Where Do Music Producers Get Their Sounds?

Being a newbie in the music production world comes with a lot of questions and this is normal. You need to have the right questions because the answer to these questions can help propel you toward a successful career.

I’ve spent many years producing music and designing sounds. Therefore this article will uncover where music producers get their sounds.

This topic is highly relevant because sound selection is one of the most important things in music production and let’s face it, you can’t really make music if you don’t have any sounds.

Therefore keep reading on as I walk you through the various sources that music producers get their sounds from.

Sample Packs

The very first source of sounds for music producers is sample packs.

Sample packs are basically packs or compilations that contain a variety or specific sounds that are usually sold or offered for free. They are generally created by sample makers that come up with these sounds and offer them for sale or for free.

There are a variety of sample packs such as Drum sample packs, snare packs, clap packs, hi-hat packs, instrument packs and many other types of sound packs.

Some packs are a combination of a variety of sounds and don’t just consist of one of type of instrument or sound.

Once bought or downloaded, these samples can be easily be added to the instrument directory of the specific DAW that you’re using.

You can find sample packs literally everywhere now.

They are great resources that can help you build you a strong arsenal of sounds that you can easily implement in your music. Furthermore, sample packs usually don’t cost a lot, depending on the supplier. Plus you can always find free ones.

Loop Packs

Another source of sounds for music producers are from what are termed as “Loop Packs”.

Loop Packs are essentially packs that contain compositions that are usually repeating section usually meant to be seamlessly looped. Loop packs are essential parts of music production in this day and age because they are heavily utilized in all genres of music.

You can find a variety of loop sounds ranging from drum loops, snare loops, piano loops, string loops and many others, literally of any instrument that you can think of.

Loops are a great way to easily have a good start as you make music. Furthermore, they provide you access to sounds from various plugins of which you may not have.

This is the advantage that I enjoy the most whenever I purchase a loop. That access can allow me to tap into various plugins etc.

Furthermore, you can always manipulate loops to make them something completely unique which can be a fun and creative process.

Using loops also helps you have a deeper understanding of what it takes to create good catchy compositions.

This understanding can help you start making your own loops to sell, give out for free or easily collaborate with.

Stock Sounds

It’s not always that a music producer will seek out sounds from somewhere. A source of sounds for music producers that is not talked about enough is from stock sounds.

What is a stock sound?

A stock sound is simply a sound that come with your DAW designed by the developer.

They are a great way to use simple sounds without having to spend more money on outsourcing from various sample pack vendors.

Most producers don’t like to use stock sounds because of their usual low quality. For a newbie on the other hand, they can be a great way to experiment and discover how best you can work with average sound.

Furthermore, using stock sounds can be a great way to exercise and stretch your creativity as a music producer.

Instrument Plugins

Another source of sounds for music producers is plugins. Instrument plugins offer a various sounds from which music producers browse through and choose from.

The major thing to know about plugins is knowing the right ones and the ones recommended by well established music producers.

One of the leading instrument plugins on the market right now is Omnisphere.

Which is a highly resourceful and contains a variety of pre-made sounds that can help you develop a good sound.

If you want to know some of the best plugins available on the market right now, you can look up the ones being mentioned by most musicians and producers.

Music

Believe it or not, music producers do get their sounds from music. By this I mean sampling.

Sampling is basically the art of using a section or part of a piece of music in your own music. Sampling has been around for decades and is a highly recognizable part of music production.

Most music producers always make unique music because they use samples in their music.

YouTube

YouTube is a great source for sounds for music production.

You can basically search for any particular key term and it will be able to yield results for you.

Most music producers use YouTube to find and download samples because it is one of the largest databases of music of all types and of all eras.

It can be a great resource to look up something very specific.

Sound Design

Not all music producers like to shop around for sounds and samples. Some would rather design their own samples from scratch.

Sound design is a widely used to technique to come up with experimental and unique sounds. YouTube is a very helpful resource if you’re looking to learn how to design sounds from scratch.

Sound sharing websites

Another great source for sounds for music production ars sound sharing websites like looperman.

You can basically look up sound sharing on google to yield up some links that you can follow.