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Music Sampling: A Beginner's Guide

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By Tracklib

Sample Spacey Synths That Coincided the Launchs of the Voyagers

Read between the synth lines, and there's one thing 'In the Regions of Sunreturn' makes clear: electronic musician Michael Garrison has a fascination for space exploration and astronomy. Soon after the launch of Voyager 1 & 2 in 1977, the synthesizer player headed into the studio to work on an album "dedicated to the infinite journeys" of the interstellar probes.

By Tracklib

Sample an Afrobeat Supergroup's Album Recorded on Tour

During the 'Black Voices' album tour by the legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, the touring musicians couldn't resist getting busy. Doctor L (drums), Jean-Phi Dary (keys), Cesar Anot (bass), Jeff Kellner (guitar), and Tony Allen himself formed a supergroup for the occasion: Psyco On Da Bus, recording a full album within a matter of weeks in hotel rooms, local studios, and the tour bus.

By Tracklib

Sample an Unknown Collab by Jazz Legend Don Cherry

John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Steve Lacy, Ornette Coleman... Trumpeter Don Cherry worked together with a who's who of jazz greats. His work with the Swedish ensemble Bitter Funeral Beer Band recorded in Germany in 1982 is much lesser known. The album brings together spiritual jazz with polyrhythmic roots from the Ghanaian 'funeral music' the band was inspired by.

By Tracklib

Sample a 70s Soundtrack to an Italian Erotic Thriller

Directed by Massimo Pirri, the 1976 Italian film 'Càlamo' turned from a hidden gem into a Euro-cult classic. The erotic thriller theme needed a sleazy soundtrack: for that, composer Claudio Tallino, a.k.a. Greekian, turned to heavy strings, funky basslines, wah-wah effects, psychedelic vibes, and the Hammond organ.

By Tracklib

Sample Dutch Dub/Disco Recorded on 'Very Strange Equipment'

When lockdown forced them into a new studio space, they ended up in Electric Monkey. There they had stacks of what singer and guitarist Nicola Mauskovic called "very strange equipment" at their disposal. That led the band to use the studio as an instrument, just like one of their biggest influences: dub legend Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

By Tracklib

Best Websites for Free Loops and Samples

How do music producers find high-quality loops and samples without spending a fortune? This overview helps you find free loops and samples, with websites that offer unlimited access to royalty-free sounds. No matter the style of music, these sample packs, audio loops, and music libraries get your inspiration and beats going.

By Tracklib

A Full Guide to Royalty-Free Music (2025)

'Royalty-free' means so much more than music free from royalties. This guide with frequently asked questions shows you how to find high-quality music—from songs to sounds—debunking common misconceptions about royalty-free music while we're at it.

By Tracklib

Splice VS. Tracklib: Which Sampling Platform is Best for You?

Many producers wonder what is better: Splice or Tracklib? What the best music sampling platform is for beginners and professionals, comes down to various pros and cons. With this comparison of Splice vs. Tracklib, we squash any doubts and highlight the differences between both sampling platforms.

By Tracklib

On the Crate-Digger's 'Most Wanted': Sample Martin Weaver

The 1972 album 'Round The Edges' by progressive rock band DARK is one of the most sought-after vinyl records ever, sold for over $30,000. In the years before the psychedelic heavy-prog band, its guitarist Martin Weaver had his own low-profile, heavy-sounding band: Wicked Lady, named after a pub drink.

By Tracklib

Sample World-Class Orchestral Compositions by a Grammy-Nominated Producer

Strings From Paris is a collective of string players, founded by Grammy-nominated producer Aaron Paris. The all-new album 'LOTUSLAND' was brought to Tracklib with exclusive multitracks. After working with a who's who of artists (from Drake to Ariana Grande, and fresh off a worldwide tour with Russ), Aaron's aim with Strings From Paris is to bring a "new classical" sound to modern music production.

By Tracklib

Sample a 70s Improv Jazz Album Recorded Within 3 Hours

This 1972 free-jazz rarity from Germany was recorded within three hours from stepping foot in the famous Bauer Studios. The five musicians of AK Musick (freely using clarinet, cello, organ piano, flute, tam-tam, and more instruments) were recorded by Martin Wieland who engineered hundreds of records on the legendary jazz label, ECM Records.

By Tracklib

Sample a Psych Duo Trained by the Most Influential Modern Composer

"The origin of music was rhythm, that's what we were taught," was written on the debut release by the Wenger brothers. With a mixture of psychedelic music, garage rock, funk, blues, and lo-fi pop, their paths of rhythm took them from Paraguay to Germany, getting inspired by krautrock bands like CAN, and musically trained by one of the most influential composers of the 20th century: Karlheinz Stockhausen.

By Tracklib

Sample the Pioneering Bassist Who Put 'Punk' in 'Jazz'

In the late 70s, genres started to clash, morph, and merge more than ever in New York's Downtown scene: jazz and punk, rock with free jazz, and clubs like Paradise Garage even brought avant-garde music to the dancefloor. The Lounge Lizards were true pioneers of that scene, at the height of the short-lived punk-jazz and No Wave movement.

By Tracklib

Golden Gems from Japan: NIPPONOPHONE Opens Their Vaults for Sampling

With an incredibly diverse catalog including city pop, 70s jazz-funk, orchestral music, children's songs, 80s synthesizer arrangements, and Japanese styles like kayōkyoku and enka, you're in for a treat with NIPPONOPHONE, one of the world’s oldest record labels.

By Tracklib

Here Are All the Royalty-Free Vocal Samples You Need – Perfect for Music Production

A great vocal sample can be hard to come by, so access to a top quality vocal library can spark instant inspiration. On top of that, sampling royalty-free vocal loops, acapella tracks, or vocal shots allows for a music production process without legal obstacles.

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