Most samples should be dissolved in a deuterated solvent. Deuterated chloroform or D2O are the inexpensive defaults, assuming they are appropriate for the sample. Deuterated solvents for NMR can be purchased form laboratory supply houses. Unless a precise chemical shift is required for publication, reference materials such as TMS or DSS are not needed. The "Autolock" step of a study locks on the deuterated solvent resonance and sets an approximate chemical-shift scale, usually good to a few percent of a ppm. Use of a deuterated solvent also removes the substantial proton resonance of the solvent.
