Sample CDs; What are they??

Some of might be wondering what that term/keyword "Sample CDs" are. Try doing a search for it on Wikipedia and you get nothing of useful knowledge (which is rare for the Wikipedia guys).

Basically before there were "Sample CDs" there were floppy discs which store music and sound files for midi transposers and composers. This was back in the day when sound design was not so "high-tech" compared with today's software. Eventually technology evolved, software became more user friendly, and the CD became the wave of the future.

Simply put "Sample CDs" are music files and sounds (or bits and pieces of) stored on a CD/CD-ROM in various formats which can be used to create any kind of music from BGM to simple jingles that are commonly used in radio and television commericals. Not to mention toys, games and yes, even movie sound effects and music scores.

Some of the most commonly formats used today are Acid, Rex2, Kontact, Battery, RNS, Match5, and of course WAV and traditonal audio. Now just because you buy a sample CD doesn't mean you can use it. If the Sample CD is in any of the above formats you may need the proper software to open and manipulate the files. One of the most popular softwares used by sound engineers today, but not limited to is ProTools.

So if you thought Sample CDs meant getting a sample of someones music you were not completely off, but not completely on either. I would love Wikipedia to really go into dephth on the subject because is a term that is commonly used today by music producers and sound designers alike.

Discovery Sound has been in the music sampling business since it first started and over the last 10 years have been making and distributing sample CDs throughout the world. Discovery Sound is renouned for its World and Ethnic Sample CDs world wide.

Who would of thought that Japan would be such a power house in the music industry.