Creation of a sample library

What Sample packs do producers want?

The ambient toolkit volume 2 library has been released for 2weeks now and has done well in terms of interest and sales.The sample library market is a fairly recent phenomenon and it would be interesting to find out who buys sample packs,why,what situations are they most useful in for producers and what types of sample packs would producers,musicians,dj's etc like to see more of?

There are loads of genres and sub genres,particularly in electronic music.Some genres become fashionable quickly and many sample library labels release packs to reflect the popularity of these genres.This is totally understandable as it is obviously beneficial to capitalise on a strong area of growth in any market,but what about the potential influence that sample library producers could have on future musical genres.Instead of reacting to changes in the market,what if sample producers became the trend leaders in creating new musical genres.

With software like able ton available,it has become easy to mix loops together and musical phrases from any genre.Hip hop beats could be worked together with acoustic guitar loops,generative synth sequences and dub bass lines without too much trouble.Some of these combinations obviously wouldn't work but the potential for creativity is there.
As a sample pack producer,the potential to put together sounds that wouldn't normally co exist in one pack might open up some creative possibilities for producers.So how about a sample pack with old school hip hop beats,folk guitars,sci fi sequences,jazz chords and generative ambient sequences.It may get messy but the creative possibilities would be open for my customers enabling them to create some unique tracks.I listen to Madlib a lot and have been inspired by the way he puts countless styles together to create an individual sound.any way just some thoughts from me on the future,any one with some opinions on what type of sample packs they would love to hear,let me know.Peace for now Papas st germain.

King Dome Downtown

King Dome Downtown

After releasing my new sample pack about 10 days ago,i decided to use the samples from some of my 9 previous packs to make a new track.This track is heavily influenced by the melancholic sounds of BoC from the Campfire Headphase era and by the heavy dub of King Tubby.In my eyes and ears, these two influences are pioneers in chasing unusual sounds and effects,making new sounds from old influences and creating music which is totally relevant now.Here is my tribute to those two outstanding influences in my music making,peace papas.

Ambient Toolkit VOL 2 - 50% Off Intro by Papas St Germain at Sampleism

Ambient Toolkit VOL 2 - 50% Off Intro by Papas St Germain at Sampleism


Unique quality samples created using some of the techniques described in my blog.A happy marriage between analogue and digital technology.The sounds are inspired by artists such Brian Eno,Burial,BoC,MBV,Four Tet,Phillip Glass,Autechre and any other true pioneers of experimental ambient music.peace for now Papas st germain.

In The Box

I used an extensive range of software plug ins for the creation of Ambient Toolkit Vol 2.I have certain reliable favorites which i can always call upon to the job.These plug ins range from the free to the fairly expensive and can be simple dynamic and eq processors to harmonizers,time stretch and delay processors.All of these play an important part in sculpting the final sounds.

Probably my favorite plug in developers are PSP Audioware.I love all their stuff but i think they have some of the best EQ and dynamics processors on the market. The Vintage warmer is a classic and can be used to enliven any sound.I use it to get my beats sounding really saturated but it's such a versatile plug in that it can even be used in mastering or even on the master buss to give a track extra power.I also use the Noble Q EQ .This plug in is allegedly based on the old Pultec hardware EQ and the sound for this EQ is superb.I use it to get a bit more phatness in to snares or beats overall.Most PSP plug ins have a bit of a character to the sound which i prefer although many producers don't like the idea of plug ins colouring the sound. For sound mangling purposes i find Camel audio's plug ins The Camel phat and cm Alchemy player invaluable.Alchemy cm is free with the Computer Music monthly CD and amazing for sound mangling,filtering and re sampling of new sounds.I use both of these consistently and always get interesting results.Another plug in i use a lot is The Pulse Modulator by Audio Damage.This is a fantastic plug in capable of subtle tremelo effects or extreme distorted futuristic sequences.Incredibly, this is also a freebie also with CM magazine ,well worth checking out.The PSP plug ins are all available for a 14 day trial so you can try before you buy.
An unusual stand alone plug in i use is a timestretch  plug in called paulextremesoundstretch. This great for taking boring sounds and turning them into symphonic ambient beauties, again a freebie.With all these software plug ins available,sound design and sound creation are ever more evolving with the potential to create and twist sounds to an extent not possible before.

Ambient Toolkit VOL 2 - 50% Off Intro by Papas St Germain at Sampleism

Ambient Toolkit VOL 2 - 50% Off Intro by Papas St Germain at Sampleism

Here is the new sample pack from papas st germain as documented in my blog. Sampleism have kindly helped with the artwork and the price will be low for a limited period.My next post will concentrate on some of the software plug ins which were instrumental in helping create some of the samples.

papas st germain

papas st germain

This is a link to my  sound cloud profile.Many of my samples are available here for free download.The samples give an example of the types of sounds i create using the techniques outlined in my recent blog posts.Feel free to use and abuse the available samples.The full packs are available to buy using the buy track button on each sound file.Peace and enjoy,papas st germain

Digital Days

                 I'm going to talk about the part that digital technology played in the creation of the Ambient Toolkit vol 2 sample library.The vast majority of sounds come from analogue sources outwith the computer but the true creative process really takes off when i get the sounds inside the computer.

I use Pro Tools for recording and editing.Reaper is used to create beats.I do this by importing individual kick,snare,hats,found sounds onto the time line and then i start placing them where i want to create the beat i want.I do this with the grid off and i refuse to quantise. I just use trial and error until i get the right sound tempo and swing.This takes a while sometimes but i like the end results from working this way.The freedom working in the computer gives me makes this process much easier than say working just in the MPC and allows me to move parts about quickly ,creating different accents.I also use Ableton to mangle a lot of sounds,create glitchy sounds and change pitch and bpms. Ableton is also great for quickly checking my samples to see if they work together. I prefer moving the blocks of audio around on the DAW timeline and it's a technique that Four Tet used on his last record "There is Love in You". He doesn't seem to work to the grid at all and manipulates the sounds as he works,rather than creating huge files of sound that then get mixed at the end.Digital technology is essential in this intricate editing and this is the real strength of working in the box.Can you imagine doing micro edits with tape? ,it'd take years to create a track.

Check this link to see how Four Tet worked in the box completely for two of his tracks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEUGilncRJs

In the next post ,i'll share some of the plug ins that i used to create the Ambient Toolkit sample pack.