Step by step

4. Using SampleOne XT for beat-slicing and recording

1 Time to get set up with the expanded SampleOne XT, new to Studio One 4. Open it on a new instrument track, and drag any sample onto the blank upper area to load it in. We can play it up and down the keyboard like any traditional sampler. There are also pitch, filter and amp sections, and effects to get your teeth into.

2 Replace the sample with CC_TapeDriveBeat_110-05.wav –a drum loop from our Cassette Club sample pack from 253. This plays back at the original speed, 110bpm, at C3, and changes speed and pitch with other notes; but we can use the Follow Song Tempo button to make it conform to our project’s timing. So far, so sampler.

3 Right-click the sample name on the right-hand side and select Create Slices. This automatically chops the break into 19 pieces, mapped between C3 and F#

4. You can customise this mapping in the Mapping tab at the top, although we won’t go into that right now.

4 Drag a fresh instance of SampleOne onto the track (use the Load option in the dialog to replace the first instance fully), and this time head to the Record tab. Here, with a microphone hooked up, you can hit Record and create your own sample. Using the Gate Record option, the silence between samples will be removed and the audible regions sliced automatically.

5 Here’s the best thing about the Record tab: you can select the Input from not only your active mic or line inputs, but also other tracks in your project. Instruments, Tracks, Busses, all are fair game to use as sound sources, and you can set your own bus combinations up in the mixer for just this purpose.

6 Back in the Wave tab, we can zoom into the wave we recorded and choose sample start and end points, crossfade amounts and so on. If you zoom right up to the wave, you’ll notice that the start/end markers automatically snap to zero-crossing points, meaning you can’t really make a bad cut when slicing the sample.