You probably know it: when you hear a song you recognize a certain fragment, but you no longer know the name of the artist or song. The WhoSampled app solves this problem.
WhoSampled: The Shazam for music samples
Everyone knows Shazam. This app recognizes complete songs based on short fragments. The app listens to the song for a few seconds and then knows the name, artist and album, if any. WhoSampled actually does the same thing, but for samples.
The music database has been around since 2012 but has provided its iOS app with a nice update. From now on you can immediately look up the original number of a sample. This is particularly a godsend for fans of electronic and hip hop music, as artists from these genres are often quite creative with the work of their predecessors.
That is how it works
This is how it works in practice. Suppose you hear a well-known melody or text in a song and are curious about the original. At that moment you grab the app, which takes about five to ten seconds to find out where the sample came from. The makers of the app have set up a gigantic database of music fragments for this purpose.
If WhoSampled recognizes the song, you will immediately see all information such as in which songs the sample has been used, and whether remixes have been made of it. All searched songs are of course kept in your personal library.
Also interesting: Shazam and 3 other apps to recognize music
Only for the real music fans
While the idea of WhoSampled is fun, it is quite pricey. In addition to the app, which costs 4.49 euros, you also have to take out an annual subscription of 9.49 euros. It is therefore probably only worthwhile to purchase the app if you are hobby or professional involved with music.