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How Daft Punk Created One of Their Most Famous Samples
- dang 6y agoThe video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sdtOpE_3aQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sdtOpE_3aQ.
- jarnix 13y agoThe way he talks is really great and you learn a lot from his tutorials.
- lsv1 13y agoBut he gives bad advice regarding the warping of samples. After Ableton 7.0 was released the warping system changed from move the time into the sample to move the sample into the time. He's trying to use Ableton 8.0's warping mechanism the same way it worked in 7.0. Granted the end result is the same, however, Ableton 9.0 defaults to the newer warping system. It is unfair to give this advice to the viewer.
- midas007 13y agoYeah, it's clear he knows what's he doing and that's about it. It's not intended to be a tutorial, merely proof of repeatability.
- dzuc 13y agoSee also this great recreation of a Prodigy track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI
- JonnieCache 13y agoThat one is a lot more enlightening as to the creative process for this kind of music. (Of course the prodigy didn't do it like that, all point and click. There would have been a lot more twiddling of knobs and generally wigging out with actual hardware.)
- rasur 13y agoIIRC, the Prodigy's Liam claimed to have written one album in bed using Propellorheads' Reason (then moved to the studio to finish off in pro-tools). I know I've done stuff just point and click on the train home from work in both ableton live and Reason. It's not quite as fluid as having a real keyboard (or other instruments around), but it is completely doable.
- JonnieCache 13y agoI think that's more the later stuff. Fat of the land certainly sounds like it was composed lying down.
- louthy 13y agoIt's perfectly doable to create good sample based tracks in Reason. But you couldn't finish and master something of the standard of a Prodigy track on that alone. I once saw Liam walking along the street of Sarm studios around the time that 'Always outnumbered never outgunned' must have been in production: http://www.sarmstudios.com/ http://www.sarmstudios.com/ - I assume he came out of there. It's a touch more advanced setup than Reason ;) Although if I had to guess which album he made on Reason I reckon it's that one. I doubt the latest album 'Invaders Must Die' was done on Reason alone because of the quality of the synths used. Although again he could have just programmed the rough idea on Reason and then used the midi-notes to drive high-end synth.
- rasur 13y agoI have a feeling it was actually 'Invaders...' he was talking about when he made that claim.
- deevus 13y agoThis is not on the same level as Prodigy, but a great Australian electronic artist Flume [0] creates his music by "playing a Mac" [1] [0]: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flume_(musician) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flume_(musician) [1]: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/flume-q26a/4558192 http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/flume-q26...
- NamTaf 13y agoI had no idea that Rage was sampled in there. Holy moly thanks for that, that's a fantastic video
- fat0wl 13y agoehehe this is is sick. at least they used more than 1 sample, lol. i gotta figure out ableton.... i use it but mainly to process live tracks with max. WHY DONT I USE MY SAMPLING SOFTWARE FOR SAMPLING GAH also... <3 the sprite cameos
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- WA 13y agoOn a side note: How does the whole legal process work? I mean, the original tracks, or at least parts of it, are taken from a song and re-sampled to create something new. So far so good. But is everybody allowed to do it or do you have to ask the original creator for permission, especially if you want to use the new sample in/as commercial products?
- arrrg 13y agoWell, it’s probably possible to make a very decent argument that this falls under fair use in the US (though fair use is quite US specific). Making a fair use argument, however, is always challenging and very much up to interpretation. There is little legal certainty in relying on fair use. In practice, however, at least big acts always get clearance for the use of samples. That removes the legal uncertainty that would surround a fair use argument.
- jstalin 13y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_license https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_license
- arrrg 13y agoThose don’t cover sampling.
- granfalloon 13y agoYou need to get permission from the copyright holder, which has gotten substantially more expensive over the years. Hip hop tracks back in the 80s and early 90s used to contain loads of different samples all mashed together, but it slowed down a bit after people started suing. Nowadays sampling isn't quite as popular, and sampled tracks don't usually use more than one or two samples. The rapper Fabolous had a hit song "Breathe" several years ago that contained a sample from a Supertramp song. The track leaked and became HUGE before they cleared the sample, so when it came time to negotiate Supertramp had all the leverage. Supposedly they got $100,000 plus almost all royalties, so Fabolous didn't make any money off the single. (Though of course he made tons on album sales). EDIT: Just because you're supposed to clear samples doesn't mean people always do. If a sample is obscure enough or sufficiently altered, artists may try to get away with it hoping that no one will notice -- apparently that's the case with Daft Punk. I think Timbaland has gotten into trouble sampling foreign artists without permission ("Big Pimpin'", maybe), and the source of the sample in Nas's "Nas is Like" went unknown for around a decade. See http://www.whosampled.com/sample/4061/Nas-Nas-Is-Like-John-V.-Rydgren-Bob-R.-Way-What-Child-Is-This%3F/ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/4061/Nas-Nas-Is-Like-John-V...
- mandelbrot 13y agoSaw the video on Reddit a couple days ago and somebody linked to this neat site in comments: http://www.whosampled.com/sample/1363/Daft-Punk-One-More-Time-Eddie-Johns-More-Spell-on-You/ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/1363/Daft-Punk-One-More-Tim...
- 3stripe 13y agoFunny headline... you don't create samples, you take samples
- 3stripe 13y agoWhy was this downvoted?
- JonnieCache 13y agoBecause it's tedious semantic quibbling, and it's not even correct. One samples a record, by doing this one creates a sample in ones sampler. One then plays this sample in a record of ones own, just like you would any other instrument or sound. You will likely manipulate the sample, like in the video, and then you will have created a new sample. This isn't very clear in the video, because the editing process in modern software is very non destructive, so you never actually "make" a new sample. In the more primitive hardware of the past, the process is much more explicit. If you have some other point to make about creative/artistic legitimacy, you should just make it.
- 3stripe 13y agoSo by your description, if it was really about how Daft Punk 'created' that sample, the article would just be a description of how they plugged a record player into a sampler and pressed the record button. Which it clearly isn't. Hence my first comment.
- JonnieCache 13y agoI guess it sounds like you're pretending not to understand what is a fairly simple linguistic ambiguity, in order to start and then win a boring argument. Sorry if this sounds mean, but you did ask.
- f00_ 13y agoEven if you didn't read that, you must at some point come to the conclusion the word "sample" is a bit ambiguous and might have many contexts and uses wouldn't you? Trying to make yourself feel smart by making a witty one liner, which in all fairness was unjustified, won't win you any awards.
- return0 13y agoNot how the song was made, 'One more time' was released in 2000 but Ableton 1 in 2001. Nevertheless, ableton is an amazing piece of software and always fun to recreate songs http://www.whosampled.com/Daft-Punk/One-More-Time/ http://www.whosampled.com/Daft-Punk/One-More-Time/
- octatone2 13y agoIt was made "with these samples, in this order, from this song". Not made "with this specific software".
- return0 13y ago> YouTube user SadowickProduction gives a step-by-step breakdown of how Daft Punk built the basic backing track for “One More Time,” using Eddie Johns’ “More Spell on You" I think we can agree that overanalyzing a hastily-posted article is pointless.
- bsaul 13y agohttp://www.samples.fr http://www.samples.fr and http://culture.samples.fr/ http://culture.samples.fr/ are two sites dedicated to famous samples analysis, and they've been there for such a long time that the number of titles analyzed is huge. It's in french, but the videos speak for themselves
- bazzargh 13y agoNitpicking, but that comment in the closing paragraph is jarring: "Anyone can put a urinal on the wall and call it art". It's clearly a reference to Marcel Duchamp's Fountain - a key work in the argument of what is and isn't art. However, that urinal, and its reproductions, were pointedly never mounted on a wall, but flat on a pedestal where it couldn't be used. It's like the author had heard the phrase but didn't know what it was about? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)
- sliverstorm 13y agoYou understood the reference, and so did everyone else, so does it really matter if he says "on the wall" instead of "on a pedestal"? Also, you have misquoted (?) the article. When quoted like that, it sounds like the author is criticizing Daft Punk, when in fact the author is addressing potential detractors.
- tomphoolery 13y agoIt's just funny to me because it shows the author's lack of understanding of the Duchamp piece or why it was interesting at all.
- 001sky 13y ago"Anyone can put a urinal on the wall and call it art" I'm not sure this is too far from the point of duschamp's piece, which is that you can "put anything on a pedastal" and the "sign it", and as long as it's done by someone with a certain "aura", such an act becomes transformative. The "wall" and the "pedastal" need not be taken literally, IMHO. There is a whole "deconstruct the art gallery" theme that followed. Things like..."pile of rocks in a white cube". And for that matter, the actual "white cube" itself. see, eg. http://www.amazon.com/Inside-White-Cube-Ideology-Gallery/dp/0520220404 http://www.amazon.com/Inside-White-Cube-Ideology-Gallery/dp/...
- bch 13y agoIf I recall correctly Andy Warhol used to do exactly this (sign everyday items, including urinals). He called it "ready made art." I want to say "see also: Banksy", but I don't know if that idea is completely thought out.
- bbx 13y ago"More Spell On You" was actually produced by Daniel Vangarde (a.k.a Thomas Bangalter's father). It might be the reason why Daft Punk were able to avoid legal complications.
- delinka 13y agoWhy do people assume there would be "legal complications?" Why the assumption that they just took what they wanted without licensing? They're not obligated to inform us about these arrangements, the licensor has no interest in disclosing what its licensee is up to, and the licensee can say (or not say) whatever it wants.
- KC8ZKF 13y agoTFA says "More Spell On You" was cleared.
- halter73 13y agoNo need to be rude. The video itself implies that the sample wasn't cleared. I wouldn't expect everyone who saw this post to watch the video AND read the whole thing. Still, you're right of course.
- KC8ZKF 13y agoRude?
- WiseWeasel 13y agoYes, surprisingly, using an acronym like "The Fucking Article" might be construed as rude in certain circles.
- phpnode 13y agoThe Featured Article
- sthatipamala 13y ago
- wavesounds 13y agoIf you're into this stuff here's a great video of someone making Daft Punks' Robot Rock as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOmZibK57M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOmZibK57M It's got more detail explaining how to do things and shows all the keys he presses too. Shout out to the people who made Ableton, it's great software.
- nilved 13y ago> Anyone can put a urinal on the wall and call it art I normally don't read Slate because of stuff like this; apparently it was a mistake to give them another chance.
- halter73 13y agoWay to take that quote way out of context. You make it sound like the Slate writer is supporting the quote, when it seems to me like he's arguing against it. > A lot of people will see this video as proof of how building songs from samples takes a keen ear and a lot of skill: You’re not just “stealing” something, you're transforming it. Others will see it as proof of the opposite: Anyone can put a urinal on the wall and call it art. Of course, those people didn’t put a urinal on the wall, and they aren’t Daft Punk.
- wahnfrieden 13y agoAnother interesting video, Fred Falke creating (rather than recreating, though the result is similar to his other works) a song from scratch and talking through the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tblZ3EqRE0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tblZ3EqRE0
- jarnix 13y agoAnother one explained (High Life) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5uMctGxJwI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5uMctGxJwI
- jarnix 13y agoOh, looks like I found something from 2008 showing how to do the same sample job : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ztzl_VYlX4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ztzl_VYlX4
- mynameishere 13y agoI'm pretty amazed by how accepted sampling is. You can cherry pick examples of uses and alterations of original works that are made...better, or at least distinct or unrecognizable. But that's rarely the case. What you usually get are unholy abominations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcMfl3UGhOY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcMfl3UGhOY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oROoI-bYgGQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oROoI-bYgGQ ...I guess it's partly ignorance on the part of the listeners, who don't know the originals, and don't realize how wretchedly they are being used.
- Ideka 13y agoCan you link the originals?
- drv 13y agohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04CH9YZcpI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04CH9YZcpI (John Mellencamp - Jack and Diane) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpYBT0XyvA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpYBT0XyvA (Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London) + http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyokaj3BJU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyokaj3BJU (Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs (The Police - Every Breath You Take)
- dl8 13y agoEven though Kanye West gets a lot of flak for his behavior, I think that most of the sampling that he's done (especially on his first 3 albums) has been amazing. Like taking a 2 second sound clip from Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne and somehow transforming it into the main beat for his song in Champion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XaDeC2LEdA#t=68 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XaDeC2LEdA#t=68
- habosa 13y agoWow that was a great video. Big fan of Kanye's earlier stuff and some of the newer stuff, always appreciated the samples but great to see where they come from. Very varied. Everything from classical to Michael Jackson to Daft Punk.
- bigsassy 13y agoHere's a similar, but more in-depth, video on making "Smack my Bitch Up" from The Prodigy. My mind was blown when it shows how "Bulls on Parade" was sampled :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI
- scneptune 13y agoI'm sorry but thats the worst linkbait I've seen to Slate in a minute. Common HackerNews, you're bringing me down...
- mrxd 13y agoThe comments on Slate just show how little people understand about the culture of EDM. The debate about whether Daft Punk is "stealing" or passing off other people's work as their own misses the point. Daft Punk (and many other electronic artists) are mainly producers, and it's normal for producers of all kinds of music to hire sessions musicians and record them in the studio. Sampling is just another version of that. That's no more stealing other people's work than a director of a movie is stealing the work of the actors or the writer. I think what people can't get their heads around is that a producer can be a legitimate creative role and it makes sense to give them the main credit. Secondly, no electronic music producer argues against having to pay licensing fees to copyright holders, on fair use or on any other grounds. Since they are copyright holders themselves, it wouldn't make any sense. Remixes are considered legitimate collaborations, and many producers are motivated by the desire to showcase forgotten or obscure works by people who didn't the attention (and money) they deserved for whatever reason.
- wturner 13y ago"Daft Punk (and many other electronic artists) are mainly producers, and it's normal for producers of all kinds of music to hire sessions musicians and record them in the studio. Sampling is just another version of that." This statement assumes they are not sampling other peoples music illegally. The law is based on the argument that if I sample so much as hiss from a record without consent that it is illegal. Why? The reasoning is that said hiss was recorded within a specific set of variables that can never be reproduced ever again in the exact same manner any time 'within the known universe'. Hence if you sample some hiss off a record its because you want that hiss and this is why sampling of other peoples recordings is illegal without consent.
- triplesec 13y agoJust an FYI really; I have a pal who's the sound engineer with Introducing Live, who are touring Daft Punk's Discovery and playing the lot actually live, which had never been attempted before, even by DP themselves. His main gig is writing pro music software, so he knows his waveforms. Pretty neat, so if you want to know how it's done, that's another source. Some might be interested in links. Google's easy, so here's their tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/introducinglive http://www.youtube.com/user/introducinglive
- klochner 13y agoA little older but similar idea (and fun to watch) - remaking of The Prodigy's "smack my bitch up": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Dn-WaElI
- kosei 13y agoIf you're into this kind of thing, here's a great tutorial breaking down creating Justice vs. Simian Mobile Disco - We Are Your Friends... The teacher does a fantastic breakdown on how to create this type of sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c03Gm3rMAmI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c03Gm3rMAmI