To add musical instruments on top of your sample, you will have to know what key the song is in. One way to find out what the rootnote of your is sample is, is using your ears, but that can be hard sometimes. 

 

Another way to achieve this, is using the Ableton live Spectrum Analyzer plugin. 

 

In this short article/tutorial i will show a method i sometimes use to find the rootnote of my (chopped sample)

 

1. Open up Ableton live 

2. Drop the Spectrum Analyzer plugin by Ableton on the channel

your sample is on. Make sure the Spectrum Analyzer is at the end

of the effect chain.

3. Solo the channel of the (chopped sample)

4. You can see that wave form will develop in the analyzer (dubble click on the spectrum and it will enlarge)

4. Search for the highest peak in the analyzer

5. Put your cursor on the highest peak. And on the left bottom of the analyzer there will appear a box

with information. Along with the frequenzies and the note. The note that corresponds with the 

highest peak is your rootnote.

 

In the picture below the highest peak in my sample is 592 Hz and corresponds with the note D4. So my rootnote/base note will be in the key of D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: When using the analyzer. Leave your project in the same pitch and bpm you are working with. So don't change it to its original speed or bpm of the sample.