The WORST Kept Secret in Electronic Music

[@dallas-cole]

BTW using splice to get sounds, but using the COSMOS sampler manager to find samples is an awesome idea. COSMOS pretty much analyzes every waveform you have on your samples folders and allows you to find samples by color properties such as Dark or bright snare. It is really something

[@ChangoFrett]

I'll agree BUT... When you have a sample library as large as mine, COSMOS falls flat a bit. There are quite a few files with bad naming conventions that COSMOS can't identify clearly based on waveform alone. It does a decent job, but it isn't perfect.

[@benoitpeeters7511]

My problem with some tool like that: 8AM “hum let’s find a nice kick drum” 11 AM “not quite there…” 15 PM “yess! Got it! Well I’m so tired finding that kick, tomorrow I’ll find a snare!” Lolllllllll

[@NeelleeStenat]

16:52 My one and a half year old son makes the same exact sound at least once a day, when he poops

[@wolfieeeee256]

😆😆😆

[@jonwatte4293]

Unfortunately, artists who publish on splice publish uncleared samples but claim they're available. I've found several taken from Indian hit songs, for example. If you want someone else to do the curation, and you're ok looking for clearing yourself when you're done, it's OK tough. And simple drum hits are usually safe

[@LindaMissad]

This is GREAT! Thank you, Guy. How fun and cool it turned out. Enjoy your holiday.... Take care

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

I am :)

[@akirathedon]

Sample game is nuts right now. There are people out there literally downloading sample packs, chucking the samples into a project irrespective of whether the sounds work together, uploading 3 minute tracks of that random noise to DSPs, then registering with content ID and claiming anyone who uses the same samples. Happened to me, and even with a sample pack I'd created!

[@tosvus]

Be careful with longer loops. Some publishers don't like when you do this, as there is some risk they can get into hot water with accusations of plagiarism.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Completely true

[@whitex4652]

BS. If the loop is legit there is no hot water.

[@AnymMusic]

I would say yes, but even then as long as you can prove that the loop is from Splice, and thus royalty free, it's all good and nobody can claim plagiarism.

[@tosvus]

Even if you can prove you got them legally, some publishers/libraries do not want you using them. That is a fact - I work with several. They don't care about a snare loop but Splice has loops sometimes as long as a minute plus with things like strings, guitar etc. Even distrokid (who is ok with Splice in general) says: " if you use royalty free samples, your music will be ineligible for the KZbin Content ID Album Extra.". Trailer libraries generally do NOT want the hassle that comes with samples from Splice or similar sources.

[@AnymMusic]

@@tosvus weird considering I use routenote whilst also using content ID and it's fine for me. they have often asked me to clarify where xyz sample came from (mostly vocals) but outside of that it's been smooth sailing

[@hjertab]

Quick tip! You can use Arrow up and down do go through the list of sounds on splice.

[@desireous]

Splice recently changed up their subscription packages. $9.99/month for 100 monthly downloads $19.99/month for 200 monthly downloads $29.99/month for 500 monthly downloads Rent-to-Own plugins start at $9.99/month until paid off

[@Po1itica11yNcorrect]

Instead of the 200 monthly download package for $19.99, I'll take two of the 100 download packages for $9.99 each and save a penny. 🤣

[@BF-up5xw]

Guy, I love you more with each video!

[@AnnieB8844]

You will not believe this Guy, but I listened to and watched your lockdown videos and I still! (2 years down) have the song in my head often: I am all on my own, together. You should release it;).

[@tantaloss8682]

LoopCloud and ASDR are pretty good alternatives to explore as well.

[@Spineloro]

Yes, Loopcloud is much better in every way

[@maxdreier98]

Can you make a video about transitioning between for example the A Section and B Section in orchestral music? That would help a lot.

[@andrewmyers59]

Another great video as always Guy. Maybe I misunderstood what you were getting at here, but Splice has full Cubase integration? You need to install it, then add the Splice VST instrument in your project. The two circles on the bottom right of Splice will then light up showing the integration, meaning you can audition samples in your project key and tempo.

[@gonzinigonz]

I tried the 3 month trial i got with an Akai Force, It has a Splice integration built in. It has issues though as it turns out so won't play all the samples you download and they don't seem to be fixing it. The app works fine fine on the PC though. Found it was ok but didn't continue with the service. There is some cool stuff on there but I'm more likely to create my own loops. I did use all the credits up though before time was up!

[@kabedford]

It's not the samples; it's what you do with them with your own artistry to make them into your own sound. I don't have much interest in Splice, but I love Loopcloud's approach, where you get an array of built-in plugins to shape and manipulate your chosen samples before using them. Go have a look! :)

[@guym1428]

I've had a play with Loopcloud and it is very clever. Personally In ended up using Splice more as it has a much larger range at the moment at least

[@aleksanderotervik170]

This is too funny haha, well done on this mate :D

[@sopastar]

Thanks for this! Your videos have been so helpful to me. I'm also looking forward to the follow-up to your "How to Write Music into your DAW"-video, where you'll dive into structure and how to turn that 30 seconds into a 3.5 minute piece of music

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

ah yes `I did promise that didnt i

[@mazur80]

Yes, please

[@e-m7309]

Wow that was a little chaotic Guy. None the less. Lot of info in that vid. Thank you from the Netherlands

[@maryknudson9265]

Hi Guy! I'm a big fan of your channel. Would you ever tell me what keyboard you use and what keyboard you would recomened for someone trying to get into production? Thank you!

[@mcshafty1]

You and your glasses are a gas mate. Keep em coming and enjoy your holiday 😊

[@meltonboroughcouncilaresht4292]

Morning Guy...how are you getting on with the Native Instruments S88 now...after having it for a while?

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Love it. Great to play and I love the knobs and flashing lights. I've bought two and so I but only one got tea spilt inside :(

[@ThatsJoshTyler]

LMAO im looking for a new midi keyboard and really think i want to go with an NI one. However I do also have a nice yamaha electric keyboard which may be able to be used as a controller. Ill see.

[@meltonboroughcouncilaresht4292]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation Thanks Guy...I ordered one and it arrived with a damaged keybed, so a replacement is on its way! Thanks for all you do here Guy...it's really very much appreciated...even though I'm Ableton based, your oeuvre is still head and shoulders above most of what finds itself on here! Keep up the great work...regards Matt.

[@richardmilner9355]

Hi Guy. Are you aware you can chose the external sidechain send directly from the plugin itself? Use the settings icon next to the sidechain button.

[@acikacika]

I don't like using already made loops in my production, but I use them for my ideas. It's a harder path to take and it does take away from the overall creativity and productivity but it makes you so much more better in terms of technical and musical knowledge. On the other hand, using loops and samples to construct an idea is very useful, it gives you a quick sketch. Than just mimic or reinterpret I use it this way.

[@guym1428]

Live vintage break beats - hard to do any other way but yes I know what you mean

[@DM-hv6sc]

Have a nice holiday Guy.

[@Mamasaysca]

Sunglasses of doubt! That's hilarious! You are sooo entertaining, as well as formative. Always appreciative ☺️

[@megorra]

I think Guy may have had a little too much of our rare English sunshine today :)

[@anatomicallymodernhuman5175]

Useful if you need a cue in a style you don't actually know much about. Sort of instant trip hop or whatever. My big take away, though. If your self-instruction is "let's do something stupid," it's likely to lead you all over the shop.

[@DarqIce]

Somehow this lil piece of yours reminds me of Blade Runner (the original 1984), that sleazy bar where the Snake Lady android worked. A mishmash of Far Eastern, Middle Eastern and Western sounds and motifs.

[@AnymMusic]

I love Splice for a lot of things. just something I don't like it for are Vocals but mostly because yknow..... everyone and their dog have used Splice for vocals at this point. Outside of that though, drums, sfx, presets, you name it, I downloaded it

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Totally right

[@originalvonster]

I feel like there is a high frequency poking out at the start of this video. I dunno if it’s just that my ears need a break though.

[@techiq7389]

I find it far better creating my own. It's just better at the end, and besides, when your track is done, you feel proud, because you didn't use someone else's idea, you built it from scratch, so its one of a kind. Oh, and in that way you teach yourself not to be lazy

[@pjdahmen]

Very good job, Men! Keep up and well done.

[@Bran_Flakesx7]

Not sure what the point of contention for people leaving dislikes.. Is it luddites who are against samples, or is it luddites who are against subscription services (despite the value proposition vs pre-packaged sample packs)?

[@0xszander0]

Looking at the comments I think it's the first. Honestly, in my opinion those people are missing out. It is good to be unique and creative in your own way however using samples can assist in that. Being a purist closes your perception that is so necessary to be open when being as creative and making as good as possible music.

[@JuniorAmazon]

Seems to be people who just don't like samples for whatever reason, they seem to think of it as "cheating" in a sense without considering all the myriad of ways that someone might be able to use those sounds to make something unique and interesting. Usually when I'm using a sample in something I'll only use one or two and lay down the rest of the tracks myself, or if I feel I want a bit more texture in something I've already mostly created I'll go scrolling through loopcloud to see what I might find that would fit.

[@LesterBrunt]

Don’t these people know that you can edit samples to make them your own?

[@mudi2000a]

I really don’t get why people are against samples. It’s all about how you use them. Just listen to any song of The Prodigy, samples all over the place but incredibly creatively used.

[@EL_Aura]

5:17 believe it or not, those went really well together, even though it was hiphop and an electric feedback bass, it could be the base for a heavy EDM "Trap" track I was vibing hard to those two elements together!

[@EL_Aura]

P.S the finished track sounds like TROYBOI Type beat! go listen to any of his songs! LOVE IT!

[@funghettta]

thank you so much for showing This new way to write music --use your ears not your hands to create , So Cool !!!

[@kayceparkinson9018]

I kind of love the Zourna loop after you worked with it. I had doubt 😎 at first but it turned out really cool. Thank you for sharing that bit of different. Have a great holiday.

[@nightnoodler812]

Hip Hop Noir, that sax, sounded like a cyber detective story

[@k-5-1-2]

A thing i don't like about their search is that there is apparently no way of creating exclusion criteria to avoid content that's just got every tag on the planet set (male vocal dry for a kick drum sound for instance). Excluding these is not possible, looks like...

[@dilzaaaa]

Enjoy your holiday Guy. :) Question: Is Splice good for foley type sounds? Or do you have any recommendations for an alternate source?

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Good question. They do some but its not their strong point. Let me ask one of our game soundesigners - they'll know

[@dilzaaaa]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation Thank you. And thank you again for all the great content you spoil us with.

[@f.herumusu8341]

Isn't foley somewhat unsuitable in large aeras for the use of samples? You can't use the same sample for steps over and over, you need to vary the distance to the microphone as the movie dictates, you sound has to match exactly in length, ... except for some effects I can't see a good use of samples for that. And for effects there are some other (expensive) tools established.

[@dilzaaaa]

@@f.herumusu8341 I'm guessing there's ways around that. By providing a sample that contains multiple takes you can chop them up and use them in a sort of round-robiny way. Distance and position can be prescribed with volume & placement in the stereo / surround field. Even easier if you can't see their feet :D

[@Sosha666]

soundly, or sound q would be two. Hard to fault soundly.

[@JacobJ0626]

It was cool to see you make something like this

[@smartpaco8360]

Love this guy

[@WotanSkyFather]

You've invented a new genre: Diaspora Dub

[@lyskmusic]

I truly love you but no loops for me - ever. Would you use classical music loops (wink) ? This maybe cool stuff for people just starting out.

[@LesterBrunt]

You know you can edit loops right?

[@lyskmusic]

@@LesterBrunt Of course but then in this case if I have to do the work I'd rather do the work creating something new and that is my own.

[@luchamiomaridekakio6429]

@@lyskmusic get serato sample ..then when you use a loop you only use a piece and play like an instrument..like kanye etc did.

[@lyskmusic]

@@luchamiomaridekakio6429 Thank you very much for your suggestion. I am only here because I am a fan of Guy Michelmore. I do not need any samples. I use VLS, CSS, Spitfire etc...

[@anshtruments]

Love your videos!! But I look forward for orchestral once!

[@tunesquid]

We make royalty free music (free to use), and I can say without a doubt that using these services is a surefire way to get a copyright strike on my music and as a result, my clients' videos. This is the single biggest reason we DO NOT use these things and we write almost everything from scratch with the very rare sample or loop from a very large reputable brand thrown in.

[@ThomsenTower]

I guess a problem with lack of integration with Cubase is that you cannot hear the sample, loop, or whatever, in the context of your project before buying?

[@ludovictrottier425]

Not gonna lie, I love this track (or whatever it is)!

[@f.herumusu8341]

Taking into account that these are just some randomly thrown together loops, samples and patches it sounds amazingly like ... some randomly thrown together loops, samples and patches. :D

[@Bran_Flakesx7]

so reductive. They were chosen and arranged deliberately.

[@DJREN2]

About half of the samples i have downloaded from splice recently don't work with my Akai force. Frustrating.

[@hazmatproduction4562]

Might have to DL & check out Cosmos later. I’ve been using ADSR sample manager in Bitwig (as a sort of stand in for cubase mediabay) & I’m not all that impressed so far. Bitwig could really use a native sample management solution. Generally though I prefer to make my bass & synth sounds from scratch & that is where Bitwig really shines. cubase… not so much. The possibilities for sound design in Bitwig leave cubase feeling…. Rather dated.

[@ktreier]

I kind of feel just like Queen had “No Synthesizers used” on their early tracks, artists should put “No Splice used” on todays tracks. Make your own sounds, beats and tracks.

[@ExecutorHideo]

If the secret of electronic music is so simple, how about recreating Camo and Krooked? Mefjus? Easily? Splice help?

[@felixmarques]

Nobody said this “secret” would solve your every worry and cover your any need.

[@ExecutorHideo]

@@felixmarques And what about my needs? You have to think before writing a clickbait title. Or not?

[@echoesofthefuture5811]

Guy amazing, how you can write in so many styles of music! Thanks for sharing this one us. I guess I will never been drawn to right a dubstep track but I guess there are synthwave options.

[@LaymensLament]

What kinda sucks about Splice is their account policy, if you stop your monthly payments you'll lose all accumulated credit.

[@creativefox6066]

LOL. Enjoy your holliday.

[@alain_de_frothcorn]

Gosh, there are so many of these appearing in my headspace in the past few weeks - Komplete Now, Plug-In Alliance, Chromatic and now this!! My brain is about to explode!

[@alain_de_frothcorn]

@guy_michelmore the link you have in your description takes you to a login screen. The /home is the culprit!

[@alain_de_frothcorn]

This is the only channel on KZbin where I practice my hitherto unknown superpower of invisibility! This comment is of course rhetorical :)

[@alanredversangel]

I cant bring myself to write music this way. I already have an unfulfilling job i dont need my music to be the same.

[@kumarsajal8400]

If I had to download the readymade kick for my music, why not better download a readymade royalty free song better? That's not legacy.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Well where do you draw the line - making everything from scratch is like keeping a cow rather than buying milk

[@AnymMusic]

man with all respect I am not making everything from scratch. I'm a music producer, not a full on sound designer. if the kick is the main part of your track or is kind of like the signature sound of the genre (like for instance Hardstyle), then yes make your own kick, lead, bass, whatever from scratch. but why would I bother spending hours and hours making every little detail from scratch when nobody will notice it, let alone know I made it from scratch?

[@LesterBrunt]

Drummers don’t make their own kick drums, so why should we? It is not about the samples, it is what you do with them.

[@danmillward7969]

Sorry to piss on your chips guy...especially if your getting a nice little splice of the plie..all power to you but the reason I don't go in for these royalty free things is eventually someone is going to use one of those hooks publish it and then it's no longer royalty free...

[@brianrainsfordmarshall2692]

"Royalty free", yes, but there's many many examples of people using Splice loops and then getting DMCA takedowns because somebody else used it and copyrighted it. Avoid, imo.

[@nickpmusic]

I use LoopCloud which is the same but also has an 8 track

[@ConnorEllisMusic]

This feels like a promotion video but there's no labels or any warnings

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Nope that's because I pay for Splice and I like it. They have no idea I was doing this. Kinda old fashioned - i like this you might too - sort of video.

[@nicolaspoggi5908]

what a cool english man!

[@Bezmont]

Make your music from scratch (of course there is a spectrum of what scratch means as more or less all music is derivative), it's so much more satisfying building up your own sounds rather than starting with "finished" sounds /loops. The added bonus being, with a clear conscience you can say it's your own music! Using other people's loops and sounds just doesn't feel right to me. Even instrument presets, change em up, make them your own.

[@metaspherz]

I agree, but that's just the ideal. But what music have you actually made? Or are you just a listener giving advice? I've known professional musicians for 30 years and they all use the same chords, instruments, effects pedals, amplifiers, speakers... Nobody makes their own, because that would be insane! How is making your own sounds from scratch any different when there is no such thing? Nobody invents their own sound just because they can modulate a few tones from scratch. It's just not done! You can take any sound and remove the reverb -- call it your own. Remove the delay -- call it your own. Modulate, chop, splice, or anything and it will not be original in any way shape, or form. If you start from init and adjust all the parameters until you like the sound, that too won't be original because if it sounds musical it's been done a thousand times before, by better musicians! What is different about musicians is their technique, how they play, that makes all the difference -- not the sounds they make but how they play it to make it sound different than the others using the very same tones! That's why it's impressive. The piano sounds the same, it's the pianist that makes the difference! I love my music, I make my own sounds, play my own instruments, but I also use other professionally-produced sounds that add texture and depth to my music that I could not achieve otherwise. Still, that doesn't mean everybody will like it. If you need a new member of your band you audition for him. The same goes for sounds in your composition. You audition samples, presets, and .wav files until you find the right one for your needs. You don't always have to modulate, splice, chop, or change it because it's just right. Pianos, guitars, brass, and woodwinds, all generally sound the same dry until you add effects. And everybody uses them too so even if you manage to make what you think is your own 'sound' it's not. There is no advantage to making your own sounds, besides personal satisfaction, as you mentioned, because even professional musicians make use of music libraries! Hans Zimmer is a great example! He's one of the greatest composers of all time and he uses computers and sample libraries. And, yes, to an extent he may modulate and add effects to some of them, but for the most part, he is a busy man and takes shortcuts just like every professional musician in the business does. So, despite one's personal preference for 'making' their own sounds, it's not always efficient or necessary when there are billions of terabytes of better samples and presets that will do the job better and get it done faster when there is a deadline. Cheers!

[@Bezmont]

@@metaspherz yeah, well there are always extremes. I have been playing, recording, releasing music for over 20 years. It's not my primary professions, but I guess my simplistic point is, make it your own. Whether starting from someone else's stock sample, a synth preset, etc. I see people very often just use the raw samples/loops, drop then I to an arrangement and call it their own. Depending on how far you want to read into that, it is arguably "their" own music (as your illustrated in your response) , however... again, make it your own whatever the source. I choose to start as close to bare bones as possible and make up my own library of "tools". But it's all derivative of course, satisfaction is important, being satisfied that I put care into the art I release makes it worth it to me, because there is almost no money in it. Haha

[@Bezmont]

@@metaspherz I guess one more point or expansion of what you're saying at the end of your comment, yes if your cranking out commercial music as some generic background in a video or something (like all the background music your hear on reality shows these days), then yeah, get it done... But when it comes to not having a deadline and wanting to create art and not for the explicit purpose of making money, take your time, make it your own, it feels better... 🙂

[@TheValueOfN]

Splice's integration with Cubase seems to be as close to perfect as it needs to be; drag the sample across and it's exactly where it needs to be. I can't understand the logic of presets being considered to be worth three times more than four bar loops are. I suppose that everyone has the ability to randomly twist virtual pots on a VST until a sellable sound is heard and equally, it's become incredibly easy to spend ten minutes crafting a four bar loop that has the potential to be equal to the beat that accompanies the latest pop star's hit 'song.' Why the price difference?

[@ArtifactADU]

Because a preset is effectively an entire instrument, a loop is not. Loops are premade, you could effectively chop it up, and repitch certain chops etc to make your own loop, but having an instrument that you can make your own loops with, or even tweak knobs and morph into your own unique instrument is just more valuable as an asset.

[@TheSteveBoyd]

Guy, I love your videos, you're a brilliant musician, composer, producer, arranger & presenter. I LOVE what you do!! But (and you knew there was a but), the whole concept of taking canned bits of performances by other people (bass lines, for example), and just assembling them like a jigsaw puzzle just rubs me the wrong way. I'm far too impure to be a purist, but this just seems like it reduces musicianship to mediocrity. If everyone's special, then no one is, so to speak. Millions upon millions of people assembling prefabricated, corporate pop to torture our ears and raze our art to the ground. I believe that's known as the ninth circle of Hell. If you were ever doing viewer requests, like as a contest, and I won it, the video I would most like to see is this: You've got a 7 piece DW drum kit mic'd up, an Ampeg bass amp with a 4x10 & an 18, a JCM800 half stack, and a vocalist in a booth using a U-47 or C-12. Just something simple like a 12-bar blues to show the kids what actual RECORDING is.

[@AnymMusic]

here's the thing though for me as an edm artist. I don't have the time, nor money to begin to think about recording drums live, or about using expensive stacks and amps. I just want something that's good, ready to go, so that I can move on with my production. the one thing I will say though is that yes Vocals are ofc better recorded for just lyrics alone. but outside of that? I'm more of a drop in (percussion) loops to my more basic kick - snare rhythm, see if it works, and work on the stuff that matters for my production

[@elektronspins]

I kind of agree with Steve Boyd. I only use Splice when I have to soundtrack a commercial or something. Otherwise it only comes handy for inspiration, when I add other parts of the track I'm building to the groove I picked from Splice, I delete the Splice part and continue from there on.

[@metalmetalvictory]

Same, I mined the metals to put my instruments and mics together and hunted the animals for my drum heads. Anything less is canned and mediocre.

[@Bran_Flakesx7]

@@metalmetalvictory this guy gets it

[@Bran_Flakesx7]

as much as I hate to be that guy... ok boomer.. The practice of sampling is as legitimate as any other form of musical expression and takes skill to do at a high level.

[@chrisinnes4706]

I prefer loopcloud 🙂

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

It sucks?

[@painlikebaneadamah_picture38]

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED SERVICES HAS BEEN 'THE THING' FOR A WHILE, NOW!

[@mcshafty1]

no need to shout about it though

[@AnymMusic]

and it will stay "the thing" for a LONG time. it's the perfect business model from a company PoV.

[@painlikebaneadamah_picture38]

@@mcshafty1 I ALWAYS USE CAP'S ... 'TYPING-POLICE'

[@painlikebaneadamah_picture38]

@@AnymMusic YES, OF COURSE ...

[@MichaelDowComposer]

Use splice if you want to sound like everyone else 😆

[@AllThingsTechSC]

I tried Splice, it was awful. So painful to search for sounds. Not organized well. No thanks.

[@MichaelDowComposer]

Couldn't you theoretically just record the samples direct to your daw while playing the splice loop. And not pay or use any credits at all? I've never used splice as I try and stay away from the tools everyone uses. Making synth presets yourself is the whole joy of synthesis and making your own percussion is one of the joys of producing. Never understood when producers just load loop after loop, preset after preset, midi after Midi. Do you like making music or do you like making preset music like dance ejay from 1998. I don't get it personally. Other than getting kick drums.. haha

[@carstenaltena]

10th!

[@davidmcpoland5286]

Loopcloud did it better.

[@Juliano_DJOL]

Yeah u r a little late on this one lol

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

I’ve been on it for years but during some recent sessions with students I was surprised how many had never heard of it

[@supareelsmusic9415]

Not your best mate ... And I have watched you for yonks ...

[@guyattpark]

1st :)

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

You are sandy

[@RONNYMORRISMUSIC]

@guymichelmore Another amazing video. I have send you an email regarding orchestra recording.

[@transient_snail2528]

been subbed to splice for quite a while but never use it… i have 3k+ tokens

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

give it a go! Give yourself an hour and just start pulling stuff of the site and see where it leads

[@LesterBrunt]

That is what I love about Splice. Every couple of months I remember I got a subscription and then I spend half an hour on a sample shopping spree.