I need some advices before recording samples at the studio.

[mehmethand]

Hi, I'm mostly done with coding and design of my acoustic drum sample library plugin and now it is time to record multi mic samples. I would like to hear advices from experienced developers before diving into this sample madness.

1- Which sample rate and bit depth should I choose?

I want the sample library to load fast as it can be and take less space as it can be. As most of the music production world is on 44.1 and 48 kHz 24 bit wave file, I want to choose one of this options at the moment. I'm wondering will there be any kind of trouble, cpu load problem, sound quality difference for a user who is working on a different sample rate than mine? What is the best way?

2-Which software should I work on?

I'm an experienced Reaper user and my plan is to record & edit samples within Reaper. Do you have any other recommendation better for this specific task?

3- Do you have any specific trick, advice on preparing samples?

I recorded hundreds of live drum kits during this 25 years, but this is the first time for a sample recording session. What is your workflow? What is the best way to do this recording properly? What should I pay attention the most?

Thank you.

[d.healey]

I always use 48/24

Reaper is a great choice.

I put a video on YouTube about editing multi mic samples in Ardour, the same can be applied in Reaper. Except you will need to use separate tracks for each mic and lock them together because Reaper can't merge the audio files like Ardour can. Another option is to merge them into a multi channel file outside of Reaper before importing them.

[gorangrooves]

@mehmethand To be future-proof, I recommend you to work at the highest practical sample rate for your system, at least 88K and 24bit depth. You should provide your samples at 44K using HLAC codec.

Sample more dynamic levels, repetitions, and articulations than you think right now you will need.
Do more and better of everything than you think you'll need.

You should work in whatever software you are comfortable and familiar with.

I recommend keeping in mind the full and total recall of the session, which results in individual drum samples. Try to include all steps in a single session, so if you need to change your samples' drum mix, you can do it, then simply re-export the files, which will have identical lengths and names.
In other words, avoid using one project for mixing and exporting and another project for chopping up the mixed WAVs into individual samples.

Pay attention to the decay of your samples, especially of the cymbals. You need to strike the balance of the tones naturally decaying, while not leaving unnecessary silence, as when compounded through multiple samples played simultaneously, the silence will become audible. Carefully adjust fade out curves. Pay particular attention to cymbals. Too short, and they will sound unnatural; too long, and you will introduce audible background noise.

And finally, make your recording space as quiet as you possibly can. Turn off any devices, A/C, fridge, lights etc. that could be creating noise.

[mehmethand]

@gorangrooves @d-healey thank you so much.