THE ART OF SAMPLING
From the E-mu SP1200 owner manual by Craig Anderton (appendix A)

THE ART OF SAMPLING
Recording good samples is not always easy; creating a really super set of sounds requires
patience, practice, and skill. Sure, you can get musically useful results within a few days
after working with the SP-1200, but as you learn your craft the quality of your samples will
improve dramatically.
Sampling involves two major processes:
1. Taking the best possible sample.
2. Manipulating the sample within the SP-1200 (truncating and looping).

PART 1: TAKING THE BEST POSSIBLE SAMPLE
What comes out of the SP-1200 can only be as good as what you put in: Strive for maximum
fidelity when sampling. Here are some ways to increase sample quality.

GENERAL TIPS
  Live sampling: Sample  live  whenever possible, rather than recording a sound on
tape then sampling from the tape.
  Beware of overloads: The SP-1200 is a digital recording device. Unlike analog recording
devices, distortion does not increase slowly past a certain level; rather, it increases
rapidly above the overload point, and produces a  non-musical , splattering
type of distortion. Monitor your levels carefully.
  Sampling direct vs. sampling via microphone: Whenever possible, sample electronic
instruments directly into the SP-1200. Avoid using a recording console, direct box, or
other device in between the instrument and SP-1200.
  Maintain the instrument to be sampled: Tune your instrument if applicable, and
check that the instrument doesn t have any loose parts that rattle, squeak, or make
other noises.
  Sampling acoustic instruments: Choose the microphone and mic placement as carefully
as you would for any recording project. Musicians sometimes note how hard it
is to get a good  sound  in the studio, but that s what sampling is all about...getting
a good sound, and once you ve got that sound, keeping it.
  Play naturally: Sometimes it s a lot harder to play one note than several hundred.
Unless you re trying for a special effect, play the sample as you would normally play
the instrument. It s often a good idea to play several notes, and use truncation to
zero in on the best of the bunch.
  Avoid ground loops: Ground loops occur when electricity can take two different
paths to ground. If there is a resistance difference between the two paths, this can
generate a signal (consisting mostly of digital  hash ) that can work its way into the
recording chain. With all the instruments patched in place and connected to each
other, turn off the SP-1200 and insert a ground lift adapter between the SP-1200 plug
and the wall. CAUTION: Removing the ground connection defeats the safety advantage
of using a three-wire plug. Make sure the SP-1200 chassis has some other path
to ground (usually via the audio input and output cables). Having two paths to
ground can cause ground loops, but having no paths to ground can cause a potential
shock hazard if there s an equipment malfunction in the studio.
WARNING: E-MU cannot be responsible for the use of ground lifters in
improperly or inadequately wired environments.
  Using signal processing while recording: Just as with regular recording, there are
no absolutes about recording signals with or without signal processing. Some
engineers feel that tracks should always be recorded flat to allow for the maximum
number of options during mixdown; others prefer to record with a bit of
processing, especially if the processor might be needed on another track when
mixing.
Here are some thoughts about the use of various types of signal processors when recording
samples.
  External Preamp: If you need to preamplify the signal being sampled, set the Sample
section GAIN SET to 00 dB and use an external, high-quality preamp to increase the
signal level going into the SP-1200. The SP-1200 preamp noise level, while acceptable,
is sometimes not as quiet as an external mic preamp.
  Limiting Dynamic Range: Limiting the signal being sampled can put a higher average
signal level into the SP-1200, thus improving the already excellent signal-tonoise
ratio. Also, the limit point can be set just under the SP-1200 overload point,
which makes level setting less critical.
  Equalization: If using EQ gives a better instrument sound, then use it. You want the
best possible sound going into the SP-1200, so if a little EQ is indicated, it s usually
better to add it while recording rather than having to think about it during playback.
  Compression: Compression can be helpful when looping sounds since it evens out
level changes, thus reducing any tendency towards loop  glitching  due to abrupt
level changes between the beginning and end points of the loop. If appropriate, use
the SP-1200 s decay option to shorten the overall decay time and restore the original
signal dynamics.
  Audio  exciters : To brighten up a sampled signal, use a device such as an Aphex
Aural Exciter or EXR Projector. Both of these devices add a high-end  sheen  without
adding the stridency encountered with excessive high-frequency equalization.
  Using noise reduction: A number of single-ended noise reduction units (such as the
MicMix Dynafex or Rocktron Hush) are now available; these do not require that the
noisy signal have been previously encoded, as is the case with Dolby and dbx. If
your source signal is noisy, one of these devices can help to greatly clean up the
overall sound quality as you sample.
Maintaining sample quality when sampling from tape recordings:
Follow common-sense recording practice   be extremely careful about mic placement, use
noise reduction when recording samples on to tape, limit the signal going on to tape rather
than limiting the signal coming off the tape into the SP-1200, and add aural enhancement if
desired.
Sampling from Compact Discs: This is a great way to get high quality drum sounds, especially
with so many records having solo drum intros and breaks.
Creative use of multi-tracking: Try multi-tracking sounds on a conventional recorder, then
sampling the combination sound into the SP-1200. For example, combining electronic and
acoustic percussion sounds can produce some very useful results.

PART 2: MANIPULATING THE SAMPLE
Proper use of truncation and looping can conserve memory and create novel effects; let s
show how it s done with an example. Suppose you want to sample a long, sustaining
sound such as a gong. Although this will eat up a fair amount of memory, here are some
suggestions.
  Compress the gong sound when sampling to even out level variations. This will help
create the smoothest looping effect.
  Set a loop after the initial attack of the gong, and loop as short a section of the sound
as possible to conserve memory (see Fig. Appendix-1).
  Truncate that portion of the sound after the loop end point.
  With looping, the sound will have infinite sustain. For a more realistic effect, use
SET-UP function 18 (DECAY/TUNE SELECT) to set the gong for decay. Use the
slider to set an appropriate decay time.
Looping can also provide echo and DDL effects. Loop a complete sound so that it continually
repeats. Then, use SET-UP function 18 to set a decay time; the repeats will fade out
over the decay time. The effect is very similar to echo.