In our first blog post we want to introduce 5 ways of how to use our Lofi Sounds samples. We try to keep it simple for everyone starting out but also want to show some more advanced and creative ways of manipulating audio. All methods shown below can be achieved in every major DAW like Logic, Cubase, Ableton, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Bitwig etc.

 

1. Use your stock drum sampler

Instead of just dropping your files onto your daw’s timeline you can use sampler vst’s to have a the most control over your drum patterns.

Most DAWS already come with drum sampler instruments. This is the simplest way to start programming your drums.

Sampler Vsts come with all the controls you need to shape and transform the samples to your needs.

Simply drop your one shots of choice on the pads and start programming your loop in a midi region.

This is the fastest way to test different kicks, snares, hats and see which feels the most suitable for your track.

Without using any other plugins, you are now able to manipulate each sample on its own with the tools provided by the sampler instrument.

Volume, Gain, Panning, Filters, Fades, Transposition within the sampler instrument.

Extra tips:

• Try tuning your drums slightly higher or lower. Especially on kicks and snares this will make your drums feel more cohesive with rest of your track.
• Use fade ins to round off harsh transients. If you feel like your samples could hit a little less try fading in your sounds. This can change the whole feel of you hihat patterns and you get rid of some harsh clicking on the start of each hat sample.
• Incorporate hat loops in your drum pattern. Drop a random hat loop on one of the pads but only use a small section of the loop. Place this pad in your midi region for a rhythmic variation. Move around the start and end point until it suits you best.

 

2. Convert audio to midi

Nowadays most daws are able to convert any audio into a midi track. This is perfect when you want to extract the pitch and rhythm of any audio and use if with you own sounds. The only thing you have to decide is which kind of audio are you working with.

Melody: This way of conversion works best for single line melodies, Perfect for vocals or simple guitar/piano lines where only one note is played at a time.

Harmony: This is for multiple notes being played at the same time: Chords, Strums, multiple instruments at once.

Drums: Use this method to extract any groove. If you like the feel and groove of a drum loop but don’t like the sound of it, this method will split every drum hit and is ready to replace with you drums of choice.

Extra tips:

• Use the melody conversion to double your melodic sample with a different sound. This will give the melody more depth.
• If you’re having trouble finding the key of a sample try converting it to midi to instantly see the notes that are being played.

 

3. Mix and match melodies from different packs

Don’t be afraid to combine chords and melody layers from different stem folder or even different sample packs. You can even transpose and stretch melodic sample to fit each other’s key and tempo. Experimenting in this direction will definitely lead to amazing results.

We found a match: “Bliss” loop from our Melancholic Rhodes pack and “Akiu Falls” from Zen Guitar Melodies work really well together.

All our sample packs come bpm and key labeled for easy mix and match of all samples.

 

4. Endless fills and loops with arpeggiators

Load up an arpeggiator and a drum sampler. Fill up the sampler with all sorts of drum sounds.

In the midi region make sure all notes play through the whole section.

Now let the arpeggiator do the work and play around with different modes, sync and rate to find new and interesting sample combinations. This is the fastest way to auto generate endless loops.

Extra tip:

Set up an audio track below and set the input to be the output of your arpeggiated sampler. Now you are able to loop record everything that the sampler is playing. You got instant access to the audio file in your DAW and can further manipulate your newly generated loops.

You can also use this method to generate little drum fills that go in between each section of your track.

 

5. Find inspiration from samples

Don’t be afraid to use samples as a source of inspiration or as a guide track for your next beat.

Use drum loops to find interesting new pattern and recreate them with different samples. Or analyze the notes from midi files to find fresh chord progressions.

Start your next beat with a sample that you really like and build around it. Maybe even when your beat is finished you can delete the sample and created something completely from scratch. We as producers often tend to overproduce anyway. You can even try to recreate various sample to learn more about sounddesign and mixing.

 

 

We hope these tips find you well. You can always hit us up via email if you have any suggestions or questions. mgmt.lofisounds@gmail.com

Check out our various offers & sales we have currently running in our sample pack store.

Happy producing!

www.lofi-sounds.com