Hey! What's up FAM?
Taurus, here. TaurusBeats.com - Thank you for stopping by.
I'm gonna hit you with a question that I get often. The question is, "What does it mean to flip a sample?"
if you're watching the video, you are probably like, "Really?"
A Common Sampling Question
Anyway, it may sound like a dumb question, but there are no dumb questions at TaurusBeats.com.
Alright, first of all, it's not a dumb question. It is a question that points out the need for clarity on the topic of sampling - deconstruction and reconstruction.
Sampling As Deconstructing and Reconstructing
"Flip a sample", to keep it real short, flip a sample is basically just taking the sample selection - after you have sliced it up, or "chopped" it - you've deconstructed it and now you are reconstructing it, rearranging the slices into your own creation, in your own beat.
Let me put it into your in a different way.
It is simply taking a sample, using it creatively to create a new song or a new beat.
Sample Flip vs Sample Chop vs Sample Slice
Alright, now the thing is that sometimes people get sample flipping confused with sample slicing or sample "chopping". Sometimes, I hear people say, "Well, I want to 'chop' the sample this way" and they actually mean "flip" the sample.
There is a distinction, even though people use the terms, or try to use the terms, interchangeably. What I mean by that, "flip", "chop" or "slice" - they try to use them all to mean the same thing. There is a distinction between the terms.
"Flipping" is the process of rearranging the slices or the chops. Again, flipping is the process of rearranging the sample slices or the sample chops that you've made.
Sample Flipping Example: The Making Of "Polished"
Okay, now let's go take a look at an example. There's an example that I've made for you already. Maybe you have seen this video. Hopefully, you've seen this one. If not go back and check it out. It's the "Polished" (Sample Flip Beat Cookup) video.
In this video, I'm actually making that particular beat. So, just take a listen to it here. We're gonna walk you through in this section.
My Sample Flipping Process
In the beginning part of the video, what I'm doing is actually listening to the sample selection. This is the sample.
So, right now I'm listening to the sample selection. This is the sample that I'm going to flip.
Th next section of the video here where you see I've actually changed from Sony Sound Forge. Sound Forge is what I was using to actually listen to the sample. In this piece right here, I'm actually in ReCycle.
I'm in Propellerhead ReCycle and this is where I'm making my sample slices or my sample "chops". Now, sample slicing, sample chopping, that's the same thing. All I'm doing is taking the sample selection - that original sample that you saw me using or listening to in Sony Sound Forge - I'm taking that sample selection and now I'm going to slice it up. I'm gonna cut it up into smaller pieces or make smaller slices or smaller chunks or smaller chops.
So this is the "chopping" part. I'm "chopping the sample" and you see where I'm drawing the lines. Now, I'm listening to the "chops" - listening to the slices.
When I'm slicing - I say this a lot - you can see right here just by looking at the slices, my slices (my chops) are very irregular. They are not following any pattern. I'm not going off of the sixteenth note or the quarter note or anything like that. I'm just chopping the sample selection based off of what is inside of the slice. If I hear a particular pattern that I like inside that slice, that is what I cut and that is totally up to each individual.
So, if you gave the sample selection to ten different individuals, you will probably get ten different ways of slicing this thing.
Keep that in mind. That is part of your creativity. That is where you become creative and how you even make your chops.
But the real creativity comes in later on when you actually put the slices to work.
This is "flipping" - when you rearrange the sample chops/slices into a new sequence. Now, I'm flipping the sample slices. I'm flipping the sample chops. So, this is what it means right here to flip a sample.
Sample flipping - this is the actual process, technically speaking, and all I have done is rearranged the original sample.
Now I've created a totally new new arrangement - a pattern. Here's another pattern. So, as you watch this part of the video, you see that I've made a new pattern and here's another pattern.
The Entire Process Is Sample Flipping
So, what I am pointing out is that all of these are "flips". Everything that I've just shown you in the video, that's "flipping the sample". That right there, that's flipping a sample.
Now, if you want to, if you want to look at the question again, "What does it mean to flip a sample?" Really, when you say what does it mean to flip a sample, it can actually mean that entire process!
Everything that I've just shown you in this one video, you can look at and say to flip a sample is to go through that entire process, to come out with the end result. The end result in my case was this particular beat that I call "Polished".
You will see that it's the final product with the sample. [In the video] All of this down here in red, these are the sample parts. These are the sample flips that I've made. That's the first arrangement or the first flip pattern and it's the first pattern repeated, second patterns with more musical content. Then, back to the first pattern and then you see I have other patterns in here as well.
So, to answer the question, "What does it mean to flip a sample?" That's pretty much the answer - from the beginning to the end.Here is my sample flipping process again:
- I make a sample selection.
- I get the sample selection and I chop it or slice it up any way that I want. I bring it into my DAW - Reason. I'm using Propellerhead Reason.
- In reason, I actually do my rearranging. I start the actual flipping.
When I'm done, the sample flip is the actual beat that contains all of that work. So, this right here is a sample flip beat.
Hopefully, that answers the question, "What does it mean to flip a sample?"
Sample flipping, sample slicing, sample chopping - you got an idea of how all those terms relate to each other.
All of it is just "sampling". It's just the way that we express what it is and what we're doing with a particular sample nowadays.
So, hopefully that helped you.
Does This Helps You Understand Sample Flipping?
If this helped you out, please leave a comment. Let me know how this has helped you.
If you have any further questions, leave a comment or send me a message.
Here at TaurusBeats.com, you can listen to and download "Polished" and you can listen to other sample flip beats and music that I've made.
I have more than 300 tracks that I've made that are posted and I have more coming each week. So, sign up!
You can actually download and you can license beats right here.
Also, you can sign-up for free and get access to more in-depth neat making tutorials.
Check out my other YouTube channel!
The Life Journey
Please remember to like, comment and share my videos, if you found anything valuable in them.
I appreciate you. Thank you for stopping by. As always, I'm greatly appreciative you spending your time with me and I look forward to seeing you again and hearing from you.
Hit me up on Twitter, on Facebook, SoundCloud - anywhere you find me. The links are right here in the description.
Take care of yourself until next time.
Grace and Peace!