ˈsɑ:mplɪŋ noun (Music) (Science
and Technology) In
electronic music,
the technique or process of
taking a
piece of digitally encoded
sound and re-using
it,
often in a modified
form, as
part of a
composition or
recording.
Etymology: A specialized
use of sampling,
which would normally be used in the
context of
quality control or the taking of
statistical samples.
History and
Usage: Sampling
became an
important technique in
musical composition (especially in
popular music) in the mid eighties, as a
direct result of the advances in
electronics and musical
technology which followed
from the
development of the
synthesizer. The music which developed from
these techniques (including
acid house, house, and techno)
has a
patchwork quality,
since it is formed from
many different sequences of modified sound. Associated terms
include sample (a noun and verb), the
adjective sampled (used of a sound or a
whole sequence of music), and the noun sampler (the electronic instrument--actually a musical computer--which is used to sample sounds).
With new-romanticism, techno-pop, the
revival of
disco and
growth of synthesized sound, from sampling to
scratch, the
potential for live
performance waned.
Guardian 11 Aug. 1989, p. 24 Advanced
Midi Amiga Sampler,
High Quality Sound Sampler & Midi
interface including
all necessary Software...The sound is
stunning,
too. All effects are sampled, and
very atmospheric. CU Amiga
Apr. 1990,
pp. 27 and 43