Why Organizing Your Sample Packs Matters

A well-structured sample library makes music production faster, smoother, and more inspiring. Here’s why you should organize your samples properly:

✔️ Find the right sounds instantly instead of wasting time searching
✔️ Boost your creativity by having your go-to sounds ready
✔️ Build your signature sound by creating a "Favorites" folder
✔️ Avoid duplicate files and keep your workflow clean

Step 1: Where to Store Your Samples

Internal vs. External Hard Drive

• SSDs are faster, but high-quality samples take up space
• External drives help keep your PC clean and allow easy backups
• Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, or Splice) is useful for mobile producers

🔹 Best practice: Store your samples on a fast SSD and regularly back them up

Step 2: Organizing Your Sample Packs for Maximum Efficiency

📂 Recommended Folder Structure

Keeping your samples organized will save you a lot of time in the long run. Here’s a great structure:

📂 Samples  
├── 🥁 Drum Hits  
 │   ├── Kicks  
 │   ├── Snares  
 │   ├── Hi-Hats  
 │   ├── Claps  
 │   ├── Percussion  
 │  
├── 🎵 Loops  
 │   ├── Drum Loops  
 │   ├── Melody Loops  
 │   ├── Bass Loops  
 │   ├── Vocal Loops  
 │  
├── 🎛 FX  
 │   ├── White Noise  
 │   ├── Risers  
 │   ├── Impacts  
 │   ├── Sweeps  
 │  
├── 🎹 Instruments  
 │   ├── Bass  
 │   ├── Synths  
 │   ├── Chords  
 │   ├── Vocals  
 │  
├── ⭐ Favorite Samples  
 │   ├── Go-To Kicks  
 │   ├── Signature Claps  
 │   ├── Unique Percs  
 │   ├── Best Synths  
 │   ├── Top Vocal Chops  

⭐ Create a ‘Favorite Samples’ Folder

Building a signature sound means using sounds that define your style.

• Create Favorites folder and put your most used kicks, snares, and synths inside
• This helps develop a recognizable sound and makes production much faster

Step 3: Adding Sample Packs to Your DAW

🎛 Click your DAW to jump directly to the instructions:
🔹 Ableton Live
🔹 FL Studio
🔹 Logic Pro X
🔹 Cubase, Bitwig, Studio One & Others

💻 How to Add Sample Packs in Ableton Live

Step 1: Open the File Browser

• Open Ableton Live
• On the left sidebar, click on "Add Folder"

Step 2: Select Your Sample Folder

• Navigate to the folder where you store your samples
• Click OK to add it to Ableton’s browser

Step 3: Quick Access to Favorite Samples

• Right-click a folder and select "Assign to Collection"
• Now, you can color-code your favorite sample packs

🎛 How to Add Sample Packs in FL Studio

Step 1: Open the File Settings

• Open FL Studio
• Click Options → File Settings

📷 INSERT IMAGE: Screenshot of the FL Studio File Settings window

Step 2: Add a New Sample Folder

• Click the folder icon to add a new directory
• Select your sample pack folder and click OK

📷 INSERT IMAGE: Screenshot of adding a folder in FL Studio

Step 3: Access Samples in the Browser

• Your samples will now appear in the FL Browser
• Drag & drop them directly into your project

📷 INSERT IMAGE: Screenshot of FL Studio Browser showing the new sample folder

🎚 How to Add Sample Packs in Logic Pro X

Step 1: Use the Apple Loops Library

• Open Logic Pro X
• Click Loops → Import Apple Loops

📷 INSERT IMAGE: Screenshot of the Apple Loops browser in Logic Pro

Step 2: Drag Samples into the Sampler

• Open the EXS24 Sampler
• Drag & drop your sample into it for quick access

📷 INSERT IMAGE: Screenshot of EXS24 with a sample loaded

🎶 How to Add Sample Packs in Other DAWs

For Cubase, Bitwig, Studio One, and others:
✅ Use the built-in file browser
✅ Drag & drop your sample folder into the DAW
✅ Set up custom shortcuts for quick access

📷 INSERT IMAGE: General screenshot showing how to drag a folder into a DAW

Bonus: The Best Free Sample Packs for Music Producers

🔹 Unearthed Samples – Exclusive free packs
🔹 Splice & Loopcloud – Great sources for free sounds
🔹 99Sounds & Cymatics – Free high-quality packs

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve added and organized your samples, your workflow will be faster and more creative.

🎛 Next steps:
✔ Download new sounds
✔ Organize your Favorites
✔ Start creating unique tracks 🚀

Got questions? Send us an Email at info@unearthed-samples.com