ABOUT SAMPLES

Р   A sample is a piece of recorded sound, in this case on the PC. Р   A recording is raw material. Its modification makes the final sample. Р   A sample is not per definition digital. A cassette-recording of two seconds of a radio-broadcast is also a sample. Р   A sample can be much more than the usual single tone of a musical instrument. Р   A sample also can be a complete phrase of five notes on an instrument. Р   A sample can contain more sources at the same time, like a bass, plus a trumpet, een bang, a hi-hat and a piece of voice-over. Р   A sample can consist of a mix of simultaneous sequences of five loose samples, for example in a file of exactly two bars of a band of five persons. Р   A sample has in principle no limitation in timelength. In a digital delay the length could be 2 milliseconds. And how long a sample can be just depends on the available amount of memory. Р   A sample is not the same as a 'recording'. Surely not seen in a compository way. If I copy a track from the radio, I make a recording. If I compose : - after 7 seconds record 3 minutes from the radio -, then I've made a sample. Also not seen minding the content. Because that 'recording' is still just the raw material for the sample to be made. It still has to be edited. Р   A sample has no single sound, but is variable in playback-speed and e.g. form (envelope). Р   A sample has a weakness : this variable playback-speed leads, apart from different frequencies, also to different timelengths. Just like speeded up tape. Р   Confusion can occur, because the smallest entity for editing a sample-file also is called a 'sample'. (- a file of 5 sec can consist of 220500 samples -) Р   A sample has no standard for 'tone-height'. The frequency under the key for the 4th octave A can appear to be a 2nd octave C. It's relative. Using more samples in a compo only the mutual relationships of the base-frequencies counts.