Pre-made or composed?

Pre-made or composed?

Have you ever tried to compose your own music? Or have you ever wondered about the difference between kits, sound packs, presets and loops? Did you ever ask yourself, what makes my sound unique and what should my approach be?

Let us clarify.

The difference between using pre-made sample packs and loops during your music production versus composing every sound yourself simply boils down to your ability as a musician to compose and create to give an immense experience for the listener. In this post we would like to talk on certain pros and cons of these two creative approaches.

We would like to also state that both of these approaches can yield great results in music production and in no way one is better than the other, where perhaps, you should use a mixture of these two pathways to make the perfect designer sound that your listeners crave for.

What is a sample pack? 

A sample pack is a collection of pre-made sounds that consist of melody loops, drum kits, bass lines, vocals and other sound fx, that fit together as pieces of lego and form building blocks which can be used as the base foundation when producing any type of music - be it hip-hop, electronic, ambient, trap or cinematic. You can find many free sample packs as well premium ones on the internet. So you might wonder, why should I pay when I can get free sounds? Well the answer is simple - free sample packs are used by many others as well. So if you are trying to achieve one of a kind sound, you should consider purchasing exclusive rights to limited sample packs or composing your own sound using synths, pianos, guitars and other instruments in pair with the necessary software.

So lets break it down.

The biggest pros of using pre-made sample packs are simple - they are easy to use, require minimal musical knowledge, can be royalty free and of course can result in an amazing product. 
The biggest con of using pre-made sound packs may be the lack of exclusivity, so if you are searching for freebies and free sounds, you might wind up with thousands of other people who are trying to create a unique experience with the same sound set. The question comes, who is going to do it better and here the composer in you should be awaken. 

Composing sound from scratch is a difficult, uphill battle that many musicians face, and this path it not for everyone. Many face creative blocks that can discourage and break the process. If you are curious, we made a list of 5 creative blocks and ways to avoid them. 

So our advice is to use a mixture of these two approaches. Try fiddling around with various instruments, compose few chord progressions, practice modifying free sound packs but make sure to avoid using over saturated products. Don't go for the first free sound pack you find, because most likely, it has already been used a thousands of times.

Look for a premium, and even if it may cost you a buck, at the end of the day it will be reflected on your listeners.