From sample to beat
From sample to beat: isolate a loop with Stems, color it with Lontana
A song often holds the loop that will start your next beat. Stems isolates it and drops it into your project; Lontana Mod and Lontana Delay give it a new character. Here is the full workflow.
Products
Edition needed
- NAUPLY Stems Premium to isolate drums or bass (up to 6 stems); the Free edition only separates vocals and instrumental.
- NAUPLY Stems Pro to transcribe a stem to MIDI and lock stems to the project tempo.
- Lontana Mod and Lontana Delay: free with a NAUPLY account.
Steps
1Separate the song
Load the song into Stems and run the separation. In Premium you get up to 6 stems: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano, other.
NAUPLY Stems →2Find the loop
Solo the drums or the bass, then mark the loop with SET A and SET B in the transport bar (or click a section of the waveform).
NAUPLY Stems →3Drag the stem into your project
Drag the stem's “⇱ DRAG” handle onto an audio track in your project. In the Pro edition, “LOCK TO PROJECT” first fits the stem to your session's tempo.
NAUPLY Stems →4Or replay it as MIDI (Pro)
Right-click the stem's name, choose “Transcribe to MIDI…”, then Alt + drag the name onto an instrument track: replay the bass with your synth or the drums with your own sounds.
NAUPLY Stems →5Add movement with Lontana Mod
On the loop's track, Lontana Mod adds chorus, ensemble, flanger or phaser: enough to turn a recognizable sample into fresh material.
NAUPLY Lontana Mod →6Add echoes with Lontana Delay
On a send, Lontana Delay answers the loop: Digital for clean echoes, Analog Warm for tape wear, Mod for a wavering echo.
NAUPLY Lontana Delay →
Good to know
- Check the rights to the original song before releasing a beat built on a sample.
- Transcribed MIDI is a quick starting point; fix fast notes and chords by ear.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the free edition of Stems enough to sample drums?
- No: the Free edition separates vocals and instrumental. To isolate drums or bass you need Premium (6 stems) or Pro (10 stems).
- Can I drag a separated stem as MIDI?
- Yes, in the Pro edition: “Transcribe to MIDI…” in the stem's menu, then Alt + drag its name onto an instrument track.