Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface (Recommended Audio Interface) – This is by far my favorite choice for both beginner and seasoned producers. (There is now the second generation out!)
Blue Yeti USB Mic (Recommended USB Mic) – For those who just want high quality vocals without getting into an audio interface.
My Current Microphones – This is a page which talks about all my microphones I’ve purchased and thoughts on them.
Avoid Audio Latency – I show you step-by-step to avoid audio latency. (You also get to see the first time BBJay has ever appeared lol!)
In this episode of our FL Studio Beginner’s Series, we’re covering how to record vocals in FL Studio 12.
Over my years I’ve tried a couple different ways to record vocals in FL Studio, so I share with you my experiences and my personal preferences while recording in FL Studio.
In a previous video of mine, I created a character called BBJay. He’s a fill-in when I need some vocals, so you get some killer vocals to hear this time for our example. (hahahaaah)
Another thing I didn’t mention in this video is recording with effects to help recording artists achieve better performances.
With older audio interfaces, it’s hard to add effects on, let alone record dry, because of audio latency.
The best way around this is with an audio mixer, because this allows you to record in real time without audio latency.
But with newer audio interfaces, like the Focusrite Scarlett second generation audio interaces, latency has started to become not as much of an issue because of their awesome performance.
What We Cover:
The type of gear you need to record (audio interface + microphone, or just a USB mic)
How to Record in FL Studio
Recording through the mixer vs. recording through Edison
How to Record in FL Studio
There are two ways which I like to record in FL Studio. They both have their pros and cons, in my opinion!
However, the first step is to enable an ASIO driver in your audio settings.
Hit F10, go to the Audio Tab, and select your audio interface’s ASIO driver.
Now we’ll get into how to record your microphone.
The first way is through the mixer. (Hit F9 in FL Studio for a shortcut to open the mixer.)
You can select any mixer insert you’d like – I think it’s best to select an empty insert. (One that’s not being used).
Now on your mixer, you have an input section and an output section for each mixer insert. This is located on right above/below the effects slots.
When clicking on the input section, you will be given a few options, depending on your audio interface/setup.
Plug your microphone into insert 1 on your audio interface, and make sure to select mono – input 1.
Do not select stereo because FL Studio will only record to your left channel since it’s wanting a stereo signal – one that has different audio on the left and right channels.
From there, you can right-click on white circle at the bottom of the mixer insert you’ve chosen to record on:
And a window will pop-up where you can save your recording!
Now you can select the record button at the top of FL Studio, make sure you’re in playlist mode, and you should be on your way to recording! 🙂
Recording through the mixer vs. recording through Edison
As of current, I see both ways have pros and cons for recording.
I like Edison because of how quick it is and it doesn’t save a file every time you screw up. You can simply drag this into the playlist when you got your recording right.
The only downside to Edison is tat you will then have to sync your recording to the beat, which can be tricky/tedious!
When recording through the mixer, it keeps your recording in sync, so this in all honesty is probably the best approach to take.
The only downside in my opinion to recording through the mixer is all the audio files it creates when you screw up lol – so file management is necessary after you are all said and done.
That’s it for this video in the series!
For the whole series, you can join: FL Studio Beginner’s Series.
If you’ve been tempted to start using FL Studio, or are a Mac user who is just joining the fold because of the latest version, then you have come to the right place. Here’s the MusicTech complete guide to FL Studio!
We’ve just reviewed FL Studio 20 and believe that it’s so good that there will be a great many more users interested in adopting it. Not only that, but FL 20 represented the DAWs first introduction to the Mac platform so there will be a lot of Mac owners considering the jump too.
Either way, if you are new to FL then you have come to the right place. At first it might seem like a difficult DAW to get your head around, because it does things in rather different ways to other similar software. But that’s why we’ve put this guide together. It’s not necessarily aimed at newcomers to DAW music making – although they will get benefits from following the workshop – but more at people cross-grading from other platforms.
So if you are a used to using any other DAW, we’ll explain how FL Studio relates to those and how its unique approach will have you making music in minutes, so let’s get going!
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The grand tour
FL Studio 20 comprises five main areas, each switched on and off using five icons (the first five of the 10) in the centre of the top part of the screen. Hover your mouse over each and the information about it will be displayed top left of the screen but we’ll run through them here as they are the very heart of how you make music in FL Studio.
The first is the Browser which contains all of the ingredients – samples, sounds, instruments, effects and so on – that you will use in your song. The second is the Channel Rack that contains Patterns of these beats and notes which, when put together, make the song arrangement. These Patterns are arranged on the Playlist, the large central area of the GUI and one other DAW users will recognise as being where the song arrangement comes together. The difference is that this song arrangement is put together with individual Patterns, created in the Channel Rack, and these can exist on any track – they are not tied down to one track as in most DAWs.
Beat Patterns tend to be created in the Channel Rack using a traditional step sequencer – just highlight the beat you want to play as it cycles around. If you want to play melodies, you still use the Channel Rack but then employ the fourth important element, the Piano Roll, to play notes in traditionally across a virtual keyboard (or draw then in as you might on a conventional DAW). Finally, once the Patterns created in the Channel Rack are arranged on the Playlist, they can be mixed with the final element, the Mixer, which can be adjusted in size, track colour, you name it.
The following workshop will show how these five main areas interact in a lot more detail so you can understand the FL Studio way and how you can quickly start making music. We’ve used the ‘Newstuff’ demo song to show you some of the features, and next time around we’ll look at making a tune from scratch. Join us for part 2 then, and in the mean time check out our review of FL Studio 20 here.
The complete guide to FL Studio 20: Step-by-step
1. Here’s one of FL Studio’s demo songs loaded up. Looks quite complex doesn’t it? but don’t worry FL Studio newbies, it can all be explained with the five icons ringed in red: the Playlist, Piano Roll, Channel Rack, Mixer and Browser.
2. Click the Browser icon (fifth in from the left) and the ingredients in your song will be revealed (or hidden) to the left of the screen. This includes raw samples, Patterns, instruments and effects. It’s all on view or can be hidden within collapsable folders. You can also display user locations to show your own sample collection.
3. Here we’ve hidden all of the other FL Studio details so you can see the Channel Rack, the place where all the Patterns for a song are created with the elements from the browser. It’s a hugely powerful device to create all the beats and melodies you could ask for.
4. Now we’ve clicked on the first icon to show the Playlist, where the song arrangement is put together. Other DAW users, think this as your arrangement window, only in FL Studio you don’t have to put specific data on specific tracks to trigger the right sounds.
5. Returning back to the Channel Rack, here is how you create a typical set of Patterns, this time for a Clap sound. Simply highlight the beat where you want the clap to trigger as it cycles around as you play.
6. If you want to change the sound of the clap, simply hit the icon on the left (Clap 1, 2, etc) and a window opens, allowing you to change the sample, its pitch, volume of other parameters instantly.
7. For melodic Patterns you have to select the Piano Roll editor (Control click the part, or show using one of the five icon buttons – see main text) and then either record or edit the notes as you would on a standard piano roll editor.
8. Now you have created both beat and melody Patterns you can see every Pattern within this drop down menu and also to the left of the Playlist.
9. Once you are happy with the Pattern(s) you have created you can now create an arrangement by simply selecting the Patterns and dragging them into the Playlist wherever you wish. Here we’ve clicked on and are dragging a Step Filter Pattern.
10. Here’s the final song. One thing to note that up until now we’ve been playing individual Patterns with the orange PAT Play icon highlighted so that they play as single Patterns. Now you need to click below it so the Green SONG icon lights so hitting Play will play the whole song. (See red circle on screen grab.)
11. The final icon is the Mixer (fourth from left). If you haven’t already then click on it and all the parts can be mixed in terms of volume, panning and which effects are on each track. You can pull it up to make it larger as show here…
12. Or adjust its width using the drop down menu as shown here (red circle). Next time around we’ll explore each of FL Studio’s main features in more depth to make a tune!
How To Make Music With Fl Studio 12 Youtube
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Music production is raised to the next level with the appropriate tools. To create music in FL Studios, you need a midi keyboard controller, which allows sound control within the FL Studios program. The keyboard is used to program drum patterns as well as instrument patterns, and is easy to set up.
Connect the USB cable to the midi keyboard and the other end into the USB port on the computer hard drive. Allow the computer to find and install the drivers needed to operate the midi controller.
Turn on the keyboard. Some midi keyboards are powered from computers, others require batteries or adapters.
Open the FL Studios program and choose 'Options'; some options will need to be changed for your midi controller to work. Check the box marked 'Enable Midi Remote Control.'
Return to FL Studios and select 'Midi Options' from the menu.
How To Make Music With Fl Studio 12 Free Download Full Version Crack
Choose your keyboard, listed in the 'Remote Control Input' section, to enable use of your midi keyboard in FL Studios.
Load an instrument into the Step Sequencer, then press keys on your keyboard. You should hear notes every time a key is pressed.
Do you have your music making software and gear all set, but wonder where to start the actual song making process?
Where to get those ideas for good melodies and how to make all those different melodies work together?
In this tutorial, I show you one method you can try to get started when making a song.
I’m personally using this technique (alongside many others) when I find myself out of musical ideas.
And it works!
The software I’m using is FL Studio, and the musical style here is something like downtempo with soundtrack type of elements.
For the visual learners out there, I have included a video tutorial as well – at the end.
So Where Do I Start When I Want To Make A Song With This Technique?
I start with the chords.
At this point, I have to say that I don’t have a lot of music theory knowledge (seriously, I can’t even read the notes), but I do have a bit of a musical ear so I can pretty much tell what chords, chord combinations, and melodies work together.
So if you don’t have music theory knowledge, don’t worry, you can still make music, and your ears will get trained the more you do it.
Alright, the step-by-step guide for this method goes like this:
1. Choose the right instrument
Usually, it’s a string sound.Miroslav Philharmonik has some beautiful sounding strings, which are good for experimenting with chord combinations. But you can use your favorite VSTi of course.
2. Start to build the first chord
I go to the Piano Roll view in FL Studio and choose a root note, then layer one or two more notes on top of it, and experiment until I find a note combination that sounds good. And my first chord (triad) is now created.
3. Copy and paste the first chord
…and try different notes in it to find a combination that plays well with the first chord. The chords must fit together when played one after another. The chord pattern should progress logically.
4. Keep doing this until the chord pattern is 8 bars long.
Here are pictures showing how I do it in FL Studio’s Piano Roll. This is the very first chord which is the beginning of the whole musical idea:
Now, the string chord pattern I have just created is very basic, but it’ll give me a guideline for adding the melody.
There’s a ton of possibilities and combinations, and it may take a while before I come up something catchy. So, the next task is to load up another instrument and start to design a melody that works well together with the chord pattern
I usually choose oboe instrument with the strings. They work great together. Again, using Miroslav Philharmonik here.
So here are the next steps:
5. Load an instrument
which I’m going to use to play a melody that works with the strings chord pattern.
6. Keep adding and testing different notes
I’ll do this until I find a melody that plays along nicely with the chord pattern.
Usually, I use my MIDI keyboard to play and record different kind of melodies live.
It’s a lot more fun, and it’s faster than adding the melody by point-and-click via the mouse, though in this tutorial I’m using just the mouse. By keep things basic, I’m able to show you that you CAN do this with literally just a laptop and some headphones.
This is how the melody pattern looks and sounds like:
Okay, now that the song has some basic melodics let’s add a bass line.
Very often I use ReFX Vanguard as my go-to instrument for bass lines, and that’s what I’m doing in this example as well.
A bassline can be created from scratch (sort of like the melody in previous steps), but for this example, I simply use the root notes of the string chord pattern to build the bassline.
That way, the bass line will most likely fit in melodically.
So the next task I’m going to do is:
7. Load up a bass instrument.
8. Copy the root notes of strings chord pattern…
and build a bassline according to those root notes.
I simply just copy the root notes of the strings chord pattern and paste them to the bass instrument track. Then I transpose the whole thing one octave higher and edit the notes to create a “rhythmic” bassline.
Now the melody and bassline is ready, and at this point, I’ll usually add in the drums. I’ll scroll through a few drum sample libraries and settle on the ones that I feel fit best with the style of production I’m working on. Once I have a library open, I’ll add a kick drum, snare, and hi-hat and create a basic drum pattern that fits the style of the bass line and melody.
I usually start with something very basic and blend in more percussion elements (or loops) as I move on.
So the next step would be:
9. Load a kick drum, snare, and hi-hats Into FL Studio’s Sampler channels
I’ll create a drum pattern via Step Sequencer that plays along nicely with the bassline and melody.
This is how the drum pattern looks and sounds like:
So basically what I just created here is the chorus for my song (or the “hook” as it’s often called). What I usually do next is I push the whole composition away (in FL Studio’s Playlist view) to make some room for the intro and verse:
That’s it. That’s the idea of this technique.
But this is just the beginning…
That was just the melody of the chorus. Next step is to test and choose the right sounds.
I usually use the basic strings and oboe sounds just for designing the melody, and after I come up with something decent, I start to test how the melody works with different kinds of instruments and sounds.
So everything usually changes, and the finished song will sound much different than what you heard in the examples above.
In electronic music, the sounds and effects make a huge difference. You can have a very simple – even boring – melody, but if you find a cool instrument, sound or effect to play that melody, it may sound interesting all of a sudden.
So I recommend putting time and effort when choosing the sounds. Test the presets your VSTi has and if you don’t find anything you’re happy with, start tweaking!
Don’t be afraid to go wild with the knobs and sliders!
Also, next on the to-do list is to start creating the intro, verse and other parts.
Why do I like this method?
Because now that I have the chorus in place – and that’s usually the backbone of a song – I have a clue as to what kind of melodics the intro and verses should have.
The chorus works like a guideline giving me directions on what kind of melodies the verses should have as they must be in a style of that supports the chorus melodically.
A Couple More Tips
1. ALWAYS listen to the song as in WHOLE
When making a song in FL Studio, I listen to it as a whole, over and over again, countless of times, just to get a feel and to hear the bigger picture.
This way I’m able to decide what sounds or melodies REALLY need to be tweaked, taken out or added so that there aren’t any inconsistencies.
2. Word About Verses
If I make a song using a typical structure – intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro, I usually try to create the verses in a way that they make the chorus stand out.
I try to keep the verse simple (melodically) and go with fewer sounds (less drums sounds for example) than the chorus so that chorus makes an impact on the listener. Mainly, I’m trying to build tension towards the chorus.
3. About Intro
The intro is good for letting the listeners know what’s ahead. I usually use a “mini-chorus” here which could be something simple like an instrument playing the chorus melody.
All In All
This is just one of the methods you can use to start making a song inside your favorite DAW.
Another one I use a lot is that I create a drum groove, start to play the bassline on top of it with my MIDI keyboard, compose the melodies and then add in the chords.
OR another method (last one I promise) is I’ll start building a song from the intro, without a clue of what the chorus is going to be and keep adding elements as I move on. Usually, I come up with some nice ideas for the chorus as the song starts to develop.
What kind of ideas do you have? Let me know in the comments below.
Finally, here’s the video for this tutorial, ENJOY!