Creating Sample Packs Explained
Studio expert Thomas Cochran presents detailed sample pack creation video tutorials! If you've always wanted to make your own sample packs to use for your own productions, or to give or sell to others, this video series will show you how to do it step by step, all from scratch. (Note: this series does not cover how to sell or distribute your sample packs, just creating them). Thomas also provides the Ableton Live Project file so you can follow along if you have Ableton Live, plus the MIDI files that can be used in any DAW, and the Serum virtual synth presets he makes throughout the tutorials so you can further experiment and tweak them! This video series is for those who are new to making sample packs.
Creating the Base Samples
• 808 Pt. 1 (09:56) - Learn how to make a trap 808 from scratch that utilizes a custom square wave in Serum, with modulation and effects to create a truly heavy 808.
• 808 Pt. 2 (08:58) - This video covers how to now process the patch with further effects for a total, full bodied 808 sound.
• The Kick Pt. 1 (10:12) - See how to properly layer sine waves with white noise to create heavy kick sounds. Additionally, Thomas shows you how to stack saturation effects to add additional punch and body to the kick sound.
• The Kick Pt. 2 (09:23) - Thomas now demonstrates further how to stack saturation effects to add additional punch and body to the kick sound. This video also shows how compression can be used to glue the kick together after the initial saturation process.
• The Snare (15:22) - Learn how to create a cool, modern variation on the classic 808 snare. This patch utilizes creative EQ and effects processing to make the snare have a more lo-fi trap type sound.
• The Claps Pt. 1 (08:36) - Making claps is simple once you understand the proper setup. This video covers the creative uses of LFO modulation to make and design a variety of clap sounds.
• The Claps Pt. 2 (09:57) - This video shows you how to process the clap with EQ, distortion, and transient shaping to make it really snap.
• The Hi-Hats (08:06) - While they might sound complicated, hi-hats are quite easy to make. Thomas shows how the basic patch is made and then how strategic processing is used to craft the right sound.
Creating Variations of The Samples
• 808 Variations (11:45) - Now that the basic drum patches are made it's time to start designing variations of the sounds for your sample pack. Just by switching out the oscillator and adding some additional processing you can quickly make a wide verity of 808s for your new sample pack.
• Kick Variations (09:55) - This video reveals how to take the distorted trap kick and make two different versions of it, with one sounding clean and one with unusual processing to create a wider stereo width.
• Snare Variations (11:14) - Just by switching out the resonance oscillator and noise generators you can make a lot of different styles of snare. Thomas shows how this process is done to make a few different types of snare sounds.
• Clap Variations (07:48) - Thomas shows you how to craft multiple styes of claps by adding variation to the noise generator and LFO parameters.
• Hi-Hat Variations (09:40) - Go from bright sounding hi-hats to dark and metallic sounding hi-hats in a few simple steps. These ideas can be used for creating lots of different percussion sounds.
Making Melody Loops
• Making Melody Loops Pt. 1 (10:25) - Thomas now shows you how melody loops can be constructed efficiently using presets, melody, and layering. This first part covers how to construct the melody that will be used as the basis for the whole sample.
• Making Melody Loops Pt. 2 (11:55) - Learn how to take a basic melodic sequence and transform it into a melodic trap sample. This video shows how layering synths and effects can be used to quickly make exciting samples.
• Making Variations of the Melody Loops (05:52) - This videos shows you how quickly a loop can be transformed into another loop for your sample pack by varying a few different parameters.
Final Adjustments
• Conclusion & Final Thoughts (04:11) - Thomas wraps up the course with a few notes on how to properly export and make sure everything sounds balanced in your sample packs.