For any music producer, understanding sampling is an essential skill. It allows you to take existing sounds – whether a drum break, melody, or vocal hook – and reshape them into something completely new. What is sampling if not a way to push creativity while building on musical history? It has influenced countless genres, from hip-hop and electronic music to pop and rock, offering producers endless possibilities.
Some of the most famous samples, such as the Amen Break and Funky Drummer break, have become the backbone of entire genres like jungle and hip-hop. Sampling’s affect on music culture is undeniable, and in this article, we’ll break down how it’s impacted music production throughout its long and storied history.
Key takeaways
Here’s a quick rundown of all you need to know about Sampling:
- Sampling is the process of taking (“sampling”) a section of music from a pre-existing recording and repurposing it into a new track.
- You can sample anything from drum loops, vocal melodies, and guitar riffs to cinematic sound FX or film and TV dialogue.
- It evolved from jazz musicians borrowing other musicians’ licks in their improv performances to what we know today.
- The pioneers of sampling include Yellow Magic Orchestra and Brian Eno but was brought into the mainstream by the “Golden Age” of hip hop producers including J. Dilla and Dr. Dre.
- Traditionally, sampling was done with purpose-made equipment including the Mellotron and Akai MPC but can now all be accessed with a DAW.
- It’s important to seek clearance from the artist or rights holder before using a sample in a commercially released track for legality.
- Sampling has changed the landscape of music production by giving artists the ability to breathe new life into old or underground songs and expose them to a wider, modern audience.
- Examples of sampling at work can be heard in Daft Punk’s “One More Time” and even the Theme Song to the TV show Futurama!
What is sampling in music?
Sampling is the process of taking a section of an existing sound recording and repurposing it within a new track. This could be anything from a drum break, a vocal melody, or even a single note from an instrument. It’s a fundamental technique used across countless genres, from hip-hop and electronic music to pop and rock.
By reworking elements of past recordings, producers can create something fresh while still paying homage to the original source.
Sampling is an incredibly broad term that covers a wide range of applications. A producer might take a full drum beat from an old funk record and use it as the rhythmic foundation of a new song. Alternatively, they might extract a vocal hook from a classic track, repitch it, and weave it into an entirely different genre.
But sampling doesn’t just apply to musical elements – sound effects and spoken dialogue can be captured and integrated into a composition. Film clips, radio broadcasts, and everyday sounds like footsteps or sirens can all be manipulated and used as musical elements, adding texture and atmosphere to a production.
Once a sample has been selected, there are many techniques a producer can use to transform it. There’s slicing, which involves cutting a sample into smaller segments, allowing different parts to be rearranged or triggered independently. This is common in hip-hop and electronic music, where producers chop up drum breaks or vocal phrases to create new rhythmic patterns.
Looping is another technique, where a short section of a sample is repeated to form a continuous rhythm or melody. Producers can also adjust the pitch and tempo of a sample to fit their track, either slowing it down for a laid-back feel or speeding it up for more energy. Effects such as reverb, delay, and distortion can further shape the sound, giving it a unique character that blends seamlessly with the rest of the production.
The history of sampling
Sampling has shaped music for over a century, from early jazz musicians borrowing melodies to modern producers chopping up beats on their laptops.
Jazz, tape experiments, and the first “samples”
Long before digital samplers existed, musicians were already “sampling” in their own way. In the early 20th century, jazz players would weave well-known hooks or riffs from other songs into their improvisations, paying tribute to their influences. This wasn’t stealing, it was a way to show respect.
Fast forward to the 1940s, and composers like Pierre Schaeffer took things further with musique concrète. Instead of borrowing melodies, Schaeffer recorded real-world sounds like trains, voices, and even kitchen utensils onto tape, then cut, looped, and manipulated them. This technique laid the foundation for what we now recognise as sampling.
The Beatles later used these methods on Revolution 9, creating an eerie, abstract sound collage that was decades ahead of its time.
The Mellotron: The first “playable” sampler
By the 1950s, technology had caught up with the idea of sampling. Enter the Chamberlin, a keyboard instrument that played back pre-recorded tape loops of real instruments. It was soon followed by its more famous successor, the Mellotron, which became a staple for artists looking to recreate orchestral sounds without hiring an orchestra.
The Mellotron was sampling before sampling as a term was popularised. The Beatles made it famous with “Strawberry Fields Forever”, and later, bands like Radiohead used it to bring a vintage, textured feel to their music. At this stage, sampling was still a niche tool, but that was all about to change.
Hip-hop and house: The inception of modern sampling
By the late 1970s, a new wave of musicians took sampling in a different direction, this time, out of necessity. Hip-hop DJs in New York didn’t have access to full bands, so they started looping the best drum breaks from funk and soul records using two turntables. DJ Kool Herc was one of the first to master this, creating extended instrumental sections for MCs to rap over.
In parallel, house music was emerging in Chicago. While hip-hop relied on chopped-up drum breaks, house producers took disco loops and repurposed them into high-energy dance tracks. These sampling techniques became the foundation of modern electronic music, proving that old records could be given a second life in completely new ways.
The rise of digital samplers: The Fairlight CMI & Akai MPC
The 1980s brought a major breakthrough: digital samplers. The Fairlight CMI was one of the first, letting artists record, edit, and sequence sounds digitally. It was expensive, but it changed music forever. Herbie Hancock, Kate Bush, and Peter Gabriel were some of the first artists to explore its creative possibilities, using sampled sounds to craft entirely new sonic landscapes.
Sampling became truly accessible in 1988 with the release of the Akai MPC60. This machine made it easy for producers to record, chop, and rearrange samples directly on the device all without needing a traditional studio. Hip-hop legends like J Dilla and DJ Premier took full advantage, creating iconic beats by slicing jazz, soul, and funk records into something brand new.
The limitless creativity of today
Today, sampling is easier than ever thanks to DAWs like Ableton Live and FL Studio, which let producers sample, chop, and manipulate sounds with just a laptop.
Instead of digging through your parents’ old vinyl collection or listening endlessly to records in a store to find that one snippet of music to sample, today brings modern convenience with on-demand access to almost the entire recorded music catalogue with streaming services, allowing you to explore worlds of music to sample that were never previously possible.
Software and hardware that changed the game
Sampling technology has transformed massively over the years, evolving from early mechanical machines to powerful digital tools that fit inside a laptop. One of the first pieces of hardware to introduce the concept of sampling was the Mellotron, a keyboard instrument developed in the 1960s.
Unlike modern samplers which store digital files, the Mellotron used strips of magnetic tape to play back pre-recorded sounds – often orchestral instruments or choirs. This allowed musicians to “sample” real instruments without needing a live band. Famously used by The Beatles on “Strawberry Fields Forever”, the Mellotron set the foundation for what would eventually become digital sampling.
As technology progressed, hardware samplers became more sophisticated. The Akai MPC revolutionised sampling in the late 1980s by giving musicians the ability to record, chop, and sequence their own samples in a compact, all-in-one unit. Unlike the Mellotron, which was limited to pre-recorded sounds, the MPC allowed you to record sounds directly on the device for full creative control.
The MPC was the one sampler that paved the way for hip-hop and electronic music production as we know it today. More recently, we’ve seen the Akai Professional MPC Live II bring a new level of creativity to the game. Powered by the same processor as the MPC X and complete with MPC 2.8 software, it’s loaded with exclusive samples and extensive, intuitive ways to chop, edit, and manipulate these samples, with Advanced Keygroups and five extra hardware controls for a tactile experience.
Other machines, like the Synclavier and Roland’s SP series, were also instrumental in expanding what was creatively possible at the time, offering features like time-stretching, looping, and gritty low-bit sampling that gave early hip-hop and dance music its distinctive character.
Today, producers have access to an incredible range of hardware and software sampling tools.
Standalone samplers like Native Instruments Maschine+ and the Novation Circuit Rhythm offer hands-on control with modern digital flexibility. Meanwhile, digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio have built-in sampling capabilities that allow musicians to slice, manipulate, and arrange samples entirely on a computer.
There are even virtual plugin samplers designed to recreate the sound and functionality of classic hardware like the IK Multimedia’s SampleTron 2 and GForce’s M-Tron Pro IV.
Pioneers you should know about
Sampling wouldn’t be what it is today without the pioneers who pushed the creative limits.
J Dilla is one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, using unique, unquantized drum sampling and soulful chops to redefine hip-hop production. His groundbreaking album Donuts was created entirely with samples, showcasing how tiny fragments of music can be completely transformed.
Dr. Dre took sampling stratospheric, blending funk and soul records with drums to create the signature West Coast sound. His work with N.W.A and on The Chronic introduced a new era of hip-hop production where sampling was used not just for beats but adding melodies and hooks.
Creating some of the most recognisable beats in hip-hop, DJ Premier became known for his razor-sharp chops and signature boom-bap style, flipping jazz and soul samples into hard-hitting beats that defined the sound of ’90s hip-hop.
Outside of hip-hop, sampling’s effect has been felt even in the pop world. Brian Eno’s 1981 album Technodelic was one of the first to fully integrate sampling as a core compositional tool, utilising everything from Radio DJs, Arabic singers, and even a recording of an exorcist.
Lastly, DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing (1996) pushed sampling to its limits, creating an entire album from nothing but vinyl records, proving that a sampler could be considered an instrument on its own.
Is it legal to sample a song?
Sampling a song is legal if done correctly. If you plan to release a track that includes a sample, you must get permission from the rights holders. To fully clear a sample, you need approval for both the composition copyright and the master recording copyright. The cost of licensing depends on factors like the length of the sample and how recognisable it is.
In many cases, copyright holders will request to hear how you’ve used the sample before granting approval.
To avoid complications, many producers opt for copyright-free alternatives. Royalty-free sample packs are widely available and designed for unrestricted use in music production. Another option is paid sampling services, which allow artists to legally use pre-cleared samples for a fee.
The safest approach is to record your own samples, whether by playing instruments, capturing sound effects, or manipulating original recordings.
A legal workaround is interpolation, which involves recreating a melody or lyrics from an existing track rather than sampling the original recording. This technique is commonly used when sampling permission is denied, as long as the original songwriters are credited. A well-known example is Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings, which interpolates My Favourite Things by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
While clearance is required in most cases, some of the most used samples of all time, the Amen Break and Funky Drummer break, have been used without legal challenge, rendering the original copyright holders unable to claim historic royalties. However, relying on this is risky, so proper clearance remains the safest approach when using samples in your music.
How to sample music
1. Choose your sample
The first step is finding the right sample for your track. Samples can come from just about anywhere – Film and TV sound FX, classic or forgotten records, or even radio DJs – whatever works for your track. Whether it’s a nostalgic melody or a unique drum break, the right sample can define your track’s vibe.
2. Get your sample into your projects
If you’re working inside the box, import your sample into your DAW of choice. Software like Ableton Live, FL Studio or Bitwig are tailor-made for electronic music production. If you’re working with hardware, get your sample imported to your hardware so you can begin manipulating the sample to fit your track’s vision.
3. Mangle, twist and reinvent your sample
With the sample in your project, get creative and use editing tools to isolate the exact part you want to use and begin chopping and splicing to find the right sample for your track.
4. Loop your sample
Looping can help your sample fit the rhythm of your track. Copy and repeat the sample, adjusting the tempo or groove to make it seamless. You can also layer effects or other sounds to enhance it.
5. Repeat!
Sampling is all about creativity. Try layering multiple samples or chopping different sections of the same song. With endless possibilities, each sample gives you a chance to create something truly original.
This is only a brief guideline on the principles of how to sample music. There are many other factors to keep in mind, so for further information, see our full guide to sampling a song.
The legacy of sampling
Sampling has undoubtedly shaped modern music production, particularly in hip-hop and electronic music. In the early days of hip-hop, producers relied on vinyl records, looping drum breaks and instrumental sections to create beats. There were unspoken rules – such as avoiding recent releases or other hip-hop tracks – but as the genre evolved, sampling became a central part of production.
Today, while sampling is more accessible than ever, legal restrictions have made it far more complex to navigate.
Originally, there were no clear laws around sampling, and producers freely used snippets of existing tracks. But as hip-hop and electronic music grew, lawsuits began shaping stricter copyright rules.
A landmark case in 2005, Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films, ruled that all samples – no matter how short – require a license. This decision changed the industry, forcing producers to seek clearance or risk legal action. Even Clyde Stubblefield, the drummer behind James Brown’s iconic “Funky Drummer” break, never received compensation despite his beat being one of the most sampled in history.
In response, many artists and record labels are now selling their music catalogues to investors, allowing their songs discover new life if sampled by other artists and be featured in other productions to generate a return on investment.
Despite legal hurdles, sampling remains a cornerstone of underground and electronic music. Sampling is to Hip-Hop as the guitar is to rock, continuing to inspire new sounds, encourage the shifting and blending of genres all while exposing a larger audience to music they may not naturally discover.
Examples of music sampling
Futurama – Theme Song (Christopher Tyng)
In this track, Tyng utilises many different samples to build a full track, but the most prominent sample is the Amen Break. The Amen Break has been used in countless hip-hop and dance tracks but here, it’s disguised so well that it’s difficult to pinpoint it unless intentionally listening for it. Tyng’s use of sampling decades-old songs for a popular TV show that takes place in the future is a smart nod to the plot of the show.
Daft Punk – “One More Time”
Perhaps one of the most famous examples of sampling in dance music. Daft Punk splice and sample the crescendo notes in the original Eddie Johns track, before pitching the whole track down and looping different sections for the classic melody we know today.
Nas – “New York State of Mind”
Synonymous with the “Golden Era” of Hip-Hop production, “New York State of Mind” by Nas encompasses how sampling can twist and manipulate different sounds together to build one cohesive beat.
J Dilla – “Don’t Cry”
A testament to his ability and creativity, Don’t Cry by J Dilla features several tiny samples of melodic content pieced together to form a beautiful mashup of the original track. Without the aid of modern DAWs or waveform editing, Dilla was able to edit and splice pieces together for this masterpiece beat perfectly.
Fatboy Slim – “Praise You”
A dancefloor classic, “Praise You” highlights how there’s gold to be found in even the most obscure of samples. The iconic piano intro was uncovered in a live album rehearsal session, where it was sampled, chopped, and cleaned to set the entire melodic structure of the track.
FAQs
What does sampling mean in music?
Sampling in music means incorporating a portion of an existing audio (“sample”) into a new composition. Artists use sampling to repurpose melodies, beats, or sounds creatively. This technique is common in hip-hop, electronic, and pop music, but requires legal clearance for copyrighted material.
When did sampling become illegal?
Sampling became legally regulated after the 1991 case of Gilbert O’Sullivan vs. Biz Markie, which established that unauthorised sampling could lead to copyright infringement lawsuits. Prior to this, sampling was widespread in hip-hop and electronic music.
Do small artists get sued for sampling?
Small artists can face lawsuits for sampling copyrighted material without permission, even if they are not widely known. Copyright law applies to all artists, and rights holders can take legal action to protect their copyright unless proper permission is granted.
Final thoughts
Sampling has shaped the way music is made, offering producers a powerful tool for creativity. We’ve explored what sampling is, from its early roots in jazz and musique concrète to the rise of hip-hop and electronic music.
Along the way, we’ve seen how iconic samples like the Amen Break have defined entire genres and how legal challenges have changed the landscape of sampling today. Despite the hurdles, its cultural impact remains undeniable. Whether paying homage to past recordings or crafting something entirely new, sampling continues to push music forward, proving that great ideas can always be reinvented.
0 Comments