What is sample chopping?

Sample chopping is the process of cutting a longer audio sample (typically a loop or a bar of music) into smaller segments that can be re-arranged, re-pitched or triggered individually. This is fundamental to hip-hop, lo-fi and electronic music production.

How many chops should I use?

For a 1-bar loop: 4 chops gives you one per beat, 8 gives eighth-note slices, 16 gives sixteenth-note slices. For 2 or 4 bar loops, 16 or 32 chops are common. More chops give you finer control but can be harder to manage.

Why do I need sample-accurate chop points?

If chop points do not fall exactly on sample boundaries, you may hear clicks or pops at the start or end of each slice. Sample-accurate chopping ensures clean playback, especially when retriggering slices rapidly.

What BPM should I use for chopping vinyl samples?

You need to know the original BPM of the sample. Use a tap-tempo tool or your DAW's warp/flex analysis to detect it. Common BPMs for sampled genres: soul/funk 90-110, jazz 80-160, disco 110-130, breakbeats 120-170.

AudioCalcs

Sample Chop Calculator — Even Loop Divisions

Calculate chop points in samples and milliseconds for even divisions of a loop.

BPM

Loop Length

Number of Chops

Sample Rate

How We Calculate This

Total Loop Duration

Total (ms) = (60,000 / BPM) × bars × 4

Chop Duration

Chop (ms) = Total (ms) / number of divisions

Sample Count

Samples = (ms / 1000) × sample rate

Each chop start and end point is calculated to land on exact sample boundaries for click-free playback.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates based on standard formulas. Always verify results for critical applications.