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So you want to make a beat using a chopped sample.There are several ways to go about doing this. Some producers may take a huge loop and add some drums, however this is not the way seasoned producers make hits. In some way or form you’ll have to chop the sample. What is chopping? Splitting the sample or loop into smaller sections to be loaded into your hardware or software sampler…This process allows greater control over arranging the sound waves, and leaves room for your creativity to blossom.
Step 1
Find a ..**ahem**..royalty free sample :-)… Load that into your editing software. If you are using a hardware sampler, the basic concept will apply, but you’ll have to work inside your machine. I use this method for both hardware and software because it’s more precise, and a lot faster.

Load sample into editor


Step 2
Find the section you’d like to work with, and zoom in

Find Section

Step 3
Select a small loop. The size of the selection will vary. I usually use a 2 to 4 bar loop. The smaller you chop the more arrangement possibilities. After you get the hang of it, try using 1 bar loops and see what you can make.

Step 4

Make sure your selection is highlighted at “Zero Crossing”. Zero
Crossing means in alternating current; which would be your waveform, the zero crossing is the instantaneous point at which there is no voltage or no sound is present. You’ll have to zoom in close
to be sure you are highlighting the loop start and end points to zero crossing to avoid pops and clicks.

You can see in the picture above, “zero crossing” looks flat on the screen, and the green represents the actual sound wave. I have zoomed in to highlight my loop to be sure my loop start and end are at zero crossing.

Step 5
Continue to add cues or export each loop

If you are using an editor which adds cue points, you can continue to highlight the loops you want adding markers or cues. In Adobe Auditon the cues can be exported seperately or saved in the file for use in software that detects them like the Fl 8 slicer. Name the loops/cues so you can easily identify them later.
Another way to seperate your loops is to export/save each selection manually as you go along. It is best to make a folder for the beat, adding a subfolder for your chops. This keeps all your loops with the beat file.
Now that you have your “Chops”, you can arrange them using your soft sampler, hardware, or even your multitrack program. If I’m using an Mpc, I put each chop on a single pad. I may have 16 or more small 1- 4 bar loops loaded into the Mpc. Here is where the term ” Flip the sample” begins. Now,I am able to play the chops from the pads on the Mpc and flip or rearrange them to my liking.

There are tons of videos showing this procedure. I show an example in ” She Makes Beats Vol1.”
My First Short..”She Makes Beats Vol.1″…just a quick tutorial showing how to make a sample based beat using your own composed sample. Directed and filmed By Brad Willard
**MsTris does not endorse views of the “Mystery Producer”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2LJCtecpYM[/youtube]

Here is another easy one I found for todays topic.
Joe D Law: Choppin a sample with Audacity
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceisHF4ixhU[/youtube]

He’s using editors basically for the same reason I do..Need an editor? Joe D used Audacity which is super loaded for a free program. It even has Multitrack recording. Pick up a copy here> Audacity .

@ Storm: Picture of chop between boxes.