Who invented sampling

Used primarily in electronic music, the sampler allows music to be made out of any sound recorded by the user, rather than relying on tones generated by oscillators, computer chips, white noise or other synthesiser technology.

Who uses it? In electronic music, pop, and hip-hop the sampler is as important as the guitar is in rock. But Trevor Horn was the key architect in first incorporating sampling — via the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument — into the language of pop. How does it work? Instruments, or any other noises, can be recorded on to the hard drive of a sampler and then played back on a keyboard or other controller.

The sampler can also re-pitch tones at the press of a key. Where does it come from? The first instruments to experiment with sampling were "tape-replay keyboards". The first of these, the Chamberlin, was invented in the late s, and involved a piano keyboard controlling a series of small tape decks, each holding eight seconds of recorded sound. A technique popularized in the mainstream by New York DJs and producers around the birth of hip hop, sampling is a way to take a section or even a completed track and repurpose it in a way to make it fresh.

What was once viewed as a questionable experimental process, sampling is commonly used in music production and is prevalent in all kinds of genres today. Though sampling was popularized with the hip hop movement, musicians and composers working in electroacoustic music, specifically Musique Concrete, were the first to experiment with sampling techniques.

Composer Pierre Schaeffer wanted to investigate the concept of acousmatic sounds , or the ability of listeners to reduce sounds to the process of hearing alone. To achieve this, artists had to physically manipulate reel-to-reel tape in order to get the section of sound they wanted. These sections were spliced together then played back, usually while the artist did further physical or electronic manipulation.

Composers like Schaeffer and Tenney used classic techniques like speed changes, reversing, tape head echo, and filtering. This caused a boom in the production of electronic and sample-based music worldwide , extending far beyond its origins in The Bronx.

One of the first professional-grade digital samplers was the A kai S A lot of copyright debates and lawsuits spawned from the explosion of sampling in the s and 90s.

The sample was not even from the studio version of this song but rather from an obscure orchestral reinterpretation of the song composed by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra. The full story is explained in this video ….

We have come a long way in the world of sampling. Technology has definitely made the processes a bit easier but has also raised the bar much higher when it comes to creativity and innovation. The possibilities are endless and evolving while the popularity of sampling constantly increases: the majority of commercially successful pop songs today contain samples with the rights bought for hefty amounts of money.

How exciting!! We hope you enjoyed this mini history lesson. Please write us what you know about the world of sampling in the comments below or on the Facebook post. Very true! Thanks so much, Daniel, for reminding me of this masterpiece! A must-listen for anyone interested in sampling. Leary himself authorized the use of his voice.

What about the Optigan? It used sound samples stored on optical discs the size of an LP record. Mattel made them in the early s. I was quite surprised to learn about this too…. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Inside Gear Learn Inspire Entertain. A Brief History of Sampling. Joe on 1. July reading time: 4 Min. Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube. Learn more Load video Always unlock Vimeo.