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Sampling is an essential part of production and is a staple for many genres. Regardless of the style of music you make, here are some creative ways to utilize samples.
There a number of effect plugins out there that can completely transform the sample. Some of them are Portal by Output, Glitch by Illformed, or Grossbeat by Image-Line. These effects have the power to drastically convert your sound from something static to something rhythmic and different.
This can work particularly well on vocals in certain genres where you can create a completely new groove by simply using the best parts to create a new rhythm and melody. Use house music as inspiration for this. The same concept also applies to other upfront elements such as horns and strings.
Synths like Serum and Harmor (and other wavetable synthesis plugins) give you the ability to morph the samples in ways which samplers cannot. Use this to create something which can serve as the main identifying element of your track.
If you hear a relatively long sample with a good melody, you can extract it by using the "Save as MIDI" function in Melodyne. In most cases this won't be perfect but it can get you very close. You can then decide to use your own synth and process it to your taste to fit the song you're working on. However, be aware of the different detection modes in Melodyne and adjust accordingly.
An important thing to note is that if you're commercially releasing the track using a popular sample, be aware that your track may be flagged by YouTube’s Content ID or other streaming services if you don’t change it enough. With that in mind, have fun diving into the world of sampling!
