Who Is This Course For?

✅ You're a composer, producer, or recording artist who wants to create your own signature sounds

✅ You want to sound unique and stand out from the crowd instead of using other people's instruments

✅ You have basic digital audio workstation (DAW) skills and an understanding of how recording works

✅ You enjoy learning new skills, being creative, experimenting, and having fun with sound

Who Is It NOT For?

❎ You don't use any digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools, etc.

❓ I'm having trouble thinking of anyone else...

How long do I have access to the course & how long does it take?

Just like how we support every Impact Soundworks customer for life with their purchases, you get lifetime access to this course as well. 

And just like our other products, as new lessons and materials are released or updated, you'll receive them right away.

You can take the course at your own pace. There are several hours of lessons, and there are action items (plus other text resources) to do as you follow along.

Can't I learn all of this on YouTube?

Yes, you can, and you can also figure it out entirely by yourself through trial and error, like I did!

But while YouTube is a fantastic resource, you'll spend dozens of hours watching the same thing over and over, searching for tutorials with partial answers, sifting through inaccurate or out-of-date information, organizing your own curriculum, etc.

On the other hand, I've been creating virtual instruments for over a decade and a half and I've made countless video tutorials across a range of music production and sample-related topics.

It's faster (and easier) to learn from someone with that kind of experience. 💪

Is there a guarantee?

🎵 Of course! 🎵

We offer a 10-day satisfaction guarantee for this course. If you get it, and for whatever reason you aren't satisfied or happy with it, let us know. If we can't help you out, we'll refund your purchase in its entirety. No hard feelings.

Do I need any programming or scripting knowledge?

Not at all.

In fact, you don't need any previous experience other than understanding the basics of how to use a DAW and a microphone.

That said, this is not a course about Kontakt scripting, C++ programming, DSP, etc. Those are much more advanced topics that aren't necessary to start creating fun, inspiring, and useful instruments.

What software do I need to take the course?

Throughout the course, I'll be using REAPER for many demonstrations. It's a powerful, flexible, and extremely inexpensive DAW for Mac and PC. (It also has an unlimited free trial.)

While you can use any other DAW like Pro Tools, Logic, FL Studio, etc., REAPER is unmatched for sample editing so I highly recommend it.

You'll also need the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt, the industry-standard sampler. (Not Kontakt Player, but the full version.) I'll be using and talking about it a lot in the Patch Creation module.

Do I need any special recording equipment?

Nope!

Of course, you'll need at least one microphone of some kind, but it doesn't need to be fancy. Even a humble SM-57 is a great starting point. 

You'll need an audio interface to plug that mic into as well... but you probably already knew that.

Sample Library Creator 101 is a DIY course for musicians, producers, composers who want exciting, inspiring, and unique sounds for their music. Learn the entire process from start to finish from an expert with 15 years of experience creating more than 80 sample libraries in every style imaginable.

From the executive producer of the Shreddage series, Super Audio Cart, and Tokyo Scoring Strings...

Table of Contents

Finding & Recording All Kinds of Instruments & Sounds

✅ The process we use to select interesting, useful instruments and sound sources for a project

✅ Planning your recording session(s) for success so you capture 100% of what you need

✅ The essential recording techniques to help capture the very best aspects of a sound or instrument

Turning Raw Audio Files Into Pure Gold

✅ How to set up session recordings for sample editing and clean up raw audio

✅ Editing, slicing, and looping samples to preserve all the delicate details and sonic dimensions of each sound

✅ Harnessing the power of REAPER to handle large amounts of files

✅ Naming, organizing, and exporting your chopped samples for easy usage in any sampler

Creating & Designing Sampler Patches & Presets 

✅ How to import your samples into the industry standard Kontakt

✅ Tweaking sample playback to sound (and feel) just right through envelopes and modulation

✅ Creative sound design techniques

✅ Putting on the finishing touches with effects and further processing

What You'll Learn

FOUNDATIONS

How to Decide on What to Record

How to Find Instruments, Objects, and Players

Sampling Synthesizers

DEMO: Discovering a Giant Box to Samples

DEMO: Conceptualizing a Virtual Electric Piano Library

PREPRODUCTION

Planning Articulations to Record

Dynamics, Pitch Technique, Round Robins

DEMO: Selecting Articulations for the Giant Box

Sampling Depth for Synthesizers

Using the Sample Estimate Planner

Project File Setup

When to Use Sheet Music for Sampling

RECORDING

Recording Gear Check

Preventing and Mitigating Noise

Mic Setup and Testing Theory

Recording Session Prep

EDITING

Session Audio Intake and Editing Setup

Constant Noise Removal

First Pass Slicing and Cutting Samples in REAPER

Regions, Rendering, and (Re)Naming

Creating Useful Naming Schemes

DEMO: Intake, Editing, and Naming of an Electric Piano

Sample Looping

Loudness and Normalization

When to Use Phase Alignment

Tuning and Pitch Correction

PATCH CREATION

Intro to Kontakt - Mapping

Intro to Groups in Kontakt

Automapping and Round Robins

Using Keyswitches in Kontakt

Intro to Modulators in Kontakt

Kontakt Filters, EQs, and Buses

DEMO: Second-Pass Editing the Box Samples

Advanced Modulator Techniques

Dynamic Crossfades for Continuous Volume Control

DEMO: Building an Electric Piano Ambient Patch

BONUS CONTENT

Intro to the Business of Sample Libraries

Setting Up a Sample Library Store

LIFETIME ACCESS: Your one-time purchase of Sample Library Creator 101 gives you permanent access to all course materials, as well as our members-only Facebook group & Discord channel.