As written in the scriptures, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and this particular idea of eschewing originality and using existing tracks as samples has become mainstream. Picking the right sample to highlight the flow in a track has become one of the primary skills of a DJ. In this blog post, DJ James Haidak will discuss how to pick tracks to sample and how you can fit them into the track you’re working on.
Before anything, you will need to listen to many different tracks to isolate a segment you want to sample. Once you zero in on one, you will have to understand the context that the particular plays around so you can properly use it when you lay it down onto your own track.
Once you’ve decided on the sample, you’ll have to isolate the particular segment of sound. You’ll have to monitor the envelope the sample comes wrapped in. This means you have to mind how the sample attacks and how the sample decays. From there, you’ll just start making adjustments.
Cleaning the track itself is just a step. As James Haidak notes, you will have to work and ensure that the sample harmonizes with the frequencies in your overall track. Check for tonality and how the sample blends with the rest of the sounds in your work. If the track is too soft that it gets buried by the rest of the sounds or it’s too distracting, then it might just not work at all. You can only work with the EQ of the track so much.
Crafting the initial blend is just another part of the process. Next, you’ll have to add a few more layers to make sure you’re making a hot track. When it all comes together, you need to sit down and make sure the pitch, tempo, and tune meet your ears’ standards.
A music producer since he was 16, James Haidak discovered his love for DJing and decided to do it full-time, traveling from one club in Europe to the next. Today, the James Haidak sound is finding its way into more and more club dance floors across the world. For related updates, click here.
James Haidak 