Previously on Elektronauts:
When I read this, I thought to myself that if I come back into power, I actually would like to be that brutal and oppressive. And given that this is our 12th battle, an SP-1200 themed battle feels sort of right. We can call it the “Lucky Number 1200” edition.
But it occurs to me that most of the records that we associate with the SP-1200 were actually made with the combination of an SP-1200 and an Akai S950. That combination would generally give you something closer to 29 seconds of mono samples. So we’ll go with that even though it’s not nearly as cruel as I would like.
For our sample sources, I want to once again make that a group effort. I want everyone to submit one song. And I do mean a song.
I’d like you to choose something that you have already sampled. But this isn’t a rule. I know some folks don’t come from a sampling background and use these battles to dip their toe into sampling.
When you make your beat, you are required to use samples from at least two of the songs posted in this thread. You don’t need to use a sample from the song that I post. But you cannot use a sample from the song that you post.
You are allowed to use outside samples, as well. These can include melodic samples, fx, vocals, in addition to the usual drums and bass. These can include samples from other songs or samples that you recorded yourself. You just need to stay within the sample time restrictions.
In addition to your samples, you can use one additional instrument as long as you don’t loop or sample it. So, if you sequence a bass synth from your DAW, for example, that counts as your additional instrument and does not need to be included in your sample time. If, on the other hand, you sample a bass note from that synth and then play it chromatically then it needs to be counted in your sample time but it doesn’t count as your additional instrument. One grey area here is multisampled instruments like Addictive Drums. I’m inclined to say that they shouldn’t be allowed as your additional instrument but that you can sample them as much as you would like.
No matter what you include, samples from the songs in this thread should be the focus of your beat. People want to hear the cool ways that you flip the samples that they contribute.
Acapellas are not only allowed but encouraged. They do not count towards your sample time. Ditto for record scratching.
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Bullet points:
Sample Requirements:
- You need to post one song in this thread for us to sample.
- The deadline for submitting a song is Monday, July 4th.
- Your beat needs to include samples from at least two of the songs posted in this thread.
- Your beat cannot include a sample of the song that you submitted.
Sample time restrictions:
- You are limited to 29 seconds of sample time.
- The 29 seconds that you have are for mono samples. If you use stereo samples then you only have 15 seconds.
- You can and probably should speed up your sample and pitch it back down on your sampler or in your DAW to conserve sample time.
Submitting your beat:
- The deadline for submitting your beat will be Wednesday, July 13th.
- To submit, send me a PM that includes:
- Your beat as either a wav or mp3.
- A clip of the samples that you used. You only need to include the portions that are actually in your beat. Send this as an mp3. I want to include it with your entry in the voting and feedback thread.
- A list of the samples that you used. You don’t need links. And if you don’t remember exactly where something is from that’s fine. I mainly just want to know the melodic samples that you used so folks can refer back to the originals.
-Please don’t send anything to me until everyone has had a chance to submit a sample.
-Even if you’re unsure whether or not you’ll be able to make a beat, I’d encourage you to contribute a song to sample in case you find the time.
Here is my song:
Please post yours before Monday, July 4th. Also, please don’t post videos in this thread that are not your song submission.
These are just the rules and deadlines that sound good to me. I also want to stick with the blind vote format. But if you’ve got any suggestions for changes, please let me know. I’m open to kicking this around a bit.
One last thing:
We’ve talked about putting together some kind of release for our battles. @Sleepyhead brought up the idea of making a tape of the winning entries, with the winner of this battle taking the final slot.
I think that this is as good a time and place as any to discuss that further.
