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so guilty of this

I'm just glad I don't suffer from epilepsy

They just don't make trains like they used to.

Actually I'm kinda worried, the last act each night starts at 12:40 and the last train to Jersey is at 1:20... I don't think I'll be able to get home each night =/ I might need a place to crash or something...

It's good, I like it.

I've done both of these, even on the same track. Usually when I'm sampling I'm working in Ableton Live, and I've done a lot of this when making disco house. I only use slice to MIDI when I'm trying to extract a single instrument (usually playing in an intro or break), otherwise I use direct slices.

When it comes to filtering, obviously it depends on the source material. I try to get a FLAC copy so as to minimize loss of quality, and obviously Ableton is really good at resampling, even when making huge changes in pitch or tempo, and even joining slices that don't go together (it will find ways to join the waveforms seamlessly). I've done a lot of different techniques to process the samples, like:

- adding slight reverb to the sample track and other tracks
- doubling the sample track and panning them to either side to get a fuller sound
- applying excessive EQ or high/band/low pass filters to remove layers
- applying "tape mastering," "tape delay" or "analog mastering" effects to get that softer lo-fi sound -or- to make the sample "phat"
- downsampling / bit crushing because that's what the kids like to hear (right?)

p.s. I especially like slicing vocals to midi, makes for a fun way to play back vocal samples.

p.p.s. sampling chords in Nanoloop, yes.

p.p.p.s. here are some songs I made with samples: http://soundcloud.com/miamislice/sets

Ok, I'll be the first to actually answer your question:

- Send your EP to blogs that feature music similar to yours. Easy way to find them: pick an artist or recent release that's close to your style, search for it on Google, and bookmark all the blogs that feature it. Send these blogs an advance copy of your EP (use dropbox, mediafire, or soundcloud to host the tracks), include some info about yourself, and there's a decent chance that if your music is any good, at least 1 out of 20 blogs will do it.

- Take all your tracks, or some good snippets from each one, and make a Youtube video with either cover art, or actually film yourself playing the tracks live. Upload that in advance with details on when the EP will be out and where people can download it.

- Schedule a ustream event where you will give a live concert of your EP, or a listening party of the whole thing. Invite your friends and get them to invite other people. Anytime between 7pm and 11pm EST would be good, and avoid the weekend, because no one is going to sacrifice their weekend evening to hear music from some artist they've never heard of.

- Make a Facebook event page telling people to download the EP on the day of release, and invite all your friends to it, and get them to invite other people too.

- Even if you are planning to self-release, it's worthwhile to try sending it to some netlabels. There's a chance that if they like it, they will agree to co-host it for you (non-exclusive and they will help you promote it).

- Send your tracks to some radio stations (online or college radio). Find people that host shows and welcome submissions. There's a few that post on this forum. They like to play new stuff, are willing to support newcomers, and will give you a shoutout if you send them advance copies (they love to say stuff like, "I have a new track here, hasn't even been released yet, this is an exclusive from so-and-so and it will be available on such-and-such date")

- Most importantly: make friends in the scene. They'll promote your stuff for you if it's good, and if they have an audience, then their promotion is very valuable. You should be ready and willing to promote stuff for your friends too. Even if you are not the greatest musician, being a nice person and a good member of the community goes a long way.

Remember: your first EP will come and go. Treat it as you would anything else you release: an opportunity to promote yourself and build a following. Wherever you post it, make sure you include links to your Facebook page or Twitter or whatever and ask people to subscribe. Throw in some liner notes and make sure to include your website address or any other info you want people to have. Obviously if people remember your name and they like your stuff, they'll find you, but it doesn't hurt to make those connections whenever you can.

And lastly, remember that getting there takes a lot of work. To build your own audience you have to be constantly releasing great material, promoting yourself and networking with other artists. You don't have to do any of these things, but they help.