What are vocal chops and how to create them

Developments in modern music production have made it possible to edit audio quickly and seamlessly, in ways musicians of the past would have envied. Genres like Drum & Bass, Breakcore, and Jungle were only made possible because of these chopping, splicing, and trimming techniques. 

While many of these genres are known for their erratic chopping of samples, the idea of vocal chops transcends style, genre, and influence. The organic and natural sound of human vocals, coupled with the robotic splicing techniques used to create vocal chops creates a satisfying contradiction that has been perpetuated across popular music for decades. Here we’ll delve into what vocal chops are, and how you can create them for your music.  

What are vocal chops?

Simply put, vocal chops are when a vocal sample is chopped up and rearranged to create a new melody or refrain. They are sometimes referred to as just ‘chops,’ which can be confusing because it can also refer to someone having technical proficiency in their instrument or voice. Vocal chops have become increasingly popular over the years, and have become a mainstay of Hip Hop, Dance, Electronic, and Pop music production. 

The best thing about vocal chops is that they are completely malleable in the modern era. They can be pitched up or down, elongated or spliced beyond comprehension. They are also a great way of incorporating snippets from other popular songs into new tracks, without being acknowledged as a cover. 

History

Vocal chops started to be used in modern music production in the early days of Hip Hop and Electronic music. Yellow Magic Orchestra’s 1981 album ‘Technodelic’ immediately kicks off with stuttered vocal chops, and the remainder of the album was made up of mostly samples. Initially, DJs used turntables to sample, but with the rise of the Akai MPC, vocal hooks started to be used more often in Hip Hop tracks. Dance music was perhaps the first genre to turn vocal chops into top hits- Loleatta Holloway’s vocals on ‘Love Sensation’ were transmorphed into Black Box’s ‘Ride On Time,’ which ended up being the bestselling single of 1989 in the UK. 

Where can you use vocal chops?

Chorus Hooks

A great way to create an earworm for your track is by using a vocal chop as your main chorus hook. This can really work if you have a vocalist that has limited vocal range, but you feel like the song would work with some vocals sitting in the upper register to occupy that higher space. A great example of a vocal chop being used as a chorus hook is Passion Pit’s ‘Sleepyhead.’ It’s an iconic vocal chop and it complements the male vocals with a soaring female refrain. 

Famous examples: ‘Sleepyhead’ - Passion Pit

The Foundations

Using vocal chops throughout your song, or as the foundations of a new one is a great source of inspiration and can yield some incredible results. If you find the right song which can be chopped up appropriately, you can make it sound like you have a dedicated vocalist for your track. The use of the sample was so creative and natural, that for many years I had no idea that the vocals for ‘Ride on Time’ weren’t recorded for the track itself. 

Famous example: ‘Ride on Time’ - Blackbox

Textures and Synths

Vocal chops can be spliced in such a granular way, that they can almost act as pads or synths, as they begin to lose any resemblance to what they sounded like before. Try chopping up a vocal sample into a very small snippet, and looping it to see what kind of interesting textures you can achieve. A great example of this can be found in the song ‘Everyday’ by The Field, which heavily samples ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac, chopping up Christine McVie’s vocals until they sound like a pad being run through an arpeggiator or tremolo pedal. 

Famous examples: ‘Everyday’ - The Field

Transitions

Using a vocal chop at the beginning of a verse or a chorus can help bring about some more movement into your arrangements, and make it more dynamic. In ‘Check it Out’ the main vocal chop from The Buggles ' "Video Killed the Radio Star" is used repeatedly as a kind of underlick, whilst the beginning of each verse has either Minaj’s or Will.i.am’s vocals being chopped up to form a stuttering intro. This is also a great example of ear candy being used in a song. 

Famous example: ‘Check it Out’ - Nicki Minaj & Will.i.am

How can you source or create vocal chops?

So how do you source or create vocal chops? Well there are a multitude of ways, each one of them having their own drawbacks and plus points. It’s important to take into account your time, equipment and money when choosing how to create vocal chops.   

Record them yourself

Advantages: Cheap, you can get the exact sound you’re looking for

Disadvantages: Limited in terms of source, time consuming, sometimes low quality

If you’ve got a good recording space and the right equipment, absolutely have a go at recording some vocal samples yourself. You’ll be able to get the exact sound you want, and it’ll be relatively inexpensive if you’ve already sourced the equipment. Soundtrap has a dedicated vocal suite, which takes the hassle out of recording vocals and ensures high quality recordings, even if you’re working with a more streamlined studio setup. However, this can be limiting if you’re the one providing the vocals, and you might want to recruit some other singers to create vocal chops for you if you can to ensure variety. This can also be quite time consuming, especially if you’ve got other commitments. It can also result in some low quality recordings if you have some issues with your space or equipment, and you need the highest quality samples available to create vocal chops. 

High Quality Sample Packs

Advantages: Easy, wide range to choose from, accessible

Disadvantages: You might end up using the same samples as other people

One of my favourite ways to source vocal chops is by taking advantage of the multitude of high quality sample packs that are available online. Some DAWs offer sample packs built into the subscription or fee you pay for the software. Platforms like Soundtrap offer a vast array of sample packs- most notably the Originals series, which is a bi-weekly release of high quality sample packs made in conjunction with top producers. Sample packs are easy to use, accessible, high quality, and there are so many of them available to create vocal chops. You do run the risk of sometimes using similar samples as other producers, but with enough creativity you can make these samples your own!

Use Popular Songs

Advantages: You can use your favourite songs, listeners will recognise your track instantly

Disadvantages: Clearing sample copyright, removing background instruments can be hard

As a rule, I wouldn't recommend this unless you’re fully clued up on the legality around sampling certain songs and what you’re allowed to do in your country. Navigating copyright laws can be challenging, and without the right information you can quickly find yourself in hot water. Not only that, but often EQing and cleaning up samples so they work in your song can be a challenge if you’re just starting out on your production journey. However, this is one of the most popular ways of creating vocal chops, and I would never rule out using this method for creating vocal chops. If you can get it right, audiences will bond with your track instantly if they recognise the sample you’ve created your vocal chops from.

How can you edit vocal chops?

• EQ: Vocals normally sit around the higher end of the frequency spectrum, so if you’re removing any instruments alongside the vocals, you’ll want to use a high pass filter on your samples before creating your vocal chops. 

• Background Noise: Some vocal samples aren’t great quality, but with the right tools you can clean them up effectively. Soundtrap’s AI Vocal Cleanup tool is an invaluable resource, and it ensures your vocals sound polished on any audio system. 

• Modulation, Time, and Experimentation: Have fun! That's one of the best things about creating your own vocal chops, it’s about experimenting with different textures and techniques to create something magical and unique. Try adjusting pitch, adding modulating effects, reverb, delay, and using the audio trimming function in your DAW to add some depth and texture to your vocal chops. 

Conclusion

Creating your own vocal chops is a great way to not only learn about music production, but also a great chance to have fun and experiment. It’s one of the most popular sampling techniques in modern music for a reason- it’s enjoyable to do and incredibly effective when done right. Just make sure you’re following the correct copyright laws, choosing high quality sample packs, and working with audio software that has the power to accommodate for high quality editing and effects processing.

About the author

Max McLellan is a composer, songwriter, and audio engineer with credits ranging across film, TV and radio. He provides composition, mixing, and mastering services through his company MKM Audio.