I can remember when the first samplers in the early '90's allowed you to "resample"... Was I ever excited!!

Resampling allows you to "record" the output of the machine and create a new sample from the output channels.

Well, at this point you might be thinking "big deal" - but hang in there.

Nowadays, its easier than pie to "resample"... you simply "export audio" from your audio workstation, and there it is.

But there's a fantastic way to use this creatively which you might not have thought of.

Many producers will not hit "export audio / bounce" until the end of the session, when they want a result they can burn to CD.

But you can use export / bounce to create all manner of unique, cool effects:

1) pick a section of your track - maybe an 8-bar phrase with some great groove or melodic / harmonic content. Maybe mute several of the instruments / audio channels. It doesn't matter, we're experimenting here.

2) Export audio, bounce, whatever you call it.

3) Re-import your bounced audio into your work and process it / cut it up. Some workstations i.e. Cubase have a checkbox that allow you to re-import your exported audio automatically to its own track.

4) Try pitch shifting your imported section either up or down by an octave and cutting out a section to use as a motif (it will of course play at double / half time, and stay in tempo with the track.)

I have created some mad effects this way.

Extra bonus tip: "Kitchen Sinking"

I do a particular trick for which the name was recently coined (by a vocalist I work with) "kitchen sinking." This, basically, means to take a sound and throw everything at it "including the kitchen sink." In other words, I will export / reimport a section of audio, mash it up with effects, chop it up, reverse it, export and re-import again, repeating this process several times. Sometimes, this leads to spectacular results - almost always, to something great. I'm always amazed at how often it works and how well it works.

I remember years ago reading an interview with Autechre about how they would resample ad infinitum using an old Ensoniq sampler, eventually ending up with sounds entirely unrelated to the original source material. So my eternal thanks to Autechre - and the instrument makers - for sparking this idea (and for the great music over the years!)

It's funny how a musical technique becomes "lost" when technology changes.... but that's another story.

Now go...! Take your loops, kitchen sink them, and make something the world hasn't heard before... :)

Alex
PXR8