Messing around with producing

[buzzer]

I've been DJing for about 6 months now and am really enjoying it. I want to start producing a little just to get the feel of it. I'm probably just going to use Garageband for now and if I like it, I'll jump into Logic or Ableton. What I'm wondering though... is it bad to use samples from other people? I've been downloading sample packs off Beatport and some royalty free ones off other websites. I'm just wondering if experienced and big time people do this. I'm not great with instruments and plan on looking into music theory in the future...but do all producers create their own sounds or at least most of them?

[grazz16]

Lots of threads on this, with lots of opinions, but the short answer is no its not bad to use loops. Everyone uses loops, specifically from the Vengeance packs. Personally i only ever use these for drum and perc samples. For example, don't even attempt to make your own kick drum sounds from scratch unless you are a sound engineer, they wont measure up. I had this exact same question myself, since then I've watched a bunch of "in the studio with (insert top producer here)" and they all use loops and samples.

Personally i would never use a pre-made synth line or progression because that's just a recipe for sounding unoriginal. Many of the top producers talk about this exact thing. Think about it, if everyone else with the same sample pack has access to your melody line there might be 100 other tracks now that sound exactly the same. That being said, multiple sources on this forum confirm that Steve Angello use one of the pre-made synth line melodies from the vengeance packs and it was a commercial hit...sooooo take that for what its worth :P

[buzzer]

Thanks for the input! Should have done a bit more searching. I figured they would sound generic if you used what everyone else was but I was curious if some people get away with it. I guess I'll just start with making generic stuff just to see if I like it before I invest in anymore software/hardware

[luxi]

U can use whatever u want if u make it ur own along the way... I have seen dj Umek take a drum loop, he slapped on a lp filter and a few effects and he had bassline for a track. I (am nowhere near a top producer) once was messing around with some REM tune and just took a loop of a whole track, processed it really heavy, slapped a gate and did a sequence for it and i had a pad going on. What i am trying to say is nothing is bad as long as u make it ur own.

As for ur sound and how to get to it... if u r just starting producing dont think about it too much... this "sound" that top producers have is a product of many years perfecting their techniques and making them more unique. First just learn production and as u ll get good at it u ll start to develop ur sound that ppl are hopefully gonna like. Good luck.

[elliot1106]

No, not everyone uses loops, some people like to actually create their own music not just arrange it.

[ksandvik]

If it sounds good, it is good.

But usually some of those loops are so worn out due to many using them so if you want to sound unique, make your own.

[TCMuc]

I really would not recommend using loops in your production if you don't use them to create something different as in luxi's examples.

I tend to see the REM example different, though. What I said in my first sentence applies to loops from sample packs that were sepcifically created for that purpose. If you sample something from another act, probably from a completely different genre, chances are you're the only one who is using that loop. There are some great tracks, e.g. DJ Sneak's 'You can't hide from your bud', that make heavy use of loops taken from other tracks and still are some of the greatest house tracks ever.
Many tracks in various genres were made largely from sampled loops. Here's a great example of how The Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up" is made from several loops from different records:


As to loops from sample-packs: it's not completely 'wrong' to use them. Many people use them to get ideas. You can drag in a loop, start working with it and then exchange it for something original later. There may as well come a point in your production where pre-made loops just don't offer you the flexibility you need in order to get where you want to get.

[delighted]

As far as I know by watching "In Studio with..." series, usually producers only use drums samples (kick, snare, etc) and hi-hat/percussion loops from sample libraries. And they also use ready-made synth/bass shot samples to make original melodies. But not all of them: