Jake Ricablanca

Prof. Ryan Flores

MUSTECH
31 July 2017

DIY: Vocal Sample Library

For this research-and development project, I have used ESX24 - a software/plugin

sampler in Logic Pro X - to create my own sample-based synthesis library. I have recorded
myself singing dierent syllables (Ooh, Aah, Loo, Dm, and Dah) in dierent pitches (C, D#, F#,
and A in 3 octaves) and mapped them to corresponding midi triggers inside ESX24s
Instrument Editor. The product is a 3-octave vocal library with decent resolution and sound that
do not warp throughout the declared range.

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INTRODUCTION
Sampling is the process of using pre-recorded audio as samples used in MIDI. The electronic
musical instrument used in sampling is called sampler. Samplers are dierent from
synthesizers in the sense that instead of generating sound from scratch using filters and
oscillators, samplers use sound recordings (samples) of real instruments or excerpts from
recorded songs.

Controlled by an attached music keyboard or other external MIDI controller, each note-
message received by the sampler accesses a particular sample. Often, multiple samples are
arranged across the keyboard, each assigned to a note or a group of notes. Samples can be
shifted in pitch by an appropriate amount (semitones and tones) using keyboard tracking.

Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians in late 1960s who manipulated
tape loops or vinyl records on a phonograph. Hip hop music was the first popular music genre
based on the art of sampling. With the rise of electronic music and disco, the use of sampling
in popular music has spread during mid-1970s. During the 1980s, the development of
electronic dance music and worldwide influence of hip hop music has advanced the
technology to other genres ranging from contemporary R&B to indie rock.

BRIEF HISTORY
Prior to computer memory-based samplers, musicians used tape replay keyboards, which
store recordings on analog tape. When a key is pressed, the tape head contacts the moving

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tape and plays a sound. Mellotron was the most notable model in the late 1960s and the
1970s, but such systems were expensive and heavy due to the multiple tape mechanisms.

The emergence of digital sampler made sampling far more practical. Bruce Haack built a digital
sampler which is a home-made synthesized with built-in sampler which recorded, stored,
played back, and looped sounds controlled by switches, light sensors and human skin contact.

The E-mmu SP-1200 percussion sampler popularized the use of digital samplers within hip hop
music in the late 1980s. Akai pioneered many processing techniques, such as crossfade
looping and time stretch to shorten or lengthen samples without aecting pitch and vice
versa. Akais MPC60, released in 1988, became one of the most influential samplers in hip hop
music.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the increase in computer power and memory capacity made it
possible to develop software applicator that provide the same capabilities as hardware-based
units. These are typically produced as plug-in instruments (VST). The 2010s era (workstation
era) usually uses sampling, whether simple playback or complex editing that matches all but
the most advanced dedicated samplers.

WHY VOCAL SAMPLING?

I am a 24-year old a cappella geek who has been arranging and recording a cappella music for
around 3 years already. I am fascinated with the human voice and the things that it can do. I
decided to explore this technology because I think that it will be a great tool that I can use for
many purposes: (1) help me generate ideas when I am arranging; (2) aide me in my a cappella
music production projects. Pardon my obsession for a cappella music. It is what I want to do
for the rest of my life. =D

THE PROCESS
Here, I will describe how I made my own vocal sample library using ESX24 (software/plugin
sampler in Logic Pro X).

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RECORDING VOCAL SAMPLES

!
The first step in creating your own vocal sample library in Logic Pro X is creating a new Logic
Pro project and making an audio track. I have assigned my audio interface (Roland Quad-
Capture) as the input and output device for Logic so I can use my GXL 2400 condenser
microphone.

Prior to recording, I have made a midi sequence which will serve as my guide to make sure that
I sing the correct pitch while recording. For the sequence of pitches, I have used C, D#, F# and
A (a fully diminished chord) in three octaves. Such intervals are chosen to make sure that the
intervals are equal throughout the three-octave range.

I have used ooh, aah, loo, dm, and dah as syllables for my vocal samples. All in all, I have
recorded 12 samples for each syllable.

PROCESSING VOCAL SAMPLES

After recording my samples, I did

minimal processing to ensure that
the quality of each sample is good
and usable in serious productions.
First, I have used Logic Pros Pitch
Flex to fix my intonation and
reduce my vibrato to zero. Then, I
quantized the samples so it will be
easier to cut them for bouncing.

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I also added delay and reverb eects
to enhance the color/quality of the
samples. I have minimized the use of
eects to just delay and reverb to fit
the future purpose that I have in
mind for these vocal samples.

Afterwards, I have cut and

bounced the processed
vocal samples, and named
them according to their
pitch.

LOADING ESX24

When done bouncing and

organizing the samples, I
opened another Logic project
to load the samples into the
ESX24 sampler. However, this
time, instead of creating an
audio track, I created a
software instrument track and
loaded ESX24 into it.

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LOADING PROCESSED VOCAL SAMPLES

!
After accessing ESX24s Instrument Editor, I have loaded the vocal samples I made. Then, I
assigned the notes/pitch that will use each of the samples. I have used 3:1 ratio wherein each
sample will be used in three adjacent pitches. For example, D#1 is used to make the D1, D#1,
and E1 sound. This method allows me to record only a few samples and yet produce sound
that do not change drastically (warp). This part of the process is called keyboard mapping.

TEST DRIVE
After the mapping, I have saved the
settings in instrument editor and saved
the preset inside the ESX24 so I dont
have to repeat the process when I decide
to use the sample in my projects.

I have created a new software instrument

and loaded the ESX24. In ESX24, I chose
the preset that I created and viola!, I am
able to use the samples I created as the
software instrument for my MIDI inputs.

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CONCLUSIONS
Sampling can be a simple and a complicated process, depending on an artists desired
outcome

Vocal sampling is a fun process; it is very useful for vocal harmony enthusiasts like me

ESX24 is a sampler in Logic Pro that is very easy to use and has intuitive features

It might have took us decades to be in this state but today, Sampling is simple process that
is made available to anyone who has a computer. However, in spite of its simplicity, the
potential of the technology is limitless. This technology has paved the way to many
developments in the way we make music over the years.