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Topic C4 · 1.4

Walkthrough: Sampling

Work through the chapters in order: each builds on the last.

5 activities available

Continue, Chapter 1: A Recording You Can Play

Pick up where you left off.

CHAPTER 1

A Recording You Can Play

What a sampler actually is (a device that records, stores and plays back sound) and the four playback decisions every sampled sound has to answer, from the two-mark exam definition through to why a sampled drum kit beats a live one.

4 sections
CHAPTER 2

From Sound to Numbers

The two numbers that set every recording's quality: sample rate (frequency range, capped by Nyquist) and bit depth (dynamic range, capped by quantisation noise), and what happens when either one is pushed too far.

3 sections
CHAPTER 3

The Edit: Where the Marks Live

Why every practical sampling task comes down to editing discipline: clicks, zero crossings, truncation and crossfades, and the creative stutter technique built on the same skill.

3 sections
CHAPTER 4

One Sample Across a Keyboard

Why one sample can play every key in tune only if its root note is set correctly, and the multisampling and velocity-layering techniques that keep large transpositions from sounding artificial.

3 sections
CHAPTER 5

Pitch Against Time

The four transforms that reshape a sample against time (repitch, stretch, shift and reverse) and how DJs and producers turned editing decisions like chopping and layering into a musical culture.

3 sections