大象传媒

A chart topping DJ is among the dance musicians snapping up musical clips created in South Derbyshire.

Jason Nevins, who had a worldwide number one with his Run DMC collaboration 鈥業t鈥檚 Like That鈥� in 1998, is one of many who have used audio loops created by Dan Byers and Steve Heath from Stapenhill.

The pair hope to expand their operation

Over the past year they have gained wide recognition in the music world, with several other artists such as Chris Lake, Gareth Emery and Umek using their samples too.

The duo make short snippets of audio that producers and DJs can use in their music without paying further royalties.

Once the sounds are purchased they can be used in any way the producer sees fit, for example, to add a high quality sound to productions and for inspiration. They can even be used as a learning tool or to obtain sound sources that are not available to the average producer.

Dan said: 鈥淥ur musical samples are also an excellent time saving tool for producers/DJs on a tight schedule鈥�.

The samples they produce usually come in three different forms:

Loops - these are snippets of audio that loop perfectly at a specified tempo. They could be drum loops, percussion loops, guitar loops, bass loops.

Hits 鈥� these are audio/musical hits that have no specified tempo, for example samples from live drum kits, synthesizers, or just about any acoustic/electronic piece of equipment you can think of. People can use these to build their own drum tracks and musical arrangements.

Sound effects 鈥� can add creative spice or personality to music productions. Synthesized sound effects may include impact/collision sounds, transitional sweeps/drones, weird/disturbing musical textures etc.

They have come a long way since their days of making sounds as a hobby. They have caused shockwaves in the music industry with their three sound prestigious sound libraries.

The release of their first sample CD (Wave Alchemy Electro House Underground) clinched them a worldwide distribution deal, which exposed them to the industry of sound design.

Since then they have produced two more CD鈥檚. One of them reflected the changing face of house and club music at the time by moving from Electro House styles to Progressive House styles and minimal tech/house. Whilst the other CD contains sounds that have a broader range of production uses 鈥渨here sounds are needed to conjure up a rich tapestry of sonic moods, atmospheres and custom soundscapes鈥� says Steve.

They now have their samples used in songs and within other types of music production all over the world.

Steve and Dan give the following advice for budding sound designers:

1. Get to know the equipment you are using and the techniques and tricks to achieve the sounds you are after.
2. Don鈥檛 be afraid to send your demos to all four corners of the globe, to get people interested and get your sounds heard.
3. Do your homework on other companies who are already in the industry and thoroughly research the type of music style you are producing for.
4. Embrace digital technology as there are lots of advantages to having sound libraries you can download, but don鈥檛 be afraid to release physical copies of your sound libraries as people still like something they can touch and feel.
5. Take notice of all things world wide web. Massive communities of people who love pushing buttons and making weird noises are gathering in their masses to exchange knowledge and free information which can be valuable to your advancement as an aspiring sound designer.