Controlled Vocabulary & Metadata
Tags: Describe What You Hear
The fastest way to ruin a tagging system is to invent a new word every Tuesday. If you tag one warm bass sample as fat, the next as thick, and a third as beefy, a search for any single term leaves two-thirds of your sounds invisible.
A dependable tagging habit relies on a compact, controlled vocabulary split across four clear dimensions: Source Family, Articulation, Timbre/Tone, and Room/Processing.
[Family] + [Articulation] + [Tone] + [Space]
Example: Bass + Plucked + Woody + Dry
The Four-Pillar Tagging Matrix
When auditioning a sample, pick one tag from each column below. Four purposeful words tell you more about how a sound sits in a mix than a paragraph of marketing prose.
1. Source Family
What physical or electronic mechanism generates the vibration?
2. Articulation & Envelope
How does the performer or amp envelope shape the start and end of the note?
3. Spectral Timbre
Where does the frequency energy concentrate, and how much harmonic grit is present?
4. Space & Processing: Why "Dry" Is Your Most Valuable Tag
Nothing derails loop layering faster than stacking three samples recorded in three different artificial rooms. Always listen to the final half-second after a sound stops playing and assign one spatial state:
Zero audible room bounce; ready for your own reverb bus.
Short natural early reflections (under 400 ms) that add realism.
Printed delay throws or long hall tails baked into the audio file.
Translating Vague Pack Names into Ear-Led Tags
| Original Pack Filename | What You Actually Hear | Standardised Tag Strip |
|---|---|---|
Sunset_Vibes_Loop_03.wav |
A muted electric guitar playing a two-bar chordal skank with spring reverb at 95 BPM in D minor. | Guitar-Pluck · Muted-Palm · Warm-Dark · Wet-Spring · 95bpm · Dm |
Monster_Sub_Hit_C.wav |
An 808-style sine bass note with a sharp pitch-drop click at the start and mild tube distortion. | Bass-Synth · Sustained · Sub-Heavy · Saturated-Tape · Dry · C |
Perc_Organic_Top_122.wav |
Wood shakers and bottle clicks panned wide with no low-end drums, played straight. | HiHat-Shaker · Top-Loop · Woody · Room · 122bpm |
Once your files carry honest tags, see how to audition them together on Loops: Find a Musical Neighbour.