SOURCE PREPARATION 3 With so many options available, it is wise to establish the primary goal of your sampled instrument creation. This involves choosing and preparing your source material before you actually begin recording samples. The good news is that you can put as much or as little time and energy into this project as you want. You can make a simple instrument fairly quickly (under an hour), but a complex instrument can take a lot of time and organization. From the project inception through the recording and mapping, a complex project could take several days. This chapter will help you focus your ideas and prepare you to make decisions about what you would like to create. This chapter will also help you lay the foundation of a successful project by showing you what it will take to prepare the sound