A loop borrows a feeling. A flip creates a new one. The difference is how much you change, and whether the changes are musical choices or just effects.
If you haven't chopped a sample before, read how to chop a sample first.
Change the harmony
The most powerful flip is a new chord progression built from the sample's chords. Chop by chord, then:
- Reorder them so the progression resolves differently.
- Repeat one chord to build tension before the change.
- Pitch a chop up or down a few semitones to create a chord that wasn't in the original.
Change the emotion
The same sample can feel completely different with a few moves:
- Slow it down and pitch it down: it gets heavier and darker.
- Speed it up: brighter and more urgent.
- Filter it: a muffled, distant version can feel nostalgic or tense.
Add your own parts
A sample shouldn't have to carry the whole record. Adding a bassline, a keyboard part or a counter-melody makes the sample one element of your production.
Use texture
- Saturation or tape emulation glues the sample and your drums together.
- Reverb and delay on single chops create space and movement.
- Reverse chops make great transitions and lead-ins.
Arrange like a record
The biggest giveaway of an unfinished flip is a sample that plays the same way for three minutes. Try:
- dropping the sample out for the verse and bringing it back for the hook
- using a filtered version for the intro
- switching to a different chop pattern for a bridge
Stems make flipping easier
If you have stems, you can flip one part and keep another: rearrange the keys but keep the original bassline, or pull the vocal out entirely. See how to use stems when you sample.
Questions producers ask
What's the difference between a loop and a flip?
A loop repeats a section of the original as it is. A flip rearranges and transforms it, with new chords, pitch, parts or arrangement, so it becomes a new piece of music.
How do I make a sample sound less recognizable?
Reorder its chords, change its pitch and tempo, filter or saturate it, layer your own instruments over it, and vary how it's used across the arrangement.
Does flipping a sample mean I don't need to clear it?
No. If you sample an existing record, it still needs clearing however much you change it. Samples licensed for use, like Soul Sample Club's, don't.
Skip the paperwork
Original soul, cleared before you press play.
Every sound in Soul Sample Club is an original composition, pre-cleared for commercial releases. Download it, flip it, release it. Nothing to negotiate.
Chris, Founder of Soul Sample Club
Producer and the person behind Looplair and Soul Sample Club. I started SSC so producers could sample soul without the clearance headache.
Keep reading
How to sample soul music: the complete guide
Everything that goes into a great soul flip, from choosing the record to building drums that sit right with it.
How to chop a sample
How to chop samples cleanly: where to cut, how to avoid clicks, how many slices to make, and how to rearrange chops into something new.
How to use stems when you sample
What stems are, why they're a big advantage when sampling, and practical ways to use them: muting parts, rebalancing, processing and building new arrangements.