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III. Sample Editing
After sampling to the pads, editing is a breeze. First of all, the SP-808 has a
section on the front panel called QUICK EDIT. The main sample editing
features (Trim, Level, Stretch, and Pitch) allow you to quickly cut, adjust the
volume, change the tempo, or change the pitch of your sample. Let's start
editing our sample:
Trim
Trimming a sample is the process of changing the start, loop and end point
(see Fig. 4 on page 7) of the sample so that it loops smoothly and/or plays
only the portion of the sample that you want to play back. A perfect loop
should sound seamless when it repeats. The SP-808 lets you trim samples
in a more musical fashion than most samplers, using parameters such as BPM and measure
number. Because of this, we are going to start with a quick overview of some common musical
terms. Here's a brief description of some musical terms that will be helpful to know:
Beat
= Each time you tap your foot in time with the music is equal to one beat. In most
popular music, this is referred to as a quarter note (q).
Measure
= A grouping of beats. In most dance music, there are usually four beats to a
measure and the first beat (the downbeat) is usually emphasized.
Quarter
= A division of time in music. Represented by the "q" symbol in musical notation. In
Note
most popular music, a quarter note is equal to one beat and there are usually four
quarter notes in a measure.
Half Note = A division of time in music equal to two quarter notes. Represented by the "h"
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there are two half notes in a
measure.
Whole
= A division of time in music equal to four quarter notes. Represented by the "w"
note
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there is one whole note in a
measure.
Eighth
= A division of time in music equal to 1/2 a quarter note. Represented by the "e"
Note
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there are eight eighth notes in
a measure.
Sixteenth
= A division of time in music equal to 1/2 an eighth note. Represented by the "x"
Note
symbol in musical notation.
In most popular music, there are 16 sixteenth notes in a measure.
Tempo
= In music, the tempo indicates how fast or slow the beats are counted. In other
words, it is the speed of the music. Tempo is normally indicated in beats per
minute (BPM).
Time
= In music, the time signature determines two things: the note value that is equal to
Signature
one beat and how many beats there will be in a measure.
Note: Most of today's music is written in a time signature of 4/4. This means that the quarter note
will be equal to one beat and that there will be four beats in each measure. A typical "House Beat"
is a good example of this. The kick drum usually plays on every beat which, in musical terms, is the
equivalent of quarter notes. A new measure begins after every four beats. The speed at which the
kick drum is played is determined by the tempo. A tempo marking of q = 120 BPM indicates that
the kick drum would play 120 times in one minute and, in 4/4 time, would be 40 measures long.
Fig. 3
Musical Note
Values
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