The "drum n bass" sampler program trick (Re: drum machines,samplers etc.)

[Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On 26 sep 2007, at 01.35, L.A. Angulo wrote:

> Ive always been curious how people like thievery
> corporation,LTJ Bukem ,Beck hansen and a lot of the
> lounge and chillout groups work with their drum
> programing,it stands out and sounds very unique,i
> still love their grooves,are they relying mostly to
> compose on hardware or mostly software?live it seems
> they are mostly using hardware...
> Luis


At least regarding LTJ Bukem I can tell you one common method. It's  
the typical "breakbeat-jungle-drum-n-bass" sampler trick. Start by  
sampling a drum loop - why not the Amen break? ;-)  Let the sampler  
detect every transient in the sound file. In drumming this equals  
isolating every drum hit ("loop slicing"). Have the sampler map each  
hit to a MIDI note number, so that you will get the first hit on the  
C1 key, the second hit on the C#1 key etc. This should do for some  
one or two octaves of sliced drum hits in the order of the original  
drum loop. Now, open the settings for the first hit, mapped at C1,  
and move its loop point all the way to the end of the sample. This  
means that this note, C1, will be the only one that plays back the  
complete original loop. Then set all sample zones to a high release  
value, so they will play back without needing to hold down the key.   
Restrict the sampler instrument program's available voices to just  
one, so that every new note thrown in will choke the previous playing  
sound. Also apply pitch bend to the sampler instrument program. And  
loop each sample region ("slice"). Eventually assign a second MIDI  
CC# to swap playback direction of the zones, for reversed hits.

This virtual sampler instrument can be played by hand from a MIDI  
keyboard or drum pad kit, but also be fed MIDI sequences. The first  
time I remember setting up this (as it was to become) "drum and bass"  
sampler program was in 1992 and then on hardware samplers as the Akai  
S1000 and the Roland S-330. But it's much faster to do it in software  
samplers.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)