How to choose, shape and layer samples in a psytrance track, from time-stretching and reversing to arrangement, plus what you need to know about clearing samples.
Samples are everywhere in psytrance: kicks and percussion from sample packs, vocal snippets and dialogue, field recordings, loops and one-shots. Used well, they add character that is hard to get from a synth alone. Here is how to choose them, shape them and fit them into a track, and what to watch out for legally.
Start with the mood of the track. A dark, hypnotic night track needs different sounds than an uplifting morning track. Sample packs made for psytrance are a good starting point for kicks, percussion, FX and atmospheres. Then look further: vocal snippets, field recordings of water or birds, recordings of your own instruments or found objects. Unusual sources are often what makes a track recognisable.
Before you commit to a sample, put it into the project and listen to how it sits with the rest. Check the key and the tempo. Most DAWs can match both automatically, but a sample that clashes in pitch with your bassline will cause trouble later. Be selective: one good sample does more than five average ones.
Time-stretching changes the tempo of a sample without changing its pitch, which is useful for fitting loops to your project. Pitch-shifting moves it into your key, and extreme amounts turn ordinary sounds into strange textures. Combine the two and a sample can end up far from its original character.
Reversing is another classic. A reversed cymbal, vocal or drum loop leads nicely into a drop or a new section. Chop loops into short slices and rearrange them to create new rhythms. Effects do the rest: reverb and delay put a vocal in a big space, distortion adds grit, and modulation effects add movement. Automating those effects over the course of a section keeps the sound alive.
Build from the bottom. Start with the kick and the bass and get them working together, with sidechain or volume shaping so they don't clash in the low end. Then add percussion, pads, melodic stabs and atmospheres. Use a high-pass filter on everything that doesn't need low end, and EQ to give each layer its own frequency range.
Use samples to shape the arrangement. Start sparse and bring in new elements over time. Risers, sweeps and short vocal phrases work well as transitions and signal changes in energy. A long reverb on a sample in a breakdown creates a wide backdrop, while dry, upfront sounds stay present at key moments. Keep going back over the arrangement and remove what doesn't add anything. An overcrowded mix loses its drive.
Copyright protects not only compositions but also recordings. If you take a sample from a commercially released track, you need permission from the rights holders, which usually means negotiating a licence and often paying a fee.
The simple way around this is royalty-free samples. Most commercial sample packs come with a licence that lets you use the sounds in your own releases. Read the terms anyway, because some packs restrict certain uses. Creative Commons sounds can also be used, but the conditions vary: some require attribution, some forbid commercial use.
Some producers assume that a sample is safe once it has been processed beyond recognition. Don't rely on that. How far that kind of use is allowed differs between countries and is a legal grey area. If you are unsure, get advice or replace the sample with one you have the rights to. And when other artists' work is part of your track, credit them.
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