Remixing & Mashups Sampling Techniques & Copyright

Question 1

What is 'interpolation' in the context of music sampling?

Accepted Answer

Re-recording a melody or riff rather than using the original audio

Answer

Increasing the pitch of a sample without changing tempo

Answer

Layering two samples at equal volume

Answer

Reversing a sample to create a new sound

Question 2

Which U.S. legal concept requires a producer to obtain two separate licenses when using a sampled recording?

Accepted Answer

Master license and mechanical license

Answer

Master license and synchronization license

Answer

Synchronization license and performance license

Answer

Blanket license and compulsory license

Question 3

What does 'fair use' NOT automatically protect in U.S. law when sampling?

Accepted Answer

Commercial releases that sample without clearance

Answer

Educational parody transformations

Answer

Commentary using brief clips

Answer

Non-profit criticism

Question 4

The 1991 Biz Markie ruling ('Grand Upright v. Warner') established which precedent?

Accepted Answer

Producers must obtain clearance before releasing sampled music

Answer

Short samples under 2 seconds are automatically fair use

Answer

Drum loops cannot be copyrighted

Answer

Performance royalties do not apply to samples

Question 5

What is a 'sample flip'?

Accepted Answer

Manipulating a sample heavily so it becomes nearly unrecognizable

Answer

Flipping the waveform of a sample to reverse it

Answer

Using a sample at half its original tempo

Answer

Pitching a sample up one octave exactly

Question 6

Which practice describes 'crate digging'?

Accepted Answer

Searching through vinyl records to find obscure samples

Answer

Organizing audio files into a DAW bin

Answer

Downloading royalty-free loops online

Answer

Testing samples at high volume in the studio