsuits have gone hand… Read More Free Samples Go Legit with New Creative Commons Sampling Licences
By now you may have heard of DJ Danger Mouse, and his remix of rapper Jay-Zs Black Album with music from the Beatles White Album. Now that the album has been blocked by EMI, it has become one of the most sought after music downloads on the Net. One site dares to publish the full… Read More Controversial Grey Album Mixes Beatles with Rap
Frank Samagaio Back before samplers made the scene in the 80’s, the Mellotron ruled as a source of “lifelike” playback of prerecorded sounds. The Mellotron Book takes you back to the early days of sampling, and explores the unique qualities of this strange instrument. The Mellotron is a keyboard that basically has a tape player… Read More The Mellotron Book
