Guia fl studio 12 (Ingles)

WHAT CAN FL STUDIO DO? What's new in FL Studio 12? Setup Wizard Using FL Studio - overview FL website - Support, User groups, etc Purchasing Information, FL Studio & Plugins FL Studio Express, Fruity, Producer & Signature Bundle compared

Copyright © Image Line Software. All rights reserved.

What can FL Studio do? FL Studio is a full-featured music production environment capable of multi-track audio recording, sequencing and mixing for the creation of professional quality music tracks. With VST hosting, a flexible mixer, advanced MIDI and ReWire support no musical style will be beyond your reach. Songs or loops can be exported to .wav, .mp3, .ogg or .mid format. For an introduction to making music with FL Studio follow this link. Why buy FL Studio? Lifetime FREE Updates - Buy FL Studio then get every future release of FL Studio for FREE. Register FL Studio

from your online account.

Access to the Image-Line community Includes user forums, content & project downloads, give-aways, exclusive competitions and more. Support - Interact with the program developers, not bored underpaid workers with their finger on the auto-answer button. Audio handling Multi-track audio recording - Simultaneously record as many tracks as your audio interface can handle. Audio editing and manipulation - Pitch correction, pitch shifting, harmonization, timestretching, beat-detection & slicing, audio warping. Low latency audio - ASIO audio interface driver support & universal ASIO4ALL included. Open Architecture Synthesizer & Effects plugin hosting Instruments & Effects - Third-party VST (1, 2 & 3 @ 32 or 64 Bit), DXi2 & Buzz .

Developer friendly - We provide a modular programming environment, modular plugin host environment, programmable visualizer and plugin SDK

.

Composition & sequencing Flexible workflow - Pattern or linear workflow as you need. Piano roll - With enhanced (native plugin) pernote automation, per-note MIDI channels and per-note slides. Playlist - Multi-track free Playlist allows you to place Audio, Automation and Pattern Clips to arrange music, audio and control data. MIDI control Record - Record input from keyboards, drum pads & any other MIDI compatible controller, including mobile phones and tablets with Image-Line Remote. Multiple inputs - Connect as many MIDI devices as you like and control onboard instruments independently. Powerful MIDI learning system - FL Studio remembers which controller you have used and what plugins or UI targets it was linked to. Mixing and effects Mix and remix audio - including application of real-time audio effects such as delay, reverb & filtering. Flexible internal routing - Route any mixer track to any other to create powerful and complex mixer chains, groups and sub-groups.

Automation Record Automation - Capture automation to an editor where it can be edited or manipulated post-performance. Automation Clips - Use powerful spline-based Automation Clips in the Playlist to control any automatable target. Automation Generators - Link any automatable interface or plugin targets to the internal generators. Live performance features Clip triggering - Trigger Audio, Automation and Pattern clips from MIDI controllers. Includes hold, latch, one-shot, march, trigger sync functions. Visualization - MIDI & audio controlled visualization plugins. Multi-touch control Vectorial resizing - The Mixer and main UI can be rescaled to fit human fingers. No more fiddling about with tiny controls on a touch screen. Designed for touch - Swap between Windows Multi-touch and FL Studio Multi-touch modes for enhanced touch functions. Complete Integration VST - The entire FL Studio application can be hosted inside other DAW software as a multioutput VST instrument. ReWire - Host ReWire clients or host FL Studio as a ReWire client in other DAW software. The manual

Context sensitive help - Pressing the F1 key, while running FL Studio, the help will open at the correct page for the currently focused item. Internal hot-linking - All program features related to the current topic. If you are asked to 'see page X' it will be hot-linked. Fast, efficient and easy. Searchable text - Key-word and key-topic searches based on common language questions asked by customers on the Image-Line forums and Technical Support lines.

FL STUDIO

New Features in FL Studio 12

!

" #

This is a list of notable new features and changes in FL Studio 12. For the complete list (including bug fixes) please check the 'WhatsNew.rtf' in the FL Studio installation folder: '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\WhatsNew.rtf'. FL Studio 12 YouTube playlist

.

Notable changes to FL Studio 12 FL Studio includes Lifetime Free Updates, there may be a new version with more features, check online here

.

FL Studio Editions & Bundles More value! See the full comparison here

. Changes include:

Signature Bundle - Adds Harmless, Newtone, Gross Beat and Pitcher. Producer Edition - Adds Sytrus and Maximus. Fruity Edition - Adds Automation Clips.

FL Engine / Interface Interface - Vectorial user interface can be scaled between 100% to 400% and supports high resolution monitors up to 8K. See Options > General Settings > GUI display. Channel Menu - The Channel Options Menu has moved from the Toolbar Menu to the Channel rack (1). Channel Settings - Have been integrated into the Plugin Wrapper. Pattern Menu - The Pattern Menu has moved from the Channel rack to the Toolbar Menu and Pattern Selector (14). Stepsequencer - Stepsequences are now interchangeable with Piano rolls. VST Plugins - VST plugin installation has been improved and includes the ability to set multiple search folders with the 'Refresh plugin list >

Deep/slow scan > FL Studio VST scan tool'. Audio stretching - Updated to Elsastique version 3 with improved transient processing, especially at high stretch ratios (by zplane

).

Updated Plugins 3x OSC - Vectorial UI. Channel Sampler - Updated with new Elastique 3 stretching. Control Surface - Added multi-touch control and buttons. Edison - Vectorial UI. Fruity Formula Controller - Updated features & Vectorial UI. Fruity Envelope Controller - Updated features: 8 Articulators, Mod X/Y env, Smart Knobs & Vectorial UI. Fruity Keyboard Controller - Vectorial UI. Fruity Convolver - New impulse library by Soundiron

. See Browser >

Impulses. Fruity Peak Controller - Vectorial UI. Fruity Send - Vectorial UI and can now send to any mixer track linked to the host track. Hardcore - New effect, Tube-drive distortion and additional convolution impulse-based cabinet models. Patcher - Double-click plugins to open them outside the Patcher. ( Alt+Click) to leave other plugins open. Hold (

SHIFT) when drag-n-

dropping patcher to encapsulate existing plugins. Added multi-touch control and buttons to control surfaces. ZGameEditor Visualizer - Now loads all popular video formats. DMX lighting support. 4K+ video rendering.

Piano roll

Piano roll Auto-zoom can be deselected from Settings > General > Auto zoom in piano roll. Stamp tool (on toolbar) - Replaces chord tool. Paste preset chords. Time markers - Add time markers to the Piano roll for labelling purposes. Setting a time marker of type 'Visual length' will change the active Pattern length. Find unintentionally overlapped notes - Use 'Piano roll menu > Select > Select possible conflicts' to highlight all overlapping notes. Editable ghost notes - Piano roll menu > Editable ghosts ( Ctrl+Alt+V) - Allows direct interaction with Ghost Notes as per normal

notes.

Playlist File management - Multiple drag and drop for audio files onto Playlist (from a Windows file browser). Labels - Keep labels on screen option. Find unintentionally overlapped Clips - Use 'Playlist menu > Select > Select possible conflicts' to highlight all overlapping Clips.

Mixer GUI - Vectorial UI dynamically resizable X 6 layout styles. 3 userconfigurable docking panels. Multi-select - Select and adjust multiple track levels. Grouping - Enhanced track grouping and sub-mix functionality. Multi-touch - Multi-touch support. 10 FX slots per track - Increased from 8 slots, use Patcher if you need more. No more dedicated 'Send' tracks - The four dedicated Send tracks have been replaced with general purpose tracks and now can be used as part of the general track pool.

The 'Selected' (S) Mixer track has been renamed 'Current' (C). It's now to the left of the Master Mixer track.

Browser User configurable category tabs - Category tabs (snapshot slots) allow users to select, content, plugins and current project files. Slots can be renamed and icons set to show along the top of the Browser. Editing - Delete content on right-click.

New Plugins N/A

FL STUDIO EDITIONS

?

Amazing fact: the FL Studio demo is downloaded over 30,000 times each day! When you're done testing, FL Studio is available in several editions, as shown below.

Please check the FEATURES & PLUGINS you want are included in the version you buy!

Buy FL Studio

Download version: 299 USD

Download version: 199 USD

Download version: 99 USD

Boxed version: 399 USD

Boxed version: 269 USD

Boxed version: 139 USD

Includes:

Includes:

Includes:

All FL Producer Edition features +

All FL Studio Fruity features +

These instruments & effects

Harmless synth

Multi-track audio recording.

Mixer (100+ tracks)

Newtone pitch/time editor

Audio Clips.

External MIDI control

Gross Beat effect

Sytrus synthesizer

Unlimited instrument Channels

Pitcher effect

Maximus multiband maximizer

Step Sequencer

DirectWave full sampler

FL Edison editor & recorder

FL Direct Wave (player)

Hardcore guitar effects suite

FL Slicex loop slicer/arranger

Supports VST/2/3 & DX

FL Video player

FL Vocodex vocoder

Supports WAV, MP3, OGG

Lifetime FREE updates to FL Studio

FL SynthMaker

MIDI import/export

Producer Edition & plugins listed

Lifetime FREE updates to Producer

Playlist arranging

above by download.

Edition by download

Piano typing keyboard

NOT all plugins (Check here)

NOT all plugins (Check here)

Automation Clips & Editing Pattern Clips

Want more?

Piano roll with chords & slides Automation record & edit

Grab the FL Studio All Plugins Bundle and save

ASIO support (for low latency)

around 65% off the combined price.

Internal controllers Use as a VSTi instrument

Note: The Signature Bundle is a bundle of FL

Lifetime FREE updates

Studio Producer Edition and additional plugins

NO audio recording.

shown above. All Plugins Bundle is FL Studio

NO Audio Clips.

Producer plus all plugins.

NOT all plugins (Check here)

See the FL Studio editions feature comparison table or FL Studio editions discussed.

Why buy FL Studio? When register your purchase, you will receive: Lifetime FREE Updates to the edition you buy via download. That's every future version of FL Studio free! Unlimited technical support. Participation in the online user community. Free downloads, content and samples.

Access to pre-release betas of FL Studio and plugins. Install and unlock FL Studio on any computer with internet access. Re-open projects saved while using the FL Studio demo. Don't delete those demo projects! Already using the demo? There's nothing more to download, unlock FL Studio from the About panel with your account login. By purchasing FL Studio you support us, so that FL Studio and Lifetime Free Updates continues. Buy FL Studio

FL STUDIO MOBILE FL Studio mobile allows you to create complete multi-track music projects on your Android devices or iOS devices (i.Pod touch, i.Phone or i.Pad) and, if you want, load mobile projects into FL Studio take them to the next level. If it’s a beat on the Stepsequencer, a melody on the Piano roll or a full song on the Playlist, FL Studio mobile has you covered. Never lose that idea again. Get it down and happening wherever you are. Learn more about FL Studio Mobile - available on Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.

Notes: 1. You can upgrade from one FL Studio version to another although it's most cost effective to buy the version you will ultimately use, check the shop for pricing details. 2. FL preceding a plugin instrument/effect notes it's a 'native' FL Studio version (VST versions that can be used outside FL Studio are usually sold separately). 3. Image-Line reserves the right to change the plugins included with any FL Studio Edition or Bundle. Changes will not apply retrospectively, plugins licensed to you as part of the original bundle will remain yours.

This page was created with EZGenerator Copyright© 2003-2015, Image-Line Software

PURCHASING, UPGRADING & REGISTRATION

How to buy, register and unlock Image-Line products ! " DEMO ONLY? Either FL Studio or plugins that it contains may appear as a demo. This means projects saved that contain demo plugins, won't reopen with the demo plugins in place until they are purchased and registered. Once demo plugins are registered, the project will open correctly, as originally saved. To unlock FL Studio or plugins you need to purchase a personalized registry key and install it on your PC. The full purchase and registration procedure are as follows.

1. Use the DEMO - The FL Studio Demo version and Demo plugins allow you to use all program/plugin features so that you can ensure anything you are interested in buying works 'as advertised' prior to purchase. Demos are unlocked with a single registration key (see step 4), your key will unlock only those features and plugins associated with the FL Studio version (Express, Fruity, Producer or Signature Bundle) & plugins you have purchased. Features & plugins included with each version of FL Studio are compared here, on the FL Studio website 2. Purchase - Go to the Image-Line Store

.

and follow the instructions.

3. Wait for your email - After ordering the plugin you will be sent an email with a login and password to your customized user page on the Image-Line site. Please keep an eye on your spam filter so that it doesn't redirect the registration email to a spam folder. 4. Unlock your product/s, there are two ways you can do this: Online computer - Use the 'About panel' registration system. Enter your Image-Line account

email and password and

click Unlock products. This will unlock all your products, not just FL Studio. Offline computer - From a computer with internet access, log into your Image-Line account

. Click where it says 'Click here

to unlock this product' and save the RegKey to a memory stick. Copy this to your FL Studio computer and THEN Double click it OR Right-click it and select 'Merge'. Accept all warnings and allow the key to be written into your registry. NOTE: You

can save this RegKey and use it with any PC you own, all that we ask is that you are the only user of FL Studio. 5. Use the plugin/software - Next time you open FL Studio you should find that the purchased item is now unlocked and working without any limitations, no additional downloads are required. If you are having difficulties or questions please try contacting our Live Support through the Image-Line store (the link is located at the bottom of the page), or contact Technical Support

where you can create a traceable support-ticket.

We accept and some Local Payment Methods.

FL STUDIO BASICS

Introducing FL Studio

!

"

This section is the place to start if you are new to FL Studio or just started using a new version. What's New? - See a list of the key new features in this edition of FL Studio. The user interface - The main windows and how to use the User Interface (UI). Video tutorials - A summary of the YouTube video tutorials. Making music - Explains how everything comes together to make a complete song. Hardware controllers - Covers some hardware options that will make your FL Studio experience better. Keyboard & Mouse shortcuts - A list of the most useful keyboard shortcuts. Useful web-links - Some of our favorite websites, naturally starting with our own.

FL STUDIO

New Features in FL Studio 12

!

" #

This is a list of notable new features and changes in FL Studio 12. For the complete list (including bug fixes) please check the 'WhatsNew.rtf' in the FL Studio installation folder: '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\WhatsNew.rtf'. FL Studio 12 YouTube playlist

.

Notable changes to FL Studio 12 FL Studio includes Lifetime Free Updates, there may be a new version with more features, check online here

.

FL Studio Editions & Bundles More value! See the full comparison here

. Changes include:

Signature Bundle - Adds Harmless, Newtone, Gross Beat and Pitcher. Producer Edition - Adds Sytrus and Maximus. Fruity Edition - Adds Automation Clips.

FL Engine / Interface Interface - Vectorial user interface can be scaled between 100% to 400% and supports high resolution monitors up to 8K. See Options > General Settings > GUI display. Channel Menu - The Channel Options Menu has moved from the Toolbar Menu to the Channel rack (1). Channel Settings - Have been integrated into the Plugin Wrapper. Pattern Menu - The Pattern Menu has moved from the Channel rack to the Toolbar Menu and Pattern Selector (14). Stepsequencer - Stepsequences are now interchangeable with Piano rolls. VST Plugins - VST plugin installation has been improved and includes the ability to set multiple search folders with the 'Refresh plugin list >

Deep/slow scan > FL Studio VST scan tool'. Audio stretching - Updated to Elsastique version 3 with improved transient processing, especially at high stretch ratios (by zplane

).

Updated Plugins 3x OSC - Vectorial UI. Channel Sampler - Updated with new Elastique 3 stretching. Control Surface - Added multi-touch control and buttons. Edison - Vectorial UI. Fruity Formula Controller - Updated features & Vectorial UI. Fruity Envelope Controller - Updated features: 8 Articulators, Mod X/Y env, Smart Knobs & Vectorial UI. Fruity Keyboard Controller - Vectorial UI. Fruity Convolver - New impulse library by Soundiron

. See Browser >

Impulses. Fruity Peak Controller - Vectorial UI. Fruity Send - Vectorial UI and can now send to any mixer track linked to the host track. Hardcore - New effect, Tube-drive distortion and additional convolution impulse-based cabinet models. Patcher - Double-click plugins to open them outside the Patcher. ( Alt+Click) to leave other plugins open. Hold (

SHIFT) when drag-n-

dropping patcher to encapsulate existing plugins. Added multi-touch control and buttons to control surfaces. ZGameEditor Visualizer - Now loads all popular video formats. DMX lighting support. 4K+ video rendering.

Piano roll

Piano roll Auto-zoom can be deselected from Settings > General > Auto zoom in piano roll. Stamp tool (on toolbar) - Replaces chord tool. Paste preset chords. Time markers - Add time markers to the Piano roll for labelling purposes. Setting a time marker of type 'Visual length' will change the active Pattern length. Find unintentionally overlapped notes - Use 'Piano roll menu > Select > Select possible conflicts' to highlight all overlapping notes. Editable ghost notes - Piano roll menu > Editable ghosts ( Ctrl+Alt+V) - Allows direct interaction with Ghost Notes as per normal

notes.

Playlist File management - Multiple drag and drop for audio files onto Playlist (from a Windows file browser). Labels - Keep labels on screen option. Find unintentionally overlapped Clips - Use 'Playlist menu > Select > Select possible conflicts' to highlight all overlapping Clips.

Mixer GUI - Vectorial UI dynamically resizable X 6 layout styles. 3 userconfigurable docking panels. Multi-select - Select and adjust multiple track levels. Grouping - Enhanced track grouping and sub-mix functionality. Multi-touch - Multi-touch support. 10 FX slots per track - Increased from 8 slots, use Patcher if you need more. No more dedicated 'Send' tracks - The four dedicated Send tracks have been replaced with general purpose tracks and now can be used as part of the general track pool.

The 'Selected' (S) Mixer track has been renamed 'Current' (C). It's now to the left of the Master Mixer track.

Browser User configurable category tabs - Category tabs (snapshot slots) allow users to select, content, plugins and current project files. Slots can be renamed and icons set to show along the top of the Browser. Editing - Delete content on right-click.

New Plugins N/A

FL STUDIO BASICS

FL Studio User Interfaces This section covers the main control interfaces in FL Studio. A

video tutorials

are also available on the Image-Line YouTube

page.

Controls & Interfaces This section contains notes about the interface controls of FL Studio. Hold the mouse pointer over everything and look at the Hint Bar while you do. Different icons will explain what actions are possible with that icon.

Hint Panel

The Hint Panel shows help & tips for items as you move the mouse cursor over them. In the screen shot above 'Mix level' shows the object the mouse pointer is currently over, and the icons to the right what actions are possible. There is an optional, larger, floating Hint panel revealed by the View > Toolbars > Hint bar setting. There is no better way to discover features in FL Studio.

Knobs & sliders

Common Features - All knobs (wheels) and sliders in FL Studio behave similarly. To change the value of a knob or slider Left-click the image and drag up/down (left/right for horizontal sliders). Fine Adjustments - To fine-tune the value of a control, hold the CTRL key while dragging OR hold down both mouse buttons and drag on the control.

Snapping - Some controls (knobs and sliders) may pause at default and other useful places while you tweak them. If you want to avoid that behavior, hold down the SHIFT key while using a control. Quick Reset - Holding ALT and Left-clicking a control resets it to its default value OR if you have a three button mouse (the scroll-wheel is often a button, press it and see if it clicks...'clicks', not cracks!), you can quickly reset any knob or slider to the default value by clicking on the middle mouse button as opposed to the standard right-mouse click and selecting 'reset' from the menu. Automation - Most knobs and sliders can be linked to external controllers OR internal controllers. Right-click the knob or control you want to automate and move a knob on your physical controller or select a link option from the menu.

Number Displays

The value of the LCD control is normally set by dragging on the screen with your left mouse button up and down (just like a wheel). You can also increment or decrement the LCD value one step at a time: place your mouse pointer at the top edge of the LCD (to increment) or bottom edge (to decrement) the control - the pointer will change to show the increment or decrement cursor respectively (

). Click to increment/decrement the LCD value.

Window menus

There are menu icons located in the top left corner of the Playlist, Channel Settings, Channel Rack, Piano roll, Mixer and many other places, sometimes they are tiny, so keep your eye out for them. Left-clicking opens the associated menu.

Menu items

Where you see the save drag icon associated with a Save item, you can click on the icon and drag the file to a compatible location in FL Studio (e.g. another Piano roll, the Browser, etc). NOTE: To disable drag-animation effects set the General Settings > Animations to 'Keep it sober' or 'Don't distract me'.

Horizontal Scroll-Zoom Bars & Vertical Zoom

Some Scrollbars (Playlist and Piano roll) have 'two dimensional scrolling' - drag them with your right mouse button (instead of the left, as usual) to move the view simultaneously in the horizontal and vertical directions. The Playlist and Piano roll have zoomable areas. Where vertical zooming is possible you will notice a rectangular box. Click on this with your mouse and move up/down to change the zoom level. Zoom resolution depends on the 'Timebase' (PPQ) settings in the General Project Options (F11). The higher the PPQ, the greater the resolution, although you will find the default setting of 96 PPQ to be adequate for most situations.

Presets

Right-click on the double arrows in the top right corner of Instrument or FX wrappers to bring up the preset menu. Select a preset from the list to load it. Left-click on the right arrow to step forward and left arrow to step back through the preset list sequentially. NOTE: Not all plugins will display their presets from here, you may need to use the preset selectors built into a plugins userinterface.

Wave displays

If you see a sample displayed in FL Studio, it can probably be Left-clicked and dragged to another location such as a sampler channel or a another plugin that uses .wav files. NOTE: To disable drag-animation effects set the General Settings > Animations to 'Keep it sober' or 'Don't distract me'.

Multimedia Keyboards

If you have a multimedia keyboard you can use the Play/Pause button to Start/Pause FL Studio, the Stop button will stop FL Studio and return the song position marker to the beginning of the Playlist. The FF/RW buttons will jump between Playlist Time Markers if present.

Multi-Touch Support Select Options > General Settings >Optimize for 'Multi-touch monitor'. Windows Touch enables several gestures that support single and multiple contacts. Multi-touch control vs Multi-touch gestures: Multi-touch control - Where you see this icon it allows you to swap between multi-touch gestures and multi-touch control. Turn OFF to use multi-touch gestures, as shown below. Multi-touch gestures and control are necessarily independent modes since a two finger tap must be distinguished from two fingers touching two controls (such as mixer faders) Multi-touch control all windows (Channel Rack, Playlist, Piano roll, Mixer etc.)

Move/drag window - Two finger tap and drag on the title-bar (fingers together). This will work on crowded title bars also, any tools and menus will be ignored. Maximize/restore - Two finger tap on the title-bar. Close - Two finger tap with fingers separated. Resize - Top left and top-right edges are hot-spots for tap and drag resize operations. Multi-touch features by window: Mixer - With Multi-touch control OFF: Scroll tracks - Two finger tap and drag horizontally. Select multiple tracks - Two finger tap on tracks. Browser - 1-finger vertical swipe scrolling Step seq - 1-button mode is selected on the Options > General settings. 2-finger swipes for vertical scrolling Piano roll/Playlist - Use the following actions Add a note - Double-tap. Scroll - 2-finger swipe. You can release one finger after the scrolling starts. Select region - Define a rectangle by tapp-&-holding the Bottom-Left point FIRST and the Top-Right point second. Vertical zoom - Two-finger rotate around point Zoom out full - 2-finger tap. Zoom to selection - Define a rectangle by tapp-&-holding the Top-Right point FIRST and the Bottom-Left point second. Zoom - Pinch. Playlist in Performance Mode - Low-level multi-touch enabled, so that you can trigger multiple clips together. We can't prevent Windows from relocating the cursor in this low-level mode. Retrigger with snap disabled - Two finger tap on Clip. Trigger group - Quick vertical swipe (requires 'click & hold' switched on in the General settings). X/Y aftertouch control - After touching a clip, move around to tweak the Playlist track's own X/Y control. To assign - Select the Multi-link controllers switch, tweak one or two target controls, then tap on a clip on the target track (only one X/Y control per track is available). Stop track - Tap Track header (name area). The following image illustrates the various gestures that are supported in Windows 7 and higher.

Favorite folders All open/import and save/export dialogs in FL Studio have a Favorites function to quickly jump to frequently used folders.

1. Favorites menu - Contains a list with shortcuts to all favorite folders you have set. 2. Set As Favorite - Adds the current folder to the favorites. Browse to the folder you want to add as an item in the Favorites menu and click this button. 3. Remove From Favorites - Removes the currently displayed folder in the combo box from the favorites list.

Multi-Screen Support FL Studio allows the use of two (or more) monitors. In the configuration below the screen lower-front is a multi-touch control monitor. Normally you would resize FL Studio component windows (Rack, Playlist, Piano roll etc) to fit inside each monitor.

To use multiple monitors there are 2 options: 1. Detached windows - From the window menu (top left corner, Piano roll, Playlist, Event editor, Plugin e.t.c,) set to 'Detached'. 2. Expand the desktop - Right-click the close button [X] and select 'Maximize for all monitors' OR click the 'Maximize/Restore' button (between the minimize & close button) and stretch the work area over the multiple monitors.

FL STUDIO YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Video Tutorials

!

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#

$

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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video must be worth millions! This page contains a list of our YouTube video Playlists. Visit our YouTube Channel here

Why not subscribe?

Video Playlists Audio Recording

- How to record audio. FL Studio has two main

techniques. Compressors & Compression

- Compressors are a key audio-

enhancement tool used by all great producers. Drumaxx Edison

- Percussion modelling synthesizer. - Edison audio editor & recorder.

.

FL Studio Set-up

- Options and settings you should know about.

FL Studio Guru Series

- Summary of the Guru Blog

videos. The FL

Studio Guru explores everything and anything related to FL Studio and music production. FL Studio Optimization

- Get the most out of your computer and FL

Studio. FPC Drum Machine

- FPC is a percussion sampler / drum-machine

perfect for quick percussion programing. Fruity Convolver Gross beat

- Fruity Convolver real-time convolution reverb plugin.

- Manipulate time, pitch & volume.

Hardcore Guitar FX

- Hardcore is a suite of guitar FX pedals ready to

shred. Harmless Synthesizer

- Harmless is an easy to program and unique

sounding additive-subtractive synthesizer. Home Studio Setup

- How to set up a home studio with limited space

and budget. Mixing & Production Techniques Morphine Synthesizer

- Improve your sound.

- Morphine is a highly flexible 'resynthesis' based

additive synthesizer. Sounds expensive, light on your wallet. Newtone Pitcher

- Time and pitch editor. - Realtime pitch and time manipulation.

Poizone Synthesizer

- Poizone is an accessible synth great covering the

basics. Rewire & FL Studio

- Rewire is a software protocol that allows audio

applications to share audio and transport controls in real-time. Use FL Studio in Cubase (for example) or Cubase in FL Studio. Sawer Synthesizer Slicex Sampler

- A great sounding analog modelling synthesizer.

- Slice and dice samples and drum loops.

Synthmaker Create Effects

- FL Synthmaker is an amazing application

that allows you to build your own synthesizers and effects. Synthmaker Create Synthesizers

- FL Synthmaker is an amazing

application that allows you to build your own synthesizers and effects. The Browser

- Access your own folders inside FL Studio to add samples

and sounds. The Playlist

- Arrange your music.

Toxic Biohazard

- Toxic Bio is a powerful and rich FM/RM/Subtractive

Synthesizer. Vocal Mixing & Processing Vocodex Workflow

- Make those vocals sparkle!

- Vocodex is Image-Line's most powerful Vocoder yet. - Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, make it stronger!

ZGameEditor Visualizer

- Visualize your music and render to video.

NOTE: Some videos appear in more than one Playlist.

FL STUDIO BASICS

How to use FL Studio - Making music

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This section covers the FL Studio desktop and basic workflow. FL Studio allows you to load instruments and samples, play these live or manually enter the note data, record external sounds (from a microphone for example) and play the whole mix back through the mixer (adding effects). The completed project can be saved to a .flp or .zip and/or exported (rendered) to .wav, .mp3 or .ogg audio. This section covers: The main windows. Adding instruments to a project. Composing & sequencing. Arranging & editing songs. Mixing & levels. Exporting audio & saving. We also recommend you watch the

FL Studio | Getting Started

YouTube playlist.

Main Windows The FL Studio desktop is based on a number of windows, most of these are movable (with overlap), resizable, zoomable and switchable so if a window isn't visible open it using the Shortcut toolbar (or the function keys as noted in brackets). The main windows involved in FL Studio music creation are - Channel Rack ( Browser (

F6), Piano roll (

F7). Mixer (

F9) and Playlist (

F5). The

Alt+F8) is used to access audio files, plugins & presets (see the File setting options for adding folders elsewhere on your

computer to the Browser). NOTE: If you ever need to reset the position of all windows to their default use (

Ctrl+Shift+H) or see

the View menu options.

Workflow Once you have mastered the FL Studio interface, the next step is to learn the procedure for creating music - the FL Studio 'workflow'. The typical steps making a track are outlined below:

1. Instruments The Channel Rack holds instruments (plugins) that create sound and internal generators that control automation. Every pattern has access to all instruments in the rack. So, all patterns have access to all instruments in the Channel Rack. Patterns are not limited to a single instrument as they are in most other sequencers. Music data can come in the form of Step sequences and Piano roll scores. The height of the Channel Rack will change dynamically as you add and remove plugins. The Step Sequencer, (

Video Here

) is

a pattern-based grid sequencer ideal for creating drum loops when Channels are loaded with the native Sampler, that holds a single percussion sample per Channel.

Instruments - Instrument plugins make the sounds used in a song and are loaded in the Channel Rack. In the screen-shot above, the instrument interfaces are minimized and can be accessed by Left-clicking on the Channel buttons. Instruments generally fall into two types, software synthesizers that create audio using an internal 'synthesis engine' or sample players that play back 'audio recordings' such as drum loops, percussion samples or instrument samples. There are several ways to load a new instrument: + - Use the Add channel button at the bottom of the Channel Rack. Add menu - Use the Add menu. Replace an existing instrument channel - Right-click on a Channel button and select 'Replace >' from the pop-up context menu. Drag items from the Browser - Drag a plugin preset or samples/loops from the Browser to the Channel window OR a Mixer track and the Channel will be loaded and routed to that Mixer track. Use the plugin picker - Open the Plugin Picker database (

F8) and double-click an instrument OR drag

it to the Channel Rack OR Mixer track and the plugin will be loaded and routed to that Mixer track. In the case of samples & loops you can also drag these from the Browser to the Playlist (see below). When you drag a sample to the Playlist an Audio Clip instrument is automatically added to the Channel window. Alternatively you can Right-click the sample in the Browser and 'send' it to one of the instruments in the pop-up list. Add your own folders to the Browser with the F10 > File settings dialog. To open an instrument interface Left-click on the Channel button. Think of the Channel window as a rack of synthesizer/sampler modules that can be routed to any one of the 99 Mixer Tracks using the Channel settings FX (Mixer Track Selector).

2. Composing & sequencing

Composing - Musical notes and chords can be played live via a controller keyboard or entered manually in the Piano roll (Right-click the Channel buttons to open the Piano roll) OR use the default Step Sequencer to trigger percussion samples. There is a Step Recording option on the Recording Panel too. When editing patterns, make sure you are in Pattern Mode so that when you press play the currently selected pattern is played. To the right of each instrument button in the Channel window is either a step-sequencer display (rows of squares) or a mini-preview of a Piano roll (green lines). Step Sequencers and Piano rolls are interchangeable for each Channel. New instruments start with an empty Step Sequencer pattern by default. Step Sequencers and Piano rolls hold the note data only for the instrument channel they are associated with. Step-sequencer 'steps' are activated by by Left-clicking the squares to turn them on, or Right-clicking to turn them off (great for percussion programming). To open an existing Piano roll, Left-click directly on the mini-preview window. Changing patterns - Left-click hold and slide up/down on the Pattern Selector (shown above) to change the pattern number and work on a new pattern. Up to 999 unique patterns can be created. The complete stack of channel instruments and their Step sequence/Piano roll data is a single pattern. In the example above, Pattern '1' consists of a Harmor Channel being played by a Piano roll and a Step Sequence Hat Channel. In the example below Pattern 2 consists only of stepsequence data playing the Kick & Hat channels. As you step through the patterns with the Pattern Selector, the appearance of the channel window will change to reflect the note data associated with each pattern. The length of each pattern can vary and is determined by the number of bars spanned by the longest data in any one of the channels. Piano rolls may be of any length. The 'LCD' window showing '--' in the top left corner of the Channel window changes the number of Steps in the pattern (4 to 64 are possible).

3. Arranging & editing The Playlist sequences all the elements of the project that play to make the final song. The Playlist window is a stack of multipurpose 'Clip Tracks' that can host Patterns Clips, Audio Clips and Automation Clips. Unlike most other sequencers, the Playlist tracks are not bound to any one instrument, audio recording or even Clip type. You can put any Clip type anywhere and even overlay Clips. Think of Clips as a little like notes in the Piano roll. When the play-head reaches a Clip, FL Studio plays whatever the Clip instructs it to do.

Arranging - To use the Playlist you will need to have at least Fruity edition. Arranging with 'Producer edition' - Use the Playlist to hold three types of data, use the Clip source selector (shown below) to select: Pattern Clips (notes) - Patterns generally hold note data for sequencing Plugin instruments, although they can also contain Automation Event data. Audio Clips (audio/loops/samples) - If an Audio Clip already exists, it can be selected from the 'Clip source selector', otherwise you can drag sample/loop/audio files from the Browser directly into the Playlist. Add your own folders to the Browser with the F10 > File settings dialog. Automation Clips (control movements) - Automation Clips move knobs and controls on the FL Studio interface and plugins. To create an Automation Clip Right-click on an interface control and select 'Create automation clip'. Arranging with 'Fruity Edition' - that only has access to the Pattern Clip type that holds note data from Stepsequences or Piano rolls & Event Automation. The length of a Pattern Clip will be determined by the length of the data in it, you are not restricted. Audio - Since Audio Clips are not available in Fruity Edition, to insert track-length audio you can trigger a Sampler Channel from a Pattern using the Piano roll to control the duration of the sample. The note C5 will play the audio at the original pitch. An alternative Clip selection method is to Right-click a tab of the Playlist Clip Focus selector to show Clips of the desired category. Once a Clip is selected, select Draw (Pencil) or Paint (Brush) mode Left-click on a blank area of the Playlist. Dragging in Brush mode will repeat the Clip as you drag horizontally. Once placed, Pattern Clips can be clicked + dragged around (horizontally or vertically) by the name-bar that runs along the top of the clip. The way the clip moves will depend on the Playlist snap settings and zoom level. The Playlist Clip Tracks can be named, colored, moved up/down or muted. These functions are accessed by Rightclicking on the Name area at the start of each track. You can place any Pattern Clip in any Clip Track, or any number of different clips in the same track. Clip tracks are just universal holding lanes for any and all data types. Playback - Make sure you are in Song Mode so that the patterns are played from the Playlist. Otherwise, you will play only the selected pattern. There are Play buttons on the top of the Channel window and Playlist, so you can also initiate a Pattern or Playlist play-back that way. FL Studio is not limited to pattern-based sequencing, you can also enter an unused Pattern Clip into the Playlist and play song-length data (patterns). Thus, FL Studio has the flexibility of being either a 'track-based' sequencer, a 'pattern-based' sequencer, or a combination of the two.

4. Mixing The Channel Rack shows a Channel button for each instrument. The audio from each Channel is sent to one of the Mixer Tracks for effects processing and level mixing. After opening the instrument access Instrument Channel Settings from the Channel Settings

icon. Playlist Clip Tracks are not bound to Mixer tracks, rather Channel Rack to Mixer routing decides the Mixer track/s that are used. So Instrument Channels are bound to Mixer tracks, not Playlist tracks. For example, a single Pattern Clip on a single Playlist track, could trigger every Channel Rack instrument, and so all Mixer tracks if they were routed accordingly. If you want to simulate 'traditional' sequencer workflow: Route each Instrument to a separate Mixer track. Use one Instrument Channel per Pattern Clip and use one song-length Pattern Clip per Playlist track.

Mixing - Sound from the instrument channels is routed to the Mixer using the Channel settings Mixer TRACK send (as shown above). Use the Mixer to set levels and add Effects (FX) such as reverberation (reverb), chorus and delay. See the page Levels, Mixing & Clipping for more detailed Mixing advice, and in particular the section Making tracks louder! (and good) for some tips on getting a great 'commercial' sound. Almost all aspects of mixing are automatable, so fader movements and knob changes become part of the overall performance. The Mixer is also the place where external audio from a microphone, guitar or synthesizer can be recorded along with the internal instruments. The recorded sound is displayed in the Playlist as an Audio Clip. NOTE: Routing Instrument Channels to Mixer tracks - The most efficient way to route one or more Channels to Mixer tracks is to: 1. Left or Right-click the Channel Selector LED's to the right side of each Instrument Channel you want to route (Right-clicking allows multiple selections). 2. Right-click the target Mixer track and select 'Link selected channels > to this track' from the pop-up menu. OR use 'Link selected channels > starting from this track' to assign multiple Channels to multiple Mixer tracks.

5. Exporting audio

Exporting/Rendering - The final mix is exported from FL Studio to a .wav, .mp3 or .ogg file format by selecting the export option from the file menu in a non-real time process called rendering. CD? If you want to make an Audio CD you need to render to 16-Bit, 44.1 kHz .wav files. FL Studio does not burn audio CDs so you will need to use a 3rd party Audio CD burning application.

That's it, go make some organized noise!

FL STUDIO BASICS

Controller Hardware

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#

While the FL Studio based musician generally has little or no need for extra hardware, it's definitely worth considering a controller. Controllers are devices that send control signals to FL Studio to move the knobs, switches or play a plugin instrument like a synthesizer. For setting up a controller see the MIDI Settings Wizard or MIDI Settings page. See here

for more information on supported controllers.

NOTES: 1. To link the FL Studio interface to an external controller, Right-click the target knob/slider and select 'Link controller' from the menu and then move the physical knob on the external controller interface. 2. FL Studio stores all note activity from external controllers from the past 3 minutes. This can be dumped to the Piano roll at any time using the 'Dump score log to selected pattern' command. Never lose that perfect improvisation again!.

Types of External Controllers Depending on your background, experience and workflow there is a controller right for you.

Typing keyboard When the Recording panel 'Typing keyboard to piano keyboard' option is selected, your Typing keyboard will function as a note keyboard. Right-click the selector to change the octave range (up/down).

Keyboard Controllers

Many keyboard controllers provides 2 or more octaves, assignable knobs that can be linked to knobs and sliders in FL and is connected to your PC over USB. If you are a serious keyboardist then the sky is the limit.

Knob and Slider Controllers

If the idea of a piano keyboard isn't your style then there are 'knob and slider' based controllers. All those knobs and sliders makes for a lot of control. Connected to your PC by USB it can be linked to almost any knob or slider in FL Studio. Too easy!

Percussion / Pad

If you are percussion or MPC oriented then you may want a controller that you can tap, bash and hit.

MIDI Hardware

Similarly if you already have other MIDI hardware then that can be used as a controller too. See the MIDI setup wizard for details on connecting MIDI hardware to your PC, a USB to MIDI 5-Pin DIN adapter may be required.

Image-Line Software

Image-Line Remote

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Image-Line Remote (IL Remote) is a free Android or iOS, Tablet or Phone, user-configurable MIDI controller application for FL Studio. Just open FL Studio on your computer and IL Remote on your mobile device and you will be controlling it from your phone or tablet. You can use up to 15 devices, in any combination of Android and iOS simultaneously. Get IL Remote here

or see the

Video Tutorial Playlist here

.

NOTE: You need (at least) FL Studio 11.0.4 or Deckadance 2.3 AND Android 3.0 or iOS 5.1 to use IL Remote.

TIP: Use the MAIN tab to control FL Studio from your phone or tablet device while you are in another room or remote from your computer to start or stop recording, control headphone levels etc.

Overview IL Remote has a number of default tabs designed to work with FL Studio. You can create new tabs with custom control layouts or delete existing tabs when in Edit mode. NOTE: Not all functions on the preset tabs are pre-linked to targets in FL Studio and will require initial linking. If you use the 'Override generic links' method these will be remembered for future FL Studio sessions. Example defaults include: HOME - The Home screen allows you to load the default FL Studio or Deckadance layout. There is also a link to the online version of this manual and Image-Line news

.

MAIN - Transport controls. These are all pre-linked to targets in FL Studio. PIANO - MIDI Keyboard will play the selected Channel. FPC - Fruity Pad Controller. HARMO - Scale corrected MIDI/keyboard grid. Plays the selected Channel.

SLICEX - Slicex controller. The X/Y parameter needs to be linked to Slicex. PERFORM - Clip triggering grid for Performance Mode. Clips will be automatically filled when a Performance Mode project is loaded. GROSSBEAT - Gross Beat controller. Linking to Gross Beat - Right-click any time slot on Gross Beat in FL Studio, select 'Link to controller' then press any time slot button on the IL Remote Gross Beat controller and all slots will be linked at once. MIX - Mixer controls. NOTE: The configuration of the tabs above will vary depending on the screen dimensions and resolution of the device you are using.

Tab Controls The default tabs, listed above, are made from one or more of the following control elements, accessed from the (+)Controls menu while in Edit Mode. For example, to make your own Mixer start with a Container and add Knobs, Pads and Faders, then save it as a Preset named 'Mixer'. Pad - Multi-purpose Pad. Fader - Horizontal or vertical faders. Knob - Control knobs. Jog Wheel - Continuous controller. Mixer - Configurable Mixer. Clip Launcher - Performance Mode Clip launching tool. X/Y Control - Two axis variable controller. Piano Keyboard - MIDI controller. Harmonic Grid - Become a proficient Jazz player, instantly. Container - Hold and organize groups of the above controls.

Image-Line Remote Users & Support Forum Visit the IL Remote users forum one

to share layouts, presets and to get support. Log into your existing account

or create

to get access.

Wi-Fi Setup & Connections IL Remote connects automatically to FL Studio or Deckadance when your computer and mobile device are connected to the same network and IL Remote is activated in the options, as shown below. Typical networking scenarios would be a computer connected to a Wi-Fi capable modem/router either by Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable and the Android/iOS device/s connected by Wi-Fi to the same network OR a laptop working as an Ad-hoc Wi-Fi network, and the Android/iOS device/s connected directly to that.

Connecting IL Remote and FL Studio or Deckadance over an Existing Wi-Fi Network 1. Log in - Make sure your computer and IL Remote device are connected to the same network. 2. MIDI settings: FL Studio - From FL Studio's MIDI Settings turn on 'Enable Image Line Remote'.

Deckadance 2 - From Preferences > MIDI Scripting

turn on 'Enable IL Remote Server' AND load the

'ILRemoteWithFeedback.c' script from the Deckadance 2/script_files installation folder.

3. Security - The first time you activate the IL Remote setting you will probably need to allow FL Studio and or Deckadance access through the Windows firewall, at the usual security pop-up. If you don't get a pop-up, and you can't get a connection between FL Studio/Deckadance and IL Remote, you will need to manually add FL Studio and or Deckadance to the Firewall exceptions list. Do this from the Control Panel > System & Security > Windows Firewall > Allow an app through Windows firewall. These steps are explained in detail in the

IL Remote networking video tutorial

.

4. Check the connection - Once connected the network icon will change from orange to green as shown below.

NOTE: You can connect up to 15 mobile devices (iOS and Android) simultaneously to FL Studio. Just open IL Remote on each device you want to use and the rest is taken care of for you.

Network Troubleshooting If you are having problems connecting try the following in this order: 1. Disable your Windows firewall - If IL Remote now connects then follow these steps: networking video tutorial

IL Remote

.

2. Disable anti-virus programs - If this works, white-list FL Studio in the anti-virus program options. Look for any firewall options (integrated into the anti-virus program) as mentioned above. If there are options, allow FL Studio (FL.exe) for local networks and enable port 9050 and 9100 for UDP protocol. 3. Check your network router's admin controls - Look for IP filtering, MAC filtering (if your device can connect to the internet through your Wi-Fi network this won't be the cause), router firewalls etc. Ports - Try adding a manual rule to allow FL Studio (FL.exe) for local networks and enabling port 9050 and 9100 for UDP protocol. IL Remote only uses port 9050, so add this exception anywhere you can find the opportunity. 4. Change password encryption - If you are using WPA/WPA2/PSK, try WEP encryption type for the password, or vice versa. 5. Update your router's firmware - This will involve getting into the admin options and installing a file that

updates the router's internal programs. Check the manufacturers website for details.

Ad-Hoc Network Creation If you are not connecting FL Studio and IL Remote over an existing Wi-Fi network, you can create an Ad hoc (computerto-computer) network

. This allows you to use the Wi-Fi built into a laptop/netbook or desktop PC with a Wi-Fi device

attached, directly to your mobile device/s without passing through a network router.

Windows 8 The 'Set up an ad hoc network' setup options were removed from windows 8 and the boffins at Microsoft now expect you to type in Windows CMD entries. Fear not, we have written some batch files to take care of this faffing about for you. 1. Download - Windows_8_Adhoc_Network_Scripts.zip

and extract 'start_adhoc_network.bat' and

'stop_adhoc_network.bat' to your computer. 2. Run the start network batch file - Right-click 'start_adhoc_network.bat' and select the pop-up menu option 'Run as administrator'. Feel free to drag and drop these files on an open text editor window, to see what's inside, if running our batch files is too spooky for you. 3. Following the prompts - Type the network name and password (at least 8 characters) and check the connection is listed in the Wi-Fi networks, and in the "waiting for users" state. 4. Android users (conditional) - If you do not see the Ad-hoc network in the Wi-Fi networks list, you may need to install a Virtual Router application on your FL Studio computer. Two suggestions are Virtual Router source) and My Public Wi-Fi

(free, open

(free), although any Virtual Router will work. This step is necessary with Android

devices that don't show ad-hoc networks. Just enter the same network name and Password used in the steps above. 5. Press any key to continue... - This message shows at the end of the script and will close the window. 6. Wi-Fi connection - From your mobile device open the Wi-Fi settings and log into the network using the network name and password you used above. 7. Connect FL Studio & IL Remote - Now follow the instructions for connecting to an existing network above. NOTE: When connecting to the ad-hoc network this can take up to 30 seconds before it's really established, even if the PC or Android device says 'Connected', so be patient. 8. To stop the network - Right-click 'stop_adhoc_network.bat' and select 'Run as administrator'

Windows 7, Vista & XP The Network and sharing center Wizard will take care of most steps as follows: 1. Open the 'Network & Sharing Center' by clicking the Start button and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then click Network and Sharing Center. 2. Click 'Set up a new connection or network' and then 'Next'. 3. Following the Wizard - Type the name and password of the network and Check that the connection is listed in the Wi-Fi networks, and in the "waiting for users" state. 4. Android users (conditional) - If you do not see the Ad-hoc network in the Wi-Fi networks list, you may need to install a Virtual Router application on your FL Studio computer. Two suggestions are Virtual Router source) and My Public Wi-Fi

(free, open

(free), although any Virtual Router will work. This step is necessary with Android

devices that don't show ad-hoc networks. Just enter the same network name and Password used in the steps above. 5. Wi-Fi connection - From your mobile device open the Wi-Fi settings and log into the network using the network name and password you used above. 6. Connect FL Studio & IL Remote - Now follow the instructions for connecting to an existing network above. NOTE: When connecting to the ad-hoc network this can take up to 30 seconds before it's really established, even if the PC or Android device says 'Connected', so be patient.

OS X Proceed as follows: 1. Choose Create Network from the Wi-Fi status icon in the menu bar. If the icon isn?t in the menu bar, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network. Click Wi-Fi and select the ?Show Wi-Fi status in menu bar? checkbox. 2. Give the network a name, and select a channel from the pop-up menu. The default channel is 11, but you can choose a different channel. 3. Select the Require Password checkbox to protect your network with a password. Type the password you will use to join your network from your device. Type a password of exactly 5 ASCII characters or 10 hexadecimal digits if you chose ?40-bit WEP (more compatible)? from the Security pop-up menu OR Type a password of exactly 13 ASCII characters or 26 hexadecimal digits if you chose ?128-bit WEP? from the Security pop-up menu. NOTE: Don't use WPA or WPA2.

Ad-Hoc Network Troubleshooting Windows delay - Establishing an ad-hoc connection can take up to a full minute after it's shown as 'connected'. To check the connection is really up and working, go to the WiFi settings on your mobile device and check if it has been assigned an IP address. Password encryption - Don't use WPA/WPA2/PSK, try WEP encryption type for the password.

Linking IL Remote Controls to Targets FL Studio and Deckadance have slightly different systems linking controllers. If you already know how to use these systems, the process with IL Remote is exactly the same. IL Remote appears to FL Studio and Deckadance as just another 'hardware' controller once the Wi-Fi connection is made. Please consult the manuals for each application for full details.

FL Studio While many controls on the default tabs are pre-linked to specific FL Studio targets, you can make your own custom links as per normal MIDI controller procedures. Drop into 'Edit Mode', add new tabs/controls or redefine existing links. To link IL Remote controls to FL Studio targets follow the standard procedures: See here for Permanent Links that are remembered next time you open FL Studio and the IL Remote App (recommended). See here for Per-Session links that are forgotten after you close FL Studio. NOTE: FL Studio has a range of sophisticated linking options that significantly enhance the power of IL Remote. In particular, familiarize yourself with the Remote Control Settings Mode switch and user defined Mapping formula (the field below menu) shown below:

Deckadance Deckadance has both MIDI Mapping

and MIDI Scripting

functions. Link IL Remote to Deckadance as follows:

Be prepared: 1. Make sure the MIDI Scripting 'Enable IL Remote Server' option is selected. 2. Load the 'ILRemoteWithFeedback.c' script from the Deckadance 2/script_files installation folder. To create a MIDI link 1. Filter - Use the Filter button to see only options for the selected deck. 2. Double-Click the target function in the list (this selects the item AND the learn button together). 3. Move the IL Remote target control.

4. Modify the link-relationship with the Control type option if needed. For example you can invert relationships and set encoders. Don't forget Smart knobs

can also be used to build complex input/output relationships

between MIDI controllers and interface targets. To remove a MIDI link - select the function from the list and click the Forget button OR use the backspace key. To save a MIDI script - Click the Export Script button. This will save a basic controller script to use with the MIDI Scripting format. You can further edit the script to include controller feedback if your controller is not supported or you want to re-imagine any controllers default setup.

MIDI Channels & Control Change (CC) Numbers While most controls have MIDI Channel settings, generally you do not need to worry about these settings, use the default. MIDI Channels are useful in situations where you may have control conflicts. For example if you want to use multiple Keyboards or Harmonic Grids to control separate plugins you will need to set the target plugins and IL Remote keyboards to unique MIDI Channel pairings. Further, Control ID (0 to 127 x 16 MIDI Channels) communicate with targets that associate a specific CC numbers with controls. For example CC 1 is used for 'MOD Wheel' control and CC 64 is defined as 'Sustain' pedal by plugins conforming to General MIDI

.

Edit Mode To enter EDIT mode drag on the Edit icon (shown below) from right to left. The system is designed to avoid accidental touches while performing.

Once in edit mode you will have access to the following controls:

Layouts - Load and save groups of tabs (a Layout).

Layouts A Layout (*.ilr format) is a collection of tabs in an IL Remote project. The Layout menu is located to the top-left of the display while in Edit mode. Presets (*.ilrp format) are a collection of controls saved in a Container that can be loaded on a tab. This is the fastest way to build new Layouts.

Layout Menu New Layout - Start from a blank slate. You have the options:

Choose a layout name - Just tap in the box and type a name for your Layout. Tabs - Choose to use the Fullscreen or Splitscreen modes (Horizontal, Vertical and Quartered). Save Layout - Save the currently loaded Layout. Layouts and Presets - Load and browse Layouts (groups of Tabs) or Presets (created using Containers) from a menu. Show Layouts/Presets - Filter the list to show each data type. Load - Select the Layout from the menu and tap Load. Share - Select the Layout from the menu and tap Share to open sharing options such as Email (iOS) or Dropbox, Skype or other connected Apps (Android). NOTE: Share is not currently available for the iPhone, you will need to use iTunes to manage data. Why not visit the IL Remote users forum

to share

layouts and presets. Layout Settings - Choose color theme and accelerometer settings. Bright/Dark Theme - Choose an overall White or Gray theme. Normal, Big, Huge Font - Choose the size of the font used on controls. Show Custom Scale Editor - Tap to select any notes you like from a mini-keyboard. This 'scale' then becomes available under the name 'Custom' for controls that allow you to select scales from a scale menu, such as the Keyboard or Harmonic Grid.

Accel X, Y, Z CC - Set the X, Y and Z accelerometer CC number ID settings. Microphone CC - Set the devices microphone CC number ID settings. The volume for the mic will be tracked and converted into a controller message between 0 and 1. Return to Home Screen - The Home screen allows you to load the default FL Studio or Deckadance layout. There is also a link to the online version of this manual (where it says "Tap here for instructions") and the ImageLine news

.

Importing layouts and presets: Android - Put files in /sdcard/ILRemote_import folder and launch the App, then press "scan import folder". TIP: Airdroid

allows you to manage files on your Android device via any web browser.

iOS - Use "open in ILRemote" from the mail App. Saving tabs - While you can't save and load tabs, you can create a full-page sized Container (double tap it while in Edit mode), then fill it with your custom controls and save the Container as a Preset. In future you can add a new tab and load the preset and there's your saved tab. This also allows people with different devices to load the tab and resize it to fit their device when sharing since controls in a Container are auto-scaled with resizing.

Controls This section covers the Controls that can be placed on tabs. Controls are the interactive user-interface elements that are

linked to targets in FL Studio or Deckadance 2.

Control Principles The following apply to most controls or tabs: Make full-screen - Double tapping controls while in edit mode will make them full screen, if possible for the control type. Lock the selected tab - While in live play mode, long-press the current tab to lock/unlock it and avoid accidental tab changes. Custom colors - When selecting custom colors, the last row of colors stores presets (use Pick to make custom selections), the previous rows are default presets. Edge snapping - When resizing a control near a border (less than 2 grid steps); if you hold the resizing handle, located at the bottom right corner of the control, for more than 2 seconds, the control will snap to the border(s). This can be useful if you want a control to take either the whole height or whole width without being in full screen. Conflicting CC numbers (CTRL ID) - Where Knobs, Faders & X/Y Controls have conflicting CC numbers set these will show in red.

Adding Controls In Edit mode tap the Add Control menu shown below to add controls to the selected tab.

NOTE: You can split tabs into horizontal, vertical and quarter divisions using the Layouts > New Layout menu options.

The following controls are available

Pad Pads can be used as drum-pads, triggers, switches, buttons, a track-pad or to send keyboard shortcuts. Pads can also send special system commands or to set a controller to specific value (i.e SysCmd and Ctrl Values mode).

Pad Controls C4 (label) - In the image above showing C4 (note name). Tap here to edit the pad name. Auto Name - Takes the name of the pad from the Note and Octave setting. When SysCmd mode is enabled, Auto Name will rename the pad to the name of the selected command. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label Inside (shown above). Mode - Set System Command, Control Change, Trackpad, Shortcut and Note values to be sent from the pad. Note is the default for pads. When selected Note / Octave is avaiable to send MIDI notes on the set Channel MIDI Channel (1 to 16). SysCmd (System Command) - The pad sends core program function commands to FL Studio and Deckadance. Use the Msg (message) menu, available when this mode is selected, to choose a wide range of (self explanatory) control functions. Ctrl.Values (Control Change Values) - The Pad will send a CC message instead of a note number. When selected, use the Ctrl.ID and Value options to send data when the Pad is pressed. If the pad is in Switch or Gate mode, the CC value will be reset to 0 when released/switched off. To avoid this, use a group mode (as explained below). NOTE: Only values between 0 and 1 are valid. To send CC values between 0 and 127, divide the desired CC value by 127 and enter the result to at least 4 decimal places. Trackpad - The Speed option sets the mouse speed factor (relative to your computer mouse settings). Using the trackpad: Drag your finger around the pad to move the mouse. While the host program is connected you can eveb minimize it and control your computer as usual. While you can use the three mouse buttons on the trackpad, but you can also Quick tap in the main area to left click. Quick tap with two fingers in the main area to right click. Quick tap with three fingers in the main area for middle click. Swipe up/down with two fingers to simulate mouse wheel movements. Shortcut - Keyboard shortcuts can either be a single key or combinations of modifier keys (Ctrl for example) and a command key. Set the Mod (modifier) option to None, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, or combinations and the command Key to be sent as the keyboard shortcut. Gate / Switch - Gate transmits note ON when pressed and OFF when released. Switch - Tap once for note on and again for note off (useful for triggering and sustaining loop samples for example). Group - In Switch mode you can enter a number between 0 (reset) to 999. These are 'cut groups', so that any Pads with the same Group number will turn off other active pads in the same Group when pressed. This means that only one Pad in a Group may be activated at a time. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls.

Fader Link faders to any similar control on a GUI or to knobs where you would prefer the visual feedback a Fader provides.

Fader Controls FADER - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (shown above), Label At Bottom. Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. Snap Back - Snaps back to the starting position on release. Snap To - Set the value to snap back to when Snap is selected. NOTE: Only values between 0 and 1 are valid. Bipolar Display - Fader is changed to bi-polar mode with the initial position at the center. TIP: Useful for Pitch and Cross-Fader duties. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the Fader is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it to activate an effect slot when the Fader is touched and deactivate it when released. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the fader to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control. You can also do this in the reverse order: Link the note message first with 'Send on/off' enabled, disable it then link the continuous parameter targets.

Knob Knobs link to any standard parametric control in FL Studio or Deckadance.

Knob Controls KNOB (label) - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label inside (Shown above). Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. Centered - Knob is initialized in the vertical position (i.e for Panning duties). Drag orientation - Choose Vertical, Horizontal or Circular dragging to use the knob. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the pad is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it to activate an effect slot when the knob is touched and deactivate it when released. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the knob to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control. NOTE: When Send On/Off is disabled, double-tapping a knob will reset it to the center position.

Jog Wheel Jog Wheels are traditionally used for scrolling and selection purposes, for example, scrolling through presets or moving a cursor along the playlist. They can also be used as infinite or continuous knobs.

TIPS: If Jogwheels scroll too fast, set them to 12 steps mode. When setting a Jog to control horizontal/vertical, zoom/scrolling or other 'oriented' targets, it's a good idea to set the Drag mode to the same orientation to avoid confusion (Vertical or Horizontal).

Jog Wheel Controls JOGWHEEL (label) - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label inside (Shown above). Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. This menu also shows System Commands (See below). Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). The MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. When SYSCMD (System Command) is selected the Ctrl ID menu is replaced by the following function list:

Command

Function

Jog

Generic jog (use to select data).

Alt.GenericJog

Alternate generic jog (use to relocate data).

PreviousNext

Generic track selection.

MoveJog

Use to relocate items

UndoJog

Undo History

MarkerJumpJog

Jump to the next marker

MarkerSelJog

Select marker

HZoomJog

Horizontal Zoom

VZoomJog

Vertical Zoom

SnapMode

Change Snap Mode

WindowJog

Select Windows

PatternJog

Select Patterns

TrackJog

Select Mixer Track

ChannelJog

Select Instrument Channel

TempoJog

Tempo in 0.1 BPM increments

Vertical, Horizontal, Circular Drag - Set the Jogwheel to spin on vertical, horizontal or circular finger movements. Sensitivity (Steps) - Choose the granularity of the wheel. 4 to 128 steps per revolutions.

Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the control is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released, such as the deck scratch function of Deckadance. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the jog to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control.

Mixer

Mixer Controls MIXER (label) - Tap here to edit the Mixer name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (shown above), Label At Bottom. Tracks - Choose from 2 to 16. Show on/off buttons - Generic 'latched' buttons for any mixer function that can be switched (FX slots for example). Show panning sliders - Sliders that allow you to control the panning position of the Mixer track. Show scrollbar - Enables buttons to show Mixer tracks in banks as chosen by the Tracks setting. Tap quickly to jump to a specific range of tracks, or tab and drag to fine-tune the view position. NOTE: To maximize the control while in Edit mode, double tap it.

Clip Launcher Performance Mode allows you to trigger Clips from the Playlist to create live remix performances of your FL Studio projects.

PERF.CLIPS (label) - Tap here to edit the Clip Launcher name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom (Shown above). Rows/Cols - Choose from 3 to 12 rows and columns (9 to 144 clips). Swipe on Scene/Stop Buttons - Swiping quickly along the Scene or Stop buttons will stop all Clips. Top Left Button (Long Press) - Set to perform the following functions: Overview - Switch to Playlist overview mode so you can scroll around the available Clips. Stop All - Stop all Clips. Smooth Scrolling - When Scroll mode is engaged (see below) the clip area moves smoothy in proportion to swiping movements. Page by Page Scrolling - When Scroll mode is engaged (see below) the clip area jumps in page units. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Using the Clip Launcher With FL Studio in Performance Mode the following controls are available:

Start/Stop Scenes or Tracks - Tap Scenes to start all clips in the column. Tap Clips to trigger individual clips. NOTE: You can only play one clip per Playlist track at the same time. System buttons (right) - Double tap to lock the mode where appropriate. Scroll - Allows you to slide the Clip Area displayed. Tap and hold (or double-tap to lock) the button then drag on the Clip area to move the displayed Clips. This is similar to Overview without a visual preview of the surrounding clips. NOTES: 1. There are two scroll behaviors available from the edit properties dialog (Smooth & Page by Page). 2. Scrolling only works when the Clips in the FL Studio Playlist fall outside the area available in the Clip Launcher. Scene - Triggers vertical columns of clips. For more details on how Scenes work click here. +Scene - Adds any Clips to the currently playing Scene. Same Mode - Used in conjunction with Scene, triggers only clips in tracks that are set to the same Press mode (set by right-clicking tracks in the Playlist). Snap - Disable Trigger Sync settings. Global Snap - Will use FL Studio's Global Snap setting instead of the per-track Trigger Sync setting (set by right-clicking tracks in the Playlist). Queue - Activate Queue mode. Clips can be queued by selecting any number of Clips/Markers in any order. Playback will follow the order they were selected. Overview - Use a long press to activate. In overview mode, you can either tap to jump directly to a specific performance area, or touch and drag to have a more precise selection.

NOTE: The overview is only available when the Clips in the FL Studio playlist fall outside the area available in the Clip Launcher.

X/Y Control X/Y control to link to interface and other targets.

XY (label) - Tap here to edit the Clip Launcher name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. X/Y Axis ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the X and Y axes. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Snap Back - The pointer will snap back to the central position on release. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the control is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it with Effector to activate the effect when the control is touched and deactivate it when released.

Linking Instructions and Tips Standard X/Y Links: To link a X/Y control, you'll need to link each axis separately. With 'Send On/Off' disabled: 1. Drag the X/Y control so your finger is past the top or bottom of the X/Y rectangle and you can only move horizontally (X axis) and keep hold of the handle... 2. Link the X parameter in FL Studio and move the handle along the horizontally then release. 3. Repeat for the Y axis, drag past the left or right border, so you can only move the handle vertically (Y axis) and keep hold of the handle... 4. Link the Y parameter in FL Studio and move the handle vertically and then release. Link with 'Send On/Off' commands: When using 'Send On/Off' there is a third parameters to link to a target. Touching the handle now sends a note on message when touched and note off when released, just like a keyboard key. The On/Off commands can be linked to controls such as Effector's 'Bypass' switch so the effect only turns on when the X/Y control is touched and turns off when released. 1. Link the X/Y parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the X & Y parameters separately to their respective targets as shown above. 2. Send On/Off link - With 'Send On/Off' enabled, Link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch in FL Studio then touch and release the handle. NOTE: You can do this in the reverse order, link the switched parameter first, then disable the switch and link the X/Y controls and then turn on the switch again.

Piano Keyboard

MIDI Keyboard.

KEYBOARD (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom (Shown above). Show Octave/s - Offers several ranges for the keyboard, between 1 (min) and 4 (max). Base Note - Lowest note on the Keyboard. Base Octave - Starting octave for the Keyboard. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Variable velocity - Velocity is encoded by the vertical position on the note. High velocity is at the bottom of the note. Show scrollbar - Change the playable keyboard range by dragging horizontally on the Scrollbar. Deadzone between black keys - Disables the touch for the white key region between the black keys, making it easier to play chords. Scale - Select the scale mode

from the list. Out-of-key notes will show in red, although they can still be played

(should you dare to touch a red note). To Create a Custom Scale - Use the Layout Menu > Layout Settings > Show Custom Scale Editor option and then select Custom from the Scale list. Scale Root - Root (starting note) for the chosen scale. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Harmonic Grid The Harmonic Grid is similar to a MIDI keyboard but with a special layout and features. The Harmonic Keyboard allows you to set a musical 'Key' that then makes it impossible to trigger notes outside that scale for that key.

HARMONIC GRID (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. Rows - Choose between 4 to 8 rows of notes. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Using the Harmonic Grid

The default mode is a C Major scale. Octave notes are shown in highlighted cells for easy reference. Accidental notes are not available (use Chromatic Scale mode for these). Scale - Select the scale mode

from the list. To Create a Custom Scale - Use the Layout Menu Layout

Settings > Show Custom Scale Editor option and then select Custom from the Scale list. Transpose - Transpose the grid in semitones. Octave - Transpose the grid in Octaves. Chromatic Mode - All semitones will be shown, while graying notes out of scale.

Container (Presets) Containers are designed to hold other controls allowing you to move/resize them together or load them as a Preset. To add a control to a Container, make sure the Container is selected before adding a new control. Load Container Presets from the Layout Menu. Use Edit Content mode to select and customize the controls you add to the Container.

CONTAINER (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. Load - Load an existing preset into the Container. If not empty, you'll be asked to overwrite its content. If empty, you'll be asked if you want to resize it to match the original preset size. If you choose not to resize the Container, the content itself will be resized to match the Container size. Save as Preset - Save the containers as a reusable Preset. Edit content - Allows you to edit the controls in the Container. Override children channel - Changes the MIDI Channel for all controls in the Container (children) to that of the Container. There is no undo so you will be asked for a confirmation. NOTE: If your Container has system pads/cogwheels, channels for these controls will remain unchanged. Override child channel is also useful for Deckadance presets where decks A, B, C and D respond to MIDI Channel 1 to 4 respectively. For example; if you load the '1DeckControl' preset, it will be on MIDI Channel 1 (Deck A) by default, then if you load a second instance, you can override all controls to MIDI Channel 2 so it controls Deck B. NOTES: 1. Double tap the Containers to maximize them while in Edit mode. 2. If you resize a Container while stretching its content (edit children OFF), controls won't be snapped to the grid and you can't edit child controls without moving them to the nearest grid position. So place your controls carefully and be sure to save your preset before stretching it.

Working With Containers Container Names - The name of a Container is also used when you save it as a Preset, so ALWAYS name Containers before saving a Preset. Naming Container - Remember to give your Container a unique name BEFORE saving it as a preset. Best to name the Container as the first step so you don't forget. Adding Controls to a Container - Drag a control inside a Container until it fits entirely in the Container and it will be added OR select a Container before adding a new control. Removing Control from a Container - Tap on the control and drag it outside the Container for more than 1 second. Edit Content- This function serves 2 purposes: Off - You can't select children controls, and resizing the Container will resize its children too.

On - You can resize the Container without affecting the children, AND more importantly select/edit controls inside the Container.

Appendix Deckadance 2 Commands MIDI Channel to Deck Use Pads to send MIDI notes from Image-Line Remote to Deckadance.

MIDI Channel

Deck

1

A

2

B

3

C

4

D

MIDI Note Commands Where applicable, send the following Note commands to on the MIDI Channel for the Deck you are working with. For example; C0 on MIDI Channel 1 will start play on Deck A. C0 on MIDI Channel 4 will start play on deck D.

Command

MIDI Note

PLAY PAUSE A

C0

PLAY SYNCHRONIZED A

C#0

MASTER A

D0

SYNC A

D#0

SYNC LOCK A

E0

PITCH RESET A

F0

PITCH BEND NUDGE MINUS A

F#0

PITCH BEND NUDGE PLUS A

G0

KEY LOCK A

G#0

CUE A

A0

HOT CUE 1 A

A#0

HOT CUE 2 A

B0

HOT CUE 3 A

C1

HOT CUE 4 A

C#1

HOT CUE 5 A

D1

HOT CUE 6 A

D#1

HOT CUE 7 A

E1

HOT CUE 8 A

F1

DELETE HOT CUE 1 A

F#1

DELETE HOT CUE 2 A

G1

DELETE HOT CUE 3 A

G#1

DELETE HOT CUE 4 A

A1

DELETE HOT CUE 5 A

A#1

DELETE HOT CUE 6 A

B1

DELETE HOT CUE 7 A

C2

DELETE HOT CUE 8 A

C#2

LOOP A

D2

LEAP A

D#2

LOOP MOVE BACKWARD A

E2

LOOP MOVE FORWARD A

F2

LOOP HALF A

F#2

LOOP DOUBLE A

G2

LOOP IN A

G#2

LOOP OUT A

A2

RELOOP A

A#2

DVS ABSOLUTE MODE A

B2

DVS RELATIVE MODE A

C3

DVS INTERNAL MODE AX

C#3

DOWNBEAT A

D3

START POINT A

D#3

SMARTKNOB 1 ON A

E3

SMARTKNOB 2 ON A

F3

CUE STUTTER A

F#3

REWIND A

G3

KEY RESET A

G#3

JOG SCRATCH ON A

D0

GAIN RESET A

A#3

EQ HIGH RESET A

B3

EQ HIGH KILL A

C4

EQ MID RESET A

C#4

EQ MID KILL A

D4

EQ LOW RESET A

D#4

EQ LOW KILL A

E4

PFL A

F4

CROSSFADER ASSIGN LEFT A

F#4

CROSSFADER ASSIGN RIGHT A

G4

AUTO CROSSFADER LEFT

G#4

AUTO CROSSFADER RIGHT

A4

MONITOR PHONE SPLIT

A#4

MONITOR OVERDRIVE

B4

PUNCH A

C5

CUT A

C#5

FX HIGH BAND GROUP A

D5

FX MID BAND GROUP A

D#5

FX LOW BAND GROUP A

E5

EFFECT ON 1 GROUP A

F5

EFFECT ON 2 GROUP A

F#5

EFFECT ON 3 GROUP A

G5

FX DRY WET RESET GROUP A

G#5

SAMPLER MASTER VOLUME RESET

A5

SAMPLER PREVIEW PLAY STOP

A#5

SAMPLER RECORD LOOP

B5

SAMPLER SYNC

C6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 1

C#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 2

D6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 3

D#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 4

E6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 5

F6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 6

F#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 7

G6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 8

G#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 9

A6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 10

A#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 11

B6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 12

C7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 13

C#7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 14

D7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 15

D#7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 16

E7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 1

F7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 2

F#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 3

G7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 4

G#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 5

A7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 6

A#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 7

B7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 8

C8

PLAYLIST UP

C#8

PLAYLIST DOWN

D8

PLAYLIST PAGE UP

D#8

PLAYLIST PAGE DOWN

E8

PLAYLIST SELECT

F8

PLAYLIST LOAD A

F#8

PLAYLIST PREVIEW

G8

PREVIEW PLAY PAUSE

G#8

DIRECTORY UP

A8

DIRECTORY DOWN

A#8

DIRECTORY SELECT

B8

DIRECTORY ENTER

C9

DIRECTORY EXIT

C#9

FILE BROWSER UP

D9

FILE BROWSER DOWN

D#9

FILE BROWSER SELECT

E9

FILE BROWSER ENTER

F9

FILE BROWSER EXIT

F#9

FILE BROWSER LOAD A

G9

FILE BROWSER PREVIEW

G#9

AUTOMIX ON OFF

A9

SNAP

A#9

VST ON SLOT A

B9

VST INSERT SEND SIGNAL ROUTING SLOT A

C10

JOG SCRATCH ON A

C#10

Scratch Mode

D10

Cue Delete Mode

D#10

DISK RECORDER

E10

MIDI CC Use Knobs, Faders or Jogs where noted below.

Command

MIDI CC

PITCH

0

KEY TUNING

1

LOOP SIZE

2 Jog

LOOP MOVE SIZE

3 Jog

SMARTKNOB 1 A

4

SMARTKNOB 2

5

JOG

6 Jog (Ignores jog send on/off mode)

SEEK

7 Jog

GAIN A

8

EQ HIGH

9

EQ MID

10

EQ LOW

11

FILTER

12

VOLUME

13

CROSSFADER

14

CROSSFADER CURE

15

MONITOR VOLUME

16

MONITOR MIX

17

BALANCE

18

MASTER VOLUME

19

FX DRY WET GROUP

20

EFFECT PARAM 1

21

EFFECT PARAM 2

22

EFFECT PARAM 3

23

EFFECT SELECT 1

24 Jog

EFFECT SELECT 2

25 Jog

EFFECT SELECT 3

26 Jog

SAMPLER MASTER VOLUME

28

SAMPLER LOOP SIZE

29 Jog

VST DRY WET SLOT

30

VST PARAM 1 SLOT

31

VST PARAM 2 SLOT A

32

JOG

121 Jog (Uses jog send on/off mode)

Plugin Credits:

Code: Pierre M. (ShiniKnobz). Presets: Pierre M. (ShiniKnobz), Arlo (nucleon). Debugging and testing: Sylvain R. (Sickness).

FL STUDIO BASICS

Keyboard & Mouse Shortcuts !

"

This page lists some of the keyboard shortcuts to useful commands in FL Studio. Please examine the menus/context menus for more shortcuts. File Operations Ctrl+O

Open file

Ctrl+S

Save file

Ctrl+N

Save new version Save As...

Ctrl+Shift+S Ctrl+R

Export wave file Export mp3 file

Ctrl+Shift+R

Export MIDI file Ctrl+Shift+M Alt+0,1..9

Open recent files 0..9 (Re)arrange windows

Ctrl+Shift+H

Pattern Selector (Numpad) 1..9

Select patterns 1..9

+

Next pattern

-

Previous pattern

Right arrow Next pattern Left Arrow

Previous pattern

F4

Next empty pattern

Channel Rack & Step Sequencer 1...9, 0

Mute/Unmute first 10 channels

Ctrl+1..9,0

Solo/UnSolo first 10 channels

Up Arrow

Select previous channel

Down Arrow Next channel Alt+G

Group selected channels

Alt+Z

Zip selected channel/s

Alt+U

Unzip selected channel/s

Shift+Up

Move selected channel/s Up

Arrow Shift+Down

Move selected channel/s Down

Arrow Page Up

Next channel Group

Page Down

Previous channel Group

Ctrl+C

Copy channel Steps/Score

Ctrl+V

Paste channel Steps/Score

Ctrl+X

Cut channel Steps/Score

Alt+Del

Delete selected channel/s Clone channel/s

Ctrl+Shift+C Shift+Left

Shift Steps Left

arrow Shift+Right

Shift Steps Right

Arrow Alt+R

Randomize

Alt+P

Send to Piano roll

K

Show Keyboard Editor

G

Show Graph Editor

Record / Playback / Transport Backspace

Toggle Line/None Snap

Space

Start/Stop Playback

Ctrl+Space

Start/Pause Playback

L

Switch Pattern/Song mode

R

Switch On/Off recording (This also works during playback)

0 (NumPad)

Fast forward

/ (NumPad)

Previous bar (Song mode)

* (NumPad)

Next bar (Song mode)

Ctrl+E

Toggle Step Edit mode

Ctrl+H

Stop sound (panic)

Ctrl+T

Toggle typing keypad to piano keypad

Ctrl+B

Toggle blend notes

Ctrl+M

Toggle metronome

Ctrl+P

Toggle recording metronome precount

Ctrl+I

Toggle wait for input to start recording

Window Navigation Tab

Cycle nested windows

F8

Open Plugin Picker

Enter

Toggle Max/Min Playlist

Esc

Closes a window

F1

This Help

F5

Toggle Playlist

F6

Toggle Step Sequencer

F7

Toggle Piano roll

F8

Show/hide Sample Browser

F9

Show/hide Mixer

F10

Show/hide MIDI settings

F11

Show/hide song info window

F12

Close all windows Arrange windows

Ctrl+Shift+H

Mixer Alt+Left-

Move selected mixer track Left/Right

Arrow / RightArrow Alt+L

Select the channels Linked to the selected mixer track

Ctrl+L

Link selected channels to selected mixer track

Shift+Ctrl+L

Link selected channels STARTING From selected mixer track

F2

Rename selected mixer track

S

Solo Current track

Alt+S

Alt Solo - Activate Current track and all tracks Routed TO/FROM It

Alt+R

Render Armed tracks to .wav

Playlist action B

Paint tool

C

Slice tool

D

Delete tool

E

Select tool

P

Pencil tool

S

Slip edit tool

T

Mute tool

Y

Playback tool

Z

Zoom tool

Alt

Bypass snap (very useful when combined with other modifiers)

Alt+G

Ungroup selection

Alt+P

Open the Piano roll or channel depending on what's selected in the Playlist

Alt+T

Add Time marker

Alt+/* and

Jump to Next/Previous song marker (if present)

Ctrl+Alt+/* Alt+ Right-

Audition the clip selected.

click Alt+ RightShift

Engage snap free 'Slice Mode', release Alt after clicking on the Clip to use snapping.

Ctrl+A

Select All

Ctrl+B

Duplicate selection (or all Clips in zoom range if nothing is selected) to the right.

Ctrl+C

Copy selection

Ctrl+D

Deselect selection

Ctrl+P

Toggle Performance Mode

Ctrl+T

Add Time Marker

Ctrl+V

Paste selection

Ctrl+X

Cut selection

Ctrl+Alt+G

Grid Color Toggle Resizing from Left

Ctrl+Alt+Home Ctrl+Ins

Add space at the start of the timeline selection of equal length to the selection

Ctrl+Del

Delete space according to the timeline selection

Ctrl+Enter

Select time around selection

Ctrl+Left-

Select time before/after selection equal to the selection length

Arrow/RightArrow

Ctrl+Left-click Select

Add to selection Ctrl+Shift+Leftclick

Zoom to selected Clip Ctrl+Shift+Rightclick Ctrl+Rightclick

Zoom on selection / Drag to make zoom selection (zoom on release)

Del

Delete selected clip/pattern source data

Double Left-

Open clip/pattern properties (e.g. Channel settings, Piano roll)

click on clip/pattern Home

Move the playback marker to the start of the Playlist.

Insert Key

Slice Clip at mouse cursor position

Left-

Add and resize clip/pattern (move mouse L/R after click and hold to resize). Must be in pencil mode.

Shift+Left-click (on Playlist) Left-

Pan view

Shift+Right-click Middle mouse

Pan view (hold & drag left/right)

button PgUp /

Zoom in / Zoom out

PgDown Pencil tool +

Swap to Brush

Shift Right-click

Delete selected clip/pattern

Right-

Slice clip/pattern (click above/below clip/pattern & drag vertical)

Shift+Left-click Right-

Vertical Slice clip. Release alt to engage snap.

Alt+RightShift+Left-click RightShift+Right-click Right-

Slice clip/pattern & delete smallest part (click above/below clip/pattern & drag vertical) Quantize selected

Alt+Right-click Right-

Mute selected

Alt+Left-click Shift

Temporarily swaps between Paint & Draw modes

Shift+C

Select all Clips according to the currently selected Clip source

Shift+G

Group selected Clips

Shift+I

Invert selection

Shift+Q

Quick quantize Clip start times

Shift+Left-

Move selection Left/Right

Arrow/RightArrow Shift+Up-

Move selection Up/Down

Arrow/DownArrow Shift+Left-

Clone (drag while holding clip/pattern)

click (on clip/pattern) Shift+mouse-

Nudge Clip position

wheel (on Clips) Shift+mouse-

Re-order Clip Tracks

wheel (on Track label area) Shift + 0 (zero)

Center Playlist to play-head position (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 1 to 3

Horizontal Zoom levels 1 (zoom out) to 3 (zoom in), (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 4

Horizontal Zoom, show all (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 5

Zoom to selection (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 6

Fit Performance Zone to Playlist (numbers above typing keys)

Piano roll action

NOTE:

Some keyboard modifiers apply only to Draw mode ( ).

B

Paint tool

C

Slice tool

D

Delete tool

E

Select tool

F

Show next property in the Piano roll event lane (lower section)

M

Toggle Keyboard view mode

O

Toggle Portamento

P

Pencil tool

T

Mute tool

Y

Playback tool

Z

Zoom tool

Alt

Bypass snap (very useful when combined with other modifiers)

Alt+A

Arpeggiator

Alt+B

View note helpers

Alt+C

Change color of selected note/s (to selected color group)

Alt+E

Riff machine

Alt+F

Flam

Alt+G

Ungroup selected notes

Alt+K

Open Limit tool

Alt+L

Open Articulate tool

Alt+N

Switch waveform helper view (when available).

Alt+O

Open LFO tool when in lower Event Editor area

Alt+Q

Quantize

Alt+R

Open Randomize tool

Alt+S

Open Strum tool

Alt+U

Open Chop tool

Alt+V

Toggle Ghost channels ON/OFF

Alt+W

Open Claw Machine tool

Alt+X

Open Scale Levels tool

Alt+Y

Open Score Flipper tool

Alt+Mouse

Change the selected note property of the note the mouse pointer is near or on.

wheel

Alt+Arrow keys

Nudge the position of the selected note/s OR all notes if no selection is made.

Ctrl+A

Select All

Ctrl+B

Duplicate selection, or all notes in zoom range if nothing is selected, to the right. Works also with time-line selections.

Ctrl+C

Copy selection

Ctrl+D

Deselect selection

Ctrl+G

Glue selected and touching notes

Ctrl+I

Insert current controller value

Ctrl+L

Quick legato

Ctrl+M

Import MIDI file

Ctrl+Q

Quick Quantize

Ctrl+U

Quick Chop

Ctrl+V

Paste selection

Ctrl+X

Cut selection

Ctrl+Alt+G

Grid Color Toggle allow resizing from left

Ctrl+Alt+Home Ctrl+Delete

Delete space equal to selection

Ctrl+Enter

Select time around selection

Ctrl+Insert

Insert space equal to the current time-line selection

Ctrl+Up-

Transpose selection UP/Down 1 Octave

Arrow/DownArrow Ctrl+Left-

Select time before (left) or after (right) current selection

Arrow/RightArrow Ctrl+Left-

Select

click

Add to selection Ctrl+Shift+Leftclick Ctrl+Rightclick

Zoom on selection/Drag to make zoom selection (zoom on release)

Del

Delete selected

Double Left-

Open note properties

click on note Double

Swap to Ghost channel to edit the note.

Right-click or X1 button on Ghost note LeftShift+Left-click

Add and resize notes (move mouse L/R after click and hold to resize)

(on Piano roll) Left-

Pan view

Shift+Rightclick Left-

Audio preview

Alt+Right-click Middle

Pan view (hold and drag left/right)

mouse button PgUp /

Zoom in / Zoom out

PgDown Pencil tool +

Swap to Brush

Shift Right-click

Delete Selected Note/s

Right-

Quantize selected

Alt+Right-click Right-

Slice notes (click above/below note and drag vertical)

Shift+Left-click RightShift+Right-

Slice notes & delete smallest part (click above/below note and drag vertical)

click Shift+G

Group selected notes

Shift+Ctrl+V

Paste from MIDI clipboard

Shift

Temporarily swaps between Paint & Draw modes

Shift+C

Select by color

Shift+D

Discard selected note lengths

Shift+G

Group selected

Shift+I

Invert selection

Shift+N

Turn off selected chord

Shift+Q

Quick quantize

Shift+R

Select at random (multiple presses will select more notes)

Shift+Ctrl+V

Paste from MIDI Keyboard

Shift+Left-

Move selection Left/Right

Arrow/RightArrow Shift+Up-

Move selection Up/Down

Arrow/DownArrow Shift+Leftclick

Clone (drag while holding clip/pattern), release Shift after dragging to unlock vertical movement Nudge Clip position

Shift+mousewheel (on Clips)

Re-order Clip Tracks Shift+mousewheel (on Track label area) Shift + 0 (zero)

Center Playlist to play-head position (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 1 to

Horizontal Zoom levels 1 (zoom out) to 3 (zoom in), (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 4

Horizontal Zoom, show all (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 5

Zoom to selection (numbers above typing keys)

3

FL STUDIO WEB SITES

Useful Links

! "

This page contains a list of useful links.

Image-Line Links FL website

- The FL Studio Home Page.

Knowledge Base FL Studio Help

- Search for solutions to problems. - This help file on-line. Read the manual anywhere,

anytime. YouTube Videos Downloads page

- Image-Line's YouTube Channel. - All the latest Image-Line demo installers on one

page, just waiting for your regcode to unlock them. Merchandise

- Caps, shirts, bears, underwear, mugs, bags, robots!

Image-Line Forums* Shop

- All the forums you have access to.

- Buy FL Studio and other plugins.

Loop Talk*

- Forum for user open discussion on all things relating to FL

Studio. Tech Support*

- Forum where you can leave a technical question to be

answered by FL Staff. This is not available to Demo users as tens of thousands of people download the demo each month. Song Exchange* Video Tutorials*

- Share FL Studio projects/songs with other users. - Tutorials (Interface, Channel Rack, Playlist, Piano roll,

Effects, Mixer, MIDI controllers, FPC & MPD16, Recording audio, Loop recording, Automation clips, Layers, Advanced Piano roll, Sytrus, Time stretching, Vocoding, Rewire, FL as plugin, Wave editor, etc). Sample Fusion*

- Download a huge library of free samples, FPC kits

(Misc downloads) and FL Keys libraries. Since FL Studio is mainly sold via download we can't include all the samples we would like, so get them here. FPC and DirectWave can access Sample Fusion directly from the

Content Library Plugin & Preset Forums*

- Forums dedicated to sharing patches and

patch creation for all Image-Line synths. Epic Sound Recreation Forum*

- Forum dedicated to recreating popular

music tracks in FL Studio. * To access the Image-Line forums you must first log into your account Click here to create a free Image-Line account

. After logging in you can read all

posts and download files. Only customers who have purchased FL Studio, or other products, have posting priveleges.

Third-Party Links Image-line is not responsible for the content on these sites or the consequences of downloading and running any software you may find on them. KVR

- This site is a one-stop resource for plugin reviews, news and links

to free/commercial plugins. ASIO4ALL

- 3rd party ASIO drivers that *may* help you to work around

problems with audio interfaces that don't ship with factory ASIO drivers. ASIO is required to record audio into FL Studio. The freesound project Commons LibriVox

- is the worlds largest database of Creative

licensed sounds. - All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain, this means

people can do anything they like with them. A useful source of Vocodex modulator audio.

I'M NEW HERE

Getting started

!

"

This section will help you to set up FL Studio and explains how to search the manual for keywords and topics. FL Studio Setup Wizard - Make FL Studio fly! Using the FL Studio Manual - Help me to help myself. Getting Started Video Tutorial Series

.

SETUP WIZARD

Setup Wizard

You can click on the images above to jump between sections, although the normal navigation controls are at the bottom of each page.

Your FL Studio experience will be smoother if you take some time to optimize the Audio, MIDI and File settings for your PC. This wizard will guide you through the setup basics so that you can start making music as soon as possible. Stop complaining, even games have setup options!

This wizard will take you through 1. Audio input/output properties. Select the audio interface and driver. 2. Controller/MIDI input/output settings. Select controllers to be used with FL Studio. 3. File settings. Select directories to be shown in the FL Studio Browser menu. It's important to perform the steps as described, otherwise FL Studio may not function correctly. Don't worry, you can't break anything, but you could get choppy sound, no sound or your FL Studio won't respond to your keyboards/controllers.

Click NEXT to proceed with the Setup Wizard.

!

SETUP WIZARD

Audio Setup

Select a audio interface driver and optimize the settings

What is a soundcard or audio interface and driver? The term 'soundcard

' is used rather loosely, you may have a soundcard in your PC, a chip on your motherboard or it may be an

external device connected by USB/FireWire/Bluetooth, etc. The audio interface is the device that makes the sound you hear from your PC speakers. The audio interface driver

is the software interface between the Windows operating system and the audio

interface. The driver tells Windows, and so FL Studio, what inputs, outputs and what sample rates the audio interface can support. Two drivers mentioned frequently in this manual are 'Primary Sound Driver' (the Windows default) and ASIO4ALL (a generic ASIO driver that runs most audio interfaces).

Soundcard driver selection & settings Introduction: Watch this video tutorial on the

ASIO4ALL driver setup

.

1. Start FL Studio and press the F10 key on your keyboard to open the System Settings. Alternatively choose Audio settings from the Options Menu. 2. Click the Audio tab (shown below) in the System Settings window. 3. In the Input / output section there is a drop-down menu with a list of audio drivers installed on your system. If you have more than one audio interface then you can use the Input / output menu to swap between them, only one audio interface driver can be used at a time (see the ASIO4ALL section for a work-around). ASIO and Primary Sound drivers are supported, drivers are sorted by type with sub-menu headings in the drop-down list. We recommend you select: An ASIO driver: If you have a audio interface with a custom supplied ASIO driver then use that, if not, we recommended you use ASIO4ALL. If you don't see ASIO4ALL in the list download it from www.asio4all.com

. ASIO drivers give better

performance and are a pre-requisite for audio recording. OR Direct Sound: If ASIO4ALL does not work then select the Windows 'Primary Sound Driver' as shown below. 4. Mixer - If possible, set the sample rate to 44100 Hz (alternatively use 48000 Hz, click OK to any warnings) and Interpolation to Linear. Leave the switches in the default positions for now. 5. CPU - If you have a multi-core CPU make sure 'Multithreaded generator processing' & 'Multithreaded mixer processing' are selected. 'Smart disable' should be selected for all CPU types. These options should help you squeeze the most performance out of your CPU.

NOTE: Select ASIO drivers if available for your sound card. Your 'Output' options may be different, they depend on your brand of audio interface and installed drivers. Not all cards have ASIO driver options.

!

"

ASIO

"

Primary

SETUP WIZARD

ASIO Soundcard Driver Setup

Adjust the buffer settings

There is a video tutorial on the

ASIO4ALL driver setup

1. Click the Show ASIO panel button to open the audio interface driver 'buffer length' (latency) settings. You should see a buffer length drop-down menu or slider. As this window is owned by the author of the audio interface driver, we can't show you exactly what you will see. If you are using the ASIO4ALL driver this section describes the driver settings in detail (only necessary if you have problems with ASIO4ALL).

2. Buffer length setting - On the pop-up ASIO panel you will see a 'Buffer length' setting. The buffer is a 'breathing space' in which FL Studio can generate sound before sending it to the audio interface. Shorter settings make FL Studio more responsive to live inputs (e.g. mouse or hardware controllers) at the expense of a higher CPU load, and possibly underruns. 3. Set the Buffer length - Somewhere around 882 samples (20 ms) is a good place to start. Your ability to set this or lower Buffer lengths without buffer underruns depends on your CPU speed, sound card ASIO drivers and the project complexity. The minimum recommended Buffer length is around 441 samples (10 ms), below this setting very few people report any further improvement in 'responsiveness' and the CPU load climbs rapidly. It's not a competition! NOTES: Converting ms to samples - Divide the Buffer length, in samples, by 44.1 samples (@ 44100 Hz) or 48 (@ 48000 Hz). No ASIO4ALL sound? - If you are having difficulties with the ASIO4ALL driver, see the ASIO4ALL Troubleshooting section.

!

"

SETUP WIZARD

Primary Sound Driver Setup

Adjust the buffer settings

The DirectSound devices options will show information about the buffer length (latency) and some other settings used by the audio interface driver. The buffer is a 'breathing space' in which FL Studio can generate sound before sending it to the audio interface. Shorter settings make FL Studio more responsive to live inputs (e.g. mouse or hardware controllers) at the expense of a higher CPU load, and possibly underruns. 1. Select a Windows DirectSound Driver - From the drop-down menu select a driver, usually 'Primary Sound Driver'. 2. Set the buffer length: Use the slider to change the buffer length. Longer buffer settings mean lighter CPU load and more stable performance without underruns (clicks and pops in the audio). A setting of around 20-40 ms is a good starting point, most users do not notice improved responsiveness below 10 ms, however the 'Primary Sound Driver' usually struggled to deliver latencies this low without underruns.

3. Experiment with the 'Use polling' and 'Use hardware buffer' switches (2 switches x 2 positions = 4 combinations) to see if you can minimize underruns should they occur. For more information on the rest of the settings in this section go to the Audio Settings page. NOTE:The ability to reduce the buffer size without underruns depends on your CPU speed, sound card and project complexity. Converting ms to samples? 1 ms = 44 samples at 44100 Hz or 48 samples at a 48000 Hz sample rate.

!

"

SETUP WIZARD

MIDI Setup

Select controllers

Click the MIDI tab in the System Settings window. This section contains a list of software and hardware MIDI devices on or connected to your system that can be used for MIDI Input/Output. For example, hardware and software synthesizers, controller keyboards and 'loopback' devices. The most common controllers used by PC based musicians today connect to your PC with a USB cable (rather than MIDI cable) and provide a piano-keyboard, pad or mixer-style interface. I don't have any controllers or outboard MIDI devices to connect

1. Connect and install your keyboard/controller/synth in Windows MIDI is not an audio connection - The connections discussed on this page do not transfer audio, MIDI connections transfer note data, knob movements and program changes so that your controller can play software instruments and/or FL Studio can play connected MIDI hardware. To use sounds from an external synthesizer (while it is played by FL Studio) you will need to make MIDI connections (discussed here) AND audio connections to your audio interface inputs so that FL Studio can record the sound/s that it triggers from the external MIDI hardware using a MIDI Out plugin. Cable types - You will either have a USB based keyboard/controller or hardware with 5-pin DIN MIDI connectors. Click here to see these connector types compared. USB connected controller - If your controller has a USB port, then it will connect directly to your PC with a standard USB cable. 1. Install any USB drivers that came with your controller. Many controllers use the standard Windows 'USB Audio Device (generic controller)', see the Input list. 2. Connect the controller to your PC, turn it on and follow the Windows installation procedure. The standard USB 'connected

' process should happen.

3. Start FL Studio AFTER the controller driver has been installed and proceed as described in the 'Setting input and output MIDI devices' section below. MIDI cable connected controller - If you have a device with 5-Pin DIN connectors you will probably need to purchase a USB cable to MIDI cable adapter as shown. Most external audio interfaces have MIDI connector plugs on them, use those if present. 1. Connect the MIDI cables to the MIDI IN and OUT ports on your MIDI interface hardware and turn it on. Make sure the MIDI OUT on the interface is connected to the MIDI IN on your MIDI device and/or the MIDI IN on the device is connected to the MIDI OUT on the MIDI interface. How many MIDI cables do I need? You need two MIDI cables if you want FL Studio to play your MIDI device and to use your

MIDI device to control FL Studio. If you plan one-way communication, then you only need one MIDI cable. 2. Install any USB drivers that came with your MIDI to USB adapter. 3. Plug the MIDI adapter into your PC, turn it on and follow the Windows installation procedure. The standard USB 'connected

' process should happen.

4. Start FL Studio AFTER the adapter driver has been installed and proceed as described in the 'Setting input and output MIDI devices' section below.

2. Set input and output MIDI devices You may want to select an Input (a controller that plays FL Studio instruments) or Output device (something that connects to your PC and receives note data from FL Studio).

Output - Port Mapping These options select a MIDI output interface so FL Studio can send MIDI signals to outboard gear

(Synthesizer, Drum Machine, Sampler, etc). See the MIDI Settings page for more details.

Input - Connecting External Controller/s If you have a USB/MIDI keyboard or controller that you would like to control using FL Studio, you will need to change some settings in the Input section. This contains a list of controller devices that have been detected by Windows (see section 1). To activate a controller in FL Studio 1. Open FL Studio and make sure the 'Enable MIDI remote control' option is selected in the Options menu, MIDI input is disabled otherwise. 2. Click on the device in the Input list, so that it is highlighted. If your device is listed in the Controller type drop-down menu, select it there also. If your controller does not appear by name this means it does not have custom drivers. If so, use the 'USB Audio Device (generic controller)'. If you do not see any options, you will need to re/install the appropriate drivers for your controller. 3. With the controller highlighted select the Enable switch below the Input list. Each device selected in the Input list must be selected/deselected separately. 4. If successful the MIDI activity light on the Main Panel will blink each time you play notes or move knobs on your controller. NOTE: If the 'Debug log' is open any MIDI data received by FL Studio is displayed and logged, useful for learning the MIDI CC numbers of controls or troubleshooting connections.

NOTE: For more detailed information on the rest of the settings in this section and further details on supported controllers go to the MIDI Settings page.

Troubleshooting Nothing appears in the Input box? - Did you connect/start your controller AFTER opening FL Studio? It is necessary that your operating system has detected your controller BEFORE opening FL Studio. Close FL Studio, turn your controller off and on (unplug and reconnect the USB cable if it does not have a switch), wait for it to be detected by the PC (Windows makes a 'connected

' sound when it successfully detects a USB device), then start FL Studio.

Items appear but don't respond - Click the Rescan MIDI devices button and then enable the device. If that does not work, close FL Studio, turn your controller off and on (unplug and reconnect the USB cable if it does not have a switch), wait for it to be detected by the PC (Windows makes a 'connected

' sound when it successfully detects a USB device),

then start FL Studio.

Velocity curve If you are using a MIDI Keyboard or Pad Controller then click on the Link note on to: Velocity Curve button. Here you can fine-tune the relationship between MIDI input velocity (how fast/hard you strike

the keys/pad) and the velocity value sent to instruments.

!

"

SETUP WIZARD

File Settings Setup

Add external file folders to FL Studio

Click the File tab in the System Settings window. We have a series of video tutorials on using the Browser here

. Here are three reasons why this setup page is important:

Save locations - FL Studio will, by default, save your projects to its installation directory (..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Projects). We strongly recommend that you add some extra search folder locations (your own folders) and save your projects there. This will make backups simpler and will keep your files separate from the FL Studio installation. External file locations - Additionally, if you have samples and sounds that you want to use with FL Studio, the File Settings page is used to add their folders to the Browser's list. External VST locations - At the bottom of the File Settings interface is also an option to search for VST/VSTi plugins. You can ignore this step if you don't have your own VSTs to add to FL Studio. I don't have any external folders or VST instruments to add to the Browser NOTE: At any time you can open a standard Windows Browser (Right-click on the Windows 'Start' button and select 'Explore') and then drag compatible files from the Windows Browser into FL Studio (FL Studio will behave in the same way as noted in step 1 below).

Add Folders to the Browser

Browser extra search folders How to set a Browser extra search folder: 1. Left-click on the folder icon at the start of a row as indicated above and browse to the folder location and then click 'OK'. Alternatively, double-click the text fields to enter paths manually. 2. Optionally, Left-click in the Name column and enter a custom name, this sets the name shown in the Browser. If the name field is left blank then the name of the target folder will be shown in the Browser. What do they do? The folders set here will appear in the FL Studio Browser in a green font so that they are easily identified. Here are four good reasons to use them: 1. Drag sounds, samples or patches from the Browser onto the desired location in FL Studio and they will be loaded (channel sampler, slicer, projects [drag onto the desktop], etc). 2. External folders keep your data independent from the FL Studio installation.

3. The extra search folders are included in automatic search and load operations. 4. Perform manual searches of your sound library.

VST plugins extra search directory: What does it do? This directory is a custom search location where you can put your 3rd party VST plugins. FL Studio will add any plugins to the pop-up lists that appear when you add a VST instrument to a Channel or effect to the Mixer. NOTE: The directory set here does not appear in the Browser. See the section on installing VST plugins for more details. How to set: 1. Click the browse folder-button on the left side of the panel and browse to the directory you plan to use as your 3rd party VST location. Install VST instruments to this directory in future and they will be found by FL Studio.

!

"

SETUP WIZARD

Setup complete!

Done! Nothing burst into flames and all is well :) You have now completed the basic setup of FL Studio. Press the F10 function key on your keyboard to open the System Settings at any time to change the Audio, MIDI, File or Project settings.

Need more help? Try searching our on-line Knowledge Base

. If that doesn't solve your problem you are welcome to the Tech Support

forums (open

to registered users only).

What next? If you are a new to FL Studio we suggest reading: The introductory Manual chapter to FL Studio The section on making professional sounding Mixes The FL Studio Getting Started Manual Watch some Video Tutorials The online forums

.

at YouTube, subscribe to the Image-Line channel while you are there.

where you can meet your fellow FL Studio users & Image-Line staff in 'Looptalk

'.

Using the FL Studio manual (Press F1 in FL Studio) The manual is context sensitive, if you press F1 key on your PC keyboard while a particular window or plugin is focused (click on a window or plugin to focus it), the help will usually open at the correct page for that item. To see a video tutorial

Click here

.

The manual is also a great resource and has answers to most questions you may have about using FL Studio. While the online forums

may beckon you to ask questions like "How do I record my microphone?", "How do I stop that hissing sound?" or "How can

I load my beats into FL Studio", the grumpy author of the manual lurks there waiting to pounce on users who ask these questions that are easily answered by following the steps outlined below: There are two ways to search the manual after entering key words in the 'Text entry box': 1. Index - Search the index for topics/key-words based on user questions and feedback. This is a good place to start a search. 2. Search - Perform a low-level search of all pages in the manual for the key word/s. Boolean searche tems AND, OR, NEAR & NOT work also. The search term will be highlighted on each page shown in the Results window. Why not start right now, let's try today's secret word 'Theodolite'. After the search is complete double-click on the topic in the 'Results window' to display it.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life. Chinese Proverb

Give an FL Studio user a fish and he will eat sushi. Teach a FL Studio user to fish and he will sit in the boat, pouting that no-one gave him another fish! Image-Line observation

!

"

OPTIONS & SETTINGS

Options & Settings (Press F10)

Press the F10 function key or select the Options Menu to open the System Settings window and Global Project Options. Global settings saved for FL Studio itself, not in FL Studio project files (FLP).

NOTE: If the system settings icons are not visible in the side bar on left of the screen, click the System button in the top-left corner of the window to expand the section.

System Settings

Select the icons down the left side of the window. These are global options and settings, affecting all projects. MIDI Settings - Note & controller Input / Output settings. Audio Settings - Soundcard & FL Studio audio-engine settings. General Setting - FL Studio environment settings File Settings - Load / Save directory settings.

Project Settings These are project specific settings and will only apply to the currently loaded project. Project Settings - Project specific options & settings Project information - Save project information and notes.

Misc Info These are project specific settings and will only apply to the currently loaded project. Debug info - Squash bugs. About info - About FL Studio. You can also unlock FL Studio and purchases here.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - MIDI

To open the MIDI Settings choose 'Options > MIDI settings' from the main menu or press the F10 function key on your keyboard. The MIDI Settings page contains settings for MIDI driver input, output and syncing. It also contains options related to MIDI keyboard recording and automation. For a list of supported MIDI devices, see Pre-configured MIDI Devices. NOTE: If you have never connected a MIDI device to FL Studio before, we recommend reading the MIDI Wizard section of the manual first.

NOTE: MIDI does not transmit audio, it is a control-data connection (keyboard notes, knob movements, sound/program changes).

MIDI Output These options are used to select a MIDI Output interface, so FL Studio can send MIDI signals to outboard gear (Synthesizer, Drum Machine, Sampler, etc). Click on the MIDI output interface to be used, once an interface is selected it will become highlighted. For each interface selected you can make independent 'Send master sync' and 'Port number' settings. While only one MIDI Output interface can be used with FL Studio at a time, you can daisy-chain multiple MIDI devices to the Output interface, see the note below.

To map an output MIDI device Port number - This is a unique channel over which MIDI data is communicated between MIDI devices inside the computer (256 Ports are available). The option assigns a Port number to your MIDI interface (Port numbers don't apply to external MIDI hardware attached to your MIDI interface). Make sure the MIDI Out plugin/s you use to control external MIDI hardware are set to the same MIDI Port number as selected here. The Port number chosen is not important. Selecting '---' will free the MIDI interface for use by other MIDI software. NOTE: Make sure Enable MIDI output is selected in the Options menu, 'MIDI output' will be disabled otherwise. Send master sync - Master sync tells connected MIDI devices to follow FL Studio's start/stop/play commands, etc. FL Studio will send a 'Master sync' signal only if the button is selected (orange). NOTE: Make sure Enable MIDI master sync is selected in the Options menu, 'Send master sync' will be disabled otherwise. Synchronization type - Sets the synchronization type. This is the time/code format used for syncing MIDI devices to play/start/stop commands, etc. MIDI clock is normally used. See the manual associated with your external MIDI device/s for details. NOTE: MIDI allows you to daisy-chain a number of external MIDI devices. Connect the PC to the MIDI Output interface, then connect the first external MIDI device to the MIDI OUT and/or MIDI IN of the Output interface. Then connect subsequent MIDI devices to the OUT or THRU ports of the device preceding them in the chain. Make sure to set each MIDI device in the chain to send MIDI data OUT or THRU its own MIDI ports, as this may not be on by default (see the manual/s that came with the device/s).

MIDI Input These options are used to connect to external MIDI input devices. FL Studio will connect to a wide range of external MIDI controllers and MIDI hardware.

External MIDI Clock FL Studio will not sync to an external MIDI clock. To control FL Studio from other MIDI software use the Rewire Client mode or host FL Studio as a VST plugin inside the host application. FL Studio will however send MIDI Clock sync so you can control the MIDI hardware using FL Studio as the master MIDI device, see the MIDI Output section.

Connecting External Controller/s These options are used to select MIDI Input devices. If you have a USB/MIDI keyboard or controller it can be used to control FL Studio. The Input section displays a list of controller devices that have been detected by the Windows operating system. Input - Lists detected devices that can be used for MIDI control of FL Studio, for example MIDI/USB piano-keyboards and external MIDI/USB knob-controllers. To select a device click on the name in the list and select the enable switch below. FL Studio is preconfigured to work with a number of controllers as indicated in the Controller type list. Enable - Enables the selected controller. Each device in the list can be independently enabled/disabled. Controller type - FL Studio supports all generic MIDI controllers. If your controller does not have a custom driver, select USB Audio Device (generic controller) in this menu. Don't be concerned about using a 'Generic' driver if your device is working correctly. However, as 'custom drivers' supply the device name and any 'special' functions the controller may have, it's worth checking if your controller is in the list of custom MIDI controllers. These allow support for 'unique' controls such as transport functions, jog wheels, ribbon-strips, relative knobs, motorized faders and custom switch controls. If your device has a custom driver but does not show in this list by name OR nothing is showing, try re-installing the driver that came with the device (check the manufacturers web-site for the latest USB driver, these are usually on the technical support or downloads section). Port - MIDI input port. For use with multiple controllers and Performance Mode. NOTE: Piano roll recording is disabled in Performance Mode.

To connect a controller 1. Make sure Enable MIDI remote control is selected in the Options menu, 'MIDI input' will be disabled otherwise. 2. Click on the device in the Input list so that it is highlighted. Your controller may not necessarily appear by its real name 'USB Audio Device (generic controller)' is common. This appears when the 'generic Windows USB driver' is used to interface with the controller (see 'Controller type' above for more details). 3. Select Enable. Each device in the list can be selected/deselected separately. 4. If you are successful the MIDI activity light on the Main Panel will blink each time controller data is received. NOTE: If the 'Debug log' is open any MIDI data received by FL Studio is displayed and logged, useful for learning the MIDI CC numbers of controls or troubleshooting connections.

NOTES: 1. To create permanent links between a controller, FL Studio and plugins use the 'Multilink

controllers' switch with the 'Override generic links' option. 2. FL Studio can respond simultaneously to multiple controllers, however, to avoid controller CC conflicts (where more than one controller tries to adjust the same software control on the same MIDI channel) it is wise to assign each controller to transmit on a unique MIDI channel. See the documentation that came with the controller on setting MIDI send/transmit channels. By default, FL Studio listens to MIDI data in OMNI mode (all channels 1 - 16 simultaneously). 3. Multiple controllers & multiple plugin channels - It is possible to use up to 16 controllers simultaneously. To control 16 separate plugins: First Set each controller to transmit on a different MIDI channel number (1 to 16, see the documentation that came with the controller on setting MIDI send/transmit channels). Then Right-click as many channels in the Channel Rack as you have active controllers. The controller transmitting on the lowest MIDI channel number will be assigned to the top-most selected Instrument Channel. Selected instrument channels below are assigned by ascending MIDI channel number (i.e. lowest MIDI channel = top selected instrument channel, highest MIDI channel = bottom selected instrument channel). When only one channel is selected then all controllers will play that instrument channel. When more instrument channels are selected than there are active MIDI controllers, then top most instrument channels will be assigned. Changing controller to plugin relationships - The simplest method is to move the target Instrument Channel up/down in the Channel Rack stack (select the target instrument channel, hold the Alt key and press the up/down arrows on your keyboard). Remember that instrument channels are assigned to controller MIDI numbers, from top to bottom in the stack.

When Options > General settings > Auto select linked modules is OFF: Channel buttons open plugins for editing and the Channel selector LEDs select channels for live MIDI control. This allows you to play one instrument channel live

and edit another. 4. Supported controllers: For the latest list of supported devices visit the MIDI Controller Reference

forum.

5. Controller templates - There are a number of controller templates in the FL Studio installation directory (\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\System\Hardware specific). These templates are loaded into the editor that came with your controller and will map it to FL Studio. You may then be required to select the controller type in the Input settings (if FL doesn't do so automatically).

Miscellaneous MIDI options Auto accept controller - Used when linking controller knobs/sliders to FL Studio and plugins. When selected, the MIDI Remote Control pop-up will close as soon as you tweak (move) the control on your external MIDI device and the link will be made. If this option is deselected, you will need to click the OK button on MIDI Remote Control pop-up to accept the controller link and then close the box. Support hold and sostenuto - If selected, FL Studio will use foot-pedal messages to sustain notes held on a MIDI keyboard. NOTE: For some VST plugins you may need to turn this off for the pedal-sustain to work correctly, it depends on how the programmer has decided to handle foot-pedal MIDI messages. Omni Preview MIDI channel - Allows you to set a channel on your MIDI keyboard, where each keyboard key (starting at C5) previews a separate channel in the Step Sequencer. This is particularly useful for percussion/loop-triggering where each channel holds a unique sample/loop in a Channel Sampler. Performance mode MIDI channel - For use with generic controllers to trigger Clips in Playlist window (in Performance mode). This also enables the Typing Keyboard to trigger clips when set to Channel 1. Song marker jump MIDI channel - Set the MIDI channel to be used to accept MIDI note data to control Playlist Time Marker jumping. See Playlist Time Markers section for more details. Generator muting MIDI channel - Lets you set a channel on your MIDI keyboard, where each keyboard key mutes/unmutes a channel in the Step Sequencer. Toggle on Release - Determines how momentary buttons/switches on the MIDI controller interact with target controls in FL Studio. When enabled, the target control will change state when the button is pressed and revert back to the original state when the button is released. If off, a second click is required to revert the target back to its original state. Link note on velocity to - [none] - If this option is selected, FL Studio will ignore note-on velocities sent by controller input devices (MIDI keyboards, etc.) and assign a fixed velocity to all notes (a MIDI velocity of '100' or 78% is used, 127 = 100%). Velocity enables mapping note velocity from MIDI devices to per-note velocity sensitive plugins in FL Studio. Mod X / Mod Y MIDI key note on velocity is mapped to Mod X or Mod Y and passed to any instruments or effects using these MOD parameters.

Curve - Opens the Velocity Mapping Curve editor. This curve sets the relationship between the MIDI controller (note on) velocity and the value passed to FL Studio. Control points can be added with right-mouse clicks and function curves by Leftclicking on the tension handle, as with any envelope editor in FL Studio. For the curve to take effect 'Note on' must be linked to one of the options shown above. TIP: If you play your controller while the Velocity Mapping Curve editor is open, the note velocity will be visible as a vertical line. This will help you to tune the curve shape to your playing style. Link release note velocity to - [none] - If this option is selected, FL Studio will ignore release velocities sent by controller input devices (MIDI keyboards, etc.) and assign a fixed release velocity (100) to all notes. Release - Some MIDI keyboards can send the velocity of a note release, if so this enables mapping of note release velocity from MIDI devices to pernote release velocity aware plugins in FL Studio. For the curve to take effect 'Note on' must be linked to 'Release'. Curve - Opens a velocity mapping editor. This allows you to set the relationship between MIDI controller 'note release' velocity and the value passed to FL Studio. Control points can be added with right-mouse clicks and 'between point' curves by Left-clicking on the tension handle as with any envelope editor in FL Studio. Rescan MIDI devices - If you install a controller after FL Studio has started, or a controller that appears in the Input list becomes unresponsive, this option will rescan and connect to the device.

Image-Line Remote Enable Image-Line Remote - Enable this option and open the IL Remote application on your Android or iOS device. The first time you activate this control you will need to allow FL Studio access through any firewalls by negotiating the usual security pop-ups. After that, the application and FL Studio will automatically find each other over the network and connect.

Image-Line remote is a free Android & iOS controller application with visual feedback that connects to FL Studio over a WiFi network. IL Remote can be configured to perform as a transport, mixer, clip trigger, keyboard or controller of your own design. Check the IL Remote manual entry here. Alternatively check here online for the latest details on how to get the App Image-Line Remote

.

TIP: Use the MAIN tab to control FL Studio from your phone or tablet device while you are in another room or remote from your computer to start or stop recording, control headphone levels etc.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - Audio

To open the Audio Settings choose 'Options > Audio settings' from the main menu or press the F10 function key on your keyboard. The Audio Settings page contains options and settings for your audio interface. The settings chosen here can have a big impact on CPU load, so it is worth taking the time to learn what options are available. Note that some options change depending on whether an ASIO or Direct Sound driver is selected in the Output selector. If this is your first time to adjust the Audio Settings you may like to view the audio setup pages from the 'Getting Started' section.

Above left shows the Audio Options with the ASIO4ALL 'ASIO' driver selected (your card may have native ASIO drivers, if so use them), above right the less efficient 'Primary Sound Driver', standard Windows driver.

A word about Soundcards, Audio Interfaces & Drivers Soundcard: The term 'soundcard

' is used rather loosely, you may have a soundcard in your PC, a chip on your motherboard or it

may be an external device connected by USB/FireWire/Bluetooth. The term Audio Interface is better used. An audio interface is any device that makes the sound you hear from your PC speakers. Audio Interface Driver: The driver

is the software interface

between the Windows operating system and the audio interface hardware. The driver tells Windows, and so FL Studio, what inputs/outputs the interface has and what sample rates it can support. Primary Sound Driver drivers place a layer of 'middle-man' software handling communications between the audio application (FL Studio for example) and the audio interface hardware while ASIO drivers allow direct communication between the audio application and the audio interface. This is why ASIO drivers are faster and more efficient than Primary Sound Driver drivers. NOTE: The default FL Studio installation selects the Windows Primary Sound Driver (DirectSound) to ensure maximum compatibility. Frankly, the 'Primary Sound Driver' sucks the life from your CPU, so switch to your audio interfaces native ASIO driver, ASIO4ALL or FL Studio ASIO.

Options Audio Input / Output The options selected here will determine what audio INPUTS and OUTPUTS are available to be used by FL Studio. Select the audio inputs and outputs from the Mixer IN/OUT menus. Audio Interface Driver - is a drop-down menu used to select the audio interface (output/input device) to be used by FL Studio. The list will show installed audio interface drivers, both the 'Primary Sound' and ASIO driver standards are supported. If you have more than one audio interface installed, the Output menu can be used to switch between them (press F10 to open the settings panel). If you want to use more than one audio interface simultaneously then select ASIO4ALL and see the ASIO4ALL Advanced Settings section. The audio interface 'driver' is a program that connects Windows (and therefore FL Studio) to your audio interface. The driver tells Windows what the audio interface is called, what it can do and how many inputs/outputs it has, for example. Select an ASIO driver if possible. Usually identified by the word 'ASIO' in the name. ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) drivers allow the audio interface to communicate with the host computer with lower latency and CPU load when compared to standard audio drivers (e.g. the 'Primary Sound Driver'). Notice the list is sorted by driver type. Status - Shows the status of the selected audio interface driver's inputs and outputs. The reported output latency is the total output latency including plugins. Auto close device - When selected, allows other applications to share the audio interface when FL Studio loses focus (FL Studio is minimized or another application is selected). If you are having trouble with other devices taking control of the audio interface and tying up inputs/outputs in ASIO4ALL then turn this off, close all other programs (VOIP, Skype, Media players etc) and restart FL Studio. You can also try the FL Studio ASIO driver as it is multi-client and so will allow you to hear audio from multiple applications simultaneously. NOTE: Alternatively use the FL Studio ASIO driver as it should allow you to share your audio interface between applications. Sample Rate - Sets the sample play-back rate used by the mixer. Where possible use the default sample rate of 44100Hz. Many older audio interfaces (the Creative Audigy series for example) have a minimum sample rate of 48000Hz. In this case, please be aware that some (early plugins) may not perform correctly (usually tuning related issues) although the vast majority of plugins available today are multi-rate compatible. Bit depth (16, 24) - Both audio input and output bit depth is set from the Windows or ASIO device manager. Right-click your volume control icon on the Windows task-bar, select 'Recording devices' or 'Playback devices' and select the audio interface then 'Set as default' then select 'Properties', then 'Advanced' and select a 24 bit 44100 Hz option if available OR 16 bit 44100 Hz if not. If you have an custom ASIO driver for your device the Bit depth settings may also be adjustable from there.

ASIO Properties Visible only when using ASIO driver. If your audio interface does not natively support ASIO, the FL Studio install includes FL Studio ASIO (see below) and 3rd party driver ASIO4ALL

. NOTE: that ASIO4ALL is a generic ASIO driver that works with most audio interfaces, your experience may be

different. ASIO4ALL allows you to select inputs and outputs from different audio interfaces/audio-devices. The help section on ASIO4ALL advanced settings covers the options. Buffer Length - To change the buffer length, click on the 'Show ASIO panel' button below this readout. The buffer stores

audio data before it's sent to your audio interface. This allows FL Studio to even out momentary spikes in CPU load when processing that can be slower than 'real-time'. Longer buffers lower CPU load and reduce audio glitches. However with longer buffers the delay between playing a MIDI keyboard or tweaking a control in FL Studio and hearing it is at least equal to this setting (in ms). The ideal buffer is the smallest your computer can manage without causing the buffer underrun count to increase (techniques for optimizing the buffer are described here). A good target with ASIO drivers is 10 to 20 ms (440 to 880 samples). Clock Source - Some audio cards provide external clock source which can fix sync/output problems. However, most cards work properly with the default "Internal" source selected. Show ASIO Panel - Opens the ASIO driver settings panel, use this to change latency settings. Settings between 1-4 ms without underruns are 'cutting edge', 5-10 ms are excellent and 11-20 ms are good. 10 ms (441 samples) is a good target. Mix in buffer switch - Output audio is mixed in ASIO's 'buffer switch'. The option allows some audio interfaces to reach lower latencies. NOTE: When used the underrun counter is bypassed and buffer underruns may be more audible. Triple buffer - Can reduce audible underruns when close to 100% CPU load with some ASIO drivers. Triple buffering is most useful when mixing under high CPU load and with some audio interface drivers known to crash when they receive too many buffer underruns (e.g. Tascam US122). NOTE: Triple buffering doubles the latency compared to what is set in the ASIO driver (see the 'Status' information just below the Device Driver menu). Good drivers trigger the buffer at the start of the latency period, and so FL Studio has the whole buffer latency period available to process audio. Poorly written drivers may trigger the buffer late in the period and so effectively lower the buffer time available, leading to underruns. The triple buffer option works one buffer unit behind, and prepares audio for the next buffer period at each cycle. This doubles the latency, but that ensures that there will be enough time to process each buffer unit.

FL Studio ASIO FL Studio ASIO has the advantage of being fully multi-client on most machines. This will allow you to hear the audio from FL Studio and other applications (such as YouTube, SoundCloud etc) at the same time.

Input / Output - Select a single input and output from the audio devices installed on your computer. If you need to aggregate multiple inputs or outputs from multiple audio interfaces use ASIO4ALL. Hard-clip output at 0dB (otherwise limiting will be applied) - When selected the audio will distort when it goes over 0 dB. When deselected a limiter will be applied to prevent distortion. NOTE: With limiting applied you can no longer hear clipping distortion from FL Studio's main output. This will mean you will need to keep a very close eye on your peak meters (make sure the Master does not go over 0 dB), otherwise your rendered tracks will sound distorted while your live audio won't reflect this problem. Traps for young players! NOTE: While your experience may vary, in situations where low latency performance is critical, we recommend you use drivers in this order of preference - any native ASIO driver > ASIO4ALLv2 > FL Studio ASIO.

Primary Sound Driver Properties Visible only when using Standard drivers (Primary Sound, WDM, Primary, etc). Buffer Length - This slider controls the audio buffer length. The buffer stores audio data before it's sent to your audio interface. This allows FL Studio to even out momentary spikes in CPU load when processing that can be slower than 'realtime'. Longer buffers lower CPU load and reduce audio glitches. However with longer buffers the delay between playing a MIDI keyboard or tweaking a control in FL Studio and hearing it is at least equal to this setting (in ms). The ideal buffer is the smallest your computer can manage without causing the buffer underrun count to increase (techniques for optimizing the buffer are described here). A good target with Primary sound drivers is 20-50 ms (880 to 2205 ms). Offset - This option can improve driver performance under Windows Vista. The default 0% option is off. Use Polling - Polling is a technique for managing Primary Sound Driver's audio buffer, which usually allows much smaller

buffer without underruns. On some PC-s, however, it can have the opposite effect. Use Hardware Buffer - Uses the hardware audio buffer of 'Primary Sound Driver' enabled sound cards. Use 32-Bit Buffer - Uses a 32-Bit floating-point buffer. Only works with Windows XP or above.

Audio Mixing Thread Priority - Sets the priority of the audio mixing thread. Higher = more CPU devoted to the audio mixing thread, but increases the risk of lockups/freezing when CPU demands become high. Lower = greater risk of buffer underruns. Adjust this (in combination with the buffer settings) if you have problems with lockups and/or buffer underruns. Safe overloads - Off: The audio mixing thread is given a very high priority, so that the user interface doesn't cause hiccups in the audio engine. When the audio mixing thread is using all the CPU, it may leave nothing to the Graphical User Interface (GUI), which will then appear frozen. On (default): 'Safe overloads' adapts the mixer priority when CPU overloads occur, leaving a little CPU to run the GUI, so that you can sill interact with FL and minimize the CPU usage. Underruns - This counter shows the total number of underruns detected. An underrun is counted when the buffer that feeds audio to your audio interface runs out of audio data. When this happens you will usually hear clicking, popping or crackling sounds. It means your computer's CPU couldn't keep up with the real-time playback demands of the project (song). There is a section on reducing underruns described here. NOTES: 1. Underruns are a live-playback problem, they don't happen in rendered audio as your CPU can take as long as required to generate the sound. 2. Some options bypass the underrun counter so if you hear clicks and pops without the count increasing AND your CPU usage is high (80% or more) it's still likely to be an underrun. Sometimes however, clicks and pops are caused by plugins behaving badly.

Plugin output Visible only when using FL Studio with the VSTi/DXi connection plugin or as a ReWire client. Slave Tempo - On: FL Studio will synchronize with the tempo of the host. Record Automation - When turned on, remote control messages (MIDI) from the host will be recorded during recording sessions.

Playback tracking Can solve jittery/incorrect playback position indicators OR solve Audio recording alignment problems with the Playlist. Playback tracking source: Driver - The audio driver is used for playback position (default). Hybrid - Driver/Mixer hybrid position. This option is most effective when fixing visual jitter under the 'Primary Sound Driver' drivers. Mixer - The Mixer position is used. Should be avoided but can work acceptably when the buffer latency is 10ms (441 samples) or less to solve audio/video timing problems with some audio interfaces. Offset - Move the play position used by FL Studio. If the audio interface driver does not report its position correctly recorded notes & audio won't be placed where they should be. IF you are sure it's not input quantizing caused by a Global Snap setting, the Mixer menu > Disk recording> Latency compensation setting changing with the location of recorded audio OR if visuals don't align with the audio, use the slider to add positive or negative offset to realign the Play & record position. NOTE: These options replace the 'Use Mixer as Playback Position' switch used in previous FL Studio versions.

CPU These options are intended to reduce CPU load and maximize FL Studio performance on your PC. Multithreaded generator processing - Spreads generator (instrument) load over multiple CPU cores. See Multicore CPU Processing for information on optimizing multi-core performance. Issues with plugins? See plugins behaving badly. Multithreaded mixer processing - Spreads effect & mixer load over CPU multiple cores. See Multicore CPU Processing for information on optimizing multi-core performance. Issues with plugins? See plugins behaving badly. Smart disable - Globally disables both instruments and effects, when inactive, to reduce CPU load. NOTE: This option works in conjunction with each plugin's Wrapper Smart disable switch setting. It ONLY works on wrappers that have their 'Smart Disable' settings switched ON. The purpose is to globally enable/disable all plugins Smart Disable behavior. To apply Smart

disable to all plugins you must first use the Tools Menu > Macros Switch smart disable for all plugins option. This turns each plugin's wrapper Smart disable on. If Smart disable causes issues with any plugins it can be disabled for those individual plugins using the same wrapper menu setting 'Smart disable'. NOTE: Smart Disable is active only during live playback, it is temporarily disabled when rendering. Align tick lengths - May reduce CPU load and improve the performance of certain 3rd Party plugins that assume aligned tick lengths. A tick is the smallest internal unit of time used for sequencing automation & note events (PPQ

counts the

number of ticks (pulses) per quarter-note for example). Issues with plugins? Try on. NOTES: 1. For a plugin to be multithreaded there are 3 places where the option must be selected, here, the Wrapper menu 'Allow threaded processing and Wrapper Additional Settings Menu 'Processing > Allow threaded processing'. All three are selected by default. 2. Some of these options may cause problems with 3rd party plugins. What plugins? It all depends on how closely they conform to the VST design standard, don't look at us, we are not the 'VST police'. What sort of 'problems'? We are not prophets either, but possibly plugin-crashes, audio glitches, out-of-sync playback or CPU spikes. See plugins behaving badly.

Mixer Resampling - is the process of smoothly creating changes in sample data when the system is called to 'invent' intermediate volume levels between any two known sample points. This is necessary when samples are transposed from their original pitch to avoid 'quantizing

' and/or 'aliasing

sounds. This video covers the concepts of

' noise. The benefits of higher quality interpolation will only apply to transposed aliasing and Interpolation

There are two independent locations where interpolation

in more detail.

method can be set. Here in the Audio Settings the

interpolation method affects the 'live' audio quality (and CPU load if your project contains transposed Sampler and Audio Clip Channels). The other interpolation setting is found on the export dialog and affects audio file quality (and render time). The options are the same for both locations, they are: Linear interpolation provides the lowest CPU hit with basic linear averaging between samples, however this may result in aliasing (high frequency noises) when samples are transposed far from their original pitch. We recommend linear settings for most live mixing situations. 6-point hermite is the fastest interpolation method and so is suitable for 'real-time' playback, providing superior quality to 'linear' interpolation. If you have a fast PC, you should be able to use 64-point sinc for critical mixing sessions. 64, 128, 256, 512-point sinc interpolation methods provide, increasingly, the highest quality interpolation, at the expense of CPU load. Anything above 6-point Hermite is not suitable for live-playback (perhaps one day when we have 32-core 10 GHz CPUs). So why are these methods available? So that if someone requires the highest quality live interpolation they can have it...don't believe us?, turn on 512-point sync and watch your PC grind to a stuttering halt next time you transpose a sample...don't say we didn't warn you! As noted above, a separate interpolation setting has been provided for the render dialog. This allows you to use the highest quality interpolation when rendering independent of the live setting. Preview Mixer Track - Selects the mixer track that will receive the Metronome, and audio previews from the Browser, Wave Editor, etc. By default, the Master Mixer track is used for preview (default /"--"/ to send to the Master Track). Reset Plugins on Transport - Resets all plugins when using the transport functions - start/stop, moving the song position marker, etc. This ensures, as far as possible, projects sound the same each time they are played. Some plugins generate or process sound differently depending on their moment-by-moment state. Uncheck for faster, less glitchy response when changing song position. NOTE: When disabled, the differences are unlikely to be significant, but it's worth checking this function if you notice inconsistent behavior. Play truncated notes - On transport relocation play notes truncated by the new playback location.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - Audio (ASIO4ALL)

The FL Studio installation includes a 3rd party ASIO driver ASIO4ALL

. There are two advantages:

Speed: ASIO drivers (in general) allow lower CPU overhead and lower buffer settings than the standard Windows ('Primary Sound Driver', WDM Driver). If your audio interface has a native ASIO driver then we recommend you use that. Multiple audio devices: Unique to ASIO4ALL, you can select inputs and outputs from separate soundcards/audiodevices, something that is not possible with standard ASIO drivers. This feature allows you to use a USB microphone input and your regular audio interface output at the same time (see point 7 below). NOTE: ASIO4ALL is a generic ASIO driver that works with most audio interfaces, your experience may be different, including long periods of silence and head-scratching. If ASIO4ALL doesn't produce any sound we recommend that you work through all the steps below including the Troubleshooting section.

Using the ASIO4ALL Advanced Settings This section explains how to use the ASIO4ALL settings. To see a video tutorial

Click here

.

1. Press F10 on your PC keyboard and select the Audio settings by clicking on the speaker icon. Alternatively choose Audio settings from the Options Menu. 2. Select ASIO4ALL v2 as shown below.

3. To open the ASIO4ALL settings - Click on the 'Show ASIO panel' (shown above). The screenshot below shows ASIO4ALL in 'simple mode'. The 'spanner' button, on the lower-right, changes between 'simple' and 'advanced' modes.

4. ASIO Buffer Size - As shown above, the ASIO4ALL window allows you to adjust the ASIO Buffer Size (Buffer length) settings to fine-tune Buffer underrun issues. You can adjust the buffer length for each selected device (in this case the Creative SB X-Fi is selected, highlighted dark-blue). It is a good idea to set all devices you plan to use to the same Buffer Size. Select each device by clicking on the name so it becomes highlighted and then change the Buffer Size slider. The Buffer Size is displayed in samples, to convert from samples to milliseconds (ms) divide the Buffer length in samples by 44.1 (if your audio interface is using 44100 Hz) or 48 (if it is at 48,000 Hz). In this case, the audio interface is set to 44100 Hz so the Buffer length of 448 samples = 10 ms (approximately). 5. WDM Device List - The screenshot also shows 2 devices in the WDM Device List (Creative SB X-Fi and Plantronics

Headset). The devices that appear in your list will probably be different and are those audio devices that have audio interface drivers correctly installed and registered with the Windows operating system. If your sound is working correctly under Windows, there should be at least one device listed (something with Realtek or AC97 in the title are common for motherboard-based audio interfaces). If nothing is showing in this list, re-install the audio interface drivers for your PC, reboot and look here again. 6. Advanced settings - Make sure you are in Advanced mode as shown below. Click the Spanner (lower-right) to change between 'Simple' and 'Advanced' modes.

7. Active devices - Only active devices (and their active Inputs/Outputs) can be used by FL Studio, i.e show in the Mixer IN and OUT menus. This is the step that is required to use a USB microphone with your audio interface. To activate a device click the button in front of the device name, the blue button & arrow will light to indicate the device is active. You must also ensure that the device's Inputs (In:) and Outputs (Out:) are also activated. Click on any [+] squares in front of the device to expand the list of Inputs and Outputs and click on the activate buttons. NOTE: activating a device at the highest level does not necessarily mean its inputs and outputs are activated. For example, in the screenshot above the Plantronics Headset Output is not activated and so won't be available in FL Studio. 8. Latency compensation In/Out - sliders. Leave these at the default settings. The ASIO4ALL driver reports to FL Studio the latency it adds to the audio stream, and this is taken into account by the program where appropriate. However, if you have measured the input/output latency of your audio interface using a loop-back cable, and know what you are doing, then set the 'Latency compensation' sliders according to your measured results. 9. Use hardware Buffer - Can reduce Buffer underruns. Whether or not it helps will depend on the design of your audio interface's design and drivers. 10. Always resample 44.1 kHz 48 kHz - This option fixes a no sound issue on SigmaTel C-Major Audio devices. If everything else seems to be correct on your audio interface settings and you are not hearing anything you can give this option a try. 11. Force WDM Driver to 16-Bit - This option fixes a no sound issue on SoundMax Digital Audio devices. If everything else seems to be correct on your audio interface settings and you are not hearing anything you can give this option a try. 12. When you are done, close the ASIO4ALL options with the [X] window control in the top-right corner.

Troubleshooting There is a video tutorial on the

ASIO4ALL driver setup

that discusses the common problems.

1. Make sure you are using the latest version of ASIO4ALL, install it and try again. The latest ASIO4ALL driver will be available at www.asio4all.com 2.

. Don't be afraid to try the latest Beta (if there is one).

Unavailable - If any of the inputs/outputs of the devices in the 'WDM Device List' have a RED X through them, it means they are probably being used by another audio application. For example, programs such as 'MSN Messenger', 'Skype', media players etc. can tie up inputs/outputs so, close FL Studio, close any program that may use your audio interface and re-open FL Studio and the ASIO4ALL options. See also point 4 'Reset the playback device'. Alternatively - Right-click the Windows speaker icon in the task bar and select 'Playback Devices' then Disable your sound-card, the 'Default Device' (this may release it for use with ASIO). Now open FL Studio and ASIO4ALL, making sure the outputs are activated as shown under the 'Advanced Settings' above.

3. Nothing shows - If your audio interface or its IN/OUTputs don't show in advanced mode, try downloading the latest driver for your audio interface. This happens when the driver for your audio interface hasn't registered itself correctly with Windows. 4. No sound - If other applications are not audible or taking over the audio interface see 'Auto close device' on the Audio Settings. Otherwise, if you get no sound at all check the following:

Disable exclusive control - Right-click Right-click the Speaker icon (volume control) on the Windows task bar (lower right) and click Playback devices. Find your 'speakers' (the default device usually) in the list. Right-click Speakers and select Properties > Advanced. Disable 'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device'. Restart Windows. Reset the playback device - Close FL Studio. Right-click the Speaker icon (volume control) on the Windows task bar (lower right) and click Playback devices. Then right-click and disable and then do the same again to re-enable your device. Open FL Studio and see if the audio now works. Select all Outputs - In 'Advanced view' expand your Soundcard Inputs/Outputs and ensure all Outputs are active. In the example above, the Creative SB X-Fi has its main analog output selected ('Out: 8x 44.1 1-192kHz, 32Bits') but the 'SPDIF' Output and 'Plantronics Head' set Output ('Out: 2x 6 4-48 kHz, 16 bits') are both deselected and so would not be available in the Mixer. Output Errors? - Make sure the Outputs are not showing Unavailable or Beyond logic as described elsewhere in this section. Master Mixer track Output - Make sure the correct ASIO Output is selected in the Master OUT of the Master Mixer track. Try all Output menu options if you are not sure. Switches - Try the 4 possible combinations of the 'Always resample 44.1 kHz 48 kHz' and 'Force WDM Driver to 16-Bit' switches (Off/Off, On/Off, Off/On, On/On). Any sound? - If there is still no sound, make sure you can hear sound from other Windows programs. If not then your problem isn't related to ASIO4ALL (try re-installing your audio interface drivers). 5. Crackling noises without the underrun count increasing - Check the following: Switches - Try the 4 possible combinations of the 'Always resample 44.1 kHz 48 kHz' and 'Force WDM Driver to 16-Bit' switches (Off/Off, On/Off, Off/On, On/On). Hardware buffer switch - Try On/Off. Buffer lengths - Each device in the 'WDM Device List' can have a unique ASIO Buffer Size setting. Make sure all devices have the same buffer setting (the blue square indicates the setting of the nonselected device). Plugins misbehaving - Crackling can also be caused by plugins behaving badly. 6.

Beyond Logic - Similar to 'unavailable', if the control panel of your card provides the option to lock the sample rate, deselect it. This is a known cause of 'Beyond Logic' errors. Also try closing and re-opening the control panel, unplugging/reinserting USB audio devices and/or reinstalling the Windows (WDM) driver for the audio interface. See also point 4 'Reset the playback device'.

7. Check the ASIO4ALL Manual in the installation directory ..:\Program Files\ASIO4ALL v2\ASIO4ALL v2 Instruction Manual.pdf, FAQ at www.asio4all.com

or try the ASIO4ALL forums.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - General

To open the General Settings choose 'Options > General settings' from the main menu or press the F10 function key on your keyboard. The General Settings page contains various general settings of the working environment in FL Studio.

GUI Display These settings allow you to rescale FL Studio's vectorial Graphical User Interface (GUI), including

separate options for pop-ups, menus and the cursor. GUI up-scaling is intended for use with high resolution displays. NOTE: Native and VST plugin GUIs can also be rescaled as described below. Main GUI Scaling (requires FL Studio restart) - Normally leave this set to System and all other related controls set to Main, so they follow system scaling too. If you have set your Windows 'System scaling' to work correctly on your monitor, say 200%, then FL Studio will be scaled correctly to 200% also. To adjust Windows system scaling open the Windows Control Panel, click on Display > Custom Sizing Options. From there adjust GUI zoom percentage selector. You can also click 'Custom resizing options' and type a value in percent. However, because we know you like to fiddle with things, you can manually rescale the FL Studio interface and plugins with the options provided below. At resolutions between 3840x2160 (UHD 4K) and 5120x2880 (5K) zoom settings between 125% and 200% should work. Optimum scaling factors are a matter of screen resolution, monitor size and your eyesight. Plugin GUIs - Native (FL Studio) and VST plugins can be rescaled as follows: 1. FL Studio native plugins - Use the Legacy scaling option, in the 'Advanced settings' section below. Usually this is set to 'Main' and should follow the setting above. This will apply to all native plugins. 2. VST Plugins - See the Wrapper section on Rescaling VST Plugins. There are different settings to use depending if the plugin has native rescaling (Bridged + DPI aware when bridged) or no native rescaling (Bridged + External window). Bridging opens plugins outside FL Studio they can respond to Windows System scaling. You have probably already set Windows scaling to work on your high resolution monitor, and so the plugin will be scaled appropriately. If not, open the Windows Control Panel, click on Display > Custom Sizing Options. From there adjust GUI zoom percentage selector. All bridged plugins with the correct settings will use this scaling value. Pop-ups scaling (requires FL Studio restart) - Applies to pop-up menus and interactive dialogs (like Piano roll tools). When set to 'Main' Pop-ups will follow the Main GUI scaling, otherwise make an independent setting here. Toolbars scaling (requires FL Studio restart) - Applies to tool-bars. This can be useful for smaller tablets, so instead of hiding toolbars that use too much of the screen, you can make them smaller. When set to 'Main' Toolbars will follow the Main GUI scaling, otherwise make an independent setting here. Thick lines - Purely aesthetic, affecting how things are scaled at 200% and above. Define 1 inch / 2.54 cm - This is a calibration to ensure touch-screens work optimally. It does not change the appearance of the GUI. Set once, correctly, and forget. From Windows 8.1 onward the screen PPI is automatically detected. Otherwise, if you know the Pixels Per Inch (PPI) of your monitor then drag the bar and set it to that value OR use a ruler on the screen to set approximately 1 inch or 2.54 cm. Animations - Controls menu, mouse related, overlay and pop-up animations. At the lowest level (Don't distract me) all animations are off, at the highest level (Entertain me) prepare to be 'entertained'. NOTE: Animations generally don't increase CPU load, sometimes higher animation levels use less CPU.

Smoothing - GUI/control motion smoothing factor, slide left for less smoothing and right for more smoothing. Ultrasmooth - Increases smoothness (frame rate) of all animations. Force refreshes - Try this switch if things feel less smooth than they should, or if playback markers or selection lassos seem to disappear in use. NOTE: Set the scaling of the mouse cursor under the 'Advanced' section. Yes the cursor size is an advanced feature.

GUI Input Optimize for - These are pointer-device options. Multi-button mouse - Standard settings when working primarily with a mouse. Pencil - Use when working with knobs and up/down controls on a pencil-based tablet. After touch, horizontal position changes target control sensitivity. To make course changes stay in the vertical axis of the target control. To increase sensitivity click, hold and move to the left or right and then drag vertically. Multi-touch monitor - Multi-touch generally assumes finger control, so touch 'hotzones' are made larger. Horizontal position after touching a control will change sensitivity/accuracy (as per pencil interfaces above). NOTES: See the section on Multi-touch gesture support. Tweak 'Smoothing' as shown above to optimize the responsiveness of controls. Click-and-hold & special gesture functions - Piano roll functions include: Copy note: Hold a note to copy it. Cycle slide/porta: Click and hold when adding a note to cycle through slide & porta event modes. Glue notes: Place the cursor between 2 neighbor notes, so the resize cursor appears, then click and hold to glue them. Snap note sides: Snap either side of a note to the grid. Mouse wheel velocity: Use mouse wheel while holding notes to change velocity. Mouse wheel tools: Change tools by holding right click and rolling the wheel. Other functions: Middle mouse click (zoom out full). Use both mouse buttons in step sequencer - Left-clicks activate steps, Right-clicks deactivate them. When disabled, use the Left mouse button to activates and deactivates steps.

System Associate project files with application - Associates FL Studio project files with FL Studio so that if you double-click on a .flp file, FL Studio will open automatically. NOTE: If you are

using more than one version of FL Studio, use this option to associate files with your preferred version, or to change it as needed.

Undo History Maximum undo levels - Sets the maximum undo steps kept in the edit history. Undo knob tweaks - Enables undo of all automatable controls (sliders, knobs and check boxes) in the edit history. It can cause some performance problems with certain plugins, like X-Y Controller and Scratcher so the default value of this option is off.

Miscellaneous Auto name channels - Automatically assigns names to instrument Channels. Sampler Channels will automatically take the name of the sample. Instrument & generator Channels take the name of the plugin. Where names are repeated FL Studio will number Channels with the same name (e.g. "Kick", "Kick #1", "Kick #2", etc). Auto zip empty channels - FL Studio will automatically collapse empty Channels and expand non-empty Channels when switching between patterns. Empty Channels are those without active steps or note data. Auto select linked modules - Depending on state: ON - 1. Plugins close & 2. Mixer track auto-focus: 1. Plugins close - Opening a plugin closes any open plugin interfaces. This keeps your desktop free of plugin window clutter. 2. Mixer track auto-focus - When selecting plugins (click on the UI or Channel button) the Mixer will select the linked Mixer track for that plugin. 3. Channel Rack - Vertical height and scroll position changes to suit Channel group and selected plugin. OFF - 1. Plugins stay open & 2. UI/MIDI is separated: 1. plugins stay open - Instrument & effect interfaces stay open until manually closed. If this gets messy, use the Close all unfocused windows ( Ctrl + F12) function.

2. Separate MIDI control and interface editing - Channel buttons open plugins for editing and the Channel selector LEDs select Channels for live MIDI control. This allows you to play one instrument channel live and edit another. 3. Channel Rack - Vertical height and scroll position remains at the users set position. Auto zoom in piano roll - The Piano roll vertical and horizontal zoom is automatically set to fit the note data. Small scrollbars in editors - The horizontal & vertical scroll-bars (Piano roll, Playlist &

Event Editor etc.), are set to half their normal height/width. Detach all plugins - Plugin windows are detached from the FL Studio desktop so they can be moved anywhere over it or onto a monitor without the FL Studio desktop. Alternate meter scale - Changes the peak meter scaling to display a narrower band above and below 0 dB. To read a peak meter value hold the mouse pointer over the peak meter, the value displayed in the Hint Bar will be the level at the position of the pointer. To read an actual peak value place the mouse pointer over the peak position on the meter. Show startup splash screen - The startup splash screen shows the FL Studio version you are using. It is also a cunning marketing strategy to imprint the FL Studio logo and branding onto your brain. All your brain belongs to us! Unless you turn it off, don't do that.

Advanced Don't limit windows to screen - Allows FL Studio windows to be moved completely outside of the screen. Turn this OFF if you lose a window outside the monitors field of view. Fast sample preview - Samples previewed in the Browser are 'streamed' rather than FL Studio waiting to load the entire sample before playing. This reduces preview latency for very large samples and when using slow media devices such as a CD player or USB drive. Auto keep long audio on disk - Enables 'Keep on disk' (located on the 'SMP' tab) automatically when loading large samples (>30 seconds) as Audio Clips or Sampler Channels. NOTE: The sample data must be 16 or 32 Bit format (24 Bit and .mp3 will not work with this option). Auto keep on disk applies only to projects or samples loaded after selecting this option. When used, the maximum memory available to each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel will be at least 2 GB for 32 Bit Windows Windows

and up to 4 GB depending on your version of 64 Bit

.

Read sample tempo information - When selected FL Studio will use tempo & tempo-sync meta-data that may be saved in wave files. This affects Browser preview, Playlist and Channel sampler 'Time stretching' behavior. If you find samples are incorrectly stretched or play off pitch, you can turn this option off or correct the tempo/pitch meta-data saved with the sample using the File properties dialog in Edison. Don't initialize controls automatically - Prevents automatic initialization of automated controls. See Initialized Controls for more details. To manually initialize a control - Rightclick and select 'Init song with this position'. Force high performance power plan - When you are making music with FL Studio, you need 100% of your CPUs power, all the time. Many modern CPUs have aggressive CPU clockspeed throttling that causes audio glitches and underruns. This option should force your CPU into high-power mode. See how to manually set your Power Options here. While we like Polar Bears as much as the next guy, we are sorry, those icebergs are just going to have to melt, just a little, for the sake of art. Don't feel so bad, Polar Bears would eat your head if they had the chance, which they will if the ice-caps move any closer to the equator. Consider this 'insurance' against Polar Bear plagues sweeping down from the north eating your loved ones. Cursors scaling - Choose a magnification factor for your mouse pointer.

Legacy scaling (requires FL Studio restart) - Normally leave this set to 'Main' to follow the System Scaling. This option magnifies FL Studio native plugin GUIs for use on high-resolution monitors. For VST plugins see 'Main GUI Scaling' above for details. NOTE: Legacy scaling will apply 100%, 200%, 300% and 400%. Fractional scaling is not possible.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - Files

To open the File Settings choose 'Options > File settings' from the main menu or press the F10 function key on your keyboard. The File Settings page allows you to link additional folders into the Browser, along with a location where your VST/VSTi plugins are saved. You can then directly access these files from the FL Studio Browser. To open: Press F10 and select the File icon. The first time you open this page, the folder slots will be empty, each row represents one 'custom' folder that you can add to the Browser. Folders set here also be searched (and all sub-folders) for samples and sounds when you load a project. It is unwise to select the root of your C: drive for example as FL Studio will search all the folders on your hard-drive when it is looking for a file. NOTE: At any time you can open a standard Windows Browser (Right-click on the Windows 'Start' button and select 'Explore') and then drag compatible files from the Windows Browser into FL Studio (FL Studio will behave in the same way as noted in step 1 below). We have a series of video tutorials on using the

Browser & extra search folders here

.

NOTE: You can drag-and-drop folders from the Windows browser on the 'Browser extra search folders' area and they will be added.

Backup (Autosave) The Autosave function will create backup copies of the current project (and/or any overwritten files including .flp, .fst, .zip etc) to the Browser > Backup folder. This folder is located in FL Studio's installation directory ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Backup. If you want to recover the last autosave then use the option 'Revert to last autosave' from the File Menu OR select a project from the Browser > Backup folder. Autosaves are made according to the following settings and rules: Never (just remind every 10 min) - No backup files are made. The reminder to save your project will appear in the Hint Bar if 10 minutes elapse without a manual save. Rarely (every 15 minutes) - Backups are made on every manual save AND every 15 minutes UNLESS FL Studio is playing,

then the autosave is postponed until the project is stopped. Occasionally (every 10 minutes) - Backups are made on every manual save AND every 10 minutes UNLESS FL Studio is playing, then the autosave is postponed until the project is stopped. Regularly (every 5 minutes) - Backups are made on every manual save AND every 5 minutes UNLESS FL Studio is playing, then the autosave is postponed until the project is stopped. Frequently (every 5 minutes & before risky operations) - Backups are made on every manual save AND on critical operations AND every 5 minutes, even when FL Studio is playing and before adding plugins. NOTE: Only the last 20 saves & or auto saves for all projects that you have been working on are retained. The purpose of this system is for emergency recovery of crashed, damaged or incorrectly edited projects. For permanent sequential backups use the (

Ctrl + N) save shortcut or select File > Save new version.

Plugins (VST) Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is a software interface standard that allows you to load 3rd party software synthesizer and effect 'plugins' in FL Studio. VST is in addition to the FL Studio 'native' plugin format. See the section on installing VST plugins for more details on VST plugins and how to use them. Extra search folder - This folder is a custom search location where you can install 3rd party VST plugins (to add more than one additional folder use the FL Studio Plugin Scanner tool as shown below). FL Studio will add scanned plugins to the pop-up lists that appear when you use the Channel Rack > Menu > Add one option, Channel Rack + button, Main menu > Add option and Plugin database . NOTE: The folder set here does not appear in the Browser. Additional VST search folders - If you need more than one extra VST search location, select the Deep/slow scan switch and click Refresh plugin list to open the FL Studio VST scan tool. Use the Add path option to add as many extra VST locations as needed. Deep / slow scan - Select this option and click 'Refresh plugin list' to open the tool. The FL Studio Plugin Scanner tool will open. Set your options and click 'Start scan ' (with 'Verify plugins' ticked) to deep scan. Verify plugins opens each plugin and categorizes it as a synthesizer or effect, reports if it is a 32 or 64 Bit plugin and lists the input/output ports. It's much slower than the 'Refresh plugin list' scan so be patient. If you see some pop-ups from plugins when scanning, you will need to respond and click them away to continue the scan.

NOTE: To perform a deep scan - 'Verify plugins' must be selected. This will open each plugin found and classify its properties fully as described below.

Options Start scan - Starts the scan process. Amazing fact! Verify plugins - This selects the deep scan, opening plugins to get more information from them. It's important as it will correctly classify plugins as effects and generators. Favorites - Check the F (Favorite) column box for any plugin you want to add as a favorite. Selected plugins will show in 'add plugin' menu locations including: Channel Rack > Menu > Add one option, Channel Rack + button, Main menu > Add option and Plugin database (without thumbnail). Plugin search paths - The Plugin Scanner will show the default VST search locations. Add path - Click and browse to the folder you want to add. Then click OK. This path will be added to future scans. Remove path - Click on the path in the list above the button to select it, then click 'Remove path'. NOTE: It's not possible to remove the default paths, only those you have added yourself. Rescan previously verified plugins - Re-verify plugins that have previously been verified, in case something has changed. Leave this off if you want to scan for new plugins and not change previous results. This has no effect unless the option 'Verify plugins' is also selected. Rescan plugins with errors - Rescan plugins that showed an error during a previous scan. This will also apply to 'Fast scan'. Combine presets for identical plugins - Create a single preset for a plugin that has both a 32 Bit and a 64 Bit version. FL will use the 'Bit size' option on the Wrapper to determine which version to open. Combine presets for VST 2 and 3 plugins - When selected this also merges presets for (some) plugins that have both a VST2 and a VST3 version. FL will first try to load the VST3 version. Try to prevent popup windows - This suppresses some pop-up windows that show during a deep scan (Verify plugins), but not all. It may not work well with some plugins, so it's off by default. For example, when it is ON, you may get plugin errors that are due to pop-ups with settings that were not responded to, since they were hidden.

Browser extra search folders (add your own folders to the Browser) 30+ custom Browser folders can be set (note the scroll-bar down the right side of the window). How to set a Browser extra search folder: 1. Left-click on the folder icon at the start of a row as indicated above and browse to the folder location and then click 'OK'. Alternatively, double-click the text fields to enter paths manually. 2. Optionally, Left-click in the Name column and enter a custom name, this sets the name shown in the Browser. If the name field is left blank then the name of the target folder will be shown in the Browser. 3. OR drag-and-drop folders - From any Windows file explorer onto the Browser. This will set a custom folder to match. What do they do? The folders set here will appear in the FL Studio Browser. Here are four good reasons to use them: 1. You can drag sounds/samples/patches from the Browser onto the desired location in FL Studio and they will be loaded automatically (channel sampler, slicer, projects [drag onto the desktop], etc). 2. External folders keep your data independent from the FL Studio installation. 3. The extra search folders are (as the name suggests) included in automatic search and load operations. 4. The Browser contains some useful manual search functions ('Find' and 'Smart find') so you can quickly locate your files.

External Tools The External Tools dialog lets you set up external applications (wave editors, sample browsers, etc.) for use as tools in FL Studio. File Location - Enter the full path to the external application to be used as a tool. Alternatively, click the file icon on the left to browse for an application. Name - Displays the program name displayed in the Tools menu.

Options - Select the tool in the file list then choose options: Launch with sample - Suitable for wave editors. Enabled with the Default Editor, this external tool replaces the internal Wave Editor (Edison) inside FL Studio. Launch with sample path - Useful for batch audio processing applications and external sample browsers. Launch at startup - Launches the program at FL Studio startup, such as a software synthesizer or MIDI loop-back device.

OPTIONS & SETTINGS

System Settings - Debug

To open the Debug panel press the F10 function key on your keyboard. This page displays information related to the current installation and operational state of FL Studio.

MIDI data If the debug panel is open when FL Studio is being controlled by an external MIDI controller, you will see all MIDI data communications. This can be useful to identify MIDI CC numbers when linking specific controller functions etc.

Debugging Information Nothing to see here, move along! However if you need Technical Support

they may ask you to cut

and paste the information shown in this panel. By the way, FL Studio doesn't have 'bugs' they are Detrimental Operational Happenings (DOH!). If you do have a DOH! event please make sure that it is reproducible and you can explain to Technical Support DOH! if it's not reproducible.

what causes the DOH! It is difficult to fix a

PROJECT SETTINGS

Project Info

The Project Info page contains fields for the song title and additional information about the project. Author information is automatically saved in rendered audio files and may be useful for establishing copyright. To view your file author information open Windows Explorer, right-mouse click on the file and select Properties > Summary settings.

NOTE: If the project settings icons are not visible in the side bar on left of the screen, click the Project button to expand the section.

Options Title - In this field you can write the title of your song. Genre - Genre of your song. This parameter is compatible with genres in .mp3 and .wav files and is saved when you export your project to an audio file. Author - Enter the name of the project author (composer) here. This information is saved in .mp3 and .wav files on export. Info - Enter additional information about the song here. This field supports RTF (Rich Text

Format) data, preserving font, color and other characteristics of the text you paste from RTF clipboard (or from Word, WordPad, etc). URL - Enter the URL of your homepage or your e-mail address here. Show it on Open - If activated, a small window displaying the title, info and clickable URL will appear when a project is opened. Reset working time - Time is money! The log to the left of the button shows (approximately) how long you have been working on the project by tracking activity. Tip: Glue a wireless mouse to your dog and earn more money!

PROJECT SETTINGS

Project General Settings

The Project General Settings page contains general options for each project, stored locally in each file.

NOTE: If the project settings icons are not visible in the side bar on left of the screen, click the Project button to expand the section.

Options Data Folder A custom save location for the current project can be set here. It is useful to keep all the data created with the project in one location. The data types saved include the project file (.flp/.zip), audio to disk recordings and dragged sample data (drag and drop edits from Edison, Slicex & Channel samplers). Any samples you add to the project from the Browser or other locations will remain where they are, use the .zip format project save to include them in this folder. Folder icon - Opens a browser window to allow a custom project save location to be set. Clear - Clears the custom save location. Auto - Sets the save location to the same folder the project was loaded from. Note: The default save locations for various data-types are discussed here.

Time Division

Use these controls to adjust the project Time Signature and event resolution (PPQ). Bar - The number of beats per bar. NOTE: Although this is a global project setting you can change the Pattern Length on the Channel Rack to set a custom number of beats per bar for each pattern. Just drag the Channel Rack to the right where indicated. Beat - The number of steps per beat. Timebase (PPQ) - Sets the event resolution for the current project in Pulses Per Quarternote (PPQ). In other words, how finely the time-line of the project is represented and so notes/clips/events placed on that time-line. The default setting is 96. Higher PPQ allows for more refined events and finer processing of slides, envelopes and LFOs. However, it also uses more CPU. The Playlist maximum zoom is limited by the PPQ settings, if you need to zoom Audio Clips to a higher level, increase the PPQ setting. The Playlist and Clip placement only zooms to the maximum level supported by the underlying PPQ. NOTE: Adjusting PPQ to a lower level mid-project, will alter the placement of notes and clips if these events that fall between the new PPQ grid lines. Increasing PPQ mid-project won't affect event placement. NOTE: The number of Beats per Bar define the overall pulse or natural rhythm of music. For example 'waltz' music is generally 3 beats per bar (1,2,3,1,2,3...) with a rhythmic emphasis on the 1 beat. Most 'pop' music is 4 beats per bar (1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4...) with an emphasis on the 1 also. However due to the different number of beats in each bar there is a distinctly different rhythmic pulse to each meter (3/4 or 5/8). More on time signatures and musical theory, of which you have been lured into a discussion of, here

. There's also a discussion of the term 'beat' here

to clarify

confusion caused by its recent misuse on the interwebs.

Advanced Play truncated notes in clips - Restores notes that span a slice point in Pattern Clips. With this option off, the tail of the note is dropped from the second half of the sliced Clip. NOTE: This can cause projects to sound wrong when used on projects with this option off OR made prior to the introduction of the feature (FL Studio 10.5). Panning law - The purpose is to maintain a constant apparent volume as a sound is panned. For example, if a sound is panned hard left or right, only one speaker will be active. This will sound quieter than the center position where both speakers are active, unless steps are taken to counteract this effect. Circular panning maintains a constant apparent volume by progressively lowering the combined volume of the L+R channels by -3dB as the pan passes dead center. Triangular panning does not apply this compensation, so the apparent loudness will increase as the sound passes the center position. There are a number of panning compensation methods used by various manufacturers, collectively they are referred to as Panning laws

.

Circular - Level compensation is applied when panning (orange). Triangular - No level compensation is used (green)

NOTES: Don't fret over what panning law is or isn't used. When you mix a song, the relative pan positions and volumes are adjusted according to what you wanted to hear. In other words, you made the mix, you made it how you wanted it to sound (hopefully). So, a mix is a mix! Panning law is only a concern when sharing projects to make sure both installations are using the same settings. Changing the panning law after a project is mixed will change relative volumes and apparent stereo locations and so the mix (bad idea). If you are sharing track stems (audio from individual mixer tracks) then the panning law used by the project is 'rendered' into each stereo track, so is not a factor to worry about.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

System Settings - General

To open the General Settings choose 'Options > General settings' from the main menu or press the F10 function key on your keyboard. The General Settings page contains various general settings of the working environment in FL Studio.

About Info Shows the FL Studio version number, credits, etc. Unlock Products - Enter your Image-Line Account email and password to Unlock FL Studio

and any additonal plugins/products you own.

MENU BAR & PANELS

Menu Bar & Panels Menu Bar Click on the menu item to jump to the help for that menu.

Panels FL Studio panels are located at the top of the screen in the Tool Bar area, and provide quick access to many commands and options. Many of these commands are also available in FL Studio menus and windows. Click on the panel of interest below to see the help for that panel.

NOTE: Dragging content over the main window buttons (Playlist, Channel Rack, Piano roll) will bring these windows to the front if they are not already visible.

MENU BAR

Menu Bar

Menu Options The Menu bar is located in the Main panel and provides access to the main menus of FL Studio: File Edit Add Patterns View Options Tools ?

MENU BAR

File Menu

The File menu (

F3) contains commands for managing files:

Commands New - Starts a new, empty project using the last selected template as a start point. You will be prompted to save any changes made to the current project. New from template - Contains a submenu with a selection of different templates - Genre, Minimal, Other and Utility. To change the default template when FL Studio opens 1. Select File > New from template >, etc. - where, etc. is the template you want to use. 2. Close FL Studio - without making any changes to the project. 3. Open FL Studio - The template you selected will now be the default on opening. Template projects are saved in the FL Studio installation folder: ..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Projects\Templates. You can save a customized project there and perform the above steps to set it as your default project. NOTE: You need to close and re-open FL Studio before the custom project will show in the list. Video tutorial on managing templates here Open (

.

Ctrl+O) - Opens an existing project. The Open File dialog is

enhanced with a Favorites section. Save (

Ctrl+S) - Updates the project by overwriting the last saved

copy on disk. If the current project has not been saved a name dialog will open prior to saving. For a list of available save formats, see the File Formats page.

Save as (

Shift+Ctrl+S) - Saves the current as a different name

and/or format. For a list of available save formats, see the File Formats page. The Save File dialog is enhanced with a Favorites section. Save new version (

Ctrl+N)- Saves the current project as a file with a

unique name. For example, if you have a project called MyProj, this command saves a file named MyProj_2. Next time it will be called MyProj_3, etc. This feature is useful for saving versions of the project without overwriting the original file. Import - Loads files that are not FL Studio native projects. For a complete list of file types you can import, see the Open/Import File Formats page. The Import File dialog is enhanced with a Favorites section. Export - Converts the current project to various file formats. For a complete list of file types you can export to, see the File Formats page. Zipped loop package - This saves both the .flp (project data) and samples associated with the project in a standard ZIP

file

format. This is a great way to archive your important projects so that you don't lose the sounds associated with it. Wave file (

Ctrl+R) - The Wave

format is a widely used

uncompressed audio format used in distributing production quality audio. If you plan to burn a standard Audio CD then you will need to export 44.1 kHz 16-Bit Wave (.wav) files. NOTE: FL Studio does not burn CDs. mp3 file (

Shift+Ctrl+R) - mp3

(Mpeg Audio Layer 3) is a

compressed audio format useful for sharing music over the internet and compatible mp3 players. While .mp3 audio quality can be excellent (@ rates of 224 kbps and above) it is not recommended for archiving production quality audio. ogg file - (

Shift+Ctrl+R) - ogg

(Ogg Vorbis) is an open-

source compressed audio format useful for sharing music over the internet and compatible Ogg players. While Ogg audio quality can be excellent (@ rates of 224 kbps and above) it is not recommended for archiving production quality audio. MIDI file (

Shift+Ctrl+M) - MIDI

(Musical Instrument

Digital Interface) format saves musical note (score) and control data associated with projects. NOTE: MIDI does not contain nor

save audio. Your PC may make sound when you run a MIDI file as many audio interfaces can interpret and play MIDI data. Project bones - Use this command as a shortcut to export all generator/effects settings as presets (*.fst files) and score/automation data as score files (*.fsc files) used in the current project. This is useful for merging components from one project into another. Also, a *.nfo file will be created in the folder you selected to store the preset/score data, that is used by the Browser. Project data files - Saves copies of all samples, presets and other plugin data used in the current project into a single folder of your choice. Recent projects (

Alt+ 1 to 0 (10)) - Appears as a list of the 10 most

recently opened projects at the bottom of the File menu, with the most recent one at the top. Revert to last autosave - Loads the last Autosave (see Backup Settings). Exit - Closes FL Studio, prompting you to save any changes to your current project.

MENU BAR

Edit Menu

The Edit menu contains commands for selecting and editing channels and notes (the contents of the menu will depend on what window in FL Studio is selected).

Commands Undo/Redo (

Ctrl+Alt+Z/

Ctrl+Z) - These two commands allow

you to step through the edit history of FL Studio (to see a list of the actions currently stored in the history, open the Project Browser / History folder). Ctrl+Alt+Z steps back through the history. Ctrl+Z steps forward through the history, unless you are at the latest step (in this case, Ctrl+Z works as the standard one step undo/redo shortcut). Cut (

Ctrl+X) - Cuts the notes from all selected channels in the Step

Sequencer to clipboard. Automation events cannot be cut using this command. Copy (

Ctrl+C)- Copies the notes from all selected channels in the Step

Sequencer to clipboard. Automation events cannot be copied using this command. Paste (

Ctrl+V ) - Pastes notes from clipboard, starting with the

uppermost selected channel in the Step Sequencer. Shift left (

Shift+Left) - Shifts the notes from all selected channels in

the Step Sequencer one step left. First notes become last notes. Shift right (

Shift+Right) - Shifts the notes from all selected channels

in the Step Sequencer one step right. Last notes become first notes. Randomize (

Alt+R/

Alt+H) - Opens the Randomizer dialog,

allowing you to create random notes and to randomize the note properties for all selected channels in the Step Sequencer. Send to Piano roll - Moves the notes from all selected channels in the Step Sequencer to the Piano roll of each channel. Shuffle is preserved (see the Step Sequencer).

MENU BAR

Options Menu

Commands Channel - Add an instrument or generator plugin to the Channel Rack. Effect - Add an effect plugin to the Mixer. View plugin picker - Opens the Plugin Picker. Refresh plugin list - Scans for new VST plugins. Automation fo last tweaked parameter - Creates an Automation Clip for the last tweaked/moved parameter. Pattern - Creates a new Pattern. NOTE: See the Browser > Plugin Database section of the manual for tips on adding plugins to show here.

MENU BAR

Patterns Menu

The Pattern menu (previously on the Channel Window) swapped places with the Channel Options Menu at FL Studio 12.

Commands Pattern selector - Select (left side) and name, copy & work with patterns (right side) from this drop-down menu. Find first empty (

Shift + F4) - Find the first unused pattern

the list. Find next empty ( list. The (

F4) - Find the next unused pattern the

F4) is a good workflow habit when making new

patterns. Rename / recolor ( Press (

F2) - Opens the Pattern naming window.

F2) again to cycle Pattern colors. The selector can

be opened by clicking the square on the end of the rename window. NOTE To Gradient Color Channels make a selection by left-clicking and dragging down on the Channel Selectors and select from the Main Menus Channels > Color selected > Gradient Open in project browser (

Shift+Ctrl+P) - Open in Project

Browser. Opens the Browser Project Folder to show the current pattern. Insert one (

Shift+Ctrl+Ins) - Inserts a new empty Pattern

before the selected pattern. Clone ( Delete ( Move up (

Alt+C) - Makes a copy of the selected pattern after it. Del) - Deletes the selected pattern. Shift+Ctrl+Up arrow) - Moves the selected pattern

up one number in the Pattern selector list.

Move down (

Shift+Ctrl+Down) - Moves the selected pattern

down one number in the Pattern selector list. Split by channel - Creates a new pattern for each active Channel in the selected pattern. Patterns will be named according to the split Channel. To undo a split by channel - 1. Stack the Pattern Clips in an empty area of the Playlist making sure they are correctly aligned. 2. Select all patterns in the stack. 3. Use the 'Playlist Menu > Edit > Merge selected clips' 4. Delete the merged clip from the Playlist.

MENU BAR

View Menu

The View menu contains commands for showing/hiding and arranging FL Studio windows.

Windows Playlist (

F5) - Shows/hides the Playlist window.

Step Sequencer ( Piano roll ( Browser ( Mixer (

F6) - Shows/hides the Step Sequencer window.

F7) - Shows/hides the Piano roll window. F8) - Shows/hides the Browser window.

F9) - Shows/hides the Mixer window.

Channel settings - Shows/hides the Channel Settings window. Plugin picker (

F8) - Displays an array of plugins (effects left,

instruments right). To use the Plugin picker, click, hold and drag the icon associated with the plugin you want to use and the picker list will close. Drop the plugin on the target location inside FL Studio. See the Browser section of the manual for details on customizing the Plugin picker. Project picker (

Ctrl+F8) - Displays an array of Clips & Channels used

in a project and the relationship between them, notice the yellow ticks, when the Mouse Cursor is placed over an item. The main purpose of the Project Picker is to select items by clicking on them for use in the Playlist. Toolbars Select / Deselect Transport, Output monitor, CPU, Shortcut, Extra shortcut, Recording, Time, Online, Hint Bar panels. The Hint bar option displays an additional floating Hint Bar panel in the lower-left corner of the FL Studio interface. Lock - Locks the position of the Panels in the upper docking bar.

Layout Close all windows (

F12) - Closes all windows in FL Studio.

Close all unfocused windows (

Ctrl + F12) - Closes all unselected

(unfocused) windows . Align all channel editors (

Shift + F12) - Arranges all Channel plugin

windows to align to their top-left corners. NOTE: This will not work with 'Detached' plugins. Arrange windows Default

Shift+Ctrl+H) - Restores the default layout.

Alternate - Simply an alternate layout. Try it, you may like it :) Outside bottom taskbar - Extends the FL studio desktop so that it is under the Windows taskbar. Save current arrangement - Saves the current layout, to be used before changing screen resolution (i.e changing display size or rotating a tablet PC view). Background - Allows you to choose wallpaper for FL Studio main window. Set bitmap wallpaper - Allows you to use an image for the main window background. Set dynamic wallpaper / HTML document - Lets you choose a dynamic wallpaper or HTML document for the main window background. Dynamic wallpapers are in the format .txt can be edited using a standard text editor. They display FL Studio version information, blur when FL Studio is not focussed and adjust to suit the scaling settings.

Browser Undo history - Expands the history section in the Project Browser. Automation - Expands the history section in the Project Browser.

Generators in use - Expands the instruments section in the Project Browser. Effects in use - Expands the effects section in the Project Browser. Remote control - Expands the remote control section in the Project Browser. Plugin database - Opens the Plugin Database (

Shift+F8).

MENU BAR

Options Menu

The Options menu contains commands that set options in FL Studio.

System MIDI settings (

F10) - Shows/hides the MIDI Settings window.

Audio settings - Shows/hides the Audio Settings window. General settings - Shows/hides the General Settings window. File settings - Shows/hides the File Settings window.

Project Project info (

F11) - Shows/hides the Project Info window.

Project general settings - Shows/hides the Project Settings window.

MIDI Enable MIDI remote control - If unchecked, you will not be able to use MIDI remote control in FL Studio, but the device you use for remote control will be released for use in other applications you run simultaneously with FL Studio. Enable MIDI output - If unchecked, you will not be able to use MIDI output in FL Studio, but the device you use for output will be released for use in other applications you run simultaneously with FL Studio. Enable MIDI master sync - If checked, FL Studio will sync (as a master) with an external MIDI device or a sequencer. You can choose a device to sync with in the MIDI Settings window.

Switches

Typing keyboard to piano (

Ctrl+T) - When enabled, you can use

your typing keyboard to record notes as you would do with a real MIDI keyboard. Metronome (

Ctrl+M) - When enabled, you will hear a short

"metronome" sound at the beginning of each beat and an accent at the beginning of each bar. This is especially useful if you need to keep yourself synced with the song tempo when recording a melody from a MIDI keyboard. NOTE: For the metronome options (including Mixer track routing & changing the click-sound) see the Recording Panel page. Recording precount (

Ctrl+P) - When enabled, you will hear a series

of countdown metronome ticks before the start of a recording session. Start on input (

Ctrl+I) - When enabled, pressing the play button will

set FL Studio to waiting mode and actual playing/recording will begin when input data is received (e.g. when a key on the MIDI keyboard is pressed ). Blend recorded notes (

Ctrl+B) - When switched on, the notes you

record will blend with any already existing ones, otherwise recorded notes will overwrite the old ones. Step edit (

Ctrl+E) - Switches step recording on/off.

Loop record - Loop record continuously repeats the selection marked in the Playlist (Shift + Left-click and drag in the bar-marker region) to allow you to layer MIDI or audio data. For audio to be placed automatically in the Playlist on each loop, turn on 'Auto create audio clip' in the Mixer menu > 'Disk recording' options. Auto scrolling - Turns on/off the auto-scrolling feature in the Playlist and Piano roll. Enable groups - Enables Piano roll note and Playlist pattern grouping. Use the Piano roll & Playlist 'Group' menu option to group/ungroup selected notes/patterns. Multi-link to controllers (

Ctrl+J) - For more detail see the section

on Using External Hardware Controllers. To link multiple controls in one session, use the Multi-link option on the recording panel. Select the switch, tweak all the target controls, then tweak the same number of knobs on your hardware controller and turn off the switch (most people

can remember about 7 links, how good is your memory?).

MENU BAR

Tools Menu

The Tools menu contains useful tools for working with channels, patterns, effects and provides the ability to use external applications as tools inside FL Studio.

Commands Browser smart find (

Ctrl+F) - Searches the directories in the

Browser for any text entered here. One-click audio recording: I want to record audio... Into Edison audio editor/recorder - Loads Edison into the Master Mixer track and prompts for an audio input. See the Audio Recording section for advanced training (highly recommended). Into Playlist as an Audio Clip - Records audio from the Master Mixer track and prompts for an audio input. See the Audio Recording section for advanced training (highly recommended). Macros Patterns: Rename current pattern (

F2) - Launches the

pattern rename dialog. Jump to next empty pattern (

F4) - Switches to

the next pattern that does not contain any note events (either in the Step Sequencer or the Piano roll) in any channel. Panic: Stop sound (

Ctrl+H) - Stops all notes playing.

Cancel recording - Cancels the current recording and purges the .wav file. Misc: Prepare for performance mode - Prepares the project for use with performance mode and with view to live performance where audio underruns must be avoided. Modifications include: 1. Adding a Start marker to the Playlist to create the 'Performance Zone'. This zone defines triggerable clips. 2. Adding 16 Time markers to define column or rows of buttons, depending on the controller. 3. Switching on Play truncated notes in clips so that starting playback in the middle of a note will still sound that note. 4. Selecting Performance mode activating the performance zone. Switch smart disable for all plugins - This macro switches on 'Smart Disable' for all plugins (instruments & effects). The Smart Disable switch is found on the plugin wrapper menu. Smart Disable turns off plugins when they are idle and can significantly reduce CPU load. NOTE: Some plugins can cause audio glitches if disabled, so use the per-wrapper switch to turn smart disable off. There is also a global Smart Disable option on the F10 Audio settings panel. This ONLY flips the state of active Smart Disable wrapper settings. Inactive Smart Disable settings are not turned on by the Audio settings option, so use the Switch smart disable for all plugins here if you want all plugins to be disabled at idle. Prepare for MIDI export - Replaces all channels with auto-configured MIDI-out channels. Use this before rendering to MIDI. If you want the file to play on any audio interface using the inbuilt general MIDI (GM)

sounds then you will need to assign GM patches to each channel: 1. Load a Fruity LSD plugin into a Mixer track. 2. Set the various MIDI Out channels to the same port number as the LSD plugin. 3. From the MIDI Out Patch control, select general MIDI sounds that match as closely as possible your original channels. 4. Render to MIDI and the MIDI file will play on any audio interface with the correct GM sounds. NOTE: if you are making GM files from scratch you should build your song this way from the start. Select unused channels - Selects all channels that do not contain any notes (neither in the Step Sequencer or the Piano roll) in any pattern. Purge unused audio clips - Removes any Audio Clips that do not have associated note data or appear in the Playlist (i.e. are not being used in the current project. Riff machine - Opens the Riff machine, an automated score generation wizard. Opening the Riff Machine from the Tools menu, rather than from the Piano roll Menu will auto-create a channel, with a randomly chosen preset, from an Image-Line approved list of sounds. After all, you are in a creative slump and need all the help you can get!

Clipboard These options are grayed out if no data is available. Save audio clipboard to browser - Creates a .wav file of the current Audio Clip-board and saves it in \Data\Patches\Clipboard files of the FL Studio installation directory. Save MIDI clipboard to browser - Creates a .mid file of the current MIDI clip-board data and saves it in \Data\Patches\Clipboard files of the FL Studio installation directory.

Score logger Dump score log to selected pattern - Saves the contents of the score logger into the Piano roll of the selected pattern and channel. The score logger is always on and buffers all note activity from external controllers or typing keyboard to piano activity from the last 3 minutes. A copy of the current log can be dumped to the Piano roll at any time. Never lose that perfect improvisation again!

Last tweaked parameters Last tweaked - Several options that apply to the last tweaked parameter on any part of the GUI including plugin GUI's. NOTE: The last tweaked parameter name will be displayed at the top of the menu. Edit events - Opens the Event Editor for the last tweaked control. This data will be saved in the currently selected pattern. There are also sub-options to edit events in a 'new window' or in the integrated 'Piano roll' editor. Edit events in new window - If an Event Editor window is already open, this option will become available to allow you to edit a last tweaked parameter in a new event editor window. Edit events in piano roll - If a Piano roll is already open, this option will become available to allow you to edit a last tweaked parameter in a new Piano roll. Init song with this position - Defines the starting position for the control/knob when the song starts to play. You will need to press STOP, then PLAY, for this to take effect. Create automation clip - Creates an automation clip linked to the last moved knob. Link to controller - Opens the Remote control settings dialog that allows an external controller to be linked to the tweaked control. Copy value/Paste value - Allows you to copy and paste the values of knobs and other controls. Override volatile link - Creates a 'Generic floating-link'

between the last tweaked user interface parameter and the controller knob that was moved when the 'volatile link' was initiated. Endless knobs or a jog-wheels make good volatile target controllers. See the section on linking hardware controllers for more details. Before last tweaked - Several options that apply to the second last tweaked parameter on any part of the user interface including plugin user interface's. NOTE: The second last tweaked parameter name will be displayed at the top of the menu. See Last tweaked options.

External External tools... - Opens the External Tools dialog that allows you set external applications (wave editors, sample browsers, etc.) as tools in FL Studio.

MENU BAR

Help Menu

The Help menu contains commands for access to this reference system and other help documents.

Help Contents (

F1)- Opens this help system.

Registration Product information - Click here to find out more about Image-Line products. Paste registration key - For 'Box' customers. If you have not yet registered FL Studio via the internet, this will allow you to paste in your registration key that shipped with your Boxed version of FL Studio. Register access to website - Takes you to the 'MY ACCOUNT' section of the Image-Line website.

Internet links Create your own (music) website - A link to the homepage of EZ Generator

, Image-Line's web development program. And you thought

we only make music software? :) FL Studio diagnostic tool - A link to a Diagnostic Tool

to help tech-

support understand any problems you may be having. The tool also has some FLP recovery features to help you recover corrupted projects. FL Studio homepage - FL Studio

website

FL Studio tutorials - Links to the tutorials section

(videos, etc.) on the

FL Studio website. Image-Line - Global Image-Line

website, the mothership!

LAME .mp3 encoder homepage - Take you to the homepage of LAME .mp3 Encoder

. LAME .mp3 Encoder is integrated in FL Studio and can

be used to export .mp3 files. Despite the name, this is arguably the best quality encoder available. SoftVoice Text-to-Speech homepage - A link to the Softvoice Inc. website, the speech synth as used in FL Studio.

About About... - Opens the 'About' box to display version number, credits, program unlock etc. NOTE: You can unlock/register FL Studio from the About Box

MENU BAR

Favorites Section All open/import and save/export dialogs in FL Studio have a Favorites function to quickly jump to frequently used folders.

1. Favorites Combo Box - Contains a list with shortcuts to all favorite folders you have set. 2. Set As Favorite - Adds the current folder to the favorites. 3. Remove From Favorites - Removes the currently displayed folder in the combo box from the favorites list.

PANELS

Panels FL Studio panels are located at the top of the screen in the Tool Bar area, and provide quick access to many commands and options. Many of these commands are also available in FL Studio menus and windows.

Controls Moving panels - The panels behave much like standard Windows toolbar controls - they can be reordered in any way, undocked and docked to the top or bottom of the screen by dragging the handle located in the left side of each panel. NOTE: If panels are Locked they will not be movable, Right-click on the panel dock OR use the Menu > View > Toolbars and de-select 'Lock' if this is the case.

Display / Hide panels -To hide or show toolbar panels, Right-click on the background rail/dock strip and select from the pop-up menu OR use the Menu > View > Toolbars options. Panels that are visible are preceded by a check mark. Checking 'Lock' will lock the panels into position so that you can not move them by accident. Panel list Main Panel Transport Panel Recording Panel Time Panel Pattern Panel Output Monitor Panel Shortcut & Extra Shortcut Panels CPU & Memory Panel Online Panel Extended Hint Panel

PANELS

Main Panel The Main panel contains some essential controls for each application including the title bar, main menu bar, hint panel and the minimize/maximize/restore and close buttons. It also contains the global volume and pitch controls.

Controls Window control icons - Minimize, Restore (over task bar), Close controls for FL Studio's window: Minimize - Minimizes FL Studio to the Windows Task-bar. Click the icon there to restore the window. Restore - Right-click (

Alt+Enter) to Show/hide the Windows task bar.

Multi-monitor mode - Click the center control then click on the right-most edge of the FL Studio desktop and drag across the screens you want to occupy. Alternatively, a number of FL Studio windows can be detached from the desktop and moved to a different monitor. See the menus associated with the main FL Studio windows (e.g. Playlist, Piano roll, Mixer, etc.) and look for the 'Detached' option. Close (

Alt+F4) - Closes FL Studio. Right-click menu:

Stop playback Restore - Restores FL Studio to the maximized state. Minimize - Minimizes FL Studio to the task bar. Maximize - Maximizes FL Studio to fit the current monitor. Maximize for all monitors - Spreads FL Studio across all monitor screens. Exit - Exit FL Studio. Title Bar - Shows the name of the song currently open in FL Studio. Menu Bar - Provides access to the main menus in FL Studio. For more information, see the Menu Bar. Hint panel - If you place your cursor over any control a short description of it will appear here. The hint bar will also display the value of a wheel or slider during adjustment. There is an additional Extended Hint Panel, that displays the same information in a larger format. To select it, use the View Menu > Toolbars > Hint bar option. The Hint Bar is particularly useful. Position your cursor over any control and a short description will appear. If you click on a control, the value will be displayed (Right-click and copy any value from a control if desired). Similarly 'hovering' your cursor over most peak meters will show the value at the pointer position. On the right you will find different icons explaining what the hovered item is capable of: Icon display - From time to time you will see various icons: Recording - The parameter can be automated, recorded, respond to an envelope controller.

MIDI plug - The parameter can be linked to anything (a MIDI control, an internal controller etc)

Right mouse button - Whenever you see this, it means that you can Right-click the control in order to access a popup or other feature. However, the lack of this icon doesn't necessarily mean that there is no Right-click feature. Always try clicking a control with every mouse button. Happy face - Shown when things went fine (such as a successful search in the Browser).

Sad face - Shown when things went wrong. Rarely seen.

Attention/warning - Shown when the hint is important and you shouldn't miss it.

Clock - Shown for some lengthy operations. Rarely used, as the hourglass mouse cursor is used instead. Fast forward - Shown when holding a fast-forward key (Playlist, Edison)

rewind - Shown when rewinding/scrubbing (Playlist, Edison etc)

Arrow to the left - To be honest we can't remember where we used this one, or if it was *ever* used. Tell us if you see it, and what you were doing, we want to know! :) Group - Shown for 2 events that are linked (grouped) together.

NOTE: There is an optional, larger, floating Hint panel revealed by the View > Toolbars > Hint bar setting. Sync indicator - Used to indicate various controller and MIDI activity: MIDI Activity LED - Blinks when MIDI data is received from a controller/MIDI input device (see Linking Controllers). Colors: Orange - MIDI input handled. Input was received and was assigned to a Project-level link target. Blue - MIDI input received and was assigned to a Generic-level link target. Green - MIDI input unhandled. MIDI input received but was not used by anything (the futility!). Grey - Nothing detected. MIDI Sync - Blinks at the beginning of each beat and signals blue at the beginning of each bar. Note: The Sync LED works only when the Enable MIDI Output option in Options menu is checked. Main Volume - Main output volume from FL Studio. The main volume control provides quick level adjustments while listening to projects. However, when rendering projects, the main volume should be set at the default level (Right-click and select 'reset' to restore to the default value). See the help section on Levels and Mixing to learn how to set mixing levels in FL Studio. Main Pitch - Sets the main pitch of instruments in FL Studio. NOTE: You must select 'Enable main pitch' on Channel Settings for this to work on a per-channel basis.

PANELS

Transport Panel The Transport Panel contains controls for playing, recording and setting song position and tempo.

Controls Panel icons as shown: Metronome ( Ctrl+M) - When selected, a short 'metronome' sound will play at the beginning of each beat, accented at the beginning of each bar. This feature is especially useful when you need to keep performers 'synced' with the song tempo. Change metronome sound - Right-click the switch and select from the menu. Customize metronome - Replace \Program Files(x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\System\Metronome.wav, Metronome2.wav and/or Metronome3.wav with your own samples. If you do, make sure to back up the originals since you are likely to suck at making good metronome sounds, we on the other hand know what's best for you. Set Metronome Mixer channel - The metronome is routed to the 'Preview mixer track', set in the Audio Settings. The default preview mixer track is the Master (--). Re-routing the Metronome sound can be useful to adjust the metronome volume or send a separate clicktrack to performers via a Mixer track external mixer output (requires ASIO).

Wait for Input ( Ctrl+I) - When selected, pressing the play button will set FL Studio in waiting mode. Playing/recording begins at the moment input data is received (e.g. when a key is pressed on a MIDI keyboard). Right-click the LED to select whether you want this option active when playing or recording only.

Recording Count-in ( Ctrl+P) - The metronome will ticks before the start of a recording session. Right-click to select the number of bars to countdown.

Blend recording (overdub) ( Ctrl+B) - When selected, recorded notes will blend with existing notes, otherwise recorded notes will overwrite the old ones. Recorded audio in the Playlist will be layered into new tracks (works in conjunction with 'Loop record' below).

Loop Recording - Enable this option to loop-record a Pattern, Piano roll (or Piano roll time selection), Playlist (or Playlist time selection) indefinitely until the stop button is clicked. Overdub MIDI/Note or Audio data on each loop. For detailed instructions on audio overdubs see Loop Recording

Pattern/Song mode ( L) - Switch between pattern and song mode. In pattern mode, only the current pattern is played, while in song mode the whole sequence in the Playlist is played. Right-clicking this control toggles the Playlist window. For more on working with Patterns and how they are used, see the section in the Channel Rack about managing patterns and Arranging Workflow.

Play/Pause ( Ctrl + Space) - Press the button once to play, again to pause. To Play/Stop use ( Space). When the record button is armed, pressing Play starts the recording process. NOTE: There are also play buttons on the top bar of the Piano roll, Channel Rack / Step Sequencer and Playlist to aid workflow.

Stop ( Space) - Stops playback or recording. To pause playback use ( Space). Right-click the Stop button to show the start location option:

Remember seek time - After pressing stop or (

Ctrl +

Space), Play will

start from the selected position (click on the Playlist time-line to select).

Record ( R) - Switches between record and play mode. Right-click the Record button to show the Recording Filter options (all items with a tick will be recorded, Left-click to select items):

Automation - Record movements of knobs, sliders and switches by the mouse or from controllers. Turn this off if you want to adjust mixer track volumes, generator settings, etc. while recording external audio and you don't want those movements recorded. Score - Record note data from keyboards, etc. Turn this off if you want to accompany a vocalist, for example, but don't want to record your keyboard performance. Audio - Record audio. Clips - Record Playlist Clips as triggered when in Performance Mode. These will be saved after the 'Start' Time Marker. Recording starts playback - Pressing the record button will start the project playing. Tempo (larger digits) - Shows/sets song tempo (10 - 522 BPM). To change the tempo of individual patterns, edit the Piano roll data and or number of Stepsequencer steps for that Pattern so the new tempo is achieved. To set the Time signature use the Project General Settings. Tempo fine tune (smaller digits) - This control lets you fine tune the tempo of the current project in units of 1/1000 bpm. The value set here will be added to the base tempo. Note that it's not recommended to use that setting when starting a new song (it is better to use a whole number for your tempo). However, it can be used to match the exact speed of another song to be mixed in a FL Studio project (for making using existing sampled loops, 'cover songs', etc). Right-click the LCD screen for some tempo presets & commands:

Automation and linking - The usual automation controls such as Edit events, Create automation clip, Copy and Paste value etc. Tap - The project can be playing when you launch the tap tool. Click the

tap icon repeatedly with the desired tempo in mind. The tempo will start to adjust after the second click with a bar indicator showing the ideal number of taps.

+/- nudge - Hold the buttons to temporarily speed or slow the project tempo to sync with some other live source. On release the tempo returns to the set speed OR with the Tap Tempo open pitch bend from your MIDI controller will act as a smooth nudge. Nudge is most useful where you know the tempo of the other audio source but the beats are out of sync or phase. Simply nudge to sync/phase. Sync - With 'Sync' on each tap will reset the downbeat, so audio clips are repitched to allign their time. One tap alone can be used to reallign FL playback to external audio for example. This only works if your Audio Clips are already synced/locked to the grid beforehand. When enabled Audio Clips will repitch to align their beat to the grid as the Tap Tempo changes. Turn off 'Sync' in the Tap window if you dont want it to alter the playback of whats currently in the playlist. For example you can drop an unsynced Audio Clip onto the Playlist and tap along to find its tempo with Sync off. Mute - For use with Performance Mode, the project will be muted when tapping starts then automatically fade in over the next few taps when (presumably) the tempo is more stable and at the desired speed. The fade-in allows you to clearly hear the other live source to get your tapping in sync and avoids the worst case out-of-sync live playback. Now - Mute now, for a few bars. 80bpm-160bpm - Some commonly used tempo presets. Half speed - Play the song at half the current BPM setting. The value shown in the Tempo field does not change when 'Half speed' is set. This is a temporary state to make it easier to record difficult note/event

performances, making it easier to switch back to the original tempo was after you are done.

Song position slider - Shows/sets the current song position. Click and drag to move.

PANELS

Output Monitor Panel The Output Monitor panel contains controls for monitoring the audio output of FL Studio.

NOTE: For more visualization options see Wave Candy.

Options Right-click the Oscilloscope area to set the following options: Oscilloscope - Shows the waveform output from FL Studio. Stereo - Stereo or Single line display. Long - Stationary or scrolling oscilloscope. Spectrograph - Shows the frequency spectrum output from FL Studio. Low frequencies left, high frequencies to the right. NOTE: The output is scaled so that Pink noise

produces a flat spectrum. Pink noise has equal

power for each octave. Mixing to this principle is considered to create a 'balanced' mix. Peak Meter - Monitors the final output of FL Studio (place your mouse over the peak meter to read the values in the Hint Bar). If the bars turn red your project is clipping, not good. To learn more about clipping and setting

levels in FL Studio see the section on Levels and Mixing.

PANELS

CPU & Memory Panel The CPU & Memory Panel displays the CPU, polyphony & memory usage for the project. See the

CPU Panel videos here

.

Controls CPU Meter - When this meter nears 100%, FL Studio's audio output will glitch and crackle (known as an underrun). The meter shows the approximate percentage of your CPUs real-time capacity needed to generate audio to fill each audio buffer, compared to the buffer length. For example, 20% means FL Studio can fill the buffer in 20% of the time available, plenty capacity to spare. 90% means FL Studio only has 10% more time than it needs to fill the buffer, and so is close to running out of time. Once FL Studio needs more time to fill the buffer than the buffer is long, we will have gaps in the audio (glitches, stuttering and related rude noises). For tips on reducing CPU usage see the Troubleshooting section. Right-click - To increase the refresh rate, Right-click the view to open an options menu. Memory Meter - The options for this meter depend on which version of FL Studio you are using. NOTE: See the section 'RAM vs Address Space' below, it's important stuff! Memory address space is not RAM. FL Studio 64 Bit - The meter shows the memory address space in use. You can use up to 8 TB for 64 Bit

programs

depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows

.

FL Studio 32 Bit - The Memory meter shows how much of the (2 GB to 4GB) of memory address space

available to FL Studio

remains unused or used (Right-click the panel to change

mode between 'Show available' & 'Show used'). 32-Bit programs can access a maximum of 4 GB 'memory address space

'. If you run out of this memory you can get errors such

as access violations or buffer overflows

. If so, see 'FL Studio

32 Bit Memory Management' below. CPU Graph - Shows the CPU usage as a running graph, so that you can track changes and observe spikes. Right-click to change the update speed. NOTE: See the section 'multi-core CPUs' below. Polyphony - Shows number of voices (independent sounds) being mixed at the same time. The Miscellaneous Channel Settings have some perchannel controls to set maximum polyphony.

RAM vs Memory Address Space The values shown in the CPU panel are not RAM, they are memory address space

. The amount of RAM

your PC has does not restrict how much memory

programs can use. Adding more RAM to your PC does not give FL Studio more memory to play with. Each program is allocated working memory address space by the operating system where it can save and retrieve working data. 32 Bit programs max out at 4 GB per program (although there are workarounds, see 'FL Studio 32 Bit Memory Management' below). 64 Bit programs can access up to 8 TB per program. If there are 4 programs running, there could be 16 GB (32 Bit) to 32 TB (64 Bit) of memory in use between them. As noted, the amount of RAM your PC has nothing to do with this. But there is a catch: Why we need RAM - If there is not enough RAM to hold the data in working memory, the Operating System shares the available RAM among the active programs and makes up for any shortfall by putting the remaining data in a file, on the hard drive, acting as an extension to RAM. If this happens the working memory for FL Studio may be located on your physical RAM (winner!), the harddrive Page File

(loser) or a combination of the two (win some lose some). It

should be clear that the more physical RAM you have, the more likely it is FL Studio will always win the RAM allocation 'lottery' and have all working data stored in RAM. As physical RAM is much faster than the hard-drive, FL Studio will run faster and be less likely to experience buffer underruns as audio data is swapped (slowly) off the hard-disk.

See a video on this topic here

.

Why show 'available' memory for FL Studio 32 Bit and not FL Studio 64 Bit - As 32 Bit programs have access to 4 GB of memory, it's quite possible you will exceed that amount. In this case, available memory would drop to 0. If this happens FL Studio will probably crash or start behaving unpredictably, so it

matters. FL Studio 64 Bit has access to 8 TB of memory (8000 GB). You will never use that much memory. It's not useful to know that you have 7.936 TB available (64 GB in use). We do show how much memory is used so you can compare that to how much RAM you have, for the reasons discussed above.

Multi-core CPU Processing If you open the Windows Task Manager

and examine the number of cores

used and their relative loading you may wonder why your CPU seems to be under-utilized. This may come as a surprise since some marketing departments make a lot of noise about their multi-core 'optimizations'. What controls core assignment? - The Windows Scheduler

is responsible for the core assignment,

not FL Studio. To complicate matters even single-core applications may use several CPU cores if Windows decides to flip core-assignments at some point, and it often does. So what can you do to improve multi-core performance? Create multi-core compatible projects - Make sure that your highest CPU using plugins are routed to independent Mixer Tracks without shared 'Send' Channels. Multi-core CPUs need computational tasks that can be run simultaneously and so split across cores. Each Mixer Track represents an 'opportunity' to create these independent, parallel, processing paths. Each unit in the audio chain from the instrument through to the Mixer track and the effects must be processed in sequence on the same core. If one mixer track is linked to another, then all the instruments and effects on both Mixer Tracks now have a dependency and can't be split across cores efficiently. Testing - If you are testing and comparing CPU loads it is the number of plugins and/or effects that can be processed without buffer underruns. The FL Studio internal CPU meter best reflects this measure (see above). Don't obsess about how cores are used, particularly at low CPU levels, since the Scheduler will try to reduce power consumption by parking (switching off) cores at low CPU load and then turn everything on and even out this distribution as CPU load approaches 100%. See some more information here See the

tutorial video here

.

.

FL Studio 64 Bit Memory Management To use the 64 Bit version of FL Studio, run the ..\FL Studio\FL64.exe executable file. We recommend using the 64 Bit version of FL Studio if you have made the switch to a 64 Bit VST library and or you have projects using more than 4 GB. Memory - You can use up to 512 GB depending on your version of 64

Bit Windows

without any bridging or other work-arounds as used in the

32 Bit version of FL Studio (shown in the section above). Audio file size - This release will not allow you to record or load a single audio file (nor will Edison) that exceeds 2 GB. 32 Bit bridge - FL Studio 64 Bit will automatically 'bridge' 32 Bit plugins. Bridging loads the 32 Bit plugin in a special 'wrapper' that translates between the 32 Bit and 64 Bit memory standard of the plugin and host (FL Studio). NOTE: - Ideally you should restrict use of 32 Bit plugins to FL Studio 32 Bit and 64 Bit plugins to FL Studio 64 Bit. In practice we know this isn't always possible, but keep in mind that bridging adds a small CPU load and the bridge can be another point of failure where a plugin can crash. If you have trouble with a 32 Bit bridged plugin, please report it to Tech Support and try to use the 64 Bit version if one is available. NOTE: You must be using Windows 64 Bit to run FL64.exe. The 64 Bit executable is installed to '..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL64.exe' rather than '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL64.exe' as is usually the case for 64 Bit programs.

FL Studio 32 Bit Memory Management If you are using the 32 Bit version of FL Studio, the options below will allow you to use more than 4 GB of memory, according to your Windows version

:

1. Remove samples & instruments from FL Studio 32 Bit memory allocation 'Keep on disk' and 'Bridged mode' will significantly lower the memory required by FL Studio. Together they will allow you to run projects to the limits of your PC's capability and operating system (32 or 64 Bit). Keep on disk - Open large Audio Clips and/or Sampler Channels and select 'Keep on disk' located on the 'SMP' tab. To automatically 'Keep on disk' select 'Auto keep long audio on disk' on the F10 General Options, save then re-load your project. NOTE: The sample data must be 16 or 32 Bit format for the 'Keep on disk' option to be available. When selected the maximum memory available to each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel will be 2 GB. Bridged mode for VSTs - Open the Wrapper PROCESSING tab and

select the 'Bridged' option. Bridging moves the plugin, along with its memory requirements, to a separate process from FL Studio. The maximum memory available to the plugin will be at least 2 GB for 32 Bit Windows

and up to 8 TB depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows

. This mode is most beneficial for samplers and/or ROMpler plugins that consume large amounts of memory loading their sample-banks. NOTE: Ideally you should restrict use of 32 Bit plugins to FL Studio 32 Bit and 64 Bit plugins to FL Studio 64 Bit. In practice we know this isn't always possible, but keep in mind that bridging adds a small CPU load and the bridge can be another point of failure where a plugin can crash. If you have trouble with a 64 Bit bridged plugin, please report it to Tech Support and use the 32 Bit version if one is available.

2. Increase FL Studio 32 Bit working memory allocation Increasing FL Studio working memory allocation - There is an 'FL.exe' file in the FL Studio installation directory. Using this to start FL Studio after making the following changes to your Windows operating system will give FL Studio access to 3 GB or 4 GB (up from 2 GB) depending on your OS: Windows 8, 7 & Vista - 64 Bit: FL Studio will automatically have access to 4 GB of RAM when the '..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL.exe' is used to start FL Studio. 1. Make a Windows Desktop shortcut to the extended memory FL Studio executable '..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL.exe' and use that to start FL Studio in future. Windows 8, 7 & Vista - 32 Bit - Use the 3 GB switch

to access 3 GB

of RAM. Enable the 3 GB switch: 1. From Windows Start browse to Programs > Accessories and Right-click the Command Prompt file. Click 'Run as Administrator'. 2. In the Command prompt window, type bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072 and press enter on your keyboard. Allow the change to be made when security windows appear.

3. Restart the computer. 4. Make a Windows Desktop shortcut to the extended memory FL Studio executable '..\Program Files\ImageLine\FL Studio\FL.exe' and use that to start FL Studio in future. Disable the 3 GB switch: 1. From Windows Start browse to Programs > Accessories and Right-click the Command Prompt file. Click 'Run as Administrator'. 2. In the Command prompt window, enter bcdedit /deletevalue IncreaseUserVa and press enter on your keyboard. Allow the change to be made when security windows appear. 3. Restart the computer. 4. Remember to use the original FL Studio executable '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL.exe' in future. Windows XP 32 Bit - Use the 3 GB switch in XP

to access 3 GB of

RAM. 1. WARNING: Don't attempt the following unless you are confident working with Windows system files. Edit the Boot.ini file

. The Boot.ini is an essential system file so we strongly

recommend saving a copy of the 'Boot.ini' file as 'OriginalBoot.ini' prior to mucking about with it. Add a '/3GB

' switch

command to the end of the boot-script in the 'Boot.ini' file and save. 2. Restart the computer. 3. Make a Windows Desktop shortcut to the extended memory FL Studio executable '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\FL.exe' and use that to start FL Studio in future. 32 Bit Troubleshooting: Driver conflicts - Driver may not be loaded with the

/3GB switch Tuning of user memory space - How to use the /userva switch with the /3GB switch to tune the Usermode space to a value between 2 GB and 3 GB NOTE: From FL Studio 11 onward the 'FL (extended memory).exe' has been renamed 'FL.exe' and is the default executable after installation.

3. Use the FL Studio 64 Bit version Open the ..\FL Studio\FL64.exe executable file and load your project. The 64 Bit version of FL Studio has no memory limitations, apart from those that apply to 64 Bit Windows

. 32 Bit plugins will be automatically bridged to 64 Bit, although

we recommend using 64 Bit versions of plugins in the 64 Bit version of FL Studio, where possible. NOTE: If you are using Windows 32 Bit then FL Studio 64 Bit won't run on your computer.

GLOBAL

Shortcut Panels There are three Shortcut panels to provide quick access to frequently used functions. You can add any number of functions to each panel. Turn panels on or off by Right-clicking on the toolbar and selecting them or from the Menu > View > Toolbars.

NOTE: Dragging content over the main window buttons (Playlist, Channel Rack, Piano roll) will bring these windows to the front if they are not already visible.

Options Right-click panels to select options. NOTE: Some buttons also have Right-click alternative actions these are indicated after the /. View Playlist (

F5) - Shows/hides the Playlist window. Right-click to maximize Playlist.

View Piano roll (

F7) - Shows/hides the Piano roll window. Right-click to maximize Piano roll.

View Channel Rack / Step Sequencer (

View Mixer (

F6) - Shows/hides the Channel Rack / Step Sequencer window.

F9) - Shows/hides the Mixer window.

View Browser ( the Plugin Picker.

Alt+F8) / Plugin picker (

Open Project picker ( Plugin Picker. Open Plugin picker ( Project Picker.

F8) - Shows/hides the Browser window. Right-click to open

Ctrl+F8) / Plugin Picker (

F8)/ Project picker (

F8) - Project picker explained. Right-click to open the

Ctrl+F8) - Open the Plugin Picker. Right-click to open the

View Tap Tempo - Open the Tempo Tapper.

Arrange - Opens the View > Layout > Arrange windows options.

Save As ( Ctrl+Shift+S) - Shortcut for the Save As command in File menu. Flashing? The button flashes as a 'save reminder' after 5 minutes, then at 10 min and every 30 sec after 10 min, be afraid, very afraid!...or just save more often. Using the keyboard shortcut ( Ctrl+N) will save a 'new' version of your project, even better. Render as Audio File ( Ctrl+R) - Opens the render options for saving the project to an audio file (wav or MP3). Open Audio Editor - Left-click to open the Edison audio editor, Right-click to open a new instance of Edison. Dragging and dropping an audio file (from the Browser onto this button will open the file in a new instance of Edison. One-click Recording - Opens the external audio recording 'wizard' to help you record audio from your audio interface inputs. NOTE: Don't record through the Master Mixer track otherwise all project audio is mixed with your external audio input.

View Project Info (

Control key (

Alt key (

Ctrl) - Ctrl key function. Useful for touch.

Alt) - Alt key function. Useful for touch.

Shift key (

Cut (

F11) - Open the Project Info, where you can enter details about the name, author, etc.

Shift) - Shift key function. Useful for touch.

Ctrl+X) - Activates the cut function for the selected editor window, Piano roll or Playlist.

Paste ( Ctrl+V)/ Duplicate ( Ctrl+B) - Activates the Paste or Right-click Duplicate function for the selected editor window, Piano roll or Playlist. Last Tweaked control - Opens a large control designed for use with touch. This will be automatically linked to the last tweaked (moved) UI control. Undo (

Ctrl+Z)/ History - Undo the last command. Right-click the button to open the History in the Browser.

Add menu - Opens the Add Menu to add Channels, Effects etc.

Help (

F1) - Opens the Help (you are reading it right now). Right-click to see FL Studio's 'About panel'.

PANELS

Recording Panel The Recording panel sets some recording related options and contains the global snap selector.

Controls Panel icons as shown: Typing keyboard to Piano keyboard ( Ctrl+T) - When selected, your typing keyboard will function as a musical (MIDI) keyboard. Right-click options: Octave - Base octave for mapping the keyboard keys. NOTE: If you are using multi-sample based instruments make sure the Channel Settings option 'Add to key' is selected. Standard keyboard layouts - Piano or Janko

. The first image below shows the

standard 'Piano' layout:

This is the Performance Mode layout used to trigger Clips, tracks refer to Playlist tracks.

Special key maps - Other settings such as 'Blues', 'Major...', 'Minor...' etc. set the Typing keyboard to play in the given Key and/or Chords. 'FPC (C4)' and 'Slicex (C4)' are designed to work with the respective plugins.

Auto Scroll - Switches on the 'auto scroll' function for the Event Editor, Piano roll, Playlist and Step Sequencer when the play position marker moves outside the visible window. The Auto Scroll switch is linked to the ( Scroll Lock ) key on your keyboard and will reset to the 'on' condition each time FL Studio starts (unless the keyboard Scroll Lock is on). Multi-link controllers - Select the Multilinking icon to start the multi-link process that allows you to link multiple interface controls to MIDI hardware or internal controllers. Tweak some software controls, tweak the same number of hardware knobs and they will link in the same order the software controls were tweaked. Controller movements can then be recorded if desired. Permanent links - Multi-links can be permanently remembered by FL Studio using the 'Override generic links' option (see below). Browser linking - When 'Multilink' is checked, selecting plugin parameters in the Current project browser adds them to the multilink. The Right-click menu provides the following multi-target options: Edit events - Opens an Event Editor for each interface control tweaked. Turn on the switch, tweak controls then select this option. Init song with these positions - When play is pressed each tweaked control will adopt the value it was set to. Turn on the switch, tweak controls, then select this option. Create automation clips - Creates Automation Clips for each tweaked controller. Turn on the switch, tweak controls, then select this option. Link to controllers - Starts the linking process. Override generic links - Creates permanent global links between your controller, FL Studio and plugins. Established links will become active only when the window or plugin hosting the software control is focused (click anywhere on the window / plugin to focus the interface). NOTES: Formulas & smoothing: Generic links do not support mapping formulas & smoothing. Temporary links have higher priority and will replace the generic links for the current session/project. Controller type: Links made with the multilink function will only work as expected from a controller of the same type. Selecting a new controller may result in unexpected links between the controller, FL Studio & plugins. MIDI channels: Up to 16 separate MIDI controllers can be used simultaneously. To link multiple controllers select unique MIDI channels for each controller prior to initiating the multilink process (don't forget to enable each controller in the MIDI settings). The multilink process remembers both the MIDI CC and MIDI channel of the link. Randomize - Randomizes the values of any tweaked controls. Turn on the switch, tweak controls, then select this option.

Humanize - Adds a small random variation to any tweaked controls. Turn on the switch, tweak controls, then select this option. Cancel - Stop the linking process and forget all links. Step Editing ( Ctrl+E) - Switches step entry allows you to step-wise enter notes into the Piano roll. See the link for details. Note / Clip Grouping - Enables / Disables Piano roll note and Playlist pattern grouping. Use the Piano roll & Playlist 'Group' menu option to group/ungroup selected notes/patterns. Last tweaked - Large pop-up control showing the last-tweaked parameter. You can add a button to open this control from the Shortcut PanelDesigned primarily for touch:

Global Snap Selector - Selects the Snap value applied to the Piano roll, Playlist and Event Editor when the local Snap (found on each of these windows) is set to 'Main'. Right-click the selector to select the default note length from the popup menu. Input quantizing The settings on the Global snap determine MIDI input quantizing. That is notes played on a controller keyboard will snap to the value selected here during a MIDI recording. NOTE: The snap options (none), Line & Cell are not input quantized. The snap options are: Line - Events snap to the nearest grid-line, notice that the grid changes resolution as the Piano roll, Playlist or Event Editor are Zoomed horizontally. Cell - Events snap to the start of the grid-cell they fall in. (none) - No snapping. Movement is limited only by the Project Timebase (PPQ) setting (F11). NOTE: Snapping can be temporarily disabled by holding the Alt key when dragging events. Steps 1/6 to 1 (step) - Absolute grid values equal to the nominated fraction of a step. Beats 1/6 to 1 (beat) - Absolute beats values equal to the nominated fraction of a beat. Bar - 1 bar.

PANELS

Time Panel The Time panel displays the song time in bars or real-time.

Options Mode Bar : Beat/Step : Tick - Time is displayed in Bar format. NOTE: The number of beats-per-bar, steps per beat and PPQ (tick length) is set in the Song Settings. Step/Beat switch (S/B) - Choose what the center digits display. This option applies to bar display mode only. Minute : Second : Centisecond - Time format. Note: Centiseconds are 1/100th of a second.

PANELS

Online Panel

! "

Controls The Online panel has two functions: Online news-feed - The panel will display news and announcements from ImageLine but will not activate until it is clicked for the first time. Windows may warn you that a program is trying to access the internet. This is normal as the News Panel works by displaying an Image-Line managed RSS (internet) feed

inside FL Studio.

Keep an eye on the News Panel for updates and new content. The News Panel will not communicate with the RSS feed when the panel is hidden or disabled (see below). Of course, you need an active internet connection to use this function. To open the panel - Left-click the panel menu to display the drop-down menu of news and announcements from Image-Line. The newest item is displayed at the top of the list and is visible in the panel when the menu is closed. To select an item - Left-click it. To activate/deactivate the panel - click the 'Enable online news' option at the bottom of the list. Content Library - Open the Content Library by clicking the icon as shown above. For more information see the dedicated Content Library help.

PANELS

Extended Hint Panel The extended Hint Panel appears in the lower-left corner of the FL Studio desktop. It relays the same information shown in the Main Hint Bar including knob/slider values as the targets are manipulated and help-hints for objects when the mouse cursor is placed over them. The extended Hint Panel is transparent to mouse clicks so that objects beneath it can be manipulated.

Controls Information - If you place your cursor over any control, a short description will appear in hint area. When a control is moved its value will be displayed. To open/close the Hint bar, select the View Menu > Toolbars > Hint bar option. To move - First make sure to select View > Toolbars and uncheck 'Lock'. Then move the mouse cursor to the center of the progress circle (the hit bar will fade slightly when you move over it and a cross cursor should appear). Next, click hold and drag the Extended hint bar to a new location. On larger displays the empty tool-bar area along the top has proven popular.

BROWSER

Browser

! !

The File Browser provides access to projects, samples, preset libraries & VST plugins. There are 3 tabs along the top that focus important sections including All, the Current Project and Plugin database.

Browser controls Using the Browser (working with content) Adding your own folders The Current project data The Plugin Database (VSTs and favorite plugins lists) NOTE: The browser can be detached to a separate window or docked on the right side of the FL Studio desktop.

Browser Controls Browser Menu - Options menu including search functions. The options here are discussed in more detail in the 'Browser Menu' section below. Collapse structure - Collapses all expanded folders in the Browser window.

Refresh content - Rereads the contents of all folders in the Browser. Click this button to see any new files and folders that were created after FL Studio was started. Search - Search all folders for files.

Browser Snapshot - Remembers Browser state for quick recall. To save a Browser state click on the down-arrow select a slot to hold the configuration, open the Browser to state you want. All, Current project, Plugin database - As shown below. Snap 4 to 9 - Slots dynamically remember the last Browser state open while they were selected. You can rename these slots and add an icon in the same manner as default categories (All, Current project and Plugin database). Select a 'Snap slot' and click Rename / color from the bottom of the menu to enter a name and select an icon. Auto (scroll) - Automatically opens the Browser based on the function/plugin/focus in FL Studio. Focusing the plugin opens its presets, focusing the mixer opens mixer presets, focusing the Playlist/Piano roll/Event Editor & switching patterns opens the project patterns, undoing/redoing opens the project history and linking a knob to a controller opens the project remote control folder. Rename - Renames the Snap 1 to 4 state slots. Frozen - Freezes the currently selected slot and protects it from change. The slot will display a tick mark when frozen. Minimize - Reduces the Browser to the Caption bar. See also Menu > View > Auto hide browser.

Close - Closes the Browser, as does (

Alt+F8).

All - Shows all content including the following two categories.

Current project - Shows data associated only with the currently loaded project. The Remote control folder holds all Automation data created or recorded. Plugin database - Manage FL Studio and VST plugins. You can right-click 'scan', 'favorite' and delete plugins. NOTES: The Divider - Left-click to drag the divider to change the width of the Browser. The divider can snap to a second position, move the divider to the desired location then Right-click to swap between the new and/original location. Pop-out file-name view - File names obscured by the right edge of the Browser can be read by placing the mouse cursor over the item. Scroll bar - Click & drag or click to focus and scroll mouse-wheel. Quick Zoom - Hold Shift + Scroll -wheel.

Working with content Load files - Most items can be dragged from the Browser onto a compatible location in FL Studio (FL desktop, Plugin, Channel, Mixer, Edison, etc). Alternatively, Right-click an item to 'send' it to a particular location. See below for details: Drag and drop - Most items may be dragged from the Browser (Left-click, hold & drag)

to the desired target in FL Studio and they will be loaded automatically. For example; Instrument presets from folders or Instruments from the Plugin Picker can be dragged to Channels OR better, Mixer tracks to automatically set a routing to that track. Effects to Mixer tracks or FX slots. Samples to the Playlist to create Audio Clips or to Instruments that support samples (see note below). Projects onto the FL Studio desktop to open them. Send to selected Channel - Three good options are: Right-click menu - Right-click the item in the Browser and select 'Send to selected channel' to load samples or instruments in the selected Channel. Middle mouse button (often the mouse scroll-wheel is clickable) - Loads compatible content on the selected Channel. Step through items in a folder - The (

Shift + Up / Down Arrow) keys will step

forward and backward through the items in the folder and send them to the selected channel or last touched window. This is particularly useful for trying out various samples in the Channel Sampler, more so if you have content sorted into folders of a particular type, e.g. Kicks, Snares etc. Swap samples while the Project is playing. Method: 1. Select the Channel, plugin or click on the window. 2. Click on the first item in the Browser list, then start stepping using the ( Shift + Up / Down Arrow) keys.

Delete files - Right-click the file and select 'Delete'. Preview samples - Many items (.mp3, .ogg, .wav files) can be previewed in the Browser by Leftclicking on them. The Preview mixer track is set in the F10 > Audio Settings > Mixer preview track field (see note below). NOTE: Wav files may contain tempo and tempo-sync meta-data. This will be read by FL Studio if the General settings > 'Read sample tempo information' option is selected. If this information is used the preview will be time-stretched to match the tempo of the project and the sample may be similarly stretched when loaded into the Playlist. This can cause unexpected behavior if the tempo data saved in the sample is wrong. You can load any samples into Edison and open the File properties dialog to change the value of any incorrectly tagged samples. Docking - The Browser can be docked to either the left or right side of the main window, by dragging it to either side of the screen. Click and drag on the word 'Browser' in the header bar. See video here Can't see the Browser? - Turn it on using the Shortcut panel or press (

Alt+F8).

Add folders - See how to add folders here. Auto-open Browser folders - Auto open related folders as plugins are selected, select 'Browser Snapshot > Auto'. Important project folder - The Current project folder will show all data associated with the

currently loaded project. Useful for finding unwanted automation or initialized controls. Backup - The Backup settings are on the FILE tab on the System Settings dialog. Windows Explorer - Right-click folders and select Windows shell menu > Open. here

See video

.

More tutorial videos here -

The Browser Video Tutorial Playlist

.

FL Studio project files FL Studio project files can be saved to one of two formats: FL Studio project file (*.flp) - To open Right-click and select 'Open', middle-click the mousewheel or drag-n-drop on the FL Studio desk top. Project files contain the data that belongs to your project, including notes and sequencer data, patches and settings for all instruments, FX and channels, but does NOT include sample data (use .zip project files for that). Sample data locations are saved, and these will be scanned when the project is opened for the correct sample data. If the samples can't be found there FL Studio will search all custom folders added to the Browser. If you want to skip this extended search, press and hold ESC when you see the loading icon in the Hint bar. Zipped project file (*.zip) - To open Right-click and select 'Open', middle-click the mousewheel or drag-n-drop on the FL Studio desktop. Zipped project files include all the data of the .flp file (see above), plus samples used by Audio Clips, Channel Samplers etc. It will not save VST plugins themselves OR samples used by 3rd party VST plugins. The .zip format is the same compression standard as used by 3rd party applications. The file contains the .flp project plus sample data. When opening a .zip file, FL Studio will automatically decompress it, load the .flp project and any samples. Zipped files are a great way to archive an important projects or to share them with collaborators, even if the project uses non-FL Studio samples. NOTE: To export your project as an audio file (.wav, .mp3 or .ogg) use the File menu > Export option.

Browser Menu The Browser menu contains the following options Search - Searches for files and folders using non-case sensitive searching. To cancel a search, press Esc. Find (

Alt+F) - Type in a search string after selecting this option. The exact phrase will

be searched. Smart find (

Ctrl+F) - Allows the use of advanced search functions. Wildcards:

'sytr*' will find 'sytrus', 's*us' will find 'sytrus' or 'stylus'. TIPS: Use extensions ('searchword.flp' to search for flp's, etc). To include the 'Projects' folder in your search use the string 'projects' to your search as the project folder is not searched by default. Smart find in the selected folder... ( Find previous ( Find next (

Shift+F) - As above but for the selected folder.

F2) - Jumps to the previous item of the same search type.

F3) - Jumps to the next item of the same search type.

Navigation history Previous ( Next (

Backspace) - Return to the previous folder/item.

Shift+Backspace) - Jump to the next folder/item.

Actions Send previous to selected channel (

Shift+Up Arrow) - Step up the list and send the

file to the selected Channel. Send next to selected channel (

Shift+Down Arrow) - Step down the list and send the

file to the selected Channel. View Size - Changes the size of the font and spacing according to Compact, Normal, Large, Huge & Humorous options. Autohide - The Browser will autohide and pop out when you move your mouse to the Browser location (usually left of the screen). To stop the FL Studio workspace moving you can click on the Browser header area and drag it to the right side of the screen. You can also use this method to undock the Browser and drop it anywhere on the screen. Show only one folder content - Only one folder will be open at a time. Show only opened folders - Allows the content of only open folders to be shown. Show folder icons - Displays an icon for each folder in the Browser tree. Show images - Shows the Plugin database plugin icons. Show file extensions - Shows file extensions such as .wav, .mp3, etc. Show unknown file types - Displays files not natively supported by FL Studio. You may be able to drag and drop these on 3rd party plugins for example. Sort by - Name, Type, Date or Group. Sort by Group - This option sorts folders or files according to the order specified by XYZ.nfo files in the ..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\ directory, where XYZ = any folder or file name. Inside the .nfo file put the command SortGroup=1 to N. 1 will appear at the top while N is the last file to be sorted toward the top of the Browser. Unsorted files will appear below these as usual. Structure Collapse structure (

Ctrl+Up) - Collapses all expanded folders in the Browser

window. Reread structure (

Ctrl+R) - Rereads the contents of all folders in the Browser. Click

this button to see any new files and folders that were created after FL Studio was started. Current snapshot - Repeats Snap options (shown above). Configure extra folders - Opens the 'Extra search folders' dialog from the Options menu (F10). Use this to specify folders outside the FL Studio Installation path that hold your plugins, samples, projects, etc. Refresh plugin list - Scans for newly installed plugins, see here for more details on installing VST plugins.

Browser Folders Preview samples - If you Left-click on .wav, .mp3 or .ogg files they will be played. After clicking in a folder you can use the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard to step through the sounds in that directory. Locate a known file - Dropping a file onto the Browser will open the folder where that file is located. This can be useful when you have a sample channel loaded and would like to try the others from the same folder. Left-click a folder to expand/collapse it. Right-click and select Windows shell menu to open the standard Windows file menu (Rightclick) options. Hover the mouse over the name of a folder for a short description in the hint-bar. The folders seen by default in the Browser window include: Channel presets - Contains a collection of instrument/effects presets, scores, etc. Projects - Contains a collection of sample projects (.flp files).

Adding custom folders There are two ways to add your own custom folders to the Browser: Drag and drop... - Open a Windows File explorer and then drag-and-drop the folder you want to add from the File Explorer onto the FL Studio Browser. File options - Use the File options 'Browser extra search folders' list to add up to 30 custom folders. Custom folders appear in the Browser in green font. NOTE: Custom 'Extra search folders' and their sub-folders are scanned for samples and content when loading projects. So, it's not advisable to set the root of any drive as a search folder since it can make load-times for projects very long (while the whole drive is searched). On the other hand, this is a good trick for locating missing files you have moved somewhere and forgotten about.

Current project The Current project folder contains information and data associated with the currently loaded project, such as a list of patterns, automated controls, instruments and an undo history list. NOTE: For direct access to MIDI CC parameters for Automation purposes, open the Effects or Generators folder (see below). Although the Tools menu > Last Tweaked automation linking process is usually faster.

History - Contains the set of possible undo steps ('undo history'). The last action you performed is at the bottom of the list. Jump to an undo point - Left-click the item in the list. Sequentially browse - Use the Undo and Redo commands in the Edit menu. Undo/Redo (

Ctrl+Alt+Z /

Ctrl+Z) - These keyboard shortcuts allow you to step

back and forward through the edit history. Set maximum undo steps - Use the General Settings > Maximum undo levels. Include knob tweaks in the undo list - Use the General Settings > Undo knob tweaks. Patterns - Contains a list of Patterns, Initialized controls & Automation. The item sub-folders contain the automated controls themselves. Clicking on Patterns - Opens folders to show any Piano roll or Event Automation data. Clicking on sub-level items will open the target Piano roll or Event editor. Right-clicking - Displays a menu to expand, collapse or search for items/data. 'Delete item' 'will show where available. Initialized controls - This is the location for any recorded automation and initialized controls. This data will be associated with the selected pattern when the recording was made or the control initialized. Initialized control values set the value of a control at song start. To initialize a control - Right-click and select 'Init song with this position'. Creating an Automation Clip will automatically initialize the target control, so the control can return to its original value, if the Clip is deleted. You can disable auto initialization under General Settings > Advanced > Don't initialize controls automatically To remove an initialization - Right-click the Browser entry and select Delete event. Effects - The Effects folder lists all effects used in the project. For direct access to MIDI CC parameters, for Automation purposes, open the Effects folder where each effect is listed as a folder containing all automatable controls for the plugin. Tweak parameter - Left-click and hold to open a quick-access parameter control. Automate a parameter - Right-click and select the Automation Clip or Event Editor to draw automation. Link to controller - Right-click and select Link to controller or Override generic link. See here for more detail on these two methods. Make plugin thumbnail - To create a thumbnail image of the plugins used in your project use the Wrapper > Plugin menu to select 'Make editor thumbnail' for each plugin. The thumbnail will appear in the Generators sub-directory. NOTE: The Browser view must be larger than 'Compact' for the thumbnail image to display. Generators - The Generators (instruments) folder lists all generators (instruments) used in the project. It does not include the Channel Sampler, 3x OSC or Layer. For direct access to MIDI CC parameters, for Automation purposes, open the Generators folder where each Instrument is listed as a folder containing all automatable controls for the plugin.

Tweak parameter - Left-click and hold to open a quick-access parameter control. Automate a parameter - Right-click and select the Automation Clip or Event Editor to draw automation. Link to controller - Right-click and select Link to controller or Override generic link. See here for more detail on these two methods. Make plugin thumbnail - To create a thumbnail image of the plugins used in your project use the Wrapper > Plugin menu to select 'Make editor thumbnail' for each plugin. The thumbnail will appear in the Generators sub-directory. NOTE: The Browser view must be larger than 'Compact' for the thumbnail image to display. Remote control - Contains the list of controls that are linked to external (MIDI) or internal controllers. Edit the link assignment - Left-click the item to open the Remote control settings dialog.

Plugin Database The Browser's Plugin Database is the place to manage your plugins and to create favorite lists. About the folders: Plugin database > Effects / Generators folders are your 'favorites' list. This is the data used to generate the Plugin Picker ( F8) pop-up screen.

Plugin database > Installed > Effects / Generators folders show ALL VST plugins you have installed. You can Right-click any of these folders and select 'Refresh plugin list' to initiate a plugin scan. See the

video tutorial here

Managing the Plugin Database Adding favorite plugins to the Plugin database with thumbnail image. These images will show on the Browser and Plugin Picker (

video tutorial here

).

1. Open the plugin from the 'Installed' sub-folder. 2. Open the Plugin database Effects or Generators sub-folder (

Shift+F8) to the

category where you want to save the plugin. NOTE: Plugins may be saved to more than one location in the database, just repeat the method with a new location open. 3. Save the plugin to the database by selecting the Plugin Wrapper menu option 'Add to plugin database'. 4. Click OK to the popup and a thumbnail screenshot will be saved to the database at the currently opened location.

Adding favorite plugins to the Plugin database for use in menus including the Channel Rack > Menu > Add one option, Channel Rack + button and Main menu > Add option, etc: 1. Open the plugin from the 'Installed' sub-folder that you want to add to the database. 2. Right-click the plugin - Select 'Add to plugin database (flag as favorite)'. 3. Click OK to the popup and a thumbnail screenshot will be saved to the database at the currently opened location. NOTE: You can also 'favorite' plugins from a list using the FL Studio Plugin Scanner tool if you are not interested in creating plugin thumbnails. Remove plugins from the Plugin database - Right-click the item in the Plugin database > Effect or Generators folder/s where it exits and select Delete file... NOTE: This does not delete the plugin from your system. To do that you will need to uninstall the plugin as per the developers instructions.

All that's for babies, I want to hack your code! - Advanced users can manually edit the plugin database, it is located in the FL Studio installation directory at "..\Data\Patches\Plugin database": 1. Right-click on the Plugin Database category - to see the context menu. 2. Select 'Open' - This will open a standard Windows file explorer. 3. Edit stuff - Notice the file structure matches what you can see in the Browser, amaze at that for a while. Then notice that there are three files for each item (or two if you didn't save a thumbnail). Plugin name.bmp (the thumbnail image, 8 bit RGB color bitmaps), Plugin name.fst (the default preset plugins open with) and Plugin name.nfo (information for FL Studio, you can open this in any text editor). 4. Backing up your database - If you have extensively customized the list you may want to make an external backup copy of this directory as a precaution against loss of data

during future FL Studio installations. 5. +1 up your file management skills - Check this page.

Plugin Picker The Plugin Picker displays the plugins in the database as an array (generators left, effects right, as shown below). To use the Plugin Picker, click, hold & drag the icon of the plugin you want to use. The picker interface will close leaving you holding the plugin ready to drop on the desired location inside FL Studio. Alternatively double-clicking a plugin will load it into a new channel or double-clicking an effect will load it into the currently selected mixer track.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Advanced Messing About with Folders

! ! " " # #

Environmental Variables (making it easy to quickly locate & open folders) Windows allows you to set Folder locations as Environmental variables. This means you can type the variable name into the Start > Run field (enclosed in percent signs - %Variable Name%) and the Windows browser will open it OR into the Windows file browser path and the folder will be located. Here's how: 1. Right-click the 'Computer' icon in Windows 7/Vista ('My Computer' icon in older Windows). 2. Choose 'Properties' from the context menu. 3. Click the 'Advanced system settings' link in Windows 7/Vista ('Advanced' in older Windows). 4. Click the 'Environment Variables' button. 5. Under the 'User variables' section, click new. 6. Enter the variable string in the 'Variable name' field and the path in the 'Variable value' field. 7. Click OK

Symbolic Links (making folder shortcuts whose contents are visible to programs) At some point you may have tried putting a shortcut folder in another folder, hoping programs like FL Studio, find the data in the shortcut folder. This folder may even have linked to another drive. For example, let's say you wanted the single custom 'VST plugins extra search folder' to include several other folder locations and so you put shortcut folders in the 'VST plugins extra search folder'. Unfortunately this doesn't work. Epic fail! All hope is not lost, the idea was a good one, you just need to create a special type of folder shortcut known as a Symbolic link. Symbolic link folders look identical to regular shortcuts, except they behave as if the data they are linked to is really at the location of the link (but without actually copying the data). Epic win! But only if you can work out how. Here it is... This will work for Windows Vista, 7, 8 and upward. 1. Open a command prompt as an administrator (known as an 'Elevated command prompt). Windows Vista/7 - Click the Windows Start icon in the lower left corner and type 'Command' in the search field. Windows 8 - Type 'command' on your keyboard while you are on the start screen. A 'Command Prompt' option will pop-up in a list, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator' - You MUST be in admin mode or this wont work!. 2. Now type the following 'make link' command, including the quote marks as these allow spaces in folder/file names mklink /D "DestinationDriveLetter:\destination folder path\SourceFolderName" "SourceDriveLetter:\source folder path\SourceFolderName"

So, we mean something like... mklink /D "C:\My Files\Music and stuff\64 bit VST\VSTPlugIns" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steinberg\VSTPlugIns" NOTE: The source folder name 'VSTPlugIns' can't already exist in 'C:\My Files\Music and stuff\64 bit VST\' since the 'VSTPlugIns' folder is created in '64 bit VST' by the above command. 3. After you press the enter key you will see: Symbolic link created for DestinationDriveLetter:\destination folder path\SourceFolderName SourceDriveLetter:\source folder path\SourceFolderName. If not you did something wrong. The new symbolic link folder will look like a regular file shortcut, except the files within it will be visible to any program that searches the destination parent folder. So in our second, explicit example, the folder VSTPlugIns will appear as a shortcut full of files within 64 bit VST folder. NOTE: that any changes to the data in the new symbolic link folder are actually changes made to the source folder also. Delete it in the shortcut, it's also gone from the source. Sit and have a think for a few minutes what you can do with Symbolic Link folders. The possibilities are endless :)

CHANNEL RACK

Channel Rack & Step Sequencer

! !

The Channel Rack holds instruments that create sound and internal generators that control automation. Every pattern has access to all instruments in the rack. In other words, all patterns play from the same set of instruments. Patterns are not limited to a single instrument as they are in most other sequencers. Music data can come in the form of Step sequences and Piano roll scores. There is one Channel button per instrument. The audio from each Channel is sent to one of the Mixer Tracks for effects processing and level mixing. When Instrument Channels are added or removed from the project the height of the Channel Rack will change dynamically. The Channel buttons also access Instrument Channel Settings (where a Mixer track is set) or the associated Piano roll. The Step Sequencer, (

Video Here

) is a pattern-based grid sequencer

ideal for creating drum loops and simple melodies. The note and automation data visible across all Channels is known as a 'pattern'. Patterns include Piano roll, Step Sequencer and Automation data. Switch between patterns using the Pattern selector (14) shown below. As the pattern number is changed, note how the pattern data visible in the Channel Rack also changes, reflecting the selected pattern. Patterns are designed to be arranged in the Playlist as Pattern Clips to create a song.

Overview Each row of controls in the Channel Rack belongs to a single Channel instrument. From left to right are: Pan, Volume, Channel button (click this to open the instrument interface) and Step Sequencer buttons or Piano roll preview (top row below), depending on how the Channel has been configured.

NOTE: When Options > General settings > Auto select linked modules is: ON: Use (

Alt+Left-Click) to open plugins without closing the currently open plugin.

OFF: Channel buttons open plugins for editing and the Channel selector LEDs select Channels for live MIDI control. This allows you to play one instrument Channel live and edit another.

1. Channel Options Menu NOTE: The Channel Options Menu swapped places with the Pattern Menu at FL Studio 12. Add one - Contains a list of all Instruments selected as favorites. Choosing a instrument from this menu will add a single instance of it at the bottom of the Step Sequencer window. Click More... to open the Select plugin window, that contains a list of all instruments present in FL Studio (including VSTi and DXi). To open a Channel containing a plugin - Double-click the instrument name. To mark an instrument as a 'favorite' - Click the check box preceding the instrument name (all plugins preceded by a check mark will appear in the favorites list).

To see newly installed plugins - Click Refresh in the bottom of the 'Select plugin' window and select Fast Scan rather than 'Scan & Verify', because it takes a long time to scan since every plugin is opened and verified (which can crash FL Studio if there are buggy plugins). Scan & Verify does, however, sort instruments and FX. VSTi (instruments) are put into a VSTi folder (Channels > Add one > More) and VSTs (FX) in the VST folder (found in the mixer when choosing the VST effect). NOTE: See the Browser 'Using Browser content' section for alternative (faster) ways to load plugins. Additional Options: Browse presets - Opens the Browser to show the default plugin presets folders. Plugin database - Opens the Browser to show the Plugin Database folder. Plugin picker - Opens the Plugin Picker. Clone selected (

Alt+C) - Inserts a clone of each selected Channel in the Step Sequencer right after it. The

clone retains the instrument type of the original, as well as all of its settings, but does not contain its notes and events. Delete selected (

Alt+Del)- Removes all selected Channels in the Step Sequencer.

Move selected up (

Alt+Up) - Moves all selected Channels one step up in the Step Sequencer.

Move selected down ( Group selected (

Alt+Down) - Moves all selected Channels one step down in the Step Sequencer.

Alt+G) - Adds all selected Channels to a group (a popup window displays to enter the name

of the group). If a group with the name you specified doesn't exist, it will be automatically created. For more information on Channel grouping see the Channel Filtering section in the Step Sequencer page. Color selected - Provides several options for coloring Channel buttons. Useful for grouping instrument types/sections. Gradient - Opens a dialog for selecting start and end colors. All selected Channels will be colored in sequence from the start to end points in the color space selected. Random - Colors Channels randomly. This function contains some rules on coloring so it won't look as bad as you might expect. Zip selected (

Alt+Z) - Turns all selected Channels in the Step Sequencer into compact view mode. Right-

click the button of a zipped Channel to unzip it.

Unzip all (

Alt+U) - Unzips all Channels in the Step Sequencer.

Restretch all - Active only when tempo automation is used. When the tempo is automated the auto-restretch feature is disabled as it is not a real-time process. This feature allows you to adjust the tempo manually and force a restretch.

2. Channel Filter Groups As projects grow in size and the number of Channels increases, finding the right Channel can become a tedious process. To optimize workflow, combine several Channels in a group and set the Step Sequencer to display only that specific group of Channels (for example percussion group or lead synth group). Use the Channel Display Filter control ( 2 ) to choose which Channels should be visible. Left-click to open the Channel filter menu. Selecting 'All' will show all Channels at once, regardless of whether they are part of a group or are unassigned. Selecting 'Unsorted' displays only the unassigned Channels. If you have made any Channel groups, you can select them for display from this menu. Channel Display Filter (

Page Down for next group;

Page Up for previous group) - Allows you to set the group of

Channels to show in the Step Sequencer (see the Channel Filter Groups section below for more information) Other Channel filter group actions include:

Add an empty group - Right-click Channel Display Filter ( 2 ) and select Add Filter Group. Rename/Delete group - Select a group and Right-click Channel Display Filter ( 2 ) to display commands for renaming and deleting groups (NOTE: Deleting a group sets included Channels as unassigned and does not delete the Channels). Add selected Channels to a new group - Use the Group Selected command from the Channel Options Menu. Add a single Channel to an existing group - Select the desired group and add a new Channel to the Channel Rack. All new Channels will be inserted into the currently selected group. Move a Channel to a different group - Select the Channel/s and use the Group Selected command from the Channel Options Menu, and enter the name of an existing group.

3. Global Swing Swing - Slide to the right to add a 'swing' rhythm to Steps. 'swing' holds the first note of the bar at the expense of the second note in the bar. The control determines the amount of swing. NOTE: Each Channel has a Swing Multipler knob under the 'Time' section. This allows you to set per-channel swing relative to the global setting.

4. Step/Piano roll View The Stepsequencer overlays the Piano roll and so switching to this mode allows you to edit stepsequences in Piano roll mode, so long as you respect the note length (zero length) and positioning (on beat) layout.

If you would like to convert a Piano roll to Step mode again, you need notes of zero length. Select all notes, set Snap to 'none' and Discard note lengths (

5 & 6. Pan & Volume

Shift+D).

These knobs control the Pan and Volume of the Channel pre-mixer and so can be though of as Pre Fader Level (PFL) controls. You can choose to adjust Pan and Volume here AND OR in the Mixer. What you do depends on the workflow that suits you best. 5. Channel Panning - Use to set the Channel panning. 6. Channel Volume - Use to adjust the Channel volume. Levels: Samples loaded into the Channel Sampler will be set to -5dB (79%) of their original level to allow headroom for the pattern sequencer to avoid clipping, set volume to 100% to restore the original level. Audio clips will play at 100% their original level.

7. Channel Button The Channel Button - Displays the Channel name (usually the name of the instrument). Left and Right-clicking provides the following functions: Left-click - Opens/Closes the Channel Settings window AND plugin interface (if applicable). NOTES: To keep the plugin interface open when another Channel is opened, FIRST close the Channel Settings window before opening the next Channel OR from the General Settings panel deselect Auto select linked modules. When 'Auto select linked modules' is OFF Channel buttons open plugins for editing and the Channel selector LEDs select Channels for live MIDI control. This allows you to play one instrument Channel live and edit another. Ctrl + Left-click - Preview Channel sound without opening the instrument. Right-click, Channel Operations Menu - Displays the following options: Rename - Rename or re-color the Channel. Click on the Channel name and type to rename, or Leftclick on the color square (shown below) to open the re-color dialog or Right-click to randomly assign a color from a palette pre-approved by the Image-Line Aesthetics Committee. Once the name dialog is open, press (

F2) to randomly select colors OR (

F3) to select the last used color:

NOTE: To Gradient Color Channels make a selection by left-clickingand dragging down on the Channel Selectors ( 8 ) and select from the Main Menus Channels > Color selected > Gradient To set an icon - Choose from a number of preset icons to display on the Channel button. NOTE: Middle-click on existing icons to directly open the icon menu. Piano roll/Send to piano roll - Can be used to open a Piano roll for a Channel, or if step sequence data is present, send it to a Piano roll. Load Sample - If the Channel accepts samples this will allow you to load from a file Browser menu. Cut itself - Cuts the sound of previous notes in the Channel when new one starts. Note: Use the Channel Settings > MISC > Cut/Cut by settings to set up cut groups. This allows you to cut any Chanel with any other/s. Edit - Allows you to cut/copy/paste/randomize any note data present. Fill each (2,4,8) steps - Fills step sequence steps according to the setting. Insert - Insert a new Channel before the selected one. Replace - Replaces the current generator with a new one from the list that appears. Clone - Makes a copy of the current Channel including settings and generator type. Delete - Deletes the selected Channel. Reorder Channels - (

Shift + mousewheel) while over a Channel button OR (

buttons)to move the position of the selected Channel.

Alt + up/down arrow

8. Channel Selector Channel Selector - When lit, the Channel is selected (used in cut, copy, etc. operations - see Edit menu). The selelected Channel also recieves MIDI/Controller input. Left-click - Select/deselect target Channel. If multiple Channels are selected this will solo and mute the target Channel. NOTE: When Auto select linked Channels is off, the Channel Selector LED is used to choose the Channel to receive live MIDI input. This allows you to play one instrument Channel and edit another opened with the Channel button ( 7 ). Right-click - Select multiple Channels. Right-click (hold) and drag down the Channel Selectors to make multiple selections. Move / reorder instrument Channels use the Channel selector to group and move Channels up and down the stack by holding the Alt key and pressing the up/down arrows on your keyboard. This does not affect mixer routing.

9. Piano roll Preview This mini-note-preview replaces the steps when a Piano roll is active on the Channel. The preview allows you to see the notes in the Piano roll without opening it. You can't edit notes in the mini-preview. Left-click the preview to show/hide the Piano roll window. Right-click to open the Piano roll centered on the notes clicked. NOTES: 1. The lighter and darker blocks in the preview indicate the number of bars contained in the Piano roll sequence (each block is a bar). 2. To add a Piano roll Right-click the Channel button and select 'Piano roll' from the pop-up menu.

10. Mute Control Mute (

0-9 to mute/unmute;

Ctrl+0-9 to solo/unmute all) - Turning this LED off will mute the Channel. Clicking it

again will unmute it. You can also quickly solo a Channel by Right-clicking the LED and, from the popup menu, select Solo. Repeat this action to unsolo the Channel (unmute all). NOTE: Live MIDI input to the Channel will continue to play regardless of the switch mode as mute/solo applies only to Step Sequencer and Piano roll playback.

11. Stepsequencer Using the Stepsequencer Each line in the Channel Rack belongs to a single Channel and the associated sequence data will only play the Channel instrument on the same line. From left to right you will see, the Pan, Volume, Channel button (opens the instrument interface) and Step Sequencer buttons or Piano roll preview, depending on how the Channel has been configured. Each button (step) in the grid represents a 16th note. Default beats per bar and bars - The default is 4 beats x 4 bars = 16 steps. Change the default number of bars and steps from the Project General Settings window. Number of steps for the selected pattern - Each Pattern can have a unique number of Steps, set using the Pattern Length selector ( 13 ) Activating steps - Left-clicking a step button activates that step; Right-clicking turns it off. Note that if you have turned off the Use Both Mouse Keys option in the General Settings page, Left-clicking will turn the buttons both on and off. Pitch - To set the pitch of a step use the Piano roll view and edit the pitch there. Click on ( 4 ). Each note has some additional properties (panning, volume, etc.) that may be set using the Piano roll ( 4 ). Copy, Cut & Paste - This will work between Channels or Patterns. Select the source Channel, click on the Channel selector ( 8 ), and press ( destination Channel and press (

Ctrl+C) to copy or (

Ctrl+X) to Cut the steps. Next, select the

Ctrl+V), paste. NOTE: You can access the same functions from the Edit Menu

Stopping or cutting notes - Step Sequencer steps do not have a 'note off' feature. You can stop a note either by activatinga step after the offending note with zero velocity or, preferably, by using the Piano roll. The Piano roll is ideal for working on more complex melodies.

Turn steps into a Piano roll - Right-click the Channel Button and select 'Send to piano roll. NOTE: Apart from 'undo', there is no way to turn a Piano roll score into a Stepsequence. Advanced features - Right-clicking the Channel Button ( 7 ) opens a menu of commands for managing Channels (see Channel Button Menu). This menu also provides access to the Piano roll. NOTE: The main Edit menu also contains commands for working with Step Sequencer.

12. Add Plugin Channels There are a number of ways to add plugins to the Channel Rack. Click here to open a menu OR you can use the Channel Options Menu > Add one menu item OR drag and drop plugin presets from the Browser. To lean how to install plugins so they are available from these locations, click here.

13. Pattern Length Pattern Length (Number of Beats) can be set by dragging the bottom-right of the Channel Rack to set the number of beats. You can also set the default pattern length from the global value on the Project Settings. Note: There are a maximum of 64 steps in the Step Sequencer. If you need more then use the Piano roll.

14. Pattern Selector The Pattern selector is located in the FL Studio Tool Bar and also the Pattern Menu from the Main Menu. For more on working with Patterns, and how they are used, see the Arranging Workflow section.

Select (left side) and name, copy & work with patterns (right side) from this drop-down menu. Find first empty (

Shift + F4) - Find the first unused pattern the list.

Find next empty (

F4) - Find the next unused pattern the list. The (

F4) is a good workflow habit when

making new patterns. Rename / recolor (

F2) - Opens the Pattern naming window. Press (

F2) again to cycle Pattern colors.

The selector can be opened by clicking the square on the end of the rename window. NOTE To Gradient Color Channels make a selection by left-clicking and dragging down on the Channel Selectors ( 8 ) and select from the Main Menus Channels > Color selected > Gradient Open in project browser (

Shift+Ctrl+P) - Open in Project Browser. Opens the Browser Project Folder to

show the current pattern. Insert one ( Clone ( Delete ( Move up (

Shift+Ctrl+Ins) - Inserts a new empty Pattern before the selected pattern.

Alt+C) - Makes a copy of the selected pattern after it. Del) - Deletes the selected pattern. Shift+Ctrl+Up arrow) - Moves the selected pattern up one number in the Pattern selector list.

Move down (

Shift+Ctrl+Down) - Moves the selected pattern down one number in the Pattern selector list.

Split by channel - Creates a new pattern for each active Channel in the selected pattern. Patterns will be named according to the split Channel. To undo a split by channel - 1. Stack the Pattern Clips in an empty area of the Playlist making sure they are correctly aligned. 2. Select all patterns in the stack. 3. Use the 'Playlist Menu > Edit > Merge selected clips' 4. Delete the merged clip from the Playlist.

Red Channel buttons If you open a project and some, or all, Channel buttons are red, this means the samples or instruments nominated for those Channels can't be found. The likely causes are 1. The samples or directories have been renamed, moved to another location or deleted. 2. The format of the sample has been changed (FL Studio only loads .wav, .mp3 and .ogg files). 3. The Browser extra search folders have been deleted from the search list. 4. The VST plugins extra search directory has been deleted from the search list or the plugin directory moved. FL Studio searches its own installation directory for samples and the extra search folders as described above. If you have no idea where the samples are, one method is to put your root drive (usually C:) as one of the extra search directories, then reload the project. FL Studio will now search you entire hard-drive. Once you locate the samples it's a good idea to remove the root from the extra search folders as is can make future searches very slow. See the section on missing VSTs or files for more information.

MIDI Controllers and Instrument Channels If you have a keyboard or other controller this can be used to play or control the Instrument Channel. FL Studio listens in 'Omni' mode (all MIDI Channels) so any controller will play the selected Instrument Channel. If you have more than one controller you can use these to simultaneously play separate instrument Channels. Selected instrument Channels are assigned by ascending MIDI Channel number each controller is set to transmit on (i.e. lowest MIDI Channel = top selected Instrument Channel, highest MIDI Channel = bottom selected Instrument Channel). For more information see the Controller type section of the MIDI Settings page.

NOTE: When Options > General settings > Auto select linked modules is: ON: Use (

Alt+Left-Click) to open plugins without closing the currently open plugin.

OFF: Channel buttons open plugins for editing and the Channel selector LEDs select Channels for live MIDI control. This allows you to play one instrument Channel live and edit another.

STEP SEQUENCER

Channel Menu Right-click on a channel button: A pop-up menu provides some commands for editing channels.

Options Piano roll - Shows/hides the Piano Roll view. Appears only when there aren't any active steps in the Step Sequencer. Send to Piano roll - Converts any active steps to Piano roll notes and opens the Piano roll view. Appears only when there are active dots for the channel. Rename - Renames the channel and enables color changes. Load Sample - Appears in Sampler channels only. This command opens a dialog where you can select a sample to fill the sample bank of a Sampler. Cut Itself - Checking this option makes each active note cut the previous one. What actually happens is FL Studio assigns a unique value in both Cut and Cut By fields in the Miscellaneous Channel Settings. Edit - Contains a submenu that wraps some commands from the main Edit menu. Fill Each 2 Notes - Turns on 1st, 3rd, 5th , etc. dots in Step Sequencer's pattern grid. All other dots are turned off. Fill Each 4 Notes - Turns on 1st, 5th, 9th , etc. dots in Step Sequencer's pattern grid. All other dots are turned off. Fill Each 8 Notes - Turns on 1st, 9th, 17th , etc. dots in Step Sequencer's pattern grid. All other dots are turned off. Insert Channel - Contains a list of all instruments selected as favorites. Choosing a instrument from this menu will add a single instance of it below the current one. Click More... to open the Select plugin window, which contains a list of all instruments present in FL Studio (including VSTi and DXi). Double-click a instrument name to add an instance of it in

the Step Sequencer. Click the check box preceding each name to mark it as a favorite (all plugins preceded by a check mark will appear in the favorites list). TS404 and Sampler are internal for FL Studio, so they always appear in the Favorites list (and not in the Select plugin list). Replace Channel - Choosing a instrument from this menu will replace the selected instrument/generator with the one you have chosen from the list. Click more... to open the Select plugin window, which contains a list of all instruments present in FL Studio (including VSTi and DXi). Doubleclick a instrument name to add an instance of it in the Step Sequencer. Click the check box preceding each name to mark it as a favorite (all plugins preceded by a check mark will appear in the favorites list). Clone Channel - Inserts a clone of the channel after it. The clone retains the instrument type of the original, as well as all of its settings, but does not contain the events and the notes. Delete Channel - Removes the channel.

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Channel Settings

! !

To open the plugin click the Channel button. The Channel Settings are then available from the Detailed Wrapper Settings cog icon (as shown below). These Wrapper options include Mixer track routing (TRACK), channel Pitch (tuning) and inbuilt arpeggiator functions.

Working with channels To open - Click the Channel button in the Channel Rack for the plugin of interest. This will open the plugin Wrapper window containing the instrument interface (if present). Selected channels - The Channel Selector, after each button, allows you to play one Channel while editing another, only selected Channels receive MIDI/controller input. Routing Instrument Channels to Mixer tracks - Drag and drop plugins on Mixer Tracks at the time of loading. See the main Routing Instrument Channels to Mixer Tracks section for more options (there are quite a few, it's worth checking out).

Settings Window & Controls The tab-buttons that display in the Channel Settings window will depend on the instrument loaded in the Channel. Not all Channel settings and controls will work with all instrument types. Links to Channel Settings functions: Main Settings Sampler Settings Envelope & Instrument Settings Miscellaneous Settings Automation Clip Settings Layer Settings Plugin Wrapper

Channel Button Operations Change the name of a channel - Right-click the title bar of the Channel Settings window (where it says 'Creatures.wav', above). Write a new name and press enter. Change the button color of a channel - Right-click the title bar of the window, and click the color sample on the right side of the name edit field. Select a new color and press Enter. This color setting will affect the Channel Rack buttons, and clip/pattern data displays in the Playlist.

Channel Settings Menu Commands Click the down-arrow button at the top left corner of the Channel Settings window (as shown in the picture below).

Options Save channel state as - Allows you to save the current channel settings as a preset file. Preset is saved as a FST file. It is recommended that you save your presets in the default location FL Studio chooses, so they can be properly detected and shown in the list of available presets for the instrument. Assign free mixer track (

Ctrl+L) - Links the channel to the first empty (without effects) FX track available. This is

reflected in the FX selector in the Main Channel Settings. This command will not appear in channels that hold MIDI instrument or other instruments that do not output wave data (only wave output can be processed by effects). For more information on FX tracks, see Mixer window. Rename... (

F2)- Select this command to rename a channel (the same can be done by Right-clicking the title bar of

the window). Sample - This item is only available when the loaded instrument uses samples visible to FL Studio.

Reload - Use this command to reload samples when they were altered in external applications (wave editors, etc.), after FL Studio was started. This command appears only in channels that hold Sampler instrument. Save as... - Allows you to save the currently loaded sample with all precalc effects applied to it (see Sampler Channels Settings). This command appears only in channels that hold Sampler instrument. Edit... (

E) - Opens the integrated Wave Editor with the current sample, or the custom wave editor you have

selected in the Tools window. Detect tempo - Opens the Tempo Detection Wizard which asks you to select one of several tempo ranges the sample might be in. Select a range and the Time property of the channel will be automatically adjusted (see Sampler ). Note that the accuracy of the auto detection depends on the source material and might not always match the real sample tempo. The best practice in this case is to know in advance the real loop tempo and embed that information in the sample by using a wave editor. Get properties - Opens the windows properties dialog for the sample file. Spectrum view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in spectrum mode, includes the Playlist. NOTE: If this is selected the Multichannel waveform view option (below) is ignored. Multichannel waveform view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in stereo mode (upper left, lower right), includes the Playlist. NOTE: Spectrum view overrides this setting.

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Main Plugin Wrapper Controls To open, click on the Channel button in the Channel Rack and then the Additional Settings, cog icon, as shown below. The Main Channel Settings are located along the top of each Wrapper window associated with a the plugin.

NOTE: The tabs available under the Channel Settings depend on the plugin type being hosted.

Controls Wrapper settings - opens and closes the additional settings details as discussed below.

1. Plugin GUI - Switch to the Plugin interface. Use this tab to return to the plugin interface after editing other tabs in the Channel Settings. 2. VST Wrapper Settings - Advanced wrapper settings only available when using a VST plugin.

3. Sample Settings - Sample settings are available when using a Sampler Channel, Audio Clip and some legacy native plugins. 4. Envelope / Instrument Settings - The Envelope/Instrument settings are only available when using a Sampler Channel, Audio Clip or some legacy native plugins. 5. Miscellaneous Settings - The Miscellaneous Channel settings tab contains various note and filter/based settings and so is available for all Instrument Channels, including VST plugins

6. PAN - Sets the channel panning (left/right positioning of the sound in the stereo space). NOTE: This control replicates the pan next to the Channel Button. 7. VOL - Sets the channel volume. NOTE: This control replicates the volume next to the Channel Button 8. PITCH / RANGE - PITCH controls the Pitch/Pitch-bend for the Channel. Use the RANGE to set the maximum range in semitones the knob will bend notes (100 cents = 1 semitone). NOTE: Automate this knob to create slides and pitch bends for VST instruments. NOTE: If a Channel Sampler does not respond to pitch (plays one note), Right-click the Sampler Channel Settings > Sample Tab Time stretching (Time) knob and select (none). 9. Mixer track selector - Shows the Mixer track the channel is assigned to. By default, all new instrument Channels are routed to the Master Mixer track (the LCD displays "--"). This control doesn't appear for Channels that hold generators that don't output audio. Left-click and drag up/down to set a Mixer Track number.

Double-click the FX Selector to open the Mixer window with the Mixer track selected. Auto-assign - Click the TRACK label to auto-assign the plugin to the next empty Mixer track. NOTE: An efficient way to route one or more Channels to Mixer tracks is to: A. Left or Right-click the Channel Selector LED's to the right side of each Channel you want to route (Right-clicking allows multiple selections). B. Right-click the target Mixer track and select 'Link selected channels > to this track' from the pop-up menu. OR use 'Link selected channels > starting from this track' to assign multiple Channels to multiple Mixer tracks.

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Sampler Channel Settings (SMP) The Channel Sampler is an integrated, single-sample, sampler instrument useful for percussion and related one-shot sounds. To load a sample drag and drop the sample from the Browser or Windows Explorer onto Channel Rack. If you drop the sample on the Playlist you will create an Audio Clip, a related, but different instrument type.

NOTES: 1. ADSR & Filtering - Channel Samplers have a number of useful controls under the Channel Settings Tab controls that include the integrated ADSR vol, pan, filter, pitch & LFO envelopes. For example, samples will continue to play after note release unless you activate the Volume envelope. 2. Disabled options - You may notice that some of the options in your Sampler Channels are disabled (grayed out), however you can still toggle the switches on/off. This improves workflow when trying out different samples in the same Sampler Channel, so that if a selected option becomes possible it will become activated automatically.

File Load and locate samples. Clicking on the sample name will open a File Explorer to the

location of the currently loaded sample. Use the icons to the right to: Load sample file - Opens a file explorer window.

Locate sample in browser - Opens the Browser to the location where the sample is saved. Remove sample - This only removes sample from the selected Sampler Channel, it does not delete the original sample data file.

Content These options control how the sample and meta-data within it are handled: Keep on Disk - For FL Studio 32 Bit this can be used to free virtual memory allocation allowing more and/or larger Audio Clips / Sampler Channels to be used in the project. Sample data is moved from FL Studio's virtual memory allocation to a separate memory allocation. For FL Studio 32 & 64 Bit - It can significantly speed load times for multi-GB projects. When 'Keep on disk' is selected the maximum memory available to each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel will be 2 GB. Your Windows OS version (32 or 64 Bit) and installed RAM will determine how smoothly your sample playback works (if you load more samples than you have RAM then disk-swapping may cause buffer underruns as the data is read off disk). IMPORTANT: Samples must be in 16 or 32-Bit .wav format. Keep on disk won't work with compressed formats such as .ogg or .mp3, otherwise the option will be grayed out. Automatically 'Keep on disk' with the 'Auto keep long audio on disk' on the F10 General Options, then re-load your project. 'Keep on disk' precludes the use of precomputed effects, that require the whole sample is loaded in memory. For smooth operation without underruns or glitches, your physical RAM should (at least) match the project's total sample-space demand. It may also take a while for very large projects to load so be patient. TIP: Zoom out on the Playlist, (

Ctrl + Right-click) on a

blank area, so all Audio Clips are visible in their entirety prior to pressing Play for the first time. This forces Audio Clip data to be cached into RAM.

Resample - If your sample is not recorded at the same sample-rate as your audio interface is currently set to (e.g. Sample rate = 44100 Hz), this option can improve audio quality. NOTES: 1. Loop points - are often carefully sample-aligned so resampling can cause loops to 'click'. 2. CPU - Resampling requires additional CPU and memory as resampled waves are generally larger. See Audio Settings > Mixer > Resample quality for more details. Load regions - Loads the region/slice markers embedded in some wave samples including ZGR/REX loop files. This data is also used for some timestretching options and for more accurate sample processing. Load ACID markers - Loads ACID beat markers if embedded in the sample. These are a 3rd-party equivalent for Slices and Regions.

Loop Looping replays the sample or parts of it while a note is held for the Sampler Channel: Use loop points - When the sample contains loop points (see Sample view below), select this option to make the sample loop. The play position starts at the sample beginning and when it reaches the loop-end point, jumps back to the loop-start point and repeats this process while the note is held. Ping pong loop - The play-position bounces back and forth between the loop start and loop end points (forwards then backwards through the loop region).

Declicking These options help to remove 'clicks' at the start (in) or end (out) caused by sharp level discontinuities when you slice Audio Clips. That is, where the sample starts or ends with a value significantly different from another sample in close proximity, the sudden jump from one value to the next causes a 'click'. The default setting is 'Out only' (10 ms fade), this will not cause audible artifacts. Set by ear.

NOTE: The fade-markers, shown above, only display when a 'bleeding' type declipping option has been selected. Bleeding means the audio will extend beyond the

slice point to complete a, very short, click reducing fade. Out only (no bleeding) - No in-declicking, declicking-out is a 10ms (cosine S-shaped) fade-out. Transient (no bleeding) - Useful for drum samples as the attack transient is fully preserved (only the first few samples are ramped). The declick-out uses a no-bleeding, short (10ms), filtering fade-out. Transient (bleeding) - Same attack processing as above, with a declick-out based on a 20 ms (cosine S-shaped) fade-out. Generic (bleeding) - A 20ms cosine S-shaped fade-in and fade-out. Smooth (bleeding) - A 100ms cosine S-shaped fade-in and fade-out. Crossfade (bleeding) - A 200 ms attack/release that is designed to crossfade contiguous (touching) Audio clips. This is not a true crossfade, where clips overlap, the fade start and end is designed to work well with another clip with the same settings butted up against it. NOTE: Both Audio Clips need to have been sliced to use this setting, as data before and after the slice points is used to create the Crossfade.

Time stretching / Pitch shifting The Time stretching / Pitch shifting algorithms can synchronize pitch and/or tempo with your project, since pitch and playback speed may be adjusted independently. These are the same algorithms used by the Edison Time Stretch / Pitch Shift tool. When Samples & Audio Clips are synced to the project tempo you will be prompted to process these channels for the new tempo when it is changed.

Options PITCH (Pitch Shift) - Change sample pitch while preserving its length. If the 'resample' method is selected it will be automatically changed to 'auto' after tweaking this knob. MUL (Time Multiplier) - Use this knob to modify the sample length. For example, you can quickly stretch the sample to twice its original length without needing to modify the Time setting. TIME (Time Stretch) - Sets the sample length (sample 'time') using tempobased measures (bars, steps, etc.), so that you can lock the sample to the project tempo. When adjusting the knob the assigned time value shows in the hint bar, along with the computed 'actual' tempo FL Studio calculates for the

sample tempo according to the set length. If the tempo is too high or too low, you'll see a note 'unrealistic tempo' shown instead. Right-click the Time knob - to access useful presets and the 'Autodetect' command which attempts to autodetect the tempo of the sample (results may vary depending on the source material). (none) - Default (no stretching), the sample is transposed according to Channel pitch as normal. NOTE: If a Sampler Channel is not responding to pitch then select '(none)'. See the F10 > Settings > General > Read sample tempo information section for more details on global changes that can avoid this problem in future. Autodetect - The sample's tempo (BPM) is autodetected and the Channel stretched accordingly. Audio Clips will also adjust the Time property accordingly when stretched in the Playlist. Beat/Bar # - Use these options when you know the exact number of Beats/Bars the sample covers. Mode (Stretch Method) - Options allow you to change pitch (resample) or to maintain pitch and change tempo (other time-stretching options). Timestretching uses ZPlane Elastique Pro version 3 (e3 algorithms, e2 is included for compatibility with pre FL Studio 12 projects). These are also available in Edison Time Stretch/Pitch Shift Tool that provides more control than here in the Channel Settings options that include: Realtime: Resample - Standard pitch shifting that varies sample length with sample pitch. Elastique: e3 Generic - A 'Default' mode is designed to work with the widest range of input signals. As usual, experiment with other methods if you hear unwanted artifacts. e3 Mono - Specialized for monophonic input signals such as vocals or solo instruments. Uses automatic formant preservation techniques. Special: Slice stretch - Use for drum loops that have a tempo lower or equal to the project. Markers are used for transient detection and each slice is stretched according to e3 Default (NOTE: use Slicex for more

advanced loop slicing and processing options). Slice map - Use for drum loops with a tempo higher or equal to the project tempo. Slices are moved (unstretched) to map to the positions each slice would play at the selected pitch/tempo (NOTE: use Slicex for more advanced loop processing options). Auto - Selects the best stretch algorithm in light of the other options and settings you have selected. You trust us don't you? Legacy Elastique (Pre-FL Studio 12 projects will map to the presets indicated): e2 Generic (Pro default & Pro transient) - Older version of e3 Generic. e2 Transient (Transient & Tonal) - Transient and formant preserving stretch method. e2 Mono (Monophonic) - Older version of e3 Mono. e2 Speech (Speech) - Optimized for spoken words. For singing, use the 'e3 or e2 Mono' mode). NOTE: Names in brackets show pre FL Studio 12 nomenclature. Old projects will re-map to the presets indicated.

Working with the stretch/pitch functions Dynamic tempo changes during the song (tempo automation) are not possible because the stretch algorithm does not work in real-time, re-sampling is used to keep the time-stretched samples in sync (in other words pitch will change with tempo). To achieve dynamic time-stretching try the Fruity Granulizer method (see Notes & Tips at the bottom of the page). Following are common actions you may need to use when working with stretched samples: Disable time stretching for a sample, turn the Time knob maximum left (right-click to select 'none'). This is the default mode when samples are dropped on the Playlist. Manually lock a sample to the project tempo: If your samples are not being automatically stretched when you make a change to the project tempo, the procedure for syncing the sample to the project is as follows:

1. Select the Audio Clip's menu (top left hand corner of the Audio Clip) and choose 'Fit to tempo'. 2. On the pop-up dialog choose the tempo marked '(project)' 3. The clip is now synced (or locked) to the project tempo. Further tempo changes will automatically stretch the clip so that it stays in time and with the original pitch. At any stage you can change the stretch method to one that sounds best and/or alter the pitch using the sample options tab. If you load an Audio clip and it does not play at the correct speed, see 'Automatically beat-match/stretch' below. Unlock a sample from the project tempo, follow the above 3 steps and select the 'no tempo' option. Automatically beat-match/stretch samples dropped on the Playlist, FL Studio needs to know the sample's original tempo and receive a command to auto-stretch the sample. This information is contained in the sample's 'metadata', only saved in .wav files: 1. Open the Sample Properties with Edison. 2. Make sure the original sample tempo (Tempo (BPM)) is set correctly, you may need to use the 'Autodetect tempo' feature. 3. Turn Tempo-sync ON. 4. Save the sample with these settings (only .wav files can contain this meta-data, it will be discarded if you convert to mp3 for example). 5. Make sure the F10 General Settings, 'Read sample tempo information' option is ON. 6. Drag the audio file from the Browser and drop on the Playlist. It will then auto-stretch to match the current BPM of FL Studio.

Precomputed effects This is a set of effects and processing routines for the sample loaded in the sample bank. None of these effects requires additional CPU to play your song, because they are all applied as pre-computed effects. FL Studio processes the sample and then loads it in the memory with all effects already applied. However, this makes the automation of those effects impossible (see Automation). Also, applying them to

streamed samples (when the Keep on Disk option is turned on) causes the entire sample to be loaded in RAM, which is not desirable for longer samples). Remove DC offset - Removes any DC offset from the loaded sample. Reverse polarity - 'Flips' the waveform vertically. Normalize - Maximizes the sample volume without clipping. Fade stereo - Creates a stereo fade from the left to the right channel of the sample. Reverse - Reverses the sample. Swap stereo - Switches the left and right channels of the loaded sample. Fade in (IN) - Applies a quick fade-in to the sample (turn maximum left to disable). Fade out (OUT) - Applies a quick fade-out to the sample (turn maximum left to disable). Pitch bend (POGO) - Applies pitch bend to the sample. Useful for drum samples. Crossfade loop (CRF) - Allows you to crossfade the sample to create smooth loop sections (turn maximum left to disable). Trim threshold (TRIM) - FL Studio trims any silence at the end of a sample to free up RAM without altering the resulting sound. The TRIM option allows you to raise the volume threshold at which FL Studio detects 'silence'. Using this control you can allow FL Studio to filter very quite noise in your sample or, by setting the threshold to zero, filter only pure 'mathematical' silence.

Sample View

The sample view displays the loaded sample (with all pre-computed effects applied). Information and icons in the lower right section indicate bit-depth (e.g. 16-Bit, 32Bit) and stereo configuration (

: e.g. mono, stereo), respectively. NOTE: MP3,

OGG, .WV and 24 bit source samples are converted to 32 bit on loading, so don't use this display to determine the source sample format. Check in the Windows browser. The display also shows loop points (vertical red lines) and region markers (orange triangles along the top of the display) if these 'meta data' are present within the sample. Loop points and regions can be edited, added or removed using Edison. Left-click - the sample view to preview the sound (if time stretching is enabled, the preview is tempo-synchronized). Right-click - to open a menu with additional commands: Reload - Use this command to reload samples when they were altered in external applications (wave editors, etc.), after FL Studio was started. This command appears only in channels that hold Sampler instrument. Save as... - Allows you to save the sample with all precalculated effects applied to it (see Sampler Channels Settings). Edit... (

E) - Opens the integrated Wave Editor with the current sample, or

the custom wave editor you have selected in the Tools window. Detect tempo - Opens the Tempo Detection Wizard which asks you to select one of several tempo ranges the sample might be in. Select a range and the Time property of the channel will be automatically adjusted (see Sampler ). Note that the accuracy of the auto detection depends on the source material and might not always match the real sample tempo. The best practice in this case is to know in advance the real loop tempo and embed that information in the sample by using a wave editor. Get properties - Opens the Windows properties dialog for the sample file. Spectrum view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in spectrum mode, includes the Playlist. NOTE: If this is selected the Multichannel waveform view option (below) is ignored. Multichannel waveform view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in stereo mode (upper left, lower right), includes the Playlist. NOTE: Spectrum view overrides this setting. Tools - Will show any other Tools set in FL Studio. Drag and Drop - You can also Left-click on the sample view and drag it to other compatible locations in FL Studio such as the Playlist (to open a new Audio Clip instance), Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, Edison, etc.

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Envelope / Instrument Channel Settings The Instrument Channel Settings page contains options for additional changes to sample playback. This tab is available for Sampler instruments and Sampler plugins. Not all plugins will have this tab.

Envelope & LFO Section Contains envelopes and LFOs for pan, volume, cutoff, resonance and pitch values in the Sampler. The tab buttons bar at the top of the Instruments Channel Settings lets you choose which envelope/LFO to edit. There are four envelopes (pan does not support an envelope) and five LFOs for each setting on the tab bar. An envelope is applied only when it is turned on from the orange LED at the top-left corner of the envelope section.

Envelope Section Envelopes in this section behave much like standard ADSR envelopes, but they have

been enhanced with a few additional properties (delay, hold and amount). You can control the envelope properties using the knobs, or by dragging (up/down) the elements within the envelope preview. Time/Tension mode (TIME/TNS) - These buttons switch between Time and Tension (TNS) editing for the envelope. In Time edit mode, the knobs set the length of the attack, decay, sustain and release segments of the envelope. In Tension edit mode, you can set the shape of the elements instead (logarithmic, linear or exponential). Delay (DEL) - Delay can be used to add a "gap" between the start of a note and the envelope attack state. Attack (ATT) - Controls the attack length of the envelope (attack shape in tension edit mode). Hold (HOLD)- "Holds" the attack at its maximum level for a period before the decay starts. Decay (DEC) - Controls the decay length of the envelope (decay shape in tension edit mode). Sustain (SUS) - Determines the sustain level of the envelope. Release (REL) - Determines the release length of the envelope (release shape in tension edit mode). Amount (AMT) - Global multiplier value for the envelope as it's applied to the target it's modulating. If the Amount knob is centered (AMT = 0), the envelope will NOT be applied to the values. Turn right for positive multiplier values and left for negative multiplier values (this inverts the effect of the envelope). Volume does not contain and AMT knob as the envelope is applied directly to note volume (0% at the bottom and 100% at the top). Tempo Based (TB) - Turning this option on makes lengths of attack, hold, decay, etc. tempo based, so they change whenever the tempo is changed. With this option checked, you can Right-click all knobs in an envelope section (except Amount and Sustain, which don't set a time period) and open the Set submenu that contains some pre-defined tempo-based lengths. Select any of these to apply them. If you select a pre-defined tempo-based length from this menu and the Tempo Based option is not checked, it will turn itself on automatically.

LFO Section

This section applies LFO modulation to pan, volume, cutoff, resonance and pitch settings. You can choose from three LFO shapes - sine, triangle and square. The shape selector is located in the top-left corner of the LFO section. Delay (DEL) - May be used to add a "gap" between the start of a note and the application of the LFO. Attack (ATT) - Sets the attack length in the LFO modulation. Amount (AMT) - Is a global multiplier value to control how the LFO envelope is applied to the target it's modulating. If the Amount knob is centered (AMT = 0), the LFO will NOT be applied to the target. Turn right for positive multiplier values and left for negative multiplier values (this inverts the phase of the LFO). Speed (SPD) - Controls the frequency (speed) of the LFO. Tempo Based (TB) - Turning this option on makes lengths of delay, attack and speed tempo-based, so they change whenever the tempo is changed. With this option checked, you can Right-click all knobs that control those values in a LFO section and open the Set sub-menu that contains some predefined tempo-based lengths. Select any of these to apply them to the knob. If you select a pre-defined tempo-based length from this menu, and the Tempo Based option is not checked, it will turn itself on automatically. Global - Turning this option on applies the current LFO setting globally, so that it does not restart in the beginning of each note. If unchecked, the LFO is applied to each note locally.

Filter Section This section controls the cut/res filter type and its values. Cutoff (CUT) controls the cutoff threshold. Resonance (RES) controls the resonance level (ringing of frequencies at the cutoff). The drop-down menu selects the filter type, Left-click to choose from: Fast LP - Light CPU load, Low Pass filter (frequencies above the 'Cutoff' band are cut). LP - Low Pass filter. BP - Band Pass filter (frequencies either side of the 'Cutoff' band are cut).​ BS - Band Stop filter (frequencies at the 'Cutoff' band are cut).

LPx2 - Low Pass filter steep cutoff.​ SVF LP - State Variable Filter SVF LPx2 - State Variable Filter

Preview Keyboard Click here for more details.

Low Pass.​ Low Pass, steep cutoff.​

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Miscellaneous Channel Settings The Miscellaneous Channel Settings page contains various generator settings and are available for all Instrument Channels, including VST plugins.

Levels Adjustment This section controls Channel: Panning (PAN) - Channel panning (Left to Right) Volume (VOL) - Channel volume. Modulation (MODX/MODY) - Assignable modulation parameters. These duplicate the functionality of the other controls found in the Channel Settings window, but are useful for two main reasons: 1. Easier automation - You can, for example, create a fade in/out effect for a channel using the volume adjustment knob instead of the channel volume control. This allows you to independently set the

overall volume level using the channel volume knob, without needing to recreate the automation data. Similarly, you can set the pan adjustment knob to create panning LFO without automating the channel pan knob, i.e. adjust the overall panning without recreating automation data. 2. Wider range - The volume adjustment knob has a range of 0% to 200% compared with the channel volume knob (0%-100%). Thus, you can preamp the volume up to twice as loud as the original level without needing additional effects.

Polyphony MAX - Drag up/down in the Max Polyphony LCD (MAX) to reduce the maximum number of voices the channel will play simultaneously. Setting this property to a lower number reduces the amount of CPU used to play the song. If the LCD displays dashes, it indicates that polyphony is unrestricted. SLIDE - Portamento Time (SLIDE) is used to set the slide length when portamento is turned on. Also used for overlapping notes in monophonic mode. The more the knob is turned right, the longer the slide. Mono - Turning on the Mono button sets the instrument to monophonic mode (maximum one note played at a time). In this mode, when two notes overlap (the overlap amount does not matter) they will "slide" one to another (including their properties - cutoff, resonance and panning). You can set the transition length with the Portamento Time (SLIDE) knob (see below). Porta - Turning on the Porta button enables the portamento feature for this channel (sliding the pitch from note to note). In FL Studio the portamento transition also includes all other properties of the note (cutoff, resonance and panning). NOTES: Portamento and sliding of overlapping notes is not supported by VST instruments. It may also not be supported by some Fruity Plugin instruments (those that do not support pitch bending).

Time Two filters are available in this section - a gate that "truncates" the note events when they pass a specified limit and a filter that shifts notes' start time. Gate - The time interval set with this knob defines the maximum possible length of a note event in the channel - i.e. long notes are truncated to the set length. Look in the hint bar (see Main Panel) to see the length you set in STEPS:TICKS format. To disable the gate effect turn the knob fully clockwise.

Shift - Turn this knob to right to delay notes' triggering with up to 16-th note time period (one step). Swing - Multiplier knob for the Channel Rack swing setting. This allows you to independently apply varying amounts of swing to channels.

Velocity/Keyboard Tracking There are two trackers, one for velocity and one for keyboard key number. The keyboard tracker "links" the note number (i.e. note pitch) to the cutoff, resonance and panning properties of notes. For example, you can set the keyboard tracker so higher notes move the cutoff frequency to a higher value. The velocity tracker works in the same way, using a note's velocity to modulate target controls. Vol / Key - Click Vol to set the properties for the velocity tracker and Key to set the properties for the keyboard tracker. Both trackers remain active regardless of which one is currently selected. To disable the effects of the tracker, reset the PAN, CUT and RES knobs (Right-click a knob and select the Reset command) associated with it. Mod X / Mod Y - There are two destinations for the keyboard tracking modulation, Mod X and Mod Y. These can be linked to parameters in FL Studio such as a plugins filter-cutoff. The knobs are bi-polar so negative and positive tracking modulation can be generated. Middle value (Mid) - For both trackers there is a middle value where no offsets are generated. Higher values generate positive offsets and lower values generate negative ones. For the keyboard tracker, the middle value of a note's pitch (e.g. C5 or B3) determines the 'no-offset' point. The velocity tracker uses the note's velocity.

Example keyboard tracking. The blue note shows the MID key. Each key then generates a modulation value that can be sent to Mod X and or Mod Y.

Cut Groups Cut groups are arbitrary numbers used to identify Instrument Channels as belonging to a Cut or Cut by group. Cut groups are used so that an instrument channel can either silence other instrument channels when it plays (Cut) or be silenced by other instrument channels (be 'Cut by'). Cut - The current channel will silence (cut) any activity in channels that have their Cut by set to this number. Cut by - The current channel will be silenced (cut by) any activity that appears in channels with their Cut value set to this number. Example: Of two channels, one has a open hi-hat sample and another a closed hihat sample. You want the closed hi-hat sound to stop (cut) the open sound, so that it sounds as if the hi-hat has slammed shut (open to closed hat sound). 1. Set the closed hi-hat Cut group (LCD on the left) to 1 (for example) and leave the Cut By group (LCD on the right) at the default "--" . 2. Set the open hi-hat sound Cut by group to "1" and leave the Cut group to the default "--". The open hi-hat is then listening for any activity on cut group 1 and if the open hihat channel hears activity on Cut group 1, it will stop playing. Alternatively activity on the open hi-hat channel won't affect the closed hi-hat channel since its Cut by value is set to none "--". Cut itself: This button causes a channel to cut itself by setting the Cut/Cut By values to the same number. FL Studio will do this automatically if you check the Cut Itself button (this can also be accessed by Right-clicking the channel button and selecting 'Cut itself' from the pop-up menu). NOTES: 1. Step Sequencer vs Piano roll - The Cut itself (Cut 1 By 1) feature will work with Stepsequence notes but does not work with Piano roll notes. You can, however, use Piano roll activity from one Channel to cut note activity in another using the Cut/Cut by feature. 2. The release envelope - The Cut function works with the note data sent to the plugin (it is not an audio function like turning down a channel volume). 'Cut' sends an all-notes 'off' (release) command to the plugin on the

channel so all playing notes jump to the release phase of their envelopes. If your instrument has long release envelopes, you will still hear the notes fading out after they have been cut.

Arpeggiator This section lets you add a real-time non-destructive arpeggio effect to the sequence of an instrument. To use the arpeggiator, select a direction from the icons in the top left corner of this section. The available options are: Off (default; turns off the arpeggiator), Up, Down, Up-Down, Up-Down (twice the lowest and highest notes), Random (selects random notes from the range and chord specified). The arpeggiator can operate in two modes - classic arpeggiator, that uses any chords present in the channel note data, or it can use a predefined chord template. The mode is selected from the Arpeggio Chord option (see below): Arpeggio Time (TIME) - Select the delay between the successive notes generated by the arpeggiator. Right-click the knob and select Set for some time presets. Arpeggio Gate (GAT) - Gates the arpeggio notes, this results in shorter notes and a more staccato sound. Slide - Check this option to make the arpeggiator slide between notes. This option will not work with instruments that do not support slides. Arpeggio Range (RANGE) - Lets you set the arpeggio range in octaves. The arpeggiated chord is transposed within the specified range to create additional notes for the effect. Arpeggio Chord (CHORD) - Select None if you want the arpeggiator to progress with a step of 12 semitones (1 octave) within the specified octave range. Select Auto or Auto (sustain) to set the arpeggiator in classic mode - it will create arpeggio effects based on any chords contained in the instrument sequence. The remaining presets are predefined chords that will be applied to the instrument sequence (sequence chords will not be arpeggiated as in classic mode). Auto (sustain) will not apply arpeggio effect on monophonic sequences (given that the octave range is set to 1)

Echo Delay This section creates echoes for the channel based on echoing note events (rather than audio). This enables some special effects like pitch shifted echoes, but also requires additional CPU power for each echo generated (each echo is a normal note

voice). If you want to use a standard audio-effect, use the Fruity Delay effect instead (see Effects). All options described below are applied additive to each successive echo. For example, if you set the pitch knob to +10 cents, the first echo will have 10 cents higher pitch than the original sound. The second will have 20 cents higher pitch than the original sound, etc. Feedback (FEED) - Sets the volume of echoes. If this knob is centered, echoes have the same volume as the original note. Turning it to left creates fading out echoes. Turning it to right increases the volume of each successive echo. Turning this knob to the leftmost point turns echo delay off. Pan (PAN) - Sets the panning of echoes. Cutoff (MODX) - Sets the filter cutoff value of the echoes. Resonance (MODY) - Sets the resonance value of the echoes. Pitch (PITCH) - Sets the pitch offset of echoes. Time (TIME) - Sets the delay period between echoes in units of beats. This enables you to set a tempo based delay, so echo will follow properly tempo changes in the song. Number of Echoes (# ECH) - Sets the number of echoes generated for each note. It is recommended to keep this number down for lower CPU usage. Ping Pong - If turned on, the pan value will "bounce" when it reaches 100% left or right panning. Fat Mode- This is a special mode of the echo delay effect, which makes subtler echoes with alternating panning - useful for creating flange and chorus-like effects. If this option is turned off, some options of the echo delay unit are reset to their defaults. The reason is that settings that sound fine in fat mode, usually are extremely loud in normal mode. NOTE: If you click the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some presets for this section.

Preview Keyboard (Root note: & Zone:) The preview keyboard allows you to preview the channel instrument (Leftclicking on the piano-keyboard), set the root key (Right-click a key), and set key region (Left-click and drag on the ruler).

Reset - Sets back the default base note and removes the key region (all notes will be played). For the Sampler & DrumSynth that is C5. For SimSynth it depends on how the preset was set in SimSynth. Enable Main Pitch - If you turn off this option, channel's pitch won't be altered when you change the main pitch value (see Main panel). Add to Key - This option only affects multi-sampled instruments where more than one sample is spread across the keyboard (e.g. SoundFont players, DirectWave, Fruity Slicer, Slicex). Plugins with single-samples stretched across the keyboard or synthesizers are not affected by this option. ON: Root key transposes note input (use this option if you want to transpose your live MIDI keyboard playing). The Root Key offset transposes the MIDI keyboard input to the instrument so if you play C5 with an offset of +4 semitones the instrument will receive instructions to play D5. OFF: Root Key transposes source samples. The Root Key offset will re-pitch all the samples used in the instrument by the offset amount. This will sound bad with most multi-sampled instruments. Sampler & SimSynth/DrumSynth - (not shown) These buttons appear only in Sampler instrument, when SimSynth or DrumSynth preset is used to fill the sample bank in Sampler Channel Settings. If the Sampler button is clicked, the base note you set in preview keyboard is used as usual by the Sampler as a base tone of the sample (in this case the sample generated by the SimSynth/DrumSynth preset). When the SimSynth/DrumSynth button is clicked, the base note is used by the SimSynth or DrumSynth engines respectively for a pitch of the sample generated. Fine tuning (FINE) - You can use this knob to fine-tune the base note in cents (1 cent = 1/100th of a semitone). Root Key - The default Root Key is C5. The blue note (C5 in the example above) shows the root key of the channel. Right-click a note to change the setting. As each sample has a natural pitch, FL Studio needs to know what key should play this pitch. All other notes are generated by changing sample's speed (and so pitch), setting the root key higher will cause a given key to sound lower in pitch. NOTE: You can use this feature to change key of your MIDI controller (with sample based instruments make sure Add to key is also selected, see below). Key Region - The lighter region shows the playable note-range. Left-click and drag on the keyboard to define the key region. Once created, edit the region limits by dragging the end points. Setting a key region for a channel will cause notes outside the region to be ignored (so not played).

This can be useful when using a channel as part of a Layer, to create multisampled instruments (e.g. selecting a different sample to play over each octave). Multi-touch - Enlarges the keyboard for use with multi-touch displays and your fat fingers. Fine - Fine-tune the pitch in cents (1/100ths of semitone).

PLAYLIST

Automation Clips Automation Clips move (automate) linked controls on the FL Studio interface or plugins. They are closely related to Event automation and are a type of internal controller. Unlike event data they are not bound to a specific pattern and exist as a special type of Generator, loaded into a Channel. Automation Clip data can be displayed in the Playlist window as a line-graph, as shown below.

NOTE: Once an Automation Clip is created it will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls.

Automation Clips Automation Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Automation Clip menu. Step - Sets the Automation Clip curve editor in 'step editing' mode. Left-click and drag in the clip to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline (steps depend on the current snap settings). Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Slide - Preserves the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it.

Creating Automation Clips There are several ways to create an Automation Clip:

1. Native FL Studio controls - Native controls, those on the FL Studio interface and Image-Line plugins, can be Right-clicked to show a popup menu. Select 'Create automation clip'. A clip will be added to the Playlist Clip-Track area (as shown above). See Notes below. 2. VST plugin controls - Move (tweak) the target control on the VST using your mouse, then, from the Tools Menu select 'Last tweaked > Create automation clip'. This will create an Automation Clip and place it in the Playlist for further editing. See Note below. For more information on linking targets in FL Studio and plugins see the sections on Linking internal controllers and Linking hardware controllers. 3. Add menu - Tweak the target control and use the Add menu > Automation from last tweaked parameter. 4. Convert from Event Data - All recorded automation is saved as Event Data. Convert Event Data to an Automation Clip from the 'Edit > Turn into automation clip' command in the Event Editor menu. 5. Audio Clips - FL Studio also provides you with a quick way to automate the volume/pan of an Audio Clip. Open the clip menu and select either Automate > Panning or Automate > Volume. The new Automation Clip will be placed over the target Audio Clip. NOTE: Time range - If you pre-select a time-range in the Playlist, the Automation Clip will be restricted to the selected range. If no range is selected then the Automation Clip will span the entire song length.

Deleting Automation Clips Delete the Automation Clip Channel. Deleting the Automation Clip from the Playlist leaves the Channel in place for use later in the Project. NOTE: Initialized controls - When an Automation Clip is created using the Right-click menu option, the control will be initialized with the current value. This initialization remains after the Clip is deleted or unlinked. To remove the initialization, find it in the Browser > Current project > Patterns > Initialized controls list, then Right-click and select 'Delete event' OR set the control to the desired starting level and Right-click it to select 'Init song with this position'.

Working with Automation Clips The following operations may be performed in the Clip Track area of the Playlist. See

Automation Clip focus

Video Tutorials here

.

- Selects the Automation Clip layer/s for editing.

Step - When selected, allows you to draw relatively free-hand curves by laying down a new control point each time a Left-clicked mouse is dragged past a grid line. Slide - When selected, slides any grabbed control points to the right of the selected point without changing the shape. When de-selected the moved control point will move relative to the points to the right of it. To place the Automation Clip in the Playlist - Use the Clip selector along the top of the Playlist window to select the Automation Clip to be placed, then Left-click in the Playlist window while in mode.

Draw (

Shift+P) or

Paint (

Shift+B)

Add control points - Right-click on the clip area, continue to hold and drag to reposition the point. Hold ( dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while

Alt) to override snapping (if

selected). Copy / Paste control point values - Right-click the source control point and select Copy value then Right-click the destination conorol point and select Paste value. Delete Control Points - Right-click a control point and select Delete (make sure 'STEP' mode is off), OR quicker, hold ( Right Alt) and Left-click points.

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless

Playlist Snap Selector is set to none). Hold (

to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl)

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Change envelope curve - Left-click a tension handle and move up/down. Holding (

Ctrl) will allow fine adjustment.

Right-click the tension handle to reset curve tension. Change curve type - Right-click the right-most control point of the segment to be changed, this will open the Curve Type Menu with the following options: Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt double curve - Asymmetrical linear, or accelerating / decelerating curves (depending on the tension). Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Smooth - Allows for smoothly joining points with an 'S' curve. Change length - Drag the last control point to stretch the clip. When Automation Clips are created they will span the length of the Playlist selection or the entire length containing data. Clone / Copy an Automation Clip - From the Clip menu select 'Make unique'. The new Automation clip will not be linked to any of the original clips targets. Restrict /change the automation range - Use the MAX & MIN knobs on the Automation Clip Channel settings to keep the automation in the sweet-spot. NOTE: The automation values will be restricted, but the Playlist display will remain unchanged. Slicing - Clips can be sliced

(

Alt + Right-Shift) and then re-arranged. Once a clip is sliced any data outside the visible

window may be accessed with the slip editing tool

(

Shift+S). Use the Clip Menu 'Make unique' function to convert

the new slice into an independent clip that can be further edited without affecting the parent clip. Control point & Tension handle Values - The values will display in the FL Studio hint bar when moved. Automation Clip targets - The envelope is usually played back along with the Playlist patterns, sending modulation data to any linked controls (one Automation Clip may feed multiple controls or multiple Automation clips can be linked to a single control). Triggering - Automation Clips can be triggered with the Piano roll, Step Sequencer or live with a controller keyboard. The clip will automate while the note is held, note pitch will vary the automation speed. Clips do not need to be placed in the Playlist to be effective if triggered by note data. A

video tutorial

is also available on the FL Studio website.

Automation Clip Channel Settings

See above for details on using Automation Clips.

Options Menu Copy/Paste state - Copy and paste Automation Clip data between Automation Clips. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Preset filtering to remove abrupt changes (smoothing). Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound (you will be prompted to choose an audio file after selecting).

Settings Min - Sets the minimum value the Automation Clip return. Max - Sets the maximum value the Automation Clip return. Time - Controls the speed at which the Automation Clip plays back. The number window after the Time knob is a multiplier setting. LFO Switch - Enables and shows a preview of the LFO and its amplitude envelope inside clips placed on the Playlist tracks. NOTE: Selecting the LFO function doesn't erase the 'main' automation envelope (although not visible). It remains available to be combined with the LFO when the Multiply switch (see below) is selected. Speed (SPD) - Sets the speed of the LFO.

Tension (TENS) - Sets the LFO shape 'tension', a shape morph for tuning the exact LFO shape - starting with square (pulse), sine, triangle and 'pulse'. Shape Skew (AK) - Skews the LFO shape. Together with triangle shape, the skew can be used to create saw and reversed saw LFO shapes. Pulse Width (NW) - Sets the width of the LFO shape. Level (LVL) - Sets the LFO amplitude (strength). Set it to the middle position to reset level to 0 and effectively disable the LFO. Turn it left for negative amplitude (inverted values) or right for positive amplitude. Multiply - Allows you to combine the LFO values with the 'main' spline envelope of the Automation Clip. When the switch is enabled the two values will be multiplied, i.e. the LFO acts as an amplitude modulator for the envelope. This is useful for unipolar (one directional) properties such as cutoff frequency, volume, etc. When the switch is disabled both values are added together, i.e. like an LFO 'offsetting' the envelope. This is useful for bipolar parameters such as panning.

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Layer Settings NOTE: Layer channels are provided for comparability with old projects, we recommend using Patcher to control multiple plugins in new projects. The Layer Channel does not make sound, it passes note data from its Piano roll and controller input to any linked Channels (child channels). Layers can be used to create complex instruments with different samples or to mix the sound of several instruments in one Channel, controlled by a single Layer Channel. The child of a Layer Channel can be any sampler channel, Fruity Plugin generator or VST, except another Layer Channel.

Setting Child Channels To set child Channels: 1. Open the Layer Channel so the interface is showing. You need access to the Set children button in a later step. 2. Deselect all Channels (Left-click any Channel selector then Right-click it). Just making sure there are no unwanted Channels in the layer. 3. Right-click on each Channel selector that you want to include in the layer. 4. Click the Set children button on the Layer Channel and you are done. 5. Select the Layer Channel and test. The Layer Channel should now play all child

layers. Things you can do: You can use a Layer Channel to create multi-sampled instruments by assigning unique keyboard regions to each child. You can include an Envelope Controller as one of the children and use it to automate the crossfade control. Here imagination is key, think horizontal (keyboard) and vertical (velocity, modulation, etc.) layering.

Options Levels Adjustment - This section contains controls for the volume (VOL), panning (PAN) and Pitch of the linked layers. NOTE: The levels you set in the Layer Channel apply ONLY to the notes played through that layer. If you play a child of this Channel through its own Step Sequencer dots or Piano roll, these settings will not be applied. Layering section Set children - Assigns all selected Channels in the Step Sequencer as children in this Layer Channel. When you play a note on the Layer Channel, all the children play along. To unassign a Channel from the Layer Channel, select all the Channels you want to remain as children and press the Set children button again (all unselected Channels become unassigned for this Layer Channel). Show children - Selects all Channels that are children of this Layer Channel in the Step Sequencer, and deselects all other Channels. Random - OFF: All children of the Layer Channel will sound on each note. ON: A single, random, Channel in the Layer will play. Use the 'Random' feature to make more interesting percussion sounds, for example, by assigning many similar samples to each Channel in the Layer. This will give subtle variations on each repeated note. Crossfade - ON: The Fade knob (below) will crossfade between two or more Channels in the Layer. If, for example, you have 3 Layer Channels turning the Fade knob from left to right will sound: Child1 > Child1+Child2 > Child2 > Child2+Child3 > Child3. Channels are faded from top (knob left) to bottom (knob right) in the Channel Rack. NOTE: Crossfading only works with FL Studio native format plugins, it does not work with VST/DX plugins. Fade knob - Used to set the crossfade level in crossfade mode. Layering menu - Click on the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some additional commands: Split children - Splits the children of the Layer Channel across the

keyboard (starting with the root key of the Layer Channel), assigning each layer to a single key. The root keys of the children are automatically adjusted, so that the correct pitch is played through the Layer Channel. This feature is useful for creating drum kits or instruments where each note has different sample. Group children - Adds all children of the Layer Channel to a group (a popup window will appear to enter the name of the group). For more information see the Channel Filtering section in the Step Sequencer page. Delete children - Removes selected children from the layer. Preview Keyboard - The preview keyboard allows you to preview the Channel instrument (Left-clicking on the piano-keyboard), set the root key (Right-click a key), and set key region (Left-click and drag on the ruler). See the Miscellaneous Channel Settings page for more information on using the Preview Keyboard.

INSTRUMENT PLUGINS / EFFECT PLUGINS / CHANNEL SETTINGS

Plugin Wrapper The Wrapper is a software interface/layer between instrument / effect plugins and FL Studio. All controls are common to all plugins (FL native & VST), while the plugin options ( 6 ) only appear on Wrappers hosting VST format plugins. The Wrapper provides compatibility with the VST 1, 2 & 3 standards (the screenshot below demonstrates the Fruity Wrapper hosting the 'Drumaxx' VSTi plugin). More information on installing and using 3rd party VST/DX plugins here.

There is a native and a VST wrapper, FL Studio automatically selects the appropriate Wrapper depending on the plugin type loaded. There are several control options:

1. Plugin Menu The Plugin Menu contains various plugin-specific commands, including preset management. The commands displayed will depend on the type of plugin being hosted. NOTE: The Save preset as command can be dragged and dropped on a compatible target.

Piano roll Opens a Piano roll for the selected channel. Presets Presets - Contains a sub-menu with preset handling options for the effect: Randomize gives random values to the published (i.e. known to FL Studio) plugin settings. When enabled, selecting a preset will load a random 50% of the settings, so you can quickly mix different presets and create new effects. Hybridize blends between the previous and next selected preset. Tree Display displays the settings in a 'tree' view. The Presets menu is

disabled if there is no effect assigned to the plugin slot. Browse presets - Opens the presets menu in the Browser (not all plugins have presets shown here however). Save presets as - Save the current preset as a single preset file in the Browser. The menu item can also be dragged and dropped on a compatible location. e.g. The Browser, the Channel Rack or another instance of the same plugin to copy the preset. Add to plugin database (flag as favorite) - Adds the plugin to the currently open sub-directory of the Plugin database folder in the Browser. This is a special browser folder that works in conjunction with the Plugin picker to help organize and load plugins into projects. Spare state These options are useful for saving plugin settings, making edits, then comparing the original vs edited versions. Store in spare state - Saves the plugins current settings in a temporary buffer (spare state). Flip with spare state - Swaps the plugin's current settings with those in the spare state. Parameters Link all parameters... - Opens a dialog to link automatable plugin parameters to 'tweaked' hardware controllers in sequence down the 'parameter list'. There are several options for skipping parameters or jumping to new locations in the list. Basic operation - Select 'Link all parameters' from the menu, and move the first hardware controller to be linked (the link is made to the first item in the 'Current parameter' list). When you move the second hardware controller it will be auto-linked to the next parameter and so on, until the end of the parameter list is reached or the link dialog is closed. To skip a link, Left-click the Skip button at the bottom of the link dialog (immediately left of the 'Accept' button). To jump directly to a parameter, use the Current parameter menu (top most in the link dialog) and select the target parameter you are interested in. You can then continue auto-linking from that point in the list by moving hardware controllers as before OR jump to another parameter in the list using the 'Current parameter' menu as previously described. Browse parameters - Allows you to see the list of automatable parameters in the Browser. Embedded CC Parameters: Every instance of the Wrapper has 128 CC (MIDI Control Change) parameters in a parameter list. These parameters transmit CC data directly to the plugin (for plugins that read CC data directly) and can be linked like any other parameter to a MIDI or internal controller. Thus, you can send CC data directly to the plugin instead of linking to a specific knob on the plugin

interface. These parameters can also be set in conjunction with the Omni mode associated with the Remote control settings 'link' dialog to send CC data to any selected plugin and to save MIDI controller assignments (see the Omni and VSTi/DXi Control section for more details). CPU Allow threaded processing - Improves multi-threading and multi-core CPU performance. NOTE: Some 3rd party plugins may perform worse with multithreading on. If you are experiencing choppy or broken sound (the GPO/Kontakt Player for example), try turning this off. To permanently disable multithreaded processing for the plugin (even for future FL Studio sessions) disable the 'Processing > Allow threaded processing' option and save it for the plugin type. Smart disable - Stop processing the plugin when inactive. Reduces CPU load. There is a global Smart disable on the F10 Audio settings panel OR 'Smart disable' Tools > Macros > Misc > Switch smart disable for all plugins. Make editor thumbnail - Places a small thumbnail image of the plugin interface into the Browser > Plugin database so that the plugin is easily identified. NOTE: the Browser view must be larger than 'Compact' for the thumbnail image to display. Detached - Detaches the Plugin from the FL Studio desktop so it can be moved to a monitor that does not have the FL Desktop stretched across it. NOTE: Detached plugins now are seen by Windows and FL Studio as separate applications. See the sections on Plugin GUI Scaling and Audio Settings > Auto close device to learn more how this affects workflow. Help - Opens the plugins in-line help (if any).

2. Detailed Wrapper Settings (Show/Hide) Wrapper settings - opens and closes the additional settings details as discussed below.

3 & 4. Preset Browser & Window Controls Preset browser - This is for presets saved by the user and some plugins that publish their presets to the Wrapper. In this case, clicking on the left/right arrows will step through presets. Right-clicking here will open the preset menu for the plugin.

Minimize / Close - Minimize plugin interface / Close plugin interface.

5. Plugin Interface

Plugin interface - Use this to switch back to the Plugin interface after using one of the other Channel Settings tabs.

6. VST Wrapper Settings Settings - These options are only available when using VST plugins and provide advanced VST plugin wrapper controls. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs above to see the help for that tab.

Info - Displays any information published by the plugin, such as: Plugin Name, Type (32/64 Bit), Category & processing latency. Options - Options are saved per-plugin, saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded, until they are deleted. Autosave - Automatically saves the options set in the wrapper Settings and Processing tabs. Settings are remembered the next time the plugin is loaded (this option is on by default). Save - Saves the options set in the wrapper. Saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded. Use when automatic saving is disabled. Delete - Clear the options for the currently loaded plugin. Default settings will be used next time the plugin is opened.

Reset - Reset plugin options to the default state. Bit size - This option tells the Wrapper which Bit size version of a plugin to load for both FL Studio 32 and 64 Bit. It's useful when you want to always use a particular Bit size of a plugin (say a 64 Bit sampler in FL Studio 32 Bit) OR one Bit size is more stable than another across all versions of FL Studio. There are three options, Native, 32 Bit and 64 Bit: Native - The Wrapper will load the Bit-size plugin to match FL Studio 32 or 64 Bit (the native Bit-size). 32 or 64 Bit - The Wrapper will always try to load the set Bit-size in all versions of FL Studio (32 and 64 Bit). If the set Bit size can't be found the Wrapper will use the one that is available. Presets Load preset/bank - Allows you to import a standard VST bank (FXB) or preset (FXP) in the currently hosted plugin instance. A bank replaces all of the programs for this plugin instance, while loading a preset replaces only the currently active program. Save preset - Allows you to export the current patch as a VST preset (FXP). Save all - Exports all programs in the bank as individual VST presets (FXP). Buttons Reload plugin - Reloads the plugin and resets it to the default settings. Refresh plugin properties - Checks plugin properties, such as, the number of inputs, outputs and latency. Can be useful if these were not registered correctly on loading or for properties that have changed after the plugin was loaded. MIDI Input port / Output port - Select the MIDI input and output ports respectively. MIDI ports are independent communication channels within a given MIDI connection. When the same port numbers is set on an MIDI input and output device the plugin and other MIDI device will be able to share exclusive MIDI data. Send note off velocity - Sends the note release velocity to the plugin along with the 'note off' message. Note off velocity is set in the Piano roll and can be edited using the integrated event editor. Send pitch bend range - When selected, the MIDI pitch bend range selected to the right of the switch will be passed to the plugin. Plugins that support pitch bend range will respond correctly to host bend instructions. This is not selected by default as some plugins interpret pitch bend range messages as a filter 'reset' message, causing problems. Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Check properties on display change - Some plugins send a display change message when some properties have changed, such as the selected patch. This option allows FL Studio to detect the change and ensure data is correctly copied between FL Studio and the plugin. Invalidate plugin editor - Sends the plugin's 'idle' message. When FL Studio receives the idle message the plugin GUI can be refreshed. Try de-selecting this setting if the plugin has graphical display glitches. Don't allow stealing keyboard focus - Prevents the plugin from stealing keyboard input from other plugins when the interface is selected with the mouse. NOTE: This won't always work. In particular bridged plugins always steal keyboard focus if focussed. DPI aware when bridged - Must be used with 'Wrapper Processing > Make bridged'. VST plugins with native rescaling will then use the Operating System display scaling. See Rescaling VST plugins for more details. Automation Notify about parameter changes - Normally this is on so FL Studio is notified precisely what plugin controls you have been touching, and the police can be alerted. This data is also used for Last tweaked parameter linking and the undo history (when 'General Settings > Undo knob tweaks' is selected). As some badly behaved plugins continuously send parameter change messages to FL Studio this will reset the 'Last tweaked parameter' value and make it impossible select and link some target of your choice. > Processing. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs below to see the help for that tab.

Compatibility Options - Not all plugin developers work strictly to the letter of the VST/2/3 plugin specification (sadly). In this case there may be graphical, audio or other issues (crashing) with a plugin. These options are provided to help in such cases. NOTE: If you are troubleshooting plugins, see the section on 'Plugins behaving badly' for more tips. If you report plugin issues to developers expect a lot of finger pointing and blaming the other guy. No we don't really expect you to remember all these options, to understand what they do, or even to find them in the manual. They are here mainly so Tech support

can tell you to

flip a switch when some plugin is acting up, and you start pointing the finger at FL Studio. These options keep the peace and make everyone happy. Allow threaded processing - Switch to turn multi-core enhanced processing on/off. NOTE: A plugin will be multi-core threaded only if this, the Global Multithreaded options and the Wrapper menu - 'Allow threaded processing' options are on. The threaded processing option here is provided since it can be saved using the 'Settings' tab 'per plugin type'. This is useful to prevent plugins that are not multithread safe running in this mode in future, regardless of the other settings. Make bridged - Only VST plugins can be 'Bridged'. Bridging opens a plugin in a separate process outside FL Studio. This means Windows sees the plugin as a separate program and we can do more things with it. Non-bridged plugins are invisible to Windows, inside FL Studio. Both 32 and 64 Bit plugins can be bridged. There only 4 cases where bridging VST plugins is useful, if these don't apply, don't bridge: 1. Memory management (only useful for FL Studio 32) - Bridging removes the plugins memory allocation from FL Studio's memory space to an independent process under Windows. Bridging is particularly beneficial for sampler

and ROMpler plugins that consume large amounts of memory loading samples. The maximum memory available to the bridged plugin will be at least 2 Gb for 32 Bit Windows

and at least 4 Gb depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows

(see

2). To reduce the memory burden of Audio Clips and Sampler Channels use the 'Keep on disk' option. 2. Running cross-bit-depth VST plugins - Bridging allows 32 Bit VST plugins to run in FL Studio 64 Bit and 64 Bit VST plugins to be used in FL Studio 32 Bit. 32 and 64 Bit plugins are auto-detected and the Bridged mode will be set accordingly. The memory available to the plugin depends on the Windows bit-depth as described above. NOTES: 2.1 Memory - 64 Bit plugins running on 64 Bit windows will have access to the maximum memory available under your Windows version

.

2.2 CPU and Stability - We recommend using 32 Bit plugins in FL Studio 32 Bit and 64 Bit plugins in FL Studio 64 Bit, where possible. Bridging introduces an additional layer of processing and so a small CPU overhead (approx 1-2% per plugin). It can also decrease stability for some plugin. If a plugin crashes, please report it to Tech support

and we will fix it, or

point the finger at the developer. 3. Protect FL Studio from crashing plugins - If a plugin crashes while in Bridged mode then it is less likely to bring down FL Studio at the same time. Try using Bridged mode with plugins that are unstable or crash. If you just read point 2.2 (above), you are right, this is a paradox! 4. Rescaling VST plugins - High resolution monitors will shrink VST plugin interfaces. Bridging opens the plugin outside FL Studio so it can respond to Windows System scaling. Use the following options: VST plugins WITHOUT native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper processing > External window. VST plugins WITH native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper settings > DPI aware when bridged NOTES: See General Settings > Rescaling options for more information on GUI rescaling. You have probably already set Windows scaling to work on your high resolution monitor, and so the plugin will be scaled appropriately. If not, open the Windows Control Panel, click on Display > Custom Sizing Options. From there adjust GUI zoom percentage selector. All bridged plugins with the correct settings will use this scaling value. Ensure processor state in plugin callback - Only deselect if you are having unexpected issues including noises, DC offset, volume spikes, plugin crashes etc. Notify about rendering mode - The plugin is informed when FL Studio is rendering so it can switch to a higher quality output, if possible. This must be selected to achieve HQ rendering from plugins that support different real-time and rendered quality. Try deselecting this option if a plugin is not rendering correctly. NOTE: Native FL Studio plugins respond to the HQ for all plugins render option.

Send loop position - Sends information about the song loop start and end positions to a VST plugin. This setting is calculated by the wrapper and is not available until FL has looped once. Process inactive inputs and outputs - Some plugins mark one or more of their inputs/outputs as 'inactive' even though they are being used. By default, FL Studio doesn't process inactive inputs/outputs, so no sound is produced. This option ensures FL Studio processes 'inactive' outputs. Use fixed size buffers - FL Studio shares data with plugins using variable sized chunks of data (buffers). Some plugins require fixed sized buffers (the VST spec says they should also support variable size buffers, but no-one cares about specifications it seems, so we provide this format since FL Studio uses variable sized buffers). If the additional options are both off (see below) the fixed buffer size option uses 2 ms. The disadvantage is that fixed size buffering can introduce an extra delay, depending on the audio buffer size selected in the Audio settings (F10). This delay is doubled for effects plugins. However, in some cases this setting may fix unwanted rendering delays and/or audio glitches caused by some plugins. Options: These two options are only to be used if the default 2 ms 'Fixed sized buffers' does not work. In general, both these options should be off. Process maximum size buffers - FL Studio block size is used as the fixed buffer size, the block size is the maximum processing size, as determined by FL Studio itself. NOTE: The block size is typically a much bigger than the processing buffer size, leading to even bigger latency. Use maximum buffer size from host - Same as the above but the plugin is also informed of the block size being used by FL Studio. A few plugins can make use of this data to synchronize their processing. Connections - These options determine audio input and/or output routing for the plugin and are necessary only for multi-input or multi-output plugins such as a compressor that accepts side-chain inputs or a sampler with multiple outputs for separate effects processing. Auto map inputs - Auto map inputs only applies to plugins loaded in Mixer effects slots since instrument channels can't receive audio input. 1. Sidechain the total number of mixer tracks, to your multi-input plugin's mixer track, that equals the number of audio inputs the plugin needs BEFORE using the 'Auto map inputs' function. If you don't sidechain the total number, some inputs will remain unassigned. 2. Click the Auto map inputs button and the sidechained mixer tracks will be assigned to the multi-input plugin's available inputs. Auto map will assign the sidechained Mixer track with the lowest number to the first plugin input, and so on. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Reset - Reset the inputs/outputs to the default state.

Auto map outputs - Auto-assign plugin outputs to mixer tracks following the plugin's own Mixer track. The routing will incrementally map to Mixer-tracks following the plugins selected Mixer track. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Manual assignment of inputs/outputs - Right-click the input/output fields to open the list of routing options. The routing details vary depending on whether the plugin is loaded in an instrument channel or in an effects slot: Manual assignment of plugins loaded in channels - Right-click the input or output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in Channels, the numbers for the inputs and outputs are Mixer-track offsets (relative to the Mixer track number set in the Channel Settings). For example, if the plugin is routed to Mixer track 10 and a plugin input is set to -2 and a plugin output set to 10, then the plugin will receive audio-input from track 8 (10 - 2) and output audio to track 20 (10 + 10). Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots - Right-click the input/output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in the Mixer, the numbers are 'indexes' to the list of inputs or outputs that are routed to and from the Mixer track that the effect is in. NOTE: When routing Mixer tracks to the target Mixer track (the one holding the effect), Right-click the Track Send switch and use the 'Sidechain to this track' option. This mutes the audio being sent to the effect's track, while allowing the 'side-chain' signal to be processed on the input set to receive it. Failure to do this will result in a parallel audio signal, one entering through the effect's input and another passing through the effect stack as normal. NOTE: Always name the Mixer tracks being used by the plugin. This ensures FL Studio knows they are being used by a plugin which can be important for PDC calculations, split-mixer track rendering and automatic track assignment.

7. Miscellaneous Wrapper Settings Miscellaneous Channel Settings - These are available for all Instrument Channels, click here for full details or on the section of interest below.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol, Didier Dambrin

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll

! !

FL Studio's Piano roll has the well deserved reputation as the best Piano roll in the business (with good reason). The Piano roll's purpose is to send note and automation data to plugin instruments loaded on the Piano roll's Channel. This is known as 'sequencing'. There are a number of useful tools that aid complex score editing and other manipulations as described below. Note pitch is displayed on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. This is the exact principle as paper 'Piano rolls

' used to automate

player-pianos in former times. The resolution of the grid is user-selectable (zoomable) and allows the composition of songs with unlimited complexity. Note data can be entered manually with the editing tools or recorded in from 'live' MIDI controllers, then edited to fix mistakes or make changes.

Piano roll Basics Notes - are displayed as horizontal bars. Slides are shown as horizontal bars with a small triangle drawn in the right side. Preview Channels by Left-clicking the Preview Keyboard keys. Pitch - is mapped from bottom (low) to top (high). Duration - The horizontal length represents time. The number on the Piano roll's top-ruler are bars (groups of beats). Resolution / grid - The smaller grid each bar is divided into are set by the window's snap (

) setting. Resolution can

also change with Zoom when Snap is set to Line. Selecting Main will use the 'Global' snap value as set on the Recording panel. Some Global snap settings will also quantize live input recording from a MIDI controller. Source Channel - Click a Channel's name in the title bar to select another Channel to display in the Piano roll. NOTES: Beware the 'F10 > General Settings > Click-and-hold functions in piano roll' option on the General settings tab. It's functions include: Copy note: Hold on an existing note to copy it. Cycle slide/porta: Click and hold when adding a note to cycle through slide & porta event modes. Glue notes: Place the cursor between 2 neighbor notes, so the resize cursor appears, then click and hold to glue them. Mouse wheel velocity: Use mouse wheel while holding notes to change velocity. Mouse wheel tools: Change tools by holding right click and rolling the wheel. Time Markers - When set to type Visual length (Right-click a marker) Time Markers will define the length of the currently selected Pattern.

Piano roll Controls Toolbar icons - Along the top of the Piano roll window: Main Menu - Includes: Edit, Tools, View, Snap, Select, Group, Zoom, Time Marker, Clip Source, Performance Mode, playhead and Detach options. Tools menu - Riff machine ( Alt+E); Quick legato ( Ctrl+L); Articulate ( Alt+L); Quick quantize ( Ctrl+Q); Quick quantize start times ( Shift+Q); Quantize ( Alt+Q); Quick chop ( Ctrl+U); Chop (

Alt+U);

Glue (

Ctrl+G); Arpeggiate (

Alt+K); Flip (

Alt+A); Strum (

Alt+Y); Randomize (

Alt+S); Flam (

Alt+R); Scale levels (

Alt+F); Claw machine( Alt+X), LFO (

Alt+W); Limit (

Alt+O)

Piano roll Snap - Snap determines how Notes will move and quantization aligns events relative to the background grid (Hold Alt to temporarily set snap to 'none'). NOTE: There is a Global Snap selector on the Recording Panel. Stamp tool - Add predefined chords selected from the menu that opens when this tool is clicked. NOTE: Deselect 'Only one' at the top of the menu to avoid the tool reverting to single note mode after the first stamp. Draw mode ( P) - Left-click to add a note. Left-click-and-drag to reposition the note before releasing it. Right-click to delete notes. Right-click and drag to delete multiple notes. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool (F10 > General settings > Click and hold functions on). Modifier keys: ( Shift) add in stretch mode. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Alt) to add in pencil mode with snap set to 'none'. Monophonic paint mode ( B) - Brushes paint multiple notes as you drag. The monophonic action replaces existing notes to create a monophonic score (one note at a time). Left-click to add a single note. Click-and-drag to paint multiple notes. Right-click on notes to delete them. Richt-click near notes to mute/unmute them. Rightclick and drag on/near notes to delete/mute multiple notes. Modifier keys: ( Shift) paint in polyphonic mode. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. Polyphonic paint mode ( N) - Brushes paint multiple notes as you drag. Polyphonic mode paints lines of notes snapped to the starting pitch. Release to paint additional lines of notes above or below the original score. Use for drum scores and percussion samples where repeated hits are needed. Snap sets the note length. Left-click to add a note. Click-and-drag to paint a line of notes. Left-click on notes to mute/unmute them. Right-click to delete notes. Right-click and drag to delete multiple notes. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool (F10 > General settings > Click and hold functions on). Modifier keys: ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Alt) paint at half the selected snap setting. Delete ( D) - Click or Click-and-drag to delete notes. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool (F10 > General settings > Click and hold functions on). Modifier keys: Hold ( Ctrl) to make a selection, then press ( Delete). Mute ( T) - Left-click on notes to mute them. Left-click and drag to mute multiple notes. Right-click to delete notes. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool (F10 > General settings > Click and hold functions on). Modifier keys: ( Ctrl) to make a selection. Slice ( C) - Left-click and drag vertically to slice through notes. Glue notes by making a selection of touching notes and using the ( Ctrl+G) shortcut. Modifier keys: ( Shift) slice without dragging. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Shift+Alt) Slice without dragging and with snap set to 'none'. Select ( E) - Click notes or Click and drag to make group selections. Modifier keys: ( Shift) add to or remove notes from the selection. Zoom to selection ( Z) - Left-click and drag to zoom to selection. Left-click on background to zoom out. When in other modes use ( Ctrl+Right-click) and drag to make a zoom-to selection. Right-click again to swap between zoom and unzoomed modes. Right-click the icon to open a menu of quick zoom options: Zoom in/ Zoom out ( Quick-zoom 1, 2 & 3 (

Page up / Page down) - Zoom centers on the Cursor position. Shift+1, 2, 3) - Three handy zoom levels.

Zoom out far (

Shift+4) - Minimum horizontal zoom.

On Selection (

Shift+5 - Zoom to time-line selection. The command will be disabled if no time region is

selected in the timeline. Play selected ( Y) - Click the notes you want to play. Click and drag to 'scrub' play notes. Modifier keys: ( Alt) make a selection. Play / Pause - Left-click to start/pauses playback. Right-click (while playing) to stop and return to the last set start position. Right-click (while stopped) to return the playhead to the start of the Piano roll. NOTE: There is an option on the Right-click main transport Stop button Remember seek time for the start position to be remembered. Target Channel - Change instrument channels (of the current pattern) without leaving the Piano roll. Right-click to open the target Channel instrument's interface. Event editor target - Selects the data to be displayed in the integrated event editor. This can include parameters such as note properties (Panning, Velocity, etc.) or automation events. Slide & Portamento - These are flags that can be set per-note and work as follows: Portamento Toggle (

O) - When selected, notes added to the Piano roll will display a 'portamento flag' (

icon). The portamento flag causes a short slide in pitch from the end of one note to the note with the portamento flag. This is a note transition effect. NOTES: 1. these features only work with native FL Studio instruments and not VST/DX instruments. 2. Click-and-hold functions in piano roll - Click and hold when adding a note to cycle through slide, portamento note mode. See General Options settings.

Slide Toggle ( icon (

S) - When selected, notes added to the Piano roll become 'slide notes' displaying the slide

) that causes notes, above or below the slide-note, to slide to the pitch of the slide-note. The slide-time is

set by the length of the slide-note. Note color / Color group selector - Create note groups for independent editing of overlapping notes categorized by color group. NOTES: 1. Color groups also transmit on separate MIDI channels so one Piano roll can control several MIDI channels on the loaded plugin. 2. There is another Note / Clip Grouping function activated from the Recording Panel that groups notes by selection. Use the Piano roll menu to group selected notes. Preview keyboard - Click on the keyboard to preview notes. This does not work when play is active. Click here with the ( Middle mouse button) and drag vertically to change the vertical zoom centered on the note you click.

Horizontal & Vertical Zoom controls - To horizontally zoom the Piano roll click on the edge of the horizontal position slider and drag. For the vertical zoom boxes likewise click and drag. Ghost notes - These are notes in other Piano rolls associated with the current Pattern. See the Piano roll Menu > Helpers > Ghost channels (

Alt+V) option. To edit Ghost notes (

the Ghost channel. Piano roll menu > Editable ghosts (

Double Right-click or X1 button) on the notes to switch to

Ctrl+Alt+V) - Allows direct interaction with Ghost Notes as per

normal notes. Event Editor - Edit: Note Velocity, Pan, Pitch, Filter cutoff & Automation events (the lower Piano roll area can display the same data as the Event Editor). Select events to edit from the Target Control selector or Right-click the area at the front of the editor as shown above. Notes - Click/select to drag, stretch, paint, clone, copy, etc. (see 'operating with notes' below). Note colors can have special functions, discussed here. Splitter handle - Left-click and drag the divider to resize the upper and lower windows. Right-click to return to the original position.

Using the Piano roll FL Studio has, arguably, the most powerful Piano roll editor available. Combined with the Piano roll menu you will find the possibilities are endless and (after practice) effortless. NOTE: Many of the movement and draw commands are constrained by the snap setting the Piano roll grid. Hold the (

that controls how notes move relative to

Alt) key to temporarily bypass snap. Important also, the Global snap setting can be used for MIDI

input quantizing. Tools Menu - (

) is a shortcut to the Piano roll tools submenu (see the Piano roll menu page,

), containing various

commands for operating on patterns in the Playlist. Adding Notes - draw mode ( (

) allows you to draw, edit and delete notes. To add notes and draw the length, hold the

Left-Shift) Left-click and drag to the desired length. The paint mode (

) is similar, but allows you to draw multiple

notes at once while dragging horizontally in the Piano roll. Notes are added monophonically (replacing any notes they overlap). Hold (

Shift) to bypass monophonic paint mode. In draw or paint mode, Left-click in the Piano roll's grid to

draw a note. The default length for notes will be equal to the last touched note. Deleting notes - Right-click a note to erase it (alternatively switch to erase mode to erase with Left-clicks (

).

Selecting/Deselecting groups of notes - There are a number of methods to select several notes, so you can move and resize them all at once: Standard selection - Press and hold (

Ctrl key) and either click a note to select it, or drag a rectangle to

select all notes in enclosed area. Magic lasso - The Piano roll Menu > Select > Magic lasso option must be selected. Move your mouse pointer in a loop that encloses the notes you want to select (no clicking required, it's 'magic' remember). Make sure you have no notes selected before you perform the lasso action (Right-click the empty Piano roll to deselect all notes and make another selection). Add notes to selection - Hold (

Ctrl+Shift) together while selecting to add notes to the existing selection.

Selecting notes in a time or pitch range - Time, (

Ctrl+Left-click) or double-click the time ruler (along the

top of the Piano roll) and drag along it to select all notes in a specified time range. Pitch, (

Ctrl+Left-click) the

Preview Keyboard to select a range of notes with the same pitch (dragging vertically on the Keyboard will select notes in the vertical pitch range). Deselect all notes - While holding (

Ctrl key), click empty space in Piano roll's grid.

Remove notes from selection - ( Invert selection - Holding (

Ctrl+Shift) deselects individual notes from the existing selection of notes.

Ctrl) and Left-clicking selects the one note and deselects all the others.

Select mode button - Instead of holding ( the select mode button ( Group notes - (

Ctrl key), you can also switch Piano roll to select mode by clicking

).

Shift+G) - Group the selected notes. Grouping functions so that an action on any note in the Group will

affect all other notes in the same way. Any number of groupings may be created. To group notes: make a selection using the

Select tool, then use the Group function. Activate / deactivate grouping: Use the Note / Pattern Grouping

switch on the Recording Panel. Deselecting the Note / Pattern Grouping switch will disable note grouping behavior until the switch is reactivated. Copy & Paste - Make a selection (see above), hold the ( (

Ctrl+C), scroll to the new position/pattern and (

Duplicate selection - Make a selection and press (

Shift) button THEN drag selection with the left-mouse button OR

Ctrl+V). Ctrl+B). The selection, or all notes if nothing is selected, will be

duplicated to the right of the original selection. To define a specific repeat interval, make a time-line equal to the complete interval to be duplicated and press (

Ctrl+B). NOTE: The time-line selection and note selection can be made

independently. The repeat interval is set by the time-line selection, the notes duplicated by the note selection. In this way, notes outside the time-line selection can be duplicated according to the time-line interval. Moving notes - Select the note/sequence, Left-click on the note and drag vertically or horizontally. NOTES: The snap setting

will affect the movement.

Horizontal note positions can be adjusted by (

Shift + mouse-wheel) by holding the cursor over a target note in

the Piano roll. (

Shift) - Vertical position lock.

(

Ctrl) - Horizontal position lock.

Bumping notes - This allows you to move the note/s by either 'snap' or 'pixel' based units. Snap units: Select the sequence/note and hold the (

Shift key) and use the arrow keys on your keyboard. The snap setting

bump size. Pixel units: Hold the (

will affect the

Alt) key and use the arrow keys on your keyboard. In this case the zoom setting will

affect the bump size. Change note length - Select the note/sequence, Left-click on the right side and drag horizontally to change the note length. This can also be performed on a selection of notes. NOTE: The snap setting changes length. If (

will affect the way in which the note

Caps Lock) is on and the note is selected by the left side, resizing notes will anchor the note end

point, moving only the start position. If the note is selected by the right side the start point will be anchored. Edit Ghost notes - Use (

Double Right-click or X1 button) on the Ghost notes to switch to the Ghost channel.

Stretch / compress scores - Select a group of notes and drag the pop-up handle OR hold (

Right-Shift) and drag the

right edge of a note in the selection. This changes both note length and sequence duration. (

Alt + Right-Shift) will

stretch in 25% increments. Slice Tool - (

) allows you to split one or more notes in the direction of the cut through the Piano roll. To use the cut tool,

make sure you're in cut mode (the Cut button is selected), Left-click in the grid area and drag to define the "cut line" direction and length. Release the mouse button to split all notes at their intersection point with the cut line. Resize chords & splits - Hold ( Playback/Scrub tool - (

Left-Shift) click and drag on the slice point or right-side of the chord.

) enables you to preview the current sequence by dragging horizontally in the Piano roll (thus

enabling you to define the playback speed and order). Alternatively, hold (

Alt) + Right-click while in draw mode.

Play notes straddling the playback position marker - When stopping and starting you can play notes that cross the playback position by opening the Audio Options and selecting 'Play truncated notes'. Quick chords - Draw complete chords in one step. Right-click the draw mode button (

) and from the menu select a

chord type. When you draw in the Piano roll, FL Studio will automatically create a chord. To draw single notes again, Rightclick the draw mode button and select None (

Shift+N).

Note properties - Note velocity, panning, filter-cutoff, etc, are available from the Target control menu and appear in the Piano roll Event Editor. Note properties can be adjusted by mouse-wheel (

Alt+mouse-wheel) by holding the cursor

over a target note in the 'Note event window'. Merging scores across Patterns - Place the Pattern Clips in the Playlist, with the Pattern Clip you want to receive the other

scores at the top. Select all the clips to merge then use the Edit > Merge pattern Clips function from the Playlist Menu. This merges the selected Pattern Clips into the uppermost Clip. Click-and-hold functions in piano roll - Copy: Hold on an existing note. Slide & Porta: Click and hold when adding a note to cycle through slide, portamento event mode. See General Options settings.

Selection Stretch Handle After making a selection the Stretch Handle appears. You can click and drag this to stretch the selected notes. Hold the ( key to apply snap settings. Alternatively, hold (

Alt)

Right-Shift) key then click on the right-side of a note in the group and drag.

Mouse Wheel Property Note Changes Hold your mouse over the note and hold (

Alt+Mouse Wheel) to change the currently selected note property. To see the property

being adjusted maximize the vertical zoom.

Note Properties & Event Editor The note properties editor gives you access to a number of per-note properties and event data velocity, pan, release, Mod X & Y (where supported), pitch etc. Select the data to be edited with the Target control, as shown below.

Note properties - are displayed as vertical lines with a small circle at the top. The right-facing tail allows you to see the independent values of notes with the same start time. Note properties move with the notes they belong to. The editor can also display standard Event Automation associated with the pattern. NOTE: To edit the properties of a note when it has the same start time as others, make a selection first, then edit the property for the note (as shown above in red). Note events - When editing Automation Events the editor works in the same way as the Event Editor.

Waveform Helper View Sometimes it is useful to closely align notes with an audio waveform. For example when using Fruity Vocoder or Pitcher. To show the waveform drag from a waveform preview and drop on the Piano roll. To switch the view on and off after this, use (

Alt+N).

Understanding Slides & Portamento The following ONLY applies to native FL Studio instruments. To slide a VST instrument automate the channel pitch knob. The Piano roll can slide notes from one pitch to another using slide notes above or below the notes to be affected. Slide notes have a small triangle drawn at the start of the note. Add a slide note - Click the slide switch and then click as normal to add a note to the Piano roll. De-select the slide mode - Click the slide button again. NOTE: The General settings Click-and-hold & special gesture functions activate cycle slide/porta. Click and hold when adding a note to cycle through slide & porta event modes.

How slide notes work

When the slide note is reached the pitch of any overlapping notes will start sliding toward the slide note, reaching the same pitch at the end of the slide note event. The length of the slide note controls the duration of the slide. Chords - If notes are overlapping so they form part of a chord, the topmost note is used as the reference for the pitch offset (see picture below). The chord slides so the topmost note reaches the same pitch as the slide note. After the slide event ends, notes still remain offset from their original pitch.

NOTE: Slide events have all the usual note properties (velocity, panning, cutoff and resonance, etc). During slides all note properties move toward those set in the slide note. Slides themselves do NOT produce sound, although they allow preview when created/moved.

How portamento notes work The Portamento command applies only to the transition from one note to the next. That is, causes a quick slide at the transition between notes. The effect is most audible when large tone intervals are made between the notes. The Portamento indicator should be set on the note to receive the portamento effect.

Color Groups (Slides, MIDI, Editing) You can draw notes and slides in 16 color shades based on green, cyan, pink and yellow. To select the note/slide color, click the appropriate button on the color group selector. The color does not affect sound, it is used for independent processing of notes in the Piano roll, these include: Sliding - Slides will apply only to notes of the same color as the slide note event. For example, yellow slide note will bend the pitch of yellow notes, but will ignore green notes. This way you can have up to 16 notes sliding simultaneously in different directions. Slide color groups are also used with the Mono mode in the polyphony settings (see Miscellaneous Channel Settings). Mono mode applies to each color group separately. So using all four colors actually can result in a polyphony of up to 4 voices at once. MIDI Channels - Each color is locked to a particular MIDI channel. To see the relationships, hover the mouse over each color and look at the hint bar where the MIDI channel number is displayed. NOTE: This only applies to plugins hosted by the Fruity Wrapper, in other words, these MIDI channels will only be visible to the plugin associated with the Piano roll. To control external MIDI hardware on separate MIDI channels use the MIDI Out plugin.

Editing - By creating color groups you can choose to edit the properties of only notes of the selected color. This can be handy when there are overlapping notes in the same Piano roll that you wish to manipulate independently.

Note Properties Dialog The Note Properties pop-up is an alternative way to set notes properties. It's particularly useful when you need to set different properties for notes that start simultaneously (so their properties appear as one in the integrated event editor). Double-click a note to display the properties pop-up box.

Levels - These controls allow changes to per note - panning (PAN), note on velocity (VEL), release velocity (REL), channel filter cutoff (MODX) and channel filter resonance (MODY). NOTE: MOD X/Y can also link to custom parameters as set in native plugins. Harmor has Mod X/Y controls that map to these parameters, for example. Slide

- Slide ON / Slide OFF. Determines if the note will respond to slide events. Porta

- ON, inverts the portamento

state for this note. If the global portamento (see Misc Channel Settings) for this channel is off, for this note it is on and vice versa. Color - Click on this to select the color channel group the note is on. NOTE: If the note you double-click is a part of a selection, then the properties you set apply to all notes in that selection. The Time section is not available in that case, because the selected notes might have different length or start point. Time - Change the Start Time (note position) in bar:step:tick. The length of a 'tick' depends on the PPQ setting. Reducing PPQ mid-song will reposition any notes not falling on an exact Bar or Step boundary. Duration - Change the Note duration in bar:step:tick. The length of a 'tick' depends on the PPQ setting. Reducing PPQ mid-song will reposition any notes not falling on an exact Bar or Step boundary. Reset - Resets note properties to levels they had before launching the properties box. Accept - Apply your awesome changes!

Piano roll Menu This menu provides many important functions for working with the Piano roll, such as copying and pasting notes, converting color groups, etc. You can access Piano roll's menu by clicking the Piano roll menu button. For more information, see the Piano Roll

menu page.

Multi-touch Gestures " " See FL Studio User Interface > Multi-touch support

Piano roll keyboard shortcuts Piano roll action NOTE:

Some keyboard modifiers apply only to Draw mode (

).

B

Paint tool

C

Slice tool

D

Delete tool

E

Select tool

F

Show next property in the Piano roll event lane (lower section)

M

Toggle Keyboard view mode

O

Toggle Portamento

P

Pencil tool

T

Mute tool

Y

Playback tool

Z

Zoom tool

Alt

Bypass snap (very useful when combined with other modifiers)

Alt+A

Arpeggiator

Alt+B

View note helpers

Alt+C

Change color of selected note/s (to selected color group)

Alt+E

Riff machine

Alt+F

Flam

Alt+G

Ungroup selected notes

Alt+K

Open Limit tool

Alt+L

Open Articulate tool

Alt+N

Switch waveform helper view (when available).

Alt+O

Open LFO tool when in lower Event Editor area

Alt+Q

Quantize

Alt+R

Open Randomize tool

Alt+S

Open Strum tool

Alt+U

Open Chop tool

Alt+V

Toggle Ghost channels ON/OFF

Alt+W

Open Claw Machine tool

Alt+X

Open Scale Levels tool

Alt+Y

Open Score Flipper tool

Alt+Mouse wheel

Change the selected note property of the note the mouse pointer is near or on.

Ctrl+A

Select All

Ctrl+B

Duplicate selection, or all notes in zoom range if nothing is selected, to the right. Works also with time-line selections.

Ctrl+C

Copy selection

Ctrl+D

Deselect selection

Ctrl+G

Glue selected and touching notes

Ctrl+I

Insert current controller value

Ctrl+L

Quick legato

Ctrl+M

Import MIDI file

Ctrl+Q

Quick Quantize

Ctrl+U

Quick Chop

Ctrl+V

Paste selection

Ctrl+X

Cut selection

Ctrl+Alt+G

Grid Color

Ctrl+Alt+Home

Toggle allow resizing from left

Ctrl+Delete

Delete space equal to selection

Ctrl+Enter

Select time around selection

Ctrl+Insert

Insert space equal to the current time-line selection

Ctrl+Up-Arrow/Down-

Transpose selection UP/Down 1 Octave

Arrow Ctrl+Left-Arrow/Right-

Select time before (left) or after (right) current selection

Arrow Ctrl+Left-click

Select

Ctrl+Shift+Left-click

Add to selection

Ctrl+Right-click

Zoom on selection/Drag to make zoom selection (zoom on release)

Del

Delete selected

2 x Left-click note

Open note properties

2 x Right-click or X1

Swap to Ghost channel to edit the note.

button on Ghost note Left-Shift+Left-click

Add and resize notes (move mouse L/R after click and hold to resize)

(on Piano roll) Left-Shift+Right-click

Pan view

Left-Alt+Right-click

Audio preview

Middle mouse button

Pan view (hold and drag left/right). Hold to swap between this and last zoom.

on background Middle mouse button

Vertical zoom

preview keyboard PgUp / PgDown

Zoom in / Zoom out

Pencil tool + Shift

Swap to Brush

Right-click

Delete Selected Note/s

Right-Alt+Right-click

Quantize selected

Right-Shift+Left-click

Slice notes (click above/below note and drag vertical)

Right-Shift+Right-click

Slice notes & delete smallest part (click above/below note and drag vertical)

Shift+G

Group selected notes

Shift+Ctrl+V

Pase from MIDI clipboard

Shift+C

Select by color

Shift+D

Discard selected note lengths

Shift+G

Group selected

Shift+I

Invert selection

Shift+N

Deselect stamp/chord mode

Shift+Q

Quick quantize

Shift+R

Select at random (multiple presses will select more notes)

Shift+Ctrl+V

Paste from MIDI Keyboard

Shift+Left-

Move selection Left/Right

Arrow/Right-Arrow Shift+Up-Arrow/Down-

Move selection Up/Down

Arrow Shift+Alt+Left-

Nudge selection Left/Right

Arrow/Right-Arrow Shift+Alt+Up-

Nudge selection Up/Down

Arrow/Down-Arrow Shift+Left-click

Clone (drag while holding clip/pattern), release Shift after dragging to unlock vertical movement

Shift+mouse-wheel (on Nudge Clip position notes) Shift + 0 (zero)

Center Playlist to play-head position (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 1 to 3

Horizontal Zoom levels 1 (zoom out) to 3 (zoom in), (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 4

Horizontal Zoom, show all (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 5

Zoom to selection (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 6

Zoom to stepsequencer mode

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Menu The Piano roll Menu provides a number of important functions for working with the Piano roll, such as opening tools, converting color groups, etc.

NOTE: The Tool menu (spanner), shares its items with the Main Menu > Tools section.

Options File - File load/save/copy options. Open score... - Lets you load notes from an .fsc file in the Piano roll. Save score as... - Save all notes in the current Piano roll as a .fsc file. Drag n drop - By Left-clicking and dragging on this menu a score can be saved to the Browser or copied to another Piano roll.

Import MIDI file... (

Ctrl+M) - Shows the Import MIDI Data

dialog, to import notes from MIDI files to the Piano roll. Importing MIDI from the Piano roll only adds notes. To import controller data (cutoff, resonance, etc.) from a MIDI file, launch

the Import MIDI Data dialog box from a separate Event Editor window. Export as MIDI file... (

Shift+Ctrl+M) - Saves the current

Piano roll data to a single MIDI file (.mid). To export the entire project as a MIDI file use the Export Project Dialog MIDI option. Paste from MIDI clipboard... (

Shift+Ctrl+V) - Similar to

the Import MIDI file option, but uses the MIDI clipboard data rather than a MIDI file. You can paste data from any sequencer that can copy to MIDI clipboard format. Copy to MIDI clipboard... Copies the data to the MIDI clipboard. You can paste data into any sequencer that supports MIDI clipboard format. Export as score sheet... - Exports the Piano roll data to standard music notation in .pdf

format.

Edit - Many of these functions are also available from the tools and keyboard shortcuts. Most operations will work on the selection or whole Piano roll if nothing is selected. Cut (

Ctrl+X) - Cuts selected notes/slides to clipboard.

Copy (

Ctrl+C) - Copies selected notes/slides to clipboard.

Paste (

Ctrl+V) - Pastes notes from the clipboard. Notes are

pasted starting from the leftmost bar that is visible in the Piano roll window OR the left edge of a timeline selection. Duplicate (

Ctrl+B) - Duplicate the selection to the right of

the current location. If no selection is made all notes are duplicated. Delete (

Del) - Deletes selected notes/slides. NOTE: the Tool

bar icon

. If no selection is made - deletes all notes, slides

and events in the Piano roll. Shift left (

Shift+Left-arrow) - Bumps notes one grid/snap

unit left. Shift right (

Shift+Right-arrow) - Bumps notes one

grid/snap unit right. Transpose up (

Shift+Up-arrow) - Transposes notes one

semi-tone up. Transpose down (

Shift+Down-arrow) - Transposes notes

one semi-tone down. Transpose one octave up (

Ctrl+Up-arrow) - Transposes

notes one octave up. Transpose one octave down (

Ctrl+Down-arrow) -

Transposes notes one octave down. Discard lengths (

Shift+D) - Reduces selected note lengths

to the minimum size allowed by the Snap setting. Allow resizing from left (

Ctrl+Alt+Home) - Note start

position can be moved independent of the end. Hold (

Alt) to

override the snap settings. Change color (

Alt+C) - Changes the color of selected

notes/slides in the current note color (if nothing is selected, applies to all). Mute / Unmute - Mute/unmute the selected notes. NOTE: the Tool bar icon Insert space (

Ctrl+Ins) - Creates empty space that matches

the current selection start and length by shifting all following notes and events forward. Slice & insert space (

Ctrl+Alt+Ins) - Slices notes at the

start of the time-selection and adds empty space that matches the selection. Delete space (

Ctrl+Del) - Erases notes and events in the

selection and shifts back the remaining notes and events to close the gap. Insert current controller value (

Ctrl+I) - Initializes the

integrated event editor with the current value of the corresponding automated control. If you have selected a time

slice in the event editor graph, the current values is inserted at the beginning of the selection instead. Turn into automation clip - Converts the currently selected Event data into an Automation clip. Tools Riff machine (

Alt+E) - Opens the Riff machine "auto-hit-

song" generator, but shhhhhh don't tell anyone you used it! Quick legato (

Ctrl+L) - Performs a quick 'legato' to the

sequence in the Piano roll (applies only to the selection if any). This tool is a quick preset for the Articulate tool (see below). Articulate (

Alt+L)- Opens the Articulate tool dialog which

allows you to apply staccato, portato, legato and similar effects to the sequence in the Piano roll (applied only to the selection if any). Quick quantize (

Ctrl+Q) - Applies basic quantize to all

selected notes/slides according to the global snap setting in the Recording panel (if nothing is selected, applies to all). Quantizing auto-aligns notes to the Piano roll grid. Quick quantize start times (

Shift+Q) - Applies basic

quantize to all selected notes/slides start times according to the global snap setting in the Recording panel (if nothing is selected, applies to all). Quantizing auto-aligns notes to the Piano roll grid. Quantize (

Alt+Q) - More advanced version of the quantize

feature. Opens the Quantizer settings dialog. Quantizing autoaligns notes to the Piano roll grid. Quick chop (

Ctrl+U) - Slices long notes into many shorter,

based on the global snap setting in the Recording panel (if nothing is selected, applies to all). Chop (

Alt+U) - More advanced version of the chop feature.

Opens the Chopper settings dialog. Glue (

Ctrl+G) - Glue contiguous (touching) notes together. If

you have F10 > General > Click-and-hold & special gesture

functions selected. Place the cursor between 2 neighbor notes, so the resize cursor appears, then click and hold to glue them. Arpeggiate (

Alt+A) - A powerful arpeggiator based on

specialized score presets. See Arpeggiator for more information. Strum (

Alt+S) - Shifts the timing and velocity of the

individual notes in chords to simulate 'strumming', as in guitar playing and some other string instruments. See the Strum settings dialog. Flam (

Alt+F) - Flamming is the technique of playing two

drum hits in very close succession to blur the attack a little. Applies the 'flam' effect to the score (applies only to the selection if any). See Flam for more information. Claw machine (

Alt+W) - Slices and re-times note sequences

(applies only to the selection if any). See Claw machine for more information. Limit (

Alt+K) - Transpose the score and limit the range of

notes to a user-specified key range. See the Piano roll Limit Tool for more information. Flip (

Alt+Y) - Flips the score either vertically and

horizontally. See Piano roll Flip tool for more information. Randomize (

Alt+R) - Opens the Piano roll Randomizer tool

that generates random note sequences based on a specific scale and/or randomizes the note levels (including those of existing notes). Scale levels (

Alt+X)- Multiply/offset/invert the events in the

integrated event editor, as well as map events to a logarithmic or exponential scales. See the Scale Levels tool for more information. LFO (

Alt+O) - Opens the LFO tool, that creates LFO-shaped

event data in the integrated event editor. NOTE: This feature only enabled when a compatible property/event is selected in the editor, instead of a note property type. Stamp

- The stamp tool allows you to add chords & note-patterns

from a menu. Select - chords, scales, percussion patterns from the menu. Only one - After the stamp tool is used, it reverts to standard note entry mode. View Grid Color (

Ctrl+Alt+G) - Opens the Color dialog box to

choose a color for Piano roll's grid. Please be tasteful, Gol went to a lot of effort to make FL Studio look cool, and now you think you can do better? Ha! Invert grid - Changes the Piano roll bar-grid lines from light to dark. Time segments - Change the vertical Playlist light/dark background shading according to the option selected. The default is '4 Bars'. Keep labels on screen - Note names/labels will slide along the note as the Piano roll plays so as to remain visible. Shadow - Ads a subtle shadow beneath Notes. Rounded - Rounds the shape of notes. Black note labels - Extends black notes on the (left) preview keyboard to meet their Piano roll lanes. Precise time indicator - A vertical line is used to show playback and edit position. Swap panels - Swaps the upper and lower Piano roll workspaces. Flip separator (

Shift+Enter) - Show/hide the note Event

Editor panel. Right-clicking on the separator will also flip the state. Helpers Note grid highlights (

Alt+B) - Extends the Keyboard key

shading onto the Piano roll edit area as a background contrast effect. Detect score scale - The Piano roll is shaded to reflect the detected scale based on the notes you are using. The scale name is shown in the Hint Bar. The scale detection algorithm performs an 'average' detection based on either the whole score (if nothing is selected) or on the selection. Several notes are required before auto-detection can begin. See also the 'Stamp tool' (above). Note length in properties - Displays a horizontal line equal to the length of notes in the note properties window. Ghost channels (

Alt+V) - The Piano roll shows notes from

all channels in the selected pattern as grey semi-transparent notes. Double Right-click Ghost Notes to swap to their Channel. Editable ghosts (

Ctrl+Alt+V) - Allows direct interaction with

Ghost Notes. Background waveform (

Alt+N) - When a waveform has

been dragged and dropped on the Piano roll, displays the waveform to aid note alignment with audio events. Snap

- Snap determines how notes and events move relative to the

Piano roll grid and how quantization aligns items NOTE: Holding the Alt key temporarily sets snap to 'none'. The options are:

Main - Snap is set to the Global snap value. Line - Notes snap to the nearest grid-line, notice that the grid changes resolution as the Piano roll is Zoomed horizontally. Cell - Notes snap to the start of the grid-cell they fall in. (none) - No snapping. Movement is limited only by the Project Timebase (PPQ) setting (F11). NOTE: Snapping can be temporarily disabled by holding the Alt key when dragging notes. Steps 1/6 to 1 (step) - Absolute grid values equal to the nominated fraction of a step.

Beats 1/6 to 1 (beat) - Absolute beats values equal to the nominated fraction of a beat. Bar - 1 bar. Events - Relative to existing events (including Ghost notes). Useful to show the boundaries of sliced events when they are butted against each other, as events surrounding the selected event change color. Converting from Steps/Beats to note values:

Snap Setting

Notation

1/4 Step

64th notes

1/2 Step

32nd notes

1/4 Beat

16th notes

1/3 Beat

Triplets

1/2 Beat

8th notes

1 Beat

Quarter notes

Bar

Whole note

NOTE: The Global snap setting can be used for MIDI input quantizing. That is, notes played on a controller keyboard will snap to the value selected there during a MIDI recording. The options (none), Line & Cell are not input quantized. Select - Learning these shortcuts and you will look like a wizard to any bystanders: Deselect - ( Select all - (

Ctrl+D) - Undo any selection. Ctrl+A) - Select all notes in the Piano roll.

Select one at random (

Ctrl+M) - Select more notes

random. Select more at random ( random.

Shift+R) - Select a note at

Select by color (

Shift+C) - Selects all notes and slides that

have the same color as currently selected in the Color Group Selector. Select odd (

Shift+O) - Selects 'swung' notes. That is notes

off the main beat-grid. Select muted - Select all notes that have been muted (by the mute selection tool). Select possible conflicts - Select, possibly, unintentionally duplicated notes that are stacked on top of each other. NOTE: F10 > General > Click-and-hold & special gesture functions will duplicate notes if you click-and-hold them, and can lead to this situation. Invert selection (

Shift+I) - Notes that were selected will be

deselected and notes that were deselected will be selected. Selection time around selection (

Ctrl+Enter) - Selects the

time-line range occupied by the notes selected in the Piano roll. Select previous time ( made by

Ctrl+Left arrow) - Shifts a selection

Ctrl+Left-click and swiping the time-bar, by its own

width to the right. Select next time ( made by

Ctrl+Right arrow) - Shifts a selection

Ctrl+Left-click and swiping the time-bar, by its own

width to the left. Magic lasso - Select notes by moving your mouse pointer in a loop that encloses the notes you want to select (no clicking required, it's 'magic' remember). Make sure you have no notes selected before you perform the lasso action. Right-click the empty Piano roll to deselect all notes and make another selection. Group - Make a selection then use the following: Group - (

Shift+G) - Group selected notes. Selecting, moving

or deleting any note from a group will cause all others notes in the group to be selected, moved or deleted, etc. Any number of groupings may be created. To group notes: make a selection

using the

Select tool, then use the Group function.

Activated / deactivate grouping: Use the Note / Pattern Grouping switch on the Recording Panel. Deselecting the Note / Pattern Grouping switch will disable note grouping behavior until the switch is reactivated. Ungroup - (

Alt+G) - Ungroups any notes that are part of the

currently selected group. Zoom

- Right-click the zoom icon to open a menu of quick zoom

options: Zoom in/ Zoom out (

Page up / Page down) - Zoom centers

on the Cursor position. Quick-zoom 1, 2 & 3 (

Shift+1, 2, 3) - Three handy zoom

levels. Zoom out far (

Shift+4) - Minimum horizontal zoom.

On Selection (

Shift+5 - Zoom to time-line selection. The

command will be disabled if no time region is selected in the timeline. Time markers - Markers can be used to label parts of your score (such as 'chorus' for example). When set to type Visual length (Right-click a marker) they will re-define the length of the Pattern. Options are: Add one (

Alt+T) - Add a time marker above the time-line.

Type a name for the marker and press Enter. The marker can be dragged into the correct location after naming. If the Piano roll already has markers, then Right-click a marker and select Add new marker from the pop-up menu. Add auto (

Ctrl+T) - Adds a Time Marker to the Piano roll

named 'Auto'. Ready to right-click and edit. Add two - Make a time-line selection and use this option. Markers will be added at the start and end of the selection. Add one every - Select from Bar, 2 bars, 4 bars or 8 bars. You must make a time-line selection first.

Delete - Delete the marker/s in the time-line selection. If no selection is made then all markers are deleted. Target channel - Displays a list of channels which can accept Piano roll data. Use this to quickly change the channel you are working on without closing and opening another Piano roll. Target control - Displays a list of controls/automation data to display in the integrated event editor. This menu is replicated on the Piano roll toolbar. Auto Locate Channel - The Piano roll will automatically display the first non-empty channel when switching between patterns. This menu is replicated on the Piano roll toolbar. Auto Smoothing - Automation events are automatically interpolated and smoothed upon mouse button release. Center (

0) - Scrolls the grid so the playing position marker appears in

the middle. Useful when you want to see the playing position in a long sequence. NOTE: Does not work with the numerical keypad, only the numbers above the typing keys. Detached - The window is 'detached' from the main environment of FL Studio and can be maximized on a second monitor (in a dual monitor setup).

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Articulate The Piano roll Articulate tool allows you to apply quick portamento, staccato and legato layout to your scores.

Controls Options Open the Options menu to find some useful quick presets. Options (drop-down menu) - Contains some articulation presets such as: Legato (notes tied together) Portato (almost Legato, no it's not 'Potato'!) Staccato (short punctuated notes) Ensure small gap between notes - Ensures a small gap for more clearly articulated notes/chords. Just chop chords - Just perform 'Chop chords' (see below).

Multiply - Modifies the length of the individual notes as a percentage of their length (10% to 100%) Variation - Randomizes the length using the specified amount. Seed - Click to try a different kind of randomness to your 'Variation'. A seed is a variable used in a randomization algorithm to ensure a uniquely 'random' result. No it's not a Potato either, stop thinking about Potatoes! Chop chords - Where notes (or chords) overlap previously held chords an automatic chop will be made to create a chord.

Use lengths - If enabled, the length is calculated using the original notes' length, otherwise the length is computed so that the notes run in succession without gaps ("legato"). Only with selection - On: The tool ignores notes surrounding the selected notes for 'legato' style articulations. Off: Notes surrounding the selected notes will be used in 'legato' style articulations. NOTE: A selection has to be made for this option to appear and the 'Use lengths' option must be off.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Quantizer The Piano roll Quantizer is an advanced note quantizer, that can use standard score files as groove presets.

NOTE: The Recording Panel Global Snap selector can be used to control realtime MIDI input quantizing so that post-recording quantization is unnecessary.

Controls Groove Template The Piano roll Quantizer uses standard FL Studio Score files (*.fsc) as groove templates to quantize the notes. Click the Browse button to select a groove template. See below for some guides about making such templates. The Piano roll shows the snap grid (vertical red lines) generated by the groove preset.

Strength This section lets you set the options that will be used for quantizing.

Start time - Lets you mix the original start times of the notes (turn left) with the quantized start times (turn right). Sensitivity - Lets you set the snap sensitivity: how close to the grid should be a note feature (start time, end time) to be quantized. Turn the knob to right to increase the sensitivity. Duration - Lets you mix the original duration of the notes (turn left) with the quantized duration (turn right). In Quantize End Time mode (see below), this knob mixes the end time position instead. Quantize mode options - Selects the quantize mode. The start time is quantized in all modes. Quantize duration - quantizes the length of the notes according to the snap grid. Quantize end time - snaps the end time of the notes to the snap grid. Leave duration - retains the original note duration after snapping the start time of the notes. Leave end time: Retains the original end time of the notes. Levels knobs - With these controls you can mix the original note properties (turn left) with those used in the groove preset (turn right).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

Guides for making groove templates The templates are regular Piano roll scores, however they are interpreted in a special way to fit the purposes of the tool. Only the position and length of the notes are used. Pitch is ignored.

Note start times are attracted to the nearest start time of the notes in the template. Similar process occurs for the end times. Note velocities set to zero (0) will delete the note.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Chopper The Piano roll Chopper is an advanced note slicing tool that can use standard score files as slicing templates.

Controls Pattern The Piano roll Chopper uses standard FL Studio Score files (*.fsc) as slice patterns . Click the Browse button to select a groove template. The Piano roll shows real-time preview of the results. See below for some guides about making such patterns.

Options This section lets you set the options that will be used for slicing. Time Multiplier knob - With this setting you can speed up (turn left) or slow down (turn right) the pattern tempo. The chopper uses the original pattern speed by default. Levels knobs - With these controls you can mix the original note properties (turn left) with those used in the chop pattern (turn right). Absolute Pattern switch - On: slicing is based on the Piano roll grid. Off: Each note is sliced relative to its own start time (see the example image below). Group notes - Groups chopped notes (that is horizontal grouping of the original

notes chopped pieces).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

Guide for making Chop / Arpeggiator patterns Chopper and Arpeggiator patterns are regular Piano roll scores, but are interpreted in a special way to fit the purposes of the Chopper and Arpeggiator tools. Templates can be found in the FL Studio installation directory under ..\Data\Patches\Scores\Arpeggiator or if you select the Piano roll menu > File > Open score, this should open in the Scores folder. Colors - The first 4 colors in the selector are used in chopper/arp scores. 1 (Green) - The boundary of green notes defines the chopping pattern while the position relative to C5 the transposition. For Chopper scores all notes should be placed on C5, this instructs the Chop tool that all notes of the original score should remain at their original pitch. For Arpeggiator scores, source notes will be Arpeggiated relative to the interval between C5 and the notes set, For example, C5 = no pitch change, F5 = +5 semitone transpose and A4 = -3 semi-tone transpose. So if the source note in the original Piano roll was B4 and the Arpeggiator score was at F5 for the overlapping portion of the source and arpeggiator score, then the B4 would be transposed to D (+5 semitones). 5 (Blue) - Defines a note that will not be chopped. 9 (Pink) - Pink notes are not affected by the octaves range set in the dialog 13 (Yellow)- Defines the length of the pattern, useful when the chop/arp pattern does not extend to the end of the bar.

The start of the score matches start of the processed score in absolute pattern mode, and start of each individual note in relative pattern mode (absolute mode off).

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Claw Machine The Claw Machine tool removes notes, adds notes and/or shifts the timing of notes to create interesting new rhythms. Claw is a great tool for working on starting scores with regular rhythms, although experimentation will be rewarded.

NOTES: The Piano roll Claw machine works very effectively with drum/melody loops sliced in Slicex to create new rhythms. If you need to perform the Claw process on audio files then use the Claw machine tool in Edison.

Controls Options The Claw Machine works by defining a Period, then cutting the period into a number of slices set by the Trash every setting. The slices are either removed ('clawed') or used to redefine note boundaries. A good way to learn how claw operates is to place a regular - whole, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/16th note patterns in the Piano roll and process it with various claw options. Period - The period over which the claw process repeats. Trash every - Removes notes every (X) units of the Period.

Time distortion - Slews the claw process toward the start or end of the Period. Great for creating bouncing-ball or 'kick/snare rush' transition effects from regular 16th note patterns. Remove short notes - Removes notes that are too short to play. Stretch to compensate - Stretches notes to fill the original space occupied by the starting selection.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Arpeggiator The Piano roll Arpeggiator tool allows you to apply arpeggio effects based on fully customizable arpeggio scores and a set of additional options. Unlike the arpeggiator in the Channel Settings, the Piano roll Arpeggiator is not a real-time effect, however it allows for much more customization and control.

Controls Pattern Pattern (Browse) - Allows you to load an FL Studio Score file (*.fsc) to be used as arpeggiator pattern. See guides for creating such scores below.

Options Pattern - Provides the following options: Normal - uses the pattern as

defined; Flip vertical - reverses the order of the notes in the pattern; Alternate - alternates between normal and flipped modes with each repetition. Pattern transpose menu - Flip the pattern vertically or alternate. Time multiplication - Stretches the time of the pattern score by integer amounts (1x, 2x, 3x, 4x slower when turned right and 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x faster when turned left). Range - The arpeggiator range in octaves. Range pattern - Sets the arpeggiator up/down pattern. Normal: LowHigh repeated. Flip: High-Low repeated. Alternate: Low-High-High-Low repeated. Sync - Selects the event that determines the end of the arpeggiator loop. Time: this selection will disable repetitions; Block: end of loop is considered the time all notes are turned off; Chord: end of loop is considered the time when one of the notes from the chord turns off; Gate - Shortens the length of the arpeggiated notes by the specified amount to create a gating effect. Levels - Mixes the per-note levels (pan, volume, pitch, etc.) of the current score with those of the loaded pattern (turn right to mix more of the levels in the pattern). Group notes - Groups chopped notes (that is horizontal grouping of the original notes chopped pieces).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

Guides for making Arpeggiator / Chop patterns Arpeggiator and Chopper patterns are regular Piano roll scores, but are interpreted in a special way to fit the purposes of the Arpeggiator tool. Templates can be found in the FL Studio installation directory under

..\Data\Patches\Scores\Arpeggiator or if you select the Piano roll menu > File > Open score, this should open in the Scores folder. Notes in the pattern are considered relative to the note being arpeggiated. C5 means the arpeggiated note, C#5 is the note above it, etc. Notes that cover the whole pattern are considered "sustained notes" they are not arpeggiated and are left intact. Colors - The first 4 colors in the selector are used in chopper/arp scores. 1 (Green) - The boundary of green notes defines the chopping pattern while the position relative to C5 the transposition. For Chopper scores all notes should be placed on C5, this instructs the Chop tool that all notes of the original score should remain at their original pitch. For Arpeggiator scores, source notes will be Arpeggiated relative to the interval between C5 and the notes set, For example, C5 = no pitch change, F5 = +5 semitone transpose and A4 = -3 semi-tone transpose. So if the source note in the original Piano roll was B4 and the Arpeggiator score was at F5 for the overlapping portion of the source and arpeggiator score, then the B4 would be transposed to D (+5 semitones). 5 (Blue) - Defines a note that will not be chopped. 9 (Pink) - Pink notes are not affected by the octaves range set in the dialog 13 (Yellow)- Defines the length of the pattern, useful when the chop/arp pattern does not extend to the end of the bar.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Strum Tool The Strum tool shifts the timing and velocity of the individual notes in chords to simulate strumming (simulating guitar playing for example). The tool works by treating any overlapping notes, that share the same start time, as part of the same chord. The dialog box provides modification of the relative start time, velocity and end time (see the example picture below).

Controls Start The Start section lets you modify note start times and/or velocity. Enable this section by activating the LED in the top left corner. Time: Shifts the start time of chord notes to create strumming effects. Start knob - Adjusts the start time offset applied to the notes. A positive shift strums from low to high notes, while a negative shift strums from high to low notes. Tension knob - Adjusts the strum 'tension', i.e. acceleration. Set a positive value to accelerate the strum or a negative value to decelerate it. Velocity: Increase or decrease the velocity (volume) of the subsequent notes in strummed chords. Start knob - Adjusts the change in velocity applied to successive notes. A positive value decreases the velocity with each note, while a negative value increases it. Tension knob - Adjusts the velocity acceleration or 'tension'. Set a positive value to accelerate the velocity change with each note or a negative value to decelerate velocity. Preserve end - Enable this option to preserve the end time of the affected notes (note that the End section can still modify the end time) thus modifying the notes' length. Trigger ahead - Enables the strum to 'straddle' the start-time of the selected notes (before and after).

End Enable this section by activating the LED in the top left corner. The End section modifies note end time. Time: Shifts the end time of chord notes. Start knob - Adjusts the amount of time shift applied to the end of the notes. You can also apply a negative shift. Tension knob - Adjusts the strum 'tension', i.e. acceleration. Set a positive value to accelerate the effect with time, or a negative value to decelerate it.

Misc Chop chords - Where notes (or chords) overlap previously held chords an automatic chop will be made to create a new strum.

Alternate direction - Alternates the strum direction (top to bottom, bottom to top) of the Piano roll (single notes are ignored when counting reversal events).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Randomizer The Randomizer creates random notes in the Step Sequencer, or Piano roll (depending on the selected window). The notes can be based on a chord map and the tool allows pan, velocity and pitch randomization, etc. NOTES: 1. Several options (such as Length, Variation, Stack, etc.) are available only for the Piano roll window. 2. Notes created by the randomizer have the length of the current snap. The Length and Variation controls won't work if SNAP is set to '(none)'.

Options Pattern This section lets you set up the options used when generating the random notes (disable the section if you don't want to add random notes). Octave - Sets the base octave used when generating notes. Range - The octave range within which random notes are created. Key - Sets the base tone for notes.

Scale - Here you can select the chord type that will be used as a base for creating notes. Length - Sets the note length used for the generated notes (this option is available only for the Piano roll). The Length control has no effect if the Piano roll SNAP is set to '(none)'. Variation - Sets the note length variation for the generated notes (this option is available only for the Piano roll). Turn the wheel to left to make the notes equal or shorter than the specified length. Turn to right to make notes equal or longer than the specified length (the middle position disables the length variance). The Variation control has no effect if the Piano roll SNAP is set to '(none)'. Population - Specifies the amount of notes that will be generated. The more you turn this wheel to the right, the more the notes generated. Stack - Sets the note polyphony used for the generated sequence (this option is available only for the Piano roll). Random Portamento - If checked, the notes will have random values for the portamento switch (checked or not) in the Miscellaneous Channel Settings. Merge Same Notes - If checked, two or more consecutive notes of the same pitch will be merged into a single longer note. Seed - Click the back and forward arrows to generate random note combinations based on the settings above (in all selected channels for the Step Sequencer, or the selected timeline section in the Piano roll). You can use this feature to generate various (seeded) combinations until you're satisfied with the result. To hear the combinations you generate, hit the play button in the Transport panel before you bring up the Randomizer dialog (or you can also call the Randomizer and then press ( Space) to toggle play/stop mode).

Levels Set up the options that will be used to randomize the levels (pan, velocity, etc.) for all selected notes/channels (disable the section if you don't want to randomize the note levels). Levels - These wheels lets you select the note properties you want

randomized and the amount of randomization (this applies to the note levels only, not automation events!). Each wheel has a range from -100% to 100%. At 0% the levels are left at their original values. Reset Before Processing - Reset the note levels to their default values before randomizing. Bipolar - Check to randomize the note levels 'bipolar', i.e. the levels will be randomized to both higher and lower values than the original values (as opposed to shifting them only higher or only lower depending on the wheel values). Seed - Click the back and forward arrows to randomize the note properties based on the settings above (in all selected channels for the Step Sequencer, or the selected notes in the Piano roll). You can use this feature to generate various combinations until you're satisfied with the result. To hear the combinations you generate, hit the play button in the Transport panel before you bring up the Randomizer dialog (or you can also call the Randomizer and then press

Space to toggle play/stop

mode).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Level Scaling The Scale Levels tool allows easy manipulation of the velocity level data associated with the selected notes. This is a great way of raising the overall volume of a performance while maintaining the relative note velocity differences.

Controls Options Center- Scales the center of the settings below (-100 to 100). Tension- Re-scales the level logarithmically (-100 to 100). Multiply - Multiplies the level by the value indicated (0% to 200%). Offset - Adds to the value (-100 to 100).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state.

Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Flam The Piano roll Flam tool allows you to add 'drum flam' effect to your scores. Flamming is the technique of playing two hits very close together, blurring the attack from 'bam' to 'flam'. This effect is very useful to add some variation to the basic percussion performance.

Controls Options Options drop-down menu - Opens a drop-down menu containing some useful presets. Time - Sets the length of the quick strokes added before each note. Absolute - Selects absolute or tempo based time for the Time knob. Before - Places the quick strokes before the original notes' start time. Velocity - Sets the velocity applied to the quick strokes. Group notes - Groups notes that were part of the processed selection. The Grouping selector (On/Off) is on the Recording panel.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Flip Flip can invert scores both vertically (key) and horizontally (time). The tool operates only on the selected notes, if there are any (otherwise uses the entire score in the window).

Controls Options Flip Horizontally - Flips the score about the vertical axis (in time). Preserve Start Times - With this option off, the flip will be a perfect mirror of the original score. However, in practice it is best sometimes that start times are preserved rather than create a 1:1 mirror of the original score. Enabling this option allows you to flip scores in this manner (it is most likely that the result will be different on scores having notes with varying note lengths). Flip Vertically - Flips the scores around the horizontal axis (in note pitch).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Piano roll Limit The key-limiter tool allows you to transpose the notes of a score within a custom defined limit. The tool can be used to generate quick derivative scores from a single source. Assign the derived scores to different instrument channels to create richer musical arrangements.

Controls Key scale / restriction Key / scale - Set the key and mode. Snap - If a note is in the wrong place (it can be +1 or -1 semitone before being corrected), the setting defines whether it will snap above, under or alternate relative to the current position.

Keyboard range / offset Reset - Resets the limit to the range set by the selected notes in the score (or all, if none are selected). Wrap to Bottom - Normally the tool attempts to transpose each key

down an octave while it fits inside the defined limit. However with this option enabled the notes will automatically wrap to the lowest octave in the limit. Piano View / Limit selector - Drag the ruler to define the key limit you prefer (the pale orange bar). Right-click to set the root key (offset) applied to the notes.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Import MIDI Data Dialog This dialog appears when you import notes in the Piano Roll either from MIDI clipboard or a MIDI file.

NOTE: There are other MIDI import options available depending on the MIDI import method, see the Import MIDI Data Dialog.

Controls Which Tracks to Import - Click the menu box to see a list of individual MIDI tracks to import into the Piano roll. Which Channels to Import - Lets you select which channels should be imported. Left-click a channel number (it will be marked in red) to include it in the imported channels, Right-click it to exclude it from the imported channels. Blend with Existing Data - When turned on, imported notes will pastemix with the already existing ones. Otherwise the existing notes will be overwritten by imported data. Realign events - Aligns imported data with the start of the Piano roll.

Action buttons

Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

LFO Tool The LFO tool allows you to draw LFO shapes in the Event Editor or lower Piano roll.

Controls LFO is drawn only in the selected time range. If nothing is selected, LFO will select automatically the first bar.

Start Value - Sets the value of LFO. Range - Sets the range between the lowest and highest points in LFO. Speed - Sets the frequency of the LFO (i.e. its speed). Right-click for a menu with tempo-based presets.

End Contains the same parameters as the Start section. When you turn on the LED in the top left corner of this section, LFO's settings will vary from those in the Start section to those in the End section. If LED is turned off, then only the settings from the Start section are used.

Shape Sets the shape of the LFO - sine, triangle or square (to select a shape click any of the icons at the top left corner of this section). The Phase knob sets the phase of the LFO (basically this moves the LFO shape left and right).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

PIANO ROLL

Riff Machine The Riff Machine

generates melodies in the Piano roll (depending on the settings made in the tabs). Building a riff consists maximally of the following steps: 1. Progression - A series of long notes are selected according to the general mood you desire. 2. Chords - The note series is transformed into chords ready for the Arpeggiator step. 3. Arpeggiation - The chord is chopped up and arpeggiated to create a basic 'riff'. 4. Mirror - Vertical and horizontal transformations of the arpeggio are made to add interest.

5. Levels - Note parameter levels are randomized (to a user specified degree) to add variation. 6. Articulation - Note lengths/transitions are varied to change playing 'style'. 7. Groove - Note quantization is varied to add rhythmic feeling. 8. Fit - Note range and key is specified. NOTES: Notes created by the Riff Machine have the length of the current Piano roll snap. The Length and Variation controls won't work if SNAP is set to '(none)'. Any or all tabs can be selected or deselected to play a part in the final 'riff'. Some settings on some tabs will defeat those on others (setting a compatible combination is up to the user).

Step 1. Note Progression Step 2. Chord Progression Step 3. Arpeggiation Step 4. Mirroring Notes Step 5. Levels & Panning Step 6. Articulation (note length) Step 7. Groove (note timing) Step 8. Fit (note range) Process controls Preview up to current step - Play the riff generated by the settings up to, and including, the current tab.

Work on existing score - Apply the settings to the score in the Piano roll before the Riff generator was launched. Length - Number of bars the riff should cover. Start over - Reset all steps. Throw dice - Generate a new riff with new random seed settings. Accept - Accept the current riff.

PLAYLIST

The Playlist

! !

The Playlist sequences (plays) all elements of the project to make the final song. The Playlist window is a stack of multi-purpose 'Clip Tracks' that can hold Patterns Clips, Audio Clips and Automation Clips. Unlike most other sequencers, the Playlist tracks are not bound to a single instrument, audio recording or even Clip type. You can put any Clip type anywhere and even overlay Clips. Think of Clips as a little like notes in the Piano roll. When the play-head reaches a Clip, FL Studio plays whatever the Clip instructs it to do. This also means Clip Tracks are not bound to Mixer tracks, rather Channel Rack to Mixer routing of instruments used by Clips decides the Mixer track/s that are used. So Instrument Channels are bound to Mixer tracks, not Playlist tracks. For example, a single Pattern Clip on a single Playlist track, could trigger every Channel Rack instrument, and so all Mixer tracks if they were routed accordingly. If you want to simulate traditional sequencer workflow: Route each Instrument to a separate Mixer track. Use one Instrument Channel per Pattern Clip and use one song-length Pattern Clip per Playlist track.

NOTE: Pattern Clips can hold two types of data, MIDI notes and/or controller movements (stored as 'event automation'). tutorials

are available on the Image-Line YouTube Channel.

Video

Playlist Controls Tool Bar icons - Along the top of the Mixer window: Playlist Menu - Includes: Edit, Tools, View, Snap, Select, Group, Zoom, Time Marker, Clip Source, Performance Mode, playhead and Detach options.

Playlist Snap - Snap determines how Clips will move and quantization aligns events relative to the background grid (Hold Alt to temporarily set snap to 'none'). NOTE: There is a Global Snap selector on the Recording Panel.

Add clips by pencil mode ( P) - Left-click to add the currently selected Clip. Left-click-and-drag to reposition the clip before releasing it. Right-click to delete Clips. Right-click and drag to delete multiple clips. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool (F10 > General settings > Click and hold functions on). Modifier keys: ( Shift) add in Paint mode. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Alt) to add in pencil mode with snap set to 'none'.

Add clips by paint mode ( B) - Left-click to adds the currently selected Clip. Click-and-drag to paint multiple clips. Right-click to delete Clips. Right-click and drag to delete multiple clips. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool. Modifier keys: ( Shift) to copy the selected Clip. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Alt) and click on a Clip to move it with snap set to 'none'.

Mute ( T) - Left-click on clips to mute them. Left-click and drag to mute multiple clips. Right-click to delete Clips. Right-click and hold on the background to open the slice tool. Modifier keys: ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Alt) and click on a Clip to move it with snap set to 'none'.

Delete ( D) - Click or Click-and-drag to delete Clips. Modifier keys: Hold ( then press ( Delete).

Shift) to make a selection,

Slice ( Alt + Right-Shift). Click and drag vertically to make a slice through the clip. NOTE: The Settings > Project > Advanced > Play truncated notes in clips option can be useful when slicing Clips. Modifier keys: ( Shift) slice without dragging. ( Ctrl) to make a selection. ( Shift+Alt) Slice without dragging and with snap set to 'none'.

Select ( E) - Either Left-click on Clips or Left-click and drag to make group selections. Modifier keys: ( Shift) add to or remove from selection.

Zoom to selection ( Shift+Z) - When in Paint mode, use ( Ctrl+Right-click) and drag to make a zoomto selection. Right-click again to swap between zoom and unzoomed modes.Right-click to open a menu of quick zoom options: Zoom in/ Zoom out ( Quick-zoom 1, 2 & 3 (

Page up / Page down) - Zoom centers on the Cursor position. Shift+1, 2, 3) - Three handy zoom levels.

Zoom out far (

Shift+4) - Minimum horizontal zoom.

On Selection (

Shift+5 - Zoom to time-line selection. The command will be disabled if no time

region is selected in the timeline.

Play selected (

Y) - Click the clips you want to play. Click position will set the start location.

Play / Pause - Left-click to start/pauses playback. Right-click (while playing) to stop and return to the last set start position. Right-click (while stopped) to return the playhead to the start of the song. NOTE: There is an option on the Right-click main transport Stop button Remember seek time for the start position to be remembered.

Clip Source Menu & Project Picker (indicated above) - Left-click - The menu at the top of the Playlist shows Clips available to be placed in the Clip Tracks area. Right-click - to open the Project Picker. Once a Clip is selected it can be added to the Playlist by Left-clicking on an empty Clip Track space. Alternatively Right-click the Clip Focus icons to see menu-

selections of Clips unique to each type. Play Position Marker (indicated above) - Displays the current playback position, can be (

Left-clicked & dragged). You

can Left-click to reposition this marker while the song is stopped or playing. NOTE: There is an option on the Right-click main transport Stop button Remember seek time for the start position to be remembered. Song Loop (uses Time Markers) - Right-click a Time Marker and select the option 'Song loop'. See below for more information on adding Time Markers. The 'Song loop' marker (note the down facing arrow) defines the repeat point for a playing project, repeats are not played when a song is rendered although the marker can be used to define render length. TIP: The Repeat Marker is ignored during rendering except for the special case where the marker is set beyond the end of the last Playlist data. This will force the project to be rendered to the point set by the marker, useful for ensuring decaying effect sounds are captured. LIVE: The song markers can also be used to control live playback & performance. NOTE: There is a Loop Recording option on the Recording Panel. Timeline Selection (indicated above) - ( all tracks. (

Ctrl+Left-click) & drag in the bar-ruler area to make a vertical selection across

Shift+Left-click) & drag to copy-move selection. The Timeline Selections will play in loop mode or render as

a single section. Actually we cheated a bit with the screen shot, while only the selected portion of the Playlist will play, any portions of a Clip outside the selected area will also turn red (i.e. be selected), but these out-of-bounds clip-parts won't play. NOTE: See here to learn more about using the time-line selections to add or delete time sections of the Playlist. Horizontal Zoom / Timeline Zoom (indicated above) - Left-click and drag on the left or right edge of the horizontal scroll handle. Alternatively place the Mouse cursor over the location to zoom and (

Ctrl + Mouse wheel). Maximum

Zoom/Snap resolution may be increased by changing the Project Timebase (PPQ) setting (F11), in the General Project settings. The default PPQ should provide adequate zoom/resolution for most projects. Vertical Zoom (indicated above) - Left-click and drag the track height control up/down to change the vertical zoom of all Playlist tracks. You can resize individual tracks by dragging on the dividers between tracks in the name area (as indicated above 'Drag here'). (

Ctrl+Right-click) on an empty Playlist track area to zoom to full view. (

Ctrl+Right-click) again to

return to the previous Zoom and location. Window controls (indicated above) - Maximizes/minimizes the Playlist. The playlist can also be detached from the FL Studio desktop from the Main Menu > Detached option. Clip Focus & Options Selector (indicated above, top left) - Left-click: each tab to bring that Clip type to the top of any stack that includes Audio, Automation or Pattern Clips. Each tab contains some edit options unique to each Clip type. Rightclick: each tab to select Clips of that category to be added to the Playlist (this is an alternative to the Clip Source menu). Time Markers (indicated above) - Add by selecting (

Alt+T) or '

Time markers > Add time marker' . Left-click, hold &

drag a marker to reposition it. Once the first Time marker is added to a project, it can be Right-clicked to Add a new marker, Delete it or Rename. Time markers can also be used for selections & live jumping (see below). Track Options (indicated above) - Right-click the area at the front of any Playlist track for the following options: Rename / color - Renames or re-colors the channel. Click on the Channel name and type to rename, Left-click on the color square (shown below) to open the re-color dialog, or Right-click to randomly assign a color from a palette pre-approved by the Image-Line Aesthetics Committee. Once the name dialog is open, press ( randomly select colors OR (

F2) to

F3) to select the last used color.

To Set an icon - Choose from a number of preset icons to display on the Channel button. NOTE: Middle-click on existing icons to directly open the icon menu. Auto name - Automatically names the track after the first Pattern Clip in the track. Auto name clips - All Clips are renamed based on the Track's name. Performance settings - Performance mode must be selected for these to be available. Size - Select a default height for the Clip Track in percent. This allows relative scaling to the other tracks. TIP: To reset a track height (

Alt + Click) on a track resize handle/divider.

Lock to this size - Prevents the Clip Track's vertical height rescaling. Group with above track - All tracks in a group can be soloed/muted by (

Alt + Right-clicking) on the mute

switch of any track in the group. Auto color group - Sets all tracks in the group to the same color as the track that was used to open this menu. Current clip source - Lists Clips used in the current track. Lock to content - Locks the Clip Track to the Pattern first inserted on the track. Clicking on the track will then always add that Pattern (number) to the track. NOTE: Older projects made using the legacy Pattern Block tracks are loaded with each Clip track locked to a specific Pattern number, so that Clip tracks behave in the same manner as Pattern Block tracks did. See the

From Blocks to Clips

video tutorial.

Merge pattern clips - Merges the Pattern Clips on the Clip Track into a single Clip. NOTE: Save before using this function, there is no undo. Send pattern instances here - Moves selected Pattern instances to the selected track. Used when manually converting Block Track based projects to Clip Tracks. Insert one/ Delete - Inserts a Clip Track or deletes the selected Clip Track. Move up/ Move down - Moves the selected track up/down the stack. Alternatively use (

Shift + Mouse-wheel).

NOTE: Drag an audio file (from the Browser, for example) and drop it on the Track label area to auto-create an Audio Clip and auto-name the Clip track to match the file. Track Mute / Solo (indicated above) - This applies to all Clips on the track. Left-click to mute/un-mute a track. Rightclick to solo a track. (

Alt + Right-click) mute/solo the group.

Clip Menus (indicated above) - The Clip menu can be found at the top-left corner of each Clip. Click to open. Options may vary depending on Clip type. Clip Tracks - While there are three different Clip types: Audio Clips (holding audio recordings), Automation Clips (automation data) and Pattern Clips (note & event-automation data). You can put any Clip type on any Playlist track, and even overlay Clips of any type. Clip Tracks are not bound to Mixer tracks, Channel Rack to Mixer routing of the instruments used by Clips determines the Mixer track/s that play. Remember, a single Pattern Clip could trigger every Channel Rack instrument, and so all Mixer tracks if they were routed accordingly. To reorder Clip Tracks, hold (

Shift +

Mouse-wheel) over the Clip Track label area.

Track divider (where it says 'Drag here' above) - Resize - Click and drag vertically to resize individual tracks. Group tracks - Drag upward (and keep going) until the track groups with the one above. Do the same thing to ungroup a track OR right-click the track header area and select 'Group with above track'.

Timeline & Time Markers Time is displayed horizontally in the Playlist (in bars displayed along the top of the window). The grid resolution is determined by: The window's 'Snap' value (

). Alternatively, select 'Main' to apply the global snap value (for all windows where snap

applies) defined in the Recording panel. The Horizontal zoom. That is, the snap resolution increases as the Playlist is zoomed in, until it reaches the maximum set by the Snap value. Note how Playlist vertical grid-lines increase as the Playlist is zoomed. The 'Project Timebase (PPQ) setting' (F11). Higher PPQ settings offer greater zoom levels and so higher resolution, although the default setting of 96 PPQ is adequate for most situations. Playback can be controlled from the Main Transport controls or the Play button as indicated above. Relocate the playback position - Click on the upper timeline (Bar numbers) where you want the playback position indicator to start. You can use the (

Home) key to reset to the song beginning. NOTE: There is an option on the Right-

click main transport Stop button Remember seek time for the start position to be remembered. Play notes straddling the playback position marker - When stopping and starting you can play notes that cross the playback position by opening the Audio Options and selecting 'Play truncated notes'. Timeline markers can be used to label parts of your song (such as 'chorus' for example) and also as 'jump to' locators OR to quickly select a region (between markers). For information on working with Markers see the Time Marker Menu Section below.

Patterns, Audio Clips and Automation Clips This section covers general editing and Playlist operations. For specific details on using Audio Clips, Automation Clips and Patterns Clips, please see the following pages:

Pattern Clips Audio Clips Automation Clips NOTE: Audio, Automation and Pattern Clips can share the same Playlist tracks, as shown above and will overlap, with transparency, to aid with the grouping of related Clips.

Playlist Clip Focus The Clip focus selector (shown below), is used to focus Clip types. This is particularly useful when Clips are stacked, the focused Clip is brought to the top for selection and editing. To select all clips in a layered stack, use (

Ctrl + Left-click), then they can be

moved together.

Audio Right-click tab - Show Audio Clip menu. Zero-Cross - Slicing & resize edits will be made at the nearest zero-crossing to the slice point. Useful to avoid clicks at the slice location. NOTE: This setting will naturally interfere with your ability to specify exact slice locations. Stretch - When the left or right edge of the Clip is selected and dragged the Clip will be stretched according to the Audio Clip Time stretching settings. To maintain pitch while the sample length is stretched, select an option other than 'Resample' in the Stretch Method field. See the section Working with the stretch/pitch functions for more details on synchronizing/beatmatching audio clips to the project tempo.

Automation Right-click tab - Show Automation Clip menu. Step - Sets the automation Clip curve editor in 'step editing' mode. Left-click and drag in the Clip to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline (steps depend on the current snap settings). Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Slide - Preserves the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it.

Patterns (notes & events) These control the color display for Pattern Clips. Right-click tab - Show Pattern Clip menu. Note - Uses the parent pattern's (notes & event) colors. Note color is set from within the Piano roll. Event data always displays in pink, so anyone uncomfortable about being seen using pink in the Playlist needs to 'suck it in' and stop being a 'big cry baby' about it. Alternatively, don't use this setting. Chan - Uses the parent channel's color settings (Right-click the channel button and use the color selector on the Channel rename pop-up panel). Pat - Uses the parent pattern's color settings.

Project Picker The Project Picker (

Ctrl+F8) can also be opened by Right-clicking the Clip Source selector (indicated above) or Mouse X1

button on the Playlist, Piano roll or FL Studio background wallpaper.

Plugin Picker video tutorial here

.

Preview items - Place the Mouse Cursor over items without clicking. When an item is previewed related Patterns or Channels display a yellow tick. For example, the image above shows that two Patterns use the Sytrus Channel previewed. Select items - Click on items and the Project Picker will close automatically. Change Category (

Mouse wheel) - Roll the Mouse wheel when the picker is open to change category (All, Pattern or

Channel view). Close (

Esc) - Press the Escape key, Right-click on the Project Picker background or select an item.

Working with Clips Take the time to learn the Playlist keyboard shortcuts associated with your most common Clip operations. In particular, the shortcuts that swap between editing tools are great time savers.

Selection Methods (while in Draw or Paint mode) Most commonly you will be in Draw (

) or Paint (

) mode, if so holding (

although the cursor does not change in appearance. Further, holding the ( Select a rectangular area in the audio or pattern tracks - Hold (

Shift) will swap between Paint & Draw modes, Ctrl) key will temporarily enable Select mode: Ctrl) & drag to define the selection area with the left

Mouse button. Add to existing selection - Hold (

Ctrl + Shift) while making a rectangular selection to add to the existing selection.

Select a group of pattern tracks - Hold (

Ctrl) & drag up/down inside the pattern name area on the left side of the

screen. Select a time region - Hold (

Ctrl) & drag left/right inside the timeline area.

Select a marked time region - Double-click a time marker in the timeline to select the time region from this marker to the next one (or to the end of the song if is the last one). Select the region between markers - Click (

Ctrl + Left-click) on the left edge of the left-most marker bounding the

region to be selected.

Universal Clip Editing Methods Snap settings (

) - Snap controls how Clips move on the Playlist grid and many of the other editing functions below. Set

this to 'line' if you want the Clips to snap to bar boundaries or to 'none' if you want to freely position & slice Clips. Inserting Clips - To insert a Clip, select the Clip you want to place from the Clip Source menu (indicated above) OR Rightclick the Clip focus selectors (indicated above) to choose Clips of the type selected. Next, in Draw (

) or Paint (

)

mode, Left-click on an empty area of a Clips track where you want to place the Clip. Paint mode allows you to paint multiple instances of the Clip at once (hold the Mouse button & drag).

Insert time into the Playlist (shift clips to the right) - Hold (

Ctrl), click and drag on the time-line at the top of the

Playlist starting from the point you want to insert space into the timeline AND for the duration of the insertion you want. With (

Ctrl) still held press the (

Insert) key on your keyboard. Insert time into the Playlist (slice and move clips to the

right) - Make a time selection as above, then hold (

Ctrl+Alt) and press the (

Insert) key on your keyboard. The slice

point will be at the start of the selection. Delete a time selection - Hold ( deleted. Press (

Ctrl), click and drag on the time-line at the top of the Playlist to select the region to be

Ctrl+Del) to delete all patterns in the current selection and move clips to the right of the selection into the

gap. Select Clips - To make a selection of more than one Clip. Use the clips to be selected. To add clips to this selection hold the ( OR if you are in Draw or Paint mode, hold ( Holding the (

Select tool and click and drag a rectangle around the

Shift) key and make further selections.

Ctrl) key and you will drop into Select mode while the (

Ctrl) key is held.

Ctrl + Shift) keys will allow you to add Clips to an existing selection.

OR use the Magic lasso feature. Move your Mouse pointer in a loop that encloses the Clips you want to select (no clicking required, it's 'magic' remember). Make sure you have no Clips selected before you perform the lasso action (Right-click the empty Playlist to deselect all Clips and make another selection). Zoom to area - (

Ctrl + Right-click) and drag over a selection of the Playlist. Un-Zoom area - (

Ctrl + Right-click)

anywhere on the Playlist (don't drag). Zoom to a Clip - ( Zoom Clip - (

Ctrl + Shift + Right-click) on a Clip will maximize the zoom of the Playlist to the selected Clip. To Un-

Ctrl + Right-click) anywhere on the Playlist (don't drag in this mode since that is how to zoom to

selection). Delete/Erase a Clip - Right-click the target Clip or use the left Mouse button if you are in erase ( Copy/Paste Clips - Make a selection, release the Mouse and any keys held, then hold the (

) mode.

Shift) key, then click on the

selection and drag. A copy of the selection will follow the Mouse cursor. Release the selection when the Clips are in the alternative location. NOTE: In 'Slice tool' mode this will initiate a slice, not copy. OR Make a selection, press (

Ctrl + C) to

copy, then scroll the Playlist so that the starting bar for the paste location is at the left edge of the Playlist and press (

Ctrl

+ V).

Duplicate selection - Make a selection and press (

Ctrl+B). The selection, or all Clips if no selection is made, will be

duplicated to the right of the original selection. To define a specific repeat interval, make a time-line selection equal to the complete interval to be duplicated and press (

Ctrl+B). NOTE: The time-line selection and note selection can be made

independently. The repeat interval is set by the time-line selection, the Clips duplicated by the Clip selection. In this way, Clips outside the time-line selection can be duplicated according to the time-line interval. Slicing Clips - Use the Slice tool (

), go to a Clip, click and hold the left Mouse button, then drag vertically through the

Clip/s to be sliced. OR... No drag slicing - In Slice tool mode, hold (

Right-Shift), then click and hold on the Clip, position the knife

horizontally and release the Mouse where you want to slice. NOTE: In other tool modes this will initiate a copy-drag, not slice. Slicing in Paint or Pencil mode - You can drop into slice mode by holding (

Alt + Right-Shift), then click and

hold on the Clip, position the knife horizontally and release the Mouse where you want to slice. If you want snapping release the (

Alt) key after you have clicked on the Clip, then horizontally position the knife (now with

snapping) and release the Mouse button where you want to slice. You can engage and disengage the (

Alt) key

while dragging horizontally if you change your mind about snap mode. NOTES: For Audio Clips the Zero-cross setting on the Clip Focus selector and Snap ( where the Clip will slice. Hold the (

) setting will influence precisely

Alt) key to temporarily disable snap for precision slicing. If you don't feel the

maximum zoom provides enough resolution, increase the PPQ setting in the Project > General options. Resize clips & Slip-editing - Resized or sliced Clips are just a window over the original data (data still exists outside the visible Clip boundaries). You can either move the start/end positions of the Clip without moving the data in the Clip OR reposition the data while maintaining the start/end positions. In Draw (

) or Paint (

) mode hold (

drag on the start or end of the clip. To 'slip edit' the data within the window, select the slip tool (

)(

Shift) and

Shift+S) then

Left-click and drag inside the Clip and move the Mouse left/right. NOTES: 1. The Playlist Menu option 'Allow resizing from the left' should be enabled to allow resizing from the start. 2. The Snap settings will determine how the data slips. Hold the ( Alt) key to temporarily disable snap. Perfect for aligning vocals to the beat.

Ripple-editing - Moves the start/end of the Clip while preserving the data at the start/end by 'slipping' the data at the opposite end to extend/shorten the length of the Clip. Select the slip tool (

)(

Shift+S) then Left-click and drag on the

start/end of the Clip. NOTE: The Snap settings will determine how the data slips. Hold the (

Alt) key will temporarily

disable snap for fine-tuning. Perfect for aligning vocals to the beat. Swap Clips - Open the Clip menu (the small icon in the top left corner of each Clip) and from the Select source channel menu, pick an alternative Clip. Edit Clip channel settings - To open the Channel Settings associated with a Clip, open the Clip menu (the small icon in the top left corner of each Clip) and select Channel Settings or double-click the title-bar of the Clip. Group Clips - (

Shift+G) - Grouping functions so that selecting, moving or deleting any Clip from a group will cause all

others notes in the group to be selected, moved or deleted, etc. Any number of groupings may be created. To group Clips make a selection using the

Select tool, then use the Group function. Activated / deactivate grouping: Use the Note /

Pattern Grouping switch on the Recording Panel. Deselecting the Grouping switch will disable Clip grouping behavior until the switch is reactivated. Move clips vertically - Make a selection and hold (

Shift) and press the Up/Down arrow keys. If no selection is made

then all the Clips will be moved. Audition a Clip - Select the Playback tool

and click on the Clip of interest in the Playlist OR (

Alt + Right-click ) on the

Clip in the Playlist OR Select Preview from the Clip menu (the small down arrow at the start of each Clip) and press the Stop button in the Transport panel to stop the preview). Clone Clips - Open the Clip menu (icon at the top left corner of each clip) and select 'Make Unique'. By default, all instances of a given Clip share the same Channel or data. To make edits to the source data without affecting the other instances use the make unique feature. The Clip channel will be cloned and the clone will be assigned to the Clip that was edited, making it 'unique'. In the case of Audio Clips where you want to clone the audio file on disk, use 'Make unique as sample'. Use this when you want to physically edit/manipulate the sample data and change it in some way. Rescale Clip placement - Make a selection then ( drag. Holding the (

Right-Shift) and click on the right-side of the right-most Clip, then

Alt) key will snap to 25% increments.

Beat slicing - You can split your Clips into even pieces for each bar or beat in the timeline. Open the Clip menu and from the Chop into menu select Bar or Beat. Beat Random) splits the Audio Clip in beats and reorders the resulting pieces in a random order.

Audio Clip Specific Features Audio Clips have a few unique properties, as discussed on the Audio Clip page.

Automation Clip Specific Features Automation Clips have a range of unique properties, as discussed on the Automation Clip page.

Pattern Clip Specific Features Pattern Clips have a few unique properties, as discussed on the Pattern Clip page.

Clip Menus Under the menu icons at the top left corner of each Clip you will find a menu with the following options, depending on the Clip type selected:

Pattern / Audio / Automation Clip Preview - Previews/plays the Clip. Edit pattern (Patterns) - Opens the Piano roll. Select source pattern/channel - Allows you to change the source data for the Clip. Channel settings (Audio / Automation Clips) - Opens the channel settings for the Clip. Rename - Renames the Clip. Make unique - Clones the original Clip so that edits on the new Clip do not affect other instances. NOTE: With Audio Clips the original audio file is re-used in the new Audio Clip channel. Alternatively use 'Make unique as sample' (see below).

Select all similar Clips - Selects all instances of the same Clip in the Playlist. Region Select region - Selects a region if existing. Chop (Audio Clips) - Opens a sub-menu with chopping options. Slices the Clip into rhythmic pieces aligned with the grid. Sample (Audio Clips) Make unique as sample - Clones the original Audio Clip AND clones the sample file on disk. Use this when you want to physically edit the sample data and change it in some way. Edit sample - Opens the sample in Edison audio editor. Pitch-correct sample - Opens the sample in Newtone pitch correction & time-stretching editor. Detect tempo - Opens the tempo detection dialog and offers to set FL Studio to the same tempo. Fit to tempo - Fits the sample to the project tempo. You can also use this to lock samples to the project tempo so they stretch as the to fit a new tempo when it is changed. Automate (Audio Clips) - Opens a sub-menu with the following options: Volume / Pan - Create Automation Clips for the sample Volume or Pan. Crossfade with - Creates a crossfade Volume Automation Clip envelope for overlapping Audio Clips. The single Automation Clip created is inversely linked to the other Clip of the pair, so the crossfade is performed between both Clips with a single envelope.

Playlist Menu The Playlist menu button

has options and commands for managing the Playlist.

Edit - Many of these functions can be achieved with the edit tools along the top of the Playlist. Cut (

Ctrl+X) - Cuts all selected pattern bars and Audio Clips to the clipboard.

Copy ( Paste (

Ctrl+C) - Copies all selected pattern bars and Audio Clips to the clipboard. Ctrl+V) - Pastes pattern bars and Audio Clips from the clipboard.

Duplicate (

Ctrl+B) - Duplicate the selection to the right of the current location. If no selection is made all

patterns are duplicated. Delete (

Del) - Deletes all selected pattern bars and Audio Clips. If no selection is made deletes all pattern

bars and Audio Clips. Shift left / right (

Shift+Left-arrow) / (

Shift+Right-arrow) - Shifts the current selection left / right by 1

snap-unit. Shift up / down (

Shift+Up-arrow) / (

Shift+Down-arrow) - Shifts current selection up / down by 1 track. If

no selection is made all patterns are moved. Allow resizing from the left (

Ctrl+Alt+Home) - Allows the start of Clips to be 'Slip-edited'. Hold the (

Shift)

key while in Pencil or Bush tool mode to engage Slip-editing and then click on the start/end of the Clip and drag. Mute / Unmute - Mute (silence) or un-mute the selected Clips/s or Clip groups. Insert space (

Ctrl+Ins) - Creates an empty space that matches the current selection (

Ctrl+Click-and-drag)

on the bar numbers at the top of the Playlist) by shifting all the following Pattern Clips forward. Slice and insert space (

Ctrl+Alt+Ins) - Slices at the start of the current selection and moves the sliced Clips to

the end of the current selection. Delete space (

Ctrl+Del) - Erases all patterns in the current selection and shifts Clips to the right of the deleted

section, left to close the gap. Merge pattern clips - Merges the selected Pattern Clips into a single Clip. NOTE: Save before using this edit, there is no undo.

Merge similar pattern clips - As above, but merges similar repetitions everywhere in the Playlist. NOTE: The process creates a new 'merged' Pattern, the original Patterns still exist. There is no undo to reverse the Playlist changes. Tools - Quantize. Quick quantize (

Ctrl+Q) - Aligns all selected patterns to the snap setting set in the (

) Snap Selector.

View - Change the way the Clips and Playlist appear. Grid Color(

Ctrl+Alt+G) - Opens a dialog box that lets you choose a color for the Playlist grid.

Invert grid - Changes the Playlist bar-grid lines from light to dark. Track separators - Track separators are the horizontal lines separating Clip Tracks when this switch is selected. Time segments - Change the Playlist background shading to represent time-periods according to the option selected. The default is 'Bars'. Keep labels on screen - When the Playlist is scrolling, clip labels are slid along the Clips to keep them in view as long as possible before the Clip dissapears to the left. Content in title bars - Displays Clip contents when in 'Tile' mode, activated by vertical zoom setting. Behind clips - Choose the background shading of Clips. Shadow - Ads a shadow beneath Clips. Precise time indicator - A vertical line is drawn through the editor window to show playback and edit position. Performance clip progress - In Performance mode, clip play-progress is animated on active clips as a horizontal bar. Performance track progres - In Performance mode, track play-progress is indicated on the Playlist track header as a shaded clock animation. Snap - Snap determines how events will move relative to the Playlist grid and how quantization aligns events (NOTE: holding the

Alt key temporarily sets snap to 'none'). The options are:

Main - Snap is set to the Global snap value. Line - Clips snap to the nearest grid-line, notice that the grid changes resolution as the Playlist is Zoomed horizontally. Cell - Clips snap to the start of the grid-cell they fall in. (none) - No snapping. Movement is limited only by the Project Timebase (PPQ) setting (F11). NOTE: Snapping can be temporarily disabled by holding the Alt key when dragging Clips. Steps 1/6 to 1 (step) - Absolute grid values equal to the nominated fraction of a step. Beats 1/6 to 1 (beat) - Absolute beats values equal to the nominated fraction of a beat. Bar - 1 bar. Events - Relative to existing events. This is useful to show the boundaries of sliced events when they are butted against each other, as events surrounding the selected event change color. Select - Making selections: Deselect ( Select all (

Ctrl+D) - Undo any selection. Ctrl+A) - Selects all Clips.

Select by selected source (

Shift+C) - Selects all Pattern Clips associated with the currently selected source

Clip. Select muted - Select all Clips that have been muted (by the mute selection tool). Select possible conflicts Invert selection - (

Shift+I) Inverts the selection (what was selected is now deselected and what was

deselected is now selected).

Select time around selection (

Ctrl+Enter) - Selects the time-line range occupied by the Clips currently

selected in the Playlist. If no selection is made the Zoomed range will be selected. Select previous time (

Ctrl+Left arrow) - Shifts a selection (made by

Ctrl+Left-click and swiping the time-

bar) by its own width to the right. Select next time (

Ctrl+Right arrow) - Shifts a selection (made by

Ctrl+Left-click and swiping the time-bar)

by its own width to the left. Group - Make a selection then use the following: Group - (

Shift+G) - Group selected Clips. Grouping functions so that selecting, moving or deleting any Clip in a

group will cause all others notes in the group to be selected, moved or deleted, etc. Any number of groupings may be created. To group Clips: make a selection using the (

) Select tool, then use the Group function. Activated /

deactivate grouping: Use the Note / Pattern Grouping switch on the Recording Panel. Deselecting the Note / Pattern Grouping switch will disable note grouping behavior until the switch is reactivated. Ungroup - (

Alt+G) - Ungroup selected notes. Select one Clip in the group then use this function to ungroup all

Clips in the group. Zoom - Contains a submenu with a set of quick zooming levels: Zoom in/ Zoom out ( Quick-zoom 1, 2 & 3 ( Zoom out far (

Page up / Page down) - Zoom centers on the Cursor position. Shift+1, 2, 3) - Three handy zoom levels.

Shift+4) - Minimum horizontal zoom.

Zoom on selection (

Shift+5) - Zoom to time-line selection. The command will be disabled if no time region is

selected in the timeline. Zoom on performance clips (

Shift+6) - Zoom to the Performance zone in the Playlist.

Time markers - Markers can be used to label parts of your song (such as 'chorus' for example), define regions or to change live Playlist playback behavior. Playlist menu options are: Add one (

Alt+T) - Add a time marker above the time-line. Type a name for the marker and press Enter. The

marker can be dragged into the correct location after naming. If the project already has markers, then Right-click a marker and select Add new marker from the pop-up menu. NOTE: Time markers are used to annotate the Playlist and can also serve as live performance points (see marker type below). Add auto (

Ctrl+T) - Adds a time marker named 'Auto' ready to be edited.

Add two - Make a time-line selection and use this option. Markers will be added at the start and end of the selection. Add one every - Select from Bar, 2 bars, 4 bars or 8 bars. You must make a time-line selection first. Delete - Delete the marker/s in the time-line selection. If no selection is made then all markers are deleted. Change marker to loop - Changes the marker/s in the time-line selection to the Loop type. If no selection is made then all markers are changed to loop. Right-click markers to choose other marker types. NOTE: Check the Playlist Menu option View > Time segments > Markers to see the Playlist grid shaded by marker region. Working with Time Markers Reposition a marker - Left-click and drag the marker from its left-most edge and release when desired. Markers can be dragged past existing markers without disturbing them. Using the time line - Right-click on the time line to add a marker at the desired location and select 'Add marker'. Marker Right-click menu - Right-click markers to select from: Add / Delete marker - Add a new or delete the current marker. Rename - Edit the name at the pop-up name dialog and press enter. Move content left / right - This option moves this content to the left or right of the next markers content region. A markers 'content' is defined as those Clips between the current marker and the next. NOTE: Selecting the menu option View > Time segments > Markers will display marker region/s by shading the Playlist.

Action - Choose between: None - The marker has no effect. Default type used where markers are just labels. Loop - When the playback reaches the next marker playback will jump back to the Loop marker creating a loop. Skip - Playback will jump to the next marker skipping any Playlist data between them. Pause - Playback will Pause unless the preceding marker is the Loop type. Song loop - Playback will return to this marker when the end of all data in the Playlist is reached. NOTE: Placing this marker type beyond the end of the last data will also cause FL Studio to render to that point. Live song jumps - You can using a MIDI keyboard, typing keyboard shortcuts (see below) or FF/RW transport keys on a multimedia keyboard to jump between time markers to create innovative live performances.

Video tutorial here

. To

use a MIDI keyboard: 1. Set the MIDI options 'Song marker jump MIDI channel' to the same MIDI channel as your controller. NOTE: To play plugin instruments just use different MIDI channel to the 'Song marker jump MIDI channel'. 2. Turn OFF the Audio Option 'Reset Plugins on Transport'. This should give a faster and less glitchy response when jumping and moving the song position marker. 3. Turn ON the Audio Option 'Play truncated notes'. This ensures any notes started before a jump point, and crossing it, still play. 4. Select 'Live mode' from the Playlist menu. This changes the jump-to behavior so that jumps happen on bar divisions and also shows the jump-to points (as a gray position marker). NOTE: Link the Channel mute switches to buttons on your MIDI controller to mute and unmute instruments during a performance for added variation. Once markers have been added and their type defined they will respond as follows:

NOTE: Keyboard shortcuts apply to the Number Pad only. Current Clip source - Shows the list of Clips available in the project. The currently selected Clip will be highlighted. Performance mode (

Ctrl+P) - Performance mode is designed to trigger and loop individual Playlist tracks and clips to

create live performances. Performance mode is explained in detail here. Center (

0) - Center (grid) centers the Playlist's grid so the play position marker is in the middle. Useful when you want

to see the playing position in a long sequence. Detached - Detaches the Playlist from the FL Studio workspace, allowing it to be dragged to another monitor.

Multi-touch Gestures " " See FL Studio User Interface > Multi-touch support

Playlist keyboard shortcuts Command

Function

B

Paint tool

C

Slice tool

D

Delete tool

E

Select tool

P

Pencil tool

S

Slip edit tool

T

Mute tool

Y

Playback tool

Z

Zoom tool

Alt

Bypass snap (very useful when combined with other modifiers)

Alt+G

Ungroup selection

Alt+P

Open the Piano roll or channel depending on what's selected in the Playlist

Alt+T

Add Time marker

Alt+/* and Ctrl+Alt+/*

Jump to Next/Previous song marker (if present)

Alt+ Right-click

Audition the clip selected.

Alt+ Right-Shift

Engage snap free 'Slice Mode', release Alt after clicking on the Clip to use snapping.

Ctrl+A

Select All

Ctrl+B

Duplicate selection (or all Clips in zoom range if nothing is selected) to the right.

Ctrl+C

Copy selection

Ctrl+D

Deselect selection

Ctrl+P

Toggle Performance Mode

Ctrl+T

Add Time Marker

Ctrl+V

Paste selection

Ctrl+X

Cut selection

Ctrl+Alt+G

Grid Color

Ctrl+Alt+Home

Toggle Resizing from Left

Ctrl+Ins

Add space at the start of the timeline selection of equal length to the selection

Ctrl+Del

Delete space according to the timeline selection

Ctrl+Enter

Select time around selection

Ctrl+Left-Arrow/Right-

Select time before/after selection equal to the selection length

Arrow Ctrl+Left-click

Select

Ctrl+Shift+Left-click

Add to selection

Ctrl+Shift+Right-click

Zoom to selected Clip

Ctrl+Right-click

Zoom on selection / Drag to make zoom selection (zoom on release)

Del

Delete selected clip/pattern source data

Double Left-click on

Open clip/pattern properties (e.g. Channel settings, Piano roll)

clip/pattern Home

Move the playback marker to the start of the Playlist.

Insert Key

Slice Clip at Mouse cursor position

Left-Shift+Left-click

Add and resize clip/pattern (move Mouse L/R after click and hold to resize). Must be in pencil mode.

(on Playlist) Left-Shift+Right-click

Pan view

Middle Mouse button

Pan view (hold & drag left/right)

PgUp / PgDown

Zoom in / Zoom out

Pencil tool + Shift

Swap to Brush

Right-click

Delete selected clip/pattern

Right-Shift+Left-click

Slice clip/pattern (click above/below clip/pattern & drag vertical)

Right-Alt+Right-

Vertical Slice clip. Release alt to engage snap.

Shift+Left-click Right-Shift+Right-click

Slice clip/pattern & delete smallest part (click above/below clip/pattern & drag vertical)

Right-Alt+Right-click

Quantize selected

Right-Alt+Left-click

Mute selected

Shift

Temporarily swaps between Paint & Draw modes

Shift+C

Select all Clips according to the currently selected Clip source

Shift+G

Group selected Clips

Shift+I

Invert selection

Shift+Q

Quick quantize Clip start times

Shift+Left-

Move selection Left/Right

Arrow/Right-Arrow Shift+Up-Arrow/Down-

Move selection Up/Down

Arrow Shift+Left-click (on

Clone (drag while holding clip/pattern)

clip/pattern) Shift+Mouse-wheel (on

Nudge Clip position

Clips) Shift+Mouse-wheel (on

Re-order Clip Tracks

Track label area) Shift + 0 (zero)

Center Playlist to play-head position (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 1 to 3

Horizontal Zoom levels 1 (zoom out) to 3 (zoom in), (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 4

Horizontal Zoom, show all (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 5

Zoom to selection (numbers above typing keys)

Shift + 6

Fit Performance Zone to Playlist (numbers above typing keys)

PLAYLIST

Patterns Patterns can contain note and/or automation stored as event automation data. Patterns can be placed in the Playlist as Pattern Clips. The names for Pattern Clips are displayed in the title bar of the Clip.

NOTE: Pattern notes and events can share the same clip, in this case the display will show a layered (combined) view.

Pattern Clips There is a Patterns Menu and a Patterns Selector Panel for adding patterns.

Pattern Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Pattern Clip menu. Note - Uses the color settings of the parent pattern (notes & event). Note color is set from within the Piano roll. Event data always displays in pink, so anyone uncomfortable about being seen using pink in the Playlist needs to 'suck it in' and stop being a 'big cry baby' about it. Alternatively, don't use this setting. Chan - Uses the color settings of the parent channel. Right-click the channel button and use the color selector on the Channel re-name popup panel. Pat - Uses the color settings of the parent pattern.

Working with Pattern Clips Pattern Clips can be arranged in the same manner as Audio and Automation Clips. These techniques are discussed in the main Playlist section.

PLAYLIST

Audio Clips Audio Clips are a special version of the Sampler channels. The purpose of Audio Clips is to hold the samples displayed & triggered in the Playlist where they can be sliced and arranged as required. If desired, Audio Clips can be triggered from the Step Sequencer or the Piano roll, although this does raise the eyebrows of the program developers who prefer you use Sampler channels for that. To load samples as Audio Clips drag and drop your samples on the Playlist.

Audio Clips To load a sample in an Audio Clip Channel drag and drop your sample from the Browser (or Windows Explorer) and drop it on the Playlist. If you drop your sample on the Channel Rack you will create a Sampler Channel. While both Audio Clips and Sampler Channels look similar Audio Clips only have the SMP and MISC tabs on the Channel Settings due to their main purpose being to feed the Audio Clips visible in the Playlist.

Audio Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Audio Clip menu. Zero-Cross - Slicing & resize edits will be made at the nearest zero-crossing to the slice point. Useful for avoiding clicks at the slice location. NOTE: This option can interfere with your ability to slice at specific locations, as the nearest 'Zero Crossing' will be used. Stretch - When the left or right edge of the clip is selected and dragged the clip will be stretched according to the Audio Clip Time stretching settings. See the section Working with the stretch/pitch functions for more details on synchronizing/beatmatching audio clips to the project tempo.

Working with Audio Clips

In addition to the standard editing options common to all clips as discussed in the Playlist section on editing clips. Audio Clips provide the following features: Make unique & Make unique as sample - With Audio Clips the original audio file is re-used in the new Audio Clip channel. Alternatively use 'Make unique as sample' Clones the original Audio Clip AND clones the sample file on disk. Use this when you want to physically edit the sample data and change it in some way. Autodetect slicing - To split an Audio Clip into beats using its integrated BeatSlicer engine, open the clip menu (see the mouse pointer in the main screenshot above) and select Chop > Dull / Medium or /Sharp to auto-detect beats. Region slicing - To split an Audio Clip into regions, open the clip menu and from the Chop into menu select Regions (if the wave doesn't contain regions, this command is disabled).

Audio Clip Channel Settings The two tabs that appear on the Audio Clip channel (shown above-right) are described in detail in the Channel Sampler/Settings sections: (SMP) Channel Sample tab. (MISC) Miscellaneous Options tab.

Declicking Options See the Sampler Channel Settings - Declick options to learn more about the special declick features that are available when an Audio Clip is sliced.

Channel Settings Waveform Preview (Right-click) Options Reload - Reload sample. Save as - Save the sample with the option to rename. Edit - Open in Edison Audio Editor. Spectrum view - Display waveform in Playlist and Preview panel in spectral mode. In this view frequency (20 Hz to 20 kHz) is displayed on the vertical axis, brightness represents intensity of the specific frequencies with time plotted on the horizontal axis, as normal for waveform views. For more detailed spectral waveform analysis use Edison. Multichannel waveform view - Display waveform in Playlist and Preview panel in stereo mode (assuming the sample is in stereo). NOTE: This mode is incompatible with Spectrum view.

Audio Clip Notes Loading - Each time a new sample is dragged and dropped on the clip-track area of the Playlist, a new Audio Clip channel is created. NOTE: Drag an audio file (from the Browser, for example) and drop it on the Track label area to auto-create an Audio Clip and auto-name the Clip track to match the file. Clip selector - Each sample placed in an Audio Clip channel becomes available in the Clip selector, list of items that can be inserted into the Playlist. Auto alignment - The Audio Clip will be aligned to the Playlist bars if a Downbeat marker is set in the source .wav file (see Edison region markers for details on adding a downbeat marker). Stretching & tempo-sync - Tempo information included in the .wav file may cause the clip to be stretched to fit the current project. The tempo information can be set/deleted using Edison's Sample Properties dialog. The load behavior also depends on the Read sample tempo information option in the General settings. If this information is

incorrect, as often happens with random files downloaded from the internet, you will be scratching your head wondering why your Audio Clips sound like a 'dying duck in a thunderstorm

'.

Channel Grouping - All new Audio Clips are inserted in the dedicated Audio Clips group (for more information on groups, see Step Sequencer). It's a good practice to keep the Audio Clips in separate groups, as you will normally not use the grid or Piano roll to trigger them. Controls - Some features supported by the standard Sampler channels are not supported by the Audio Clip channels. The unsupported features and settings include: Instrument Channel Settings Function Channel Settings portamento and polyphony settings loop points

PLAYLIST

Automation Clips Automation Clips move (automate) linked controls on the FL Studio interface or plugins. They are closely related to Event automation and are a type of internal controller. Unlike event data they are not bound to a specific pattern and exist as a special type of Generator, loaded into a Channel. Automation Clip data can be displayed in the Playlist window as a line-graph, as shown below.

NOTE: Once an Automation Clip is created it will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls.

Automation Clips Automation Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Automation Clip menu. Step - Sets the Automation Clip curve editor in 'step editing' mode. Left-click and drag in the clip to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline (steps depend on the current snap settings). Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Slide - Preserves the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it.

Creating Automation Clips There are several ways to create an Automation Clip:

1. Native FL Studio controls - Native controls, those on the FL Studio interface and Image-Line plugins, can be Right-clicked to show a popup menu. Select 'Create automation clip'. A clip will be added to the Playlist Clip-Track area (as shown above). See Notes below. 2. VST plugin controls - Move (tweak) the target control on the VST using your mouse, then, from the Tools Menu select 'Last tweaked > Create automation clip'. This will create an Automation Clip and place it in the Playlist for further editing. See Note below. For more information on linking targets in FL Studio and plugins see the sections on Linking internal controllers and Linking hardware controllers. 3. Add menu - Tweak the target control and use the Add menu > Automation from last tweaked parameter. 4. Convert from Event Data - All recorded automation is saved as Event Data. Convert Event Data to an Automation Clip from the 'Edit > Turn into automation clip' command in the Event Editor menu. 5. Audio Clips - FL Studio also provides you with a quick way to automate the volume/pan of an Audio Clip. Open the clip menu and select either Automate > Panning or Automate > Volume. The new Automation Clip will be placed over the target Audio Clip. NOTE: Time range - If you pre-select a time-range in the Playlist, the Automation Clip will be restricted to the selected range. If no range is selected then the Automation Clip will span the entire song length.

Deleting Automation Clips Delete the Automation Clip Channel. Deleting the Automation Clip from the Playlist leaves the Channel in place for use later in the Project. NOTE: Initialized controls - When an Automation Clip is created using the Right-click menu option, the control will be initialized with the current value. This initialization remains after the Clip is deleted or unlinked. To remove the initialization, find it in the Browser > Current project > Patterns > Initialized controls list, then Right-click and select 'Delete event' OR set the control to the desired starting level and Right-click it to select 'Init song with this position'.

Working with Automation Clips The following operations may be performed in the Clip Track area of the Playlist. See

Automation Clip focus

Video Tutorials here

.

- Selects the Automation Clip layer/s for editing.

Step - When selected, allows you to draw relatively free-hand curves by laying down a new control point each time a Left-clicked mouse is dragged past a grid line. Slide - When selected, slides any grabbed control points to the right of the selected point without changing the shape. When de-selected the moved control point will move relative to the points to the right of it. To place the Automation Clip in the Playlist - Use the Clip selector along the top of the Playlist window to select the Automation Clip to be placed, then Left-click in the Playlist window while in mode.

Draw (

Shift+P) or

Paint (

Shift+B)

Add control points - Right-click on the clip area, continue to hold and drag to reposition the point. Hold ( dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while

Alt) to override snapping (if

selected). Copy / Paste control point values - Right-click the source control point and select Copy value then Right-click the destination conorol point and select Paste value. Delete Control Points - Right-click a control point and select Delete (make sure 'STEP' mode is off), OR quicker, hold ( Right Alt) and Left-click points.

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless

Playlist Snap Selector is set to none). Hold (

to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl)

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Change envelope curve - Left-click a tension handle and move up/down. Holding (

Ctrl) will allow fine adjustment.

Right-click the tension handle to reset curve tension. Change curve type - Right-click the right-most control point of the segment to be changed, this will open the Curve Type Menu with the following options: Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt double curve - Asymmetrical linear, or accelerating / decelerating curves (depending on the tension). Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Smooth - Allows for smoothly joining points with an 'S' curve. Change length - Drag the last control point to stretch the clip. When Automation Clips are created they will span the length of the Playlist selection or the entire length containing data. Clone / Copy an Automation Clip - From the Clip menu select 'Make unique'. The new Automation clip will not be linked to any of the original clips targets. Restrict /change the automation range - Use the MAX & MIN knobs on the Automation Clip Channel settings to keep the automation in the sweet-spot. NOTE: The automation values will be restricted, but the Playlist display will remain unchanged. Slicing - Clips can be sliced

(

Alt + Right-Shift) and then re-arranged. Once a clip is sliced any data outside the visible

window may be accessed with the slip editing tool

(

Shift+S). Use the Clip Menu 'Make unique' function to convert

the new slice into an independent clip that can be further edited without affecting the parent clip. Control point & Tension handle Values - The values will display in the FL Studio hint bar when moved. Automation Clip targets - The envelope is usually played back along with the Playlist patterns, sending modulation data to any linked controls (one Automation Clip may feed multiple controls or multiple Automation clips can be linked to a single control). Triggering - Automation Clips can be triggered with the Piano roll, Step Sequencer or live with a controller keyboard. The clip will automate while the note is held, note pitch will vary the automation speed. Clips do not need to be placed in the Playlist to be effective if triggered by note data. A

video tutorial

is also available on the FL Studio website.

Automation Clip Channel Settings

See above for details on using Automation Clips.

Options Menu Copy/Paste state - Copy and paste Automation Clip data between Automation Clips. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Preset filtering to remove abrupt changes (smoothing). Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound (you will be prompted to choose an audio file after selecting).

Settings Min - Sets the minimum value the Automation Clip return. Max - Sets the maximum value the Automation Clip return. Time - Controls the speed at which the Automation Clip plays back. The number window after the Time knob is a multiplier setting. LFO Switch - Enables and shows a preview of the LFO and its amplitude envelope inside clips placed on the Playlist tracks. NOTE: Selecting the LFO function doesn't erase the 'main' automation envelope (although not visible). It remains available to be combined with the LFO when the Multiply switch (see below) is selected. Speed (SPD) - Sets the speed of the LFO.

Tension (TENS) - Sets the LFO shape 'tension', a shape morph for tuning the exact LFO shape - starting with square (pulse), sine, triangle and 'pulse'. Shape Skew (AK) - Skews the LFO shape. Together with triangle shape, the skew can be used to create saw and reversed saw LFO shapes. Pulse Width (NW) - Sets the width of the LFO shape. Level (LVL) - Sets the LFO amplitude (strength). Set it to the middle position to reset level to 0 and effectively disable the LFO. Turn it left for negative amplitude (inverted values) or right for positive amplitude. Multiply - Allows you to combine the LFO values with the 'main' spline envelope of the Automation Clip. When the switch is enabled the two values will be multiplied, i.e. the LFO acts as an amplitude modulator for the envelope. This is useful for unipolar (one directional) properties such as cutoff frequency, volume, etc. When the switch is disabled both values are added together, i.e. like an LFO 'offsetting' the envelope. This is useful for bipolar parameters such as panning.

PLAYLIST PERFORMANCE MODE

The Playlist - Performance Mode Performance Mode is saved per-project and lets you trigger Clips from the Playlist to play in any order. When the project is playing use a mouse or touch on the Playlist, the typing keyboard or a controller to trigger Clips. The purpose is to create 'remixes' of a projects Clip content (Audio, Pattern & Automation). Performance mode works by designating the area before the Start Marker as a 'Performance Zone' from where Clips can be triggered, out of sequence, between tracks. One Clip can play per track, so if you need more simultaneous Clips, use more tracks. Enabling Record mode will capture performances and lay out triggered Clips after the Start marker for later rendering. See the

Performance Mode Video Playlist here

.

The main areas covered are: Working with Performance Mode Setting up a Performance Mode project Useful options and settings for Performance Mode MIDI Controllers & Setup Playlist Menu Performance Related Performance Mode Guidelines

Track Performance Mode Options Each track can be independently set to respond to Clip triggering as follows:

Playlist track header - Right click Menu > Performance settings - These options are per Playlist track (not per Clip) so track settings will apply to all Clips on that track. Each track have any unique combination of the following: Press - Options define how Clips respond to being triggered either by mouse/touch-screen, typing keyboard or via controller buttons. Retrigger - Clip triggers on each press (the track Trigger sync setting determines immediacy). Hold & stop - Clip triggers on press, plays while held and stops on release. Hold & motion - Clip triggers on press, plays while held and proceeds one 'Motion' step on release, as defined by the Motion setting for the track. Latch - Repeated presses cycle between play and stop. Motion - Determines if the next Clip/Group/Marker Group on the track will play. Sub-Clips are ignored. Stay - Play selected only. One shot - Play once and stop. March & wrap - Play then march to the next Clip, at the end wrap back to the first Clip. Sub-Clips are not played. NOTE: Horizontal groupings will define which Clips 'March' on the track when a member of the group is triggered. This also leaves the ungrouped Clips to march if any of this category is triggered on the track. You may have any number of mutually exclusive groups on a track. March & stay - Play then march to the next Clip and stay on the last. March & stop - Play and march to the next Clip then stop at the last. Random - Play random Clips on the track (repetition allowed). Sub-Clips are not included. Exclusive random - Clips are randomly played without any Clip playing twice in a row. Sub-Clips are not included. Trigger sync - Controls the trigger-timing for Clips. Off - Clips start as soon as triggered. 1/4 beat to 4 beats - Clips are triggered on the next 1/4 to 4 beats. Auto - Defined by the length of the Clip being triggered (up to 4 beats). Queue - Clips can be queued by selecting any number of Clips/Markers in any order. Playback will follow the order they were selected. Tolerant - Clips normally missed when triggered slightly late will be triggered immediately, so a small part at the beginning of the Clip will be truncated (this is usually preferable to delaying the Clip until the next bar). Position sync - Controls from where within the bar Clips start playing.

Off - Play starts from the beginning of the Clip. 1/4 beat to 4 beats - Playback starts within the Clip to the nearest 1/4 to 4 beats. Auto - Playback starts from the current song position. This allows you to start playback from the correct point inside a Clip regardless of when it was triggered.

NOTES: Menu - Right-clicking to select options leaves the menu open for further selections. Keep the left side of the Playlist away from the edge of the screen to prevent Windows repositioning the menu when you open it, leaving the Performance Mode options open. Multi-touch support - There are some additional functions available when using a multi-touch monitor or interface, see here.

Working with performance mode Performance mode works by triggering Clips from the Performance Zone. The following rules and principles apply: Performance Zone - This is defined by the area between the start of the Playlist and the 'Start' Time Marker. Only Clips in the Performance Zone can be triggered in Performance Mode. Clip per-track playback - Only one Clip per Playlist track can play at a time. To simultaneously play more Clips trigger Clips on other Playlist tracks. Playback modes - Right-click a Playlist track header area to show the automated playback modes and triggering options as shown above. No time-markers used - Columns are defined by each bar of the grid. Time markers & regions - Time Marker grid positions and the regions between time markers are used as follows: Overlapping Clips - It only matters what Time Marker region a Clip starts in for it to be assigned to a key/button. A Time Marker region is defined by any two Time Markers. Clips that start in a preceding Marker region and overlap the following Marker region will be ignored for the following region. Round robin - Where more than one Clip is placed between time-markers, Clips play in a round-robin. Scenes - are groups of Clips that can be triggered together (more details here). Time markers are one way to create scenes as they vertically group Clips on the same bar/grid position. Most supported Clip-launching controllers have the ability to trigger Scenes and may also have +Scene buttons. These allow you to add or take away scenes from the currently playing Clips. Scene launching is not possible from a generic MIDI keyboard. Sub-Clips will cycle in a round-robin, each time the Scene is re-triggered the next Clip in the group plays, then back to the beginning again. Clip limit - There is no limit to the number of Clips placed in the Performance Zone. Move the Start Marker to the right to add more Clips if you run out of room. Stacked clips - While Clips can be stacked, it's not be possible to see/predict/control which Clip will be triggered first in the round-robin. You can trigger Clips from your Typing keyboard, a MIDI keyboard or other controllers. Most popular 'Clip-launching controllers

'

controllers are supported.

Setting up a performance mode project From an existing project: 1. Save your project (the following steps will make destructive changes to the original layout). 2. Select Tools > Misc macros > Prepare for performance mode 3. Add or delete Time Markers as required. Remember, the time markers are used to define columns/rows of buttons, depending on your controller. 4. Place Clips in the Playlist tracks in related rows aligned with Time Markers as needed. For example; Melody progressions on one track, Bass progressions on another, percussion on yet another. 5. Per track, set the Performance settings as desired. From a new project: 1. Select Tools > Misc macros > Prepare for performance mode.

2. Add or delete Time Markers as required. Remember the time markers are used to define columns/rows of buttons, depending on your controller. 3. Place Clips in the Playlist tracks in related rows aligned with Time Markers as needed. For example; Melody progressions on one track, Bass progressions on another, percussion on yet another. 4. Per track, set the Performance settings as desired.

Useful Options and Settings The following options & settings are useful for Performance Mode: Options > Audio settings > Play truncated notes on transport* - Plays notes when playback is started mid-note in a Pattern Clip. Options > Project general settings > Play Truncated notes in clips* - Ensures notes in Clips, on the same track, cut each other and themselves. It also plays notes overlapping slice points in Pattern Clips. Audio Clip Declicking - Use 'Generic (bleeding)' as a starting point. This will preserve drum transients while minimizing clicks at the end of sliced Audio Clips. Playlist Menu > View > Precise time indicator, Performance clip progress & Performance track progress - Show visualizations to aid in identifying Clip progress. Vertical Playlist Zoom* - Zoom levels of 24 or less (see Hint-bar) display clips as 'tiles', as shown above. This system allows you to edit Automation Clips and see other Clip types in more detail by increasing the Zoom. If Performance mode is not selected, tiling starts at a vertical zoom of 10 or less. Options > General settngs > Auto select linked modules - Set to OFF. Channel buttons will slect the plugin interface for editing, without MIDI control take-over of the plugin. This lets you play one plugin while editing the interface of another. To change the target of your MIDI controller - Left-click the Channel selector LED. Auto-fit (

Shift + 6) - Will fit the Performance Zone in the horizontal width of the Playlist. NOTE: Use the numbers above

the keys not the number-pad. * Set automatically by the Tools > Misc macros > Prepare for performance mode macro.

Scenes - Clip Groups, Marker Groups, Track Groups & Sub Clips A 'Scene' is any group of Clips, on independent tracks, that can be triggered to start playing together. There are three ways to group Clips: 1. Marker Regions - These automatically group the first Clip on each track following the Marker position. Any subsequent Clips, within the region defined by the marker and the next, are treated as 'Sub Clips'. Trigger a Marker Scene/Group Click anywhere along the Marker region defined by two Markers.

2. Clip Groups - Clip Groups don't need to be time-aligned as you can group any collection of Clips by holding ( Shift) and click on Clips to be included in the group, then press (

Group - Hold (

Ctrl +

Shift + G) to group them. Trigger a Scene/Clip

Ctrl + Left-click) any member of the group.

3. Track Groups - To create, click on the track divider, below the track you want to group with, then drag upward until a Track Group is created. To Ungroup Tracks repeat the process dragging up until the group is undone. Trigger a Scene/Track Group - Hold (

Ctrl + Left-click) any Clip in the Folder group. Track groups are a good way of creating

Scenes that span a limited number of tracks s opposed to Marker regions that trigger all Playlist tracks. Using Scene & +Scene functions on controllers - For example: In the following case: Column/Scene 1 - Bass A (track 1), Drums A (track 2), Vocal A (track 3). Column/Scene 2 - Bass B (track 1), no clip (track 2), Vocal B (track 3). Scene button - If Scene 1 is playing (Bass A, Drums A & Vocal A) and Scene is used to trigger Scene 2, FL Studio will replace Scene 1 with Scene 2 and play Bass B, none & Vocal B. No surprises there. + Scene button - If Scene 1 is playing (Bass A, Drums A & Vocal A) and +Scene 2 is triggered FL Studio will play Bass B, Drums A & Vocal B. Since, Drums A (track 2) is not replaced by anything in Scene 2. Remember only one Clip per Playlist track can be triggered at a time, so +Scene will replace playing Clips with any new Clips on the same track in the next Scene but leave any Clips on unused tracks (in the new scene) playing. NOTE: Sub Clips - are any grouped Clip/s, following the first Clip on a track, that follow in the same Scene/Group. Sub Clips can be triggered by repeated presses OR by velocity if the controller supports it (velocity triggering auto-mapped by the number of Sub Clips into the MIDI velocity range).

How to Record a performance - Right-click the Record button and select 'Clips'. Then press Record and Play to start your performance. Clips will be saved after the start marker as triggered. Trigger two Clips on the same key/pad - Group Clips as described in the section above then (

Ctrl+click) any Clip that

is part of the group. Pad controllers automatically trigger Grouped Clips when used with Scene or +Scene. Mute / Unmute all track groups - (

Alt + Left-click) any group member's mute button.

MIDI Controllers All MIDI controllers can be used with Performance mode, however 'Pad

' style controllers are particularly well suited to live

performance. NOTE: If your controller has been auto-detected by FL Studio it's best to use the default MIDI port settings as this will allow you to share your projects easily with others using the same controller/s. The port number is just a unique internal 'address' used to differentiate one controller from another, including two or more of the same type. Mouse/Touch-screen - - See also Multi-touch performance mode controls. Pre trigger Clips - Prior to pressing play use the

Mute tool to activate/deactivate Clips. Remember

only one Clip per track can play simultaneously. Trigger Clips/Markers (

Left click) - Click on a Clip/Marker (or anywhere above the Marker group).

Trigger Scenes/Groups (

Ctrl+click) - Any Clip that is part of the Scene.

Stop Clips/Scenes/Groups - ( Bypass snap ( Queue(

Right click) - Any Clip, Group member or Marker region.

Alt+click) - Bypass snap.

Shift+click) - Queue Clips/Groups/Marker Groups.

Add Marker group (

Ctrl + Left click) Marker or anywhere above the Marker group. except that Ctrl+click adds

the scene (+Marker groups) Stop a Playlist track (

Left click) - a Playlist track header.

NOTE: These actions can be used in combination. For example, (

Left-clicking) a Playlist track header with (

Alt) held

will stop it immediately rather than waiting for the next snap period. Typing keyboard - Right click the Typing keyboard to Piano keyboard switch and select 'Performance mode'. Set 'Performance mode MIDI channel' to 1. Keys are grouped to trigger 5 Clips on the first 8 Playlist tracks as shown below:

NOTE: The keyboard does not become linked to the Playlist tracks/Clips until Play is pressed & Performance mode MIDI channel is set to 1. Piano Keyboards / Note mapping - Each octave maps to a row of 12 Clips/Groups (one Clip per note in the octave). The lowest octave C0 is the first Playlist track, the highest octave C10, the 10th track. Use the octave switch on your controller to access Playlist tracks outside your controllers range. Pad style - Your controller will either be preconfigured, linked below, with customized keys/pads for performing all the functions listed under the Mouse/Touch-screen section above(and more) OR you can custom configure it by mapping pads to MIDI keys as explained below.

Setting up a MIDI Controller Any MIDI controller can be used to trigger Clips, so long as it can send MIDI notes.

MIDI Setup 1. Select your controller - Make sure your controller is selected and enabled in the F10 > MIDI options. 2. MIDI Channel - If your controller is not specifically supported as a Performance Mode controller, set your MIDI controller and MIDI options 'Playlist performance mode MIDI channel' to the same channel. Any additional controllers not on this channel will still be available for normal controller duties on Instruments, Effects & FL Studio parameters. Remember the lowest MIDI channel controls the upper-most active Instrument Channel. 3. MIDI Ports- If your controller is specially supported as a Performance Mode controller (and has visual feedback), set your MIDI controller INPUT and OUTPUT ports to match (something other than the default '---'). Set one and double-click to set the other port. 4. Multiple controllers - Set each controller's INPUT and OUTPUT ports to matching and unique values for each controller.

Pre-configured controllers There is a list of controllers dedicated to Clip launching, typically feature more pads (often 4x4 or 8x8) and usually include controller feedback and full functionality: Check here to see the list

Mapping your own non-configured controller MIDI notes pre-map to the first 10 Playlist tracks. Starting from C0 each octave maps to a row of 12 Clips/Groups per Playlist track. The lowest octave C0 to B0 maps to 12 Clips on the first Playlist track, C1 to B1 on the second and so on up to C10 to B10 mapping to 12 Clips on the 10th Playlist track. Where no Time Markers are used, the 12 Clips-per-track are defined by the first 12 bars OR if Time Markers are used they will be defined by the bar starting with each marker. NOTES: For keyboards, use the octave switch on your controller to access Playlist tracks outside your controllers range. Most padstyle controllers can be configured to send any MIDI note from any pad.

Playlist Menu - Performance Related

Performance mode - Activates performance mode as described above. View - Progress and Clip content helpers. Content in title bars - Selects whether you see notes, audio or envelopes in the larger tiled Clips. Precise time indicator - When selected the Clip progress and Playlist clock are continuous. When off progress is 'steppy' dependent on horizontal zoom level. Performance clip progress - Shows a progress indicator on individual Clips, either in the Clip title-bar or over the Clip in 'tile' mode (set by vertical zoom 24 or less). Performance track progress - Shows a progress clock on the Track title area. NOTE: Turn these off if you have an older PC struggling for graphic resources, if you simply prefer a different look OR you are using a controller and not looking at the Playlist on a screen and want to keep processor load to a minimum.

Performance Mode Guidelines The following suggestions will minimize the probability of audible glitches during a performance: Don't load plugins or change presets - during a performance. Optimize CPU and memory settings - See Optimizing FL Studio performance. Pay particular attention to ASIO buffer length (10+ ms), Multithreading on, Smart disable for all plugins & use Polylimit on plugins to keep voice counts down. Burn in plugins - Some plugins can cause hiccups when voices/features are used for the first time. Try running your project with the Master volume down to make sure all plugins have been exercised. This will mean any calls to cache memory and/or software features/libraries are likely to have been made. Keep on disk - Turn it off and keep total loaded audio below 4 GB. If 'Keep on disk' is used, at least make sure you have more RAM than audio in the project AND exercise the project (as per Burn in) to improve cache performance. This means making sure to scroll (horizontally and vertically)the Playlist so ALL the Clips and their contents have been displayed at least once.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

! Instrument / Generator Plugins !

" " # #

Channels and instruments: Each channel in FL Studio contains one instrument plugin. Instruments are usually synthesizers or sample players, used to create the melody and percussion in a song. FL Studio supports the VST and FL Studio's own native plugin formats. Native instruments are the most flexible with 'per note' slides and Right-click automation linking. The Channel settings Mixer track selector (shown below) determines the Mixer track routing for the selected Instrument.

Working with Instrument Channels NOTE: When working with VST plugins there are a number of useful options under the Wrapper Settings & Processing tabs.

Adding an instrument to a project There are several ways to add a new instrument: 1. Use the 'Add plugin to rack' (+) button - As shown above. 2. Add a new instrument channel - Use the Add menu. 3. Replace an existing instrument channel - Right-click on a Channel Button and select 'Replace >' from the pop-up context menu. 4. Insert a new instrument channel - Right-click on a Channel Button and select 'Insert >' from the pop-up context menu. The new Channel will be added above the Channel. 5. Drag or send an instrument preset from the Plugin Database - Drag the preset from the Browser to the Channel Rack OR drag a preset to a Mixer track and the instrument will be routed to this track and the Mixer track auto-named after the plugin OR right-click the preset and select 'send to selected channel'. 6. Use the plugin picker - Open the Plugin Picker database (F8) and double-click an instrument OR drag to a Mixer track and the instrument will be routed to this track and the Mixer track auto-named after the plugin. NOTE: FL Studio includes only the DEMO VERSIONS of some instruments. Demo plugins show '(Demo)' on their wrapper title. You can purchase the full versions of these instruments at www.image-line.com

.

How to see more than one Instrument at a time Select the Channel's Channel Selector ('Selected channel' above) and then click the Channel button to open the user interface. Keep doing this for each new instrument you wish to remain simultaneously visible. To disable the auto-close interface behavior you can also deselect the F10 General settings option Auto select linked modules.

Playing Instrument Channels with a Controller If you have a keyboard or other controller this can be used to play/control Instrument Channels. FL Studio listens in 'Omni' mode so any connected controller will play the selected channel. If you have more than one controller you can use these to simultaneously play separate instrument channels. Selected instrument channels are assigned by ascending MIDI channel

number (i.e. lowest MIDI channel = top selected Instrument Channel, highest MIDI channel = bottom selected Instrument Channel). For more information see the Controller type section of the MIDI Settings page.

Installing new instruments The manual section on 'Installing VST and DX Plugins' covers the step-by-step procedure for adding new plugins to FL Studio. A wide range of plugin standards are supported by FL Studio. 3rd party effects: FL Studio installs with a generous suite of high-quality instruments so there is no need to purchase anything else in order to produce professional quality tracks. However the internet is bursting with 3rd party instrument plugins, a great place to start is www.kvraudio.com

.

The Plugin database & Plugin picker The Browser contains a special Plugin database folder that works in conjunction with the Plugin picker to help you organize and retrieve plugins based on a visual display.

Instrument / Generator Plugins This section contains links to the help for all instrument plugins that are installed with FL Studio.

Instrument Plugins by Name Audio Clip Generator

Fruit Kick

MiniSynth

Autogun

Fruity Dance

Morphine

Automation Clip Generator

Fruity DrumSynth Live

Ogun

Channel Settings

Fruity DX10

Patcher

Control Surface

Fruity Envelope Controller

Plucked!

3x OSC

Fruity Granulizer

Poizone

BassDrum

Fruity Keyboard Controller

ReWired

BeepMap

Fruity Slicer

Sakura

BooBass

Fruity SoundFont Player

Sawer

Buzz Generator Adapter

Fruity Vibrator

Simsynth Live

Channel Sampler

Fruity Video Player

Slicex

Dashboard

Fruity Wrapper

Speech Synthesizer

DirectWave

Groove Machine

SynthMaker

Drumpad

Groove Machine Synth

Sytrus

Drumaxx

Harmless

Toxic Biohazard

FL Keys

Harmor

Wasp

FL Slayer

Layer Channel

Wasp XT

FPC

MIDI Out

Wave Traveller

See also: Effects - Learn more about Effects (reverb, chorus, etc.) in FL Studio.

Instrument Plugins by Category Automation Automation Clip Generator - Holds automation shapes for display in the Clip Track area of the Playlist. Fruity Envelope Controller - Play back user-specified envelopes as a control source. Fruity Keyboard Controller - Use MIDI performances as a control source. Fruity Vibrator - Use force-feedback devices as control sources.

Sample Playback/Manipulation Audio Clip Generator - Holds recorded audio. BooBass - Bass guitar simulation. Channel Sampler - Basic single sample playback channel. DirectWave - Advanced sampler. FL Keys - ROMpler. FPC - Advanced Drum Sampler. Fruity Granulizer - Sample based granular synthesizer. Fruity Slicer - Slices samples for playback (particularly useful for drum loops). Fruity SoundFont Player - SoundFont ROMpler. Groove Machine - Sampler/Synthesizer Groove Box. Slicex - Advanced sample slicer. Wave Traveller - Sample warper and slicer.

Synthesis 3x OSC - Subtractive 3 Osc synth. Autogun - Additive synthesis. BassDrum - Percussion modeling. BeepMap - Image based synthesis. Drumpad - Percussion modeling pad. Drumaxx - Percussion modeling instrument. FL Slayer - Electric guitar simulation. Fruit Kick - Kick simulation. Fruity DrumSynth Live - Percussion Synthesis. Fruity DX10 - Basic FM Synth. Groove Machine - FM/RM Synthesizer, Sampler, Groove Box. Groove Machine Synth - FM/RM Synthesizer. Harmless - Additive synthesis. Harmor - Additive synthesis, Image synthesis & Resynthesis MiniSynth - Subtractive synthesis stolen from FL Studio Mobile Morphine - Additive synthesis. Ogun - Additive synthesis. Plucked! - Plucked string modeling synth. Poizone - Subtractive synthesis. Sakura - String modeling synthesis. Sawer - Subtractive synthesis. SimSynth - Subtractive synth. Speech Synthesizer - Talking synthesizer. SynthMaker - It's anything you want it to be! Sytrus - Advanced FM/RM/Subtractive/Hybrid synth. Toxic Biohazard - FM synthesis. >Wasp - Subtractive synth. Wasp XT - Subtractive synth.

Tools Buzz Generator Adapter - Adapter to host Buzz instruments. Control Surface - Design your own internal controllers. Patcher - Chain instruments & effects. Channel Settings - Channel settings controls. Fruity Dance - FL Chan visual effect, Kawaii! Dashboard - Design your own internal controllers Fruity Wrapper - Hosts VSTi/DXi plugins. Fruity Video Player - Play videos in sync with FL Studio Projects. Layer Channel - Stack channels to play in unison. MIDI Out - Control MIDI hardware and/or VST plugins ReWired - Host any compatible ReWire device in FL Studio

INSTRUMENT PLUGINS / EFFECT PLUGINS / CHANNEL SETTINGS

Plugin Wrapper The Wrapper is a software interface/layer between instrument / effect plugins and FL Studio. All controls are common to all plugins (FL native & VST), while the plugin options ( 6 ) only appear on Wrappers hosting VST format plugins. The Wrapper provides compatibility with the VST 1, 2 & 3 standards (the screenshot below demonstrates the Fruity Wrapper hosting the 'Drumaxx' VSTi plugin). More information on installing and using 3rd party VST/DX plugins here.

There is a native and a VST wrapper, FL Studio automatically selects the appropriate Wrapper depending on the plugin type loaded. There are several control options:

1. Plugin Menu The Plugin Menu contains various plugin-specific commands, including preset management. The commands displayed will depend on the type of plugin being hosted. NOTE: The Save preset as command can be dragged and dropped on a compatible target.

Piano roll Opens a Piano roll for the selected channel. Presets Presets - Contains a sub-menu with preset handling options for the effect: Randomize gives random values to the published (i.e. known to FL Studio) plugin settings. When enabled, selecting a preset will load a random 50% of the settings, so you can quickly mix different presets and create new effects. Hybridize blends between the previous and next selected preset. Tree Display displays the settings in a 'tree' view. The Presets menu is

disabled if there is no effect assigned to the plugin slot. Browse presets - Opens the presets menu in the Browser (not all plugins have presets shown here however). Save presets as - Save the current preset as a single preset file in the Browser. The menu item can also be dragged and dropped on a compatible location. e.g. The Browser, the Channel Rack or another instance of the same plugin to copy the preset. Add to plugin database (flag as favorite) - Adds the plugin to the currently open sub-directory of the Plugin database folder in the Browser. This is a special browser folder that works in conjunction with the Plugin picker to help organize and load plugins into projects. Spare state These options are useful for saving plugin settings, making edits, then comparing the original vs edited versions. Store in spare state - Saves the plugins current settings in a temporary buffer (spare state). Flip with spare state - Swaps the plugin's current settings with those in the spare state. Parameters Link all parameters... - Opens a dialog to link automatable plugin parameters to 'tweaked' hardware controllers in sequence down the 'parameter list'. There are several options for skipping parameters or jumping to new locations in the list. Basic operation - Select 'Link all parameters' from the menu, and move the first hardware controller to be linked (the link is made to the first item in the 'Current parameter' list). When you move the second hardware controller it will be auto-linked to the next parameter and so on, until the end of the parameter list is reached or the link dialog is closed. To skip a link, Left-click the Skip button at the bottom of the link dialog (immediately left of the 'Accept' button). To jump directly to a parameter, use the Current parameter menu (top most in the link dialog) and select the target parameter you are interested in. You can then continue auto-linking from that point in the list by moving hardware controllers as before OR jump to another parameter in the list using the 'Current parameter' menu as previously described. Browse parameters - Allows you to see the list of automatable parameters in the Browser. Embedded CC Parameters: Every instance of the Wrapper has 128 CC (MIDI Control Change) parameters in a parameter list. These parameters transmit CC data directly to the plugin (for plugins that read CC data directly) and can be linked like any other parameter to a MIDI or internal controller. Thus, you can send CC data directly to the plugin instead of linking to a specific knob on the plugin

interface. These parameters can also be set in conjunction with the Omni mode associated with the Remote control settings 'link' dialog to send CC data to any selected plugin and to save MIDI controller assignments (see the Omni and VSTi/DXi Control section for more details). CPU Allow threaded processing - Improves multi-threading and multi-core CPU performance. NOTE: Some 3rd party plugins may perform worse with multithreading on. If you are experiencing choppy or broken sound (the GPO/Kontakt Player for example), try turning this off. To permanently disable multithreaded processing for the plugin (even for future FL Studio sessions) disable the 'Processing > Allow threaded processing' option and save it for the plugin type. Smart disable - Stop processing the plugin when inactive. Reduces CPU load. There is a global Smart disable on the F10 Audio settings panel OR 'Smart disable' Tools > Macros > Misc > Switch smart disable for all plugins. Make editor thumbnail - Places a small thumbnail image of the plugin interface into the Browser > Plugin database so that the plugin is easily identified. NOTE: the Browser view must be larger than 'Compact' for the thumbnail image to display. Detached - Detaches the Plugin from the FL Studio desktop so it can be moved to a monitor that does not have the FL Desktop stretched across it. NOTE: Detached plugins now are seen by Windows and FL Studio as separate applications. See the sections on Plugin GUI Scaling and Audio Settings > Auto close device to learn more how this affects workflow. Help - Opens the plugins in-line help (if any).

2. Detailed Wrapper Settings (Show/Hide) Wrapper settings - opens and closes the additional settings details as discussed below.

3 & 4. Preset Browser & Window Controls Preset browser - This is for presets saved by the user and some plugins that publish their presets to the Wrapper. In this case, clicking on the left/right arrows will step through presets. Right-clicking here will open the preset menu for the plugin.

Minimize / Close - Minimize plugin interface / Close plugin interface.

5. Plugin Interface

Plugin interface - Use this to switch back to the Plugin interface after using one of the other Channel Settings tabs.

6. VST Wrapper Settings Settings - These options are only available when using VST plugins and provide advanced VST plugin wrapper controls. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs above to see the help for that tab.

Info - Displays any information published by the plugin, such as: Plugin Name, Type (32/64 Bit), Category & processing latency. Options - Options are saved per-plugin, saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded, until they are deleted. Autosave - Automatically saves the options set in the wrapper Settings and Processing tabs. Settings are remembered the next time the plugin is loaded (this option is on by default). Save - Saves the options set in the wrapper. Saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded. Use when automatic saving is disabled. Delete - Clear the options for the currently loaded plugin. Default settings will be used next time the plugin is opened.

Reset - Reset plugin options to the default state. Bit size - This option tells the Wrapper which Bit size version of a plugin to load for both FL Studio 32 and 64 Bit. It's useful when you want to always use a particular Bit size of a plugin (say a 64 Bit sampler in FL Studio 32 Bit) OR one Bit size is more stable than another across all versions of FL Studio. There are three options, Native, 32 Bit and 64 Bit: Native - The Wrapper will load the Bit-size plugin to match FL Studio 32 or 64 Bit (the native Bit-size). 32 or 64 Bit - The Wrapper will always try to load the set Bit-size in all versions of FL Studio (32 and 64 Bit). If the set Bit size can't be found the Wrapper will use the one that is available. Presets Load preset/bank - Allows you to import a standard VST bank (FXB) or preset (FXP) in the currently hosted plugin instance. A bank replaces all of the programs for this plugin instance, while loading a preset replaces only the currently active program. Save preset - Allows you to export the current patch as a VST preset (FXP). Save all - Exports all programs in the bank as individual VST presets (FXP). Buttons Reload plugin - Reloads the plugin and resets it to the default settings. Refresh plugin properties - Checks plugin properties, such as, the number of inputs, outputs and latency. Can be useful if these were not registered correctly on loading or for properties that have changed after the plugin was loaded. MIDI Input port / Output port - Select the MIDI input and output ports respectively. MIDI ports are independent communication channels within a given MIDI connection. When the same port numbers is set on an MIDI input and output device the plugin and other MIDI device will be able to share exclusive MIDI data. Send note off velocity - Sends the note release velocity to the plugin along with the 'note off' message. Note off velocity is set in the Piano roll and can be edited using the integrated event editor. Send pitch bend range - When selected, the MIDI pitch bend range selected to the right of the switch will be passed to the plugin. Plugins that support pitch bend range will respond correctly to host bend instructions. This is not selected by default as some plugins interpret pitch bend range messages as a filter 'reset' message, causing problems. Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Check properties on display change - Some plugins send a display change message when some properties have changed, such as the selected patch. This option allows FL Studio to detect the change and ensure data is correctly copied between FL Studio and the plugin. Invalidate plugin editor - Sends the plugin's 'idle' message. When FL Studio receives the idle message the plugin GUI can be refreshed. Try de-selecting this setting if the plugin has graphical display glitches. Don't allow stealing keyboard focus - Prevents the plugin from stealing keyboard input from other plugins when the interface is selected with the mouse. NOTE: This won't always work. In particular bridged plugins always steal keyboard focus if focussed. DPI aware when bridged - Must be used with 'Wrapper Processing > Make bridged'. VST plugins with native rescaling will then use the Operating System display scaling. See Rescaling VST plugins for more details. Automation Notify about parameter changes - Normally this is on so FL Studio is notified precisely what plugin controls you have been touching, and the police can be alerted. This data is also used for Last tweaked parameter linking and the undo history (when 'General Settings > Undo knob tweaks' is selected). As some badly behaved plugins continuously send parameter change messages to FL Studio this will reset the 'Last tweaked parameter' value and make it impossible select and link some target of your choice. > Processing. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs below to see the help for that tab.

Compatibility Options - Not all plugin developers work strictly to the letter of the VST/2/3 plugin specification (sadly). In this case there may be graphical, audio or other issues (crashing) with a plugin. These options are provided to help in such cases. NOTE: If you are troubleshooting plugins, see the section on 'Plugins behaving badly' for more tips. If you report plugin issues to developers expect a lot of finger pointing and blaming the other guy. No we don't really expect you to remember all these options, to understand what they do, or even to find them in the manual. They are here mainly so Tech support

can tell you to

flip a switch when some plugin is acting up, and you start pointing the finger at FL Studio. These options keep the peace and make everyone happy. Allow threaded processing - Switch to turn multi-core enhanced processing on/off. NOTE: A plugin will be multi-core threaded only if this, the Global Multithreaded options and the Wrapper menu - 'Allow threaded processing' options are on. The threaded processing option here is provided since it can be saved using the 'Settings' tab 'per plugin type'. This is useful to prevent plugins that are not multithread safe running in this mode in future, regardless of the other settings. Make bridged - Only VST plugins can be 'Bridged'. Bridging opens a plugin in a separate process outside FL Studio. This means Windows sees the plugin as a separate program and we can do more things with it. Non-bridged plugins are invisible to Windows, inside FL Studio. Both 32 and 64 Bit plugins can be bridged. There only 4 cases where bridging VST plugins is useful, if these don't apply, don't bridge: 1. Memory management (only useful for FL Studio 32) - Bridging removes the plugins memory allocation from FL Studio's memory space to an independent process under Windows. Bridging is particularly beneficial for sampler

and ROMpler plugins that consume large amounts of memory loading samples. The maximum memory available to the bridged plugin will be at least 2 Gb for 32 Bit Windows

and at least 4 Gb depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows

(see

2). To reduce the memory burden of Audio Clips and Sampler Channels use the 'Keep on disk' option. 2. Running cross-bit-depth VST plugins - Bridging allows 32 Bit VST plugins to run in FL Studio 64 Bit and 64 Bit VST plugins to be used in FL Studio 32 Bit. 32 and 64 Bit plugins are auto-detected and the Bridged mode will be set accordingly. The memory available to the plugin depends on the Windows bit-depth as described above. NOTES: 2.1 Memory - 64 Bit plugins running on 64 Bit windows will have access to the maximum memory available under your Windows version

.

2.2 CPU and Stability - We recommend using 32 Bit plugins in FL Studio 32 Bit and 64 Bit plugins in FL Studio 64 Bit, where possible. Bridging introduces an additional layer of processing and so a small CPU overhead (approx 1-2% per plugin). It can also decrease stability for some plugin. If a plugin crashes, please report it to Tech support

and we will fix it, or

point the finger at the developer. 3. Protect FL Studio from crashing plugins - If a plugin crashes while in Bridged mode then it is less likely to bring down FL Studio at the same time. Try using Bridged mode with plugins that are unstable or crash. If you just read point 2.2 (above), you are right, this is a paradox! 4. Rescaling VST plugins - High resolution monitors will shrink VST plugin interfaces. Bridging opens the plugin outside FL Studio so it can respond to Windows System scaling. Use the following options: VST plugins WITHOUT native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper processing > External window. VST plugins WITH native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper settings > DPI aware when bridged NOTES: See General Settings > Rescaling options for more information on GUI rescaling. You have probably already set Windows scaling to work on your high resolution monitor, and so the plugin will be scaled appropriately. If not, open the Windows Control Panel, click on Display > Custom Sizing Options. From there adjust GUI zoom percentage selector. All bridged plugins with the correct settings will use this scaling value. Ensure processor state in plugin callback - Only deselect if you are having unexpected issues including noises, DC offset, volume spikes, plugin crashes etc. Notify about rendering mode - The plugin is informed when FL Studio is rendering so it can switch to a higher quality output, if possible. This must be selected to achieve HQ rendering from plugins that support different real-time and rendered quality. Try deselecting this option if a plugin is not rendering correctly. NOTE: Native FL Studio plugins respond to the HQ for all plugins render option.

Send loop position - Sends information about the song loop start and end positions to a VST plugin. This setting is calculated by the wrapper and is not available until FL has looped once. Process inactive inputs and outputs - Some plugins mark one or more of their inputs/outputs as 'inactive' even though they are being used. By default, FL Studio doesn't process inactive inputs/outputs, so no sound is produced. This option ensures FL Studio processes 'inactive' outputs. Use fixed size buffers - FL Studio shares data with plugins using variable sized chunks of data (buffers). Some plugins require fixed sized buffers (the VST spec says they should also support variable size buffers, but no-one cares about specifications it seems, so we provide this format since FL Studio uses variable sized buffers). If the additional options are both off (see below) the fixed buffer size option uses 2 ms. The disadvantage is that fixed size buffering can introduce an extra delay, depending on the audio buffer size selected in the Audio settings (F10). This delay is doubled for effects plugins. However, in some cases this setting may fix unwanted rendering delays and/or audio glitches caused by some plugins. Options: These two options are only to be used if the default 2 ms 'Fixed sized buffers' does not work. In general, both these options should be off. Process maximum size buffers - FL Studio block size is used as the fixed buffer size, the block size is the maximum processing size, as determined by FL Studio itself. NOTE: The block size is typically a much bigger than the processing buffer size, leading to even bigger latency. Use maximum buffer size from host - Same as the above but the plugin is also informed of the block size being used by FL Studio. A few plugins can make use of this data to synchronize their processing. Connections - These options determine audio input and/or output routing for the plugin and are necessary only for multi-input or multi-output plugins such as a compressor that accepts side-chain inputs or a sampler with multiple outputs for separate effects processing. Auto map inputs - Auto map inputs only applies to plugins loaded in Mixer effects slots since instrument channels can't receive audio input. 1. Sidechain the total number of mixer tracks, to your multi-input plugin's mixer track, that equals the number of audio inputs the plugin needs BEFORE using the 'Auto map inputs' function. If you don't sidechain the total number, some inputs will remain unassigned. 2. Click the Auto map inputs button and the sidechained mixer tracks will be assigned to the multi-input plugin's available inputs. Auto map will assign the sidechained Mixer track with the lowest number to the first plugin input, and so on. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Reset - Reset the inputs/outputs to the default state.

Auto map outputs - Auto-assign plugin outputs to mixer tracks following the plugin's own Mixer track. The routing will incrementally map to Mixer-tracks following the plugins selected Mixer track. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Manual assignment of inputs/outputs - Right-click the input/output fields to open the list of routing options. The routing details vary depending on whether the plugin is loaded in an instrument channel or in an effects slot: Manual assignment of plugins loaded in channels - Right-click the input or output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in Channels, the numbers for the inputs and outputs are Mixer-track offsets (relative to the Mixer track number set in the Channel Settings). For example, if the plugin is routed to Mixer track 10 and a plugin input is set to -2 and a plugin output set to 10, then the plugin will receive audio-input from track 8 (10 - 2) and output audio to track 20 (10 + 10). Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots - Right-click the input/output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in the Mixer, the numbers are 'indexes' to the list of inputs or outputs that are routed to and from the Mixer track that the effect is in. NOTE: When routing Mixer tracks to the target Mixer track (the one holding the effect), Right-click the Track Send switch and use the 'Sidechain to this track' option. This mutes the audio being sent to the effect's track, while allowing the 'side-chain' signal to be processed on the input set to receive it. Failure to do this will result in a parallel audio signal, one entering through the effect's input and another passing through the effect stack as normal. NOTE: Always name the Mixer tracks being used by the plugin. This ensures FL Studio knows they are being used by a plugin which can be important for PDC calculations, split-mixer track rendering and automatic track assignment.

7. Miscellaneous Wrapper Settings Miscellaneous Channel Settings - These are available for all Instrument Channels, click here for full details or on the section of interest below.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol, Didier Dambrin

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Miscellaneous Channel Settings The Miscellaneous Channel Settings page contains various generator settings and are available for all Instrument Channels, including VST plugins.

Levels Adjustment This section controls Channel: Panning (PAN) - Channel panning (Left to Right) Volume (VOL) - Channel volume. Modulation (MODX/MODY) - Assignable modulation parameters. These duplicate the functionality of the other controls found in the Channel Settings window, but are useful for two main reasons: 1. Easier automation - You can, for example, create a fade in/out effect for a channel using the volume adjustment knob instead of the channel volume control. This allows you to independently set the

overall volume level using the channel volume knob, without needing to recreate the automation data. Similarly, you can set the pan adjustment knob to create panning LFO without automating the channel pan knob, i.e. adjust the overall panning without recreating automation data. 2. Wider range - The volume adjustment knob has a range of 0% to 200% compared with the channel volume knob (0%-100%). Thus, you can preamp the volume up to twice as loud as the original level without needing additional effects.

Polyphony MAX - Drag up/down in the Max Polyphony LCD (MAX) to reduce the maximum number of voices the channel will play simultaneously. Setting this property to a lower number reduces the amount of CPU used to play the song. If the LCD displays dashes, it indicates that polyphony is unrestricted. SLIDE - Portamento Time (SLIDE) is used to set the slide length when portamento is turned on. Also used for overlapping notes in monophonic mode. The more the knob is turned right, the longer the slide. Mono - Turning on the Mono button sets the instrument to monophonic mode (maximum one note played at a time). In this mode, when two notes overlap (the overlap amount does not matter) they will "slide" one to another (including their properties - cutoff, resonance and panning). You can set the transition length with the Portamento Time (SLIDE) knob (see below). Porta - Turning on the Porta button enables the portamento feature for this channel (sliding the pitch from note to note). In FL Studio the portamento transition also includes all other properties of the note (cutoff, resonance and panning). NOTES: Portamento and sliding of overlapping notes is not supported by VST instruments. It may also not be supported by some Fruity Plugin instruments (those that do not support pitch bending).

Time Two filters are available in this section - a gate that "truncates" the note events when they pass a specified limit and a filter that shifts notes' start time. Gate - The time interval set with this knob defines the maximum possible length of a note event in the channel - i.e. long notes are truncated to the set length. Look in the hint bar (see Main Panel) to see the length you set in STEPS:TICKS format. To disable the gate effect turn the knob fully clockwise.

Shift - Turn this knob to right to delay notes' triggering with up to 16-th note time period (one step). Swing - Multiplier knob for the Channel Rack swing setting. This allows you to independently apply varying amounts of swing to channels.

Velocity/Keyboard Tracking There are two trackers, one for velocity and one for keyboard key number. The keyboard tracker "links" the note number (i.e. note pitch) to the cutoff, resonance and panning properties of notes. For example, you can set the keyboard tracker so higher notes move the cutoff frequency to a higher value. The velocity tracker works in the same way, using a note's velocity to modulate target controls. Vol / Key - Click Vol to set the properties for the velocity tracker and Key to set the properties for the keyboard tracker. Both trackers remain active regardless of which one is currently selected. To disable the effects of the tracker, reset the PAN, CUT and RES knobs (Right-click a knob and select the Reset command) associated with it. Mod X / Mod Y - There are two destinations for the keyboard tracking modulation, Mod X and Mod Y. These can be linked to parameters in FL Studio such as a plugins filter-cutoff. The knobs are bi-polar so negative and positive tracking modulation can be generated. Middle value (Mid) - For both trackers there is a middle value where no offsets are generated. Higher values generate positive offsets and lower values generate negative ones. For the keyboard tracker, the middle value of a note's pitch (e.g. C5 or B3) determines the 'no-offset' point. The velocity tracker uses the note's velocity.

Example keyboard tracking. The blue note shows the MID key. Each key then generates a modulation value that can be sent to Mod X and or Mod Y.

Cut Groups Cut groups are arbitrary numbers used to identify Instrument Channels as belonging to a Cut or Cut by group. Cut groups are used so that an instrument channel can either silence other instrument channels when it plays (Cut) or be silenced by other instrument channels (be 'Cut by'). Cut - The current channel will silence (cut) any activity in channels that have their Cut by set to this number. Cut by - The current channel will be silenced (cut by) any activity that appears in channels with their Cut value set to this number. Example: Of two channels, one has a open hi-hat sample and another a closed hihat sample. You want the closed hi-hat sound to stop (cut) the open sound, so that it sounds as if the hi-hat has slammed shut (open to closed hat sound). 1. Set the closed hi-hat Cut group (LCD on the left) to 1 (for example) and leave the Cut By group (LCD on the right) at the default "--" . 2. Set the open hi-hat sound Cut by group to "1" and leave the Cut group to the default "--". The open hi-hat is then listening for any activity on cut group 1 and if the open hihat channel hears activity on Cut group 1, it will stop playing. Alternatively activity on the open hi-hat channel won't affect the closed hi-hat channel since its Cut by value is set to none "--". Cut itself: This button causes a channel to cut itself by setting the Cut/Cut By values to the same number. FL Studio will do this automatically if you check the Cut Itself button (this can also be accessed by Right-clicking the channel button and selecting 'Cut itself' from the pop-up menu). NOTES: 1. Step Sequencer vs Piano roll - The Cut itself (Cut 1 By 1) feature will work with Stepsequence notes but does not work with Piano roll notes. You can, however, use Piano roll activity from one Channel to cut note activity in another using the Cut/Cut by feature. 2. The release envelope - The Cut function works with the note data sent to the plugin (it is not an audio function like turning down a channel volume). 'Cut' sends an all-notes 'off' (release) command to the plugin on the

channel so all playing notes jump to the release phase of their envelopes. If your instrument has long release envelopes, you will still hear the notes fading out after they have been cut.

Arpeggiator This section lets you add a real-time non-destructive arpeggio effect to the sequence of an instrument. To use the arpeggiator, select a direction from the icons in the top left corner of this section. The available options are: Off (default; turns off the arpeggiator), Up, Down, Up-Down, Up-Down (twice the lowest and highest notes), Random (selects random notes from the range and chord specified). The arpeggiator can operate in two modes - classic arpeggiator, that uses any chords present in the channel note data, or it can use a predefined chord template. The mode is selected from the Arpeggio Chord option (see below): Arpeggio Time (TIME) - Select the delay between the successive notes generated by the arpeggiator. Right-click the knob and select Set for some time presets. Arpeggio Gate (GAT) - Gates the arpeggio notes, this results in shorter notes and a more staccato sound. Slide - Check this option to make the arpeggiator slide between notes. This option will not work with instruments that do not support slides. Arpeggio Range (RANGE) - Lets you set the arpeggio range in octaves. The arpeggiated chord is transposed within the specified range to create additional notes for the effect. Arpeggio Chord (CHORD) - Select None if you want the arpeggiator to progress with a step of 12 semitones (1 octave) within the specified octave range. Select Auto or Auto (sustain) to set the arpeggiator in classic mode - it will create arpeggio effects based on any chords contained in the instrument sequence. The remaining presets are predefined chords that will be applied to the instrument sequence (sequence chords will not be arpeggiated as in classic mode). Auto (sustain) will not apply arpeggio effect on monophonic sequences (given that the octave range is set to 1)

Echo Delay This section creates echoes for the channel based on echoing note events (rather than audio). This enables some special effects like pitch shifted echoes, but also requires additional CPU power for each echo generated (each echo is a normal note

voice). If you want to use a standard audio-effect, use the Fruity Delay effect instead (see Effects). All options described below are applied additive to each successive echo. For example, if you set the pitch knob to +10 cents, the first echo will have 10 cents higher pitch than the original sound. The second will have 20 cents higher pitch than the original sound, etc. Feedback (FEED) - Sets the volume of echoes. If this knob is centered, echoes have the same volume as the original note. Turning it to left creates fading out echoes. Turning it to right increases the volume of each successive echo. Turning this knob to the leftmost point turns echo delay off. Pan (PAN) - Sets the panning of echoes. Cutoff (MODX) - Sets the filter cutoff value of the echoes. Resonance (MODY) - Sets the resonance value of the echoes. Pitch (PITCH) - Sets the pitch offset of echoes. Time (TIME) - Sets the delay period between echoes in units of beats. This enables you to set a tempo based delay, so echo will follow properly tempo changes in the song. Number of Echoes (# ECH) - Sets the number of echoes generated for each note. It is recommended to keep this number down for lower CPU usage. Ping Pong - If turned on, the pan value will "bounce" when it reaches 100% left or right panning. Fat Mode- This is a special mode of the echo delay effect, which makes subtler echoes with alternating panning - useful for creating flange and chorus-like effects. If this option is turned off, some options of the echo delay unit are reset to their defaults. The reason is that settings that sound fine in fat mode, usually are extremely loud in normal mode. NOTE: If you click the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some presets for this section.

Preview Keyboard (Root note: & Zone:) The preview keyboard allows you to preview the channel instrument (Leftclicking on the piano-keyboard), set the root key (Right-click a key), and set key region (Left-click and drag on the ruler).

Reset - Sets back the default base note and removes the key region (all notes will be played). For the Sampler & DrumSynth that is C5. For SimSynth it depends on how the preset was set in SimSynth. Enable Main Pitch - If you turn off this option, channel's pitch won't be altered when you change the main pitch value (see Main panel). Add to Key - This option only affects multi-sampled instruments where more than one sample is spread across the keyboard (e.g. SoundFont players, DirectWave, Fruity Slicer, Slicex). Plugins with single-samples stretched across the keyboard or synthesizers are not affected by this option. ON: Root key transposes note input (use this option if you want to transpose your live MIDI keyboard playing). The Root Key offset transposes the MIDI keyboard input to the instrument so if you play C5 with an offset of +4 semitones the instrument will receive instructions to play D5. OFF: Root Key transposes source samples. The Root Key offset will re-pitch all the samples used in the instrument by the offset amount. This will sound bad with most multi-sampled instruments. Sampler & SimSynth/DrumSynth - (not shown) These buttons appear only in Sampler instrument, when SimSynth or DrumSynth preset is used to fill the sample bank in Sampler Channel Settings. If the Sampler button is clicked, the base note you set in preview keyboard is used as usual by the Sampler as a base tone of the sample (in this case the sample generated by the SimSynth/DrumSynth preset). When the SimSynth/DrumSynth button is clicked, the base note is used by the SimSynth or DrumSynth engines respectively for a pitch of the sample generated. Fine tuning (FINE) - You can use this knob to fine-tune the base note in cents (1 cent = 1/100th of a semitone). Root Key - The default Root Key is C5. The blue note (C5 in the example above) shows the root key of the channel. Right-click a note to change the setting. As each sample has a natural pitch, FL Studio needs to know what key should play this pitch. All other notes are generated by changing sample's speed (and so pitch), setting the root key higher will cause a given key to sound lower in pitch. NOTE: You can use this feature to change key of your MIDI controller (with sample based instruments make sure Add to key is also selected, see below). Key Region - The lighter region shows the playable note-range. Left-click and drag on the keyboard to define the key region. Once created, edit the region limits by dragging the end points. Setting a key region for a channel will cause notes outside the region to be ignored (so not played).

This can be useful when using a channel as part of a Layer, to create multisampled instruments (e.g. selecting a different sample to play over each octave). Multi-touch - Enlarges the keyboard for use with multi-touch displays and your fat fingers. Fine - Fine-tune the pitch in cents (1/100ths of semitone).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

3x OSC 3x Osc is a deceptively powerful 3 x Oscillator, subtractive synthesizer feeding the FL Studio Sampler. It has been used in 1,000,000s of FL Studio projects since 2000 and continues to bring bright sunny days to synthesists world wide. To reduce CPU load the oscillators are anti-aliased during rendering only. This means the rendered tracks may sound better, but rendering will be slower. See a 3 OSC

Video Tutorial here

and check the 3x Osc preset forum here

.

NOTE: 3x Osc is an old-school synth with a raw (aliased) sound from the 90's.

Parameters OSC 1, 2, 3 Parameters This section covers parameters for all of the oscillators. Shape Selectors - Buttons in each of the oscillators, allowing one of the

following choices: sine, triangle, square, saw, rounded saw, noise, custom. Custom uses whatever sample is loaded in the channel Sampler Settings page. Invert Switch - Allows you to invert the phase of the oscillator. When you mix two oscillators with equal settings, and one of them is inverted, they cancel each other and no sound is produced. However, if you set the Fine frequency to a slightly different value, this can produce interesting flanging/phasing effects. Phase OFS - Allows you to set different phase offset for the left and right channels of the generator. The offset results in the oscillator starting at a different point on the oscillator's shape (for example, start at the highest value of the sine function instead at the zero point). Stereo phase offset adds to the richness and stereo panorama of the sound produced. Detune - Allows you to de-tune the stereo sound of the generator, by applying a slightly different frequency at the left and right sound channels. This adds to the stereo panorama of the sound produced, and creates a 'stereo flange' effect. When the knob is in the middle, the effect is turned off. Coarse Tuning - Sets the coarse tuning (range -24 to +24 semitones) of the individual oscillators. Fine Tuning - Sets the fine tuning (range -1 to +1 semitone) of the individual oscillators. Panning - Sets the stereo panning of the individual oscillators. Volume - Sets the relative volume of each of the oscillators. Relative means that the overall sound output is kept at the same level, but the relative amount of each of the oscillators is adjustable. Oscillator 1 does not have a volume. For example, to mix 50% of oscillator 1 and 2, set the volume of oscillator 2 to 100%. To mix all 3 oscillators at 33.33..%, set the volume knobs to 100% for oscillators 2 and 3. To mix only oscillator 1 at 100%, set all other volume levels to zero.

Other Parameters OSC 3 Amplitude Modulation (AM OSC 3) -- Switch on to use Oscillator 3 as an amplitude modulator of oscillators 1 and 2.

Phase Rand - Adds 'randomness' to the stereo phase of all oscillators. Low values can make the sound slightly more natural, while higher values can be used as a special effect. Stereo Phasing can introduce clicks, since the oscillators start somewhere 'inside' the waveform. You can fix this by using a volume envelope with a short attack time.

Notes & Tips Since the 3xOsc generator acts as an addition to the standard integrated Sampler, it is usually not enough to save direct 3xOsc presets rather than full channel presets which hold the complete sound. As a result, default 3x Osc presets will be found in /Channel presets/3x Osc/ in the browser. Stereo Phasing can introduce clicks since the oscillators start somewhere "inside" the shape function. You can easily fix this by using a volume envelope with a short attack time.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

PLAYLIST

Audio Clips Audio Clips are a special version of the Sampler channels. The purpose of Audio Clips is to hold the samples displayed & triggered in the Playlist where they can be sliced and arranged as required. If desired, Audio Clips can be triggered from the Step Sequencer or the Piano roll, although this does raise the eyebrows of the program developers who prefer you use Sampler channels for that. To load samples as Audio Clips drag and drop your samples on the Playlist.

Audio Clips To load a sample in an Audio Clip Channel drag and drop your sample from the Browser (or Windows Explorer) and drop it on the Playlist. If you drop your sample on the Channel Rack you will create a Sampler Channel. While both Audio Clips and Sampler Channels look similar Audio Clips only have the SMP and MISC tabs on the Channel Settings due to their main purpose being to feed the Audio Clips visible in the Playlist.

Audio Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Audio Clip menu. Zero-Cross - Slicing & resize edits will be made at the nearest zero-crossing to the slice point. Useful for avoiding clicks at the slice location. NOTE: This option can interfere with your ability to slice at specific locations, as the nearest 'Zero Crossing' will be used. Stretch - When the left or right edge of the clip is selected and dragged the clip will be stretched according to the Audio Clip Time stretching settings. See the section Working with the stretch/pitch functions for more details on synchronizing/beatmatching audio clips to the project tempo.

Working with Audio Clips

In addition to the standard editing options common to all clips as discussed in the Playlist section on editing clips. Audio Clips provide the following features: Make unique & Make unique as sample - With Audio Clips the original audio file is re-used in the new Audio Clip channel. Alternatively use 'Make unique as sample' Clones the original Audio Clip AND clones the sample file on disk. Use this when you want to physically edit the sample data and change it in some way. Autodetect slicing - To split an Audio Clip into beats using its integrated BeatSlicer engine, open the clip menu (see the mouse pointer in the main screenshot above) and select Chop > Dull / Medium or /Sharp to auto-detect beats. Region slicing - To split an Audio Clip into regions, open the clip menu and from the Chop into menu select Regions (if the wave doesn't contain regions, this command is disabled).

Audio Clip Channel Settings The two tabs that appear on the Audio Clip channel (shown above-right) are described in detail in the Channel Sampler/Settings sections: (SMP) Channel Sample tab. (MISC) Miscellaneous Options tab.

Declicking Options See the Sampler Channel Settings - Declick options to learn more about the special declick features that are available when an Audio Clip is sliced.

Channel Settings Waveform Preview (Right-click) Options Reload - Reload sample. Save as - Save the sample with the option to rename. Edit - Open in Edison Audio Editor. Spectrum view - Display waveform in Playlist and Preview panel in spectral mode. In this view frequency (20 Hz to 20 kHz) is displayed on the vertical axis, brightness represents intensity of the specific frequencies with time plotted on the horizontal axis, as normal for waveform views. For more detailed spectral waveform analysis use Edison. Multichannel waveform view - Display waveform in Playlist and Preview panel in stereo mode (assuming the sample is in stereo). NOTE: This mode is incompatible with Spectrum view.

Audio Clip Notes Loading - Each time a new sample is dragged and dropped on the clip-track area of the Playlist, a new Audio Clip channel is created. NOTE: Drag an audio file (from the Browser, for example) and drop it on the Track label area to auto-create an Audio Clip and auto-name the Clip track to match the file. Clip selector - Each sample placed in an Audio Clip channel becomes available in the Clip selector, list of items that can be inserted into the Playlist. Auto alignment - The Audio Clip will be aligned to the Playlist bars if a Downbeat marker is set in the source .wav file (see Edison region markers for details on adding a downbeat marker). Stretching & tempo-sync - Tempo information included in the .wav file may cause the clip to be stretched to fit the current project. The tempo information can be set/deleted using Edison's Sample Properties dialog. The load behavior also depends on the Read sample tempo information option in the General settings. If this information is

incorrect, as often happens with random files downloaded from the internet, you will be scratching your head wondering why your Audio Clips sound like a 'dying duck in a thunderstorm

'.

Channel Grouping - All new Audio Clips are inserted in the dedicated Audio Clips group (for more information on groups, see Step Sequencer). It's a good practice to keep the Audio Clips in separate groups, as you will normally not use the grid or Piano roll to trigger them. Controls - Some features supported by the standard Sampler channels are not supported by the Audio Clip channels. The unsupported features and settings include: Instrument Channel Settings Function Channel Settings portamento and polyphony settings loop points

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Autogun Autogun is a universe of sounds waiting to be discovered. Based on the Ogun synthesizer engine and Soundgoodizer effects processor, Autogun contains 4,294,967,296 presets (four billion, two hundred ninety four million, nine hundred sixty seven thousand, two hundred ninety six), most of which have never been heard by man (or woman...are there girls here? Quick, get their phone numbers!).

Options & Controls Preset selectors - There are 4,294,967,296 presets to explore. Better start clicking! Volume - 0 to 200%. That's '20' on the electric guitar amp scale, 9 better than 11. Magic dust - 0 to 100% magic provided by Soundgoodizer. Options -

Enter preset number - Open to copy, paste or enter a preset number. Each preset is unique and is given a number from 1 to 4,294,967,296. Since Autogun shares its synthesis engine with Ogun, preset numbers can be shared between plugins. Paste the number into Ogun's Options > Enter random preset number field. Why not try them all? Because listening to 1 preset per second, 24 hours a day, every day, it will take you more than 136 years... Processing quality - Sets interpolation. Select from a range of output quality options. About - Opens the About screen. Visit our website - Opens www.image-line.com

.

Maximizing Performance Autogun generally presents a low CPU load to the host, however it is possible to experience audio dropouts during real-time playback while the average CPU load still appears low, due to a non-uniform CPU usage. This non-uniformity comes from the, sometimes heavy, FFT processing for the harmonic series. Autogun generally uses high 'richness' settings (see Ogun synthesis controls), although some patches are set a little lower (and will stress your CPU less). If a patch is causing problems the best strategy is to increase the buffer latency. Either that OR dry your eyes, suck it in and select another patch...after all, there are another 4 billion+ to choose from :)

Plugin Credits

Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Reflex. Presets: Ginsu, The Enforcer, William P, donatello. Inspired by: PADsynth

by Nasca Octavian Paul.

PLAYLIST

Automation Clips Automation Clips move (automate) linked controls on the FL Studio interface or plugins. They are closely related to Event automation and are a type of internal controller. Unlike event data they are not bound to a specific pattern and exist as a special type of Generator, loaded into a Channel. Automation Clip data can be displayed in the Playlist window as a line-graph, as shown below.

NOTE: Once an Automation Clip is created it will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls.

Automation Clips Automation Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Automation Clip menu. Step - Sets the Automation Clip curve editor in 'step editing' mode. Left-click and drag in the clip to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline (steps depend on the current snap settings). Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Slide - Preserves the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it.

Creating Automation Clips There are several ways to create an Automation Clip:

1. Native FL Studio controls - Native controls, those on the FL Studio interface and Image-Line plugins, can be Right-clicked to show a popup menu. Select 'Create automation clip'. A clip will be added to the Playlist Clip-Track area (as shown above). See Notes below. 2. VST plugin controls - Move (tweak) the target control on the VST using your mouse, then, from the Tools Menu select 'Last tweaked > Create automation clip'. This will create an Automation Clip and place it in the Playlist for further editing. See Note below. For more information on linking targets in FL Studio and plugins see the sections on Linking internal controllers and Linking hardware controllers. 3. Add menu - Tweak the target control and use the Add menu > Automation from last tweaked parameter. 4. Convert from Event Data - All recorded automation is saved as Event Data. Convert Event Data to an Automation Clip from the 'Edit > Turn into automation clip' command in the Event Editor menu. 5. Audio Clips - FL Studio also provides you with a quick way to automate the volume/pan of an Audio Clip. Open the clip menu and select either Automate > Panning or Automate > Volume. The new Automation Clip will be placed over the target Audio Clip. NOTE: Time range - If you pre-select a time-range in the Playlist, the Automation Clip will be restricted to the selected range. If no range is selected then the Automation Clip will span the entire song length.

Deleting Automation Clips Delete the Automation Clip Channel. Deleting the Automation Clip from the Playlist leaves the Channel in place for use later in the Project. NOTE: Initialized controls - When an Automation Clip is created using the Right-click menu option, the control will be initialized with the current value. This initialization remains after the Clip is deleted or unlinked. To remove the initialization, find it in the Browser > Current project > Patterns > Initialized controls list, then Right-click and select 'Delete event' OR set the control to the desired starting level and Right-click it to select 'Init song with this position'.

Working with Automation Clips The following operations may be performed in the Clip Track area of the Playlist. See

Automation Clip focus

Video Tutorials here

.

- Selects the Automation Clip layer/s for editing.

Step - When selected, allows you to draw relatively free-hand curves by laying down a new control point each time a Left-clicked mouse is dragged past a grid line. Slide - When selected, slides any grabbed control points to the right of the selected point without changing the shape. When de-selected the moved control point will move relative to the points to the right of it. To place the Automation Clip in the Playlist - Use the Clip selector along the top of the Playlist window to select the Automation Clip to be placed, then Left-click in the Playlist window while in mode.

Draw (

Shift+P) or

Paint (

Shift+B)

Add control points - Right-click on the clip area, continue to hold and drag to reposition the point. Hold ( dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while

Alt) to override snapping (if

selected). Copy / Paste control point values - Right-click the source control point and select Copy value then Right-click the destination conorol point and select Paste value. Delete Control Points - Right-click a control point and select Delete (make sure 'STEP' mode is off), OR quicker, hold ( Right Alt) and Left-click points.

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless

Playlist Snap Selector is set to none). Hold (

to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl)

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Change envelope curve - Left-click a tension handle and move up/down. Holding (

Ctrl) will allow fine adjustment.

Right-click the tension handle to reset curve tension. Change curve type - Right-click the right-most control point of the segment to be changed, this will open the Curve Type Menu with the following options: Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt double curve - Asymmetrical linear, or accelerating / decelerating curves (depending on the tension). Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Smooth - Allows for smoothly joining points with an 'S' curve. Change length - Drag the last control point to stretch the clip. When Automation Clips are created they will span the length of the Playlist selection or the entire length containing data. Clone / Copy an Automation Clip - From the Clip menu select 'Make unique'. The new Automation clip will not be linked to any of the original clips targets. Restrict /change the automation range - Use the MAX & MIN knobs on the Automation Clip Channel settings to keep the automation in the sweet-spot. NOTE: The automation values will be restricted, but the Playlist display will remain unchanged. Slicing - Clips can be sliced

(

Alt + Right-Shift) and then re-arranged. Once a clip is sliced any data outside the visible

window may be accessed with the slip editing tool

(

Shift+S). Use the Clip Menu 'Make unique' function to convert

the new slice into an independent clip that can be further edited without affecting the parent clip. Control point & Tension handle Values - The values will display in the FL Studio hint bar when moved. Automation Clip targets - The envelope is usually played back along with the Playlist patterns, sending modulation data to any linked controls (one Automation Clip may feed multiple controls or multiple Automation clips can be linked to a single control). Triggering - Automation Clips can be triggered with the Piano roll, Step Sequencer or live with a controller keyboard. The clip will automate while the note is held, note pitch will vary the automation speed. Clips do not need to be placed in the Playlist to be effective if triggered by note data. A

video tutorial

is also available on the FL Studio website.

Automation Clip Channel Settings

See above for details on using Automation Clips.

Options Menu Copy/Paste state - Copy and paste Automation Clip data between Automation Clips. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Preset filtering to remove abrupt changes (smoothing). Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound (you will be prompted to choose an audio file after selecting).

Settings Min - Sets the minimum value the Automation Clip return. Max - Sets the maximum value the Automation Clip return. Time - Controls the speed at which the Automation Clip plays back. The number window after the Time knob is a multiplier setting. LFO Switch - Enables and shows a preview of the LFO and its amplitude envelope inside clips placed on the Playlist tracks. NOTE: Selecting the LFO function doesn't erase the 'main' automation envelope (although not visible). It remains available to be combined with the LFO when the Multiply switch (see below) is selected. Speed (SPD) - Sets the speed of the LFO.

Tension (TENS) - Sets the LFO shape 'tension', a shape morph for tuning the exact LFO shape - starting with square (pulse), sine, triangle and 'pulse'. Shape Skew (AK) - Skews the LFO shape. Together with triangle shape, the skew can be used to create saw and reversed saw LFO shapes. Pulse Width (NW) - Sets the width of the LFO shape. Level (LVL) - Sets the LFO amplitude (strength). Set it to the middle position to reset level to 0 and effectively disable the LFO. Turn it left for negative amplitude (inverted values) or right for positive amplitude. Multiply - Allows you to combine the LFO values with the 'main' spline envelope of the Automation Clip. When the switch is enabled the two values will be multiplied, i.e. the LFO acts as an amplitude modulator for the envelope. This is useful for unipolar (one directional) properties such as cutoff frequency, volume, etc. When the switch is disabled both values are added together, i.e. like an LFO 'offsetting' the envelope. This is useful for bipolar parameters such as panning.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

BassDrum BassDrum is a flexible Bass/Kick drum synthesizer with sample-layer support. Get ready to rumble...your neighbors!

1. Open preset manager - Click here to open the manager. The arrows, at either end, can be used to change presets. 2. Open sample layer manager - Click here to select a sample layer OR load samples from the OS browser. Alternatively you can drop .wav or .aif samples on the UI to load a sample. Use the arrows, at either end, to cycle through the currently selected library.

Parameters The main BassDrum synthesis consists of two Oscillators (Main & Slave) and a

sample layer (usually to add noise or texture). Following that there are sub-bass, distortion and pitch controls.

Overall controls DURATION - This is a master envelope that controls the duration of all generators. There is no release time so BassDrum will sound until the duration is reached, even if the note is released before the duration time is reached. OUTPUT LEVEL - +/- 20 dB final output level trim. SAMPLING RATIO - Acts similar to a pitch control with a little difference: This changes the internal sampling rate (not base/peak frequencies) to resample the entire plugin output. Low settings result in a gritty 'aliased' sound.

MAIN Oscillator The Main Oscillator controls set the start, end and glide-time of the oscillator. Kick sounds are typically synthesized by a very fast slide from a high to low frequency. BASE - End frequency. PEAK - Starting frequency. SLIDE - Frequency slide time.

SLAVE Oscillator The Slave Oscillator mirrors the Main Oscillator, but here controls are relative to the Main Oscillator settings. Set in the minus range to be below or positive to be above the Master Oscillator's settings. BASE - End frequency offset (+/- 100%). PEAK - Start frequency offset (+/- 100%). SLIDE - Frequency slide time offset(+/- 100%). PHASE - Slave Oscillator's phase offset relative to the Master. Phase is achieved through a delay relative to Main. The Slave Oscillator will sound after Main Oscillator with positive settings and will lead to phase

cancellations of frequencies from the Main Oscillator.

CLICK Specialized click generator LEVEL - Click loudness. CUT - Larger values selectively filter low-frequencies from the click sound. FREQ - Frequency of click Oscillator.

MASTER DRIVE - Saturation-like distortion. SUB-BASS - Sub-bass gain. Sub-bass frequency is relative to the Main & Slave Oscillators. ATTACK - Quick level fade-in. Useful to soften the initial click and/or to find better balance between the BassDrum and other sounds such as a HiHat in the mix.

SAMPLE LAYER You can drag and drop samples directly on BassDrum to load them. < Selector > - Choose a sample by clicking on the arrows OR in the center to open the sample menu. Use Load to select samples from your browser. A, D, S - Volume envelope, Attack, Decay and Sustain levels. Delay - Timing of the sample layer relative to the oscillators. -100% the sample leads the oscillators. 0% the sample and oscillators sound simultaneously. +100% the sample follows the oscillators. PITCH - Sample pitch. FLT - Left = Low Pass filter (removes high frequencies). The knob changes the cutoff frequency. MIX - Relative level of the sample layer (0 to 100%).

Plugin Credits: Maxx Claster

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

BeepMap BeepMap generates sound based on an image. Imagine a vertical line scanning an image from left to right translating (mapping) colors and brightness to frequencies, tone and volume. There you have BeepMap. BeepMap is especially good at producing atmospheric and eerie sounds, particularly when given generous amounts of ping-pong delay and reverb. BeepMap, translates the red color into the amplitude of a sine wave on the left channel and green colors into a sine wave on the right channel. Yellow, a mixture of red and green will therefore sound equally on both channels. The frequency of each sine wave depends on its vertical position in the bitmap. Optionally, the blue component is used to define the frequency range per pixel.

Parameters Frequency (FREQ) - Selects the frequency range for the whole bitmap height. Length - Sets the duration of a pixel. The greater the length, the longer the sound will last. Scale - Switches between linear frequency (Hz), and pitch scale in cents (1/100 semitone). Use Blue - Enables blue color response. Grainy - Causes sound to be heard as small grains. Loop - Allows you to loop the whole bitmap, or play it once. Widen - Use this to adjust the width of the stereo field. Max Bitmap Height - Sets the maximum height for loaded bitmaps, i.e. number of sine waves to be added. The amount of CPU needed to process a voice depends on that value.

Notes & Tips There's no built-in graphic editor, so the cut/paste feature is very handy. Unlike as with sample files used in a project, the bitmap is saved inside the FLP project (or FST preset), thus the file size can grow quickly.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

BooBass BooBass is a monophonic, realistic bass generator with adjustable frequency response and supports portamento slides. If you are reading this section because you are having trouble understanding this plugin, we suspect your video recorder is flashing ? 12:00?; and you stop your alarm clock ringing in the morning by shutting it in a drawer!

Parameters Bass - Lets you equalize the low (bass) frequencies of the generator. Mid - Lets you equalize the middle frequencies of the generator. Treble - Lets you equalize the high (treble) frequencies of the generator.

Notes & Tips Since BooBass is monophonic, delay echoes will not work properly (see Function Settings).

Plugin Credits: David Billen

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Buzz Generator Adapter Buzz Generator Adapter is a wrapper for Buzz generator machines. You can find a huge collection of Buzz machines at www.BuzzMachines.com . Be aware, however, that there are some buggy ones around, and the stability of your project may be compromised.

Parameters The options and parameters apart from those described below depend on the hosted Buzz plugin. Note Parameter - Selects which parameter is used to send note messages. Not all plugins use this format for notes (except MIDI notes). Polyphony - Sets the polyphony of the loaded plugin. Some plugins may not use this property. Don't Send Note Offs - Some synths do not require note off messages and sending such can cause problems. Use this parameter only if needed. Use MidiNote() - Uses an alternative for passing notes to the plugins. Some plugins may require Note Parameter instead (consult the plugin manual). Select Machine - Click this button to browse for a Buzz machine plugin. Parameter Sliders - Used to control Buzz machine parameters. These behave as normal FL Studio parameters (Right-click the sliders to access the default parameter menu of FL Studio). Attributes - Click this button to launch a window with additional parameters for the machine.

Commands - Click this button to launch a menu with commands for the machine. When the machine doesn't have commands, this button is disabled. Import Buzz Preset - Loads Buzz machine presets.

Plugin Credits: Oskari Tammelin

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Sampler Channel Settings (SMP) The Channel Sampler is an integrated, single-sample, sampler instrument useful for percussion and related one-shot sounds. To load a sample drag and drop the sample from the Browser or Windows Explorer onto Channel Rack. If you drop the sample on the Playlist you will create an Audio Clip, a related, but different instrument type.

NOTES: 1. ADSR & Filtering - Channel Samplers have a number of useful controls under the Channel Settings Tab controls that include the integrated ADSR vol, pan, filter, pitch & LFO envelopes. For example, samples will continue to play after note release unless you activate the Volume envelope. 2. Disabled options - You may notice that some of the options in your Sampler Channels are disabled (grayed out), however you can still toggle the switches on/off. This improves workflow when trying out different samples in the same Sampler Channel, so that if a selected option becomes possible it will become activated automatically.

File Load and locate samples. Clicking on the sample name will open a File Explorer to the

location of the currently loaded sample. Use the icons to the right to: Load sample file - Opens a file explorer window.

Locate sample in browser - Opens the Browser to the location where the sample is saved. Remove sample - This only removes sample from the selected Sampler Channel, it does not delete the original sample data file.

Content These options control how the sample and meta-data within it are handled: Keep on Disk - For FL Studio 32 Bit this can be used to free virtual memory allocation allowing more and/or larger Audio Clips / Sampler Channels to be used in the project. Sample data is moved from FL Studio's virtual memory allocation to a separate memory allocation. For FL Studio 32 & 64 Bit - It can significantly speed load times for multi-GB projects. When 'Keep on disk' is selected the maximum memory available to each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel will be 2 GB. Your Windows OS version (32 or 64 Bit) and installed RAM will determine how smoothly your sample playback works (if you load more samples than you have RAM then disk-swapping may cause buffer underruns as the data is read off disk). IMPORTANT: Samples must be in 16 or 32-Bit .wav format. Keep on disk won't work with compressed formats such as .ogg or .mp3, otherwise the option will be grayed out. Automatically 'Keep on disk' with the 'Auto keep long audio on disk' on the F10 General Options, then re-load your project. 'Keep on disk' precludes the use of precomputed effects, that require the whole sample is loaded in memory. For smooth operation without underruns or glitches, your physical RAM should (at least) match the project's total sample-space demand. It may also take a while for very large projects to load so be patient. TIP: Zoom out on the Playlist, (

Ctrl + Right-click) on a

blank area, so all Audio Clips are visible in their entirety prior to pressing Play for the first time. This forces Audio Clip data to be cached into RAM.

Resample - If your sample is not recorded at the same sample-rate as your audio interface is currently set to (e.g. Sample rate = 44100 Hz), this option can improve audio quality. NOTES: 1. Loop points - are often carefully sample-aligned so resampling can cause loops to 'click'. 2. CPU - Resampling requires additional CPU and memory as resampled waves are generally larger. See Audio Settings > Mixer > Resample quality for more details. Load regions - Loads the region/slice markers embedded in some wave samples including ZGR/REX loop files. This data is also used for some timestretching options and for more accurate sample processing. Load ACID markers - Loads ACID beat markers if embedded in the sample. These are a 3rd-party equivalent for Slices and Regions.

Loop Looping replays the sample or parts of it while a note is held for the Sampler Channel: Use loop points - When the sample contains loop points (see Sample view below), select this option to make the sample loop. The play position starts at the sample beginning and when it reaches the loop-end point, jumps back to the loop-start point and repeats this process while the note is held. Ping pong loop - The play-position bounces back and forth between the loop start and loop end points (forwards then backwards through the loop region).

Declicking These options help to remove 'clicks' at the start (in) or end (out) caused by sharp level discontinuities when you slice Audio Clips. That is, where the sample starts or ends with a value significantly different from another sample in close proximity, the sudden jump from one value to the next causes a 'click'. The default setting is 'Out only' (10 ms fade), this will not cause audible artifacts. Set by ear.

NOTE: The fade-markers, shown above, only display when a 'bleeding' type declipping option has been selected. Bleeding means the audio will extend beyond the

slice point to complete a, very short, click reducing fade. Out only (no bleeding) - No in-declicking, declicking-out is a 10ms (cosine S-shaped) fade-out. Transient (no bleeding) - Useful for drum samples as the attack transient is fully preserved (only the first few samples are ramped). The declick-out uses a no-bleeding, short (10ms), filtering fade-out. Transient (bleeding) - Same attack processing as above, with a declick-out based on a 20 ms (cosine S-shaped) fade-out. Generic (bleeding) - A 20ms cosine S-shaped fade-in and fade-out. Smooth (bleeding) - A 100ms cosine S-shaped fade-in and fade-out. Crossfade (bleeding) - A 200 ms attack/release that is designed to crossfade contiguous (touching) Audio clips. This is not a true crossfade, where clips overlap, the fade start and end is designed to work well with another clip with the same settings butted up against it. NOTE: Both Audio Clips need to have been sliced to use this setting, as data before and after the slice points is used to create the Crossfade.

Time stretching / Pitch shifting The Time stretching / Pitch shifting algorithms can synchronize pitch and/or tempo with your project, since pitch and playback speed may be adjusted independently. These are the same algorithms used by the Edison Time Stretch / Pitch Shift tool. When Samples & Audio Clips are synced to the project tempo you will be prompted to process these channels for the new tempo when it is changed.

Options PITCH (Pitch Shift) - Change sample pitch while preserving its length. If the 'resample' method is selected it will be automatically changed to 'auto' after tweaking this knob. MUL (Time Multiplier) - Use this knob to modify the sample length. For example, you can quickly stretch the sample to twice its original length without needing to modify the Time setting. TIME (Time Stretch) - Sets the sample length (sample 'time') using tempobased measures (bars, steps, etc.), so that you can lock the sample to the project tempo. When adjusting the knob the assigned time value shows in the hint bar, along with the computed 'actual' tempo FL Studio calculates for the

sample tempo according to the set length. If the tempo is too high or too low, you'll see a note 'unrealistic tempo' shown instead. Right-click the Time knob - to access useful presets and the 'Autodetect' command which attempts to autodetect the tempo of the sample (results may vary depending on the source material). (none) - Default (no stretching), the sample is transposed according to Channel pitch as normal. NOTE: If a Sampler Channel is not responding to pitch then select '(none)'. See the F10 > Settings > General > Read sample tempo information section for more details on global changes that can avoid this problem in future. Autodetect - The sample's tempo (BPM) is autodetected and the Channel stretched accordingly. Audio Clips will also adjust the Time property accordingly when stretched in the Playlist. Beat/Bar # - Use these options when you know the exact number of Beats/Bars the sample covers. Mode (Stretch Method) - Options allow you to change pitch (resample) or to maintain pitch and change tempo (other time-stretching options). Timestretching uses ZPlane Elastique Pro version 3 (e3 algorithms, e2 is included for compatibility with pre FL Studio 12 projects). These are also available in Edison Time Stretch/Pitch Shift Tool that provides more control than here in the Channel Settings options that include: Realtime: Resample - Standard pitch shifting that varies sample length with sample pitch. Elastique: e3 Generic - A 'Default' mode is designed to work with the widest range of input signals. As usual, experiment with other methods if you hear unwanted artifacts. e3 Mono - Specialized for monophonic input signals such as vocals or solo instruments. Uses automatic formant preservation techniques. Special: Slice stretch - Use for drum loops that have a tempo lower or equal to the project. Markers are used for transient detection and each slice is stretched according to e3 Default (NOTE: use Slicex for more

advanced loop slicing and processing options). Slice map - Use for drum loops with a tempo higher or equal to the project tempo. Slices are moved (unstretched) to map to the positions each slice would play at the selected pitch/tempo (NOTE: use Slicex for more advanced loop processing options). Auto - Selects the best stretch algorithm in light of the other options and settings you have selected. You trust us don't you? Legacy Elastique (Pre-FL Studio 12 projects will map to the presets indicated): e2 Generic (Pro default & Pro transient) - Older version of e3 Generic. e2 Transient (Transient & Tonal) - Transient and formant preserving stretch method. e2 Mono (Monophonic) - Older version of e3 Mono. e2 Speech (Speech) - Optimized for spoken words. For singing, use the 'e3 or e2 Mono' mode). NOTE: Names in brackets show pre FL Studio 12 nomenclature. Old projects will re-map to the presets indicated.

Working with the stretch/pitch functions Dynamic tempo changes during the song (tempo automation) are not possible because the stretch algorithm does not work in real-time, re-sampling is used to keep the time-stretched samples in sync (in other words pitch will change with tempo). To achieve dynamic time-stretching try the Fruity Granulizer method (see Notes & Tips at the bottom of the page). Following are common actions you may need to use when working with stretched samples: Disable time stretching for a sample, turn the Time knob maximum left (right-click to select 'none'). This is the default mode when samples are dropped on the Playlist. Manually lock a sample to the project tempo: If your samples are not being automatically stretched when you make a change to the project tempo, the procedure for syncing the sample to the project is as follows:

1. Select the Audio Clip's menu (top left hand corner of the Audio Clip) and choose 'Fit to tempo'. 2. On the pop-up dialog choose the tempo marked '(project)' 3. The clip is now synced (or locked) to the project tempo. Further tempo changes will automatically stretch the clip so that it stays in time and with the original pitch. At any stage you can change the stretch method to one that sounds best and/or alter the pitch using the sample options tab. If you load an Audio clip and it does not play at the correct speed, see 'Automatically beat-match/stretch' below. Unlock a sample from the project tempo, follow the above 3 steps and select the 'no tempo' option. Automatically beat-match/stretch samples dropped on the Playlist, FL Studio needs to know the sample's original tempo and receive a command to auto-stretch the sample. This information is contained in the sample's 'metadata', only saved in .wav files: 1. Open the Sample Properties with Edison. 2. Make sure the original sample tempo (Tempo (BPM)) is set correctly, you may need to use the 'Autodetect tempo' feature. 3. Turn Tempo-sync ON. 4. Save the sample with these settings (only .wav files can contain this meta-data, it will be discarded if you convert to mp3 for example). 5. Make sure the F10 General Settings, 'Read sample tempo information' option is ON. 6. Drag the audio file from the Browser and drop on the Playlist. It will then auto-stretch to match the current BPM of FL Studio.

Precomputed effects This is a set of effects and processing routines for the sample loaded in the sample bank. None of these effects requires additional CPU to play your song, because they are all applied as pre-computed effects. FL Studio processes the sample and then loads it in the memory with all effects already applied. However, this makes the automation of those effects impossible (see Automation). Also, applying them to

streamed samples (when the Keep on Disk option is turned on) causes the entire sample to be loaded in RAM, which is not desirable for longer samples). Remove DC offset - Removes any DC offset from the loaded sample. Reverse polarity - 'Flips' the waveform vertically. Normalize - Maximizes the sample volume without clipping. Fade stereo - Creates a stereo fade from the left to the right channel of the sample. Reverse - Reverses the sample. Swap stereo - Switches the left and right channels of the loaded sample. Fade in (IN) - Applies a quick fade-in to the sample (turn maximum left to disable). Fade out (OUT) - Applies a quick fade-out to the sample (turn maximum left to disable). Pitch bend (POGO) - Applies pitch bend to the sample. Useful for drum samples. Crossfade loop (CRF) - Allows you to crossfade the sample to create smooth loop sections (turn maximum left to disable). Trim threshold (TRIM) - FL Studio trims any silence at the end of a sample to free up RAM without altering the resulting sound. The TRIM option allows you to raise the volume threshold at which FL Studio detects 'silence'. Using this control you can allow FL Studio to filter very quite noise in your sample or, by setting the threshold to zero, filter only pure 'mathematical' silence.

Sample View

The sample view displays the loaded sample (with all pre-computed effects applied). Information and icons in the lower right section indicate bit-depth (e.g. 16-Bit, 32Bit) and stereo configuration (

: e.g. mono, stereo), respectively. NOTE: MP3,

OGG, .WV and 24 bit source samples are converted to 32 bit on loading, so don't use this display to determine the source sample format. Check in the Windows browser. The display also shows loop points (vertical red lines) and region markers (orange triangles along the top of the display) if these 'meta data' are present within the sample. Loop points and regions can be edited, added or removed using Edison. Left-click - the sample view to preview the sound (if time stretching is enabled, the preview is tempo-synchronized). Right-click - to open a menu with additional commands: Reload - Use this command to reload samples when they were altered in external applications (wave editors, etc.), after FL Studio was started. This command appears only in channels that hold Sampler instrument. Save as... - Allows you to save the sample with all precalculated effects applied to it (see Sampler Channels Settings). Edit... (

E) - Opens the integrated Wave Editor with the current sample, or

the custom wave editor you have selected in the Tools window. Detect tempo - Opens the Tempo Detection Wizard which asks you to select one of several tempo ranges the sample might be in. Select a range and the Time property of the channel will be automatically adjusted (see Sampler ). Note that the accuracy of the auto detection depends on the source material and might not always match the real sample tempo. The best practice in this case is to know in advance the real loop tempo and embed that information in the sample by using a wave editor. Get properties - Opens the Windows properties dialog for the sample file. Spectrum view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in spectrum mode, includes the Playlist. NOTE: If this is selected the Multichannel waveform view option (below) is ignored. Multichannel waveform view - Displays all waveform previews for the sample in stereo mode (upper left, lower right), includes the Playlist. NOTE: Spectrum view overrides this setting. Tools - Will show any other Tools set in FL Studio. Drag and Drop - You can also Left-click on the sample view and drag it to other compatible locations in FL Studio such as the Playlist (to open a new Audio Clip instance), Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, Edison, etc.

INSTRUMENTS / EFFECTS

Control Surface The Control Surface plugin allows you to add real-time controls that can be linked to plugins in FL Studio OR Patcher. It's similar to and supersedes the Fruity Dashboard plugin. Control objects (knobs, sliders etc) can be linked to plugin and FL Studio interface targets to combine or aggregate control in a single location or to create dashboards for plugins and external hardware. You can add as many Control Surfaces as required to your project to Channels or Effect slots.

Tutoial Video here

Options and Controls Add a Control Surface - The default Patcher loads with a single Control Surface, to add additional Control Surfaces drag from the Browser > Plugin database > Visual > Control Surface and drop on the Channel Rack an Effect slot or Patcher. NOTE: If your plugin database is different, just search for 'Control Surface'. Load/save Control Surfaces - Click the Presets button as shown above and either save or load a Control Surface configuration. Add parameter controls - Click the + (Add) button as shown above and select from the pop-up menu of controls. Edit parameter controls - Click the E (Edit) button as shown above (controls will show red-rectangles around them) then you can click and drag to move or right-click and select the size, style, colors and rename the control. Link plugins to Control Surface controls 1. Add a Control Surface control as an Instrument or Effect (there is no difference). 2. Follow the usual internal Linking procedure using the Remote control settings. Rename Parameters - Right-click the parameter and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Live tweaking - Use the mouse on the Parameter of interest as you would any plugin control. Select Multitouch to control multiple controls on a multi-touch monitor.

Control Creator You can create your own Knob and Slider control designs with the Control Creator tool. This is located in the FL Studio installation folder under ..FL Studio\System\Tools\ControlCreator\ControlCreator.exe. This is a self contained program and you can copy the .exe to another location or make a shortcut to the .exe on your desktop.

NOTE: Many controls will change their appearance on roll-over with the mouse, this is shown by the preview control with the dot above it.

Use 1. Run ..FL Studio\System\Tools\ControlCreator\ControlCreator.exe 2. Select the Wheel, Slider or Button tab and then edit the control using the options provided. The display on the right side shows the control at various sizes. You can interact with these with your mouse to test their appearance. 3. After you have designed your control, save the .ilcontrol format file to the FL Studio install folder under ..FL Studio\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\Control Surface\Artwork\Styles and then depending if it's a Knob or Slider put it in the Wheels/Knob or Sliders folder respectively. 4. Finally, on the Control Surface or Patcher plugin, add a Knob, Slider or Button, then select Edit mode. Right-click the control and your design will appear as an option under the Styles menu option.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Dashboard The Dashboard allows you to create software interfaces to control external MIDI hardware (keyboards, mixers, samplers, etc) or you can link controls to internal targets to bring together a range of commonly tweaked knobs in one place. The Dashboard includes several pre-made panels (presets) for popular MIDI devices you can use directly in your projects. You can customize the existing panels for your own use or create new ones from scratch. In this way, you can adapt a Dashboard for any MIDI device you own without using plugins dedicated to a specific hardware. Check out the huge range of customer created dashboards in the Dashboard Presets & Programming

forum. A related plugin is the Control Surface.

How to Use Standard Components Component API Dashboard Menu

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Dashboard: Tutorial This page covers some basics about building, modifying and employing interfaces in Dashboard.

Building or Modifying Panels The Dashboard interfaces are built of separate components, for example, wheels, switches, sliders, buttons, etc. Dashboard contains a standard set of components you can employ in your projects, and the advanced users can also define their own components with the provided Component API. To modify an existing panel or create a new one from scratch, you need to enter in design mode (turn off the lock switch -

). This mode allows you to create

new instances of the available components and modify their properties.

Add a New Component To add a new component, open the menu (the arrow icon button next to the lock switch) and select Add Control. You will see a submenu containing all available controls grouped by type. Select a control from one of the groups and it appears on the grid.

Adjust the Size and Position of a Component In design mode, you can find out if a component is selected by the presence of the "arrow" icons (as shown on the picture). To reposition a component, Left-click on its surface and drag it to a new location on the panel. Some of the components are resizable as well. In this case you will see an additional handle at the bottom right corner of the selected control. Drag that handle to resize the control.

You can change scale and size by directly manipulating the component properties as well, see the next section.

Adjust the Component Properties (Component Inspector) In design mode, you can see an additional panel displayed on the right side of the window of the Dashboard plugin. This panel is the component inspector, which allows you to select a component for editing and modify its properties. Select a Control - The combo box at the top of the component inspector contains a list of available components on the current Dashboard panel. Select a component from the list to select it in the panel as well & to display its properties in the inspector. Modify Component Properties - The inspector displays a list of properties available for the selected control, grouped by meaning. Click the + icon next to the name of each group to expand it and reveal the properties inside. You can freely edit the properties. For more information on the specific properties for each component type, see Components & Properties.

Using Complete Panels. As soon as the panel is locked (

) it can be used as a standard interface as you

would use in any other plugin. All rules that apply to the regular FL Studio controls, apply here as well (Right-click menu, CTRL+drag for slow motion, etc).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Dashboard: Components & Properties This page explains the basic types of components, their properties & shows a preview of the included styles.

Component Properties This section covers the properties available for the components (displayed in the component inspector). The properties are grouped by meaning (click the + sign to expand the group). If a property or group is not available to a component or is exclusive to a component this is remarked after the property/group name with "applies to" or "exception".

Appearance Height (applies to: resizable components) - Lets you set the component height. Width (applies to: resizable components) - Lets you set the component width. Left (exception: main panel) - Sets the horizontal position of the top left corner of a component. Top (exception: main panel) - Sets the vertical position of the top left corner of a component. Caption (exception: main panel, page selectors, patch selectors) - Sets the caption name of a component. Caption Position (exception: main panel, page selectors, patch selectors) - Sets the caption position of a component (the available choices are Left, Right, Top, Bottom). Show Caption (exception: main panel, page selectors, patch selectors) -

Lets you select whether the component caption is visible. Line Width (applies to: wheels) - Sets the line width for wheel components (available choices are Normal and Thick). Line Color (applies to: wheels) - Sets the line color for wheel components. Pressed Color (applies to: wheels) - Sets the pressed line color for wheel components (when the user is dragging the wheel). Transparent (applies to: components with 8-Bit skins) - Some of the components allow you to set their outer skin color transparent. This can improve the component look over some bitmap backgrounds. Font (applies to: labels) - Sets the font used for a label component. Font Color (applies to: labels) - Sets the font color used for a label component. Label Font (applies to: main panel) - Sets the font used for the caption of all components (except labels which have independent settings). Label Color (applies to: main panel) - Sets the font color used for the captions of all components (except labels which have independent settings). Page (exception: page selectors, main panel) - This property appears only if you set multiple interface pages for Dashboard (see page selectors below). Set (all) to display the component in all pages, or select a page the component is exclusive to.

Behavior Move Speed (applies to: sliders, wheels) - Sets the motion speed for sliders and wheels. The higher the number, the faster the motion. Full Range (applies to: selectors) - Selectors have a fixed number of ordered predefined items to pick from. Enabling this option lets you map the selector items with values spread over the full range of the controllers (first item: 0, last item:65536). If the option is not enabled, the range is limited by the number of items - 3 items are mapped in the range 0..2 (item1 - 0, item2 - 1, item3 - 2), 10 items are mapped in a range of 0..9, etc. The default state of this option differs for each selector type and guarantees its proper operation.

FX Attack (applies to: switches) - Sets the effect "fade in" time (the smaller the number, the faster the fade). FX Blink (applies to: switches) - Allows the control to blink with the FX Type selected on a certain event. You can select among On Press and On Over. FX Release (applies to: switches) - Sets the effect "fade out" time (the smaller the number, the faster the fade). FX Type (applies to: switches) - Sets the effect type to be used (color of blend). If None is selected, the other FX settings have no effect. FX When (applies to: switches) - Sets the event which triggers the effect. You can select On Press or On Over (mouse events).

Controller (exception: main panel, page selectors, patch selectors). This section sets the controller message that is transmitted by a component. That can be a MIDI message or an internal controller message. Some of the controls have a different function and the Controller group is not available to them. Controller Number - Sets the control number used for the messages. This parameter is not used for internal controllers and aftertouch. Control Type - Sets the controller type for the messages. You can select CC, RPN, NRPN, Aftertouch, Internal Controllers. Min/Max - Sets the value range used by the components.

Grid (applies to: main panel) Sets the options for the panel's snap grid. Grid Color - Sets the grid color. Grid Size - Sets the grid spacing (in pixels). Snap to Grid - Is set to True, the controls snap to the grid as you drag them.

Other Instruments (applies to: main panel) - This property appears only if you

have installed any instrument definitions (*.INS) in the Artwork/Instruments folder. It allows you to select one of the definitions to be used by the patch selectors. Panel (applies to: main panel) - Lets you select a background (skin) for the panel. If you want a resizable panel, select Gray or Dark. Control (exception: main panel) - Sets the component style from the ones available. Name (exception: main panel) - Sets the component name.

Pages (applies to: main panel) Page Names (applies to: main panel) - Set here a list of page names to create multi-paged interfaces. For more information, see Page Selectors below.

Component Types Component Name

Component Styles

Main Panel

-

Description The main panel of Dashboard is also treated as a component and displays its parameters in the component inspector when selected (just click on the panel). If you want to resize the panel, adjust its Height and Width properties (you need to select a resizable background in the Panel property.

Digits

These controls are equivalent to the LCD controls used in FL

Studio.

Patch Selector

The patch selectors allow you to set the bank and patch numbers of Dashboard in a more convenient way (using instrument names mapped to bank/patch values). Dashboard comes with a General MIDI patch selector, Roland XP30™ selector and two selectors which use the installed Cakewalk instrument definitions you have (*.INS). The definitions should be installed in Dashboard's Artwork/Instruments folder.

Selector

Slider

The selectors are combo boxes where different message values are mapped to a certain text name. Dashboards comes with volume, pan, tempo and other selectors and you can build your own ones using the Component API. The sliders are

equivalent to the ones used in FL Studio. Note, however, that some of the skins were designed specifically for some of the Dashboard presets and may not look good on the generic panel skins.

You can add your own skins using the Component API. Switch

Wheels

The switches are twostate buttons (on-off) with adjustable blend/color effects. The wheels are equivalent to the ones used in FL Studio. Note, however, that some of the skins were designed specifically for some of the Dashboard presets and may not look good on the generic panel skins.

You can add your own skins using the Component API. Label

The label objects are static objects (do not transmit messages) you can use to put notes and labels on the

Dashboard's panel. Page Selector

The page selector provides you with a way to create multipaged interfaces in Dashboard. this can be useful for many reasons, like saving space for interfaces that use large amount of components, or organizing the components into logical groups. How to set up a multipage interface: 1. Set a list of page names in the panel's Page Names property. Each text line is the name for a page. 2. Set up the components appearance options: expand the Appearance group and set the Page property. Set (all) to make a component that is

shared among all pages (visible for all pages), or set the name of a page to display the component only for that page. 3. Add a page selector to the panel. The component automatically obtains the list of pages and displays the current page.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Dashboard: Component API This page explains how to customize and create new components for Dashboard.

Basics A Dashboard component is built of an initialization file (*.INI) and a set of bitmap images (*.BMP, *.JPG and *.TGA are supported) that define the component appearance (skin). The INI files resides in the Artwork folder of Dashboard ([FL Studio]/Plugins/Fruity/Generators/Dashboard/Artwork), or in subfolder of that folder. The images can be placed anywhere, but it is best to place them where the INI file is, so you can reference the images directly, without path. There can be several section in the INI file: Info Properties (optional) Items (only for some types of components) Each section contains one or more properties. A property entry looks like this:

propertyName=value For ease of use, it is best to use relative paths when you link to image files. You can link to a folder relative to the INI position or the Artwork folder: Relative to the Artwork folder : [Folder]\image.bmp (links to Artwork\ [Folder]\image.bmp). Relative to the INI file : .\folder\image.bmp (links to Artwork\[INI Folder]\image.bmp).

INI File Sections

The INI file contains the following sections:

[Info] Section You should include these properties in the info section: Name - The name of the control. Make sure the name is unique to the other component names. This property is required. Kind - The component type. The possible values are: 0 = DigiWheel; 1 = Slider; 2 = Wheel; 3 = Panel; 4 = Switch; 5 = Label; 6 = Image; 7 = Selector; 8 = Patch selector; 9 = Page selector; This property is required. Default - Indicates if this control is the default control for its kind (Default=1) or not (Default=0). A default control is used in panel presets which contains missing controls (not installed in this copy of dashboard). For example, a missing wheel component is replaced with the default wheel component. This property is optional. Background - This is a reference to the image file that will be used as background for the control. If a background is specified, it determines the control's width and height. If you want to allow the user to make a background transparent, you have to specify an 8-Bit .bmp file. Not all controls supports transparency. This property is optional. Foreground - This is a reference to the image file that will be used as a foreground for the control. This could be a knob for a slider, for example. Not all controls will use this value (for example page selectors). This property is optional.

[Properties] Section This section defines the values to be used for the properties of a control. They are all optional. You can see a full list of properties you can set here in the component inspector for each component.

[Items] Section This section is only valid for selectors and patch selectors. It defines the values that will be available in the selector. The values are specified as a list of text lines (each line is a value) ending with "=":

valueName=

For patch selector controls, you also include the bank and program numbers that correspond to the instrument names:

valueName=Bank MSB, Bank LSB, Program Number EXAMPLE:

[items] 100% Left= 50% Left= Centered= 50% Right= 100% Right=

Component Types This is a more in depth description for each component type (you specify in the Kind property).There are currently ten different control kinds.

DigiWheel (Kind=0) Wheel which displays a different image for each value (the images should be ordered sequentially in a horizontal strip). It can be used as a controller. The background is used for the border around the control. The foreground is used for the values (see the supplied DigiWheel controls). This additional parameter is supported in the [Properties] section (not visible in the component inspector): Border - Specifies the border size of the background image as follows:

Border=left, top, right, bottom Slider (Kind=1) An up/down slider control.

Can be used as a controller. The foreground is used as the knob of the slider. Most of the time, this is a 32-Bit *.TGA file which can be transparent.

Wheel (Kind=2) A wheel control with a line as indicator of the value. Can be used as a controller. The foreground image is not used. This additional parameter is supported in the [Properties] section (not visible in the component inspector): Line Length - the length of the indicator line, as a percentage of the width/height of the control.

Panel (Kind=3) This component allows you to add custom backgrounds to the dashboard's panel. The foreground image is not used. This additional parameter is supported in the [Properties] section (not visible in the component inspector): Border - Specifies the border size of the background image as follows:

Border=left, top, right, bottom Switch (Kind=4) This is a two-state toggle button (on-off). Can be used as a controller. The foreground should contain two images, one for up and one for down. The background is not used.

Label (Kind=5)

This is a simple control that displays text labels. Background and Foreground are not used.

Image (Kind=6) This control simply displays an image. Foreground image is not used.

Selector (Kind=7) This is a combo box control, showing a custom list of values. The list of values is read from the [Items] section of the *.INI file. Foreground image is not used. It can be used as a controller.

Patch Selector (Kind=8) This control allows the user to select a patch from a list of predefined values. The list of values is read from the [Items] section of the *.INI file. Each value should have a Bank MSB, Bank LSB and a Patch Number information appended (see the description of the [Items] section above). Foreground image is not used.

Page Selector (Kind=9) This is a special type of control which allows you to select the visible interface page (if there are any). Foreground image is not used.

Notes & Tips

A control is identified by its name, so make sure to give it one that's both descriptive and unique. Preferably put all controls of a certain group in a directory away from the rest. If you don't specify a background image for a control, it's transparent. Not all controls support this very well. Take a look at the provided controls, they'll show you most of what you need to know.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Dashboard: Menu Click the arrow button to the left of the lock switch to access the Dashboard menu.

Menu Commands Panel Clear Panel - Clears the panel of all components.

Controls Add Control - Contains a submenu with all installed components, grouped by type (wheels, sliders, etc). Snap All Controls to Grid - Snaps all controls on the panel to the grid. Clone - Clones the selected component. Delete - Deletes the selected component.

Export Export to Text File - Exports a definition of the current panel contents to a text file. Import from Text File - Restores a panel from a description in a text file.

Zip

Zip Used Files - Exports all component files used in the current panel to a Zip files. Unzip Files - Installs components from a Zip file (exported earlier with the previous command). This feature makes it easy to transfer new controls on other systems using Dashboard.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave Sampler Player version: DirectWave installs as a 'player' version, free for all users. DirectWave (player) channels will be saved along with the projects as normal. The DirectWave Player limitations are: Only DirectWave's own formats (*.dwp & *.dwb) can be loaded, VST sampling is disabled, external samples can not be added to patches nor can new patches be created. To unlock the extra functions including: Editing patches, adding samples, recording, sampling VST instruments, loading 3rd party formats then DirectWave full version needs to be purchased separately.

DirectWave is a powerful and versatile sampler featuring a fully programmable synthesis section and features such as inbuilt FX, velocity & randomization layering, looping, automatic sampling of VSTi plugins and the ability to 'sample' (record sound) when loaded into the mixer audio chain, in an effects slot. Upper window Program Window Library Window Multi Window Lower window Sample Tab Zone Tab Program Tab

Options Visit the DirectWave Image-Line forum

for more patches and programming tips.

Overview The programming functions are divided into an upper and lower interface as follows: Upper interface - The upper part contains the Program Tab that allows samples to be spread across the keyboard and layered according velocity. The Library Tab shows the programs that are available from your DirectWave library. Lower interface - Each sample layer can be programmed using the Sample (sample start/end points, looping, etc.), Zone (pitch, filtering, ADSR, synthesis, etc.) and Program (FX, portamento, etc.) tabs. For more detail see the sections above.

Download Samples

Use the 'Select Preset' menu (to the right of the DirectWave logo) to access the Content Library to download soundbanks directly from the Samplefusion Website

. For more details on this feature follow

this link to the Content Library section.

Loading Programs and Samples To load programs - Use the Load folder icon to the right of the main DirectWave logo. OR Use the Library browser on the Zone Window Program Tab. NOTE: The default directory for browsing programs is set by the Content Library setting in the Options window. Alternatively drag .dwp program files from the Browser to DirectWave. To load samples - Either drag compatible files from the FL Studio Browser to the Zone Window or double click on a sample in the DW Browser, if the DW Browser is not visible it can be opened using the 'Show/Hide Browser' control noted in the image above. Note on importing SoundFonts: If the SoundFont has more than one program bank a dialog will appear enabling you to load one or more program banks into DirectWave. Use Windows file selections Left-click, Shift+Left-click and Ctrl+Left-click to select one, groups or selected banks respectively. After loading, SoundFont banks will be available as standard DirectWave banks. Limitations: Only basic SoundFont parameters such as key/velocity range, loop points, etc. are imported, filter cutoff, chorus, reverb, are not. This may result in SoundFont presets that vary ignored parameters to sound the same.

Sample format support DirectWave currently supports the following formats: Samples WAV (all types) ACM decoder support (ogg). Programs To open the importer Right-click on the Open icon to the left of the 'Select Preset' control (along

the top of the interface) or Right-click on the Program Tab. AKAI AKP (S5/6K,Z4,Z8) Battery (Version 1, 2 & 3 banks) DWP (DirectWave Program, native format) EXS24 Giga Kontakt / Kontakt 2 Kurzweil (off DOS disk) MPC (off DOS disk, not 1000/2500/500 series) Reason NN-XT (any association with a Refill can't be loaded) Recycle SoundFont2 SFZ WARNING: DirectWave will not import the above formats if they have been encrypted/protected. Encryption is sometimes used by vendors to prevent non-native import of program files (they want you to buy their sampler) so check with the vendor they are not encrypted/locked to a given sampler if you are planning to purchase any of these formats for use with DirectWave.

Plugin Credits: Reflex & Argu

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Program Zone Window The Zone Window allows you to assign samples over the keyboard for pitch (horizontal) and velocity (vertical) 'Zones'. A simple way to load samples is to drag them from a Browser and drop them on the Zone Window. This will create a new Zone for the sample. To assign Key and Velocity ranges drag the Zone Control Points, as noted below.

Diagram 1. Sample List - Contains the samples loaded in the current patch. Click on a row to activate its controls. Drag samples from the FL Browser and drop here to build a patch. 2. Zone Mapper - Allows the user to map samples in both pitch and velocity space. 3. Sample List Scrollbar - Appears when more samples are in use than can fit in the Sample List window. 4. Active Sample - Edited zones will be highlighted in yellow. 5. Zone Control Points - The upper and lower points allow you to define the velocity and pitch range by dragging the Zone Control Points in both pitch (horizontal) and velocity (vertical). Left-click, hold and drag to move a control point. 6. Root Key - Shows the MIDI key at which the sample will play back without changing from its recorded pitch. Right-click on the keyboard to change the MIDI note.

Saving Programs To save programs, Right-click on the 'Program' area at the top left of the Program Zone Window (above the column names) and a context menu will appear. There are two ways to save programs as described below:

Saving/Loading DWP files: DirectWave Program file (DWP) is the native format that DirectWave uses to store programs. Each DWP file contains a single program and the paths to the sample data used in that program. The DWP file does not contain sample data itself. For example, a program file saved as 'analog_bass.dwp' located in dir\analog_bass.dwp, will create the sub-directory dir\analog_bass and save the sample data in there. The 'dir' path is the directory structure containing the DWP file. When loading DirectWave will look for the sample-data in the original locations and if that fails in the same directory as the DWP file is loaded from, e.g.

dir\analog_bass\sample1.wav dir\analog_bass\sample2.wav, etc.

If you want to share the analog_bass patch, described above, then use an archive format such as zip to gather together the

analog_bass.dwp file and associated analog_bass sub-directory containing the .wav data. There is however an alternative method described in the next section using the Total Recall feature found in the Options settings. When loading, if DirectWave fails to find sample data, the zone will be loaded without a sample.

Saving FLP/FXP/FXB files: When Total Recall is selected in the Options (Left-click above the DirectWave peak meter), all samples will be saved along the FLP, FXB or FXP file. This is a useful way to share/store FL Studio projects bundled with sample data. The disadvantage is that the FLP/FXP/FXB files will be as large as your sample data. NOTE: FLP/FXP/FXB files are saved from the Fruity Wrapper additional settings menu.

Program (Right-mouse Context Menu) To save programs, Right-click on the 'Program' area at the top left of the Program Zone Window (above the column names) and a context menu will appear. There are several options as described below: Open program/s - Browse and open a specific program. Save program - Save currently selected Program. Save program as - Save currently selected program to another name with a new set of samples. Save program as variation - Save currently selected program to another name without a new set of samples (just a new .dwp). Save program as FL Mobile instrument - Exports the sample bank in .instr

format as used by FL Studio Mobile

.

Add sample/s - Adds samples to the sample list. Replaces sample/s - Replaces the selected sample with a new one. Flush program - Remove the currently selected program from DirectWave. Flush all programs - Remove all loaded programs from DirectWave.

Loading Samples To load samples, either drag the sample from the FL Studio Browser onto the Zone Window or double click on a sample in the DW Browser.

Parameters 1. Columns (upper section) NOTE: You can drag and drop samples from the FL Browser directly onto the Sample List. Zone - This is a numerical label for the sample. Zone Name - By default will show the name of the sample loaded based on the file name. To change Left-click in the cell. Sample Size (S.SIZE) - The total number of samples in the recording. Sample Rate (S.RATE)- Shows the sample rate of the file loaded. DirectWave can play back any sample rate. Mute - Exclusive mute group. Triggering samples with mute group above 0 will release playing samples of that same mute group. I.e: closed and open hihat samples. Root - The MIDI note number of the root key (that is the key the sample should play back at the sampled pitch/speed). Transpose in Semitones (SEMI) - Transpose sample (+/- 36 semitones). Fine tune (FINE) - Transpose sample (+/- 50 cents). Keyboard Track (KTRK) - Determines how the playback pitch tracks the MIDI keyboard (+100 to -100 is possible). 100 = 100 cents per semitone, 0 = no pitch tracking. Ticks - Length of the sample in ticks. 4 Ticks equals 1 musical beat. This parameter affects the way 'Sync' mode works.

Beat Sync (SY) - When activated (check mark), playing the sample at root key will adjust pitch to match the playback rate of the voice according host tempo. Tick Slice (SL) - Plays a slice of the sample based on the note (relative to the root key of the sample). Low Key (LKEY) - Lower MIDI note playback range. High Key (HKEY) - Upper MIDI note playback range. Low velocity (LVEL) - Lowest velocity at which the sample will be played. High velocity (HVEL) - Highest velocity at which the sample will be played. Lock (LK) - Locks the zone parameters. Voice Count (V) - Displays the number of voices played based on that sample.

2. Zone Mapper (lower section) Provides 'drag & drop' setting of the Zone key-ranges (horizontal) and velocity ranges (vertical). Change playback range of the selected sample - Left-click the small squares at the upper left and lower right of the selected sample and drag the bounding box left and right respectively. Change velocity range - Left-click the Upper left and lower right marker squares and drag the box up and down. Shift box while leaving dimensions fixed - Left-click inside the selected sample region and drag the box up/down or left/right. Change root key - Right-click the desired key on the preview keyboard below the zone mapper. The set root key shows orange.

Context Menu (Right-click anywhere inside the Zone window) New Zone - Creates a new zone. Delete Zone - Deletes the currently selected zone. Delete all Zones - Deletes all zones - be careful with this one! Duplicate Zone - Creates a copy of the currently selected zone. Add Sample/s - Adds samples to those existing. Replace Sample/s - Replaces samples with new ones. Automap Zone/s - Automatically maps samples if the .wav files have embedded key-range and loop data. Remap Zones/s as Drumkit - Remaps existing zones into consecutive semitones, useful to map drum kit samples across the keyboard, for example. Lock all Zone/s - Prevents zones from further editing. Unlock all Zone/s - Allows editing of previously locked zones.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Library Window The Library Window shows the programs that are available from your library.

Use To load a program: double Left-click from the list available. Once loaded, the active program can be changed by Left-clicking the left and right arrow buttons next to the Library tab. Importer: To open the importer Right-click on the Program tab and select Open program. DirectWave will import the following formats AKAI AKP (S5/6K,Z4,Z8) Battery DWP (DirectWave Program, native format) EXS24 Giga Kontakt / Kontakt 2 / Battery 3 Kurzweil (off DOS disk) MPC (off DOS disk, not 1000/2500/500 series) Reason NN-XT (any association with a Refill can't be loaded) Recycle SoundFont2 SFZ WARNING: DirectWave will not import the above formats if they have been encrypted/protected. Encryption is sometimes used by vendors to prevent non-native import of program files (they want you to buy their sampler) so check with the vendor they are not encrypted/locked to a given sampler if you are planning to purchase any of these formats for use with DirectWave.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Multi Window (Select in Options) The Multi Window can be used to load up to 16 separate program banks and control them from 16 MIDI CC channels and/or route them to 16 separate outputs for separate FX processing.

NOTE: Prior to FL Studio 11, this feature was only available on the VST version. You need to deactivate this tab in the Options to play older projects correctly with the native version.

Use Left-clicking on a line - Ch. 1 to 16 in the MULTI window will select the corresponding PROGRAM window, program number. Load a program - 1. Open the MULTI window (click on the tab) and select the MIDI Channel (Ch) you want the bank to load in by clicking on the corresponding line. 2. Open the LIBRARY tab and doubleclick a soundbank to be loaded. The bank will be loaded into the MIDI channel slot selected on the MULTI tab. Sequencing & Live playing - Instrumens will respond to notes on the same MIDI channel as their Multi tab channel (Ch.). In FL Studio you can use the note colors to drive the different MIDI channels from a single Piano roll or use several Piano rolls feeding MIDI Out plugins set to the same Input Port number as DirectWave and the MIDI channels of the intended instruments.

Parameters Ch. - MIDI Channel. To change the MIDI channel for a sound bank you must load it into the desired MIDI channel slot. Prg Index - If you load more than one program into DW select them with the arrows at the top left on the PROGRAM window. Program name - As labeled. You can double-click on the name field to edit it. This does not change the name of the loaded program, just the name displayed in DirectWave. Output - Output offset number from DirectWave's own output channel. Double-click on the Output number and type in the desired offset. Use this to output sound banks to separate mixer channels for separate FX processing.

PB Rng - Pitch Bend Range (cents). To set, double-click the field and enter a new number. Pitch Bend - Pitch Bend. Click the bar and drag vertically to set. Mod wheel - Mod wheel. Click the bar and drag vertically to set. Volume - Volume. Click the bar and drag vertically to set. Panning - Panning. Click the bar and drag vertically to set. Expression - MIDI expression, acts as a multiplicatior to volume. Click the bar and drag vertically to set. Mute - Solo / Mute switches. Useful to hear a particular instrument in multi-bank arrangements.​​

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Sample Tab

The Sample Tab contains Sample Start, Looping options and Input/Recording controls (so DirectWave is a sampler that actually 'samples').

Sample Window Mouse-Control Apart from the horizontal and vertical zoom buttons, as shown in the image above, several actions are available through mouse movement, as described below.

Zoom - Left-click on the sample scroll/path bar (below the sample window) and drag up/down. Scroll - Left-click the scroll/path bar and move left/right. Select region - Left-click inside the sample window and drag to select the desired region.

Sample Start - Moving the knob changes the sample start position (red marker). To gain finer control, zoom the waveform as described above.

Loop Looping samples is the process of setting a region in the sample that will be repeated. Although termed Loop Start and Loop End DW allows you to move the End point in front of the Start (useful when automating points), so they are really just 'Loop point A and B'. Loop Start - One end of the looped region (black marker). The loop start can be moved to become the loop end.

Loop End - The other end of the looped region (black marker). The loop end can be moved to become the loop start. Loop Type - There are several looping schemes available. Disabled - No looping. Loop start/end markers will not be visible. Forward - The sample is repeated jumping back to the Loop Start once. One Shot- The sample play from start to end regardless of note duration (useful for percussion samples). Sustained - The looped region will play while a key is held. The region beyond the Loop End will play on key release. Remember that you need to increase the ADSR Release value (Zone Tab) for this to work. Bounce - The sample loops backward and forward. NOTE: Looping instrument samples is an art. It is very easy to make loops that click, warble, pop or just sound plain awful (nothing is broken). Clicks are caused by the sample amplitude at the loop start and end points differing (try to select zero-crossing points and the same phases of the waveform, that is moving in the same direction). Another source of loop disasters are slow changes in timbre, phase or frequency content. Normally these happen slowly and naturally and add motion to the sound, however when a loop jumps back to a distant point, the abrupt change sounds like a glitch. In these cases the 'Bounce' loop can be a solution. In conclusion, there is a reason why professional sample libraries are expensive, someone (or team) had to sit down and craft hundreds/thousands of loops, often involving serious post-processing (layering, cross-fading, etc). If we haven't scared you off by now, experiment with the loop types and start/end positions and remember some sounds just don't loop smoothly...on second thoughts perhaps we should only allow trained professionals access to these controls? TIP: Use 'Set Optimal Loop' command from sample editor popup menu (Right-click on sample editor wave display) to assist in finding good loop points. This jumps the loop-start/end markers between zero-crossings. Don't forget to zoom the wave-display if you need finer control.

Input / Sampling To record you must load the DW VST version into a mixer channel Effects slot (DW VST version can be downloaded from www.imageline.com

). DW VST only records sound from the mixer track and

FX slot where it is loaded. This means any FX in slots preceding DW will be heard (and recorded) while those after it will be heard (but not recorded). Monitor - Allows you to hear the mixer track that DW is loaded into. Unless this is selected you will not hear anything on the track. 440 Hz - This is a 440 Hz test-tone (Note A4) to aid in tuning of melodic samples. Record - When selected the mixer track (and FX slot position) DW is loaded into will be recorded into DirectWave. The recording will start when audio input is received. NOTE: DirectWave can also auto-sample VST plugins, see the Options > VST Sampler tab.

Wave Viewer Context Menu (Right-click) Right-click on the sample view window. If the selected command acts on sample data, only the

selected region will be affected. To select sample data, Left-click and drag on the region you desire to process or edit. Zoom In / Zoom Out / Full - Zoom in by 200% / Zoom out by 50% / Show whole waveform respectively. Edit Cut / Copy / Paste / Trim - Standard editing functions on the selected waveform. Cut - removes selected sample data, Copy - copies selected sample data, Paste pastes sample data at the point where the cursor is located (Left-click to place the cursor in the sample), Trim - Trim By selection removes the sample data outside the selected region. Trim by loop, removes sample data outside the looped region. Trim by loop end, removes sample data after the loop end. To select a portion of the displayed wave, Left-click and drag, the selected section will invert contrast. Loop Set Sample Start - Sets the sample start to the point selected in the Wave viewer. To select a point, Left-click the display. Set Loop Start / Set Loop End / Set Loop by Selection - Sets the selected point to according to the menu option. To select a point, Left-click the display. NOTE: The loop start/end points will not be visible if the loop-type is set to 'none'. Find Optimal Loop - Forces the loop start/end points to skip to the next zerocrossing. This is the point where the waveform passes through the zero amplitude point. This can help to minimize loop-clicking. Process Fade In / Fade Out - Ramps the volume of the selected sample data up and down respectively. Normalize - Amplifies the selected section so that the maximum amplitude of the sample is 0 dB. Reverse - Reverses the selected section. Find Pitch Root - Sets the root pitch for the sample according to pitch analysis. File Save Wave / Save Wave As - Save Wave overwrites the source sample with the current edit. Save Wave As allows you to change the name and replaces the wave in the Program with the new name. Peak View - Display waveform as a waveform peak-to-peak view. Spectral View - Display waveform as a spectrograph (vertical axis = frequency, horizontal axis = time and color = amplitude). Edit in Edison - Edit wave file in Edison (FL Studio native version only).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Zone Tab

Zone Tab Properties The Zone Tab contains filters, envelopes, effects and the modulation matrix. It is possible for every sample loaded into DW to have a unique set of Zone Tab controls, a single set applied to all samples or some combination of the two. NOTE: Make sure the 'EDIT/AUTOMATION' (Current Selection or Global) control is set to 'Current Selection' if you want changes to affect only the currently selected Zone (sample) or 'Global' for all Zones (samples).

Main These options control the main sample (Zone) playback settings. Pitch Tune - Adjusts the pitch. Gain - Allows the user to map samples in both pitch and velocity space. Panning - Pans the sample left (-50) or right (+50). Post Gain - Volume control for the individual sample.

Time Stretch These options control sample time-stretching and pitch-shifting playback functions. When the Time (Timestretching) mode is engaged the sample will be pitch-shifted using a granualization method. This maintains the samples temporal properties as pitch is changed, as opposed to changing speed with the standard method. The Timestretching algorithm can only be pushed so far before artifacts are audible. Time (switch) - When selected, the Zone will be played using time stretching system. Sync (switch) - When selected, the time stretching time will be expressed in ticks (1/4 beat). Amount (Amt) - Time stretching length expressed in % of the original sample length or in number of ticks (1/4 beat, with sync enabled).

Grain - Length of each time stretching grain. Smooth 'smoothing window' - Amount of smoothing between each time stretching grain. Type - Reserved, not yet used.

Trigger Trigger controls allow sample (Zone) playback randomization. The primary purpose is to recreate natural sounding instruments by using multiple sample Zones for a specific velocity range, assigning them to a 'Trigger Group' and randomly triggering Zones from Trigger Groups according to the following settings. Group - Zone Trigger Group. Samples in the same Trigger Group will be randomized. Up to 99 trigger groups can be set. Randomization will be according to the Type control. To assign more than one Trigger Group 1. Select 'Current Selection' from the EDIT/AUTOMATION control (lower right on the Zone Tab) 2. Select the Zone to be assigned from the Zone Window above the Zone Tab by clicking on it. 3. Set the Trigger Group using the Group control. Type - Randomization type. Type is not available if no Group is selected. Normal - No velocity layer randomization. Cycle - Each Layer in the velocity group will be played, in turn. Random - Layers are played at random from the velocity group. Avoid previous - Layers are played at random from the velocity group, with the restriction that the same Layer will never be played twice in a row. Random selection can sometimes cause a singe Layer to be played repeatedly, defeating the purpose. This random option can help to avoid obvious identical hits with repeated fast playing of a key. Frequency - Randomization frequency controls how often a Zone from a Trigger Group is played. Settings vary from 100% (always) to 0% (never). In other words, 'Frequency' allows you to determine the probability that a Zone (sample) from the selected Trigger Group will play. A useful application of this control is to add in key-clacking, string buzzes and other incidental mechanical noises that instruments make, at random to selected velocity ranges. This control is not available if there are no velocity groups. Overlap - Amount of velocity overlap required for Zones to Group-randomize. At 0%, touching Zones will randomize with no need to overlap. This control is not available if there are no velocity groups.

Filter 1 & Filter 2 There are two variable state filters that can be configured in parallel (

) or series (

).

Frequency - Sets the cut-off frequency for the lowpass/bandpass/highpass filters. Emphasis - Boosts a frequency band near the cut-off level to create a sound "sharpening" effect. Shape - Applies hardclip limiting (distortion) on the filter output. Type - Selects the filter type. Off - The filter is bypassed with no effect. Lowpass - Frequencies below the 'Frequency cut-off' are passed. Highpass - Frequencies above the 'Frequency cut-off' are passed. Bandpass- Allows a narrow band of frequencies to pass. Notch - Subtracts a small band of frequencies. Allpass - Alters the phase of the signal.

AMP, ENV1 & ENV2 Envelopes There is one dedicated Amplitude envelope and two freely assignable Envelopes. Attack (A) - Sets the envelope Attack speed (down is fast, up is slow). Decay (D) - Sets the envelope Decay speed (down is fast, up is slow). Sustain /s - Sets the envelope Sustain time (down is short, up is long). Release (R) - Sets the envelope Release speed (down is fast, up is slow).

LFO1 & LFO2 Rate - Low Frequency Oscillator speed. Sync - Syncs the sample LFO start to the note-on event. Attack - Sets the attack length of the LFO modulation (from instant through to 10 seconds delay). Phase - Changes the phase of the waveform (Free Run appears when the knob is fully clockwise and allows the LFO to run independently of note start events). Waveform - LFO wave shape, 8 are available. Sine - Sine wave. Abs Sine - Positive sine wave. Triangle - Triangle wave. Square - Square wave. Saw - Saw wave.

Inv Saw - Inverted Saw wave. Random - Random wave (noise). LP Random - Low Pass Random.

Modulation Matrix 1 to 4 There are 4 banks of 4 modulation pairings, the first bank is defaulted to set the basic note control parameters, banks 2 - 4 are empty. The Mod Matrix allows the user to freely assign one variable to modulate another (LFO 1 modulating filter cut-off frequency for example). To set a modulation mapping - select the Modulation Source in the top field, the Modulation Target in the lower field and the Modulation Amount with the knob to the right (-100% fully left to +100% fully right).

Effects There are 4 effects and 3 sends from where FX may be added to the samples. Each has a switch to the right of the label that activates it. Ringmod, Decimator, Quantizer and Phaser, are able to be applied with unique instances on a sample-by-sample basis, while Delay, Chorus and Reverb are shared amongst all voices.

Ring Modulation Rate - Full Left = stopped, Full right = 100% fast modulation. Mix - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% Chorus FX mix.

Decimator Step - Full Left = Minimum decimation, Full right = Maximum decimation. Mix - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% full FX mix.

Quantizer Bits - Full Left = More bits, Full right = less bits. Mix - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% Chorus FX mix.

Phaser Frequency - Phaser frequency. Mix - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% Chorus FX mix.

Send The Delay, Chorus and Reverb FX settings reside on the Program Tab, they are disabled by default. The default level for the sends is 50% (-12 dB). The reason some FX are on the Zone tab and some on the Program tab, is that Delay, Chorus and Reverb are CPU hungry FX and can't be applied on a

voice-by-voice basis so are considered global FX, shared among all voices. To adjust the relative dry/wet mix, use dry = Post Gain, Wet = Sends (below). Delay - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% Delay FX mix. Chorus - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% Chorus FX mix. Reverb - Full Left = 0%, Full right = 100% reverb FX mix.

Edit/Automation Use this switch to decide if the changes on the Zone Tab affect only the currently selected sample (Zone) OR all samples. Current - Applies the settings only to the currently selected Zone. Global - Applies settings to all Zones. Careful! this will overwrite 'current' settings previously entered for any Zones.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Program Tab

Master Use these controls to change the playback polyphony and overall volume. Play Mode. Poly - Polyphonic playback (more than one note). Mono - Monophonic playback (one note at a time). Legato - Monophonic with portamento. Volume - It's a volume knob, what more can we say.

Glide (Portamento) This control slurs the attack between notes, the controls change the dynamics of the slur (slide). Time - Time taken to slide from one note to the next (0.001 to 10 seconds). Fixed - Portamento takes place regardless of the playing style. Auto - Legato notes (overlapping end of one to the start of another) will be portamento.

FX Drive A & B Amount (%) - Controls the amount of overdrive for the distortion FX.

LFO 1 & LFO 2 There are two user-definable Low Frequency Oscillators. These are used as modulation sources for various parameters in the modulation matrix. Rate - The filter is bypassed with no effect. Sync - Syncs the sample LFO start to the note-on event.

Attack - Sets the cut-off frequency for the lowpass/bandpass/highpass filters. Phase - Boosts a frequency band near the cut-off level to create a sound "sharpening" effect. Waveform - Selects the filter type. Sine - Sine wave. Abs Sine - Absolute Sine (positive Sine Wave) Triangle - Triangle wave. Square - Square wave. Saw - Saw wave. Inv Saw - Inverted Saw wave. Random - Random wave (noise). LP Random - Low Pass Random.

FX - Delay, Reverb and Chorus The Delay, reverb and Chorus are global FX, there are individual send-levels from each sample loaded in the Zone Tab.

Delay Delay - Timing of the echoes. Feedback - The amount of signal fed back into the delay loop. Low Cut - The cutoff frequency below which frequencies are filtered. High Cut - The cutoff frequency above which frequencies are filtered. Bounce - Stereo echoes, bouncing between the L and R channels. Normal - Mono echoes.

Reverb Room (size) - Use this to set the size of the virtual room where the reverb is created. The Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms sound better with longer reverb times. High Frequency Damping (Damp) - This parameter allows you to adjust damping of the high frequencies in the reverb signal over time. Damping refers to the high frequencies being attenuated and dying out. This causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warm like it is being absorbed in the room. Setting this parameter to the maximum value will bypass the High Damping, displaying OFF in the value field. Diffusion - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the reflections sound more distinct, like closely spaced echoes. A

high diffusion setting creates reflections so close they sound more like noise, where no echoes can be distinguished. Decay - Controls the decay time of the reverb, the time it takes for the signal to decay to -60dB (1/1000 of the maximum amplitude). Use low decay times for small rooms or boxes, and long decay times for large rooms, halls or churches. You should also make sure that the Room Size parameter has an appropriate value.

Chorus Delay - Sets the minimal delay of the delay-line inside the flanger. The flanger delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. Range: 0 to 20 milliseconds. For 'deep' flanger effect, set this parameter to low values. Depth - Controls the range of the flanger action. The flanger delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. If you set this value to zero, the flanger will remain 'static' as the delay will stay constant. Range: 0 to 20 milliseconds. Setting this parameter to a higher value will create special effects and heavy modulation. Rate - Sets chorus modulation speed. Feedback - Determines how much of the signal is sent back into the chorus.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

DirectWave - Options To open the Options Window - Left-click on the 'Options' button above the peak-meter. The options dialog allows you to select the Browser directories and rendering quality, and set up an automated sample VST session.

Options Directories Content Library - Click on the [...] button to link DirectWave to your sample library. The directory set here will also be the default used when saving DWP files and sample data. VST plugins - Click on the [...] button to link DirectWave to your VST plugin directory.

Global 16-Point sinc interpolation - When deselected 64 point sinc is used. 16 point sinc uses less CPU but may produce more aliasing

for transposed samples.

Total recall mode - Bundles wave data with the project file. NOTE: this may create large project files, but projects using DirectWave will be directly portable to other users/machines without the need for separate sample data. By default Total Recall is disabled, and only filename references to the wave files will be saved with the project. File browser - Turns the integrated Browser on. Import content to library - Copy imported .dwp and contained samples to the content library folder on opening. Multitimbral Mode - Allows DirectWave to respond independently on all 16 MIDI channels (VST only). Show note names in host - Informs the host what name a note has (based on the zone name) when the host requests this information. Use tablet PC or digitizing stylus - Switch on when using a stylus based interface. Switch program channel - Select the MIDI channel DirectWave responds to program changes on. The default '--' is off.

Samples Pitch analysis after sample load - Analyses pitch of loaded samples. Useful when creating banks from scratch. Auto normalize samples - Maximizes the volume of samples so that the maximum peak hits 100% volume. Extract root key from filename - Sets the sample root key from the end of the file name, e.g. 'Strings_C4.wav' or 'Strings - C4.wav' (note the spaces either side of the dash) will set the Root Key to C4. So, C4_Strings.wav and Strings-C4.wav won't work.

There are additional functions available when used in conjunction with the Open > Create program from samples option. Use the file name/s with on an _ (underscore) or - separating the last characters. Everything after the _ or - will be interpreted according to these rules: Multiple Commands - You can use multiple sample program settings using the +character to separate commands. Root notes - A through G is a root key: C#5, D2, ... Key range - K, it's a key range, min and max separated by a " - ". Example: 'KC3-B3' for the entire octave 3. Velocity range - V, it's a velocity range (between 0 and 127). Example: 'V64-127' Trigger group - T, it's a trigger group. There are four subtypes: TG = group index (0..99), TY = type (0, 1, 2 or 3 for normal, cycle, random and avoid previous respectively), TF = frequency (0..100 for the percentage), TO = overlap (0..100 for the percentage) For example: samplename_C4+KA3-F#4+V64-95+TG1+TY3+TF100+TO15.wav sets root key = C4, key range = A3 to F#4, velocity range = 64 to 95, trigger group = #1, trigger type = avoid previous, trigger frequency = 100%, trigger overlap = 15%. Show load progress - Displays the load state when opening sample banks.

Compatibility Compatible velocity - Backward compatibility for velocity handling, should be left off for new banks. Clip volume - Try this with old banks/songs that have 'volume' issues' (too loud), should be left off for new songs/banks.

VST Sampler VST instrument host Current Instance - Host a VST instrument in DirectWave for sampling purposes. Selected Program - Selects a program to sample.

VST Instrument Sampler Sets the automated sampling options. Please be aware that long sample settings combined with multiple velocity layers and small key-steps will result in very large programs. Low Key - Lowest key to sample.

High Key - Highest key to sample. Key Step - Number of Keys to step up from the lowest note before taking the next sample. Samplerate - Samplerate used when sampling VSTi plugins. Velocity Splits - Number of velocity layers to sample. Number Programs - When autosampling VSTi Plugins, you can render current program only (set to '1'), or render a number of programs. For example, Num Programs set to 16 will render 16 programs into content library. VST instruments have different number programs, up to 128. Programs and presets in a VST instrument are the same thing. Length (seconds) - Sample duration. Max release (sec) - Time to wait if the audio has not faded to zero after the note release. Process - Starts auto-sampling.

NOTE: The Auto sampling works as follows: 1. DirectWave triggers a note (working individually through the MIDI notes Low key to High key, sampling every Step notes at each of Velocity splits velocities). 2. The note is held for the duration set (Length). 3. After that time, a 'note off' message is sent. 4. DirectWave waits until the note is silent, if it reaches silence you will see a 'skipping release' message. 5. If the note has not reached silence after the time set at Max release, DirectWave stops sampling and fades to silence (linearly). 6. The samples and patch will be saved in Options > Content library AFTER you manually instruct DirectWave to do so from the Program Zone window

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Drumaxx - Percussion Modeling Instrument The Drumaxx percussion modeling instrument gives you total control over 16 physically modeled drums that can be routed to independent outputs for external effects processing. Great, but why should you care when the internet is awash with drum samples? In two words, expressive control. here

See the Drumaxx video tutorial series

.

Once a drum sound is recorded, the performance and modulation options are limited to filtering, volume, or similar 1-dimensional effects. When a single drum sample is triggered in a roll, you get the familiar 'machine-gun' effect and it just sounds mechanical. Multi-sampled, multi-layered drums can overcome this limitation but need multi-megabyte or even Gigabyte! drum libraries. Even then, you are still limited to the sounds originally recorded. Drumaxx is not based on samples or even commonly used 'synthesis' techniques, where oscillators are mixed and the result is always 'electronic'. Drumaxx uses modeling algorithms to create bass drums, hi-hats, snares, realistic and electronic sounds too. But what about the traditional 'Achilles' heel' of synthesis, cymbals? Drumaxx creates cymbals and metallic 'ethnic' percussion sounds too. At the core of Drumaxx is a model where the vibrating membrane is represented as a mesh of interconnected points. Each point is given physical properties including mass,

inertia, stiffness, damping, and all that good physics stuff. For the musician, this means Drumaxx gives you control over multiple parameters such as material, thickness, tension and shape. More importantly, the parameters can be modulated in real-time as a function of velocity or external controls. The drum body is also under user control too, including body size and shape. All this gives you multi-dimensional performance options, a Matrix of variables providing nearly infinite possibilities. An alternative to Drumaxx is Drumpad (free) that allows you to load a single Drumaxx Drum Pad into any number of individual Channels and use the FL Studio Stepsequencer or Piano roll to control them. Visit the Drumaxx & Drumpad Image-Line forum

for more patches and

programming tips.

Overview As shown above, selecting the Drum Pad will open the Modeling controls to match the Drum Pad. Click on the image above or the link below to jump to the help for that section. Main Controls Drum Pad Controls Modeling Controls Velocity Modulation Performance Sequencer Effects Multiple outputs Drumaxx video tutorial series here Drumaxx & Drumpad Image-Line forum

Main Controls

Logo - Click on the Drumaxx logo to see version and registration information. Preset selector - The left/right arrows step through the presets in the bank. Click on the middle name field to open the preset browser and downloader for online content.

Save/Load - Save/Load the complete set of 16 Drum Pads, including associated sequences. Kits are saved as .dmkit files. To Save/Load an individual Drum Pad use the Pad Name button (Load/Save). Options - Options include... Load/Save Drum Kit - Save/Load the complete set of 16 Drum Pads, including associated sequences. Kits are saved as .dmkit files. To Save/Load an individual Drum Pad use the Pad Name button (Load/Save). Copy/Paste Bar - Copy/Paste the currently selected sequencer Bar for the selected Drum Pad. Copy/Paste Track - Copy/Paste all 4 sequencer bars in the 'track' for the selected Drum Pad. Copy/Paste Pattern - Copy/Paste all sequencer data in the selected pattern (16 patterns are possible). Import Pattern - Loads sequencer patterns according to the Pad Trigger key numbers rather than selected Drum Pad numbers (as the 'Load' option does). For example, if a kick sequence was saved from Drum Pad 1 and Drum Pad 1 was originally mapped to C3, the sequence will load into the Drum Pad mapped to C3 in the current Drum Kit. If there is no Drum Pad set to C3 then the pattern won't be loaded. NOTE: This feature only works with Patterns saved from Drumaxx version 1.1 or higher. Save/Load Pattern - Save/Load all sequencer data in the pattern. Reset Pattern - Reset all sequencer data in the selected pattern. Master volume - Controls the volume of the Master and any individual outputs.

Drum Pad Controls From left to right, top to bottom the controls for each of the 16 Drum Pads are:

Volume - Pad volume level.

Name button - Save, Load, Copy, Paste, Cut, Link & Route a Drum Pad. Up / Down arrows - The arrows leading the Drumpad name can be used to scroll through preset sounds. First click the name and load a Drumpad preset, once a directory has been selected the arrows will step through presets in the selected directory. Rename - Click to rename the Drum Pad. NOTE: Pad names will show in the Piano roll for the FL Studio version. Load/Save individual Pads - Click the name menu and save the Pad with a new name. This is also a great way to create custom drum-kits, loading and saving individual Pads. Copy/Paste - Select the source Drum Pad, select Copy, select the destination Drum Pad and select Paste. Easier, use the COPY/PASTE panel and click on the source Drum Pad, select the Copy button (double rectangle), click the destination Drum Pad and click the Paste button (arrow into rectangle). Learn - MIDI learn. Select the 'Learn' option and play the the key/pad on the controller you want to link to the Pad. The menu will close and the Pad name show 'Waiting for input' between selecting 'Learn' and playing the controller. Cut Group - Select a Cut Group for the Pad. Drum Pads in the same Cut Group will cut each other's sound. The most recent Pad in the Group will cut previously triggered Pads. Useful for transitions between open and closed Hi-hats for example. Set Pad Mixer track offset - Selecting an offset will route the Drum Pad to the indicated Mixer track. See: Multiple outputs. NOTE: The maximum number of outputs for the VST version is 11 (Master plus 10) and 99 for the FL Studio version (Master plus 98). Pad Trigger key - Click to select the MIDI trigger note for the Pad. Pad - Left-click to play the Drum Pad and select its Modeling controls. The selected Pad's number will be lit. Right-click to select the Pad's modeling controls without playing the Pad. Vertical play position on the Drum Pad is linked to velocity. NOTE: Velocity must be linked to 'Mallet amplitude' or other targets for the vertical play position to change the Pad's sound. M - Mute the Drum Pad. S - Solo the Drum Pad.

Panning - Left/right stereo panning.

Modeling Controls The Drum Pad controls change to reflect the selected Drum Pad as shown in the screenshot above. Click on the Drum Pad to be edited.

Mallet Modeling Controls for the mallet (stick) used to hit the drum. Amplitude - Striking force. Decay - Decay time for the strike. Simulate quick, sharp hits or slower, deep hits. Noise Level - Noise to simulate brushes and softer mallets. As the noise level is increased the fundamental (lower) frequencies are reduced. To compensate you can increase the amplitude. Noise Phase - To be used in conjunction with Noise Retriggering. The Phase will influence the tonal character of the mallet. Retrig - Noise retriggering. When selected the tonal character of the noise remains constant (the same each time as the noise is 'retriggered'). When deselected the noise will continue to randomize so that each hit will have a slightly different character.

Membrane The drum membrane (skin) has a significant impact on the tonal character of the final sound. There are 4 key parameters - Tension, Phase, Material and Shape. When the right balance between these four controls is achieved, the sound will be most natural. We recommend adjusting Tension and Phase first, so that the pitch is close to what you need. Then adjust Material and Shape to fine-tune the tonal qualities. If the balance is right, the Drum Pad will sound like a drum, and if not, the Drum Pad can sound 'blurry' and 'loose'.

Decay - Decay time for the membrane response and reflections. Tension - Membrane tension (how tightly stretched the drum is). Material - This control moves the membrane material through a range of possible characteristics and types. Generally left are heavier slower materials and right are lighter more reflective materials. Set by ear. Cutoff - High frequency cutoff. Phase - Relates to the impact-point on the drum-head. Set by ear. Size - Drum-head size. Shape - The shape can be varied from square (left) to round (right). Most drumheads are round, but experimentation is always rewarded!

Low Frequency Filtering Low cut frequency filtering Freq - Low frequency cutoff. Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency. Useful to simulate resonances in the drum head or body or accentuate the 'tone' or pitch of a drum.

Self Oscillating Filter (SOF) The SOF is an 'allpass' filter with a narrow frequency-peak exhibiting high levels of selfoscillation. When the frequency-peak is swept quickly downwards, it is useful to make kicks and snares. Freq - Down-sweep starting frequency. The frequency will sweep down to ~20 Hz (fixed). Decay - Down-sweep time. Fast sweeps produce the most realistic 'kick' sounds. Level - SOF mix level. The SOF sweep is added before other filters in the modeling engine, immediately after the Membrane sound is generated.

Mid Frequency Filtering Mid-range frequency filtering. The Mid frequencies also include EG controls (EG Freq & EG Level) that allow modulation of the associated parameters. EG modulations are particularly important for creating more realistic drum sounds. Freq - Initial filter cutoff frequency.

EG Freq - Determines where (left = lower, right = higher) the frequency moves after the mallet hits. Level - Boost/Cut Mid frequencies. EG Level - Determines where (left = lower, right = higher) and how strongly the frequency moves after the mallet hits. Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency. Decay - How quickly the Freq and Level are modulated. Retrig - Retriggering of the modulation envelope. Zero = no retriggering. Retriggering values (I to III) are necessary to make Claps for example. NOTE: The Mid frequency Freq and Level controls are excellent modulation targets for velocity.

High Frequency Filtering High frequency shelf filtering. Freq - High frequency cutoff. Level - High frequency level. Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency.

Output Main output controls. Hold - Overall sustain. Lo Fi - Bit reduction effect. Turn right for a low bit-rate crunch. Pitch - Drum tuning.

Velocity Modulation Velocity can be assigned to 4 modulation targets per Drum Pad. If more control independent of velocity is needed, any of the modeling parameters can be linked to external modulation sources (a mod-wheel for example). Parameter - Select Modulation targets by clicking on the Parameter name field and selecting from the pop-up menu. Value - Modulates the target parameter value as a function of velocity and

'Value' setting. If the velocity = minimum, the target parameter remains at its original value. If velocity = maximum then the target parameter = Value setting. Intermediate values are the linear scaling between those two points. NOTE: You can automate any of the modeling controls using standard automation & modulation techniques.

Performance Sequencer The Sequencer is primarily for live use, so complex and perfectly 'in time' rhythms can be triggered from a single key. When a trigger note is held, the Pad's sequencer will play until a new pattern is triggered or the same pattern is retriggered. Drum Pads can be assigned up to 16 unique patterns, each with a unique trigger key. To create a pattern, click on the Step-Buttons to play in the bar and set their velocity sliders (to the left of each Drum Pad) where needed. NOTE: Velocity must be associated with the Drum Pad controls in the 'Velocity Modulation' matrix for these sliders to have any effect.

Play/Pause - The sequencer tempo is linked to the host tempo and all patterns on all Drum Pads play. Pattern - Select the pattern number, 1 to 16, to play on the selected Drum Pad. To edit a pattern, select the pattern number and edit the Step Sequencer steps by selecting/deselecting them. The pattern changes are automatically saved for the edited pattern. Trigger key - Select a MIDI key to trigger the currently selected pattern. By assigning different MIDI keys to each of the 16 patterns (per Drum Pad) complex sequences can be accessed. Pattern length - Set the number of steps in each pattern. By default the Step Sequencer displays 16 steps. To activate a step Left-click an inactive step (LED off). To deactivate a step Left-click an active step (LED on). If your pattern is more than 16 steps use the Pattern Bar control to access more steps in banks of 16. Up to 64 steps can be accessed this way. Pattern Bar - Accesses each of the 64 possible steps in groups of 16 (bars 1 to 4). Swing - Alters the timing of notes to produce a 'lilting' or 'shuffle

' rhythm.

Swing holds the first note of the bar at the expense of the second note in the bar. Steps - Click on a step to activate or deactivate it. The Drum Pad displays a LED when selected.

Velocity sliders - To the left of each step a small volume slider controls the velocity/volume for the step. Copy/Paste, Load/Save sequences and patterns - Use the Options menu. Import pattern - Loads sequencer patterns according to the Pad Trigger key numbers rather than selected Drum Pad numbers (as the 'Load' option does). For example, if a kick sequence was saved from Drum Pad 1 and Drum Pad 1 was originally mapped to C3, the sequence will load into the Drum Pad mapped to C3 in the current Drum Kit. If there is no Drum Pad set to C3 then the pattern won't be loaded. NOTE: This feature only works with Patterns saved from Drumaxx version 1.1 or higher.

Effects Drumaxx incorporates an 8 band Equalizer and Limiter into the output of the plugin.

Equalizer Enable/Disable - Select the switch above the Equalizer label. EQ bands - Adjust the EQ bands from -100% (- 6 dB cut) to +100% (+ 6 dB boost).

Limiter Enable/Disable - Select the switch above the Limiter label. Gain - Limiter input level. Higher levels will cause more limiting. The Limiter threshold is set to 100% output level with an infinite compression-ratio. Release - Limiter release time. Longer release times will cause the decay (tail) of the drum to be more audible.

Multiple outputs Each Drum Pad can be sent to separate Mixer track for external effects processing. In the FL Studio version, Drum Pads are sent to the Mixer track Drumaxx is loaded on plus an offset. The Mixer track offset can be changed using the Drum Pad name menu. For example, if Drumaxx is routed to Mixer track 2 and the Drum Pad has an offset of 6, the Drum Pad will be routed to Mixer track 8. NOTE: The maximum number of outputs for VST is 11 and FL Studio native version, 99.

Enable independent Drum Pad output - Click on the Drum Pad name window (shown below left) and select an offset from the drop-down list. The number is an offset to the host Mixer track, listed as 'Master'. Change Drum Pad output channel - Click on the name menu on the Drum Pad and select a new Mixer track offset.

In the example left, the drop-down menus are shown for VST (Pad 2) and FL Studio native (Pad 4). FL Studio native Offsets can range from negative values to +98 (not shown). Negative numbers indicate Mixer tracks to the left of Drumaxx's routed Mixer track, positive to the right. VST - 11 outputs (Master + 10) are available. The Mixer channels these route to will be determined by the plugin wrapper's settings (see your Host's manual). NOTE: 'Master' in VST & FL versions refers to the Mixer track Drumaxx is routed to, not (necessarily) the host's 'Master' Mixer track.

Drumaxx Online Hear demo tracks, check for updates or purchase Drumaxx online at www.image-

line.com

Plugin Credits: Drumaxx was created by Maxx Claster exclusively for Image Line Software BVBA

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Drumpad - Percussion Modeling Instrument The Drumpad percussion modeling instrument gives you total control over a physically modeled drum and is based on the Drumaxx instrument. Drumpad has been designed to work with the FL Studio Stepsequencer, so that any number of Channels can be loaded with a Drumpad instrument. Great, but why should you care when the internet is awash with fantastic sounding drum samples? In two words, expressive realism.

Once a drum sound is recorded, the performance and modulation options are limited to filtering, volume or similar 1-dimensional effects. When a single drum sample is triggered in a roll you get the familiar 'machine-gun' effect, it just sounds artificial. Multi-sampled, multilayered drums can overcome this limitation but need multi-megabyte or even Gigabyte! drum libraries, and even then, you are still limited to the sounds originally recorded. Drumpad is not based on samples or even commonly used 'synthesis' techniques, where oscillators are mixed and the result is 'electronic'. Drumpad is a truly 'modeled' drum, and not just a single drum, Drumpad can model bass drums, hi-hats, snares, realistic and yes electronic sounds too. But what about the traditional 'Achilles' heel' of synthesis, cymbals? We have left the best until last, Drumpad models cymbals & metallic 'ethnic' percussion instruments with ease. At the core of Drumpad is a model of the drum-head. Here the vibrating membrane is represented in a mesh of inter-connected of points, each given physical properties, mass, inertia, stiffness, damping and all that good physics stuff. For the musician, this means Drumpad can model the drum-head with multiple parameters such as material, thickness, tension and even shape. More importantly the parameters can be modulated in real-time as a function of velocity or external controls. The drum body is also modeled, in terms of size and shape. All this gives you multi-dimensional performance possibilities, a Matrix of variables providing the almost infinite complexity & subtlety of hitting a real drum. Visit the Drumaxx & Drumpad Image-Line forum

for more patches and programming

tips. See a Drumpad Video Tutorial here

.

Header Controls Preset selector - The left/right arrows step through the presets in the bank. Click on the middle name field to open the preset browser and downloader for online content.

Save/Load Drum Pad - Save/Load the complete set of 10 drumpads. Kits are saved as .dmpatch files.

Modeling Controls

Mallet Modeling Controls for the mallet (stick) used to hit the drum. Amplitude - Striking force. Decay - Decay time for the strike. Simulate quick, sharp hits or slower, deep hits. Noise Level - Noise to simulate brushes and softer mallets. As the noise level is increased the fundamental (lower) frequencies are reduced. To compensate you can increase the amplitude. Noise Phase - To be used in conjunction with Noise Retriggering. The Phase will influence the tonal character of the mallet. Retrig - Noise retriggering. When selected the tonal character of the noise remains constant (the same each time as the noise is 'retriggered'). When deselected the noise will continue to randomize so that each hit will have a slightly different character.

Membrane The drum membrane (skin) has a significant impact on the tonal character of the final sound. There are 4 key parameters - Tension, Phase, Material and Shape. When the right balance between these four controls is achieved, the sound will be most natural. We recommend adjusting Tension and Phase first, so that the pitch is close to what you need. Then adjust Material and Shape to fine-tune the tonal qualities. If the balance is right, the Drum Pad will sound like a drum, and if not, the Drum Pad can sound 'blurry' and 'loose'. Decay - Decay time for the membrane response and reflections. Tension - Membrane tension (how tightly stretched the drum is). Material - This control moves the membrane material through a range of possible characteristics and types. Generally left are heavier slower materials and right are lighter more reflective materials. Set by ear.

Cutoff - High frequency cutoff. Phase - Relates to the impact-point on the drum-head. Set by ear. Size - Drum-head size. Shape - The shape can be varied from square (left) to round (right). Most drumheads are round, but experimentation is always rewarded!

Low Frequency Filtering Low cut frequency filtering Freq - Low frequency cutoff. Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency. Useful to simulate resonances in the drum head or body or accentuate the 'tone' or pitch of a drum.

Self Oscillating Filter (SOF) The SOF is an 'allpass' filter with a narrow frequency-peak exhibiting high levels of selfoscillation. When the frequency-peak is swept quickly downwards, it is useful to make kicks and snares. Freq - Down-sweep starting frequency. The frequency will sweep down to ~20 Hz (fixed). Decay - Down-sweep time. Fast sweeps produce the most realistic 'kick' sounds. Level - SOF mix level. The SOF sweep is added before other filters in the modeling engine, immediately after the Membrane sound is generated.

Mid Frequency Filtering Mid-range frequency filtering. The Mid frequencies also include EG controls (EG Freq & EG Level) that allow modulation of the associated parameters. EG modulations are particularly important for creating more realistic drum sounds. Freq - Initial filter cutoff frequency. EG Freq - Determines where (left = lower, right = higher) the frequency moves after the mallet hits. Level - Boost/Cut Mid frequencies. EG Level - Determines where (left = lower, right = higher) and how strongly the frequency moves after the mallet hits.

Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency. Decay - How quickly the Freq and Level are modulated. Retrig - Retriggering of the modulation envelope. Zero = no retriggering. Retriggering values (I to III) are necessary to make Claps for example. NOTE: The Mid frequency Freq and Level controls are excellent modulation targets for velocity.

High Frequency Filtering High frequency shelf filtering. Freq - High frequency cutoff. Level - High frequency level. Res - Resonance or 'Q' adds a peak at the equalizer's cutoff frequency.

Output Main output controls. Hold - Overall sustain. Lo Fi - Bit reduction effect. Turn right for a low bit-rate crunch. Pitch - Drum tuning.

Velocity Modulation Velocity can be assigned to 4 modulation targets per Drum Pad. If more control independent of velocity is needed, any of the modeling parameters can be linked to external modulation sources (a mod-wheel for example). Parameter - Select Modulation targets by clicking on the Parameter name field and selecting from the pop-up menu. Value - Modulates the target parameter value as a function of velocity and 'Value' setting. If the velocity = minimum, the target parameter remains at its original value. If velocity = maximum then the target parameter = Value setting. Intermediate values are the linear scaling between those two points. NOTE: You can automate any of the modeling controls using standard automation & modulation techniques.

Plugin Credits: Drumpad was created by Maxx Claster exclusively for -

Image Line Software BVBA

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FL Keys FL Keys is a realistic piano simulator with optimized CPU and memory usage. This plugin plays back multi-samples and is effectively a specialized sampler designed for 'keyboard' instruments. With the help of several additional modules included in FL Studio, FL Keys can also operate as Rhodes & Roto Organ (NOTE: additional modules might be available from www.flstudio.com

).

Parameters Sampleset Here you can select the sample set to be used by FL Keys for synthesis. Default is Piano. Click on the small 'i' button to the right to display information about the sample set, including author, sample rate, number of velocity layers, etc.

Environment Decay - Sets the note decay while the key is pressed. The higher the knob value, the longer time it takes for the tone to decay. You can also adjust decay to minimum to set FL Keys to sustain mode (notes do not decay). This is useful for organs and other non-decaying sounds. Release - Sets the release (fade out) time after the key is released. Pan - This knob combines two functions: from middle position to left, the

knob applies, respectively, 0% to 100% of auto panning effect to the sound. The auto panning speed depends on the LFO parameter in the Misc section; from middle position to right, the knob applies, respectively, 0% to 100% of tremolo effect to the sound. The tremolo speed depends on the LFO parameter in the Misc section. Stereo - Sets the key to pan position ("left" piano keys are panned to left, "right" piano keys are panned to right), with additional stereo ambiance at high settings.

Misc Overdrive - Applies a soft overdrive to the generated sound. LFO - Sets the frequency of an LFO unit which is used in the auto panning and tremolo effects (see above). Treble - A simple peaking filter which allows you to decrease or increase the treble levels of the generated sound. Stretch - Sets the amount of "stretching" used for high-pitch notes (C#5 and above: the higher the note pitch, the more the stretching that is applied to it). The knob has a range of -50 to +50 cents. Set to 0 cents (middle) to turn the effect off.

Velocity Muffle - Applies a subtle low pass filter to "muffle" the generated sound. Use the linked velocity knob to determine how velocity affects muffle. Hardness - Adjusts the sample ranges up or down to change the virtual "size" and brightness of the piano. Use the linked velocity knob to determine how velocity affects hardness. Sensitivity - Adjust the volume sensitivity of FL Keys to the note velocities. Set to minimum to make the synthesizer ignore velocities.

Tuning Tune - Allows you to offset the tuning of all notes from -100 cents to +100 cents.

Detune - Allows you to apply a custom amount of random detuning to the pitch of the notes. This effect allows you to simulate a Honky Tonk piano sound. Light amounts of detuning can add realism to the piano sounds. Set the Detune amount to 0 for perfect tuning (unless Stretch is used, see above).

Show/hide keys Click on the small keys button (below Detune) to show/hide the piano keys.

Plugin Credits: Paul Kellett (engine), Frederic Vanmol (FL Plugin adaptation & interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FL Slayer FL Slayer is a realistic electric guitar simulation originally developed by reFX. It uses a hybrid synthesis similar to physical modeling. The simulator is equipped with a high quality amp section and effects rack enabling you to recreate the complete electric guitar sound without additional plugins.

Parameters Guitar Site Simulation Properties Playing Mode (combo box) This parameter controls the playing style used by Slayer: None - Handles notes like a standard synthesizer. Autochords - Creates guitar style chords based on the played notes (you can control the strum speed with the Speed knob). Powerchords - Creates power chords automatically based on the played notes. The keyboard is split into two sections. C5 and higher notes produce C1-G1-C2 style chords; the lower range produces C1-F1-C2 style chords (you can control the strum speed with the Speed knob). Strumming - Strumming is designed for individual guitar chords on live

playing. Single notes are played as usual, but all chords are automatically strummed (you can control the strum speed with the Speed knob). SoloFixed - This is a monophonic mode, where overlapping notes create a portamento/glide effect. In this mode, the portamento speed is a constant value for all transitions and is defined by the Speed knob (speed is linked to the current tempo). SoloDynamic - This is a monophonic glide mode similar to SoloFixed, however the glide speed depends on the pitch difference between the start and end notes. A glide from C3 to E6 will take longer than a glide from D6 to E6. You can control the glide speed with the Speed knob (speed is linked to the current tempo).

Basic Properties Speed wheel - Affects the strumming/gliding speed used in some of the playing modes (see above). Hold switch - If the hold button is on, notes are not muted after releasing a key, unlike the usual behavior (if the switch is off). You can link this parameter to your sustain pedal, so that pressing the pedal keeps the guitar strings "vibrating". Glissando switch - FL Slayer supports two sources of pitch bending (glissando). One is coarse pitch bend (+-12 semitones range), the other one is fine pitch bend (+-1 semitone range). Since there is one pitch bend wheel, and Slayer needs two, Slayer includes a second pitch bend wheel on its interface - Pitch Bend 2. This switch lets you select which pitch bend is the coarse: PB1 sets the regular pitch bend to the coarse range; PB2 sets the Pitch Bend 2 knob to the coarse range. Pitch Bend 2 - A second pitch bend control for the Slayer channel. See Glissando switch above.

String Types The string radio buttons let you select the string type used in the guitar simulation: Noise - The classic Karplus b algorithm. 6String1/6String2/6String3 - These are best used to simulate electric

guitar string sounds. Slap - Used to simulate the string sounds of a slap bass. EBass - Used to simulate the string sounds of a hard played E-bass. Fretless - Used to simulate the string sounds of a fretless bass.

Coil Type Select the type of used coil simulation: None - No pickup simulation is used. The sound is taken "as is" directly from the string simulation. Single - Simulates the sound of a single coil pickup. You can additionally control how the pickup simulation sounds by moving the pickup (with mouse) to different positions. Note that you need to move the mouse up/down. Double - Simulates the sound of a double coil pickup. You can additionally control how the pickup simulation sounds by moving the pickup (with mouse) to different positions. Note that you need to move the mouse up/down.

Additional Guitar Simulation Properties Tone - Sets the pitch of the formant filters which changes the overall tone of the instrument. Slap - Controls the "slap level" of the signal. The higher the note velocity, the more "slap" occurs. If the Slap knob is set to 0 (zero), the slap effects is disabled for all velocities. Fret - Controls how much fret noise is mixed together with the guitar sound. You can use high settings for more aggressive pluck sounds in basses. Harmonic - Used to simulate the different pickup types used in electric guitars. High settings are for bright sounding pickups, low settings for darker sounding pickups. Vel - Sets the velocity sensitivity of Slayer. Use high settings for very dynamic sounds like slap basses. Use low settings for non-velocity

sensitive sounds like power chords. Damping - Controls the decay time of the sound. Muted guitars use a high dampening amount. Velocity Control of Damping (Vel) - Defines how the damping reacts to velocity. High settings allow you to control the damping amount with the notes' velocity.

AMP Section AMP Type This radio button group selects the amplifier type used in the simulation: Dry - Signal is passed through EQ. No feedback, no presence. Drive knob is used as a gain control of the signal. Use this setting for unplugged sounds. Tube - Simulation of a three-stage valve amplifier with soft saturation. Signal is passed through presence, distortion, EQ, Speaker simulation. EQ - Signal is passed through EQ before it passes through 3-stage distortion. This amplifier can be the best choice for effects like Talkbox. Bandpass - This is a special amplifier. Signal is passed through band passes and soft saturators in 3-stages. Presence controls band pass cutoff. Finally it goes through EQ. Try boosting low and high band of EQ for "fat" sounds.

Cabinet Type This radio group selects the cabinet type of cabinet used in the simulation: Dry - This is the sound you would get if the guitar is connected directly to a Hi-Fi system (linear sound, no distortion). You can use this mode for unplugged sounds. British - Simulates a British Cabinet. Use this for aggressive sounds. Combo - A combo box simulation. Use this for softer sounds. StaX - Very aggressive cabinet with a big boost on high frequencies. Use

it for heavy metal style sounds.

Additional Amplifier Properties Drive - Controls the level of distortion. Presence - A simple high–shelf filter that adds or removes brightness to the sound. Feedback - Amount of feedback that is returned from the output of the amplifier simulation back to the site simulation. Low - Controls the bass level below 200 Hz. Mid - Controls the mid level around 1000 Hz. High - Controls high frequencies above 2.5 KHz.

MFX-90 Effects Unit Properties The effects unit contains a combo box which selects the effect type and two additional knobs which sets parameters specific for each effect type.

Effect Type Selects the effect type. Two general effect types are available: AMP - A pedal effect applied before the amplifier; MST A master effect that is applied after the amplifier; Dry - No effect is applied. AMP: Phaser - The signal is modulated & mixed with dry signal to create a phasing effect. The first parameter controls the LFO speed for modulation. The second one is the feedback level. AMP: Tremolo - AMP type tremolo effect. It automatically retriggers on new notes and syncs with the song tempo. First parameter controls LFO speed. Second one controls modulation depth. AMP: WahWah - A low-pass filter with resonance and an envelope follower. The first parameter controls the attack speed, the second controls the modulation depth.

AMP: WahWah LFO - A WahWah with LFO. The first parameter controls the LFO speed, the second - the modulation depth. The LFO automatically syncs with the played notes. AMP: Ringmod - Ring-modulation that automatically tunes harmonic with the played notes. Parameter 1 controls the harmonic for the modulator. AMP: Fuzz Box - Signal-shaper for adding grunge to the signal. Please use this effect carefully since it adds a high amount of harmonics to the signal, which can damage your equipment! Parameter 1 controls Fuzz Box drive. The second parameter adds digital distortion. AMP: Harmonizer - This effect adds harmonics one octave below and one octave above the current played note. Parameter 1 controls the mix level for the upper harmonics, parameter 2 the mix level for the lower harmonics. This effect only works well on single notes (avoid it with chords). AMP: Talkbox - Simulates human-voice formants. Parameter 1 selects the LFO modulation speed; parameter 2 selects the formant pitch. This effect often sounds better with coil simulation set to "none" (see above). MST: Chorus - Smooth stereo chorus. The first parameter controls LFO modulation speed, the second parameter modulation depth. MST: Flanger - Flanger with feedback. The first parameter controls LFO modulation speed, the second parameter modulation depth. MST: Phaser - Stereo phaser. The first parameter controls the LFO speed for modulation, the second parameter controls feedback level. MST: Leslie - The popular "leslie" effect known from Hammond Organs, originally created by a speaker rotating around a microphone. The first parameter controls rotation speed, the second one controls modulation depth. MST: Tremolo - Creates tremolo effect. First parameter controls LFO speed. Second one controls modulation depth. It automatically re-triggers on new notes and syncs with song tempo. MST: DubDelay - A simple left-right delay for adding some spatial depth to the sound. Parameter 1 controls delay time.

MST: Multitap - A stereo-tap-delay with filter. The first parameter controls delay time, the second one controls feedback. It automatically syncs with the song tempo.

Plugin Credits: reFX (engine), Frederic Vanmol (FL Plugin adaptation & interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. ( FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.

)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll. The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Left-clicking the left or right edge of the plugin and dragging horizontally to hide/show the layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager The Content Library allows you to access sound banks on the Image-Line servers for download. For more details on downloading samples and presets see the Content Library. The Pattern Manager opens a tree-menu showing a list of percussion loops (MIDI data) that when selected load into the FPC channel as a Piano roll. Selecting a new pattern from the menu will replace the currently selected pattern.

1. Main Pad Properties 2. Layer Properties 3. Pads Making & Saving FPC Kits Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. (

FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.

)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll.

The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Right-clicking the right edge of the plugin and dragging to hide/show the layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager 1. Main Pad Properties

currently selected pad. To select a pad Left-click on the pad button in the Pad View section (3). Note that you can play pads without changing the selected pad by using the right-mouse button. Pad selector - (Showing Pad 2/32) The arrows allow you to change the selected pad. Options - Left-click the down arrow to open the following menu: Pads

Bank A / Bank B - Quick access to all pads (sounds) from Banks A and B. Presets Change name - Changes the name of the FPC preset. Load preset - Loads an FPC preset. Save preset - Saves an FPC preset. Import Import DirectWave program - FPC can only import .dwp files (DirectWave programs), not banks. The root note is used to map DW zones to FPC pads. Only the first 32 zones/pads will load, root notes in excess of 32 are ignored. FPC only imports zone pan and tune along with the wave file. Export Save entire kit as pad presets - Saves each pad as a separate FPC pad preset, allowing you to share pads between kits. Save all wav files - Exports all the wave files used in the preset. Export kit as SFZ file - Exports kit in rgcAudio's SFZ format. Export kit as FL Mobile instrument - Exports kit in .instr Studio Mobile

format as used by FL

.

Notes Layouts - Opens a menu of preset layouts: default - Matches the Akai MPC™ series unless it has been overwritten with your own layout. Note that if you want a particular layout to load each time FPC is opened, you will need to 'Use current layout when changing presets' first (see below). padKontrol - PadKontrol preset (custom controller). trigger finger - Trigger Finger preset (custom controller). (none) - FPC will use the note layout saved in the song/preset opened. Use current layout when changing presets - Prevents the current note layout changing when you select a new preset. Save note layout - Saves the pad to MIDI note relationships (layout). Load note layout - Loads the pad to MIDI note layout presets. Map notes for entire bank - Starting from Pad 1 (lower left) each MIDI note that is played on your controller will be automatically linked to the next FPC pad (Pad 1-16 or 17-32 in sequence). Clicking on the option selects the first pad in the bank. There are three ways to cancel the auto-link process: 1. Change the note value for a pad, 2. Change the pad or 3. Select "Cancel Map notes..." in the pad menu.

Pad name box - Shows the pad name, which you can change by Right-clicking the box and entering new name in the window that pops up. Volume and Pan - Sets the pad volume (left), and stereo panning (right). Mute button - Mutes the current pad (active when green). Solo button - Mutes all other pads except the current pad (and any other solo pads) (active when red). Scale volume button - This option should usually be enabled, unless you want to handle velocity changes entirely with multiple velocity-sensitive layers (see Layer Properties below). Bank A/B - There are two banks X16 pads available per patch. Play Key/Octave - Left-click to select the base/root note for the pad, that is the MIDI key number/pitch that will play the pads sounds. The first box sets the key that is assigned to the pad. The right box sets the octave in which that key will play. The names shown in brackets beside some notes are the General MIDI standard. In other words, to build a FPC kit that is GM compliant, you need to have the sounds listed loaded on pads that are mapped to those keys. Other options are: Last hit - Assigns the last triggered MIDI controller key to the current pad. Learn - Assigns the next triggered MIDI controller key to the current pad. Map notes for entire bank - A 'Learn mode' that steps through all the pads in the bank. Assigns the bottom left pad first and works its way to the top right pad. You will need to trigger 16 MIDI keys to assign all pads. Show GM note names - Shows/hides the General MIDI note names. CUT Group / Cut BY - Use CUT and BY to use one pad to cut (stop) notes playing on another pad. The CUT box sets the cut group the selected pad is in. The second box BY sets which group will cut the current pad. Use these controls to make more realistic drum kits, where an open hi-hat is cut by a closed hi-hat, for example. To make a pad cut itself, set the CUT and BY values to the same number. To change values, Left-click in the box, hold and move the mouse up and down. Output - The Output Offset adds a Mixer Track offset value to the selected pad, this allows independent or grouped mixer tracks to be used by the FPC pads. The offset is relative to the Mixer Track number the plugin is assigned to at the Channel Settings. For example, if FPC is sent to mixer track 1 and the offset for a given pad is 2, then the sound from that pad will appear on mixer track 3. If the plugin wrapper is set to track 5 then the pad will appear on Mixer Track 7. To disable the offset set the display so that it shows '--'.

2. Layer Properties 3. Pads Making & Saving FPC Kits

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. (

FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.

)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll.

The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Right-clicking the right edge of the plugin and dragging to hide/show the Layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager 1. Main Pad Properties 2. Layer Properties Each pad can contain multi-layer samples so that different Layers respond to specific velocity ranges. This can be useful for creating realistic acoustic drum kits. Use the Layer Properties view to create and edit the Layers of the currently selected pad.

Layer Properties Controls The controls on each Layer are (from left to right): Select - Click this button to mark the channel as selected. This is required for some operations, like browsing for a new sample, move up/down, delete, display in the large sample preview (in the bottom) and the reverse playback switch. Volume Knob - Sets the volume of the Layer. Pan Knob - Sets the stereo panning of the Layer. Layer Tune Knob - Allows you to offset the pitch up/down (faster/slower playback) from the original playback speed of the sample. The knob ranges from -1 to +1 octave pitch shift. Mini Sample Preview - Displays the loaded sample (if any). Click to preview the sample. Velocity Range - Sets the active velocity range for the Layer, i.e. the velocity values at which the Layer's sample will play. The velocity is mapped from minimum (left) to maximum (right). Drag the velocity-range end-point handles to define the active velocity region. Overlapping layers will play together when the Random layers switch is deactivated. NOTE: The Lock Layers switch must be disabled to overlap Layers.

Modifier controls The controls along the top of the Layer properties window are used to modify Layer behavior as follows: Create (Layer) - Adds a new, empty Layer at the bottom of the stack (use the scroll bar down the right side of the window to access Layers that are out of view). Delete (Layer) - To delete a Layer, select it by clicking the Layer's Select button and then click Delete . Spread Even - Spreads the Layer velocity ranges evenly, from min to max input velocity, without overlap. Lock Layers - Locks adjacent Layer's end-point ranges together to prevent overlapping (one

sample will play at a time for any given velocity). Velocity range preview - Click on this bar to play the Layers according to velocity input from low (left) to high (right). Random layers - When selected, layers with overlapping velocity ranges will be triggered according to the randomization option selected (Lock Layers must be disabled to overlap layers). Right-click the switch to select from: Cycle - Each Layer in the velocity group will be played, in turn, each time that velocity group is played. Random - Layers are played at random from the velocity group. Random (avoid previous) - Layers are played at random from the velocity group, with the restriction that the same Layer will never be played twice in a row. Random selection can sometimes cause a singe Layer to be played repeatedly, defeating the purpose. This random option can help to avoid obvious identical hits with repeated fast playing of a pad. TIP: Generally the Random function is designed to select from a number of samples played at similar velocities, with subtle and natural variations between them caused by human inaccuracies or left/right hand variations. Layer randomization eliminates the artificial and mechanical sound often associated with a single sample rapidly played. You will find however by equalizing the volume of a number of Layers (use the Layer Volume knobs) played at even very different velocities, natural playing can be 'faked' with only a few sample Layers.

Working with Layers Load a sample - Click the Browse button (on the left in the Sample File controls (see screenshot above) and select a sample. Reverse - To reverse a sample, select the Layer and click the Reverseoption at the bottom of the interface. To reorder Layers - Select the Layer and use the Move Up/Down buttons at the top of the interface. Preview - To hear how your pad will sound at various velocities click the Full Pad Preview bar at the velocity value you want to preview. Velocity is indicated by the vertical bars - lower velocities to the left and higher velocities to the right. Sample view windows (large and small) - Right-click on the sample preview windows to open a menu with the following options: Load - Opens file browser to load a sample into that Layer. Edit - Opens sample in Edison. Edit in new window - Opens sample in a new instance of Edison. Show in browser - Opens the folder in the FL Browser where the file is located and highlights the sample. Then in the Browser, F5 and F6 will cycle through samples in that folder and select them into the selected layer in FPC.

Select region - When samples have region data embedded (some drum loops for example) you can select the region to play. Sample markers can also be selected and the sample will start playing\ from that point.

Envelopes There is a Volume and Pan Envelope for each pad. Use the selector on the right side of the Envelope window to change between them. Envelopes are not active until enabled, as shown below.

The Envelope editor provides a "classic" ADSR envelope & the power of unlimited spline segments. Left-click and drag node/curve points in order to change the Envelope shape. Right-click the envelope area to add nodes. Enable/Disable Switch - To use an envelope/mapping, enable the LED at the bottom left of the editor (see the hand-pointer on the screenshot above). Envelope Options - Click (

) to select from the following options -

Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope.

Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. Background gradient - Flips the background gradient shading vertically. Freeze - Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup. This feature is helpful in protecting the spline structure of an envelope from accidental edits (it also hides the handles, providing a clear view of the shape). Snap - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging. Slide - Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it (this option is enabled by default).

3. Pads Making & Saving FPC Kits Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. (

FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.

)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll.

The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Right-clicking the right edge of the plugin and dragging to hide/show the layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager 1. Main Pad Properties 2. Layer Properties 3. Pads Left-clicking - a pad allows you to hear the samples loaded on that pad AND changes the Layer Properties to match that pad. The vertical position clicked affects triggered velocity. Top = low velocity, bottom = high velocity. Right-clicking - a pad will preview the samples without changing the Layer View to that pad. Dragging a sample - onto a pad (from the Browser) will load

it in the selected layer of the pad. Pad numbering - Pads are numbered from bottom-left to top-right so that the bottom row are pads 1,2, 3 and 4, the second from bottom row are 5, 6, 7 and 8 and so on, to the top right pad 16 (i.e. pad 1 is bottom left, pad 16 is top right). Pad presets - These are sample/layer setup files. To select without previewing, click the Load preset button. The Previous and Next buttons allow you to switch between alternative setups for the pad used (if available). Each drum kit may include several different samples for each pad. MIDI key assignment - The settings for both the MIDI key assigned to each pad and the cut groups for the pad are set in the Main Pad Properties (1). change access to all pads (sounds) from Banks A and B using the Bank A / Bank B switches.

Making & Saving FPC Kits Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. (

FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.

)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll.

The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Right-clicking the right edge of the plugin and dragging to hide/show the layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager 1. Main Pad Properties 2. Layer Properties 3. Pads Making & Saving FPC Kits To make your own Sound Banks for FPC follow the general procedure below: 1. Clear FPC - From the Wrapper menu select 'Presets > Empty' before you start building your new Kit (that is, if you want to start from a clean slate). One of the many advantages of the 'Empty' preset is that the Pads are already assigned to the appropriate General MIDI keys. Just make sure you drop your samples on the appropriate pad.

2. Sample locations - Consider the following, depending on where the samples in the FPC Kit are located: Samples in folders in the Browser - If you are loading the samples from the Browser, nothing extra needs to be done at this step. Samples dragged from Slicex or Edison - If you are dragging samples from Slicex or Edison and dropping them on FPC, then you should first set the Project General Settings Data folder to the location where you want to save your 'dragged' samples (and so save the FPC Kit samples). If you don't set the Data folder the default save location will be in the FL Studio installation folder ..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\Sliced beats. Make sure any Data folder location you choose is visible from the Browser's Extra search folders, otherwise FPC will not be able to locate the samples next time you load the Kit. 3. Load your samples - Drag the samples from the Browser and drop on the Pad/Layer you want. 4. Set-up your Kit - Make any changes to envelopes & velocity-splits etc., as required. NOTE: you can reassign the MIDI key using the Play Key/Octave setting. Left-click to open. 5. Save a FPC preset (.fst) file - Use the wrapper menu to save a .fst file (Save preset as) to the location where you want to save the FPC kit (preset). 6. Reload the kit to test - When the FPC preset is loaded, FPC will locate the samples in the Browser Extra search folders. NOTE: It is important that all the samples used in the FPC Kit have unique names otherwise FPC will re-load the first sample with the same file name it finds in the Browser. E.g. don't use 'Kick1', 'Kick2' etc. It's highly likely samples with that name exist elsewhere. Use something unique and descriptive like 'Crunchy_Slicex_Kick1', 'Crunchy_Slicex_Kick1' etc.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruit Kick Fruit Kick Fruit Kick is a simple kick drum synthesizer. A kick drum sound is synthesized by taking a simple waveform, sine wave, with a fast opening volume envelope and a quickly falling initial pitch. This generator allows you to tweak these parameters.

Parameters Start sweep frequency (MAX) - Defines the start frequency of the kick sound. End frequency (MIN) - Defines the "sweep to" (end) frequency. Sweep time (DEC) - Defines the pitch sweep time (i.e. pitch decay). Amplitude decay (A. DEC) - The amplitude (volume) decay length. Click (CLICK) - Adds phase offset to the kick sound to produce a click. Turn right for louder click. Distort (DIST) - Applies hard clipping to the sine wave oscillator for "punchier" kick sounds.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Dance Fruity Dance is an animation plugin. The default animation is 'FL Chan', the FL Studio mascot. You can control her dance movements from the Piano roll by selecting a range of programmed dance moves. FL Chan is related to the Wave Candy plugin in giving your projects visual effects in sync with the music. See the section below on how to make your own animations.

FL Chan has developed a lot of fans since we launched her. See Google Images If you would like a larger version of FL Chan, you can download that here

.

Instructions are in the .zip.

How to use When Fruity Dance is loaded into a channel, an animated character will appear (see above). You can drag the character around the screen using your mouse (click+ hold). The dance moves of the character are driven by the Piano roll (different moves are associated with a range of notes). By placing notes in the Piano roll you can create your own unique sequence of dance steps, in sync with your song. Great when you have a 2nd monitor or video projector hooked up to FL Studio for live performances.

Parameters The following parameters control the character.

.

Appearance Menu - Lists the dance moves that the character will make when the project is playing. Use this when you want a single move for the duration of your track and don't want to change the moves with the Piano roll. Mirror horizontally - Mirrors the character movements around the vertical axis. Sync changes - Waits for the dance move to complete a cycle before changing to the next. Visible - Character visible. Solid - ON: Character steals mouse focus. OFF: Mouse can click through the character to the background user interface. Keep in front - Keeps the character on top of all windows. On desktop - Allows the character to remain visible on the Windows desktop after FL Studio is minimized. Blend - Blurs the animation steps. Speed - Tempo multiplier for character movements. Reflect - Character reflection intensity. Folder icon - Click to load sprite sheets (FL Chan & Countdown supplied). Examine the layout of these sprite sheets and make your own.

Making your own animations There are two files associated with an animation both located in the FL Studio installation folder\Plugins\Fruity\Generators\Fruity Dance\Artwork. 1. Sprite sheet format - Sprite sheets are PNG format image files. All sprite sheets (e.g. Dance.png) are fixed at 8 cells wide with the option from 1 to an unlimited number of rows (each row is a separate 8 cell animation sequence). The last row is always the 'held by mouse' animation. Cells can be of any size (width/height), but all cells in the sheet must be equal. Remember that the image file must use transparency if the animation is to work against the FL Studio/Windows background although any image format (PNG, JPG, GIF and BMP) will

work. 2. Text file * .txt - Each sprite sheet must have an accompanying text file with an identical name (e.g. MyAnimation.png + MyAnimation.txt). The text file must contain a name for each row in your sprite sheet. The last row (if you have one) should be called 'Held'. Have a look in the existing Dance.txt and Count.txt files if you are unsure what to do.

TIPS: You can drag-n-drop sprite sheets (animation images) directly onto Fruity Dance, the plugin will look in the source directory for the accompanying .txt file. In the Dance.png sheet each cell is 110 pixels wide and 128 pixels high (although the width and height are not fixed and you can make them any size). The animation character will be a solid object while the background is transparent, this is why PNG and .GIF formats are preferred. You will need to use an image editor that supports layers and transparency to make the best animations. Try Gimp free editor

Plugin Credits FL Chan (character & artwork):

Uruido. Please visit Uruido Web

.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity DrumSynth Live Fruity DrumSynth Live is the FL Studio plugin version of the popular DrumSynth standalone created by Maxim Digital Audio. DrumSynth Live features simultaneous support for 120 realtime programmable drum patches, each assigned to a separate key (C0 to B9). You can morph dynamically from one drum patch to another - just select the patch to morph to and tweak the morph amount knob. The sound is created by two noise generators, filtered by bandpass filters with an incredible range - you can set anything from single frequency (sine wave) to full white noise. The first oscillator can also act as swept frequency sine wave generator for creating kick drums and tom sounds. The second oscillator has more advanced envelope: adjustable attack length and envelope mapping

shape (from logarithmic to linear), useful for snare drums and hihats. The envelope retrigger controls allow for quick creation of clap sounds and can be also used for harder attack in the drum sounds.

Velocity to Property (Black) Wheels Some properties can change according to the note velocity. Such controls have a velocity mapping wheel on their left (all the big black wheels in the interface). If a velocity wheel is turned to right, higher note velocities increase the property value. Turn left to lower the property value with velocity increase instead.

Parameters Testing Keyboard The testing keyboard has two functions - it lets you test the drum patches and select a drum patch for editing: just Left-click a note, the orange rectangle shows the currently edited patch. There is also a Right-click menu which allows you to copy and paste the patch settings from one key to another. You can reset a patch to one of the default sounds in the preset. Right-click a note and select an entry from the "Set to default patch" submenu. The default patch for the current key is displayed in bold. The keyboard displays 2 octaves simultaneously. You can scroll the keyboard to see the required range using the scroll button above the keyboard:

. If the

AUTO option is enabled, the keyboard will autoscroll to display the proper range as notes are played.

Wave Panel DrumSynth Live can mix recorded drum samples with the noise generator. In this section you can set the wave properties and mix amount.

Wave Selector - Select one of several high-quality drum/percussion samples to be mixed with the white noise generator. Sample Tuning (TUNE) - Sample pitch (transpose). Mix Amount (MIX) - Turn right to mix more of the wave sample and less of the noise in the oscillators.

Oscillator 1 (OSC 1) Frequency slider - Center frequency for the bandpass filter/sweep tone. Sweep Up/Down slider - Frequency offset to sweep from. Slide right to sweep from higher frequency, slide left to sweep from lower frequency. Appears only when using the oscillator in sweep tone mode (see below: Sweep Tone/Noise switch). Bandwidth slider - Sets the bandwidth of the bandpass filter. You can set anything from single frequency bandwidth (turn left) to full white noise (turn right). Appears only when using the oscillator in noise mode (see below: Sweep Tone/Noise switch). Harmonics wheel (HARM) - Applies waveshaping distortion to the oscillator (turn to left applies odd harmonics, turn to right applies even harmonics). Envelope Decay wheel (DEC) - Sets the envelope decay for the oscillator. Turn right for slower decay. Sweep Time wheel (SWEEP) - Sets the sweep speed. Turn to right for longer sweep time. Applies only when using the oscillator in sweep tone mode (see below: Sweep Tone/Noise switch). Noise/Sweep Tone switch (NOISE) - When turned on, the oscillator operates in noise mode: white noise processed with a bandpass filter. When turned off, the oscillator operates in sweep tone mode: a sine wave that can sweep from higher or lower frequencies with adjustable sweep time, useful for toms, kicks and various effects. Invert Phase switch (INVERT) - Inverts the phase of the oscillator. Useful for fixing situations where the two oscillators might phase each other.

Output Level wheel (MIX) - The output volume of the oscillator. Higher output levels produce hard clipping useful for rim-shot sounds and similar effects.

Oscillator 2 (OSC2) Frequency slider - Center frequency of the bandpass filter. Bandwidth slider - Bandwidth of the bandpass filter. You can set anything from single frequency bandwidth (turn left) to full white noise (turn right). Osc1 to Osc2 Ring Modulation (RING) - Ring modulates Oscillator1 with Oscillator2. Envelope Attack wheel (ATT) - Envelope attack time (fade in) for the oscillator. Turn right for slower attack. Envelope Decay wheel (DEC) - Envelope decay (fade out) for the oscillator. Turn right for slower decay. Envelope Shape wheel - Changes the envelope shape from logarithmic (turn left) to linear (turn right). Envelope Release wheel (REL) - Envelope release length of the oscillators (affects both the OSC1 and OSC2). Output Level wheel (MIX) - The output volume of the oscillator. Higher output levels produce hard clipping useful for rim-shot sounds and similar effects.

Trigger Settings (TRIG) Contains misc. patch settings and controls for envelope retriggering. Voice Mode select - Voice mode for the current drum patch. The possible voice modes are: Mono - each trigger of this patch cuts the previous; Poly - polyphonic model, no voices are cut; Group 1/2/3/4 four global (for the channel only) cut groups. If you select a group, each patch will cut itself and also cut any other patches with the same group setting. Count wheel (COUNT) - Number of envelope retriggers to occur when

playing the patch. Turn right for more retriggers. Rate wheel (RATE) - Time between each trigger (turn right for slower trigger rate). Trigger Decay wheel (DEC) - Decay (fade out) speed for each trigger (turn right for slower decay). Tone Filter wheel (TONE) - Turn left to apply lowpass filter to the patch sound, turn right to use highpass filter. Click Amount (CLICK) - Phase offset for the oscillators. The phase offset can be used add 'click' effect to the patch. Turn max to right for random phase offset on each patch triggering.

Morph Controls (MORPH TO) You can morph the settings of any patch to the settings of another patch. Morph To list - Shows a list of patches to morph to. The morphing uses the current settings of the patch you select, not the default settings. Morph Amount wheel - Turn up to morph to the patch selected in the Morph To list.

Output Settings MAIN OUT: Panning wheel (PAN) - Panning of the current patch. MAIN OUT: Volume wheel (VOL) - Volume of the current patch. SEND TO: Send Track LCD (NUM) - Selects the send effects track to send the patch output to. SEND TO: Send Level wheel (LVL) - Send amount (volume) of the current patch. Patches list - Shows the currently edited patch. Click the combo box to select another patch. Hide/Show Keyboard switch - Shows/hides the testing keyboard and morphing controls.

Notes & Tips Most properties of DrumSynth are read once for each triggered voice (drum note), so changing the properties of an already running voice has no effect. A DrumSynth preset saves the entire drumkit, i.e. saves all "drum notes" at once in single preset.

Plugin Credits: Paul Kellett (engine), Frederic Vanmol (conversion), Didier Dambrin (interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity DX10 Fruity DX10 is an 8-voice polyphonic FM synth (Frequency Modulation) and is designed for high quality (low aliasing) sound and low processor usage. This plugin is an enhanced version of Paul Kellett's DX10 FM synth. FM synthesis involves modulating the pitch of one oscillator (waveform) with another. If the modulator is of high enough frequency, rather than hearing a rising and falling pitch,

you hear a new 'tone'. FM created a sensation in the mid 80's when it enabled sounds like realistic bells, piano and acoustic bass to be synthesized for the first time. Click the piano keyboard icon at the top right corner of the interface to show/hide the keyboard in Fruity DX10's interface. See the DX10 video tutorial here .

Parameters Misc Section Wave Brightness (WAVE) - Turning the wheel to the right adds brightness to the generated sound.

Octave Shift (COARSE) - Use this wheel to shift the octaves of the synth. Vibrato LFO Rate (LFO RATE) - Sets the speed of the vibrato effect. Vibrato Amount (VIB) - Sets the vibrato amplitude amount (vibrato strength).

Amplitude Section Contains controls to set the volume envelope of the sound Envelope Attack (ATT) - Sets the attack (fade in) length of the synth. Envelope Decay (DEC) - Sets the decay (fade out) length of the synth. Envelope Release (REL) - Sets the release (fade out after key is released) length of the synth.

Modulation Sections Coarse Tune (COARSE) - Use to set the modulation speed (pitch). Fine Tune (FINE) - Use to fine tune the modulation speed (pitch). Modulation Velocity (VEL.SENS) - Sets the velocity of the modulation. Pass Through (THRU) - Turn to the right to mix the modulation wave with the output (apart from modulation of the signal). This control is available only for the first modulator. Amplitude Init (INIT) - The start amplitude of the modulation. Amplitude Time (TIME) - Time needed for the modulation amplitude to reach the sustain level (see below). Amplitude Sustain (SUS) - The sustain amplitude of modulation. Amplitude Release (REL) - The time needed for the modulation amplitude to reach zero after key release.

Show/Hide Keyboard switch Shows/hides the keyboard.

Plugin Credits: Paul Kellett (original code), Frederic Vanmol (conversion), Didier Dambrin (interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Envelope Controller Fruity Envelope Controller generates automation data to control modulation targets (interface knobs, sliders etc.) from the Piano roll or live keyboard/MIDI input. Read more about other internal automation controllers here. NOTE: When the Envelope Controller is loaded in the Channel Rack it will appear as 8 x Articulator options on the Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls 'Link assignment' menu. Automation varies a target parameter in FL Studio or plugins under the control of an automation source. See a

Fruity Envelope Controller video tutorial here

. A closely related plugin is the Fruity Keyboard

Controller.

There are 8 articulators per plugin. Each Articulator combines the output from any or all of the following modulation sources: Envelope - Keys trigger an envelope. LFO - Keys trigger a Low Frequency Oscillator. Keyboard Mapping - Keyboard key number (position) exercises an envelope. Velocity Mapping - Keyboard velocity exercises an envelope. Modulation X & Y Mappings - Controllers linked to the X and Y knobs exercise an envelope. Random - Key trigger a random values under envelope control. NOTE: Modulation sources combine under each Articulator, so remember to deactivate or neutralize any unused envelopes if the plugin does not behave as expected. Active modulation sources show an arrowmarker in the drop-down list (see 'Envelope' and 'Velocity mapping' above).

Controls Create unique combinations of the 7 modulation sources (Envelope, LFO etc.) under each of the 8

Articulators. Assign Articulators to unique keyboard ranges so you can control up to 8 modulation targets independently from a single keyboard or Piano roll. How to prepare an Articulator: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Left-click and drag on the mini-keyboard to set a unique range for the articulator (optional). 4. Select one or more source envelopes (Env, LFO, Key Mapping, Vel Mapping, Mod X/Y, Random) and edit as needed. 5. Use the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu to link modulation targets to Articulators. 6. Play your hardware keyboard/controller or add notes to the Piano roll to control the target.

Articulators The Articulator groups a set of modulation sources. You can map them to play from a unique Piano roll/MIDI Keyboard range. The Articulators become the modulation options shown in the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu.

NOTE: Give each instance of Fruity Keyboard Controller a unique Channel name. This will help you to select the correct Articulator from the Link assignment menu when you use more than one instance of the plugin in a project.

Mode Click on the 'MODE' switch to select: Bipolar - Modulation values range between -1 and +1. Modulation source envelopes are added. Unipolar - Modulation values range between 0 and +1. Modulation source envelopes are multiplied.

BASE, ENV & LFO Knobs These controls apply to the selected Articulator: Base - Add or subtract an offset value to the Articulator.

Envelope - Multiply the output of the Envelope by -1 to +1. LFO - Multiply the output of the Low Frequency Oscillator by -1 to +1. NOTE: Setting a negative multiplier inverts the phase of the modulator output.

Keyboard Range Each articulator can be set to activate over a unique keyboard range:

Set articulator range - Click and drag on the note ruler above the keyboard. Drag past the end of the keyboard to select-and-scroll. Scroll the keyboard - Use the controls along the bottom, arrows and scroll bar. Test articulator - Click a key. NOTE: Most keys just trigger the modulation sources as set for the Articulator. To output different values depending on the Key value, use the Keyboard Mapping option or Fruity Keyboard Controller.

The Envelope Editor The Envelope Editor follows the standard design as found in other places including Edison, Sytrus and Harmor etc.

NOTE: Enable/Disable Switch - To use an envelope/mapping, you need to enable it by clicking the switch at the bottom left side of the editor (see the screenshot above).

Curve Editing

Basic envelope editing operations: There are several basic operations for editing the envelope/mapping shape: Add a new Control Point - Position your cursor over the line, or envelope background, and right-click. Reposition a Control Point - Left-click and drag control points. Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or CTRL to lock the horizontal position. Delete a Control Point - Right-click a control point and select Delete. Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click. Change Segment Type - The envelope editor offers three types of spline segments to select from. Right-click a control point and you will see three spline type options (the affected segment is the one preceding the control point): Single Curve - the default mode which allows you to create linear, ease in and ease out curves (depending on the tension); Double Curve - allows linear, ease in-out and ease out-in curves (depending on the tension); Hold - creates "hold" or "pulse" curves which are handy for creating abruptly value changes in your envelope. Change Segment Tension (Acceleration) - You can drag the tension handle (see the screenshot above) of each spline up/down to change the spline appearance. Right-click the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustment to fine tune.

Section Markers (ADSR) Some envelopes allow ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) control point types. To add a marker rightclick a control point and select: S (sustain): Marks the end of the decay section and the start of the release section. L (loop): Marks the start of a sustain loop section, thus enabling you to define an envelope section to be repeated while a voice is sustaining. D (decay): Marks the start of the decay section. DL (decay/loop): Combines the function of the D and L markers. NOTES: Not all Markers will be available or make sense to use depending on what is already selected. Without markers the envelope will be articulated once from start to end when triggered.

Envelope Menu Please check the placement of the load/restore button in the screenshot above. Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool.

Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. Background gradient - Flips the background gradient shading vertically.

Envelope Mode Switches Freeze - Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup. This feature is helpful after you finish with the changes to the spline structure of an envelope and want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles providing a clear view of the shape). Step/Draw - Enable this option to set the editor in step editing mode - drag in the editor to draw a 'free hand' curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT key while dragging to draw 'pulse' lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension value set while adding a segment. Snap - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging. Slide - Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it (this option is enabled by default).

Envelope/Mapping Options Each Articulator allows you to combine up to 7 modulation source envelopes. Options include: Envelope - Keys trigger an envelope. LFO - Keys trigger a Low Frequency Oscillator. Keyboard Mapping - Keyboard key number (position) exercises an envelope. Velocity Mapping - Keyboard velocity exercises an envelope. Modulation X & Y Mappings - Controllers linked to the X and Y knobs exercise an envelope. Random - Key trigger a random values under envelope control.

ENV (Envelope) The default mode is an ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) style envelope with the possibility to define a loop section and the power of unlimited control points to refine the shape.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Make sure to Activate the envelope using the switch at the bottom left. 4. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu 5. Edit the envelope as desired. 6. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll. Only note on/off events are used, key/note number and velocity are ignored for this control source.

Lower Knobs Attack (ATT) - Defines the attack length/speed. Decay (DEC)- Defines the sustain section length/speed. Sustain (SUS) - Defines the sustain section slope ("decay" amount). Release (REL) - Defines the release length/speed. Tempo - This switch lets you determine whether the envelope length is relative to the project tempo (changes with tempo) or absolute in time. NOTE: While adjusting one of these properties you can see a preview of the effect of the knob value on the envelope shape. However once you release the mouse the envelope is restored to its previous view. The knob still has its effect, though it is not reflected in the curve to avoid distortion and to make editing

easier.

LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) An LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), is a repeating waveform designed to modulate a target control. The modifier envelope (red) allows you to add control points to change the LFO over time.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Make sure to Activate the envelope using the switch at the bottom left. 4. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu 5. Edit the LFO speed and shape using the knobs on the lower left of the editor. 6. Add an envelope to modify the LFO over time (if desired). 7. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll. Only note on/off events are used, key/note number and velocity are ignored for this control source.

Lower LFO Controls Speed (SPD) - Defines the LFO speed. Tension (TENS) - Defines the LFO curve "tension" - basically this parameter lets you morph the LFO shape from triangular through sine-like to pulse-like (square) shape. Skew (SK) - Defines a balance between the odd/even splines in the LFO visible as shape 'skew'. Pulse Width (PW) - Sets the pulse width, i.e. basically the balance between the first and the second half of the LFO phase.

Tempo - This switch lets you determine whether the envelope/LFO speed is relative to the project tempo (changes with tempo) or absolute in time. Global - Normally the LFO envelope is started from the beginning for each note ("local" LFO) . If this option is enabled, the envelope is "global" and thus stays in the sustain state without restarting for the whole duration of the song.

Keyboard Mapping The Keyboard Mapping maps MIDI note number to an output envelope value between 0 and 1. Low notes are to the left and high notes to the right. The vertical white line on the graph shows the value of the last note/key received.

1. Select an Articulator. 2. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu 3. Modify the mapping envelope as desired. 4. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll or play notes from a keyboard/controller. Only Key/Note number is used Velocity is ignored for this control source.

Velocity Mapping Note velocities are mapped to an output value between 0 and 1 as defined by the envelope. Low velocities are to the left and high velocities to the right. The vertical white line on the graph shows the velocity of the last note/key received by the plugin.

1. Select an Articulator. 2. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu 3. Modify the mapping envelope as desired. 4. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll or play notes from a keyboard/controller. Only Key/Note velocity is used Key/Note value is ignored for this control source.

X/Y Controls & Smart Knobs The X/Y mapping controls respond to the Piano roll X & Y note modulation values, controllers linked to the X and Y knobs OR mouse/touch input.

X/Y Modulation The Piano roll Note Properties Editor makes available Modulation X and Modulation Y sources when the channel holds a Fruity Envelope Controller. Create per-note modulation for any plugin by linking its interface targets to Mod X and or Y and then manipulating the from the Fruity Envelope Controller.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Open the Piano roll associated with the Envelope Controller. 4. Select Note modulation X or Y from the Target Control (shown above). 5. Edit the X or Y note properties as desired. 6. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu

Smart Knobs The idea of a 'Smart Knob' is to re-map the input to output relationship between a hardware controller (and or the plugins own X/Y controller) and a modulation target.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Select Modulation X or Y mapping and create a custom envelope. 4. Select 'Continuous output' from the X/Y menu if you want to control the target full-time. Otherwise X/Y modulation values be sent each time a note is played. 5. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the Mod X or Y source. Remember to select the Articulator used at step 1 6. Link a hardware controller to control the X and or Y knob (if desired). 7. Finally, move the hardware controller knob/slider and record it OR Record X/Y modulation with a mouse/touch directly on the Fruity Keyboard Controller plugin OR link the Fruity Envelope Controller X/Y knob to another internal controller. NOTE: Remember that envelopes can made into complex shapes. A 'stepped' envelope (use the 'Hold' option on the control-point right-click menu), will convert a controller into a single or multi-stage 'switch'.

Random Outputs a random value under envelope control. Each time a note is triggered a random value between 0 and 1 (along the horizontal axis) is generated. A corresponding output modulation value is selected according to the vertical position at that point. In this way the vertical range of the envelope sets randomization range and area under the envelope probability that an output value will be generated.

Don't glaze over, here's an example the envelope above will generate random output values between 0.25 and 1.0, notice the output values on the left side. 25% of the time the output value will be 0.25 as 1/4 of the envelope is fixed at 0.25. 50% of the time the value will be between 0.75 and 1.0 and the remaining 25% of the time the value will be 1.0 as 1/4 of the envelope is fixed at 1.0. Mathematically probability comes down to areas under the curve, for each output value. If you want simple random numbers between 0 and 1 then create a straight-line envelope from the bottom left corner to the top right. How to use: 1. Load Fruity Envelope Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Select an Articulator. 3. Link the target Synth, Effect or interface control to the parent Articulator chosen at step 1. The Articulator will be available from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu 4. Modify the mapping envelope as desired. 5. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll or play notes from a keyboard/controller to generate random values. Only note on events are used, key/note number and velocity are ignored for this control source.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin, Frederic Vanmol.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Granulizer Fruity Granulizer is a generator plugin that utilizes the granular synthesis technology. The source material for the Granulizer is a wave sample loaded by the user. Granular synthesis splits a wave sample into many small pieces (grains) that are looped/played-back according to the settings of the generator. The length and spacing of the grains can also be altered to achieve different tonal effects. Granular synthesis can be used to stretch a wave without altering its pitch or create interesting and complex audio effects. As all of the parameters are automatable, you can even start with normal playback and then morph to complete audio chaos.

Parameters Grains Section Attack wheel (ATT) - Sets the attack and decay length of each grain (i.e. fade in/fade out time). The time is added (twice - fade in and fade out) to the length of the grain. Grain Hold wheel (HOLD) - Specifies the length of each grain. Grain Spacing wheel (G.SP) - Controls the grain spacing in playback. Turn to right for greater spacing between played grains (slower playback). Turn to left for smaller spacing (faster playback).

Wave Spacing wheel (W.SP) - This parameter controls the amount of grains generated from the wave sample. This value ranges from -300% to 300%. Small values means more grains generated for the wave (smaller wave spacing). Using negative values for this property results in reversed playback of the grains (note that it is the grain playback order that's reversed, not the sound contained in each separate grain). NOTE: If you want to achieve normal playback, set both Grain Spacing and Wave Spacing to 100%.

Effects Section Stereo Separation wheel (PAN) - The more you turn it to right, the more even grains are panned to right, and odd ones panned to left. To disable the effect, turn the wheel maximum to left. Effect Depth wheel (FX.D) - This setting determines the amplitude of the LFO applied to the wave spacing value. Turn to right to increase the amplitude. To turn the LFO off, turn the wheel maximum to left. Effect Speed wheel (FX.S) - This wheel determines the speed of the LFO applied to the wave spacing value. Turning to right makes the LFO faster, while turning it to left makes it slower. Randomness wheel (RAND) - Applies randomness to grain playback. Turn the wheel to right to increase the effect. To disable the effect, turn it maximum to left.

Transients Section The Granulizer plugin is aware of transients (either autodetected or processed from the sample if slices were loaded). When a grain crosses a transient, it's aligned to it & is set a new user-defined length. This gives better quality when stretching certain material, like drumloops. Hold - Sets the length or transient grains. Switch - OFF: Transients are disabled; USE REGIONS: Uses the slices loaded from the sample, if any; DETECT - Autodetects transients, even if slice/region info is available in the sample.

Time Section

Loop switch - When turned on, the wave loops. Hold switch - While pressed, the playing position won't change. It has the same effect as if the wave spacing setting is set to 0% for a moment. Key To - Maps keys to several different properties: Key to pitch: maps keys to pitch (default); Key to percent: keys from C5 to C7 correspond to 0%-100% start position for the sample. For example, to start the sample from the middle, trigger C6 key; Key to step: keys C5 & above offset the sample start with a step (C6 offsets 12 steps, C7 - 24, etc.); Key to transient: keys C5 & above trigger the sample starting from a specific slice. Sample Start wheel (START) - This wheel sets the position in the sample used when playing starts. When turned maximum to left, the sample starts playing from the beginning. Turn the wheel to right to start playing offset inside the sample.

Notes & Tips Time stretching in the Sampler Settings is different to the Channel Sampler as tempo changes can be performed live without altering pitch, See the video tutorial

Tempo Sync Fruity Granulizer

.

1. Open an empty Fruity Granulizer channel. 2. Drag and drop your sample/recording on the Granulizer channel. 3. Open the SMP tab (at the top of Granulizer's window) and right-click the 'Time' knob and then select 'Autodetect' from the pop-up menu. 4. Select the 2nd last tempo shown at the bottom of the list with (tempo) behind it in brackets. This locks Granulizer to the project tempo. 5. Trigger Granulizer with a C5 note in the Piano roll, for the duration of the original sample and put the pattern in the Playlist. 6. Automate tempo and now Granulizer will time-stretch the sample live as the tempo changes and keep the audio in sync.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Keyboard Controller Fruity Keyboard Controller generates automation data to control modulation targets (knobs, sliders etc.) from Piano roll or a live MIDI input. MIDI Note or velocity can be used as the modulation source. Read more about internal automation controllers here. See

Fruity Keyboard Controller in action here

. A closely

related plugin is Fruity Envelope Controller.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Keyboard Controller in the Channel Rack. 2. Adjust the plugin as needed (see below for details). 3. Link a target Synth, Effect or interface control to the Note or Velocity from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu. 4. Add trigger notes to a Piano roll and edit their key/note number or velocity to control the target as needed.

Output: Internal Controllers When Fruity Keyboard Controller is loaded in the project, two options will be available for linking: Fruity Keyboard Controller - Note - Automation data depends on values assigned to each note via the Note Mapping Controls (see below). Fruity Keyboard Controller - Velocity - Automation data depends on the note velocity. The actual note played does not matter only velocity is passed.

Note Mapping Controls By default, lower notes generate low automation values and high notes high values. If you run your finger up and down the piano keyboard, the linked control will increase and decrease in response to the position of the notes on the keyboard. Alternatively, you can also customize every note to output user selected values as follows: Note off value (switch) - Select to transmit a custom automation value on key release. Note off value (slider) - Value sent on note release. Click notes on the keyboard below to select them and then set the slider. Value (slider) - Value sent when a key is pressed for the selected note (highlighted in blue). Click notes on the keyboard below and then set the slider. NOTE: This parameter does not affect Fruity Keyboard Controller Velocity, this is always linked directly to note velocity. For (Current Note Display) - Shows the selected note. Select notes by clicking on the keyboard below. The selected note shows in blue (see below). Auto Mapping (Drop-Down Menu) - These functions auto-map the selected key-range (the light-gray keys on the preview keyboard) from 0% to 100% automation values. Smoothing - Sets the Attack (time to reach the note ON level) and Release (time to reach the note OFF level) time when a note is played. Increase the values to create smoother transitions between notes. - Links the values of the Attack and Release controls. NOTE: The FL Studio's 'animations' smoothing setting as reflected in the Keyboard Controller GUI do not affect the output from the plugin. However the Link dialog also has a smoothing option and this will interact with the smoothing settings used on Fruity Keyboard Controller.

Keyboard View The keyboard view is related to the preview keyboard seen on Channel Settings.

Selected Key - Left-Click notes to select them. The selected key is blue. Changes to the Note Mapping Controls will apply only to this note. Key Range - The Key Range is used with auto mapping and defines the range of active notes for automation control. When auto mapping the first note in the range is set to the minimum value (0%), while the highest note is set to the maximum value (100%). The keys between those two notes are auto-mapped to the intermediate values. Set the limits by clicking and dragging along the note ruler (where it shows C4, C5 etc). NOTE: Wider the ranges allow finer the automation control.

Notes & Tips There are a number of useful presets available:

Gross Beat control - Fruity Keyboard Controller can be used to control Gross Beat

.

Filtering - Use Fruity Keyboard Controller to Perform Pattern/Piano roll controlled filtering by linking it to a filter cutoff.

Pitch bend native plugins - When mapping the Keyboard Controller to the pitch bend of a native FL Studio synth use a Key Range of 8 octaves + 1 semitone. Select the 'To pitch knob (transposing)' preset and link Fruity Keyboard Controller to the target plugins Channel Pitch knob. Pitch bend VSTs - When mapping standard VST synths for pitch bend control set a Key Range of +/-12 semitones, use the '1 octave (white + black)' preset. Then link Fruity Keyboard Controller to the target plugins Channel Pitch knob.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Layer Settings NOTE: Layer channels are provided for comparability with old projects, we recommend using Patcher to control multiple plugins in new projects. The Layer Channel does not make sound, it passes note data from its Piano roll and controller input to any linked Channels (child channels). Layers can be used to create complex instruments with different samples or to mix the sound of several instruments in one Channel, controlled by a single Layer Channel. The child of a Layer Channel can be any sampler channel, Fruity Plugin generator or VST, except another Layer Channel.

Setting Child Channels To set child Channels: 1. Open the Layer Channel so the interface is showing. You need access to the Set children button in a later step. 2. Deselect all Channels (Left-click any Channel selector then Right-click it). Just making sure there are no unwanted Channels in the layer. 3. Right-click on each Channel selector that you want to include in the layer. 4. Click the Set children button on the Layer Channel and you are done. 5. Select the Layer Channel and test. The Layer Channel should now play all child

layers. Things you can do: You can use a Layer Channel to create multi-sampled instruments by assigning unique keyboard regions to each child. You can include an Envelope Controller as one of the children and use it to automate the crossfade control. Here imagination is key, think horizontal (keyboard) and vertical (velocity, modulation, etc.) layering.

Options Levels Adjustment - This section contains controls for the volume (VOL), panning (PAN) and Pitch of the linked layers. NOTE: The levels you set in the Layer Channel apply ONLY to the notes played through that layer. If you play a child of this Channel through its own Step Sequencer dots or Piano roll, these settings will not be applied. Layering section Set children - Assigns all selected Channels in the Step Sequencer as children in this Layer Channel. When you play a note on the Layer Channel, all the children play along. To unassign a Channel from the Layer Channel, select all the Channels you want to remain as children and press the Set children button again (all unselected Channels become unassigned for this Layer Channel). Show children - Selects all Channels that are children of this Layer Channel in the Step Sequencer, and deselects all other Channels. Random - OFF: All children of the Layer Channel will sound on each note. ON: A single, random, Channel in the Layer will play. Use the 'Random' feature to make more interesting percussion sounds, for example, by assigning many similar samples to each Channel in the Layer. This will give subtle variations on each repeated note. Crossfade - ON: The Fade knob (below) will crossfade between two or more Channels in the Layer. If, for example, you have 3 Layer Channels turning the Fade knob from left to right will sound: Child1 > Child1+Child2 > Child2 > Child2+Child3 > Child3. Channels are faded from top (knob left) to bottom (knob right) in the Channel Rack. NOTE: Crossfading only works with FL Studio native format plugins, it does not work with VST/DX plugins. Fade knob - Used to set the crossfade level in crossfade mode. Layering menu - Click on the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some additional commands: Split children - Splits the children of the Layer Channel across the

keyboard (starting with the root key of the Layer Channel), assigning each layer to a single key. The root keys of the children are automatically adjusted, so that the correct pitch is played through the Layer Channel. This feature is useful for creating drum kits or instruments where each note has different sample. Group children - Adds all children of the Layer Channel to a group (a popup window will appear to enter the name of the group). For more information see the Channel Filtering section in the Step Sequencer page. Delete children - Removes selected children from the layer. Preview Keyboard - The preview keyboard allows you to preview the Channel instrument (Left-clicking on the piano-keyboard), set the root key (Right-click a key), and set key region (Left-click and drag on the ruler). See the Miscellaneous Channel Settings page for more information on using the Preview Keyboard.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Slicer Fruity Slicer uses beat detection algorithms to slice a wave file into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or a controller. If the wave file contains slice/region data this will be automatically used instead of the beat-detection algorithm. Fruity Slicer offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. A video tutorial

is also available on

the FL Studio website. Left & Right-click the upper (Slice Properties) and lower (Slice Preview) windows to access more functions, as described below. For greater control over slices, Leftclick and drag them from the 'slice properties' window to a Sampler Channel or other .wav compatible location. The Root Note ( 2 ) of the new slice will be set to the position it occupies in the slicer Piano roll, this allows you to re-use any Piano roll patterns (after deleting the other slice note information) you may have already constructed using the slicer. A related but more advanced slicer is Slicex.

Function Buttons (

)

BPM / BEATS controls - Sets the tempo (speed) and number of beats (length) of the original loop. These settings are automatically set to the correct values if such information is embedded in the loop, otherwise Slicer will try to guess the loop tempo and length (the longer the loop, the less accurate the detection). Open sliced beat groove button (

) - Lets you import groove files

(*.zgr) created by BeatSlicer/BeatCreator. Note that the groove files do not contain the sample data, so if the Fruity Slicer doesn't find the corresponding wave file it will ask for the sample location also. Open and slice a sample button (

)

Load sample - Allows you to open a sample file (*.wav, Recycle *.rex / *.rcy / *.rx2, etc.) and slice it automatically. NOTE: If the sample already contains slice markers these will be used. .mp3 files can't contain slice markers, only .wav files. Save original sample - Saves the original sample, without slice information. Save processed sample - Saves the sample with slice information. Open beat slicer button (

) - Lets you select the method used to

slice the loaded loop: Use Sample Built-In Slicing - Uses the slices loaded from the sample (if any). This is the best option as long as the loop is sliced properly. Dull / Medium / Sharp Auto-slicing - These are three options for auto-slicing the loop with three predefined values for the slice thresholds (see the threshold knobs explained below). The slicing performed is rough/normal/fine respectively. 1/6, 1/4, 1/3 beat ... Beat - The sample will be divided into even beat-quantized slices regardless of the content (i.e. no slice auto detection). No Slicing - The whole loop is treated as a single slice. Zero cross check slices - If you hear click/pop artifacts while playing the slices, you can call this option after slicing the loop

with any of the options above. This will snap the slice markers to the nearest zero crossing. Edit Open in Edison - Sends the current slice to Edison (the integrated Editor). Open BeatSlicer - Sends the current slice and groove file (if applicable) to the registered beat slicer (e.g. BeatSlicer or BeatCreator) for further slice editing and refinement. After exporting the new groove file in your beat slicer you need to reload the groove into the generator (

).

Stretching method All the stretching methods below can be fine-tuned with the pitch (PS) and time stretch (TS) sliders to the right of the 'Slice Properties' window. Fill gaps - This is the standard mode (A) from the original 'beatslicer' algorithm as used in the Fruity Slicer prior to FL7. Alternate fill gaps - This is the alternative 'beatslicer' algorithm (B) as used in the Fruity Slicer prior to FL7. Pro default - The 'Default' mode is designed to work with a wide range of input signals. Pro transient - In certain sounds the transients are crucial for the overall sound (percussion for example), this mode attempts to preserve the transients in the input signal. Transient - This is a lower CPU usage transient preserving stretch methods, and corresponds to the �lastique mode C from the Fruity Slicer prior to FL7. mode. Tonal - Provides higher quality for input signals with a focus on tonal (pitched) parts and is equivalent to mode D from the Fruity Slicer prior to FL7. Monophonic - Is specialized for monophonic input signals (such as vocals or solo instruments) and should give the best results for these type of signals. The tonal quality is achieved through formant-preservation (see the section below for more on

formants). Speech - This mode is optimized for speech (use 'Monophonic' mode for singing). View Spectrum - Changes the slice display to 'Frequency Spectrum' mode. Dump beat to piano roll button (

) - Allows you to 'dump' the beat

to the Piano roll (using a time selection, if applicable), by writing a sequence of notes within it (each of which correspond to a single slice). Click to see a list of available 'dump' presets: Normal - Writes the notes to match the beat length (adjusted to current tempo). Reverse - As normal, however the sequence is reversed (each individual slice is still played forward). Random - Each slice is placed on random location while preserving the loop groove and length. The sequence will be different each time this option is selected. Flatten (groove) - The loop groove is preserved (slice locations) however all slice locations are played with the first slice. Shift Up / Shift Down - The groove is preserved but all slices are shifter up/down with one slice. Quantize / Swing - As normal, however the timing is adjusted (quantized and swing). Swing holds the first note of the bar at the expense of the second note in the bar. Accentuate Beat - The first slice in each beat (beat as a measurement) is assigned a higher velocity. Pitch Up Beat - Every slice which belongs to an odd beat (1st, 3rd, etc.) is assigned a higher pitch. Widen Stereo - The panning alternates between medium left panning and medium right panning for each alternate slice.

Crazy - The pan, pitch and velocity values of every slice are randomized (values will be different each time). Stutter (half) / Stutter (quarter) - Each slice is broken into two pieces (half) or four pieces (quarter) to create a "stuttering" effect. Original Length - Dumps the slices to the Piano roll to match the loop's original speed (at the current tempo). Auto Dump switch - When enabled, Fruity Slicer will dump the sliced beat automatically after loading and when adjusting the loop's tempo/length. Auto-fit switch - If enabled the loaded loop will be adjusted to fit to the current project tempo on load. Pitch Shift slider (PS) - Changes the pitch of all slices (+/- 12 semitones), up or down (middle position = original pitch). Time Stretch slider (TS) - Time-stretches all slices (+/- 400%), while maintaining the selected pitch (middle position = original length). Use to fill gaps. DeClick - Applies very small fade in/out amounts to the slices (to remove click/pop artifacts). Attack slider (ATT) - Applies a fade in effect to the slices. Push the slider to the bottom to turn this effect off. Decay slider (DEC) - Applies a fade out effect to the slices. Push the slider to the bottom to turn this effect off. Animate - Shows a visual cue for the slice that is currently playing. Play to End - When enabled, each slice plays to the end of the loop.

Slicer Preview screen Shows the sample and the generated/imported groove (where each slice is separated from the rest with vertical red lines). If you hold your mouse over a slice in this area, the hint panel in FL Studio will show the corresponding note that triggers it in the Piano roll and the Step Sequencer. Left-click a slice to select a new slice in the Properties View, Right-click to select and audition a slice.

Slice Properties view Above the Slicer Preview screen you can see the selected slice and some of its properties. Right-click to split, remove or copy slice. Left-click to audition and Left-click and drag to take slice out of Fruity Slicer and drop an a channel or other .wav compatible plugin. To change the slice displayed, Left-click on the slice of interest in the 'Slices Preview screen', located below the Slice Properties window. REV (Reverse) - Left-click to reverse the slice playback. Slice Name ( 1 ) - Left-click to rename or to select from a menu of predefined names. The name is displayed both in this plugin and in the Piano roll (when "names" mode is selected). Root Note ( 2 ) - Left-click to open a menu to re-define the root note, or to set 'Last hit key' that will assign each slice to the last hit MIDI key.

Slice Thresholds The Auto Low and Auto High knobs (at the bottom of the interface) define the low and high thresholds used during auto-slicing (slice detection) of the loaded loop. Keep in mind that tweaking any of these options will cancel your previous setting (e.g. use built-in slices or slice per 1/2 beat, etc.) and switch to autoslicing with thresholds based on these knobs.

Notes & Tips The tempo of any (correctly sliced) loaded loop will automatically be adjusted to the tempo of your song. As you can access any of the slices in the loop in the Piano roll you can easily rearrange the loop in any way. You can apply an effect (pitch, volume, etc.) to each slice in the loop in the Piano roll. Be picky about the slicing. If the slice markers aren't positioned perfectly or if a slice marker is missing, don't hesitate to press open the loop in

BeatSlicer (

) and fine tune the slice markers in

BeatSlicer/BeatCreator. We can assure you that it will be well worth the small effort.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin (Slicer plugin), Peter Segerdahl (BeatSlicer engine)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Soundfont Player DEMO ONLY: Fruity Soundfont Player comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Fruity Soundfont Player channels. Fruity SoundFont Player is an advanced sampler which can load SoundFont2 instruments, drumkits, or collections. This plugin uses the LiveSynth SF2 rendering engine. SoundFonts are an excellent way of replicating acoustic instruments such as string or brass sections.

Parameters Load SoundFont - This button is located in the top left corner of the interface. Click it and select a SoundFont2 instruments/drumkits bank file to load (*.sf2). Edit SoundFont - This button is located in the top right corner of the interface. Click it to open the current SoundFont bank in a SoundFont editor to edit to instrument definitions. The first time you run this feature, the SoundFont player will ask you to browse and select a SoundFont Editor to be used for this button. Patch LCD - Here you can set the patch (instrument) number in the SoundFont collection to be played by the generator. Bank LCD - Here you can set the bank number in the SoundFont collection to be used by the generator. Name - Shows the name of the selected instrument. Click this area to see a full list with instruments/drumkits available in the currently loaded

SoundFont collection.

Reverb Section This section gives you the ability to use a set of Fruity/VST/DX effects on a send track as a reverb effect for the SoundFont player instead of generator's internal reverb effect (which is generally with lower quality). Send To LCD - Select here the send track number to use for reverb send effect. Send Amount knob - Use this knob to add more or less reverb to the instruments (it multiplies the reverb amount for each instrument, so instruments with no reverb will remain with no reverb). Use Built-in - If you turn on this option, the SoundFont player will use its built-in reverb effect instead of using FL Studio's send track.

Chorus Section This section gives you the ability to use a set of Fruity/VST/DX effects on a send track as a chorus effect for the SoundFont player instead of generator's internal chorus effect (which is generally with lower quality). Send To LCD - Select here the send track number to use for chorus send effect. Send Amount knob - Use this knob to add more or less chorus to the instruments (it multiplies the chorus amount for each instrument, so instruments with no chorus will remain with no chorus). Use Built-in - If you turn on this option, the SoundFont player will use its built-in chorus effect instead of using FL Studio's send track.

Envelope2 Section You can use this section to override the volume envelope settings used in the SoundFont instrument. The four sliders represent the Attack (A), Decay (D), Sustain /s, Release (R) levels of the SoundFont envelope. Keep these sliders set to minimum to disable overriding of the predefined values.

LFO2 Section

You can use this section to override the pitch LFO settings used in the SoundFont instrument. The three knobs represent the Predelay (DEL), Amplitude (AMT), Speed (SPD) levels of the SoundFont LFO. Keep these knobs turned maximum to left to disable overriding of the predefined values.

Misc Section CUT - You can use this knob to override the cutoff level used in the SoundFont instrument. Keep the knob turned maximum to left to disable overriding of the predefined cutoff levels. Modulation (MOD) - Turn this knob to right to add modulation to the instrument. HQ Rendering - Turn this switch on to ensure the highest quality rendering. This will use 128-point sinc interpolation when samples are transposed (which will significantly increase rendering times). See also the Render settings for more details on rendering quality options.

Rendering NOTE: The Fruity Soundfont Player uses high quality sample interpolation when rendering which can significantly increase render times. When making draft renders you can turn off the 'HQ for all plugins' option on the Render dialog to use linear interpolation and speed rendering significantly.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin (interface, conversion), LiveUpdate (LiveSynth SF2 engine)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Vibrator Fruity Vibrator adds vibrations to your songs using any force feedback device present on your PC. The plugin loads & maps .ffe effect files across the keyboard, & plays them back (with velocity).Such .ffe effect files can be created using the Microsoft Force Editor tool (fedit.exe) that was originally found in the DirectX 8 Developer SDK. As it's no longer available Google 'fedit.exe'

to

find it online.

Notes & Tips For the best timing accuracy, the 'Enable MIDI output' option in FL Studio must be switched on. Force Feedback devices can take some time to initiate (caused by mechanical lag), so you may have to trigger them a little ahead in order to have them synchronized with the music.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin, Frederic Vanmol

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Fruity Video Player DEMO ONLY: The Fruity Video Player comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can view extended video clips. Fruity Video Player allows you to open and play video files synchronized with your song. This is a very useful tool for those who are working on music soundtracks that need to be scored in time with video events. Keep in mind that FL Studio is not a video rendering package so it will not export the video footage, the Fruity Video Player plugin can only be used to view videos and to rip audio from videos into FL. The audio is streamed into FL Studio like any other audio plugin, however to achieve best synchronization

synchronization and quality for exported audio tracks, it is highly recommended to export the audio as wave file and use it like a regular audio track inside FL Studio. A related plugin is ZGameEditor Visualizer that can render video effects in sync with the music played from FL Studio.

Parameters File Browser - Click to browse and open a video file in the player. Options - Click to select audio-rendering options and detach-window options. Audio Rendering The audio handling in the video player is fairly slow compared to .wav files, etc, so to save frustration several audio options are provided: Don't render - No audio will be rendered, this is the quickest rendering mode. Render fast - This is faster than the Slow option, but still quite slow. Quality is sacrificed for speed. Render slow - This has the highest audio quality, but be prepared to wait. Video Window: Detached - Allows the video player to be detached from the FL Studio desktop. Stay on top - Keeps the player window on top of all other windows. Full screen - Shows the video in full screen mode, Esc to cancel. Options:

Ignore tempo changes - Prevents the player re-syncing position when the FL Studio master tempo is changed. Progress Bar - Shows the playback position of the video (the 'lit up' section of the bar) and allows you to adjust the start and end timing of the the video segment to match your project audio (drag the the black start/end setting sliders on the progress bar). Loop - If the video is shorter than the project you're working on, enabling this option will loop the video to fill the entire length of the project. Aspect - Enable this option to preserve the original aspect ratio of the movie as you resize the window. Disabling it will fit the video perfectly in the window but may stretch it to an incorrect aspect ratio. Mute - Enable this option to mute the video completely (no audio streamed in FL Studio). Volume - Sets the volume of the audio track inside the video.

Notes The Video Player works with Windows native formats (.WMV, .AVI, .SWF, etc). If you have a video in a format not recognized by the Video Player it should be converted to one of these formats first. For example, the .MOV format may or may not work, depending on the CODEC used to create it. In the case of .MOV, the QuickTime movie viewer (available from the Apple website) can be unlocked for a small fee to convert between .MOV and the .AVI format that can be used with the Fruity Video Player.

Plugin Credits: Duncan Fewkes, Frederic Vanmol

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Groove Machine Groove Machine is a multichannel (drum)sampler, multitimbral hybrid synthesizer, sequencer and last but not least a 'Groove Box', inspired by hardware of this genre. Special attention is paid to live performance via MIDI controllers. A related plugin is Groove Machine Synth.

Groove Machine Videos here

DEMO ONLY: Groove Machine is downloadable

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you

can save projects containing Groove Machine channels.

Overview Groove Machine consists of a step sequencer, with integrated Note Editor driving 8 sampler tracks, 5 synth tracks and 10 effects for every track. The main parts of the plugin are the: Tracks section FX section (touchpad + buttons) Stutter. Synth and sampler section Sequencer. In normal mode it works as a keyboard to test the sounds. Transport section One of the most powerful features is PER step automation. Right-click any interface control to access the automation graphs for that control.

Linking & MIDI Groove Machine can make PER-Channel MIDI control links OR generic links to ALL similar targets across Channels (Channels refer to the 8 x Samplers and 5 x Synths). Each time you select a new sampler or Synthesizer Channel a unique set of synthesis & effects controls are exposed for editing. To provide a quick setup Groove Machine has its own internal linking system: NOTES: Automation - Groove Machine provides PER-Step automation of all parameters by right-clicking controls and editing the value field at the top of the Drum or Note sequencer page.

Sampler Channel Mapping - Sampler Channels are pre-mapped to general MIDI keys. This is why the SamplerChannels are pre-named as BD, SD etc. Selection via MIDI - You select multiple instrument channels via MIDI at the same time, then activate an effect OR tweak a control (say on an Effect), it will be applied to all selected parts. Note slides - Use the Step Entry method to select the FREQ SLIDE switch/time-knobs on a per-note basis. Multiple channel edits/actions - Select multiple channels in edit mode then edits to parameters or muting/unmuting will be made to all the selected channels simultaneously.

External Controller Links (PER Channel PER Target) When a GUI target is linked using this technique the link will be to the specific target on the specific (Sampler/Synth) Channel selected at the time of linking. To create a link of this type:

1. Select the LINK switch. It will turn orange. 2. Tweak a soft knob (CTRL 1 to 5). 3. Tweak the GUI target on the desired Drum/Synth Channel. 4. Link the soft knob to the external controller (MIDI controller or automation clip e.t.c) according to your DAW softwares usual procedures. In FL Studio, tweak the soft knob and select TOOLS > Last tweaked > Link to controller and then tweak the controller knob again. NOTE: Steps 2 and 3 are reversible.

Quick Link & Keyboard System (ALL Channels PER Target) When a target is linked using this technique the link will become active for ALL similar targets on the Sampler or Synth Channels when they are selected. To make a link of this type:

To link Groove Machine GUI targets to external MIDI keys/controllers: 1. This step is for FL Studio users only: Open the 'Options (F10) > MIDI settings' in FL Studio and select 'Controller type: (generic)'. This enables a custom Groove Machine MIDI mapping

to assist Groove Machine links with your

controller. 2. Tweak the Groove Machine control or click the button to be linked. Linking momentary switches to MIDI keys is a great way of mixing up your performances. 3. Tweak the knob, slider or press the MIDI key/pad on your controller. 4. Click the Link symbol as shown above. To deactivate a link select the GUI target and click the link symbol to deactivate it. NOTES: Steps 1 & 2 are reversible. Try linking MIDI keyboard keys & drum pads to any switch on Groove Machine. Another important capability of this system is to link Keyboard keys (or Pads) to Patterns and other momentary controls such as the stutter effects.

External Controller Links ALL Channels

Follow your DAW's normal procedure for linking MIDI controllers or software controllers (e.g. Automation clips) to GUI targets. NOTE: These links will work across all Sampler and Synth Channels when they are focussed. Not all GUI controls will work with this method, if not see the 'Quick link & keyboard system' below. In FL Studio: 1. Tweak the GUI target. If you open the 'Browser > Current Project > Generators > Groove Machine' folder all targets are available and will focus when tweaked. You can Right-click these and select Link to controller also. 2. Select Tools > Last tweaked > Link to controller 3. Tweak the controller knob/control OR select the controller from the Remote control setting pop-up and the link is made.

Options & Controls Click the MIDI/EQ button (showing SYNTH below) in the lower left of the screen to toggle between SYNTH and MIDI/EQ panels.

MIDI - From the top section you can set various MIDI controller input to a selected range of Groove Machine targets. Select the target using the DESTINATION drop-down menu box. VELOCITY - Assign keyboard velocity to control a range of targets in Groove Machine. The VELOCITY TO LEVEL switch enables the basic velocity to volume relationship. MODULATION - Assign the mod wheel to a range of targets in Groove Machine. AFTERTOUCH - Assign aftertouch to a range of targets in Groove Machine. Aftertouch is pressure applied to keys/pads after being played, this feature may not be supported on your MIDI controller. PITCH BEND - Set the Pitch Bend wheel to bend-range relationship. EQUALIZER - The 5 band equalizer is post-FX and covers the range of center frequencies of 60 Hz, 220 Hz, 1500 Hz, 8000 Hz and 12000 Hz respectively. ENABLE - Activates the EQ.

Sampler Panel Groove Machine has 8 independent Sampler Channels. While they are pre-named as BD (Bass Drum), SD1 (Snare Drum 1) etc., this is simply for organizational & standards purposes, you can load any sample/s you want in any Sampler Channel. However, Sampler Channels are pre-mapped to the MIDI percussion standard, so stick with the categories and your Groove Machine sampler patches will play from any MIDI percussion file correctly.

COMMON - Layer controls: LVL (Level) - Global level for the selected sample layer. PAN (Panning) - Pan position for the selected sample layer. PITCH - Pitch for the selected sample layer. LVL ENVELOPE - Layer controls:

ATK - Attack time for the selected sample layer. HOLD - Hold level for the selected sample layer. DEC - Decay time for the selected sample layer. FILTERS - Layer controls: LO-CUT - High-pass filter cutoff. HI-CUT - Low-pass filter cutoff. RES - Resonance amount. There is a resonance peak on both the LOW and HI cuts. TIMING - Layer controls: DELAY - Sample start delay. INVERT - Sample phase invert. REVERSE - Reverse sample playback. LAYER - There are (up to) 4 sample layers per Sampler Channel. Select a Layer and drop a sample on it from the Browser or the computers standard file explorer. BPS (Bypass layer) - Switch layers on or off. Automate for additional performance possibilities. TIP: Try layering between Drum Channels. To make a bigger/new kick sounds for example, load two kicks on two Sampler Channels, then use the high (HPF) and Low (LPF) filters to select the high end of one kick and with the low end of the other. Change the start point of one slightly to optimize the combined phases. BOOM!

Synth Panel The synthesizer section in Groove Machine is a hybrid additive, FM & RM design.

Oscillator section - There are 3 independent oscillators. WAVESHAPE - Click to select from predefined shapes or load waveforms from .wav files or the library. You can also drop waveforms on each of the 3 oscillators. PITCH - Pitch change in semitones. FINE - Pitch change in cents. MODULATION - Select from one of: 1 SYNC - OSC1 will be synced by the frequency defined by AMOUNT fader. 2 to 1 FM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Frequency Modulation relationship. 2 to 1 RM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Ring Modulation relationship. AMOUNT - Sync, FM or RM amount. MIX OSC 2 - Mix for Oscillator 1 & 2. INV - Invert the phase of Oscillator 2. OSC 3 - Mix for Oscillator (1+2) & 3.

NOISE - Mix between all oscillators and white noise source. PHASE OSC 2 - Oscillator 2 phase. RETRIG - Oscillator 2 phase retriggering. UNISONO - Unison phase. UNISONO - Multiple detuned voices are generated per note for a chorus-like effect. VOICES - Choose between 1 and 16. STEREO - Stereo spread of voices. DETUNE - Detuning of voices. KEYBOARD OCTAVE - Octave for all Oscillators. TIP: Feel free to change this on a per-step basis. MONO VOICE - Monophonic mode with portamento.

Articulation

FILTER CUTOFF - Channel global filter cutoff frequency. RES - Resonance. KBD - Keyboard scaling. The filter cutoff will track up and down with the note played. Higher notes having a higher cutoff frequency etc. TYPE - Switch between LP (Low Pass), BP (Band Pass) & HP (HighPass). ENVELOPE ATK - Attack time. DEC - Decay time. AMNT - Amount of envelope applied. Envelope scaling. INVERT - Invert the phase of the envelope. DEST - Target parameter for envelope modulation. EG1 / EG2 - There are two envelopes available, switch between them here. LFO - Low Frequency Modulation is used as a source to rhythmically or otherwise vary synthesis parameters. RATE - LFO Speed.

SYNC - Synchronize the LFO period to NONE (free running), BEATs or BARs. AMNT - LFO modulation amount. RETRIG - Retriggering restarts the LFO phase on each note. Leave off for a free-running LFO effect. DEST - LFO destination. Select the target to be modulated by the LFO. INVERT - Inverts the LFO waveform. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. NOTE: The Sine (top shape) is bipolar, generating both +1 and -1 values at opposing peaks. The remainder of the shapes (Triangle, Saw & Square) are uni-polar producing values between 0 and 1. LFO 1 / LFO 2 - There are two LFO sources available, choose the LFO to be edited here. LVL EG - Envelope Generator Level. The envelope is used to shape the volume contour of the sound of each note played. Amplitude - Overall gain. ATTACK - Attack time, low if faster. DECAY - Decay time, low is faster. SUSTAIN - Sustain level. Volume for the duration of the held note. RELEASE - Release time, low is faster. Try increasing this a little if notes 'click' when released. CHANNEL OUTPUT - Global Channel volume. PAN - Global Channel panning (position in the Left to Right stereo field). PITCH - Global Channel pitch (semitones). FREQ SLIDE - Slide time for portamento style effects. Activate with the switch below the knob. When using the Step Entry sequencing method, you can edit the Freq Slide activate switch per step, to decide what steps slide, for 'TB-303' style slide notes.

Effects Groove Machine has 10 performance oriented effects per Channel. This allows for completely independent operation. NOTE Groove Machine is also a multi-output plugin. You can route each sampler and Synthesizer Channel to a unique mixer track for even more in-depth processing.

GLUE - Click this switch to permanently enable the selected effect. Momentary activation can be gained by clicking in the X/Y panel. Effects - There are 10 effects these include: DIST - Distortion. X - Distortion amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. CRSH - Bit crusher. X - Sample-rate reduction amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. FLNG - Flanging. X - Depth. Y - Feedback.

PHSR - Phasing. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. LPF - Low pass filtering. X - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount. HPF - High pass filtering. X - High pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount ECHO - Delay/Echo. X - Feedback amount (echo strength) Y - Echo filtering. RVRB - Reverberation. X - Feedback. Y - Wet level (reverb amount). PAN - Panning. X - Left/Right pan position. Y - Binaural effect level. Up/Down. TRNC - Trance effect. X - Release time. Y - Drop level. Use this effect to induce side-chain style pumping. STUTTER - Beat related repeat effects. Click to activate or link to a controller for live performance. Hold the ALT (bottom) button plus another to get the alternative mode printed in yellow under the white labels. LFO LFO Multiplier - Select a multiplication factor for the LFO. AMOUNT - LFO multiplier, from 0 to 100% (top). SYNC - LFO can be synced to the Bar or Beat. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. Arm X / Y - Each effect has a pair of unique performance parameters.

Sequencing Groove Machine provides three main methods of sequencing performances. Loop Recording, Step entry. Sequencer entry and . Use these methods to enter data for up to each of the 8 PATTERNS by 8 BARS x 8 (drum) SAMPLER Channels and 5 SYNTHESIZER Channels. Hold the (

Ctrl) Key and click a PATTERN and BAR to edit them. Right-click the Stepsequencer to

open the Note Editor for the selected Channel OR any interface control for step-by step automation.

NOTE: If a button is flashing while Groove Machine is not playing, (

Ctrl) and click to select, that button is armed for editing.

Transport & Edit Controls When used in FL Studio Groove Machine will slave to the Master Transport Controls. Pressing play in Grove Machine will start FL Studio also. Transport Buttons - > step between patterns. Press the Record button to arm for recording and Play to start the recording. A 1 bar count-in precedes recording. EDIT MODE - (

Ctrl) when selected you can select the BAR and Steps to edit.

PLAY ONCE - Plays the selected PATTERN and BAR once. LOOP BAR - Loops the selected bar. MUTE - Mutes the selected Channel. SOLO - Solos the selected Channel. COPY - Copies the contents of the selected PATTERN or BAR. Hold (

Ctrl) and click to select.

PASTE - Pasted the contents of the clipboard to the selected CLEAR - Clears the selected (in edit mode) PATTERN or BAR. NOTE LENGTH - Change the length of selected notes. You can also roll your mouse wheel on notes when using the Note Editor . SWING - A 'swing' rhythm holds the first note of the bar. The control determines the amount of swing. People seem obsessed with swing rhythms (except Kraftwerk). Swing enable - The button below the knob enables swing (link it to something!). NOTE: The enable switch is per instrument channel so you can have any combination of swung and straight sequencing per instrument.

Drum Part Mapping For your convenience the 8 Sampler Channels are pre mapped to the following MIDI keys (playing notes outside this range will play the selected Sampler Channel unpitched). This also means when you are recording live you can access & record on all sampler channels at once from any selected sampler channel by playing the right keys. Channel Name

Note/Key

BD (Bass Drum)

C5

SD1 (Side Drum

D5

SD2 (Side Drum

D#5

FX1 (Effects 1)

F5

HHC (High Hat

F#5

1)

2)

Closed) FX2 (Effects 2)

G5

HHO (High Hat

G#5

Open) FX3 (Effects 3)

B5

NOTE: Replace octave 5 above with 4 on some DAW software. Anarchists can, of course, load any sample/loop on any Sampler Channel.

Loop Recording Groove Machine will loop up to and including the number of bars with note data in them provided you press Play THEN Record. If you press Record then Play, Groove Machine will loop the entire 8 bars of the Pattern. 1. Select Bar 1 of the Pattern (1 to 8) you want to record into. 2. Select the Sampler or Synth Channel you want to use. 3. Press Record and Play to start recording up to the number of bars you want to loop OR manually edit in a basic percussion track for the number of bars you want to loop, this is useful as the metronome won't be audible in looprecord mode. 4. Stop playback 5. IMPORTANT Press Play to start playback THEN Record 6. Groove Machine will now loop to the total of bars with note data. You can switch between Channels and FX while looping and all movements and notes will be recorded. 7. When you are done, Stop playback and record mode will be cancelled also. NOTE: See the Sequencer entry section for more details of the options available.

Step Entry/Sequencing

To use the step entry method for Sampler Channels: 1. Select a Sampler/Drum Channel 2. Select a Pattern (1 to 8) 3. Hold the Ctrl key - on your keyboard to enter EDIT mode. 4. Select a Bar(1 to 8) - When Ctrl is held (in EDIT mode) the last 8 notes of the Step Sequencer select bars. 5. Click on steps - to activate them. 6. Double-click active steps - to deactivate them. 7. Release the Ctrl key To use the step entry method for Synth Channels: 1. Select a Synth Channel 2. Select a Pattern (1 to 8) 3. Hold the Ctrl key - on your keyboard to enter EDIT mode. 4. Select a Bar(1 to 8) - When Ctrl is held (in EDIT mode) the last 8 notes of the Step Sequencer select bars. 5. Click on a step - to select one for editing (it will start flashing). 6. Click on notes - to set the pitch. You can activate any number of notes to create chords. 7. Click active notes - to deactivate them. 8. Release the Ctrl key NOTES & TIPS: Selected items - ready for editing, blink or flash. Slides - Edit the Freq Slide activate switch per step, to decide what steps slide, for 'TB-303' style slide notes. Octave switches - Per step Synth 'Octave' settings can be used as a simple arpeggiator by shifting the octave for each step entered. See the Sequencer entry section for more details of the options available.

Drum / Synth Part Sequencing Select a Channel - Select a Sampler or Synthesizer Channel by clicking on a DRUM PARTS or SYNTH PARTS Channel button. Bars and steps - There are 8 PATTERNS with 8 BARS with 16 STEPS per bar. Drum/Sampler Range - When opened from a Synth Channel there are 2 octaves available. Use the KEYBOARD > OCTAVE control to change octave. When opened from a Drum Channel the vertical position maps to the 8 Sampler Channels as shown down the left side (clicking there will preview the sample). NOTE: The Sampler Channels are premapped to general MIDI keys so the percussion Channels start with the BD from C4 or C5 (depending on your DAW software) and run up one octave. Playing outside this range will sound the sample for the selected Channel (without pitching). Note Editor - Right-click the steps OR any interface control to open the Note Editor. If you have a DRUM Channel selected you will see the Drum Sequencer. If you have a SYNTH Channel selected you will see the Synthesizer Note Editor as shown below. Moving notes - When you move notes horizontally you are actually moving notes between steps. The Note Editor treats each step as a unique event with associated automation parameters for any right-clicked interface target. Per step automation - The Note Editor provides PER STEP automation of any right-clicked interface parameter. The parameter to be edited appears above the steps in the Note Editor as shown below. Note entry - There are several ways of entering note data for the DRUM and SYNTH parts:

DRUM step-sequencing - Click on a PATTERN (1 to 8) to edit and then enter EDIT MODE (

Ctrl) and select

BAR 1 to 8. Then, while still in EDIT MODE click on the steps along the bottom to activate them. Double-click to delete a step. Steps 1 to 16 are available for sequencing DRUM PARTS. SYNTH step-sequencing - Click on a PATTERN (1 to 8) to edit then enter EDIT MODE (

Ctrl) and select BAR

1 to 8. Next Click a step to edit (it will start flashing) then click any or all notes to play on that step. Release and re-engage the (

Ctrl) button, click a new step then note/s. Repeat this until you are done.

MIDI recording - Arm the record button, press play and after the 4 beat count-in start playing in your data. Note Editor entry - Select a PATTERN, Right-click a DRUM or SYNTH part to open the Note Editor (as shown below). Click to add steps/notes.

NOTE: DRUM parts are labeled and mapped to General MIDI notes for compatibility. You can however load any sample into any Sampler Channel if you prefer to descend into a world of chaos and confusion.

To edit a Synth Channel in the Note Editor: 1. Select the Synth Channel to be edited (1 to 5) 2. Right-click a step OR right-click any control target to pre-select it for step-by-step automation editing in the upper area. 3. Click on the Piano roll area to add or delete notes, add chords

4. Change note-length by hovering over a note or making selections and rolling your mouse wheel or using the front panel note-length slider.

Plugin Credits: Code: Maxx Claster Presets: Toby Emerson, Arlo G (nucleon).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Groove Machine Synth Groove Machine Synth is a multitimbral hybrid synthesizer & FX channel from Groove Machine.

Options & Controls Click the MIDI/EQ button (showing SYNTH below) in the lower left of the screen to toggle between SYNTH and MIDI/EQ panels.

MIDI - From the top section you can set various MIDI controller input to a selected range of Groove Machine targets. Select the target using the DESTINATION drop-down menu box. VELOCITY - Assign keyboard velocity to control a range of targets in Groove Machine. The VELOCITY TO LEVEL switch enables the basic velocity to volume relationship. MODULATION - Assign the mod wheel to a range of targets in Groove Machine. AFTERTOUCH - Assign aftertouch to a range of targets in Groove Machine. Aftertouch is pressure applied to keys/pads after being played, this feature may not be supported on your MIDI controller. PITCH BEND - Set the Pitch Bend wheel to bend-range relationship. EQUALIZER - The 5 band equalizer is post-FX and covers the range of center frequencies of 60 Hz, 220 Hz, 1500 Hz, 8000 Hz and 12000 Hz respectively. ENABLE - Activates the EQ.

Synth Panel The synthesizer is a hybrid additive, FM (Frequency Modulation) & RM (Ring Modulation) design.

Oscillator section - There are 3 independent oscillators. WAVESHAPE - Click to select from predefined shapes or load waveforms from .wav files or the library. You can also drop waveforms on each of the 3 oscillators. PITCH - Pitch change in semitones. FINE - Pitch change in cents. MODULATION - Select from one of: 1 SYNC - OSC1 will be synced by the frequency defined by AMOUNT fader. 2 to 1 FM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Frequency Modulation relationship. 2 to 1 RM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Ring Modulation relationship. AMOUNT - Sync, FM or RM amount. MIX OSC 2 - Mix for Oscillator 1 & 2. INV - Invert the phase of Oscillator 2. OSC 3 - Mix for Oscillator (1+2) & 3. NOISE - Mix between all oscillators and white noise source. PHASE OSC 2 - Oscillator 2 phase. RETRIG - Oscillator 2 phase retriggering. UNISONO - Unison phase. UNISONO - Multiple detuned voices are generated per note for a chorus-like effect. VOICES - Choose between 1 and 16. STEREO - Stereo spread of voices. DETUNE - Detuning of voices. KEYBOARD OCTAVE - Octave for all Oscillators. MONO VOICE - Monophonic mode with portamento.

Articulation

FILTER CUTOFF - Channel global filter cutoff frequency. RES - Resonance. KBD - Keyboard scaling. The filter cutoff will track up and down with the note played. Higher notes having a higher cutoff frequency etc. TYPE - Switch between LP (Low Pass), BP (Band Pass) & HP (HighPass). ENVELOPE ATK - Attack time. DEC - Decay time. AMNT - Amount of envelope applied. Envelope scaling. INVERT - Invert the phase of the envelope. DEST - Target parameter for envelope modulation. EG1 / EG2 - There are two envelopes available, switch between them here. LFO - Low Frequency Modulation is used as a source to rhythmically or otherwise vary synthesis parameters. RATE - LFO Speed. SYNC - Synchronize the LFO period to NONE (free running), BEATs or BARs. AMNT - LFO modulation amount. RETRIG - Retriggering restarts the LFO phase on each note. Leave off for a free-running LFO effect. DEST - LFO destination. Select the target to be modulated by the LFO. INVERT - Inverts the LFO waveform. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. NOTE: The Sine (top shape) is bipolar, generating both +1 and -1 values at opposing peaks. The remainder of the shapes (Triangle, Saw & Square) are uni-polar producing values between 0 and 1. LFO 1 / LFO 2 - There are two LFO sources available, choose the LFO to be edited here. LVL EG - Envelope Generator Level. The envelope is used to shape the volume contour of the sound of each note played. Amplitude - Overall gain.

ATTACK - Attack time, low if faster. DECAY - Decay time, low is faster. SUSTAIN - Sustain level. Volume for the duration of the held note. RELEASE - Release time, low is faster. Try increasing this a little if notes 'click' when released. CHANNEL OUTPUT - Global Channel volume. PAN - Global Channel panning (position in the Left to Right stereo field). PITCH - Global Channel pitch (semitones). FREQ SLIDE - Slide time for portamento style effects. Activate with the switch below the knob.

Effects There are 10 performance oriented effects:

GLUE - Click this switch to permanently enable the selected effect. Momentary activation can be gained by clicking in the X/Y panel. Effects - There are 10 effects these include: DIST - Distortion. X - Distortion amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. CRSH - Bit crusher. X - Sample-rate reduction amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. FLNG - Flanging. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. PHSR - Phasing. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. LPF - Low pass filtering. X - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount. HPF - High pass filtering. X - High pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount ECHO - Delay/Echo. X - Feedback amount (echo strength) Y - Echo filtering. RVRB - Reverberation. X - Feedback. Y - Wet level (reverb amount). PAN - Panning. X - Left/Right pan position. Y - Binaural effect level. Up/Down. TRNC - Trance effect. X - Release time. Y - Drop level. Use this effect to induce side-chain style pumping. LFO LFO Multiplier - Select a multiplication factor for the LFO.

AMOUNT - LFO multiplier, from 0 to 100% (top). SYNC - LFO can be synced to the Bar or Beat. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. Arm X / Y - Each effect has a pair of unique performance parameters.

Plugin Credits: Code: Maxx Claster Presets: Toby Emerson, Arlo G (nucleon).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Harmless Additive synthesis rendered Harmless! Harmless performs subtractive synthesis using an additive synthesis engine, but why? The subtractive-additive process can create sounds that are simply not possible or if they are, tediously complicated to program using subtractive synthesis alone. With Harmless, filters and phasers can be assigned unusual shapes and slopes, the slopes can even be defined in Hz resolution instead of octaves. Finally, Harmless gains control of each partial's frequency, opening a world of new possibilities for creating innovative sounds. But all that is just detail, put simply, Harmless is a ground-breaking subtractive-additive synthesizer that sounds amazing, has a huge repertoire and invites experimentation, as you are about to discover. Check the Harmless video series Harmless forum here

Image-Line | Harmless (VST & Native Plugin Instrument)

or

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Click on the screenshot above to jump to the help for that section NOTE: The Harmless GUI color codes knobs and sliders so that related controls are the same color. We recommend loading a Wave Candy Spectral Analyzer

after Harmless while you are learning to

program the plugin, a picture is worth 1000 words, so they say.

Harmless Key Features The Harmless design philosophy is 'less is more', every feature, control and harmonic function was carefully selected for maximum effectiveness. LESS HARMonics, now that's Harmless! Additive-Subtractive engine providing unique capabilities.

Single page color-coded GUI for immediate gratification. Efficient CPU usage & multithreading. Harmonic mask function. Specialized pluck filter. Unique phaser & harmonizer For more detailed information on programming Harmless, see the Tutorial section.

Main Controls Harmless is a single page synthesizer making fast program changes simple and is perfect for live performances and experimentation. The five main control categories are: Timbre - The oscillator or sound generation controls. Unison - Voice thickening & stereoizing effect. Phaser - Creates totally unique phasing and partial based effects, only possible with Harmless. LFO - Modulation source for adding motion and evolution to sounds. Effects - Chorus, Delay, Reverb & Compression.

Timbre The Oscillator (audio source) is controlled by the Timbre selector. Choose from a range of waveform shapes. The oscillator is based on additive synthesis, that is a fundamental or root pitch and its harmonics are added to create more complex waveforms. Most of the built-in waveforms are bright, rich saws since other common waveforms, like pulse, are created by filtering. A pulse can be generated through the harmonic mask or even with the phaser. The additively generated waveforms are calculated according to the following controls:

Timbre - Select from a number of pre-computed additive waveforms. NOTE: The Custom timbre option will open a browser to load and resynthesize a single-cycle waveform audio file to import the timbre. Once loaded, selecting another timbre and returning to the Custom value will now open the new customized waveform as a preset. Right-click to reset the Custom timbre: Right-click menu - To select from 'Analyze single cycle waveform' browser and 'Reset custom timbre color'. NOTE You can drag waveforms from within FL Studio from anything that supports drag and drop them onto Harmless GUI to be analyzed as a Custom timbre. phase - Turning left randomizes the phase of each harmonic separately. This is useful for

creating 'metallic' timbres. Turning to the right sets the global waveshape phase to a 'freerunning' mode. This is useful to add some variation to transients in the timbre. lhp - Low Harmonic Protection. Prevents filtering functions (harmonic mask) from removing the first few harmonics, that are essential for producing the fundamental pitch/tone of the patch. sub - Sub Harmonics add bass, weight or depth to the sound. The first slider Sub 1 is an octave below the root note. The remaining two sub sliders are harmonics of Sub 1. Sub 3 is the 3rd harmonic and Sub 4 is the 4th harmonic. Relative to Sub 1, the 2nd harmonic is the root note, masked by harmonic mask slider #1. equalizer - 6 Band harmonic equalizer. Unlike a traditional EQ this is a floating equalizer, relative to the root note (fundamental frequency). For example the first slider will always affect the 1st harmonic and a little of the 2nd. harmonic mask - Sliders cut the harmonics from the Timbre waveform. Sliders 1 to 12 relate to the first 12 harmonics of the root note and frequencies that are multiples of 12 for each slider up the harmonic frequency scale. In other words, the harmonic mask is a repeated stamp over all harmonics, cutting where selected. Generally the mix control must be active for the mask to have an effect, however a positive and active LFO can override that. To hear the harmonic mask, select the default patch, turn the lhp and sub harmonic sliders to their minimum settings, minimize all the harmonic mask sliders and turn the mix knob fully clockwise to hear only the masked signal (i.e nothing should be audible yet). Then raise each harmonic mask slider in turn and listen to the result. These are the individual harmonics and their 12x multiples. mix - Change the harmonic masking level (to disable turn fully left). lfo - Subjects the mix level to LFO modulation. Turn left to modulate cut harmonics and right to modulate active harmonics. The lfo characteristics are under the control of the main LFO controls (lower right on the interface). trem - Stereo tremolo effect. This is a left/right panning of the sound that simulates the rotary speaker effect used in some classic organ patches. att - Combination of note starting level and attack time. The first few ms of the att knob range adjust only the attack 'starting level' then higher values adjust attack time. VEL - Links note-on velocity to the attack time value. dec - Note decay time. rel - Note release time. VEL - Links note-off (release) velocity to the release time value. pluck - The pluck feature is a specialized, quickly decaying, low-pass filter envelope applied to the timbre. masked - Applies the masking function to the pluck. I.e. mask sliders determine the decay time of the corresponding harmonics. See the tutorial patch 'Masked pluck'. alt - In Alternative mode, the timbre EQ affects the per-harmonic decay speed. release - Pluck only on release. Make sure to use a long decay setting otherwise the

effect won't be audible, but not so long you drive up the polyphony and eat CPU. VEL - Links note-on velocity to pluck decay time. When activated the pluck knob sets the maximum release time.

Amp

vol - Main output volume. VEL - Links note-on velocity to note volume. pitch - Pitch control (+/- 24 semitones). detune - Harmonic tuning. Changes the pitch of the harmonics (+/- 24 semitones) grit - Adds a 'metallic' grittiness by selectively detuning harmonics. vib - Vibrato effect. Fast pitch modulation. TIP: It can be useful to link the aftertouch to this knob. In FL Studio, press & hold a note, Right-click the knob to open the remote control settings and then press the note harder and you are done. lfo - Applies LFO to the main pitch. The value can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the lfo knob.

Pitch

porta - Portamento slides between the levels/pitch of the last note & the new one. time knob determines the slide time. legato - Legato is a monophonic mode and slides between overlapping notes. The time knob determines the slide time. time - Controls the porta and legato slide times. VEL - Links note-on velocity to portamento or legato attack time, and note-off velocity to legato release time. NOTE: The default polyphony is 16 voices (see the Miscellaneous Channel Settings

Filter

).

The filter functions control the type of filtering and cutoff frequency. Envelope and LFO functions are added to the filter cutoff frequency as set by the freq control.

alt - Alternative, 'adaptive envelope' mode ensures the filter cutoff frequency is only modulated over the range from the current cutoff value to the max/min frequency limit. The cutoff modulation range is 'adaptive' in that 100% envelope modulation always = max/min frequency. Direction depends on the amt value being positive or negative. The purpose is to avoid 'pauses' that can happen in 'normal' mode when the cutoff is modulated above or below the max/min frequency and the cutoff pauses at the limit until the modulation value returns to within the audible range. att - Attack time. Attack slope - The knob below the att control determines the shape of the attack ramp. dec - Decay time. Decay slope - The knob below the dec control determines the shape of the decay ramp. amt - Filter cutoff frequency envelope amount. Turning right applies positive modulation of the filter cutoff frequency. Turning left applies a negative modulation of the filter cutoff frequency. In 'normal' mode the envelope is multiplied by the amt value and added to the filter cutoff freq. See alt mode above. VEL - Links note-on velocity to filter envelope amount. lfo - Applies LFO to the filter cutoff value. The value can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the lfo knob. kb.t - Keyboard tracking. Applies an offset to the filter cutoff value depending on pitch. The offset-value can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the kb.t knob. For example, keyboard tracking is useful to make a sound brighter, by raising the cutoff frequency of a low-pass filter, as higher keys are played. width - Filter bandwidth. Narrower widths create a more clearly defined 'center frequency' sound. ​ freq - Filter cutoff frequency. This is the target for all controls in green to the left of the knob. Filter type menu - Choose from cutoff slope variations, crude being the steepest: Low pass - Filters frequencies above the cutoff frequency. Band pass - Filters frequencies either side of a central band. Band stop - Filters frequencies inside a central band.

High pass - Filters frequencies below the cutoff frequency. Phaser - 'Comb filtering', a series of stacked band-stop filers. oct / Hz - Sets the filter shape to an Octave or Hertz scale. Set by ear.​​ res - Filter resonance. This boosts frequencies around the cutoff value (depending on the offset value). Resonance accentuates the cutoff frequency position making a familiar 'resonant' sound. ​ Resonance type menu - Choose from resonance type variations: Classic - Single narrow resonance peak. Spring, Pedestal, Sedge hat, Wide bump & Double cone - Various resonance peak shapes, named according to their approximate shape. Well & Wormhole - Cut frequencies at the cutoff frequency with resonant peaks either side of the hole. These settings are designed to be used with the self-oscillation, to avoid annoying interferences and overly loud ringing when the resonance peak passes harmonic frequencies. Noise - Special effect. Randomly selects harmonics to play. Use the res knob to control the number of harmonics selected and ofs (offset) to control randomization speed. oct / Hz - Sets the shape of the resonance frequency peak to an Octave or Hertz scale. Set by ear.​​ ofs - Shift the resonant frequency +/- 2400 cents, relative to the cutoff frequency. NOTE: Resonance may become inaudible if the offset moves the peak past the filter cutoff point, since there may be few or no frequencies to resonate there.​​ osc - Self-oscillation level. A sine wave is deliberately introduced at the resonant frequency developing more distinct 'tonal' sound. Can be useful when the offset moves the resonant peak beyond the filter cutoff point (see 'ofs' above). motion.t - This works with the self-oscillation (osc) feature so that the self oscillation only happens when there is cutoff-frequency motion. ​ adaptive - Adaptive resonant-peak width. The resonant peak changes width as a function of cutoff frequency. Set by ear.

Unison Unison is a thickening and stereoizing effect, similar to chorusing. Unlike chorus, that is applied to the final output, unison is a per-note effect where each note is given a user-defined number of 'subvoices' (from the order setting). Subvoices are then given user-defined variations of panning, volume, pitch and phasing relative to the root note as per the following controls:

Order - Number of unison voices. NOTE: Limit use of high unison orders where CPU load is a concern.​ Unison type menu - Select from three variations of pitch and panning spread (Classic, Uniform & Blurred). Set by ear. pan - Panning variation across the unison voices. pitch - Pitch variation (detune) across the unison voices​ VEL - Links note-on velocity to pitch variation. phase - Timbre starting phase variation across the unison voices. var - Adds a offset the LFO position (phase) and phaser speed for each unison voice.

Phaser Phasing is the process of creating, constantly moving, frequency cancellation/s in a sound. The Harmless phaser allows individual harmonics to be phased rather than it being applied to the entire output or 'cancellation patterns' (cut templates) to be applied to the timbre making a range of interesting phasing and harmonic effects possible.

amt - Amount of phasing. Phaser type menu - Select phaser type. There are three broad categories as follows: Classic, Triangle, Eggs - In this group you will find settings similar to traditional phaser sounds. Deep, Deeper, Condom, Twins, Cascade & Box - Are special phasing effects that fully exploit the Harmless additive architecture. freq - Extra special! Modulates the frequency of all the partials in the timbre. Phaser scale - Set the scale to octave, Hz or harmonics. Set by ear. See the tutorial preset 'PWM' to learn how to use the phaser in harmonic scale in order to achieve pulse-width modulation (PWM). width - Wider settings cause a more aggressive phase cancellation. lfo - Subjects the width setting to LFO modulation. The lfo characteristics are set at the main LFO (lower right on the interface).

ofs - Offsets the phase mask (cancellation) position. lfo - Subjects the offset setting to LFO modulation. The lfo characteristics are set at the main LFO (lower right on the interface). speed - Speed with which the phase cancellations are swept across the spectrum. kb.t - Keyboard tracking adds an offset to the amount control depending on note pitch note.

Harmonizer The harmonizer clones the existing harmonics upwards, using various methods (+ octaves, or by an offset).

amt - Harmonizing mix. width - Determines how far upward the harmonics are cloned. lfo - Subjects the width setting to LFO modulation. The lfo characteristics are set at the main LFO (lower right on the interface). VEL - Links note-on velocity to width. str - Strength places emphases on the first/early harmonic clones. Harmonization type menu - Choose from various transpositions. Set by ear. Harmonization position menu - Choose the location where the harmonizer is added to the timbre (Pre-filter, Pre-phaser, Pre-pluck, Final. For example, Final vs Pre-filter. Adding harmonizer harmonics Pre-filter means the filter can still remove them. Harmonizing added at Final means the filter will have no effect on the harmonizer harmonics. ​

LFO The LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) is a generic modulation source that can vary the value of a number of target parameters on the Harmless interface including;

Harmonic mask mix. Pitch. Filter cutoff frequency.

Phaser width. Phaser offset. Harmonizer amount. Look for the lfo knob under the controls to be modulated. att - Attack controls the time taken for the LFO to reach maximum oscillation. The effect is similar to an attack envelope over the LFO. speed - LFO oscillation frequency. Direction left and right of the vertical position controls LFO phase. LFO shape/source menu - Select from a number of LFO waveforms or special sources. In particular the Special category sources: Filter envelope - Uses the filter envelope shape (as set by att, dec and their associated curve controls). Filter frequency - Value of the Filter frequency knob = LFO value. Voice random - The LFO value changes randomly each time a note is played. The new random value only affects the new note, sustained notes hold their original LFO values. Velocity - Note-on velocity acts as a modulation variable. Pitch - Note pitch. LFO Speed becomes an offset when this is chosen. global - When deselected the LFO restarts for each note played and the LFO is unique to that note. When selected the LFO continuously cycles in the background and all notes share the current LFO value.

Effects The integrated effects are designed to be easily tweaked and not distract you from the task of making music or sound-design. If you want more complex effects then use external plugins following Harmless in the Mixer chain. If you do this, keep an eye on the effects already in use on the patch so that you don't double up on reverbs or delays, unless that was your plan.

Chorus - The Chorus effect results from the interaction of delayed copies of the input sound, that are detuned by a small and continuously varied amount. It is called 'Chorus' because it can make a single voice sound like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) and creates a thick and lush texture. The effect is similar to Unison but operates across all voices rather than per-voice and is much less CPU intensive. Select from Chorus type - Select from a range of different Chorus styles. Set by ear. Mix - Controls the balance between the dry (fully left) and chorused signal (fully right).

Delay - Delay is an echo-based effect. Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a 'reverb' like sound while longer time settings are great for left-right 'ping-pong' effects. vol - Controls the level of the delay echoes. fb - Feedback controls the number of delay echoes. time - Controls the spacing between the delay echoes. The control is tempo synced, watch the Hint Bar

wile you adjust the time setting (delay values display in beats

and beat fractions). Reverb - Reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a 'reverberant' sound. Consider using delay to create the sense of space rather than reverb in a dense musical mix. Reverb type - Select from a range of room sizes. Vol - Volume controls the strength of the reverberant sound. Comp - Select from compression, limiting and distortion effects. Harmless uses the Maximus

compression engine. Compression type - Compression increases the low-level parts of the sound reducing the dynamic range, and so, making it sound louder or whatever the 'Compression type' setting claims. The Limiting preset prevents the output from Harmless exceeding 0 dB (assuming its Mixer track and Channel setting volumes are at the defaults). When Limiting the Mix control is disabled. The remaining presets offer various compression 'flavors' as described by their names. Distortion does what it says. Set by ear. Mix - Control the mix between the dry and effected signal. Right = 100% effected.

NOTE: If the effects chain Harmless feeds into already has compression/limiting then don't use the internal effect.

CPU options The switches to the right of the effects section provide options to trade audio quality for CPU efficiency.

Processing quality - Select from normal where everything is normal or high quality where the sonic beauty will make you weep with desire. Use high quality mode for better live quality on transients and very fast LFO's. Quality comes at the cost of CPU load. NOTE: Harmless uses ultra high quality when rendering, and no you can't have that for live use, unless you are using the VST version then it's available on the Hint Bar Options menu. threaded - Allows multi-threading for improved multi-core CPU performance. Switching threading off may, in some cases, improve performance if the host's multithreading is more efficient than the plugins own.

About Harmless (?)

Shows the about screen. Make sure not to press this button if your Grandmother is watching.

Special note colors The native FL Studio version of Harmless responds to MIDI note colors 14, 15 and 16 as follows:

MIDI Channel color 14 - Invert legato state, mono (slide) override, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1. MIDI Channel color 15 - Invert portamento state, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1. MIDI Channel color 16 - Filter cutoff frequency. The absolute frequency is based on a defaulted (middle) filter freq knob setting. The note does not play on its own. NOTE: Click on the colors OR text to select.

Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Harmless Tutorials Attention class! Miss Harmless is ready to start 'Subtractive-Additive Synthesis 101'.

Tutorials If you open the Harmless presets you will notice a 'Tutorial' category. Here we will explain what's happening with each of these presets.

Filter decay What you hear: Play a note (C5) and notice the sound becoming 'darker' over time. This is caused by the loss of high frequencies as a low-pass filter cutoff frequency is swept down from high to low as shown by the Wave Candy spectrum analysis below.

How it's done: The filter type has been set to 'Crude low pass', low pass filters allow frequencies through lower than the filter cutoff frequency (freq). In this instance the starting frequency is set by the amt knob, the decay time is set by the dec knob and the final frequency is (largely) set by the filter cutoff frequency (freq). Keyboard tracking, kb.t, is adding an offset depending on note pitch. This can be useful to make higher notes relatively brighter than lower notes. Harmless fun: Decay time - Try changing the decay knob and notice how the decay-time changes. Decay envelope slope - The Wave Candy display (above) also shows the decay slope. Turn the decay slope (dec) all the way to the right and hold a note. It should sustains, it may take a while, then suddenly drop off. This reflects the rounded slope profile shown below the knob. Attack time - Try changing the attack time, att knob, and notice how you can sweep the cutoff frequency up to a peak then down according to the decay time. Amount sign - The amt control has a positive and negative direction (either side of the 12 o'clock position). Depending on the slope this can be used to invert the envelope shape. Filter types - Experiment with the various filter types selecting them from the drop-down menu.

Key to pulse saw morphing What you hear: This patch morphs the wave-shape (timbre) from a square-wave at the lowest notes to a saw-wave at the highest notes. It is a fairly subtle difference so you may want to set Wave Candy to Oscilloscope mode.

How it's done: The LFO section has been set to a special pitch mode, that is a modulation value that tracks note pitch (small for low notes, large for high notes). The harmonic mask mix is being varied as a function of note pitch. This is caused by the LFO modulation of the Harmonic mask mix value. In this case the low notes receive more masking and the high notes less masking. You will have to trust us that you can turn a saw-wave into a square wave by masking the even harmonics and sounding the odd harmonics, as set by the mask. Harmless morphing fun: Modulation source - Select Smooth pulse from the LFO shape/source selector and turn the speed control to the 3 o'clock position and play a note. Now the harmonic mask mix value is being modulated by an LFO waveshape. Try experimenting with the other shapes 'Stairs' is fun. Harmonic mask - Experiment with various mask-slider positions and see how it changes the waveform.

LFO on phaser What you hear: A pulsing sound 'rippling' through the note. This is caused by a shifting band of frequencies that are removed from the sound. In other words, similar to sweeping a 'cut' setting on a parametric equalizer. Traditionally the phasing frequency loss is caused by 'phase cancellation' when two identical or very similar sounds are delayed slightly and mixed together. By varying the delay by an LFO the phase cancellation frequencies ripple through the sound. Harmless, with its 'subtractive-additive' architecture can dispense with all that mucking about and simply work directly on the harmonics and remove them as follows:

How it's done: Phasing in Harmless is simulated by a harmonic 'mask', essentially a harmonic cut template, that removes a few bands of harmonics. On the spectrograph, ( 1 ) shows the original sound prior to any phaser effect. This was achieved by turning the amount control to minimum. ( 2 ) shows the static harmonic mask (no movement). This was achieved by turning the lfo control associated with the offset to minimum (12 o'clock). ( 3 ) shows the original 'LFO on phaser' patch. The LFO is varying the mask (phaser) offset ofs. The offset just controls where in the frequency spectrum the cut bands appear. Looking now at the LFO section, note the shape is set to Saw, this describes the repeating LFO modulation pattern. The global switch is off, this means that the phaser lfo 'resets' and start from the same position for each new note. Harmless phaser fun: Width - Try varying the width parameter and see how more or less cut-bands affect the phasing sound. You can also put the width under LFO modulation by increasing the value of the lfo knob below it. Phaser type 'Deep' etc. - Changes the shape of the cut mask. Try the other settings to see how the shape of the mask is changed.

Phaser type 'Freq' - This one is a beauty! Select it and the section is no longer a 'phaser'. Rather than cutting the harmonics, those that are in the timbre are individually modulated. Speed - Note also that the speed control on the Phaser section is a multiplier to the speed on the LFO section. You should also see in the Hint bar the LFO speeds are shown in tempo units. Meaning the phasing effect can be matched to project tempo or multiples off it. Ups and downs - You can change the direction of the offset (moving up or down) by the direction you turn the speed controls either side of the 12 o'clock position. Global - Turn on the global switch on the LFO section and listen to the way separately timed notes all phase in sync compared to a bit of a 'mess' when it's off. Zap - Set phasers to stun!

Local voice random + unison What you hear: Each time a note is played the pan position of the voice changes.

How it's done: The LFO section has a special Voice random mode that selects a new random value for each new note played AND global mode has been switched off, this allows the LFO randomization value to be different for all voices. While the purpose of the pan setting on the Unison is to spread the pan position of the unison voice copies, this isn't what is causing the panning effect. pan only affects the maximum possible pan position in this patch. Panning is caused by the lfo on the filter section causing a random cutoff freq setting for each note played as shown in the spectrograph (13 notes shown). The causes the high-frequency cutoff for each unison voice to differ and this is causing the apparent position of the notes to shift. Harmless random fun: Filter lfo - Reduce the lfo value and notice how the panning effect reduces. Unison pitch - Increase the pitch slider. No it isn't responding to the LFO in any way, it just sounds better.

Voice random What you hear: Subtle variations in brightness from note to note. How it's done: This patch is almost identical to the Velocity to filter frequency example, however, the LFO has been set to Voice random that generates a new (random) values at each note-on.

Masked pluck What you hear: A 'masked' pluck timbre. Notice the extra high harmonics when the masked option is on vs off as shown in the spectrograph.

How it's done: The masking function filters harmonics, and so can be thought of as a specialized 'cut' filter. By selecting masked to the right of the filter, it's actually the reverse of what you may expect, that is the mask is ignored during the 'pluck'. The length of the pluck is determined by the pluck knob setting, left is shorter. The pluck control is a specialized and fast low pass filter designed to create pluck effects (naturally enough). Harmless masked pluck fun: Pluck length - Starting with the Masked pluck patch turn the pluck knob to the 9 o'clock position and listen to the sound with the masked switch on and off. Notice when it's on the pluck sound has a metallic resonance, similar to a string buzzing on a fret. That's one reason the masked option is there. Harmonic mask mix - Notice that the mix control must be at a setting of less than 100% for the masked pluck to work. Filter cutoff frequency - Notice also that the filter cutoff frequency freq must allow the unmasked components of the timbre for the masked pluck to have any effect. Lower the frequency cutoff while playing notes and at some point the masked option will cease to have a noticeable effect.

PWM What you hear: Pulse Width Modulation sounds similar to 'phasing' with notes morphing from a full to a thin and brittle tone, and back again.

How it's done: This is similar to the Phasing effect as described above. A harmonic cut template (Eggs in this case) has its frequency width modulated by an LFO set to a Saw modulation shape and sync set to Global. This means all notes share the same phase for the LFO modulation. Note the Phaser scale is set to harm, harmonics. Harmless PWM fun: See the PWM morphing waveform - Open Wave Candy and select the 'Oscilloscope' display. Play a C5 note on Harmless and adjust the update setting on Wave Candy until the waveform stabilizes, somewhere around 12 o'clock. You should see the waveform shape. Note how the waveform periodically morphs between a Saw wave and something more complex. By the way, the Saw shape isn't caused by the LFO 'Saw' setting, the Saw shape comes from the Timbre color setting Saw. Change the Timbre color setting and note the changes in the waveform shape. LFO frequency & shape - Play with the LFO speed. Choose the Stairs shape and you can get an octaving pulse set by the LFO frequency. Phaser type settings - Try the different Phaser type settings, the Condom shape sounds cool since it has very wide cutbands.

Saw pulse What you hear: Is a sound changing tone in a cyclic pattern. This tutorial should some as no surprise if you have read the section on Key to pulse saw morphing.

How it's done: The LFO section has been set to Smooth pulse mode. This creates a cyclic modulation value that affects the harmonic mask mix value. You will have to trust us (again) that filtering a saw wave as set by the harmonic mask can cause a saw wave to become a square wave. Harmless morphing fun 2: Modulation source - Select Stairs from the LFO shape/source selector and turn the speed control to the 3 o'clock position and play a note. Now the harmonic mask mix value is being modulated by a new LFO waveshape. Try experimenting with the other shapes. Harmonic mask - Experiment with various mask-slider positions and see how it changes the waveform.

Unison variation What you hear: The sound pans left and right when a note is held. All notes are panned in sync, regardless of pitch and the time they are triggered.

How it's done: The Unison order (2 in this patch), generates two voices for each note. It's the subtle variations on these voices that creates interesting Unison effects. Here, the Unison pan spreads the unison voices in the stereo field but the pan control isn't causing the panning effect, only the maximum pan position. Eh? Notice the lfo on the filter section is activated and the LFO section has been set to a sine wave shape. The LFO causes a cyclic change in the high-frequency content of the two unison voices because the Unison var control is adding a unique LFO start offset to each voice. So, it's the cyclic and different loss of high-frequencies from the two Unison voices that causes the apparent position of the note to shift. You can see in the image above-right the Left channel is smooth and the Right channel is a saw shape (has higher harmonic frequencies) and so the pan would appear to be shifted to the Right. Harmless unison variation fun: Speed & LFO shape - Start with the LFO section, try different LFO shapes and speed. Global - Notice the global switch ensures that all the notes you play are in panning sync. Turn it off and the LFO phase will re-start for each new note, this allows you to have several notes panning in all directions. Chaotic but interesting with the right sound.

Unison variation - Turn var to minimum and notice the panning stops, although the filter frequency variation continues. This is because the two unison voices are now identical as their LFO values are in phase. Note how the pan effect is at maximum with var settings of 50% and diminishes to nothing again at 100%. What's up there? Remember the unison variation slider acts as an offset to the phase of the LFO. We are using a Sine wave here, a gently undulating wave. Offsetting a sine wave by 100% (360 degrees for mathematicians) gets you back to where you started. Anyhow, the maximum offset is at 50%, i.e the two Unison voices are 90 degrees out of phase. Other shapes will behave differently, of course, but you get the idea.

Velocity to filter frequency What you hear: As note velocity increases the notes become brighter, as velocity decreases the notes become duller. In the spectrograph (below) the higher harmonics (frequencies) can be seen increasing as note velocity increases (8 notes spanning the velocity range are shown).

How it's done: This patch has a twist, rather than linking the filter envelope amt knob to velocity by switching VEL on, we have instead increased the lfo value on the filter and set the LFO to a special Velocity mode. This uses note-on velocity as a modulation value. So it is easy, just not what you were probably expecting. The good news here is that this patch shows there are several ways you can modulate targets in Harmless. Harmless velocity fun: LFO Shape / source & LFO speed - As usual, try selecting some different LFO wave-shapes and play with the speed knob. Hours of harmless fun there! Link velocity to amt - Finally you should try the 'usual' velocity to filter-cutoff method. Turn the lfo knob on the Filter to the 12 o'clock position to stop LFO modulating the filter cutoff freq. Next select the VEL switch below the amt knob to the left of the Filter and turn it fully right. Now note-on velocity is controlling the height of the filter envelope, and so the filter cutoff frequency. Most of the controls for the filter envelope are not shown, left of the amt knob.

Graduation day So you have completed 'Subtractive-Additive Synthesis 101', congratulations!

Image-Line

Plugin Credits

Credit to: Code & Graphics by Gol! VSTi port by Reflex Harmless-chan by Uruido Harmless named by zer0 Reverb by Ultrafunk Manual by Scott Fisher & Gol. JWMMakerofMusic has read the manual!

Distributed by Image Line Software BVBA Kortrijksesteenweg 281 B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgium

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Harmor Just like its predecessor Harmless, Harmor is powered by a powerful additive synthesis engine. Its modules will look familiar to subtractive synthesizer enthusiasts: oscillators, filters & phasers. These are featured in Harmor but, because they are performed on additive synthesis data, rather than audio, offer more freedom. Additive / subtractive synthesis - In Harmor no audio-stream exists, instead a table of frequency and amplitude data is manipulated efficiently, accurately and in ways not possible with traditional methods, that process an audio stream. Draw filter shapes and gain precise control over every aspect of the sound generation process. Image & Audio Resynthesis - Images and audio files (WAV, AIFF, WavPack, MP3, OGG, REX1&2) can be dragged and dropped on Harmor to provide 'sampler-quality' reproduction of sounds or work with image-based synthesis when used in conjunction with your favorite image editor. Just cut-andpaste between Harmor and your editor of choice. Check the video series

Image-Line | Harmor (VST & Native Plugin Instrument)

DEMO ONLY: Harmor is downloadable

,

or the Harmor preset forum here

.

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save

projects containing Harmor channels.

Click on the image above to jump to the help for that section NOTES: The Harmor GUI color codes knobs and sliders so that related controls are the same color. We recommend opening the Visual Feedback panel while you are learning to program the plugin, a picture is worth 1000 words, so they say. You can also rightclick most controls to open the associated Envelope ready for modulation.

Harmor Key Features The Harmor design philosophy is 'more is more', every feature, control and harmonic function was carefully selected for maximum effectiveness. Additive engine - Performing additive / subtractive synthesis just as efficiently as traditional 'subtractive' synths. Multi-modal synthesis - Classic subtractive + audio resynthesis + image synthesis. Specialized processing units - Prism, pluck, blur, filters, phaser. Modulation - Advanced multi-part articulation envelopes.

Additive Synthesis? Harmor can generate up to 516 sine wave

(partials), per note, per unison voice AND modulate these in real-time to resynthesize

ANY continuously evolving sound. So what is Additive Synthesis? This video is a great introduction to the topic - Overtones, harmonics and Additive synthesis

.

In short, French mathematician, Joseph Fourier, showed that any waveform can be decomposed

into a set of sine wave

components. Each sine wave is referred to as a 'partial' as it is part of the complete series of sine waves that combine to produce the original waveform or sound. Partials can be harmonic, an exact (integer) multiple of the base frequency (notes pitch) or inharmonic, decimal multiples of the base frequency. Harmonic partials tend to reinforce the root note pitch adding complexity while maintaining a melodic tone. Inharmonic partials tend to confuse the root note pitch by add a metallic or noisy edge to the tone. There are three sets of data required to store and manipulate an additive waveform. 1. Partial frequency - Frequency of each partial to play. This set of partials is scaled in frequency by the fundamental frequency (root note) played. 2. Partial amplitude - Amplitude of each partial that plays. Not all partials play at the same level. 3. Partial phase - The phase of each partial that plays. Is the sine wave increasing or decreasing in value from the start point? Consequently, you will see references to 'partials', and 'mappings' throughout this manual and the Harmor interface. The good news is that you don't need to understand Additive Synthesis to use Harmor, but having some idea of what it is will help you to come to grips with the synthesizer faster. The data relating to the mappings can be found in the Timbre 1 & 2 harmonic level Editor target > Shaping envelopes. These contain the frequency and amplitude data and the Harmonic phase Editor target > Shaping envelope, that contains the Phase data (shared by Timbre 1 and 2, set by Timbre 1).

Main Controls Harmor is an additive-subtractive synthesizer making fast program changes simple and is perfect for live performances and experimentation. The main control categories are: Global - The Global controls relate to performance and synthesis 'Part' A/B selection. Part controls - For each Global Part (A & B) there is an identical set of synthesis options (as denoted by the upper purple section). Unit order can be quickly changed in the ADV (Advanced) settings. Articulators - Harmor features 2 part Global articulation (envelopes). Each target may be simultaneously modulated by multiple articulation parts. Image (per part) - The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can work with images OR samples. effects (global) - The full suite of effects you would expect including Distortion, Chorus, Delay, Reverb & Compression. Advanced - Change the unit order of the A/B synthesis parts independently, effects and utilize more CPU power than the Starship Enterprise can deliver with 'future proof' performance & quality settings.

Timbre By default, Timbre 1 and Timbre 2 generate a Saw and Square wave respectively. Mixing the timbres will morph between them. You can right-click the Timbre windows to load audio files, drop audio files on the windows or edit Timbre harmonic mappings (level & phase) to achieve custom waveforms. The output from the timbre section is combined with the image / resynthesis section (when active). The waveform from the Timbre section is additively generated according to the following controls:

Timbre - The default timbres are a Saw and Square wave. See the Timbre option below for methods of changing the waveforms. PHASE start - Starting phase in the waveform from 0 to 359 degrees. Rand - Turning left randomizes the phase of each partial separately, useful for adding character with when using Pluck. Turning to the right sets the global waveshape phase to a 'free-running' mode, useful when using Unison as it avoids a retriggered 'flangy' sound and for adding some phase variation retriggered notes.

Timbre Timbre windows - The Timbre window holds a single-cycle waveform and is used as an oscillator source. Timbre 1 and Timbre 2 are related in that they share the same harmonic phase information (that's why there is only one Harmonic phase envelope per part). Phase is shared so the timbres won't phase-cancel when mixed. In default mode, you can think of Timbre 1 and Timbre 2 as two different Harmonic level mappings of the same base 'Saw oscillator'. Additionally there are several methods for making custom waveforms:. 1. Left-click to open the Timbre 1 or 2 Harmonic Level envelope and/or edit the Harmonic phase envelope. 2. Right-click to select from 'Analyze single cycle waveform' browser and 'Randomize' that randomizes the Harmonic level envelope. 3. Drop an audio file on Timbre window 1 (remember Timbre 2 uses the phase data from the Timbre 1). For the best results drop high quality, single cycle waveforms on the Timbre windows. NOTES: When loading custom waveforms, where you are trying to achieve a specific shape, use Timbre 1 as it can set Harmonic level AND Harmonic phase mappings. The partial phase mapping data, set when analyzing waveforms in Timbre 1, is shared with Timbre 2. You can drag waveforms/samples/files from anything within FL Studio & Windows that supports 'drag&-drop' onto the Timbre windows. See the section 'Timbre harmonic mappings' to learn more about manual programming of the waveforms. MIX - Mix between the two Timbre windows. Timbre blending mode (menu) - Select from several cross-fade options. Fade - Standard cross-fade from Timbre 1 to Timbre 2. Subtract - Timbre 1 is subtracted from Timbre 2. Multiply - Timbre 1 is multiplied by Timbre 2. Maximum - The maximum harmonic level is selected from Timbre 1 and 2. Minimum - The minimum harmonic level is selected from Timbre 1 and 2. Pluck - We forget what this does, let us know

if you work it out.

Sub harmonic configuration (menu) - Set Sub harmonics 2 & 3 to be Around (Sub harmonics 2 & 3 are relative to and above Sub-harmonic 1. So straddle the fundamental) or Below (Sub harmonics 1, 2 & 3 all fall below the fundamental being 1, 2 and 3 octaves below respectively). Sub - These Sub Harmonics add bass, weight or depth to the sound. The first slider Sub-harmonic 1 is always an octave below the root note. The remaining two sub sliders depend on the Sub harmonic configuration (see above). When set to: Around - Sub-harmonic 2 is the 3rd harmonic and Sub-harmonic 4 is the 5th harmonic of Sub-harmonic 1. The 2nd harmonic is the root note. Below - Sub-harmonic 2 is two octaves below the fundamental and Sub-harmonic 3 three octaves below the fundamental. Prot - Low Harmonic Protection. Prevents filtering functions from removing the first few harmonics, that are essential for producing 'weight' to the tone of the patch. There is a related Harmonic protection shaping mapping for this control so you can set the specific partials to be protected. This can be useful when using heavy Phaser settings that often remove the fundamental. clip - Clipping threshold. Clipping mode (menu) - Each is a different threshold curve, similar to a compression curve, dictating at what amplitude level partials are 'clipped'. This parameter has a corresponding Harmonic clipping shaping mapping. fx - Effects to dry mix. vol - Volume envelope multiplier env - Frequency domain envelope multiplier.

auto - Auto gain. Velocity mapping switches: Velocity to volume envelope attack time - Maps the velocity to the attack time of the volume envelope. Velocity to volume envelope attack scale - Maps the velocity to the attack time scaling of the volume envelope. Release velocity to envelope release scale - Maps the release velocity to the release time scaling.

BLUR Blur smears the partials horizontally. Blur the left side (attack), right side (decay), top (harmonic frequencies) or bottom (fundamental frequency). Use this to create preverb and reverb type sounds.

Mix - Blur mix. Time - Blur width/amount. Adjust the leading and trailing blur amount independently. The Pluck control can replace the trailing blur when 'blur' is selected. Harm - Harmonic blur amount, equivalent to a vertical smearing of partials. Harmonic blur top tension - Relative blurring of high vs low frequencies. Harmonic blur bottom tension - Relative blurring of high vs low frequencies.

Blur Articulator Harmonic blur amount - 'Mix' as above.

TREM Tremolo Is a stereo effect with a left/right panning of the sound that simulates the rotary speaker effect used in some classic organ patches.

Depth - Mix between tremolo effect and the dry signal. Speed - Tremolo speed. Gap - Extent of panning between left and right pan position. When set to 0, the effect will be monophonic affecting volume only.

Prism Prism shifts the position of the partials from their original relationship to the fundamental frequency. If the partials were harmonics, prism will generally making them inharmonic. This adds a metallic (extreme prism) or detuned (mild prism) quality to the sound. NOTE: The 'Harmonic prism' articulator envelope allows you to customize the prism effect as a function of the partial frequency.

AMT - Prism amount. Mode - Additive or multiplicative effect of the prism amount. from vol - The prism amount depends on the volume of the harmonic, the louder the harmonic, the higher the amount of prism applied. Inverted applies the opposite.

Prism articulation Prism amount - 'Amt' as above. Shaping - Harmonic prism (mapping of per-partial deviation amount). This is a bi-polar envelope so you can add positive or negative deviations as a function of frequency.

Harmonizer The harmonizer clones and transposes the existing harmonics, using various methods (+/x octaves, or by an offset).

amt - Harmonizing mix. width - Determines how far upward the harmonics are cloned. str - Strength places emphases on the first/early harmonic clones. shift - Offset or gap between the fundamental frequency to 1st harmonic generated by the harmonizer (ofs = offset in octaves, step = offset in harmonic steps). gap - Gap between the 1st harmonic and higher harmonics.

Harmonizer Articulation Harmonizer mix - 'amt' as above. Harmonizer width - 'width' as above.

Unison Unison is a thickening / stereoizing effect, similar to chorusing. Unlike chorus, that is applied to the final output, unison is a per-note effect where each note is given a user-defined number of 'subvoices' (from the order setting). Subvoices are then given user-defined variations of panning, volume, pitch and phasing relative to the root note, as per the following controls:

Order - Number of unison voices. NOTE: Limit use of high unison orders where CPU load is a concern. Unison type menu - Select from variations of pitch and panning spread (Classic, Uniform, Blurred, Random & Special). Set by ear. alt - Alternates gain polarity. pan - Panning variation across the unison voices. pitch - Pitch variation (detune) across the unison voices phase - Timbre starting phase variation across the unison voices. NOTE: Set unison phase to 100% (full blur) for a smooth unison on high pitch notes, lower notes may sound noisy however.

Unison Articulators Unison pitch thickness - 'Pitch' control as above can be mapped according to a number of Mapping envelopes. Unison phase - 'Phase' control as above can be mapped according to a number of Mapping envelopes. Unison index mapping - Independent unison voice mapping, can be found for most Editor targets including Pitch, Prism, Pluck etc. Worthy of mention is the 'Pitch > Unison index mapping' that allows the pitch of each Unison voice to be set

independently.

Left-side Buttons From top to bottom:

About Harmor - Information about the plugin. Harmor chan by Uruido. Browse envelopes / images - When used in FL Studio opens the Browser to content relevant to Harmor. Drag content onto targets in the plugin including envelopes and the image-resynthesis area.

Pitch

oct/Hz (switch) - Pitch distribution in octaves (unweighted) or Hertz (weighted). freq - Frequency multiplier/divider. detune - Offset/detune of the partials relative to the fundamental frequency. env - The effect of any Pitch related envelopes are moderated by this bi-directional (-1 to +1) control. Vibrato - A fast pitch modulation. TIP: It can be useful to link the aftertouch to this knob. In FL Studio, press & hold a note, Right-click the knob to open the remote control settings and then press the note harder and you are done. Depth - Extent of the deviation around the correct pitch. Speed - Frequency of the pitch deviation. Legato controls relate to the attack of notes and the way consecutive notes are joined. Portamento time curve (switches) - Linear vs logarithmic portamento (pitch slide) curve. Portamento / Legato time (switches) - Choose a fixed glide time or variable, depending on pitch distance and speed knob (positive or negative) setting. time - Controls the porta and legato slide times. NOTE: The Global portamento porta or legato switches must be activated for time to become active. limit - Portamento pitch limit. Restricts the pitch range over which the portamento effect will apply. NOTE: The Global portamento, 'porta' switch must be activated for this limit to become active.

Filter The filter functions control the type of filtering and cutoff frequency.

ENV - Envelope modulation amount. The knob is bi-directional from -100 to +100%. adapt - Adaptive envelope mode. The bandwidth of the filter changes width as a function of the notes frequency, so that the duration of envelopes applied to low vs high notes sound similar in duration. Set by ear.

oct / Hz - Sets the shape of the resonance frequency peak to an Octave or Hertz scale. Set by ear. kb track - Keyboard tracking. Applies an offset to the filter cutoff value depending on pitch. The offset-value can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the knob. For example, keyboard tracking is useful to make a sound brighter, by raising the cutoff frequency of a low-pass filter, as higher keys are played. width - Filter bandwidth, equivalent to 'dB/Octave' setting on traditional filters. Narrower widths create a more clearly defined 'center frequency' or 'cut' frequency. FREQ - Filter cutoff frequency. This is the target for all controls in green to the left of the knob. Filter type menu - Choose from cutoff slope variations, crude being the steepest: Low pass - Filters frequencies above the cutoff frequency. Band pass - Filters frequencies either side of a central band. Band stop - Filters frequencies inside a central band. High pass - Filters frequencies below the cutoff frequency. Phaser - 'Comb filtering', a series of stacked band-stop filers. Custom shape 1 & 2 - Define your own filter shape with ENV 'Filter shape 1 & 2' envelopes. Filter 1 & 2 mix - Filter resonance sections can operate in parallel or series depending on the position of the knob (see below).

Left of 12 O'Clock = (1-Mix) * F1 + Mix * F2 Right of 12 O'Clock = (1-Mix) * F1 + Mix * (F1 F2) Where: F1 is the output of Filter 1 F2 is the output of Filter 2 F1 F2 is the output of F1 processed by F2 Mix is the value of the Filter 1 & 2 mix knob TIP: If Units are placed after F1, then F1 becomes F1 + following units.

RES - Filter resonance. This boosts frequencies around the cutoff value (depending on the offset value). Resonance accentuates the cutoff frequency position making a familiar 'resonant' sound. Resonance type menu - Choose from resonance type variations: Classic - Single narrow resonance peak. Cuberdon, Pedestal, Sedge hat, Wide bump, Double cone - Various resonance peak shapes, named according to their approximate shape. Well & Wormhole - Cut frequencies at the cutoff frequency with resonant peaks either side of the hole. These settings are designed to be used with the self-oscillation, to avoid annoying interferences and overly loud ringing when the resonance peak passes harmonic frequencies. Noise - Special effect. Harmonics are sounded randomly. Use the RES to control the amount of randomness, width controls the length/duration of changes in harmonics. Custom shape 1 & 2 - Define your own resonance filter shape with 'Filter (resonance) shape 1 & 2' envelopes.

Low pass - Provides a resonance peak followed by a dip, this makes it an 'extra lowpass', so that the slope of the lowpass filter effectively becomes steeper as the resonance increases. width - Resonance peak width, left = narrow, right = wide. adapt - Adaptive envelope mode. The bandwidth of the filter changes width as a function of the notes frequency, so that the resonance sounds similar regardless of the note pitch. Set by ear. ofs - Offset shifts the resonant frequency +/- 2400 cents, relative to the cutoff frequency. NOTE: Resonance may become inaudible for low-pass modes if the offset moves the peak past the filter cutoff point, since there may be few or no frequencies to resonate beyond the cutoff point. osc - Self-oscillation level. A sine wave is deliberately introduced at the resonant frequency developing more distinct 'tonal' sound. Can be useful when the offset moves the resonant peak beyond the filter cutoff point (see 'ofs' above).

Filter Articulation Filter 1 & 2 frequency - 'FREQ' as above. Filter 1 & 2 width - 'width' as above. Filter 1 & 2 resonance amount - 'RES' as above. Filter 1 & 2 resonance offset - 'ofs' as above. Filter 1 & 2 Mix - As above.

Pluck Pluck is a specialized decay-related filter. To change the filter shape select 'Pluck shape' from the Editor target shaping. The mapping represents decay time (vertical) as a function of frequency (horizontal). The default shape decays the high frequencies first, progressing down to the low frequencies. This simulates a plucked string where the pluck is bright and quickly dulls. At high settings the default pluck shape imparts a 'damped' quality to the tone.

TIME - Decay time ('Pluck shape' envelope multiplier). blur - The pluck setting replaces the blur decay in the BLUR section.

Pluck Articulation Pluck amount

Phaser Phasing is the process of creating, constantly moving, frequency cancellation/s in a sound. The Harmor phaser allows individual harmonics to be phased rather than it being applied to the entire output or 'cancellation patterns' (cut templates) to be applied to the timbre making a range of interesting phasing and harmonic effects possible.

MIX - Amount of phasing. Phaser type menu - Select phaser type. There are three broad categories as follows: Classic, Triangle, Eggs - In this group you will find settings similar to traditional phaser sounds. Deep, Deeper, Condom, Twins, Cascade & Box - Are special phasing effects that fully exploit the Harmor additive architecture.

freq - Extra special! Modulates the frequency of all the partials in the timbre according to a user defined envelope. custom - User defined phaser envelope. Phaser scale - Set the scale to octave, Hz or harmonics. Set by ear. Use the phaser in harmonic scale mode to achieve pulse-width modulation (PWM) oscillator sync or FM type sounds. WIDTH - Wider settings cause a more aggressive phase cancellation. lfo - Subjects the width setting to LFO modulation. The lfo characteristics are set at the main LFO (lower right on the interface). OFS - Offsets the phase mask (cancellation) position. lfo - Subjects the offset setting to LFO modulation. The lfo characteristics are set at the main LFO (lower right on the interface). speed - Speed with which the phase cancellations are swept across the spectrum. kb.t - Keyboard tracking adds an offset to the amount control depending on note pitch note.

Filter Articulation Phaser mix - 'MIX' as above. Phaser width - 'WIDTH' as above. Phaser offset - 'OFS' as above.

EQ EQ or equalization adjusts the tonal balance of the sound. The MIX knob controls the EQ as set by the ENV > Shaping > Global EQ envelope. By default the EQ curve is flat so no EQ will be applied when tweaking the knob.

MIX - Wet/dry mix for the EQ curve. Equalization curve - Set from the ENV (envelopes) > Shaping (section) > Global EQ NOTE: there are a number of predefined shapes available from the Options menu.

Visual Feedback The visual feedback panel shows partials sent to the synthesis engine and is perfect for learning how features and functions in Harmor work. Leave it open during patch creation. It also looks cool and impresses onlookers.

Visual feedback (switch) - Click once to open, again to expand and again to close. For fun type "can i haz moar view" into the Preset Name area. Oct / Hz (switch) - Sets the vertical scale to octaves or Hz. See here for a tutorials on Log (Octave) vs Linear (Hz) scaling . NOTES: Visual feedback shows a monophonic harmonic series related to the last note played. Visual feedback is quite CPU intensive, so close the panel if you experience high CPU loads with Harmor-intensive tracks. The display may appear over the Harmor GUI in

some VST hosts, because those hosts don't allow the plugin to resize.

Global Controls These parameters control performance related effects including portamento, strumming and modulation. The A/B (Part) switch is used to access the two separate and identical synthesis banks.

Options - Options menu (next to the Global label). Copy preset - Copies the currently selected preset. You can use this to transfer presets between instances of Harmor. Copy part - Harmor has two parts A and B. Each is an identical and independent synthesis section. Copy part A or B with this option. Paste preset/part - Paste the preset or part. You can also paste between instances of Harmor. Lock part - Locks the currently selected part. Chorus - Select chorus presets. These are also accessible from the FX panel. Reverb - Select reverb presets. These are also accessible from the FX panel. About Harmor - Version number, credits etc. lfo - Scales all active LFO envelopes. The value can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the lfo knob. vel - Links note velocity to volume. Part controls - Harmor has two parts A and B. Each is an identical and independent synthesis section.

A/B (switch) - Select to edit Part A or Part B. To use parts in stereo use the ENV > Panning > Envelope control to pan parts A and B in the stereo field. Part mix - Control the balance of Parts A and B. This is not automatable. Rather, use the volume envelopes of parts A and B to create mix changes. Activate switches - Select the switches on either end of the mix slider to activate or deactivate parts. Link parts - Links changes made on one part to the identical controls on another. You can activate and deactivate this as you are programming patches to make related and independent changes to controls on each part. NOTE: When controls are linked and one is automated by an external controller the other will not respond, you need to link each part control separately to the same external controller knob or slider. Internal automation will maintain these linked relationships. Limit - Pitch range over which legato effects will occur. Exceed the limit and normal polyphony will apply. Legato (switch) - Legato is a monophonic mode that slides pitch between overlapping notes. NOTE: This control interacts

with the Part A/B LEGATO 'time', 'Portamento / Legato time (switches)' & 'legato curve (switches)'. porta(switch) - Portamento is a polyphonic mode that slides between overlapping notes. NOTE: This control interacts with the Part A/B LEGATO 'time', 'Portamento / Legato time (switches)' and 'limit' knob. vel (switch) - Links note-on velocity to portamento or legato attack time, and note-off velocity to legato release time. Strum - Delays the onset of notes in a chord. Play a chord and set the time knob to a higher time value to create 'strum' effects such as playing a guitar. Set the direction of the strum to: Up - Lowest note in the chord is played first up to the highest, last. Down - Highest note in the chord is played first down to the lowest, last. Alt - The direction alternates between Up and Down on alternating chords. Random - The strum direction is randomized. time - Time taken to strum the chord. tns (tension) - Acceleration / deceleration through the chord. Left = strum accelerating. Right = strum decelerating. MOD X, Y, Z - The XYZ values are freely assignable to Modulation targets in Harmor via the 'Articulation part' > Modulation X/Y or Z mapping envelopes. Simply edit the X, Y or Z Modulation mapping envelope from the default (flat) state and it will control the selected Editor target. NOTE: X (left-right) & Y (up-down) can be controlled by left-clicking in the X/Y/Z area and dragging. Z can be controlled by mouse wheel OR clicking the middle mouse button and dragging vertically. NOTE: X and Y also correspond to FL Studio Piano roll per-note parameters. pre fx - Pre FX (effects section) volume. post fx - Post FX (effects section) volume. Pitch - Playback pitch. NOTE: In Image synthesis / resynthesis mode you can set the playback speed to zero, right-click in the image window and right-click and scrub horizontally (time) and vertically (pitch).

ENV - Envelopes The ENV panel provides access to the full suite of modulation parameters in Harmor. The ENV editor shows Editor Targets (usually a synthesis control), for each target there can be a number of Articulation parts (modulation sources) Editor targets - Choose the editor target. 'Shaping' category targets have only one part (envelope). Articulator part - Edit & or activate any number of Articulator Parts so that the target is modulated by multiple inputs, if desired.

Finding the right envelope A quick way to find the articulation envelopes for any parameter is to Right-click the target control and select 'Edit articulator' from the pop-up menu. The Editor target will be automatically selected in the Envelope editor.

Envelope controls There are several basic operations for editing the envelope/mapping shape: Add a new Control Point - Position your cursor over the line, or envelope background, and right-click. Reposition a Control Point - Left-click and drag control points. Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or CTRL to lock the horizontal position. Delete a Control Point - Right-click a control point and select Delete. Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click. Change a Segment Type - Right-click a control point and select a curve type (the selection applies to the preceding segment), see the control point context menu for more details.

Change Segment Tension (Acceleration) - To change the amount of tension, Left-click on the tension handle (the circle located half way between the control points) and move your mouse up/down. Right-click the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustments to fine-tune.

NOTE: The ATT, DEC, SUS and REL knobs make RELATIVE changes to the ADSR envelope, snapping back after release. While the envelope will appear as it did prior to the change, the envelope will sound according to the relative changes made (as seen in the Hint Bar while the knob is adjusted). Right-clicking the knobs will give options, in particular Create automation clip & Link to controller so automation of envelopes (and LFO parameters) is possible. Similarly, Right-clicking points gives options such as Sustain loop start & Sustain loop end points can be set to loop the envelope during the sustain action. Envelope tips: 1. Many envelopes need to be activated with the switch in the lower-left corner before articulating the target. 2. Use the horizontal and vertical zoom/scroll bars for more accurate editing. Click and drag on the ends to zoom or hover your mouse pointer and roll your mouse-wheel. 3. Make use of the SNAP switch (lower-right) to snap to envelope values. 4. Notice the background shading, it will usually reflect bars, octaves or other useful divisions related to the Articulation target. 5. If an envelope is frozen and won't respond to editing, uncheck the FREEZE switch on the lower right. 6. Envelopes can be synced to tempo using the TEMPO Switch. 7. The Envelope options menu usually contains a list of useful pre-defined envelopes or can be used to save your own. 8. Drop compatible file types on envelopes and they can be auto-analyzed. For example .fnv (envelope state files), .wav, .mp3, ,ogg etc audio files (volume envelope will be extracted and replicated).

Control point context menu:

Delete - Delete point. Change curve type - Right-click the right-most control point of the segment to be changed, this will open the Curve Type Menu with the following options:

Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Linear or asymmetrical accelerating / decelerating curve (depending on the tension). Alt double curve - Linear or asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves(depending on the tension), useful for scratching effects. Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Smooth - Allows for smoothly joining points with an 'S' curve. Arpeggiator break - Harmor uses special arpeggiator envelope markers active when playing chords (see also the Envelope Sequencer accessed from the Envelope Options Menu): None - Use this to clear an unwanted break point. Previous (

) - At the break-point applies the following segment to the note below the previous note in the chord

modulated. Same ( Next (

) - At the break-point applies the following segment to the same note as last modulated by the envelope. ) - At the break-point applies the following segment to the note above the last note in the chord

modulated. Special ADSR markers: - Harmor uses special ADSR envelope markers: S (sustain / loop end): Marks the end of the decay/loop section and the start of the release section. L (loop start): Marks the start of a sustain/loop section. D (decay): Marks the start of the decay section.

The options menu contains a range of useful tools including:

Options - Click the forward-arrow to select: Open state file... - Opens pre-saved Editor state files (envelopes, etc). Save state file... - Save an Editor state.

Copy state - Copies the current Editor settings to be copied to another location. Paste state - Paste the Editor state data in the clipboard. Copy to Part B / A - Copies the current articulation to the same target in the matching synthesis part. Undo change xyz - There will be an item in the menu which shows the last action performed, clicking it will undo the action. The last action before the screenshot was 'enabling' of the envelope, hence 'Undo change enabled'. Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Bipolar LFO tension - Changes the tension knob effect (below the envelope) . Selected: tension adjustments are made symmetrically around the zero line (bipolar). Deselected: tension adjustments are made relative to the waveform maxima and minima (unipolar). Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound. You can also drop audio files on the envelope and they will be analyzed Background gradient - Turn the background gradient on/off.

Targets are divided into Articulation (modulation destinations), Mapping (keyboard/articulator to target modifier relationships) and Shaping (harmonic filter shaping).

Each Editor Target can respond to multiple Articulator Parts. Active parts & articulators show with an indicator next to them.

The Articulator parts will vary depending on the Target selected.

For LFO articulation the initial state shows one point (noted below) which can be used to change the amplitude, phase & start-time of the LFO.

NOTE: All active LFO's can be scaled/modulated according to the Global LFO control which has its own Amount, Speed and Phase articulation mappings. To change: LFO Amplitude - Drag the 'Amplitude handle' vertically. LFO phase - Drag 'Amplitude handle' the handle below the center zero-line. LFO start time - Drag the 'Amplitude handle' to the right. LFO shape - Manipulate the TENS (Tension), SK (Skew) & PW (Pulse Width) knobs. A sine-wave shape, for example, can be achieved by tweaking Tension alone. Tempo lock - Select Tempo-based time to the right of the knobs. LFO note-on sync - Select Global / retriggered LFO phase at note-on. LFO full envelope control - Add more points (as shown above) to allow changes to Amplitude & Phase over time. The position of the blue envelope above and below the center zero-line determines LFO phase.

Keyboard mappings - represent the piano keyboard from C0 to C10. As you move your mouse cursor around the editor the exact notes will show in the FL Studio Hint Bar (or VST Hint Bar).

One related and special Articulator part is the Held index mapping that generates 'index' values for successively held notes. When the notes of a chord are added in secession (rather than simultaneously) each additional note after the first will have an 'index' value 1 unit greater than the last. In practice, the mapping steps 1 grid unit per note. It's useful with: Chords - Where you only want the first note to be bright and later ones to use a lower filter cutoff frequency for example. Legato - If you want the note to which you are sliding to have different values/properties for the Editor target compared to the first.

Arpeggiator - Giving control over the values of each note if they are added in secession to create an arpeggiator chord.

Unison Index Mapping - Another particularly useful mapping is the Unison index mapping. This mapping part allows you to pan, pitch, set levels, etc., for each unison voice independently, opening up many powerful synthesis techniques.

The horizontal grid changes to reflect the number of unison voices active. When two voices are active the extreme ends are Unison voice 1 (left) and Unison voice 2 (right) respectively. Unison index mapping examples: Multi-voice parts - Set the unison number to set voices active and then use the Pitch > Unison index mapping to independently tune the unison voices to any pitch desired. Dual-voice mode - With a Unison of 2 (with the Pitch > Unison index mapping setting the second voice set an octave below the first) and the Timbre 1 & 2 mix > Unison index mapping set to play a square wave on voice 2, you now have a Saw with a Square 1 octave below at the same time, with only one part. Leslie effect - Use Global LFO phase > Unison index mapping and Panning > Unison index mapping to make a stereo-panning effect.

Harmonic mappings - See also Additive Synthesis in addition to this section since the following envelopes control the level and phase of partials sent to Harmor's 'additive synthesis' engine.

Timbre harmonic level calibration - The default (flat) Timbre 1 harmonic level & Timbre 2 harmonic level envelopes generate a Saw and Square wave shape due to a special per-harmonic level calibration. Envelope values are scaled relative to the slope of the Brownian noise

spectrum. This allows Harmor to generate the useful Saw waveform using an, easy to draw, flat

envelope. Brownian noise is simply a frequency response curve that decreases the amplitude of frequencies in the audio spectrum by -6 dB per octave (in other words a continuous drop of 50% per octave). For example, a frequency of 1000 Hz at 1 unit amplitude will be 0.5 units and by 2000 Hz, 0.25 units at 4000 Hz and 0.125 units at 8000 Hz, etc. This means each partial in the Timbre harmonic level envelope, that is an octave above the last (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 etc), will be 1/2 the amplitude of the partial an octave below it. But why? It turns out that a decrease in harmonic amplitude, at the rate of 50% per octave (the Brownian noise profile), is the exact recipe to additively synthesize a Saw wave. Eg. Saw wave = Partial 1 (the fundamental) + Partial 2 * 0.5 + Partial 3 * 0.333 + Partial 4 * 0.250 + Partial 5 * 0.200 + Partial 6 * 0.166 + Partial 7 * 0.142 + Partial 8 * 0.125 + etc. Notice how for each octave (bold partials), the level drops by 50%. It also transpires that filtering the even harmonics (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.) and leaving the odd harmonics (3, 5, 7, 9 etc.), in addition to the 50% per octave Brownian amplitude profile, is the additive synthesis recipe to create a Square wave. This is what the Timbre 2 harmonic level mapping (above) is doing, filtering even harmonics. This envelope is achieved with the (Right-mouse) 'wave' control-point menu option set on the right-most control point in the envelope. So now you know how the default Timbre 1 and 2 waveforms are generated. Timbre 1 & 2 harmonic Brownian level scaling avoids the need to program complex level envelope curves in order to synthesize a 'standard' Square and Saw wave. If all that is confusing, just remember that Harmor's Timbre harmonic level envelope has been pre-scaled to make it easier to get good sounds from the plugin using simple (to draw) partial level mapping envelopes. TIPS: While the Timbre harmonic level and phase envelopes can be used to create any waveform, it's simpler to load single-cycle waveforms on Timbre window 1 by right-clicking it and importing a waveform OR dropping an audio file on it. The file will be analyzed and all the mappings created for you. Remember that Timbre 1 and Timbre 2 share the same phase data (set by Timbre 1 during audio import). Phase is shared as it avoids phase cancellation problems when mixing the Timbre sources. Envelope point-transitions - Generally the Held point type should be avoided when working with envelopes where you need to be precise about the exact harmonics active or inactive at a given point. Better to zoom in on the horizontal axis and use a Singlecurve type point. In the example below, Harmonic 20 may not be active in the top panel but definitely will be in the lower panel. In both cases Harmonics 19 and lower will be active while Harmonics 21 and higher will be inactive.

IMG - Image Synthesis / Resynthesis The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can load images OR samples. In resynthesis mode all processing is referenced to the original sample data. Maximum detail is used for the frequency & gain planes (additive synthesis views audio as an evolving frequency spectrum vs amplitude on a moment-by-moment basis). In image synthesis mode sample data is stored as image files, the advantage is editing 2D images easy. There are independent image planes for gain & pitch that you can edit using the image editor of your choice. You can import any bitmap, even if it wasn't designed to be turned into audio, it might still sound interesting. In short, the difference between the two modes is quality (resynthesis) vs editing flexibility (image synthesis). NOTES: An important difference between image and resynthesis modes is, in resynthesis mode the phases of partials change depending on the source audio while in image mode the phases are fixed in the Harmonic phase mapping. This means resynthesis will maintain a more natural sound with deep editing. Once you switch to Image Synthesis mode (see 'Image options' menu) you can't revert back to resynthesis mode, the link to the original sample data is lost and the sound is converted to image planes. Working with raw images - Harmor has 516 partials so an image 516 pixels high can play all partials (1 to 516). Pixel brightness is interpreted as partial level. Black means no partial, white is 100%. A horizontal white line at the bottom of an otherwise black the image, 1 pixel high, will play the first (lowest) partial. A horizontal white line at the top of the image, 1 pixel high, will play the 516th (highest partial). Time is represented by the image-width, although you can change the speed and scaling via the resynthesis controls as shown below. An image less than 516 pixels high is assumed to start from the bottom partial up. An image 20 pixels high will play the first 20 partials.

Scrubbing - Left or right-click the image editor and drag to scrub-play the sound. You can record this movement from FL Studio 10.0.5 onward using the FL Studio native version (just set FL Studio to record and start scrubbing). NOTE: The VSTi specifications don't support this. Right-click the image editor to scrub in both pitch (vertical) and time (horizontal), set the speed to 0% first. Image options

Tools Clear all - Clears all image planes Prepare time envelope - Prepares an ENV > Image time offset > Envelope ready for scratching and time warping. Create bouncing loop time envelope - Prepares an ENV > Image time offset > Envelope with a bouncing loop envelope enabled, using loop points embedded in the sample. Slow down within loop region - Slows down the speed within the set loop. Tune pitch for time offset - Changes ENV > Pitch > Envelope as a function of start time. Set viewed zone as loop region - Sets the section visible in the window as the Loop Region. Set last played zone as loop region - Sets the last section played as the Loop Region Map time offset to last hit key - Sets the ENV > Image time offset > Keyboard mapping so the last key played. To use set the time to the desired part of the image and play a key and use the function. This way you can build up a unique set of MIDI keys to playback (time) positions. Audio Analyze audio file - Opens a file browser to load an audio file (.wav, .mp3, .ogg). Convert to image synthesis mode - There are two modes, resynthesis and image synthesis. When you drop a sample on Harmor it is processed in 'resynthesis' mode which references the original sample data for the highest fidelity. When converted to 'image synthesis' mode editing flexibility is increased at the expense of fidelity. Trade-offs, don't you love 'em? Map audio markers to keys - Samples with embedded time markers will be mapped to keys using the ENV > Image time offset > Keyboard mapping envelope. Useful for creating 'slicing/stuttering' effects in Harmor. NOTE: Playback will continue to the end of the sample starting from each marker triggered if a key is held. To confine playback to the marker regions use the next option: Map audio regions to keys - Similar to 'Map audio markers to keys' except playback is limited to the regions defined by markers in the audio file. NOTE: For 'play to end' of the sample type behavior use the previous option. Image Generate random cloud - Creates a random 'cloud' image. Degrade horizontally - Reduce horizontal resolution Degrade vertically - Reduce vertical resolution Crossfade 10%, 25%, 50% - Create a cross-fade on the entire image using 10%, 25% and 50% of the width respectively. Selected image plane Open image file - Opens a file browser to load an image file (.bmp, .jpg, .png, .gif). The image is embedded in the patch, not linked to. Save as image file - Saves the current image. Edit image - Opens the default Image Editor on your PC. Copy to image clipboard - Copies the current image to the clipboard. Paste from image clipboard - Pastes the current image from the clipboard. Clear - Clears the image. Invert - Inverts the image polarity (creating a negative) so light areas become dark and dark light. Flip vertically - Flips the image so the top becomes bottom and vice versa. Plane - Image plane. Select the Frequency, Amplitude or Combined (All) image planes. Copy/Pase - Copy/Paste images from the image clipboard. Only available when you have used the 'Convert to image

synthesis mode' from the 'Image options' menu. Oct/Hz - Vertical image scale. C (course speed) - Playback speed (course). F (fine speed) - Playback speed (fine). sharp - Image sharpening. Sharper images will have shaper transients. Left is transient sharpening, right is transient sharpening + phasing. looping (menu) - To set a loop hold Ctrl + Left-click and drag on the region to loop. The start time will be made coincident with the Loop Start, use the Image time offset knob to disassociate them. Alternatively, use the Image options > Tools 'Set viewed zone as loop region' & 'Set last played zone as loop region' OR include a loop in your imported sample and it will be autodetected and used. One shot - Image plays once. Loop - Image loops between the loop-points. Ping pong - Image bounced back and forth between the loop-points. smooth - Image time offset smoothing sets the time taken to relocate between Image Time Offset positions. The smoothing knob has different behaviors when turned left and right of 12 O'Clock. Left (Always): Smoothing is applied according to the time-constant set, Right (With threshold): Smoothing is only applied for small distances, when the offset is moved over large distances smoothing is ignored. This is useful to smooth out small movements but allows larger 'quick' jumps. TIME - Image start time offset. Use this to relocate the start point in the image. NOTE: Left or right-click the image editor and drag to scrub-play the sound. You can record scrubbing in FL Studio 10.0.5 onward using the FL native version of Harmor (just set FL Studio to record and start scrubbing). Pitch = vertical and time = horizontal, set the speed to 0% first. LEVEL Section - These controls affect the volume mapping (brightness) of the resynthesis or image. The frequency image plane at 50% grey = 1, no change to the original level. Image gain (menu) - Sets how the gain level is interpolated between pixels. Check the preset,'Tutorials and tricks > Image synthesis > Interpolation to learn how the various modes affect the sound. Choose from: Block, Cap Bell - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear. Linear, Cubic - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear. Rise, Fall - Special interpolations that only allow rising or falling levels. Image gain pixel scale - Image brightness to gain scaling. Image gain mix - There are separate gain and frequency image planes. This knob blends in the gain information. When set to 0%, all active frequencies active are equally loud. FREQ section - These controls affect the frequency mapping (vertical scaling) of the image or resynthesis. Image frequency interpolation curve (menu) - Choose from: Block, Cap Bell - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear. Linear, Cubic - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear. Rise, Fall - Special interpolations that only allow rising or falling levels. Image frequency mode (menu) - Choose from: Octave, Hz, Wide Hz - Relationship between vertical pixel position and frequency. Hz mode will have the effect of 'fattening' harmonics. Unison - Image controls Unison detuning. SCALE - Image frequency pixel scale controls the amount of frequency offset applied to the image/resynthesis, according to (its own envelope, Right-click and select 'edit articulator' and) the Interpolation and Mode settings (discussed above). By default turning this to zero will rescale lower frequencies toward the fundamental harmonic relationship with decreasing scaling applied as a function of increasing frequency. FORM - Formant shifting. Formants are frequency peaks/resonances associated with the size of noise-making objects (the

human voice, piano, guitar etc). Formant preservation retains the natural sound of transposed samples over a limited range (+/- 600 cents) and so is particularly useful for avoiding the 'chipmunk' effect on vocals. mix - Formant mix.

About images and planes There are independent images that control the Pitch/Frequency and Gain of partials. Together these can create any sound, just as sampler can. In the image window the vertical dimension is frequency (each line of pixels is a single partial), while the horizontal dimension is time.

Resynthesis notes To resynthesize a sample: 1. From the presets select Template > Resynthesis. 2. From the Image options menu select 'Analyze audio file' OR drop an audio file on the window. 3. Optional: Convert to image-synthesis mode for more editing freedom (see below). To load stereo samples: 1. From the presets select Template > Resynthesis. This has the 'side' switch on the ADV (advanced) tab selected. Important for loading stereo samples. 2. Load a stereo sample in Part A 3. Reload the same stereo sample in Part B 4. The A/B fader now acts as a Mid/Side mix control and the stereo sample will play as originally recorded with 50% mix settings. 5. Optional, link parts A and B so playback relocation etc is synchronized To use image synthesis: To edit the sound visually after loading it as shown above, from the Image options menu select 'Convert to image synthesis mode' OR Drag an image file from a file browser and drop it on the image window. Click copy above the Image window. Open your favorite image editor and select Paste from its options. The image can now be edited in your editor. Select copy from in your image editor and Paste it back into Harmor. Now just continue to edit and select copy in your image editor and paste into Harmor. Watch which plane you're editing as you copy and paste. Frequency or Gain. NOTE: Images are calibrated to a brown noise profile, the same profile used in Harmor to create a sawtooth wave (i.e a sawtooth is created by a flat line in the Harmonics Editor, the purpose of which is to make it much easier to create traditional and good-sounding waveforms).

Image Synthesis Articulation envelopes Image time offset - 'Start' as above. Image fine speed - 'Fine' as above. Image formant shift - 'Form' as above. Image frequency pixel scale - 'SCALE' as above.

FX - Effects It's important to remember that while the engine is additive, operating in the frequency domain, the FX section acts on the output of that process and operates in the time domain. NOTE: The effects unit order can be set on the ADV tab.

Distortion - Distortion simulates over-driven analog sounds. When this occurs the shape of the input waveform is distorted and this leads to a pleasing (to some) tone. amt - Amount of distortion. asym - Asymmetry of the positive and negative waveform oscillation. wet - Wet (effect) to dry mix. filter - Low pass filter. Type (menu) - Choose from: Classic, Flat hat, Cube, Softsat(uration), Rubber, Ribbon & Sincrush. Set by ear. Chorus - The Chorus effect results from the interaction of delayed copies of the input sound, that are detuned by a small and continuously varied amount. It is called 'Chorus' because it can make a single voice sound like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) and creates a thick and lush texture. The effect is similar to Unison but operates across all voices rather than per-voice and is much less CPU intensive. Select from Chorus options (menu) - Select from a range of different Chorus styles. Set by ear. Order - Sets the number of chorus voices, choose from 1 to 9. NOTE: Chorus and Unison have a similar sound but Unison is added per note, so uses more CPU. Where possible use Chorus to achieve the effect. depth - Controls the chorus delay modulation. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. If this value is zero, the chorus will remain 'static' as the delay modulation will stay constant. Setting the 'Depth' to higher values will create heavier modulation. . speed - Frequency sweep-speed. NOTE: The 'beating' sound of the chorus depends on the interaction between speed, depth & order. del - Sets the minimum delay between the chorus voices. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth Spread - Stereo spread Cross - Cutoff frequency of the cross-over filter Mix - Controls the balance between the dry (middle) and chorused signal (top) and inverted phase chorus (bottom). Delay - Delay is an echo-based effect. Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a 'reverb' like sound while longer time settings are great for left-right 'ping-pong' effects. Delay feedback mode (switches) - Choose from: norm - Delay echoes appear in the same location as the input. inv - Inverted switches the left and right channels in the echoes pong - Ping pong delay bounces L and R channel audio between the speakers. Delay input panning - Pans the input into the delay. Useful where a Ping-pong mode has been selected and you want the echoes to bounce from one side to the other. Delay input volume - Input level to the delay. fb (switch) - Delay feedback damping switch.

filter - There is a high-pass (left) and low-pass (right) slider. When fb is selected they progressively filter the delay echoes. feed back level - Sets the amount of echo delay fed back into the system. time - The bi-directional slider sets delay time in measures (top half) and milliseconds (bottom half). vol - Controls the level of the delay echoes. fb - Feedback controls the number of delay echoes. time - Controls the spacing between the delay echoes. The control is tempo synced, watch the Hint Bar

wile you

adjust the time setting (delay values display in beats and beat fractions). Reverb - Reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a 'reverberant' sound. Consider using delay to create the sense of space rather than reverb in a dense musical mix. Reverb preset (menu) - Select from a range classic reverb presets. Reverb color (menu) - Select from a range of brightness. filter low-pass - Changes the high cut-off frequency. Use this to remove high frequencies from the input to the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. filter high-pass - Adjusts the low cut-off frequency. Use this to remove low frequencies from the input to the reverb. size - Set the size of the virtual room being simulated. diff - Diffusion, simulates the complexity of the room. Low diffusion simulates an empty rectangular room. High diffusion simulates irregular shaped and/or rooms with many objects. dec - Reverb decay time. NOTE: For realistic effects, the Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms sound better with longer reverb times. damp - Damping is the rate of decay of high frequencies in the room. In real spaces soft furnishings, drapes/curtains carpeting all create higher damping. Vol - Volume controls the strength of the reverberant sound. Comp - Select from compression, limiting and distortion effects. Harmor uses the Maximus

compression engine.

Compression type (menu) - Compression increases the low-level signals in the sound reducing the dynamic range, and so, making it sound louder or according to the type selector. The Limiting preset prevents the output from Harmor exceeding 0 dB (assuming its Mixer track and Channel setting volumes are at the defaults). When Limiting the Amt control is disabled. The remaining presets offer various compression 'flavors' as described by their names. Set by ear. amt - Control the mix between the dry and effected signal. Top = 100% effected. L, M, H - Compression level for the Low, Medium and High frequency bands respectively. NOTE: If the effects chain Harmor feeds into already has compression/limiting then don't use the internal effect.

ADV - Advanced Controls These controls are under the 'Advanced' tab as they generally don't need to be messed about with by amateurs. Since you are reading the manual to see what it all means, that means you! If you do decide to fiddle with stuff on this tab, don't complain to techsupport when Harmor explodes in an orange ball of flame.

Current part - Harmor has identical synthesis parts A and B, the options here relate to the selected (current) part. UNIT ORDER - This shows the order (data flow) for processing the units as shown (top is processed first). Left-click on a synthesis unit to move it down the list or right-click to move it up OR hover your mouse cursor over a unit and roll the mouse-wheel. delay - Note on to play delay. Left in milliseconds, right in measures (tempo based). poly rel - Polyphonic release scaling. Useful for patches that have a long release, that would normally overlap with following notes too much or use too much CPU. ramp - Partial onset relationship. Left is absolute where partials onset from lowest to highest. Right is relative, delaying the lower partials relative to the upper partials. declick - Transient declicking. Effects the attack portion of notes, useful with fast gated envelopes that are causing unwanted clicking. auto-gain mode (menu) - Relative: Absolute: image / resynthesis - Select between Generic (255 partials) and High precision (516 partials) used in the audio-to-image resynthesis process. Generic is usually good enough. Image resynthesis allocates 1 pixel per partial vertically and any number required horizontally to represent time at about 174 pixels per second. side - Used when importing stereo samples. Use the 'Templates > Resynthesis' patch then drop or import a STEREO sample on Part A then again on Part B. Part B has the switch engaged and the sample is now used in MID/SIDE stereo mode. Part A contains MID and part B SIDE information. When remixed during playback the original stereo sound is heard. Use the Part A/B slider can be used to change the stereo separation. 0% = Mid sound [mono]. 50% = original stereo sound. 75% = maximum stereo separation. 100% = Side sound [mono]. denoise - Removes noise from the image (useful for removing noise from a sample). Global FX ORDER - Change the order of FX units (the top FX unit is processed first). Left-click on a FX unit to move it down the list or right-click to move it up OR hover your mouse cursor over a unit and roll the mouse-wheel. Monophonic (menu) - Determines how notes interact. Choose from: off - You are not seriously looking at the manual wondering what 'off' does are you? kill same - New notes will only kill the same note. kill all - New notes kill any other playing notes. release all - New notes set all notes to the release phase of their envelopes. Randomness (menu) - Harmor can add subtle random variation to parameters on a voice-by-voice basis. This is useful for simulating analog gear or human inaccuracies. Choose from: Per voice - Each note has randomizations applied. Per part - Each part (A and B) each part has randomizations applied. Per unison voice - Each voice in the unison effect has randomizations applied. same for all maps (switch) - The same randomizations are applied to all mappings (envelopes).

Performance vs Quality threaded (switch) - Allows multi-threading for improved multi-core CPU performance. Switching threading off may, in some cases, improve performance if the host's multithreading is more efficient than the plugins own. HQ rendering (switch) - The highest possible quality is applied to all relevant controls when rendering. partial count - Setting the knob to the left progressively removes high-frequency partials from the synthesis processing and so reduces CPU load at the expense of fidelity or 'brightness'. Choose between 12 to 516 partials (harmonics) per voice. safety - Partial safety ceiling. This determines how many partials above the root note are played. 0 Cents and FULL are off. grain - Envelope granularity. This is how finely envelopes are processed. Finer granularity means smoother changes to sounds at the cost of higher CPU. Precision - Computation precision. Select from: Average - Where all computations are made by a team of college-level mathematicians. They like to play 'Hunt the wumpus' in their spare time so don't have much impact on your CPU load. High - All calculations are completed by university level mathematicians. This team have special needs and consume large amounts of pizza, cola and CPU for various special interest projects. Perfect - All calculations are done by Isaac Newton, Pierre de Fermat, Carl Gauss & Albert Einstein. This team of 'prima donna' mathematicians require vast amounts of CPU (mainly to be resurrected via simulation) and partially because Einstein and Newton are endlessly arguing about space-time. Newton just can't accept that it's useful to travel faster than the speed of a horse so Einstein's mathematics are silly and not relevant. Use of this setting should only be attempted if you have access to CPUs not yet invented.

Formats Drag & Drop audio Files (WAV, AIFF, WavPack, MP3, OGG, REX1&2): Onto the oscillator shapes: converts wav to oscillator (1 or 2). Onto the image editor: import wav for resynthesis. Original file IS linked to, & not embedded in FLPs. Anywhere or onto the channel button: Harmor will detect whether it's a single-cycle or long wav (>50ms), & import as an oscillator (the one 'selected') or the image. Drag & drop Images: Bitmap file (bmp/jpg): imports the image (in image mode, obviously). Original file is NOT linked to, it's embedded. Drag & drop scala tuning files: Scalar files are supported, drop .scl files onto Harmor. .scl Scala tuning file: imports the tuning file into the pitch envelope. There is also a "just intonation" pitch kb mapping that can be loaded.

Special note colors The native FL Studio version of Harmor responds to MIDI note colors in the Piano roll as follows:

Arp priority - Sets the starting note in an arpeggiation. Bypass strum - Notes in this color are not included in the strum but played immediately. Inverted legato - Invert legato state, mono (slide) override, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1. Inverted porta - Invert portamento state, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1. Filter frequency - Filter cutoff frequency. The absolute frequency is based on a defaulted (middle) filter freq knob setting. The note does not play on its own.

Making Presets There are tricks to lowering CPU usage, although most of the CPU-saving settings are on by default. Images (embedded) or samples (linked to audio files) - will bloat your preset size, so be aware of this when using resynthesis. If you only use a section of a wave, resave the cropped .wav file and use that instead. Remember to share samples (link to the same wavs) with other presets where possible. Voicing - Harmor the voice ends when the volume envelope has ended. But of course this means that if you want a release part in another envelope, your volume envelope has to have a release as well. NOTE: If the volume envelope has time smoothing, the voice will end once the smoothing has ended, but only if the end point is set to zero (which is generally the case). Freebies - Some controls don't eat more CPU if you use it, the local or global EQ are free. Timbre mixing is free as well. Blur - One of the biggest CPU eaters is the harmonic blur (vertical), time blur (horizontal) is ok. Root note - As with Harmless the lower notes generate more partials, and so use more CPU power. Pitch bend - Also uses more CPU so patches that include pitch vibrato & automation of grittiness. However, if pitch bending is already required by an effect, then it won't eat more CPU (for the bend that is) to use other effects that require it too. Mappings (envelopes) - A lot of the mappings are cached, for those the complexity of the map doesn't matter (it won't eat more CPU). Cached mappings include - Mod XYZ, Held index, and everything in the (third) "shaping" column in the list. Templates - Used the saved template presets, one for normal synthesis & one for resynthesis. Resynthesis normally doesn't need cubic interpolation like image resynthesis does. Harmonic limiting - You can tell Harmor to reduce the amount of Harmonics using the knob in the quality section, but you can also lower the "ceiling" by using the global EQ map. Example, load "EQ - CPU saver for bass" into the global EQ, it will make Harmor produce less harmonics. Disable filters - If you don't use a filter at all, set "custom shape" in both its filter & resonance type (as in filter 2), this bypasses its processing. Don't be a noob - Don't activate something if it's not really audible. For example, don't move the harmonizer mix to 1%, if it's inaudible, it will just waste the CPU. Long release settings - For strings with a long release, "poly rel" (ADV) is a great CPU-saver. It's like a soft voice-stealing, it shortens the release of previous voices, quite often the difference won't be heard at 50%. It will be heard if the older voices are much louder than the new ones, though.

Prism maps - There are several hard-coded and useful prism mappings for various effects. Find things - The browse button makes the browser jump to envelopes if you're editing envelopes, or images (or where the loaded sample is) if you're in the image section.

Plugin Credits

Manual Credits Thanks to: nucleon for programming tips and suggestions.

Image-Line Software

Image-Line Remote

! ! " "

Image-Line Remote (IL Remote) is a free Android or iOS, Tablet or Phone, user-configurable MIDI controller application for FL Studio. Just open FL Studio on your computer and IL Remote on your mobile device and you will be controlling it from your phone or tablet. You can use up to 15 devices, in any combination of Android and iOS simultaneously. Get IL Remote here

or see the

Video Tutorial Playlist here

.

NOTE: You need (at least) FL Studio 11.0.4 or Deckadance 2.3 AND Android 3.0 or iOS 5.1 to use IL Remote.

TIP: Use the MAIN tab to control FL Studio from your phone or tablet device while you are in another room or remote from your computer to start or stop recording, control headphone levels etc.

Overview IL Remote has a number of default tabs designed to work with FL Studio. You can create new tabs with custom control layouts or delete existing tabs when in Edit mode. NOTE: Not all functions on the preset tabs are pre-linked to targets in FL Studio and will require initial linking. If you use the 'Override generic links' method these will be remembered for future FL Studio sessions. Example defaults include: HOME - The Home screen allows you to load the default FL Studio or Deckadance layout. There is also a link to the online version of this manual and Image-Line news

.

MAIN - Transport controls. These are all pre-linked to targets in FL Studio. PIANO - MIDI Keyboard will play the selected Channel. FPC - Fruity Pad Controller. HARMO - Scale corrected MIDI/keyboard grid. Plays the selected Channel.

SLICEX - Slicex controller. The X/Y parameter needs to be linked to Slicex. PERFORM - Clip triggering grid for Performance Mode. Clips will be automatically filled when a Performance Mode project is loaded. GROSSBEAT - Gross Beat controller. Linking to Gross Beat - Right-click any time slot on Gross Beat in FL Studio, select 'Link to controller' then press any time slot button on the IL Remote Gross Beat controller and all slots will be linked at once. MIX - Mixer controls. NOTE: The configuration of the tabs above will vary depending on the screen dimensions and resolution of the device you are using.

Tab Controls The default tabs, listed above, are made from one or more of the following control elements, accessed from the (+)Controls menu while in Edit Mode. For example, to make your own Mixer start with a Container and add Knobs, Pads and Faders, then save it as a Preset named 'Mixer'. Pad - Multi-purpose Pad. Fader - Horizontal or vertical faders. Knob - Control knobs. Jog Wheel - Continuous controller. Mixer - Configurable Mixer. Clip Launcher - Performance Mode Clip launching tool. X/Y Control - Two axis variable controller. Piano Keyboard - MIDI controller. Harmonic Grid - Become a proficient Jazz player, instantly. Container - Hold and organize groups of the above controls.

Image-Line Remote Users & Support Forum Visit the IL Remote users forum one

to share layouts, presets and to get support. Log into your existing account

or create

to get access.

Wi-Fi Setup & Connections IL Remote connects automatically to FL Studio or Deckadance when your computer and mobile device are connected to the same network and IL Remote is activated in the options, as shown below. Typical networking scenarios would be a computer connected to a Wi-Fi capable modem/router either by Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable and the Android/iOS device/s connected by Wi-Fi to the same network OR a laptop working as an Ad-hoc Wi-Fi network, and the Android/iOS device/s connected directly to that.

Connecting IL Remote and FL Studio or Deckadance over an Existing Wi-Fi Network 1. Log in - Make sure your computer and IL Remote device are connected to the same network. 2. MIDI settings: FL Studio - From FL Studio's MIDI Settings turn on 'Enable Image Line Remote'.

Deckadance 2 - From Preferences > MIDI Scripting

turn on 'Enable IL Remote Server' AND load the

'ILRemoteWithFeedback.c' script from the Deckadance 2/script_files installation folder.

3. Security - The first time you activate the IL Remote setting you will probably need to allow FL Studio and or Deckadance access through the Windows firewall, at the usual security pop-up. If you don't get a pop-up, and you can't get a connection between FL Studio/Deckadance and IL Remote, you will need to manually add FL Studio and or Deckadance to the Firewall exceptions list. Do this from the Control Panel > System & Security > Windows Firewall > Allow an app through Windows firewall. These steps are explained in detail in the

IL Remote networking video tutorial

.

4. Check the connection - Once connected the network icon will change from orange to green as shown below.

NOTE: You can connect up to 15 mobile devices (iOS and Android) simultaneously to FL Studio. Just open IL Remote on each device you want to use and the rest is taken care of for you.

Network Troubleshooting If you are having problems connecting try the following in this order: 1. Disable your Windows firewall - If IL Remote now connects then follow these steps: networking video tutorial

IL Remote

.

2. Disable anti-virus programs - If this works, white-list FL Studio in the anti-virus program options. Look for any firewall options (integrated into the anti-virus program) as mentioned above. If there are options, allow FL Studio (FL.exe) for local networks and enable port 9050 and 9100 for UDP protocol. 3. Check your network router's admin controls - Look for IP filtering, MAC filtering (if your device can connect to the internet through your Wi-Fi network this won't be the cause), router firewalls etc. Ports - Try adding a manual rule to allow FL Studio (FL.exe) for local networks and enabling port 9050 and 9100 for UDP protocol. IL Remote only uses port 9050, so add this exception anywhere you can find the opportunity. 4. Change password encryption - If you are using WPA/WPA2/PSK, try WEP encryption type for the password, or vice versa. 5. Update your router's firmware - This will involve getting into the admin options and installing a file that

updates the router's internal programs. Check the manufacturers website for details.

Ad-Hoc Network Creation If you are not connecting FL Studio and IL Remote over an existing Wi-Fi network, you can create an Ad hoc (computerto-computer) network

. This allows you to use the Wi-Fi built into a laptop/netbook or desktop PC with a Wi-Fi device

attached, directly to your mobile device/s without passing through a network router.

Windows 8 The 'Set up an ad hoc network' setup options were removed from windows 8 and the boffins at Microsoft now expect you to type in Windows CMD entries. Fear not, we have written some batch files to take care of this faffing about for you. 1. Download - Windows_8_Adhoc_Network_Scripts.zip

and extract 'start_adhoc_network.bat' and

'stop_adhoc_network.bat' to your computer. 2. Run the start network batch file - Right-click 'start_adhoc_network.bat' and select the pop-up menu option 'Run as administrator'. Feel free to drag and drop these files on an open text editor window, to see what's inside, if running our batch files is too spooky for you. 3. Following the prompts - Type the network name and password (at least 8 characters) and check the connection is listed in the Wi-Fi networks, and in the "waiting for users" state. 4. Android users (conditional) - If you do not see the Ad-hoc network in the Wi-Fi networks list, you may need to install a Virtual Router application on your FL Studio computer. Two suggestions are Virtual Router source) and My Public Wi-Fi

(free, open

(free), although any Virtual Router will work. This step is necessary with Android

devices that don't show ad-hoc networks. Just enter the same network name and Password used in the steps above. 5. Press any key to continue... - This message shows at the end of the script and will close the window. 6. Wi-Fi connection - From your mobile device open the Wi-Fi settings and log into the network using the network name and password you used above. 7. Connect FL Studio & IL Remote - Now follow the instructions for connecting to an existing network above. NOTE: When connecting to the ad-hoc network this can take up to 30 seconds before it's really established, even if the PC or Android device says 'Connected', so be patient. 8. To stop the network - Right-click 'stop_adhoc_network.bat' and select 'Run as administrator'

Windows 7, Vista & XP The Network and sharing center Wizard will take care of most steps as follows: 1. Open the 'Network & Sharing Center' by clicking the Start button and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then click Network and Sharing Center. 2. Click 'Set up a new connection or network' and then 'Next'. 3. Following the Wizard - Type the name and password of the network and Check that the connection is listed in the Wi-Fi networks, and in the "waiting for users" state. 4. Android users (conditional) - If you do not see the Ad-hoc network in the Wi-Fi networks list, you may need to install a Virtual Router application on your FL Studio computer. Two suggestions are Virtual Router source) and My Public Wi-Fi

(free, open

(free), although any Virtual Router will work. This step is necessary with Android

devices that don't show ad-hoc networks. Just enter the same network name and Password used in the steps above. 5. Wi-Fi connection - From your mobile device open the Wi-Fi settings and log into the network using the network name and password you used above. 6. Connect FL Studio & IL Remote - Now follow the instructions for connecting to an existing network above. NOTE: When connecting to the ad-hoc network this can take up to 30 seconds before it's really established, even if the PC or Android device says 'Connected', so be patient.

OS X Proceed as follows: 1. Choose Create Network from the Wi-Fi status icon in the menu bar. If the icon isn?t in the menu bar, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network. Click Wi-Fi and select the ?Show Wi-Fi status in menu bar? checkbox. 2. Give the network a name, and select a channel from the pop-up menu. The default channel is 11, but you can choose a different channel. 3. Select the Require Password checkbox to protect your network with a password. Type the password you will use to join your network from your device. Type a password of exactly 5 ASCII characters or 10 hexadecimal digits if you chose ?40-bit WEP (more compatible)? from the Security pop-up menu OR Type a password of exactly 13 ASCII characters or 26 hexadecimal digits if you chose ?128-bit WEP? from the Security pop-up menu. NOTE: Don't use WPA or WPA2.

Ad-Hoc Network Troubleshooting Windows delay - Establishing an ad-hoc connection can take up to a full minute after it's shown as 'connected'. To check the connection is really up and working, go to the WiFi settings on your mobile device and check if it has been assigned an IP address. Password encryption - Don't use WPA/WPA2/PSK, try WEP encryption type for the password.

Linking IL Remote Controls to Targets FL Studio and Deckadance have slightly different systems linking controllers. If you already know how to use these systems, the process with IL Remote is exactly the same. IL Remote appears to FL Studio and Deckadance as just another 'hardware' controller once the Wi-Fi connection is made. Please consult the manuals for each application for full details.

FL Studio While many controls on the default tabs are pre-linked to specific FL Studio targets, you can make your own custom links as per normal MIDI controller procedures. Drop into 'Edit Mode', add new tabs/controls or redefine existing links. To link IL Remote controls to FL Studio targets follow the standard procedures: See here for Permanent Links that are remembered next time you open FL Studio and the IL Remote App (recommended). See here for Per-Session links that are forgotten after you close FL Studio. NOTE: FL Studio has a range of sophisticated linking options that significantly enhance the power of IL Remote. In particular, familiarize yourself with the Remote Control Settings Mode switch and user defined Mapping formula (the field below menu) shown below:

Deckadance Deckadance has both MIDI Mapping

and MIDI Scripting

functions. Link IL Remote to Deckadance as follows:

Be prepared: 1. Make sure the MIDI Scripting 'Enable IL Remote Server' option is selected. 2. Load the 'ILRemoteWithFeedback.c' script from the Deckadance 2/script_files installation folder. To create a MIDI link 1. Filter - Use the Filter button to see only options for the selected deck. 2. Double-Click the target function in the list (this selects the item AND the learn button together). 3. Move the IL Remote target control.

4. Modify the link-relationship with the Control type option if needed. For example you can invert relationships and set encoders. Don't forget Smart knobs

can also be used to build complex input/output relationships

between MIDI controllers and interface targets. To remove a MIDI link - select the function from the list and click the Forget button OR use the backspace key. To save a MIDI script - Click the Export Script button. This will save a basic controller script to use with the MIDI Scripting format. You can further edit the script to include controller feedback if your controller is not supported or you want to re-imagine any controllers default setup.

MIDI Channels & Control Change (CC) Numbers While most controls have MIDI Channel settings, generally you do not need to worry about these settings, use the default. MIDI Channels are useful in situations where you may have control conflicts. For example if you want to use multiple Keyboards or Harmonic Grids to control separate plugins you will need to set the target plugins and IL Remote keyboards to unique MIDI Channel pairings. Further, Control ID (0 to 127 x 16 MIDI Channels) communicate with targets that associate a specific CC numbers with controls. For example CC 1 is used for 'MOD Wheel' control and CC 64 is defined as 'Sustain' pedal by plugins conforming to General MIDI

.

Edit Mode To enter EDIT mode drag on the Edit icon (shown below) from right to left. The system is designed to avoid accidental touches while performing.

Once in edit mode you will have access to the following controls:

Layouts - Load and save groups of tabs (a Layout).

Layouts A Layout (*.ilr format) is a collection of tabs in an IL Remote project. The Layout menu is located to the top-left of the display while in Edit mode. Presets (*.ilrp format) are a collection of controls saved in a Container that can be loaded on a tab. This is the fastest way to build new Layouts.

Layout Menu New Layout - Start from a blank slate. You have the options:

Choose a layout name - Just tap in the box and type a name for your Layout. Tabs - Choose to use the Fullscreen or Splitscreen modes (Horizontal, Vertical and Quartered). Save Layout - Save the currently loaded Layout. Layouts and Presets - Load and browse Layouts (groups of Tabs) or Presets (created using Containers) from a menu. Show Layouts/Presets - Filter the list to show each data type. Load - Select the Layout from the menu and tap Load. Share - Select the Layout from the menu and tap Share to open sharing options such as Email (iOS) or Dropbox, Skype or other connected Apps (Android). NOTE: Share is not currently available for the iPhone, you will need to use iTunes to manage data. Why not visit the IL Remote users forum

to share

layouts and presets. Layout Settings - Choose color theme and accelerometer settings. Bright/Dark Theme - Choose an overall White or Gray theme. Normal, Big, Huge Font - Choose the size of the font used on controls. Show Custom Scale Editor - Tap to select any notes you like from a mini-keyboard. This 'scale' then becomes available under the name 'Custom' for controls that allow you to select scales from a scale menu, such as the Keyboard or Harmonic Grid.

Accel X, Y, Z CC - Set the X, Y and Z accelerometer CC number ID settings. Microphone CC - Set the devices microphone CC number ID settings. The volume for the mic will be tracked and converted into a controller message between 0 and 1. Return to Home Screen - The Home screen allows you to load the default FL Studio or Deckadance layout. There is also a link to the online version of this manual (where it says "Tap here for instructions") and the ImageLine news

.

Importing layouts and presets: Android - Put files in /sdcard/ILRemote_import folder and launch the App, then press "scan import folder". TIP: Airdroid

allows you to manage files on your Android device via any web browser.

iOS - Use "open in ILRemote" from the mail App. Saving tabs - While you can't save and load tabs, you can create a full-page sized Container (double tap it while in Edit mode), then fill it with your custom controls and save the Container as a Preset. In future you can add a new tab and load the preset and there's your saved tab. This also allows people with different devices to load the tab and resize it to fit their device when sharing since controls in a Container are auto-scaled with resizing.

Controls This section covers the Controls that can be placed on tabs. Controls are the interactive user-interface elements that are

linked to targets in FL Studio or Deckadance 2.

Control Principles The following apply to most controls or tabs: Make full-screen - Double tapping controls while in edit mode will make them full screen, if possible for the control type. Lock the selected tab - While in live play mode, long-press the current tab to lock/unlock it and avoid accidental tab changes. Custom colors - When selecting custom colors, the last row of colors stores presets (use Pick to make custom selections), the previous rows are default presets. Edge snapping - When resizing a control near a border (less than 2 grid steps); if you hold the resizing handle, located at the bottom right corner of the control, for more than 2 seconds, the control will snap to the border(s). This can be useful if you want a control to take either the whole height or whole width without being in full screen. Conflicting CC numbers (CTRL ID) - Where Knobs, Faders & X/Y Controls have conflicting CC numbers set these will show in red.

Adding Controls In Edit mode tap the Add Control menu shown below to add controls to the selected tab.

NOTE: You can split tabs into horizontal, vertical and quarter divisions using the Layouts > New Layout menu options.

The following controls are available

Pad Pads can be used as drum-pads, triggers, switches, buttons, a track-pad or to send keyboard shortcuts. Pads can also send special system commands or to set a controller to specific value (i.e SysCmd and Ctrl Values mode).

Pad Controls C4 (label) - In the image above showing C4 (note name). Tap here to edit the pad name. Auto Name - Takes the name of the pad from the Note and Octave setting. When SysCmd mode is enabled, Auto Name will rename the pad to the name of the selected command. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label Inside (shown above). Mode - Set System Command, Control Change, Trackpad, Shortcut and Note values to be sent from the pad. Note is the default for pads. When selected Note / Octave is avaiable to send MIDI notes on the set Channel MIDI Channel (1 to 16). SysCmd (System Command) - The pad sends core program function commands to FL Studio and Deckadance. Use the Msg (message) menu, available when this mode is selected, to choose a wide range of (self explanatory) control functions. Ctrl.Values (Control Change Values) - The Pad will send a CC message instead of a note number. When selected, use the Ctrl.ID and Value options to send data when the Pad is pressed. If the pad is in Switch or Gate mode, the CC value will be reset to 0 when released/switched off. To avoid this, use a group mode (as explained below). NOTE: Only values between 0 and 1 are valid. To send CC values between 0 and 127, divide the desired CC value by 127 and enter the result to at least 4 decimal places. Trackpad - The Speed option sets the mouse speed factor (relative to your computer mouse settings). Using the trackpad: Drag your finger around the pad to move the mouse. While the host program is connected you can eveb minimize it and control your computer as usual. While you can use the three mouse buttons on the trackpad, but you can also Quick tap in the main area to left click. Quick tap with two fingers in the main area to right click. Quick tap with three fingers in the main area for middle click. Swipe up/down with two fingers to simulate mouse wheel movements. Shortcut - Keyboard shortcuts can either be a single key or combinations of modifier keys (Ctrl for example) and a command key. Set the Mod (modifier) option to None, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, or combinations and the command Key to be sent as the keyboard shortcut. Gate / Switch - Gate transmits note ON when pressed and OFF when released. Switch - Tap once for note on and again for note off (useful for triggering and sustaining loop samples for example). Group - In Switch mode you can enter a number between 0 (reset) to 999. These are 'cut groups', so that any Pads with the same Group number will turn off other active pads in the same Group when pressed. This means that only one Pad in a Group may be activated at a time. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls.

Fader Link faders to any similar control on a GUI or to knobs where you would prefer the visual feedback a Fader provides.

Fader Controls FADER - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (shown above), Label At Bottom. Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. Snap Back - Snaps back to the starting position on release. Snap To - Set the value to snap back to when Snap is selected. NOTE: Only values between 0 and 1 are valid. Bipolar Display - Fader is changed to bi-polar mode with the initial position at the center. TIP: Useful for Pitch and Cross-Fader duties. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the Fader is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it to activate an effect slot when the Fader is touched and deactivate it when released. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the fader to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control. You can also do this in the reverse order: Link the note message first with 'Send on/off' enabled, disable it then link the continuous parameter targets.

Knob Knobs link to any standard parametric control in FL Studio or Deckadance.

Knob Controls KNOB (label) - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label inside (Shown above). Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. Centered - Knob is initialized in the vertical position (i.e for Panning duties). Drag orientation - Choose Vertical, Horizontal or Circular dragging to use the knob. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the pad is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it to activate an effect slot when the knob is touched and deactivate it when released. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the knob to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control. NOTE: When Send On/Off is disabled, double-tapping a knob will reset it to the center position.

Jog Wheel Jog Wheels are traditionally used for scrolling and selection purposes, for example, scrolling through presets or moving a cursor along the playlist. They can also be used as infinite or continuous knobs.

TIPS: If Jogwheels scroll too fast, set them to 12 steps mode. When setting a Jog to control horizontal/vertical, zoom/scrolling or other 'oriented' targets, it's a good idea to set the Drag mode to the same orientation to avoid confusion (Vertical or Horizontal).

Jog Wheel Controls JOGWHEEL (label) - Tap here to edit the control name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom, Label inside (Shown above). Ctrl ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the control. This menu also shows System Commands (See below). Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). The MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. When SYSCMD (System Command) is selected the Ctrl ID menu is replaced by the following function list:

Command

Function

Jog

Generic jog (use to select data).

Alt.GenericJog

Alternate generic jog (use to relocate data).

PreviousNext

Generic track selection.

MoveJog

Use to relocate items

UndoJog

Undo History

MarkerJumpJog

Jump to the next marker

MarkerSelJog

Select marker

HZoomJog

Horizontal Zoom

VZoomJog

Vertical Zoom

SnapMode

Change Snap Mode

WindowJog

Select Windows

PatternJog

Select Patterns

TrackJog

Select Mixer Track

ChannelJog

Select Instrument Channel

TempoJog

Tempo in 0.1 BPM increments

Vertical, Horizontal, Circular Drag - Set the Jogwheel to spin on vertical, horizontal or circular finger movements. Sensitivity (Steps) - Choose the granularity of the wheel. 4 to 128 steps per revolutions.

Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the control is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released, such as the deck scratch function of Deckadance. Linking Instructions: When using 'Send On/Off' there are now two parameters to link to the target: 1. Continuous parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the jog to the target. 2. Note Switch - With 'Send On/Off' enabled link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch by touching the control.

Mixer

Mixer Controls MIXER (label) - Tap here to edit the Mixer name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (shown above), Label At Bottom. Tracks - Choose from 2 to 16. Show on/off buttons - Generic 'latched' buttons for any mixer function that can be switched (FX slots for example). Show panning sliders - Sliders that allow you to control the panning position of the Mixer track. Show scrollbar - Enables buttons to show Mixer tracks in banks as chosen by the Tracks setting. Tap quickly to jump to a specific range of tracks, or tab and drag to fine-tune the view position. NOTE: To maximize the control while in Edit mode, double tap it.

Clip Launcher Performance Mode allows you to trigger Clips from the Playlist to create live remix performances of your FL Studio projects.

PERF.CLIPS (label) - Tap here to edit the Clip Launcher name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom (Shown above). Rows/Cols - Choose from 3 to 12 rows and columns (9 to 144 clips). Swipe on Scene/Stop Buttons - Swiping quickly along the Scene or Stop buttons will stop all Clips. Top Left Button (Long Press) - Set to perform the following functions: Overview - Switch to Playlist overview mode so you can scroll around the available Clips. Stop All - Stop all Clips. Smooth Scrolling - When Scroll mode is engaged (see below) the clip area moves smoothy in proportion to swiping movements. Page by Page Scrolling - When Scroll mode is engaged (see below) the clip area jumps in page units. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Using the Clip Launcher With FL Studio in Performance Mode the following controls are available:

Start/Stop Scenes or Tracks - Tap Scenes to start all clips in the column. Tap Clips to trigger individual clips. NOTE: You can only play one clip per Playlist track at the same time. System buttons (right) - Double tap to lock the mode where appropriate. Scroll - Allows you to slide the Clip Area displayed. Tap and hold (or double-tap to lock) the button then drag on the Clip area to move the displayed Clips. This is similar to Overview without a visual preview of the surrounding clips. NOTES: 1. There are two scroll behaviors available from the edit properties dialog (Smooth & Page by Page). 2. Scrolling only works when the Clips in the FL Studio Playlist fall outside the area available in the Clip Launcher. Scene - Triggers vertical columns of clips. For more details on how Scenes work click here. +Scene - Adds any Clips to the currently playing Scene. Same Mode - Used in conjunction with Scene, triggers only clips in tracks that are set to the same Press mode (set by right-clicking tracks in the Playlist). Snap - Disable Trigger Sync settings. Global Snap - Will use FL Studio's Global Snap setting instead of the per-track Trigger Sync setting (set by right-clicking tracks in the Playlist). Queue - Activate Queue mode. Clips can be queued by selecting any number of Clips/Markers in any order. Playback will follow the order they were selected. Overview - Use a long press to activate. In overview mode, you can either tap to jump directly to a specific performance area, or touch and drag to have a more precise selection.

NOTE: The overview is only available when the Clips in the FL Studio playlist fall outside the area available in the Clip Launcher.

X/Y Control X/Y control to link to interface and other targets.

XY (label) - Tap here to edit the Clip Launcher name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. X/Y Axis ID - Set the CC MIDI number for the X and Y axes. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Snap Back - The pointer will snap back to the central position on release. Send On/Off - Sends an additional Note ON/OFF message when the control is touched and released. This is useful for targets where there is an additional control that should be switched on when the control is being touched and off when it is released. For example: Use it with Effector to activate the effect when the control is touched and deactivate it when released.

Linking Instructions and Tips Standard X/Y Links: To link a X/Y control, you'll need to link each axis separately. With 'Send On/Off' disabled: 1. Drag the X/Y control so your finger is past the top or bottom of the X/Y rectangle and you can only move horizontally (X axis) and keep hold of the handle... 2. Link the X parameter in FL Studio and move the handle along the horizontally then release. 3. Repeat for the Y axis, drag past the left or right border, so you can only move the handle vertically (Y axis) and keep hold of the handle... 4. Link the Y parameter in FL Studio and move the handle vertically and then release. Link with 'Send On/Off' commands: When using 'Send On/Off' there is a third parameters to link to a target. Touching the handle now sends a note on message when touched and note off when released, just like a keyboard key. The On/Off commands can be linked to controls such as Effector's 'Bypass' switch so the effect only turns on when the X/Y control is touched and turns off when released. 1. Link the X/Y parameters - With 'Send On/Off' disabled, link the X & Y parameters separately to their respective targets as shown above. 2. Send On/Off link - With 'Send On/Off' enabled, Link the parameter to be controlled by the On/Off note switch in FL Studio then touch and release the handle. NOTE: You can do this in the reverse order, link the switched parameter first, then disable the switch and link the X/Y controls and then turn on the switch again.

Piano Keyboard

MIDI Keyboard.

KEYBOARD (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top, Label At Bottom (Shown above). Show Octave/s - Offers several ranges for the keyboard, between 1 (min) and 4 (max). Base Note - Lowest note on the Keyboard. Base Octave - Starting octave for the Keyboard. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. Variable velocity - Velocity is encoded by the vertical position on the note. High velocity is at the bottom of the note. Show scrollbar - Change the playable keyboard range by dragging horizontally on the Scrollbar. Deadzone between black keys - Disables the touch for the white key region between the black keys, making it easier to play chords. Scale - Select the scale mode

from the list. Out-of-key notes will show in red, although they can still be played

(should you dare to touch a red note). To Create a Custom Scale - Use the Layout Menu > Layout Settings > Show Custom Scale Editor option and then select Custom from the Scale list. Scale Root - Root (starting note) for the chosen scale. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Harmonic Grid The Harmonic Grid is similar to a MIDI keyboard but with a special layout and features. The Harmonic Keyboard allows you to set a musical 'Key' that then makes it impossible to trigger notes outside that scale for that key.

HARMONIC GRID (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. Rows - Choose between 4 to 8 rows of notes. Chan - MIDI Channel (1 to 16). NOTE: MIDI Channel is used as part of the link-address, so set the MIDI Channel first, then make any links to target controls. NOTE: Double tap the clip launcher to maximize it in Edit mode.

Using the Harmonic Grid

The default mode is a C Major scale. Octave notes are shown in highlighted cells for easy reference. Accidental notes are not available (use Chromatic Scale mode for these). Scale - Select the scale mode

from the list. To Create a Custom Scale - Use the Layout Menu Layout

Settings > Show Custom Scale Editor option and then select Custom from the Scale list. Transpose - Transpose the grid in semitones. Octave - Transpose the grid in Octaves. Chromatic Mode - All semitones will be shown, while graying notes out of scale.

Container (Presets) Containers are designed to hold other controls allowing you to move/resize them together or load them as a Preset. To add a control to a Container, make sure the Container is selected before adding a new control. Load Container Presets from the Layout Menu. Use Edit Content mode to select and customize the controls you add to the Container.

CONTAINER (label) - Tap here to edit the name. Label position - Choose No Label, Label On Top (Shown above), Label At Bottom. Load - Load an existing preset into the Container. If not empty, you'll be asked to overwrite its content. If empty, you'll be asked if you want to resize it to match the original preset size. If you choose not to resize the Container, the content itself will be resized to match the Container size. Save as Preset - Save the containers as a reusable Preset. Edit content - Allows you to edit the controls in the Container. Override children channel - Changes the MIDI Channel for all controls in the Container (children) to that of the Container. There is no undo so you will be asked for a confirmation. NOTE: If your Container has system pads/cogwheels, channels for these controls will remain unchanged. Override child channel is also useful for Deckadance presets where decks A, B, C and D respond to MIDI Channel 1 to 4 respectively. For example; if you load the '1DeckControl' preset, it will be on MIDI Channel 1 (Deck A) by default, then if you load a second instance, you can override all controls to MIDI Channel 2 so it controls Deck B. NOTES: 1. Double tap the Containers to maximize them while in Edit mode. 2. If you resize a Container while stretching its content (edit children OFF), controls won't be snapped to the grid and you can't edit child controls without moving them to the nearest grid position. So place your controls carefully and be sure to save your preset before stretching it.

Working With Containers Container Names - The name of a Container is also used when you save it as a Preset, so ALWAYS name Containers before saving a Preset. Naming Container - Remember to give your Container a unique name BEFORE saving it as a preset. Best to name the Container as the first step so you don't forget. Adding Controls to a Container - Drag a control inside a Container until it fits entirely in the Container and it will be added OR select a Container before adding a new control. Removing Control from a Container - Tap on the control and drag it outside the Container for more than 1 second. Edit Content- This function serves 2 purposes: Off - You can't select children controls, and resizing the Container will resize its children too.

On - You can resize the Container without affecting the children, AND more importantly select/edit controls inside the Container.

Appendix Deckadance 2 Commands MIDI Channel to Deck Use Pads to send MIDI notes from Image-Line Remote to Deckadance.

MIDI Channel

Deck

1

A

2

B

3

C

4

D

MIDI Note Commands Where applicable, send the following Note commands to on the MIDI Channel for the Deck you are working with. For example; C0 on MIDI Channel 1 will start play on Deck A. C0 on MIDI Channel 4 will start play on deck D.

Command

MIDI Note

PLAY PAUSE A

C0

PLAY SYNCHRONIZED A

C#0

MASTER A

D0

SYNC A

D#0

SYNC LOCK A

E0

PITCH RESET A

F0

PITCH BEND NUDGE MINUS A

F#0

PITCH BEND NUDGE PLUS A

G0

KEY LOCK A

G#0

CUE A

A0

HOT CUE 1 A

A#0

HOT CUE 2 A

B0

HOT CUE 3 A

C1

HOT CUE 4 A

C#1

HOT CUE 5 A

D1

HOT CUE 6 A

D#1

HOT CUE 7 A

E1

HOT CUE 8 A

F1

DELETE HOT CUE 1 A

F#1

DELETE HOT CUE 2 A

G1

DELETE HOT CUE 3 A

G#1

DELETE HOT CUE 4 A

A1

DELETE HOT CUE 5 A

A#1

DELETE HOT CUE 6 A

B1

DELETE HOT CUE 7 A

C2

DELETE HOT CUE 8 A

C#2

LOOP A

D2

LEAP A

D#2

LOOP MOVE BACKWARD A

E2

LOOP MOVE FORWARD A

F2

LOOP HALF A

F#2

LOOP DOUBLE A

G2

LOOP IN A

G#2

LOOP OUT A

A2

RELOOP A

A#2

DVS ABSOLUTE MODE A

B2

DVS RELATIVE MODE A

C3

DVS INTERNAL MODE AX

C#3

DOWNBEAT A

D3

START POINT A

D#3

SMARTKNOB 1 ON A

E3

SMARTKNOB 2 ON A

F3

CUE STUTTER A

F#3

REWIND A

G3

KEY RESET A

G#3

JOG SCRATCH ON A

D0

GAIN RESET A

A#3

EQ HIGH RESET A

B3

EQ HIGH KILL A

C4

EQ MID RESET A

C#4

EQ MID KILL A

D4

EQ LOW RESET A

D#4

EQ LOW KILL A

E4

PFL A

F4

CROSSFADER ASSIGN LEFT A

F#4

CROSSFADER ASSIGN RIGHT A

G4

AUTO CROSSFADER LEFT

G#4

AUTO CROSSFADER RIGHT

A4

MONITOR PHONE SPLIT

A#4

MONITOR OVERDRIVE

B4

PUNCH A

C5

CUT A

C#5

FX HIGH BAND GROUP A

D5

FX MID BAND GROUP A

D#5

FX LOW BAND GROUP A

E5

EFFECT ON 1 GROUP A

F5

EFFECT ON 2 GROUP A

F#5

EFFECT ON 3 GROUP A

G5

FX DRY WET RESET GROUP A

G#5

SAMPLER MASTER VOLUME RESET

A5

SAMPLER PREVIEW PLAY STOP

A#5

SAMPLER RECORD LOOP

B5

SAMPLER SYNC

C6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 1

C#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 2

D6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 3

D#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 4

E6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 5

F6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 6

F#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 7

G6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 8

G#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 9

A6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 10

A#6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 11

B6

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 12

C7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 13

C#7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 14

D7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 15

D#7

SAMPLER PLAY PAD 16

E7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 1

F7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 2

F#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 3

G7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 4

G#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 5

A7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 6

A#7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 7

B7

GROSSBEAT PAD A 8

C8

PLAYLIST UP

C#8

PLAYLIST DOWN

D8

PLAYLIST PAGE UP

D#8

PLAYLIST PAGE DOWN

E8

PLAYLIST SELECT

F8

PLAYLIST LOAD A

F#8

PLAYLIST PREVIEW

G8

PREVIEW PLAY PAUSE

G#8

DIRECTORY UP

A8

DIRECTORY DOWN

A#8

DIRECTORY SELECT

B8

DIRECTORY ENTER

C9

DIRECTORY EXIT

C#9

FILE BROWSER UP

D9

FILE BROWSER DOWN

D#9

FILE BROWSER SELECT

E9

FILE BROWSER ENTER

F9

FILE BROWSER EXIT

F#9

FILE BROWSER LOAD A

G9

FILE BROWSER PREVIEW

G#9

AUTOMIX ON OFF

A9

SNAP

A#9

VST ON SLOT A

B9

VST INSERT SEND SIGNAL ROUTING SLOT A

C10

JOG SCRATCH ON A

C#10

Scratch Mode

D10

Cue Delete Mode

D#10

DISK RECORDER

E10

MIDI CC Use Knobs, Faders or Jogs where noted below.

Command

MIDI CC

PITCH

0

KEY TUNING

1

LOOP SIZE

2 Jog

LOOP MOVE SIZE

3 Jog

SMARTKNOB 1 A

4

SMARTKNOB 2

5

JOG

6 Jog (Ignores jog send on/off mode)

SEEK

7 Jog

GAIN A

8

EQ HIGH

9

EQ MID

10

EQ LOW

11

FILTER

12

VOLUME

13

CROSSFADER

14

CROSSFADER CURE

15

MONITOR VOLUME

16

MONITOR MIX

17

BALANCE

18

MASTER VOLUME

19

FX DRY WET GROUP

20

EFFECT PARAM 1

21

EFFECT PARAM 2

22

EFFECT PARAM 3

23

EFFECT SELECT 1

24 Jog

EFFECT SELECT 2

25 Jog

EFFECT SELECT 3

26 Jog

SAMPLER MASTER VOLUME

28

SAMPLER LOOP SIZE

29 Jog

VST DRY WET SLOT

30

VST PARAM 1 SLOT

31

VST PARAM 2 SLOT A

32

JOG

121 Jog (Uses jog send on/off mode)

Plugin Credits:

Code: Pierre M. (ShiniKnobz). Presets: Pierre M. (ShiniKnobz), Arlo (nucleon). Debugging and testing: Sylvain R. (Sickness).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

MiniSynth MiniSynth is a fully featured synthesizer with a low processor overhead and great sound. There are 6 tabs covering the synthesizer controls making it perfect when working with a touch interface (for which it was designed) or for the new user learning how to program synthesizers. MiniSynth is also included with FL Studio Mobile

and is used when converting FL Studio Mobile projects to FL Studio

format. Even if you don't use FL Studio Mobile, you will find MiniSynth a great addition to your library and you can still share patches with FL Studio Mobile users on the MiniSynth presets & programming forum See the video tutorial

. here

.

TIP: Create patches using MiniSynth in FL Studio and save them for use in FL Studio Mobile, so you can take the same sounds on the road with you.

MiniSynth Controls Controls are spread across 6 tabs making them perfect for touch-screen control.

Oscillator Oscillators are the sound source for the synth. MiniSynth has an advanced multi-mode oscillator that changes architecture depending on the waveform selection. Some waveform modes are dual-voice where two waveforms are mixed others can be up to 8 voice. A voice is a single, pitchable tone.

Oscillator - Controls for the waveform shape and pitch. Waveform - Choose the wave-shape. Depending on the selection there are some unique behavior of the voices. Saw - A Saw + Square wave of the same frequency and phase. Modifier controls pulse width of the Square wave, so in positions 0 or 100 pulse width becomes zero and a perfect Saw wave is produced. Saw + Saw - Pair of Saw waveforms. Modifier controls pitch of the second saw +/- 24 semitones. Pulse - Pair of Square waveforms. Modifier controls pulse width of the waveform so that at 0 or 100% there is complete phase cancellation. Square + Saw - Square and Saw wave. Modifier controls pitch of the saw +/- 24 semitones. Square + Square - Pair of Square waveforms. Modifier controls pitch of second square +/- 24 semitones. SuperSaw - 8 Saw waves panned in the stereo field. Modifier detunes the 8 voices. Bell - Saw-like waveform. Modifier - adds in additional spectral frequencies. DeafSaw - Two Saws with same frequency. Modifier - Adjusts phase shift of the Saw waves relative to each other creating a 'comb filter' effect. Spread 1 - 3 Saw waves at -1 octave, 0 octave (root) and +1 octave intervals. Modifier adjust the detune of the chord. Spread 2 - 3 Saw waves at 0 octave (root), 5th and +1 octave intervals. Modifier adjust the detune of the chord. Transpose - Transpose the oscillator +/- 12 semitones. Modifier - Action depends on the selected waveform type, see above.

Noise - Adds white noise (hiss) into the mix. Voice Mode - Polyphony (ability to play more than one note) and voice transitions. Poly - Polyphonic, play up to 8 notes. Mono - A monophonic mode (one note playback), slides always sound on note changes and envelopes reset. Lead - A monophonic mode where auto-portamento is enabled (when notes overlap) and the envelopes are not retrigged. This allows you to play normal lead melodies without the slide (portamento) effect and then add it where you want by holding the previous note before playing the next. Mod Wheel - Select Modulation targets. NOTE: Mod Wheel is only available when a MOD Wheel MIDI controller is connected. Filter - Modulation will affect the filter cutoff. LFO - Modulation will affect the LFO speed. Amount - Multiplier for the Mod wheel effect.

Oscillator Envelope Oscillator Envelope controls. The ADSR envelope provides a volume envelope (volume changes) at key on, key held and key release. These controls are how you would make a note play on after you release the key or to soften the attack of a sound, for example.

To better understand ADSR controls it's useful to have in mind that for any note there are three basic timing events, 'note on' event, 'note hold time' and 'note off' event. Attack - Time taken for the filter to reach the maximum level. Decay - Time taken to go from the maximum level to the Sustain level. Sustain - Level when the key is held.

Release - Time taken to fall from the Sustain level to zero when the key is released.

ADSR Diagram

Filter MiniSynth uses a single Low Pass filter with cutoff and resonance controls. Low Pass filters allow frequencies below the cutoff frequency to pass. When set to the highest frequency this means all frequencies can be heard. When set low, only the lower frequencies will be heard.

X/Y Control - Horizontal - Filter cutoff frequency (the filter is of the low pass type), Vertical - Resonance. This causes a peak at the cutoff frequency that is most noticeable when the cutoff frequency is changed. Keyboard - Filter Cutoff frequency can be set to increase (turn right) or decrease (turn left) with keyboard position. This is useful to open or close the filter as you progress up the keyboard, so higher keys are brighter sounding for example. Velocity - The filter be set to increase (turn right) or decrease (turn left) with keyboard

velocity. This is useful to open or close the filter as you play louder notes, so keys played hard (high velocity) are brighter sounding for example (keyboard velocity is simulated by vertical play position).

Filter Envelope The (ADSR) envelope controls modulate with the Filter Cutoff frequency. NOTE: The Amount knob will determine if the ADSR controls increase or decrease the values of the filter cutoff.

To better understand ADSR controls it's useful to have in mind that for any note there are three basic timing events, 'note on', 'note hold time' and 'note off'. Attack - Time taken for the filter to reach the maximum level. Decay - Time taken to go from the maximum level to the Sustain level. Sustain - Level when the key is held. Release - Time taken to fall from the Sustain level to zero when the key is released. Amount - Amount of envelope to filter cutoff modulation. Turn right for positive modulation and left for negative modulation (-/+ 100%).

ADSR Diagram

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) LFO's are a modulation source that can be used to create interesting effects by slowly varying the values of other parameters.

Shape - Shape of the LFO waveform. Choose from: Sine that produces a smoothy varying shape. Saw which has a sharp attack and linear decay, like a 'Saws teeth'. Square that flips between two states. Rate - Frequency of the LFO repeat period. These are tempo-synced. Destination - Choose the modulation target of the LFO waveform: Filter - Filter cutoff frequency. Frequency - Oscillator pitch or tune.

Oscillator - Oscillator modifier. Amount - Amount of LFO to destination modulation. Turn right for positive modulation and left for negative modulation (that is to invert the waveform, -/+ 100%).

Effects There are four effects tabs. These are separate from the main track FX.

Delay Delay is an echo style effect and is particularly effective when played in sync with the main tempo of the track.

Time - Tempo synced delay time. Feedback - Number of echoes. Filter - Amount of high frequency filtering applied to each round of echoes. Mix - Echo volume.

Chorus Chorus creates a thicker/lusher sound by detuning multiple voices within the sound.

Rate - LFO speed for the modulation of the chorus effect. Mod - Depth (detune) of the Chorus effect. Mix - Amount of chorusing heard.

Phaser Phasing modulates the relative phase of the dual-voice oscillators. Oscillator voices are delayed by different amounts, causing a moving frequency cancellation effect that you will recognize even if you don't really understand how it works ;)

Rate - Tempo synced LFO style modulation speed of the phase effect. Width - Min/Max frequency range for the sweep effect. Feedback - Some of the phaser output can be fed back into the effect to create resonances, similar to resonance (Q) on a filter. Frequency - Center frequency around which the phase inversion occurs.

Mix - Amount of phasing heard.

Distortion There are two distortion effects. Overdrive which simulates the distorted sound of guitar amplifiers, for example and Decimator for vocal formant style or digital bit-depth type sounds that can make MiniSynth sound like an old-style video game or broken CD player.

Overdrive - Guitar/Amplifier style distortion. Decimator - Digital style distortion.

Sharing MiniSynth Presets With FL Studio Mobile You can save patches/presets from MiniSynth and load them in the FL Studio Mobile version and vice versa. Why not visit the MiniSynth presets and programming forum

where you can download

and share MiniSynth presets with others, even if you are not using FL Studio Mobile. Save to *.flms format rather than .fst format to maintain inter-application compatibility. The following instructions explain how to load .flms presets in FL Studio Mobile:

Click the preset name to open the browser and use the Load/Save functions here to import/export *.flms format

Using .flms Presets with FL Studio Mobile WiFi Server Transfer

Export presets - Navigate to the ../My Presets/MiniSynth/User folder and save MiniSynth presets, .flms files, to your computer. Import presets - Copy MiniSynth presets, .flms files, to the FL Studio Mobile ../My Presets/MiniSynth/User folder.

iTunes Transfer

Export presets - Select the My Presets folder and using the 'Save to...' button to copy the entire contents of the My Instruments folder to your computer. There you will have access to the ../My Presets/MiniSynth/User where your custom MiniSynth .flms presets are stored. Import presets - Copy .flms files to the FL Studio root folder. Do this by clicking 'Add..' in iTunes and then selecting your Minigroove .flms preset/s on your computer. Finally, click the Sync button. FL Studio Mobile will automatically move the MiniSynth presets to the ../My

Presets/MiniSynth/User folder.

Using MiniSynth Presets Select the Synths > My MiniSynth Presets folder from the Instruments tab then double-tap to load presets. After a single tap you will have the option to delete presets as shown below.

Plugin Credits: Maxx Claster exclusively for - Image Line Software

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Additive Synthesizer DEMO ONLY: Morphine is downloadable

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased

separately so you can save projects containing Morphine channels.

Introduction Morphine is an Additive Synthesizer

with quite a few 'twists'. Additive synthesis creates sound entirely

from sine wave harmonics and at first this may seem like a major limitation. However, Fourier Theory teaches us that any waveform can be decomposed into an infinite series of sine-waves, a harmonic series. That means Morphine can still create all your Subtractive Synthesis

favorites: Square, Saw and Sine

waves. It gets better, Morphine can also reproduce the complexity found in real sounds by smoothly interpolating a series of these harmonic 'snapshots', in real-time, to generate what is best described as 'synthetic samples'. In this way, programming Morphine will feel familiar to anyone who has used a Sampler, with the ability to assign sounds across the keyboard and to create crossfades, stacks or blends of any sound/s as desired; welcome to Morphine! Morphine Videos

What can Morphine do? Morphine is a 4 Voice (Generator) additive synthesizer with 128 harmonics per voice. The 'Morph' part of Morphine refers to an architecture that allows these 4 Voices to be mixed and morphed under user control. Sounds (Spectra) are generated by interpolating a series of spectral 'snapshots' that can be created from any input sample or manually drawn. The following is a list of Morphine's main capabilities in more detail: 4 Independent Generators - Generators are a complete set of Keyboard Zones (independent sounds mapped across the Keyboard). Each Keyboard Zone holds a unique Spectrum (a synthesized sound of any length).

Unlimited Keyboard Zones Per-Generator - Every MIDI key can be programmed to hold a unique Spectrum. Spectra - Similar to a 'synthetic' sample. Spectra can be resynthesized from any sample or manually programmed. Resynthesis - Automatically transforms a sample into a Spectrum. That is, a series of harmonic snapshots (called Breakpoints) and puts these under complete user control. Breakpoints - A Breakpoint is a harmonic 'snapshot' at a given moment in time. The Spectrum interpolates a series of Breakpoints to re/create any sound. Noise Generator - The Noise Generator is a specialized extra voice designed primarily for injecting untuned noises into the final patch. This can improve the accuracy and realism of sounds. Morph / Mix - The 4 Generators can be Morphed / Mixed with a user specified envelope. The Morph/Mix envelope can be time or tempo based. Effects - Portamento, Distortion, Chorus, Stereo Delay, Reverb and 8-Band Graphic Equalization are available simultaneously. Coffee

&

Tea

Amazing Sound

making - You wish. - No problem!

Does Additive Synthesis Hurt? Additive Synthesizers are rare enough that they exist in an atmosphere of mystique, rumour and fear. Some say that Additive Synthesis is so complicated that it makes FM

synthesis appear to have the engineering

complexity of a spoon. Fortunately the reality is a lot less scary, Morphine is only slightly more complex to master than a spoon and you will be feeding yourself in no time. Probably the best analogy is to consider Morphine a multi-sampler that can generate its own 'synthetic' samples. So how does Morphine do this? Any sound can be represented by an infinite series of harmonics (sine waves) that vary constantly in amplitude and phase. Morphine captures this harmonic variation as a series of snapshots, just like the still frames in a movie and then by playing back this 'harmonic movie', in real-time, almost any sound can be re/created in synthetic form. So there you have synthesis in Morphine, not so scary. The hardest part will be learning the jargon in this manual. If Morphine is a spoon, then the jargon welds a set of spring-loaded cheek-piercing bolts to it. The harmonic snapshots are called Breakpoints, each is composed of three unique values, Amplitude (shown above), Panning and Detune. The 'harmonic movie' is an interpolated sequence of Breakpoints and is officially called a 'Spectrum'. The envelope-style display, middle of the screenshot above, shows a Spectrum composed of 10 Breakpoints. Spectra can be manually entered and edited using the Breakpoint Editor (the top-most window in the screenshot above) OR automatically generated from samples in a process called 'Resynthesis'. Now all you have to do is work out how not to jab yourself in the eye with your new spoon and you will be Additively Synthesizing like a pro. Still scared? Load the factory patches, sit back and use a straw...tastes just as good!

Plugin Credits: Morphine was created by Maxx Claster Image Line Software

exclusively for -

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine General Settings & Controls

Controls This page is dedicated to the General Settings panel and tips for using the main interface controls.

General Settings Many of the name fields or data fields also function as the interface to change the value. For example clicking in the TRANSP field (shows -24 in the screen-shot above) and dragging the mouse up/down will change the value of the field. BANK - Click to select a new Bank. Selecting a Bank opens a list showing installed Banks. PROGRAM - This a single patch (sound). Selecting this field will open a list of all the patches in the Bank. POLY - Change the polyphony (number of simultaneous notes). 'Mono' to 32 note Polyphony is possible. TRANSP - Transpose the sound in semi-tones (+/- 24). FINE - Fine tune in Cents (1/100th of a semitone). G-MODE - Glide Mode. This works in conjunction with the GLIDE knob. Bend VT - All notes will glide at a fixed rate so that larger jumps take longer (Variable Time). Held VT - Overlapping notes will glide at a fixed rate so that larger jumps take

longer (Variable Time). Bend ST - All notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size (Static Time). Held ST - Overlapping notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size (Static Time).

Control Types If it looks like a control, or even if it doesn't, try Left-clicking it, Right-clicking (or Alt + Left-click) and generally fiddling around. It's a great way to learn the interface! Data & Name Fields - Many of the Data/Name fields in Morphine also function as the interface to change the value. For example, clicking in the TRANSP field (shows -24 in the screen-shot above) and dragging the mouse up/down will change the value. Partials - Click the AMPLITUDE, PANNING, DETUNE, VELOCITY or WINDOW switches to change the target. Change value: Left-click and drag up/down. Reset: Right-click (or Alt + Left-click). NOTE: There is also a TOOL menu with options for adjusting partials in groups. Knobs & Sliders Change value: Left-click and drag the mouse up/down. Reset: Right-click (or Alt + Left-click). Fine changes: Holding the Shift key while adjusting knobs and sliders will allow more precise adjustment. Markers - Can be Left-clicked and dragged in any direction (up/down and/or left/right). Create/Delete: Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) at the location where you want a Marker to appear OR on the Marker you want to delete. Select: To select a Marker click in the space between markers and the leading Marker will be selected. Slide Reposition: Left-click and drag the Marker, any following markers will slide in sympathy. Independent Reposition: To move a Marker without disturbing others, hold Shift + Left-click and drag the Marker. Switches - Left-click to turn on/off or select. Menus - Left-click to open the drop-down menu. Note that some menus appear static menu fields while others change to show the selected option. Look for the down arrow symbols.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Generator Panel

An Overview of Synthesis in Morphine The Generator Page contains the Additive Synthesis controls for Morphine. As has been discussed in the introduction, Additive synthesis builds more complex waveforms from a harmonic sequence of sine-waves. Better yet, Morphine can interpolate a series of these harmonic 'snapshots', that may be manually programmed or derived from samples, to re/create infinitely complex sounds. In other words, Morphine can generate synthetic 'samples'. There are four main features of the Morphine architecture Harmonics: Each note consist of a fundamental (or root) sine wave and, optionally, a series of harmonics (higher frequency sine waves linked to the root) to create almost any waveform. The architecture allows harmonic amplitude, tuning and panning to be modulated creating infinitely complex and rich tones. Each set of 128 harmonic properties and associated modifiers is termed a 'Breakpoint'. Harmonic Morphing & Modulation: Breakpoint properties such as harmonic amplitude, tuning and panning can be interpolated to produce a continuous evolving sound, known as a 'Spectrum'. Keyboard Zones: Zones add the ability to spread unique Spectra across the keyboard. If desired each note from C0 to C11 can play a unique Spectrum! Generator Mixing: The 4 Generators can be dynamically cross-faded using the Morph/Mix control panel. Given that each Generator can contain a set of morphing Breakpoints, the possibilities are limitless. The aim was to provide the sound designer with a rich palette of evolving sounds that can be mixed, realtime, in response to modulation parameters time or tempo. By now the Morph in Morphine should be clear.

Controls This section describes the synthesis controls and their operation.

GENERATOR A, B C & D The 4 GENERATORS in Morphine have the same set of properties that modify the response of 128 harmonics per voice. Further, in combination with Keyboard Zones, Generators can contain multiple, independent, 'sub-voices' assigned to play over unique keyboard ranges. The components of the Generators are described, starting from the bottom of the Generator Page (as shown above) working upwards: KEYBOARD ZONE LAYOUT - Each Generator can include multiple Keyboard Zones controlled by the KEYBOARD ZONE LAYOUT control. The control defines both the keyboard range (as shown by the horizontal line), for each voice, and the playback level (height). At least one Keyboard Zone must exist for each GENERATOR, the default covers notes C0 to C11. NOTE: Each zone represents a completely independent SPECTRUM (a set of interpolated BREAKPOINTS). This allows different sounds to be spread across the keyboard for each Generator. The most common use of Keyboard Zones is to balance the tonal properties of imported Spectra (see the Resynthesis section) across the keyboard, similar to a multi-sampled sound in a sampler. However, you can also use Zones to make a set of completely unrelated sounds on every key if desired.

Select Zone - Left-click between Zone Markers (small squares). This will change the harmonic partial editor and spectrum editor to show the values of the currently selected zone. Create Zone - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) at the point where the zone should start. NOTE: New Zones open with a default Spectrum (i.e. silent). Delete Zone - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) the zone Marker (square) at start of the zone. Change Zone Range - Left-click the Marker at the start of the zone and drag horizontally. Change Zone Volume - Left-click the Marker at the start of the zone and drag vertically. Select Zone - Click anywhere inside the zone range. This will change the harmonic editor to show Spectrum Breakpoint & Spectrum values. KEYBOARD ZONE LAYOUT (Drop-down menu) : Import Kbd Zone Layout - Loads a zone layout from disk. Please note, this loads a set of zones saved for the current GENERATOR. Drag-n-drop is supported. Export Kbd Zone Layout - Saves zone layout to the disk. Copy - Copies all zones for the current Generator so that they can be pasted into another Generator. Paste - Pastes zone layout. Reset - Initializes the layout, setting it to the default state. NOTE: this will reset all zones for the current GENERATOR. The initial zone will have no harmonics set so won't produce sound (tabula raza!).

SPECTRUM EDITOR - The Spectrum Envelope holds a series of harmonic snapshots (BREAKPOINTS), represented by the points along the envelope (height is level, horizontal distance is time). The harmonic properties of each Breakpoint are set using the BREAKPOINT EDITOR described in the next section. The envelope 'plays' the sequence of Breakpoints morphing from one to the next creating what is termed the SPECTRUM for the KEYBOARD ZONE. The SPECTRUM can include an unlimited number of BREAKPOINTS including LEVEL, PAN and DETUNE for the 128 harmonics. The two additional harmonic properties, WINDOW (a filter curve) and VELOCITY (velocity responsiveness) apply to all Breakpoints in the Spectrum and so remain constant.

Each Keyboard Zone contains one Spectrum. The Spectrum Editor allows you to edit the Spectrum of the currently selected (highlighted) Keyboard Zone, as follows: Select Breakpoint - Left-click in the space between Breakpoint Markers and the Breakpoint to the left will be selected (You can click directly on the Breakpoint Markers however it is easy to accidentally move them using this technique). Add Breakpoint - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) at the place where the Breakpoint should appear. Both the level and time are selected on the basis of the cursor position. Delete Breakpoint - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) the Breakpoint Marker. Breakpoint Level (Volume) - Left-click and drag the Breakpoint Marker up or down. Temporal position (timing) - Left-click and drag the Breakpoint Marker horizontally. The time-line below shows the time in seconds. The level (%) and time is also displayed in the info-bar above partial editor (near Partials label). Timing is in seconds unless the TEMPO SYNC button is enabled, then timing is in beats (related to the host sequencer tempo). SPECTRUM (Drop-down menu): Import/Export spectrum - Opens a dialog to load/save a Spectrum to/from disk. Drag-n-drop is supported. Copy Spectrum - Copies the current spectrum. This can be pasted in another spectrum at another keyboard zone, generator or even another Morphine instance. Paste spectrum - Paste the spectrum copied above. Paste Velocity - Paste only Velocity response coefficients (see in Breakpoint Editor section). Paste Window - Paste only Window data (see in Breakpoint Editor section). Reset Spectrum/Velocity/Window - Resets the spectrum, or portion of it, to default (empty) state. Normalize Level - Will normalize the general level of Breakpoints, so the level of spectrum sounding will be maximized. Delete Breakpoints Before/Within/After loop - Deletes the Breakpoints in the region specified. Before the loop refers to the loop start Marker, Within the loop refers to the points bounded by the loop Markers and After the loop refers to

points after the loop end Marker. Import Charged Sample - See the Resynthesis section. LOOP MODE - The spectrum envelope can be looped by dragging the loop start and end Markers (shown set to the last two points in the envelope above) to the desired points in the envelope. When the loop start is reached the Spectrum timer loops the region bounded by the start and end points according to the LOOP MODE setting. Left-click on the LOOP MODE menu, text after the label, to set the loop type. NOTE: Loop start/end markers can be placed anywhere and don't need to fall on Breakpoint Markers. 4 loop modes are possible: Ping-Pong - The loop will bounce back and forth between the start and end positions. Forward - The loop will jump back to the loop start each time it reaches the loop end. Backward - The envelope will play to the loop end then play backward to the loop start, jump to the loop end again and repeat this process. Off - No looping. The envelope plays through to the last point and holds that value. Pausing a Breakpoint - To stop at a given place in the envelope, make the loop start and end positions the same. If RELEASE LOOP mode is on, the envelope will continue past this point when you release the note. RELEASE LOOP - This button controls timer behavior when a note is released. When release loop button is enabled, after you release the note the loop will jump out of loop-mode and jump to the next Breakpoint after the loop end point. TEMPO SYNC - Changes the envelope to play back in sync with the host tempo. The time display will change to beats. RATE - Changes the envelope playback speed, right = faster, left = slower. The default value = 0.0, no change. NOTE: The time-base changes so the breakpoints are displayed against their correct time values in ruler below. K-TRK (Keyboard Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to keyboard/note position. When positive values are set the higher keys will progress through the spectrum envelope faster. Negative values will cause lower notes to progress through the spectrum envelope slower. V-TRK (Velocity Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to note velocity. Positive values will speed the envelope with higher velocities, negative values will slow the envelope with increasing velocity.

Spectrum Editor Tips and Tricks Selecting Breakpoints - To select a Breakpoint Marker to edit its values, it's not necessary to click on the point on the envelope, click somewhere between the desired Breakpoint and next one. Scroll the envelope window - Click and hold the time/beat display ruler below the envelope and drag left/right to access time beyond those displayed in the window. Zoom - To Zoom the spectrum envelope roll the mouse-wheel. Alternatively Click + Shift on the ruler below the envelope and drag the mouse up and down.

Reposition a Breakpoint - To shift the relative position of a Breakpoint without disturbing others hold Shift and move the Breakpoint Marker. BREAKPOINT EDITOR - Each BREAKPOINT has level, panning and detune properties for each of 128 harmonics that creates the waveform for that Breakpoint. The Breakpoint is just one moment in time as defined by the SPECTRUM ENVELOPE, as described in the preceding section. There are two additional harmonic properties, Velocity and Window, these are global settings that apply to all Breakpoints on the Spectrum and so do not change with time.

As shown above there are 5 properties that can be accessed by selecting the switch along the top of the Breakpoint Editor window. To change the values Left-click at the partial to be edited and move your mouse up/down. To reset/delete values Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) at the partial to be edited. The functions of the various properties are described below: BREAKPOINT (Drop-down menu): Import Breakpoint/Waveshape - Load previously saved breakpoints or import wave shapes from an audio file (.wav, .aiff). Drag-n-drop is supported. Export Breakpoint - Save a breakpoint to file. Copy Breakpoint - Copy the currently selected Breakpoint (remember a Breakpoint includes all 'views' - Amplitude, Detune, and Panning). Paste Breakpoint - Paste the contents of the Breakpoint buffer to the currently selected breakpoint (Amplitude, Detune, and Panning). Paste Current View - Pastes only the currently selected Breakpoint view (Amplitude, Detune, OR Panning). Paste Current View to all Breakpoints - Applies the current Breakpoint view (Amplitude, Detune OR Panning) to all Breakpoints in the Spectrum.

Reset Breakpoint - Clears the breakpoint (blank). Reset current view - Resets the current view only (Amplitude, Detune OR Panning). AMPLITUDE - Displays volume level for each of the 128 harmonics. Values can range from 0% (no bar showing) to 100% (maximum height). NOTE: The overall level of the harmonics also depends on the Breakpoint level set in the SPECTRUM Editor as described in the Spectrum Editor section. DETUNE - Applies a frequency offset to the selected harmonic. As the frequency of each harmonic is equal to the root-note frequency multiplied to the harmonic number (1 to 128), detune allows you to change set sub-integer (decimal) tuning values to the harmonics. Setting detune values to MAX/MIN values will make them equal to the neighbouring harmonic. Detuning harmonics causes the sound to take on the character of acoustic instruments and sounds, including some 'unison' effects. PANNING - Places the harmonic in the stereo field. Move bars up to right, down to pan Left. VELOCITY - This is a global modifier and sets the harmonic partial velocity sensitivity for all Breakpoints of the currently selected Spectrum. The higher the bar, the greater the velocity modulation of the harmonics/partials volume. No bar means velocity will have no effect. WINDOW (Frequency Domain Window) - This is a global harmonic volume modifier for all Breakpoints of the currently selected Spectrum (it functions as a harmonic filter). The smaller the bar the quieter all harmonics in the Spectrum will be. By default, all Window columns are set to maximum (no change). NOTE: When the Breakpoint Menu is in Window and Velocity edit modes, has no copy/paste values as these are already global functions for the Spectrum. To reset, copy or paste go to the spectrum menu and click the desired Spectrum menu option. TOOL (Drop-down menu) - Changes the edit behavior of the values. There are two edit modes for this tool setting, Normal (Left-click & Drag): The value will jump to the mouse position and then move with the mouse. Relative (SHIFT + Drag): Edits are 'relative' for the affected value/s. One - Edit single harmonics (default mode). Odd - Raise/lower all odd numbered harmonics (1,3,5...127). Even - Raise/lower all even numbered harmonics (2,4,6...128). 3rds - Raise/lower every 3rd harmonic (3,6,9...126). 4ths - Raise/lower every 4th harmonic (4,8,12...128). 5ths - Raise/lower every 5th harmonic (5,10,15...125). FLT 1 - Filter Narrow, raise/lower a narrow bandwidth around the target harmonic. FLT 2 - Filter Medium, raise/lower a medium bandwidth around the target harmonic. FLT 3 - Filter Wide, raise/lower a wide bandwidth around the target harmonic. FLT 4 - Filter Extra Wide, raise/lower an extra wide bandwidth around the target harmonic.

Breakpoint Editor Tips and Tricks Zero a harmonic - To reset a harmonic value to zero, Right-click (or Alt + Left-click). To reset a range Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) and drag the mouse across the harmonics to be reset. The important harmonics - The first 16 harmonics are most audible and so important to the final sound. Often the highest harmonics are set to low levels in order to subtly affect a sound. These are also more audible when low notes are played. The same principle applies to DETUNE with the lower harmonics having the greatest impact on the sound. Values and Labels - When you edit a harmonic its values and number appear in the info bar near the 'PARTIAL' label.

CONTROL RANGE Limits the Detune and Pan range of the 128 harmonics for all Breakpoints. NOTE: If these are set to zero then the Detune and Pan values set in the Breakpoints won't have any effect, conversely, if the Breakpoints don't have Detune and Pan values set, then these sliders will have no effect on the sound.

PWM FILTER PWM FILTER - Each generator has a unique PWM Filter (Pulse Width Modulation). PWM Filters are usually created by adding or subtracting a second (detuned or phase shifted) voice with an original to create unison, phasing or chorus-like effects. As the Morphine architecture provides control over the harmonic spectra it is possible to modulate the 128 harmonic amplitudes of each Breakpoint to simulate voice mixing without the need to double voices. The options include detune, phase, and mix coefficient (positive or negative). RATE - Modulation speed. Up is faster. FREE - OFF: the modulation cycle starts with each note. ON: the modulation cycle is freerunning. PHASE - Change the phase of the modulation cycle. MODE (OFF / + / -) - OFF: No detune simulation. +: Simulates additive voice mixing. -: Simulates subtractive voice mixing.

Breakpoint Editor Tutorial This quick tutorial will show you how to morph between two simple harmonic spectra and give you a feel for working the controls of the Breakpoint Editor window, see the instructions below the image.

Harmonic Morphing 1. Reset the patch: Left-click in the Program Name field (top-left window in Morphine) and select 'Reset Program' to call a blank patch. 2. Add a harmonic Breakpoint: Click on the AMPLITUDE Breakpoint control and raise the left-most harmonic bar to maximum and play on your keyboard/sequencer. You should hear a single sine wave sound, the fundamental harmonic. 3. Add a new morphing envelope point: Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) in the area shown above at (2.) to add a new morphing envelope point. Make sure the point is at the top of the window as the height will affect the volume of the spectra at that point. Adding a point in this way will replicate the spectrum of the point immediately to the left of the new point. 4. Customise the new Breakpoint sequence: Lower the original, left-most harmonic and add a new one further to the right. When this patch is played you will hear the low sine morph into a higher one as the harmonics are morphed from the first to second Breakpoint. 5. Change the morph speed: Adjust the RATE knob above the envelope window and hear how it affects the speed the envelope is played. You can also modulate the playback speed by changing the RATE K-TRK (keyboard tracking), the RATE V-TRK control or simply moving the Breakpoint left/right. These will change the speed in response to note position and velocity respectively. An alternative envelope mode is the TEMPO SYNC mode where the envelope will play back in beattime, this is useful for tempo-synced sounds. 6. LOOPING: Left-clicking to the right of the LOOP MODE label will open an menu to change the

envelope loop type (Off, forward, backward or ping-pong as shown above). The start/end points may be Left-clicked and dragged to the appropriate position on the envelope. 7. KEYBOARD ZONES - Keyboard Zones allow you to either program new sounds on any or all keys or to tonally balance a sound across the keyboard (similar to multisamples on a Sampler). When you add a new Keyboard Zone (Right-click or Alt + Left-click in the Keyboard Zone window) it may seem that Morphine has lost your hard work on the current Zone. Fear not! New zones are blank, if you click on the first Keyboard Zone in the lower panel, your first Keyboard Zone will re-appear. Use this method to swap between Zones and Breakpoint Sequences.

ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release) Envelopes You may be wondering where the ADSR envelopes are for the Generators (A to D). Since the volume envelope of a Spectrum is defined by the height of the Breakpoint Markers a separate ADSR envelope is unnecessary. To set the ADSR of a Spectrum simply draw the desired volume curve. To set a Sustain Level (a constant volume while a key is held) you can either use the last Breakpoint or, if you also need to have a release envelope, then use the Loop Markers to trap the Spectrum at the desired Breakpoint (or set of Breakpoints) and so define the Sustain level. In the example below, the Loop Start and End Markers are placed on the third Breakpoint in the sequence, trapping the Spectrum at that Breakpoint. On release the Spectrum will continue to the last Breakpoint and so the portion after the loop end will define the Release envelope. Don't forget, there is also a Master Envelope, that applies to all Spectra, however bear in mind that this is imposed over the sound of the Generators so it won't add a fast attack to a Generator with an inherently slow attack.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Resynthesis Panel

Resynthesis The Resynthesis function takes an input sample and recreates the sound as a 'Spectrum' that is a series of Breakpoints. Each Breakpoint represents a harmonic 'snapshot' of the sound at a given moment in time. For the most accurate results Morphine offers several manual controls to 'tune' the resynthesized sound to the original. The tutorial at the bottom of this page has more details on manual tuning.

Controls CHARGE SMP - Charge Sample opens a Load Dialog to browse and load (Charge) samples. Clicking the button again when a sample is loaded will 'Uncharge' the sample, clearing it. Favor samples without effects and in the MIDI note range C4 to C5 for the best results. NOTE - Change the root note of the resynthesized sound (the note that corresponds to the original pitch of the sound). This is similar to the 'Root Note' function in a Sampler and is the main control to adjust when matching the resynthesized sound with the original sample. DETUNE - Fine tune. Changes the tuning of the resynthesized sound in cents. RESOLUTION - Changes the rate at which Breakpoints are laid down (similar to sample rate). The Normal setting is the lowest resolution while Best has the highest and works in conjunction with the SPECTRUM menu item 'Import charged sample'. Changes to RESOLUTION will only be audible once the resynthesized sound has been loaded to a ZONE (see below). BALANCE - Adjust the TEST playback balance between the original sample (fully left) and the resynthesized sound (fully right). The default is a 50/50 mix of the original and

resynthesized sounds and is a good starting position as you use the Note & Detune controls to fine-tune the tone of the resynthesized sound to match the original. TEST - Starts/Stops a looped play-back of the original and resynthesized 'preview' sound. NOTE: The resynthesized sound heard here is a preview only (in order to reduce CPU load for testing). Always 'Import charged sample' (described below) to hear the final resynthesized sound. SPECTRUM (Menu) - Use the menu item 'Import charged sample' to load the spectrum into the currently selected Zone. Remember this will overwrite any existing data in the Zone.

Resynthesis Tutorial The most accurate resynthesis will usually require your input, nothing can beat the human ear when matching sounds. A good analogy to keep in mind when Resynthesizing is: 'Load, Aim and Fire'. That is, 'Load' the sample, 'Aim' by adjusting the Resynthesis controls and 'Fire' by sending the sample to the desired Keyboard Zone. Details are as follows 1. Reset the patch: Start with a blank patch, Left-click in the Program Name field (top-left window in Morphine) and select 'Reset Program' to call a blank patch. 2. 'Load': Load the sample to be resynthesized by clicking the CHARGE SMP button. Pad/String sounds are a good example to start with as they are usually the easiest to resynthesize. TIPS: Use 'dry' samples around C4 or C5. Reverb or delay effects are difficult for the resynthesis algorithm to interpret and often sound strange. The note range C4-C5 also tends to work best for single sounds stretched across the keyboard. If you intend to have multiple Keyboard Zones use a sample that is in the middle of the Keyboard Zone range that it will serve (the same principle that is applied to multi-sample patches on samplers). 3. Play the sample: Pressing the TEST button will play the original sample and resynthesized sounds together to aid the 'tuning' procedure. 4. Compare sounds: Use the BALANCE control to fade between the original (left-turn) and resynthesized (right-turn) sounds for comparison. 5. 'Aim' by fine-tuning the sound: Adjust, first the NOTE and then DETUNE controls so that the original and resynthesized sounds are closely matched (if that is your goal). A good technique is to fade the BALANCE knob fully left/right after making adjustments, if you have the perfect resynthesis the sound won't change (much) as the BALANCE knob is moved. NOTES: 1. The resynthesized sound is only a preview, always 'Import charged sample' (described below) to hear the final resynthesized sound. 2. Untuned noises are difficult to resynthesize. For example the human voice, plosives, breath and similar untuned percussive sounds tend to acquire a 'vocoded' quality. To help resolve these issues the Noise Generator can be used to restore untuned noises to the patch. Note that you can load your own custom Noise Samples to the library if needed. 6. 'Fire', shoot the resynthesized sound to a Zone: Open the SPECTRUM menu and import the Spectra into the selected Zone (Import charged sample). If desired you can change the import resolution by selecting the RESOLUTION (Normal, High, Best) options in combination with the 'Import charged sample' step. If you have resynthesized a sample and the sound is still out of tune (and you have set the Resynthesis DETUNE range to the max) the following method may help: 6.1 If you don't need to preserve Detune settings on other Spectra, turn down the 'Control Range' Detune slider (on the main interface) to

the minimum setting. OR if you need to preserve Detune on other Spectra... 6.2 Select 1 breakpoint from inside the Spectrum window. 6.3 In the breakpoint window, select the 'Detune' view. 6.4 In the breakpoint menu, first select 'Copy Breakpoint', then select 'Paste current view to all breakpoints'. This will match the detuning levels of all Breakpoints to the current Detune selected, but won't alter the Amplitudes or Panning values. This is particularly useful for sounds that are rich in higher harmonics (i.e.plucked sounds, hammered sounds, square-waves, etc). It's that easy, Load, Aim and Fire!

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Morph / Mix Panel

Morph Mix & Noise Generator Page The Morph / MIX page provides controls to mix the 4 Generators (A to D) together according to the MORPH PATH. There are two ways of editing the path, on the left-hand side of the page is a 2D representation. The position in 2D space represents the relative input of each Generator with the 100% mix position for each Generator being at the corner of the square. The path shown in the screen-shot above starts with 100% Generator A then moves to mainly Generator C, to Generator B and finally to Generator D (the highlighted marker). An equal mix of all 4 Generators lies at the center of the space (roughly where the paths cross in the middle of the screen-shot). On the right, the path is broken down into Generator Pairs. The upper path represents Generator A/D vs B/C morphing and the lower path represents Generator A/B vs D/C. In combination these graphs equal the principle horizontal and vertical axes of the 2D path on the left side of the page. The Morph/Mix path can be time or tempo based.

Morph / Mix Controls Add Markers - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) the location where the marker is required. Delete Markers - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) the marker. Move Markers - Left-click and drag the selected marker (Markers to the right will also be shifted). Holding the SHIFT key moves only the selected marker, other markers remain in place.

2D Morph Panel Controls (left) The following controls affect Generator morphing.

GENERATOR A/B/C/D (drop down menus): Import / Export Generator - Import / Export a Generator Spectrum. Drag-ndrop is supported. Reset - Reset the Generator (blank). MIX - Relative volume of the Generator. PAN - Pan for the Generator. MUTE/SOLO - Mute or Solo Generators while editing the Mix/Morph path.

Morph Paths (right) MORPH PATH (drop down menu): Import / Export Morph Path - Import / Export a Morphing path. This will affect both the upper and lower editors. Drag-n-drop is supported. Reset - Reset the Morph Path (blank). LOOP (drop down menu): Change the loop type between Ping-Pong - The loop will bounce back and forth between the start and end positions. Forward - The loop will jump back to the loop start each time it reaches the loop end. Backward - The envelope will play to the loop end then play backward to the loop start, jump to the loop end again and repeat this process. Off - No looping. The envelope plays through to the last point and holds that value. TEMPO SYNC - Changes the Morph Path to play back in sync with the host tempo. The time display will change to beats. RATE - Changes the envelope playback speed, right = faster, left = slower. The default value = 0.0, no change. K-TRK (Keyboard Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to keyboard/note position. When positive values are set the higher keys will progress through the Morph Path faster. Negative values will cause lower notes to progress through the Morph Path faster. V-TRK (Velocity Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to note velocity. Positive values will speed the Morph Path with higher velocities, negative values will slow the Morph Path with increasing velocity.

Tips Zoom time ruler - Scroll mouse-wheel. Scroll time ruler - Left-click and drag time ruler.

Noise Generator (lower right)

Untuned noises are difficult to accurately resynthesize. In particular the human voice with its plosive/breath noises or taps, bangs and scrapes tend to acquire a 'vocoded' quality after resynthesis. To solve this problem, the Noise Generator is a specialized extra voice designed primarily for injecting untuned noises into the Mix/Morph mix. For example, the mechanical 'Piano Hammer' sound or the 'Chuff' from the attack of a flute. Noise samples are triggered at the start of each path (note on) and remain unpitched as the MIDI note changes. If desired, you can add your own noise samples to the Library.

Main controls NOISE SMP (drop down menu): Add sample to Noise Library - Opens a browser dialog so that you can find and import custom noise samples to the Morphine library. Choose from the noise samples in the list - Click on the name of the sample to load. BYPASS - Bypassing the noise sample turns it off. MONO - Force the noise sample to play in mono. LOOP ON/OFF - Loop the noise sample. Off - No looping. The envelope plays through to the last point and holds that value. Forw (Forward) - The loop will jump back to the loop start each time it reaches the loop end. Backw (Backward) - The envelope will play to the loop end then play backward to the loop start, jump to the loop end again and repeat this process. P-P (Ping Pong) - The loop will bounce back and forth between the start and end positions. MIX - Relative mix of the noise sample (0 to 100%). PAN - Pan of the noise sample (-100% L to 100% R). RATIO - Pitch the noise sample relative to the original (0.25 to 4.00). VEL - Velocity sensitivity of the sample (0% is no velocity sensitivity, 100% is maximum).

Noise Generator Filter FLT (Drop down menu), works in conjunction with the CUTOFF, RESO and FLT K-TRK knobs: Off - No filtering. LP (Low-Pass) - Allows low frequencies to pass according to the CUTOFF knob value. BP (Band-Pass) - Allows a narrow band of frequencies to pass, the center of this band is controlled by the CUTOFF knob value. HP (High-Pass) - Allows high frequencies to pass according to the CUTOFF knob value. CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.

RESO - Filter resonance amount. FLT K-TRK (Keyboard Tracking) - Modifies the filter cutoff in response to keyboard/note position. Higher notes allow higher frequencies to pass.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Modulation Panel

Modulation Modulation is essential to give sounds a natural and interesting quality. PITCH-BEND AMOUNT - Global Pitch-Bend setting (in semi-tones).

Modulation Matrix Controls The Modulation Matrix provides the opportunity to set 12 Source to Destination relationships within Morphine. SOURCE - Each of the 12 Source fields contains a drop-down menu to select from the options. AMOUNT - Modifies the Modulation relationship (-100% to 100%). Minus values invert the relationship, that is as the Modulation Source increases the Destination decreases. DESTINATION - Each of the 12 Destination fields contains a drop-down menu to select from the Modulation target options.

EG Envelope (Envelope Generator) There are 4 Envelope Generators that provide customisable Modulation Envelopes. The EG Envelopes may be synced to tempo or time. To edit an Envelope select the switch EG 1 to 4 to the right side of the display. These appear as Modulation Source options in the Modulation Matrix (Envelope 1 to 4). Add Envelope Marker - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) at the place where the Marker should appear. Both the level and time are selected on the basis of the cursor position.

Delete Envelope Marker - Right-click (or Alt + Left-click) the Marker. ENVELOPE (drop down menu): Import / Export Envelope - Import or export envelopes using saved files. Drag-n-drop is supported. Copy / Paste - Copy and paste envelopes. Reset - Blank default. LOOP (drop down menu): Off - No looping. The envelope plays through to the last point and holds that value. Forward - The loop will jump back to the loop start each time it reaches the loop end. Backward - The envelope will play to the loop end then play backward to the loop start, jump to the loop end again and repeat this process. Ping-Pong - The loop will bounce back and forth between the start and end positions. RELEASE LOOP - When the Release Loop button is enabled, the Envelope will break out of the looped section and jump to the next Envelope Marker after the loop end point. TEMPO SYNC - Changes the envelope to play back in sync with the host tempo. The time display ruler will change to beats. BIPOLAR - Changes the envelope to Bipolar mode, that is -100% to 100%. 0 % in the middle, as shown by the horizontal line. RATE - Changes the envelope playback speed, right = faster, left = slower. The default value = 0.0, no change. NOTE: The time-base changes so the breakpoints are displayed against their correct time values in ruler below. K-TRK (Keyboard Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to keyboard/note position. When positive values are set the higher keys will progress through the Envelope faster. Negative values will cause lower notes to progress through the Envelope slower. V-TRK (Velocity Tracking) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to note velocity. Positive values will speed the Envelope with higher velocities, negative values will slow the Envelope with increasing velocity. VEL RESPONSE (Velocity Response) - Acts as an envelope playback speed modifier in response to note velocity. Positive values will speed the Envelope with higher velocities, negative values will slow the Envelope with increasing velocity.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Technical Information

Hardware Requirements OS: Window XP, OSX 10.4 (Tiger) or higher. CPU: Intel Pentium III compatible with SSE1/2 support, G4 PowerPC on Macintosh with full Altivec support. Recommended CPU speed is 2 GHz or higher. RAM: Recommended 512 Mb or higher.

Plugin Formats: VSTi 2.4 (Windows / OS X), AudioUnit (OS X), Stand Alone.

Morphine MIDI support Morphine supports standard MIDI protocol. You may route various MIDI Channel Controllers (CC) to different parameters at Morphine Modulation Matrix. Channel number is ignored (Morphine works in 'omni' mode). The following MIDI commands/CC's are assigned automatically: Program Change. Bank Change (CC 32) Sustain Pedal (CC 64) Channel Volume (CC 7). Channel Panning (CC 10). Reset All Controllers (CC 121). All Notes Off (CC 123). Pitch Bend Wheel (the range of pitch bend wheel is being set on

the Modulation Page).

Output Sound Format Morphine uses the following standard sound output formants VSTi: 32-Bit float, stereo. AudioUnit (AU): Canonical format - 32-Bit float, stereo, non interleaved.

Morphine File Architecture Synthesizer Core: Windows: Morphine.dll AND Morphine.exe will be copied into the VST folder. The location of this folder often depends on settings in the Host program (e.g. FLStudio, Cubase, Live?), see your host settings. The 'standard' folder path for VSTs is Program Files/Steinberg/VstPlugins. OS X: Three files will be copied automatically. VST format file (Morphine.vst) will be installed to Library\Audio\Plugins\VST\Image-Line, AudioUnit (Morphine.component) format file will be installed to Library\Audio\Plug-ins\Components and the standalone version (Morphine.app) in the Application folder.

Additional files: Additional Morphine related files will be copied into the installation directory. The default locations are Windows: You can choose where to install these files (default location is Program Files/Image-Line/Morphine). OS X: In OS X the files will be copied in Library\Application Support\Image-Line\Morphine. Additional files are: Graphical (Skin) files in../Morphine/Graphics folder.

Sound library (factory presets) in ?/Morphine/Sound Banks. Banks are stored in sub-directories. Noise Samples library in ?/Morphine/Noise Samples.

Audio Formats supported Morphine can load audio files for resynthesizing them, importing spectra in a breakpoint, or to be used as noise sample. Supported audio file formats are: Microsoft Wave (.wav) with any sampling rate, and 8/16/24/32-bits Integer sample format, or 32-Bit float sample format, not compressed, mono or stereo. Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF, which may have .AIF or .AIFF file extension). Any sampling rate, 8/16/24/32-bits integer sample format, not compressed, mono or stereo.

Uninstalling Morphine While it is not necessary to uninstall Morphine before installing a new version, to ensure Morphine is completely uninstalled from a machine:

Windows Use the Programs > Image-Line > Morphine > Uninstall application.

OSX 1. Delete the relevant folder in /Library/Application Support/Image-Line 2. Delete the relevant files in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components and /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/Image-Line 3. Delete the standalone app in /Applications 4. Delete the relevant file (i.e. Morphine.pkg") in /Library/Receipts

Tips for advanced users Skins: To create your own 'skin', you can edit files located in the Graphics folder (remember to save a backup of any file you intend to edit BEFORE you

start). Morphine uses TARGA bitmaps (.TGA). NOTE: You can't delete or rename graphical files OR changing the size (height or width) of these files. Make all modifications to the existing graphical files structure using the factory skin as the basic example. If you destroy important graphical files you will need to re-install Morphine. CPU/Memory saving: Morphine's sound engine is highly optimized, however, keeping CPU/Memory usage low when creating your own sounds is a good habit. The most important parameter for saving CPU/Memory is the number of breakpoints and number of audible harmonics. Each harmonic is an independent 'sine oscillator', so the less harmonics used, the lower the CPU load will be. Each breakpoint contains a lot of data for all 128 harmonics, so the less breakpoints used (in all Generators and in all Keyboard Zones), the smaller the memory requirements and preset file size will be. Extremely large numbers of breakpoints per Spectrum may also slow down sound generation process (CPU usage will be higher in this case). Custom Noise Samples: Although the factory Noise Samples library has many noises, you may wish to use your own noise samples. Noise Samples are located in the ?/Morphine/Noise Samples/ folder. Please note: when you click 'Import Noise Sample' option, the audio file is copied into that folder. When loading a preset, Morphine searches the noise sample requested by the preset in that folder. This means - if you move your presets to another computer for example, don't forget to copy the noise audio files used by your custom presets in the Noise Samples folder also.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Morphine Credits & Information

About Morphine: Morphine was created and developed exclusively for Image Line Software by Maxx Claster.

Manual Scott Fisher & Maxx Claster.

Special thanks to Frank G and Mark Wheeler.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Ogun Ogun can produce exceptionally rich metallic and shimmering timbres, although it's not limited to this genre. Ogun's distinctive synthesis engine can generate more than 32,000 harmonics, modulated by high-level 'harmonic mapping' functions, that hand tonal control directly to the user. See Ogun

Video Tutorials here

.

Related plugin: Autogun, free preset version. Use the Options > Enter random preset number field to share Autogun patches with Ogun.

Ogun and real-time CPU load Ogun generally presents a low CPU load to the host and has been designed to spread multiple instances of the plugin across multi-core CPU's. However, it is possible to experience audio dropouts during real-time playback while the average CPU load still appears low due to a non-uniform CPU usage. This nonuniformity comes from the, sometimes heavy, FFT processing (calculation of the waveform) for the harmonic series. Strategies for maximizing real-time performance of Ogun are:

1. Increase the host latency (10 ms is a good compromise between responsiveness and CPU load). 2. Avoid RICHness settings greater than 8 (where possible). 3. Turn on multithreaded processing, if supported by your host.

Click on the following sections to open

Main Page Master Controls Synthesis Controls Effects Controls Programming Ogun Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Ogun Master Controls The Master controls include the options menu as shown.

Click on the following headings to open

Main Page Master Controls Volume & Pitch Sliders Three sliders at the top-left of the user interface. Master level - Ranges from 0 to 200%. Master coarse pitch - Ranges from -24 to +24 semitones. Master fine pitch - Ranges from -50 to +50 cents. NOTE: Master & fine pitch are often useful to manually tune 'metallic' instruments, such as bells, for which the first (most important) harmonics may be missing.

Modulation X-Y modulation settings - These are freely assignable (to target parameters in Ogun through the Modulation X / Y articulation parts) and can then be linked to external controllers. Smooth - Smooths the X/Y outputs (smooths jerky automation). X / Y - User assignable X / Y modulation parameters. Left-click and drag in the X/Y pad to simultaneously manipulate both X/Y parameters. Rightclick to jump to a point in the space.

Info / Comments Left-click in this box to edit the information associated with the sound preset.

WilldoEnGin The WilldoEnGin creates a random patch. For times when inspiration is lagging. Ogun and Autogun can share random patch numbers. See 'Enter random preset number' in the Options menu below.

Options

Down-arrow button at the top-right of the user interface. Copy / Paste preset - Copy / Paste presets to/from the clipboard. Use this to exchange presets between different formats (VSTi, FL) of the Ogun plugin, and/or instances of the plugin loaded in different sequencers. Generate random preset - Uses the WilldoEnGin to generate a random patch. Each patch has a unique code number that can shared with other Ogun and Autogun users. Enter random preset number - This field is primarily for entering random patch numbers discovered by fellow users of Ogun or Autogun. Effects - Select presets for the Effects section (see below). Unison - Select Unison presets. Chorus - Select Chorus presets. Reverb - Select Reverb presets. Tone - Tone modulation mappings: Portamento - Note that for portamento to be active, the pitch envelope needs to be set appropriately. Simply load one of the included portamento envelope presets (e.g. Pitch Envelope, Open state file > Porta - basic.fnv). Enable portamento - Enable gliding between notes. Variable time - When selected portamento time will depend on the number of semi-tones covered. No limit - No limit to the portamento distance. Octave wrap, 4 to 1 semitones limit - Restrictions on the portamento distance. Key - This series of switches (selected when ticked) controls how keyboard input will modulate the following parameters: Link key to pitch - Normal keyboard to pitch relationship. Link key to timbre Seed 1 - Adds the played MIDI key

number to Seed 1 (predictable randomness is yours!). Limit to 1 voice per key - Each key will retrigger the same, rather than a new voice. Velocity Link velocity to volume - Modulates the note output volume on the basis of keyboard velocity (normally on). Deselect this if you want to make the velocity-to-volume mapping yourself, or you want to link some parameter, other than volume, to velocity. Link velocity to attack time - Modulates the volume envelope attack time on the basis of keyboard velocity. Link velocity to attack length - Modulates the volume envelope attack length on the basis of keyboard velocity. Processing quality - Sets interpolation. Select from a range of output quality options. NOTE: The VST version has a 'rendering mode' option that forces highest quality during rendering/bouncing. Link timbre release to volume decay - Once the 'Volume envelope' decay point is reached, the 'Timbre release' is engaged. This is useful to force the timbre release to sound and limit the note duration, otherwise the timbre release is engaged only when the note is released. Natural EQ mapping scale - Map harmonics in the Editor to octaves per display division. When deselected, the mapping displays harmonics in a linear scale. That is, each harmonic represents roughly 1/32000 of the editor's width (and the smallest snapping unit corresponds to 1 harmonic, as opposed to 1 octave). Use the zoom-bar below the Editor to magnify the scale to manageable levels. Natural EQ mapping weighting - A weighting that will cause a flat timbre-equalization to = pink noise. Auto loudness - Volume normalization. Useful to prevent inaudible patches when harmonics randomize to low levels. Resynthesis - Calculates a Timbre impulse EQ & Timbre decay EQ map based on the harmonic spectrum of an input sample (.wav). For

more information see the Resynthesis section on the Synthesis page. Analyze timbre - Analyzes an external .wav sample into a harmonic spectrum (opens a sample import browser). NOTES: When analyzing: Note pitch meta-data - Ogun will use embedded MIDI note data to set the pitch of resynthesized Ogun preset. The Edison Sample Properties dialog can be used to analyze and/or set the pitch meta-data stored in the .wav file. Seeds - Seed 1 is set to '----' (all harmonics on) and Timbre morph (1->2) to zero. EQ scaling - EQ scaling is set to linear. Richness - Ogun will only analyse harmonics up to the Richness limit. Alt decay - If ALT DECAY is OFF, Ogun will produce a morph-to EQ target. However, if the analyzed sample does not have a decay then the Decay morph target will probably be best described as 'experimental' i.e. won't work as expected. Resynthesis - can also be invoked by dragging .wav samples and dropping them anywhere on the Ogun interface, except the Articulation editor panel. that is reserved for Amplitude analysis (if compatible articulator parts are selected). Analyze timbre in audio clipboard - As above, but uses the contents of the Audio clipboard (if any).

Show / hide testing keyboard Press the (mini-keyboard) button to show or hide the testing mouse-keyboard. To see a list of programming tips see the Programming Ogun section.

Synthesis Controls

Effects Controls Programming Ogun Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Ogun Synthesis Controls This section covers the Synthesis controls. Please check the Programming section for more details:

Click on the following sections to open

Main Page Master Controls Synthesis Controls Ogun creates complex waveforms by combining sine-waves of harmonic multiples of the fundamental frequency. Ogun can accurately simulate lush metallic textures by generating up to 32,767 harmonics and offers creative control primarily through the Timbre controls and harmonic EQ curves (Harmonic mappings).

Programming & Resynthesis Tips To see a list of programming tips see the Tutorial page.

TIMBRE The Timbre section controls the harmonic spectrum and serves the same purpose as an Oscillator in Subtractive

synthesis. In essence, the controls described below change the weighting, or probability, that each harmonic in the spectra will sound. In order to add natural motion to sounds the harmonic spectrum can then be re-shaped by the Harmonic mapping envelopes (see the Articulator section below): DECLICK - Attack click removal. ALT DECAY - Sets an explicit decay EQ target. When selected the Timbre impulse EQ (attack harmonic spectrum) morphs towards the decay EQ mapping, the time taken is controlled by the decay time (DEC slider). Once the decay target EQ is reached the mapping will sustain, so we recommend using long decay times, unison, filters, effects & envelopes to add interest to the sound. NOTE: This is in contrast to the Alt Decay - deselected state, where the decay EQ mapping acts as a release envelope 'harmonic multiplier'. RICH - Richness controls the number of harmonics activated. Use 256 (see the hint bar) or less for tuned presets and 256 or more for noisy/metallic sounds. Settings between 31 to 32,767 harmonics are possible (in 11 steps). NOTE: The pitch of a given note drops with increased Rich setting as the root note is rescaled downward, to make use of the increased harmonic bandwidth. PRE - Timbre pre-decay. Morphs toward a 'Metallic' EQ mapping. Use, in combination with fullness, to obtain more metallic sounds. NOTE: If the current timbre is resynthesized (Seed 1 set to '----'), then the PREdecay (& FULLness) won't have any effect. DEC - Timbre decay time. Combines with the Decay mapping (see the Editor section, below), that defines per-harmonic decay time. NOTE: See ALT DECAY option above. REL - Timbre release time. Combines with the Release mapping (see the Editor section, below), defining perharmonic release time. FULL - Timbre fullness. This slider blends between the output of the Seeded harmonic spectrum (-100, see below) and the full harmonic spectrum (+100), as limited by the Rich control. 1->2 - Timbre morphing or randomness (when Seed 2 = '----'). This controls the relative weighting of the spectra represented by Seed 1 and Seed 2. To hear Seed 2 push all the way to the top, to hear Seed 1 drag the control to the bottom. SEED 1 / SEED 2 - Timbre Seed 1 & timbre Seed 2, generate two independent weightings for the harmonic spectra, and can be important factors in Ogun's final timbre (within the upper limit of the Rich setting and Timbre equalization mappings). There are some special conditions: When Seed 1 is set to '----' - all harmonics are activated. When Seed 2 is set to '----' - Seed 2 harmonics are randomized each time a key is played. If the Timbre morphing slider (1->2) is set greater than 0%, then Seed 2 will morph Seed 1 values randomly each time a key is played. NOTE: The FULL slider must also be less than 100% to hear this randomization. Numerical seed settings - When Timbre seed 1 or 2 are set to numerical values, the harmonic spectra remain fixed, as long as the seed value remains constant. NOTE: The 'Key to seed 1' option will modify Seed 1 by Key number. A particular seed value always will create the same harmonic spectrum weighting (values between 1 and 9999 are possible).

Resynthesis An easy way to create new and complex timbres is to use the Resynthesis functions on the Options Menu OR samples (.wav) can be dragged from a browser and dropped onto the appropriate target in Ogun (drop samples onto the TIMBRE control panel). NOTE: Ogun can also analyze the volume envelope if the same samples are dropped onto the Volume envelope articulator part. The resynthesizer engine uses the start of the sample to create a Timbre impulse EQ mapping and the end of the sample to generate a Timbre decay EQ mapping. When these maps are multiplied by the full spectrum (note Seed 1 = '----') and by morphing from the impulse to decay harmonic mappings (under the control of the DECay slider), the approximate harmonic motion of the input sample is replicated.

Rules Note pitch meta-data - Ogun will use embedded MIDI note data to set the pitch of the sample. Edison can be used to set the pitch meta-data in the .wav file. By default (if nothing is set) C5 will be used. Seeds - Seed 1 is set to '----' (all harmonics on) and Timbre morph (1->2) to zero. EQ scaling - EQ scaling is set to linear. Richness - Ogun will only analyze harmonics up to the Richness limit. Alt decay - If ALT DECAY is OFF, Ogun will produce a morph-to EQ target. However, if the analyzed sample does not have a decay then the Decay morph target will probably be best described as 'experimental' i.e. won't work as expected.

UNISON Unison is an effect similar to Chorus. Unison differs in that the effect is applied per-key (per voice). Multiple copies of each voice are detuned and panned to create a thicker audio texture. ORD (Order) - Number of Unison voices (ranges from 1 to 9). PAN - Relative panning of the Unison voices. VOL - Unison volume relative to the original voice. PITCH - Pitch detune of the Unison voices. PHS (Phase) - Phase spread of the unison voices.

FILTER FLAT - Alternate resonance / bandwidth / mode. LP - Low pass filter. BP - Band pass filter. BS - Band stop filter. HP - High pass filter. OFF - Filter mode: Off. x1 - Shallow filter slope. x2 - Medium filter slope. x3 - Steep filter slope. CUT - Filter frequency cut-point. RES - Filter resonance frequency.

Articulator Editor The Articulator editor panel provides access to the full suite of modulation parameters in Ogun. Select the Modulation Target and the Articulation Part (modulation source). Depending on the Modulation Target there will be a number of Articulation Parts as shown below: Envelope and LFO display time on the horizontal axis and relative value on the vertical axis.

Note that the ATT, DEC, SUS and REL knobs make RELATIVE changes to the ADSR envelope, snapping back after release. While the envelope will appear as it did prior to the change, the envelope will sound according to the relative changes made (as seen in the Hint Bar while the knob is adjusted). Right-clicking the nodes will give options, in particular Sustain loop start & Sustain loop end points can be set to loop the envelope during the sustain action. LFO waveform: The waveform is represented by the light blue line, not the red control lines, these are used to shape the LFO waveform.

Mapping displays the input value on the horizontal axis and relative output value on the vertical axis.

All envelopes are fully user-adjustable. Right-clicking the nodes will show edit options. Node controls (relevant to all Articulation parts) change the behavior of the node movement and placement. Note that Snap will force nodes to snap to the Map grid. Clicking and dragging with Step mode on will drop nodes at each grid line crossed (shift in this mode will create steps).

The Editor Targets (modulation targets) and Articulation parts (modulation sources) are as follows: Articulation targets - Choose the modulation target here: Volume - Note volume. Filter frequency - Filter cutoff frequency envelope. Filter resonance - Filter resonance frequency. Pitch - Voice pitch. Unison pitch - Unison detuning. Articulator part - For each of the above modulation targets choose the following Articulation parts (modulation sources): Envelope - Volume envelope. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis modulation level. Remember to activate the envelope as shown above. LFO - Low Frequency Oscillator envelope. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis

modulation level. Remember to activate the envelope as shown above. Keyboard mapping - MIDI Key modifier envelope. The horizontal axis is MIDI key number and the vertical axis modulation level. Live MIDI key input values are shown as a vertical white line. Example use: Link to the Filter frequency target in order to brighten / darken sounds as they are played up and down the keyboard. Velocity mapping - The horizontal axis is keyboard velocity, the vertical axis modulation level. Live MIDI key input values are shown as a vertical white line. Example use: Link to the Filter frequency target in order to brighten / darken sounds as keys are played harder (the envelope will need to slope upward from left to right to achieve this effect). Modulation X & Y mappings - The horizontal axis is modulation X / Y value, the vertical axis modulation level. Live X / Y value tweaks are shown as a vertical white line. Example use: Link to X & Y Articulation parts to the Filter resonance and Filter cutoff targets respectively. X & Y envelopes will need slopes to have any effect.

Mapping targets - Map the following modulation targets: Unison phase - Relative phasing of the Unison voices. Timbre pre-decay - Pre-articulation of the Timbre value (number of harmonics active). Timbre decay time - Decay time for the Timbre value (number of harmonics active). Timbre release time - Release time for the Timbre value (number of harmonics active). Timbre fullness - Balance of the full (all harmonics on) to Seeded (randomized) harmonics. Timbre morphing - Morphing between Seed 1 & Seed 2 harmonic spectra (the same function as the 1->2 slider) Timbre rotation - Shifts the seeded timbre (pre equalization) left & right depending on the Articulation part. Harmonics that fall off the end are wrapped back to the opposite side if the spectrum. Movement is linear, not in octaves. Timbre EQ shifting - Shifts the EQ mapping to the left or right as determined by the Articulation part. Movement is linear, not in octaves. Articulator part (Mapping) - For each of the above modulation targets choose the following Articulation parts (modulation sources): Keyboard mapping - MIDI Key modifier envelope. The horizontal axis is MIDI key number and the vertical axis modulation level. Live MIDI key input values are shown as a vertical white line. Velocity mapping - The horizontal axis is keyboard velocity, the vertical axis modulation level. Live MIDI key input values are shown as a vertical white line. Modulation X & Y mappings The horizontal axis is modulation X / Y value, the vertical axis modulation level. Live X / Y value tweaks are shown as a vertical white line.

Timbre equalization targets - These mapping envelopes modify the harmonic spectra generated by Seed 1 & Seed 2 and either set explicit harmonic levels (based on the envelope shape) or per-harmonic decay times. They have a powerful effect on the timbre (sound) of the patch. The equalization curves also interact with the relevant TIMBRE sliders. For example, if you would like the high harmonics to sustain longer than the low harmonics then the Timbre sustain EQ curve should be set sloping upward from left to right. Timbre forced harmonics - Forces harmonics on at the level set by the EQ curve. This mapping curve is used to override the randomness in the spectra created by Seed 1 & 2. In particular if the spectra has a given harmonic set to 0, the mapping curve can force harmonics to the explicit value

of the 'forced' curve. This is an important feature when creating pitched sounds as the lower harmonics (1 to 5) play a fundamental (pun intended) role in the perception of pitch. Timbre impulse EQ - This curve sets an explicit Harmonic EQ curve for the note start. It will modify the existing spectral values created by Seed 1 & 2 for the note start. Timbre decay EQ - The function of this harmonic EQ curve depends on the ALT DECAY switch: Alt Decay is OFF then this mapping acts as a 'Decay-time' multiplier for the affected harmonics. Harmonics will decay toward 0 under the influence of the Timbre decay EQ * DECay slider. Alt Decay is ON the Timbre decay EQ mapping sets an explicit decay spectrum. The Timbre impulse EQ (attack harmonic spectrum) morphs towards the Timbre decay EQ mapping, the time taken is controlled by the decay time (DEC slider). Timbre release EQ - Sets a unique 'Release-time' for the affected harmonics on note release. It is possible to force the Decay EQ to run straight into the Release EQ mapping by setting the Option menu item Link timbre release to volume decay ON. Articulator part - There is only one Articulator part for the above targets, the Harmonic EQ mapping. Harmonic comb - A harmonic comb filter that can selectively remove (every 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th) harmonics or keep (every 3rd, 4th or 5th) harmonics.

The following controls can be found along the bottom of the Editor window, depending on the Articulation part selected. Enable Envelope / LFO - Enables the envelope. Off by default. Envelope ATT - Attack multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. DEC - Decay multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. SUS - Sustain multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. REL - Release multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. LFO SPD - LFO speed multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. TENS - LFO tension multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. SK - LFO skew multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. PW - LFO pulse width multiplier. Note this knob snaps back after an adjustment. Other controls: Tempo - Tempo-based time. Global - Global / retriggered LFO phase. Zoom / Scroll Slider - Located above the FREEZE, STEP, etc. buttons. Zoom: Click on the handle to zoom OR hover mouse over bar and scroll the mouse-wheel. Scroll: Click on the bar and drag left/right to scroll OR click the arrow buttons at the ends of the slider. Options - Click the forward-arrow to select: Open state file... - Opens pre-saved Editor state files (envelopes, etc).

Save state file... - Save an Editor state. Copy state - Copies the current Editor settings to be copied to another location. Paste state - Paste the Editor state data in the clipboard. Undo - Undoes the last process. Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Bipolar LFO tension - Changes the tension knob effect (below the envelope) . Selected: tension adjustments are made symmetrically around the zero line (bipolar). Deselected: tension adjustments are made relative to the waveform maxima and minima (unipolar). Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create pad harmonics - Opens the Pad harmonics tool. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound. Background gradient - Turn the background gradient on/off. FREEZE - Freeze editing. Useful to get a view of complex envelopes by masking the points & handles STEP - Step editing (hold the shift key for pulsed mode). A new point will be automatically added at each graph interval while click-n-dragging. Step editing also works with snapping OFF, for full control with final point decimation (points will be masked while drawing as there are too many to display sensibly). SNAP - Snap to grid. Nodes snap to the background grid. SLIDE - Slide remaining points. Points after the selected node will maintain their relative position, sliding to accommodate the movement of the active node.

Effects Controls Programming Ogun Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Ogun Effects Controls Ogun effects are as follows:

Click on the following sections to open

Main Page Master Controls Synthesis Controls Effects Controls EQ The 3 band parametric Equalizer (EQ) features the following controls for each band (from top to bottom within each band): EQ type - The graphic above each slider is an EQ type selector. Choose Low shelf / Peaking / High shelf. EQ band level - The slider adjusts the EQ level (-18 to +18 dB). EQ center frequency - Controls the center of the EQ band (10 Hz to 16 kHz). EQ bandwidth - Controls the width of the EQ band (turning the wheel to the right makes the band wider).

Chorus Chorus is an effect created by the slight detuning of multiple copies of the output sound (similar to a choir of voices). The controls contain parameters that affect the rate, time offset, shape and depth of detune. This effect is related to Unison (described elsewhere), but operates on the whole output of Ogun rather than per voice. ORD (Order) - Number of Chorus voices. DP (Depth) - Chorus depth. SP (Speed) - Chorus speed. DL (Delay) - Chorus delay. SR (Spread) - Chorus panning.

CR (Cross) - Chorus crossover frequency. VL (Volume) - Chorus mix.

Delay Delay can be used to create echo & stereo-space effects. Normal - Normal delay feedback. Invert - Inverts the phase of the feedback signal to create a widening stereo effect. Pong - L/R stereo 'ping-pong' bounces of the feedback signal. Tempo - Tempo-based delay time. Enable - Enable the delay unit. FB (Feedback) - Delay feedback level. TM (Time) - Delay time (spacing between echoes). SO (Stereo Offset) - Delay time stereo offset (stereo separation of the echoes). VL (Volume) - Delay Volume.

Reverb Reverb, short for 'reverberation', simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a reverberant sound. The Reverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your sounds a realistic (live) feel, then reverb is highly useful. Col (Color) - Room color: W+ (warmer), W (warm), F (flat), B (bright), B+ (brighter). Tempo - Tempo-based pre-delay. Enable - Enable reverb. LC (Low Cut) - Adjusts the low cut-off frequency. Use this to remove low frequencies from the reverberations. LC parameter will reduce the

'rumble' and muddiness from sounds by attenuating the bass frequencies before being passed to the reverb engine. HC (High Cut) - Changes the high cut-off frequency. Use this to remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. PD (Pre Delay) - Controls the delay time between the direct input signal and the first reflection (echo). RS (Room Size) - Use this to set the size of the virtual room being simulated. DF (Diffusion) - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the reflections sound more distinct and sparse, like closely spaced echoes. A high diffusion setting creates a dense series of reflections that sound like a very 'live' and reflective room. DE (Decay) - Controls the decay time of the reverb. HD (High Damping) - Adjusts damping of the high frequencies in the reverb signal. Damping refers to the rate at which the high frequencies decay. This effect causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warmer with time. VL (Volume) - Sets the relative level of the reverberant (wet) signal.

Programming Ogun Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Programming Ogun A general introduction to Ogun programming using the TIMBRE and Timbre mapping controls as shown below:

Click on the following sections to open

Main Page Master Controls Synthesis Controls Effects Controls Programming Ogun At the heart of Ogun is an 'Additive synthesis' engine. Additive synthesis creates sound entirely by combining sine waves of various frequencies and phases. Fourier Theory

teaches us that any waveform can be decomposed into a

fundamental pitch and then a (usually large) number of sine waves that are multiple frequencies of the fundamental, a harmonic series. In the two pictures below, the harmonics are represented by vertical bars, height is amplitude horizontal position is frequency, just like a graphic equalizer, however in this case the frequencies on each slider are exact multiples of the root note. Let's start by taking a look at additive synthesis, using some screenshots borrowed from Image-Lines Sytrus

, additive synthesis interface:

The 1st harmonic (fundamental frequency) is controlled by the note played and is the exact pitch of that note. The 3rd harmonic is 3x the fundamental, so if A440 (440 Hz) was played the 3rd harmonic would be 1320 Hz (440 x 3), the 4th 1760 Hz (440 x 4), etc. The exciting part for anyone with a passing interest in Synthesis (that's you), is that combining harmonics and in the right amplitude

and phase relationship, any complex waveform is possible, yes even including square waves as shown below. NOTE: Ogun randomizes phases and does not offer control over them as they are usually not required for metallic timbres (trust us, you don't want to start editing phases, it will drive you insane!).

Looks complex, so how are you going to know what harmonics to activate to achieve a particular sound? The short answer is that you don't need to. While the heroic can use Ogun to create simple waveforms (try making a simple Sine wave sound to start), it has been designed primarily for lush metallic sounds that require general shaping of complex harmonic spectra, rather than tweaking of individual harmonics. For example, cymbals are difficult to reproduce by ordinary synthesis techniques because they are rich in harmonic frequencies. Ogun can generate up to 32,767 harmonics, so cymbals are no problem, however to prevent you being lost in a sea of individual harmonic controls, broad-brush tonal shaping is provided by the TIMBRE section and Harmonic mapping curves (think EQ curve). The next section will guide you through these controls in more detail.

Shaping the Harmonic Spectrum This covers the most significant tonal controls in Ogun, in particular the TIMBRE controls and Envelope mappings. It's worth noting there is also a specialized Pad Harmonics tool that provides a convenient method for shaping the harmonic spectrum, and is great for making 'Pad' sounds. Before playing with that, we recommend you complete reading through this section so you know what all the controls do.

The timbral controls

Default & Default(tonal) presets - While not strictly a control, starting with one of these two presets will save you a lot of work. The Default patch is a good starting point for non-tuned metallic sounds, and as the name suggests, the Default(tonal) patch is a great starting point for tuned sounds. So what's the main difference between these two patches? The Default and Default(tonal) patches differ mainly in the number of active harmonics. Open each one in turn and watch the RICHness slider. It's a fact that the lower harmonic frequencies (first 25 or so) are most dominant in our perception of pitch, while those above (100, in combination) add brightness/presence, and that is exactly what happens in the Default patch, the upper harmonics overwhelm the lower ones. So let's have a look at the RICHness slider in more detail. Rich - The RICHness slider controls the number of harmonics activated. If you look at the screen-shot below, the upper harmonic limit shows as a shaded region. Load the Default patch and move the slider up and down while playing notes. At the lower limit 31 harmonics are active at the upper limit, all 32,767 play (watch the hint bar as you move the RICHness slider). For tuned sounds use 256 (or less) or more for the noisy/metallic sounds. You probably also noticed that the pitch of a given note drops as the RICHness setting is increased. This happens because the root note is automatically rescaled downward so that the highest harmonic frequencies (above the note) can be used, otherwise most of them would fall above the range of hearing, good for dogs, not good for people. So how do you shape the harmonic spectrum? With the Timbre equalization mappings: Timbre equalization - The purpose of the Timbre equalization mappings is to modify the spectral distribution set by the Seed 1 & 2 generators. The screenshot below shows the curve for the 'Timbre forced harmonics' target. NOTE: The harmonic 'bars' have been added for illustration purposes and don't appear on the Ogun interface.

A unique harmonic mapping curve can be set for each of the following targets: Timbre forced harmonics - The 'Timbre forced harmonics' mapping curve is a fail-safe, that forces the selected harmonics to the level set by the curve. This is important as the Seed 1 & Seed 2 spectra may turn any given harmonic off (or to an unacceptably low value). One common reason for using this mapping curve is to force the first few harmonics to always sound as they are crucial in the perception of pitch. The vertical scale is a multiplier value that goes from 0 (off) to 1 (100%), keep an eye on the Hint bar as you move nodes. Timbre impulse EQ - This modifies the starting harmonic EQ curve. To hear this equalization curve more clearly push the DECay slider to maximum, this will prevent the decay curve from kicking in. Timbre decay EQ - This curve changes the harmonic spectra during the decay phase of the note. It is useful in creating a spectral change in the sound over time (although the filter envelope is also useful for these type of effects). Timbre release EQ - Modifies the spectral curve for the sound after the note is released. NOTE: You can force the Decay EQ to run straight into the Release EQ by setting the Option menu setting Link timbre release to volume decay, ON. Full - This slider blends between the output of the Seeded harmonic spectrum (bottom) and the full harmonic spectrum (top), as limited by

the RICHness control. To hear this effect most clearly select the 'Default(tonal)' patch and slide the control all the way to the top and back down again, leave it down as we explore the next control. 1->2 - Timbre morphing / randomness. This controls the relative blend between the spectra created by Seed 1 and Seed 2. For example, set Seed 1 = '1' and Seed 2 = '10' move the 1->2 slider between the bottom (Seed 1) to the top (Seed 2). A given seed will always create the same harmonic spectrum, there are 9999 to explore! Remember, however a given spectra of Seed 1 or 2 may have important harmonics set to values that you do not want. In this case use the Timbre equalization Mapping curves to re-shape the spectra to your liking. Seed 1 / Seed 2 - As noted above these controls generate two independent weightings for the harmonic spectra (within the upper limit of the RICHness setting). However there are a few special cases worth considering: When Seed 1 or 2 is set to '----' - all harmonics will play within the limit of the RICHness setting. Set both to '---' and slide the 1->2 control between Seed 1 & 2 and convince yourself that they both sound the same (bright, all harmonics on). Leave Seed 2 = '----' and set Seed 1 to any numerical value. Slide the 1->2 control 1/2 way so you are listening to a blend of both seeds, now keep hitting the same note and hear the subtle variations. This arrangement randomizes the Seed 1 spectra each time a key is played.

Ogun workflow We will walk through synthesis in Ogun, starting with the Default preset, to give you a general 'top-down' work-flow. 1. Start with the Default preset - Assuming you have the preset titled 'Default' selected, a flat timbre is created (the basis of metallic sounds). This timbre is flat noise, up to the harmonic limit set by the RICHness slider, and is generated by the Timbre Seed controls. 2. Metallic or noisy timbre - At this stage you can modify the harmonics

with the FULLness & PREdecay sliders to create a more or less metallicsound. Push the FULLness slider up to make the Timbre more noisy and the PREdecay slider up for more 'metallic' timbres. However, overall the sound is still a flat, in the sense that the harmonic spectrum has no equalization trends or movements. At this point the spectrum will sound like a 'splashy hiss'. It's worth noting that noise is a combination of many frequencies, so it's not surprising that the sum total of the first 8,000+ harmonics in the Default preset sounds like noise. Experiment with the RICHness slider and drag it down, as you do so watch the Hint bar where the total number of harmonics are shown. Listen for the point where the noise starts to develop a clear pitch. You should find that adding more than about 500 harmonics (setting 5), causes the spectrum lose its 'pitch', this is why we say that the upper harmonics are associated with brightness, those above 500 or so. This is also the reason why we are not particularly concerned with individual manipulation of the last 36,000, or so, harmonics since they don't have a dramatic impact on the tone of the sound and only add subtle brightness /presence coloration. You may have also noticed the root note (pitch) is also scaled upward as the RICHness slider is moved downward, this is to keep the lower harmonics in a useful (playable) range. Put the RICHness slider back to a setting of 9 (8,191 harmonics). The keen eared among you will have noticed that repeated pressings of the same note cause slight variations of the 'splashy hiss' (listen carefully). This is caused by a special randomization function activated when Seed 2 = '----'. To hear this randomiztion the 1->2 (Timber morphing) slider to the top (100% Seed 2). A new, random 'Seed 2' harmonic spectrum is generated for each note-on event. Drag the 1->2 all the way down to hear only Seed 1 and note how static the splashy hiss is. Return the slider to 30%. 3. Pitched or unpitched sound - If you want to create a clearly pitched sound, special attention needs to be paid to the lower harmonics. These are, individually, far more important to the perception of pitch than the higher harmonics, that are responsible for brightness. First, you will need to select a RICHness that allows the lower harmonics to dominate the sound (try 255 harmonics or less), then you can also 'force' specific lower harmonics on, using the Timbre forced harmonics mapping. Remember that the lower harmonics in the Seeded spectrum may be at any level between 0% (off) and 100% (fully on), so the effect of a

Forced mapping will vary depending on the starting (random) state of the harmonics. Generally you don't need to force harmonics for metallic, noisy presets. 4. Harmonic equalization - At this point you will have a relatively metallic, but bright and sustaining sound. The timbre can be equalized with the Timbre impulse EQ, Timbre decay EQ and Timbre release EQ mappings. These function like any equalization, that is to change the tone of the sound. The Timbre impulse EQ sets the starting timbre then the Timbre decay EQ mapping kicks in, as the timbre progressively decays and finally to the Timbre release EQ on note release. NOTE: In normal decay mode (default) the Timbre decay mapping is a modifier of how long it takes each harmonic set by the Timbre impulse EQ to decay to 0. In Alt decay mode the Timbre decay mapping is treated as an EQ mapping, that is an explicit level to which each harmonic in the Timbre impulse EQ will decay (in other words, now a 'decay-to' level rather than decay time). 5. Adding unison & effects - Finally, once you have tuned the Timbre, unison voices and effects can be added, to taste.

Resynthesis Resynthesis is the process of analyzing an input sound and automatically recreating that sound within the relevant synthesis architecture. You can substitute resynthesis for steps 1 to 4 above. Ogun will resynthesize .wav samples into two harmonic mappings, one for the start of the sample (Timbre impulse EQ) and another based on the end of the sample (Timbre decay EQ). By morphing between these harmonic mappings the original harmonic motion is captured, however the accuracy will depend on the length and complexity of the sample. In other words, Ogun is designed to capture the timbral essence of input sounds, not recreate Beethoven's 5th symphony. If complex resynthesis is a priority, we recommend Image-Line's Morphine

additive synthesizer.

The sample - Only .wav files can be used. Ogun uses embedded MIDI root-note data (if available) to set the pitch of the resynthesized preset. Edison can be used to analyze and/or set the root-note meta-data in the .wav file if necessary. C5 is used by default if no pitch data is contained in the .wav file. For resynthesis of simple timbres try the following: 1. Make sure the ALT DECAY option is OFF. 2. Open the sound to be resynthesized in an audio editor such as

Edison. 3. Take a selection from around the beginning of the sample that is most representative of the timbre you are seeking. 4. The RICHness setting will define how many harmonics are used in the resynthesis. Ideally, use the lowest number of harmonics to achieve the sound you need since CPU load of the final sound grows with the Timbre EQ mapping point count. Preset the RICHness slider to around 511 harmonics, increase it if you don't like the result of the next step. 5. Drop the sample onto the TIMBRE section of Ogun's user interface to start the resynthesis OR use the Resynthesis from the Options Menu. 6. Play the sound and adjust the DEC slider so that the sound decays in a natural manner. Try the sound with ALT DECAY ON. For resynthesis of complex evolving timbres try the following: 1. Make sure the ALT DECAY option is ON. 2. Preset the RICHness slider to around 2047 harmonics, increase it if you don't like the result of the next step. 3. Drop the sample onto the TIMBRE section of Ogun's user interface to start the resynthesis OR use the Resynthesis from the Options Menu. 4. Play the sound and adjust the DEC slider so that the sound decays in a natural manner. Try turning ALT DECAY OFF. NOTES: 1. An alternative Step 1, is to resynthesize with ALT DECAY ON, to transform an existing timbre, then turn it OFF after the timbre is captured. 2. If the current timbre is resynthesized (Seed 1 set to '----'), then the PREdecay (& FULLness won't have any effect.

Programming Tips Default patches - When programming from a 'clean slate' it is helpful to use the 'Default' patch to create atonal metallic presets and 'Default (tonal)' to create tuned presets.

Timbre controls - The controls in the Timbre section randomize, shape and modulate the harmonic spectrum. Richness limit - The 'Richness' setting is reflected in the harmonics editor by the variable shading. Atonal sounds - Presets with high harmonic counts more easily lead to noisy metallic (atonal) sounds. Tonal sounds - Lower harmonics are most important for a clear 'pitch'. The 'Timbre forced harmonics' Editor is useful to force all the lower harmonics to sound. Similarly low RICHness settings will limit the sound to the lower harmonics. Randomizing the harmonic spectrum - Setting Seed 1 to '----' will turn all harmonics on. Setting Seed 2 to '----' creates randomness, set the morphing slider toward Seed 2 to add randomness. Harmonic shaping - Turning the 'Natural EQ mapping scale' off will allow better control over all harmonics. Points snap to the mapping scale. However, note that it is difficult to manually edit the large number harmonics in many Ogun presets. Articulations - Refer to those envelopes that modify parameters while a voice is playing. For example, a filter's cutoff freq can change over time. Mappings - Modify parameters that are set once at voice-trigger time. For example, the timbre fullness is only used to compute the initial voice timbre, thus it doesn't make sense to change it over time. Some parameters also only have mappings, and not envelopes, because it would be too CPU-intensive to change them over time. EQ mappings - Are, by default, traditional EQs, in an octave scale for the horizontal axis. This means that the mapping does not linearly represent harmonics, far from it (the first octave represents 1 harmonic, the last one represents 16000). However, you can optionally switch to a linear harmonic scale from the Options menu. The Timbre analysis switches to this mode automatically. Envelope backgrounds - As with other Image-Line plugins, pay attention to the Envelope Editor's background gradient (when the option is enabled) and the envelope filling color, these indicate if the envelope is a multiplier or a linear offset. This is particularly important, as you don't

set up mapping for the envelope fullness (offset) as you do for morphing (multiplier). An envelope for the morphing will always go from 0 to the current morphing value, while an envelope for the fullness will add to the current fullness. Decay time - Maximum decay time = no decay (infinite). There is no infinite release. Processing quality (Options menu) - The processing quality is set to 'Waste of CPU' automatically in the FL Studio version, but not for the VST version (the VST standard does not communicate the Hosts rendering status to the plugin), so use the Rendering mode option on the Hint Bar. Looping? - You may notice some sounds, particularly resynthesized ones, have a looped quality (pulsing or repeating sound) without any envelopes or delays used. As the length of this waveform is defined by the lowest harmonic, the higher harmonics may seem to repeat each time the fundamental harmonic repeats, leading to the 'looped' effect. If you hear strong looping then it probably means you have a sub-sonic (long duration) fundamental in the timbre.

Filter Section So far we have discussed tonal shaping using the TIMBRE and Timbre mapping controls. The filter section is also a powerful tonal shaping tool and should not be overlooked. Rather than go into details about all the possibilities with filtering, let's consider a preset that makes use of the filter section and distinguish the filter sound from the TIMBRE and Mapping control effects. A unique characteristic of metallic objects is the way the harmonic spectrum changes over time. For example, a Gong is often characterized by an initial attack dominated by the lower harmonics, but as these harmonics die away the higher harmonics continue to ring on, creating that classic "Bawoosh" sound. Perhaps, we need to open the preset titled "Gong" (by Gol) and hold down a note to hear what "Bawoosh" sounds like. There are two main things happening in this preset, first when a key is pressed there is

a lower, almost 'pitched' attack sound, then followed by a brighter shimmering sound as the key is held. To hear the two main tonal components of the sound play a key with the FULLness slider all the way to the bottom (there's the more resonant, almost pitched attack), then with FULLness all the way to the top, to hear the dominant higher harmonics of the sustain. Reload the preset to return the FULLness control to the original position. So where does the tonal motion come from as the key is held? From the Filter frequency envelope (set the envelope Target control

to Filter frequency and the Articulation part to Envelope). This envelope controls the filter frequency (the same target as the CUT knob). Note that the filter section is set to BP (Band Pass) at 3X, a fairly steep cutoff either side of the filters center frequency. This means the filter is allowing through a narrow band of frequencies from the spectra and the Filter frequency envelope is moving the center frequency of the filter higher in the spectrum over time, to cause the upward sweeping frequency,

reminiscent of a Gong sound. Grab the CUT knob and play some notes while moving it manually, to better understand what the Filter frequency envelope doing. However, remember that this filter sweep is simulating the loss the low harmonics moving toward the highharmonics over time, Bawoosh! Don't forget that the filter Cutoff & Resonance parameters can be tied to more than just the Envelope the other modulation parameters include LFO, Keyboard mapping, Velocity mapping & X/Y modulation, so there is plenty

of creative potential there.

Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Pad Harmonics Tool The Pad Harmonics Tool provides an interface for creating specialized 'pad' harmonic spectra for Ogun's Timbre equalization targets. Think of the Pad Harmonics Tool as a harmonic 'sculptor' that operates within a set of rules that improve the probability of producing pleasing spectra.

To open the Pad Harmonic tool First select a Timbre equalization curve in the Articulation Editor ('Timbre impulse EQ' is a good place to start), then select the options menu item 'Create pad harmonics' (shown above right). Remember the rest of Ogun's synthesis & effects controls will determine your ability to hear changes made by this tool to the spectra. The Default patch is a good starting point for ground-up patch creation using the tool.

Options Harmonic bins Each 'bin' in the Harmonic bins window is centered on a predetermined harmonic, the series was chosen for its ability to create musically pleasing results. The bin can then be filled with a group of harmonics (controlled by the Bin width bars, Bin window shape & Width knob) detuned around that harmonic. Editing harmonics bin levels - Left-click on any bin and drag the bin level to a new value (as shown above) or Right-click and drag diagonally to create ramps. Bin level - Bars represent the level (volume) of the harmonics in the bin. Left-click and drag up/down to adjust. Bin width - Bars control a 'Multiplier value' (0 to 100%) with respect to the Width knob in the 'Bin window shape section'. When set to 0 (off) the Width knob will have no effect on the bins harmonic band-width. Each Bin mode has the following buttons: Reset - Reset the harmonic series to the default state. Randomize - Randomize bin levels. Humanize - Adds a touch of randomization to the current bin levels.

Bin window shape Graph - The lower graph controls the shape of each harmonic bin, and when the Width settings allow it, the

way bins overlaps with neighbors. Width - Width modulation or 'multiplier' function, set from (0 to 100%). Bin values then decide how the 'Width' knob setting in the Bin window shape section will modulate the bin width. Wider bins generally sound more 'airy' while narrower bins sound more pure and tonal. Normalize loudness - Scales bin levels (most effective when all the bins have randomized to a low level).

Action buttons Reset - Revert to default settings. Randomize - Create random harmonic series within the rules of the 'PADsynth harmonics' system. Accept - Apply the harmonic series to the selected Timbre equalization target.

Pad Harmonics Tutorial In this section we will explore some of the controls in the Pad Harmonics tool. Before starting it is useful to note that Ogun allows changes made in the tool to be previewed live, before accepting them. Even after a Timbre change has been accepted, the Pad harmonic tool will open in the same state next time it is opened. The last features allows you to accept a change, make some other changes synthesis controls in Ogun and re-open the tool to continue tweaking harmonics from where you left off. This functionality provides a convenient method for ground-up patch creation with the PADsynthesis tool.

Using the tool This section is a quick run-through the controls on the Pad Harmonics tool. 1. Usually when programming using the Pad Harmonics tool you would start from the 'Default (pad)' patch, however in this case open the Ogun 'Default' patch. This patch sounds like noise (all harmonics equally active). We are starting here so that you can clearly see the difference between the 'noise' harmonic map and a 'Pad harmonic' map. 2. Note the Rich slider is set to 9 (8191 harmonics). This is a good control to come back to later and experiment with more or less harmonics in the Timbre equalization envelopes. 3. Select the Timbre impulse EQ Articulator Editor target. The editor is shown in the screen-shot above-right, if you are not sure, it is probably a good time to remind yourself what the Timbre equalization targets do. 4. Open the Pad Harmonics tool from the Options menu (as shown above) and click the Reset button (the tool remembers its last state and surely you have been fiddling with it!). 5. Drag the tool out of the way of Ogun so you can see the Timbre impulse EQ. This will allow you to see what happens to the Timbre impulse EQ envelope as you tweak the Pad Harmonics tool. You may need to close the tool from time to time and zoom the Timbre impulse EQ envelope to get a better view. 6. Play notes in Ogun and note the sound is a 'raspy' saw-like sound. Not a bad start, this is due to the particular harmonic series being manipulated by the Bin level & width editor. 7. Turn the Pad tool Width knob to the left and notice the harmonic bins become narrower and the sound more 'pure' in tone. Turning the Width knob to the right and the sound becomes more airy and 'choir' like. 8. Graph shapes, note how the overall EQ Mapping shape matches the Bin width graph in the Pad Harmonics tool. Make some radical changes to the shape of the Bin width graph and note how the EQ Mapping graph follows to match. 9. Try clicking Randomize bin levels until you achieve a pleasing sound. 10. Accept the harmonic series when you have found a setting that you like. 11. You can now work on Ogun's other synthesis controls to fine-tune the sound. Remember it's usually best to

start with the 'Default (pad)' patch as it has other synthesis settings that work well with the tool. NOTE: The Autogun plugin and the WildoEnGin are based on the PADsynth algorithm (see credits). Click the dice button to create a random PADsynth patch.

Making a 'Pad Harmonic' cross-fade patch In this section we will make a Ogun patch with a unique attack and decay spectrum using the Pad Harmonics tool. 1. Open the Ogun 'Default (pad)' patch. This patch patch has been designed as the starting point for patches made with the Pad Harmonics tool. 2. Turn the ALT DECAY switch (above the 1->2 slider) ON. Since this patch will be based on separate 'Attack' (Timbre impulse EQ) then 'Decay' (Timbre decay EQ) spectra. Turning this switch ON will set the Timbre decay EQ to be an explicit decay harmonic spectrum, rather than as a 'decay-time' multiplier, when the switch is OFF. 3. Push the DECcay slider all the way to the top. This will allow you to hear only the Attack EQ spectrum. 4. Select the Timbre impulse EQ Articulator Editor target. This is the 'attack' sound harmonic spectrum. 5. From the Articulator Editor Options menu select Create pad harmonics to open the tool. 6. Click the Randomize button until you hear an attack spectrum you like and Accept the spectrum. 7. Drag the DECcay slider all the way to the bottom. This will allow you to hear (nearly) only the Decay EQ spectrum. 8. Select the Timbre decay EQ Articulator Editor target. This is the notes 'decay' sound harmonic spectrum (when Alt Decay is ON). 9. Open the Create pad harmonics to tool and press randomize until you hear another sound you like, try to make it different from the Attack sound selected previously (preferably less 'chuffy' and more tonal), try lowering the Width knob. Accept when done. 10. Raise the DECcay slider to about 500 ms (see the hint window). When you play notes you should now have a unique attack and decay sound when a note is held. Fine-tune the Decay slider to taste. 11. If desired, you can set a unique Timbre release EQ. 12. Repeat the above steps, adding your own experimentation, and you are on your way to Ogun PAD heaven.

Credits Algorithm: The Pad Harmonics tool is inspired by PADsynth GUI & Ogun programming: Didier Dambrin.

by Nasca Octavian Paul.

INSTRUMENTS / EFFECTS

Patcher Patcher loads as an instrument or effect and allows you to chain both instruments and effects into complete units for reuse in other projects. Set up your favorite instrument & effects chain for example. You can also use it to add unlimited effects or instruments in a single Channel or Effects slot. Related plugins: Control Surface, Fruity Layer and Minihost Modular.

NOTE: The workspace is resizable, drag on the window to resize OR drag an object to the edge of the workspace to auto-resize..

Patcher Controls Data Links Audio (yellow) - Shows Audio links (inputs & or outputs depending on the plugin). Parameters (red) - Shows internal automation parameter links (plugin program/interface controls). Events (green) - Shows note/event links (MIDI control data). NOTE: Placing the mouse cursor over Link Nodes will show their name in the Hint Bar.

Working with links Make connections - Objects in Patcher have inputs on the left-side and/or outputs on their right-side. The connectors show as dots with colors that relate to the Parameter data type (see above). Click on any output or input connector and drag to a compatible connector (shown in green). Dragging to the Middle of an object - Will open a pop-up list of compatible link targets. Add / Remove connectors - Right-click the FL Studio icons, plugins or parameters and activate/deactivate connectors. Break a single connection - Left-click the input connector of a pair. Drag off the input into free space and release the mouse button.

Change connections - Left-click the input connector point and drag to the new target input connector. Audio volume - Click on the center arrow and drag vertically. The volume values are displayed in the Hint Bar. Mute audio - Right-click the link. Right-click nodes (and modules) - To see a popup with options, including to activate nodes, add links etc.

Events or MIDI to FX plugins If you need to get MIDI data to an Instrument plugin that's loaded on Patcher in an FX slot, then: 1. Load a MIDI Out channel and set it to 'Port 5', for example. 2. Right click the 'From FL Studio' icon 3. Select Patcher > Outputs > Events and activate 'Port 5'. 4. Make the Event connection from FL Studio to the Plugin as normal.

Saving/Loading Patcher Presets To save a patcher preset - use the Wrapper Menu 'Save preset as' option. You can also drag this menu item to a new Channel or Effects slot to duplicate the current chain. Patcher is a great way to save your favorite Instrument & Effects chains ready for use in new projects.

Encapsulate existing plugins - You can 'patcherize' existing plugins on a Channel Rack or Mixer Track slot by holding (

SHIFT) and dropping Patcher onto the existing plugin. If you don't hold SHIFT the plugin will be

replaced rather than encapsulated.

Tabs There are two tab types. The Map which is the main workspace and layout window for the Patcher project and the Control Surfaces that hold internal controllers for the project. These can be renamed, right-click the control-surface icon on the Map tab, to better reflect their use. You can add as many Control Surfaces as you need to the project.

Map The MAP tab allows you to build the plugin & or effects chain. Add plugins & controls - Right-click the workspace and add from the pop-up menu - Plugins, Effects or a Control Surface. Opening plugins - As of FL Studio 12 plugins now open in 'detached' mode outside the Patcher UI when double-clicked (see below). NOTE: Plugin interface parameters are not right-click linkable or visible to FL Studio unless a GUI (interface) target has been right-clicked and 'activate' selected. Once this has been done a Parameter node for the control will also appear on the plugins Map tab icon. There are two ways to open plugins: Open a plugin and close all others - ( for that Patcher instance.

Double-click) a plugin. This applies only to plugins open

Open a plugin leave others also open (

Alt+Click) a plugin. This applies only to plugins open for

that Patcher instance. Show data types - Right-click the workspace and select from the pop-up menu the data types to be shown (including latency) OR use the Audio, Parameters & Events buttons along the top of the plugin. Rename objects - Right-click the target object and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Delete objects - Right-click the target object and select 'Delete' from the pop-up menu. To add control surfaces & plugins - Use (

F8) OR (

Middle-Click) on the FL Studio desktop to open the

Plugin Picker OR drag from the Browser > Plugin database to Patcher's Map tab window.

Control Surface The CONTROL SURFACE tab/s allow you to add real-time controls that can be linked to plugins in the Map chain. Parameter objects can be linked to plugins by Right-clicking the plugin on the MAP tab and activating a Parameter by Right-clicking on the plugin. Right-click a control to automate it from this tab. You can add as many separate Control Surface tabs as needed to a project. In the image above there are two Control Surfaces, one has been renamed 'Wub this'. NOTE: For more details on working with and customizing Control Surface controls see the Control Surface > Control Creator section.

Working on the Control Surface tab: Add a Control Surface - The default Patcher loads with a single Control Surface, to add additional Control Surfaces drag from the Browser > Plugin database > Patcher > Control Surface and drop on Patcher. NOTE: If your plugin database is different, just search for 'Control Surface'. Load/save Control Surfaces - Click the Presets button as shown above and either save or load a Control Surface configuration. Add parameter controls - Click the + (Add) button as shown above and select from the pop-up menu of controls. Edit parameter controls - Click the Edit icon as shown above (controls will show red-rectangles around them) then you can click and drag to move or right-click and select the size, style, colors and rename the control. Automate Native Parameters - From the EDITORS tab Right-click the Plugin control and select 'Activate' from the pop-up menu. The control can be Right-clicked again and automated with the usual options such as 'Create automation clip' or 'Link to controller'. Link plugin parameters to Control Surface parameter controls

1. Add a Control Surface control with the + button or you can use an existing control. 2. Open the Map tab and drag FROM the controls related Parameter node on the right side of the Control Surface icon ONTO the middle of the target Plugin icon and release. 3. From the pop-up list select the desired GUI or plugin control target. Automate VST Parameters 1. Right-click the plugin on the MAP tab and select: 2. Inputs > Parameter and select the automation target Parameter from the pop-up list. 3. Right-click the red Parameter Node that appears on the Plugin and 'Create automation clip', 'Link to controller' or 'Edit events' as usual. Rename Parameters - Right-click the parameter and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Live tweaking - Open the Parameter tab and use the mouse on the Parameter of interest as you would any plugin control. Select Multitouch to control multiple controls on a multi-touch monitor.

Patcher Voice Effects Plugins To add VFX Note Mapper to the Patcher project, dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control. VFX can't be used in FL Studio Channel or Effects slots so they are not generally made visible in the plugin lists. The VFX plugins include:

VFX Color Mapper - Control up to 16 independent generators/instruments (or groups of generators) using the 16 note colors of the Piano roll. VFX Key Mapper - Note input can be transposed, made into a chord, key-changed or creatively remapped.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

EFFECTS / MIDI

VFX Key Mapper When VFX (voice effects) Key Mapper is used in Patcher, note input can be transposed, key-changed, chorded or creatively remapped. Check here for the

VFX Key Mapper video

.

Working with notes in the editor: Add/remove notes - Left click. Click on an empty cell to add a note, click on an existing note to delete it. You can place any number of notes on any or all rows. Exclusively add notes - Right click. Will replace any existing note/s with the new note. Reset to default - Middle click. The default maps input to output with no change in note.

Parameters To add VFX Key Mapper to the Patcher project, dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control. Input notes are shown on the vertical axis and output notes shown on the horizontal axis. You can map any input note to any or all notes over at least +/- one octave range relative to the input note. This includes mapping single notes to chords for example.

Key Mapper includes the following controls:

Base key - Changes the labeling on the input note axis. This does not affect the plugins output. Useful when you are feeding a VFX Key Mapper a pre-transposed input. Offset (transpose) - Transpose all input notes by +/- 12 semitones. Multimode - determines how multiple notes are played. For example where there is more than one note mapped for an input note as shown for C above. All - Plays all notes mapped. All (gain-compensated)x - Plays all notes but maintains the same volume level as a single note. Random - Randomly plays one of the notes mapped Cycle up - Each time the note is played the next highest note is sounded. Then when all notes have been played, starts at the lowest note again. Cycle down - Each time the note is played the next note down is sounded. Then when all notes have been played, starts at the highest note again. Pitch slide - Controls how many steps it will take to slide from the starting note to any mapped notes. Enable - Enable or disable the Key mapper. Automate to bring in special note effects during a live performance for example.

EFFECTS / MIDI

VFX Color Mapper When VFX (voice effects) Color Mapper is used in Patcher, up to 16 independent generators/instruments (or groups of generators) may be controlled from the 16 note colors of the Piano roll.

Parameters In most cases there's no need to adjust the Voice output or Color mappings. Simply add VFX Color Mapper to the Patcher project by dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control.

Voice Output VFX Color Mapper sends 'voice' data, note and note related events, to linked plugins. A voice port is conceptually similar to a MIDI channel except that it is limited to note data including note related properties (Pan, Velocity, Mod X, Mod Y & Fine Pitch). Colors - By default note colors 1 to 16 are mapped to voice ports 1 to 16 AND only voice ports 1 to 4 are activated on the output side. Drag a link from the target plugin to the middle of VFX Color Mapper and release to select ports 5 to 16. Mapping - Click the drop-down menu on a color to redirect a note color to the desired voice port. There are no restrictions on how many colors map to the same voice port. NOTE: Voice port mappings can be automated, Right click a color, select 'Activate' then right-click again to select automation options as usual.

Color Color mapping changes the note color associated with a voice as it passes through VFX Color Mapper. Why would you want to do that? Some note colors are used by certain plugins for special purposes. For example, note color 16 controls filter cutoff frequency in Harmless. So if color 16 was re-mapped to voice port 1, you may also decide to remap color 16 to color 1 to avoid it being used as a special purpose color by Harmless. Or you may like to work with colors 1, 5, 9 and 13 as they are most distinguishable, but want 13 to act as special note color 16 and so remap it. Colors - By default colors 1 to 16 are mapped to colors 1 to 16 (no change). Mapping - Click the drop-down menu to redirect a color to another. There are no restrictions on how may colors map to the same color. NOTE: Color mappings can be automated, right-click to select automation options as usual.

Working with VFX Color Mapper To connect a plugin to VFX Color Mapper, generally it's easiest to drag from the plugins event input port to the middle of VFX Color mapper to expose the pop-up ports available.

NOTES: A single Voice output may be routed to as many instrument/generator inputs as desired. To activate all Voice outputs - Right-click VFX Color Mapper to open Outputs > Events > Activate all.

Control up to 16 separate plugins (or plugin groups) with VFX Color Mapper.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Plucked! Plucked! is an example of a physical modeling synth, where mathematical formula are used to simulate real sound producing objects, like a plucked string, for example. Plucked implements a Karplus-b plucked string model. The curious are invited to search for Karplus-b modeling on Google - however, be prepared for some Math :)

Parameters Decay knob - Changes the decay time of the plucked sound. Color knob - Changes the tone of the plucked sound from dark (left) to bright (right). Normalize - Tries to make the decay the same for all semitones. Otherwise higher notes have a shorter decay. Gate - Stops the voices abruptly when released. Otherwise the decay keeps going. Widen - Enriches the stereo panorama of the sound.

Notes & Tips Pitch bends are not supported for this generator. The Piano roll allows an offset on the decay & color per voice. While slides can be used to change the decay on the fly, the color works at trigger time only (i.e. they don't change as the voice is running).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Thanks To: Perry Cook for his work on physical synthesis

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone V2 DEMO ONLY: Poizone is available

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased

separately so you can save projects containing Poizone channels.

Overview PoiZone is a subtractive software synthesizer designed to bring you professional quality results, without a learning curve that hinders your creativity. The concept behind PoiZone was to design a synthesizer that had a great sound derived from the smallest number of controls, without sacrificing flexibility and features. Non-essential controls were ruthlessly removed so what remains is a user interface where every knob counts. Once you have spent some time auditioning the preset patches we are sure you will agree that PoiZone packs a lot of punch in what appears to be a simple package, enjoy!

Features PoiZone has the following key features -

Voicing 2 main oscillators for subtractive synthesis: SAW and PULSE shapes, pulse width adjustable. 1 NOISE Oscillator. Variable polyphony (1 to 32 voices).

Modulation

SYNC modulation. RING modulation. PULSE WIDTH Modulation. 2 ADSR envelope generators (one user-assignable to modulation parameters). 3 FILTER modes - low pass, band pass and high pass. PoiZone features a warm, analogmodeled filter with self oscillation. The PoiZone filter can sound bright and clean passing high-frequencies transparently or or 'gritty and grungy' with the addition of resonance (including carefully crafted distortion) for that 'exciting' sound. Special attention has been given to precise KEYTRK filter tuning so that the PoiZone filter can track keyboard frequency precisely, allowing the filter to be used as an oscillator. Keyboard and Velocity tracking for the filter.

Effects DELAY effect, with tempo-synced click-free stereo delays and delay time modulation. Locut and hi-cut for trancers! CHORUS provides a fat and warm sound with excellent unison emulation. 4 voice UNISON with user-adjustable stereo panning and 'Octaver'. The Octaver expands the harmonic range and flexibility of the unison sound. Additionally it allows to support the creation of realistic 'vox-like' effects.

Performance 256 Patches created by industry professionals. Muti-mode Arpeggiator. Noise Gate with an adjustable 16 step pattern. The gate features smoothness control and the ability to import/export patterns to .fxp files. MIDI learn feature with the ability to save/load MIDI setups to/from a patch. LFO and MOD WHEEL modulation. Can be assigned to a wide range of performance parameters in PoiZone. Mothers everywhere will be saying "What's that NOISE!"

Plugin Credits: PoiZone was created by Maxx Claster Image Line Software

exclusively for -

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Master Controls

Master Controls The Master Controls section provides a range of global controls as described below:

Master Display The Display: There are three sub-displays Program Name - To browse the preset list click on this part of the display. To step through the list click on the < > arrows immediately to the right. Last tweaked parameter. Displaying last tweaked parameter. Name - value - label [CC number assigned]. [N/A] means no CC is assigned. When PoiZone is opened for the first time, there will be no values (--- ---- ---), meaning that no CC has been touched. As soon as you tweak something the value updates. CC (Continuous Controller) data is MIDI data used to communicate between hardware/software controllers and Poizone. 128 different continuous controllers can transmit values between 0-127. CCs are commonly used for things like MIDI controlling volume (#7), pan (#10), data slider position (#6), mod wheel (#1) or other user-assigned parameters. Last CC number and value - Shows the last CC number to be received and the value. OPTIONS: The options are Import CC Map: Imports all CC links from saved FXP. This is used to load Midi Learn settings from FXP saved from your host. Import gate pattern: Import a saved FXP containing Gate Pattern data. Save Bank (.FXB): Save all patches to a bank file .FXB format. Save Program (.FXP): Save current patch to a file .FXP format. Load Program/Bank from HD: Opens a load-file dialog so that you can load either .FXB or .FXP files. NOTE: Loading banks (.FXB) will overwrite all the 256 programs in the current bank. Clear All CC Links: Unlinks all parameters from all CC's. Initialize Program: Resets PoiZone to a default starting condition, useful for patch authors. LINK: Link the last tweaked MIDI parameter to the selected target in PoiZone. UNLINK: Unlink the displayed link-relationship. MIDI learning features in PoiZone - When you send a CC to PoiZone, it updates number and value of that CC. Tweak any parameter (second display updates), send any CC (third display updates), push LINK button and last sent CC is linked to last tweaked parameter. Or push UNLINK is you want last tweaked parameter to be not linked to any CC (then it will display [N/A] ).

Voice Controls UNISON: Set the number of unison voices from 1 to 4. 1 = No unison. Unison is similar to chorus in that multiple copies of the final output sound are detuned and panned to create a thicker audio texture. POLY: Number of voices that will play with the current patch. 1 to 32 voices are available. Select lower values to emulate monophonic analog synths with voice-stealing. UNISON DETUNE: The relative detuning of the unison voices. Higher levels creates a more discordant sound.

UNISON PAN: The relative stereo panning of the unison voices. Higher levels create a wider stereo field. OCT: Even numbered UNISON voices are shifted up one octave. It's useful to create 'human voice-like' patches if a narrow bandpass filter is applied to the patch and UNISON is set to 2 with OCT on. MONO: Monophonic playback mode. HELD: OFF: All notes will glide. ON: Only held (overlapping) notes will glide. STATIC: ON: All notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size. GLIDE TIME: Controls the slide-rate between notes. TRANSP: Controls the global pitch in semitones. MICRO TUNE: Controls the global pitch in cents. The range is -100 to +100 cents with 0 in the middle position (vertical knob). GAIN: Overall, final output level from PoiZone.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - MIDI

MIDI The MIDI section provides the ability to route a MIDI controller to a range of targets in PoiZone, as described below. NOTE: In order to link your controller to specific MIDI CC values you will need to do this via your hosts plugin wrapper.

Controls MW DEST: Mod Wheel Destination, selects the target control for the mod wheel MIDI CC parameter CUTOFF: Cutoff of the filter frequency (pitch) of oscillator A. LFO: LFO amplitude. Note that this is not LFO amount, it is the amplitude of the LFO. For example, if your Mod Wheel is linked to LFO amplitude, and set your Mod Wheel to minimum, LFO will have zero amplitude and won't do anything. If you turn Mod Wheel to maximum the LFO will now have max amplitude. FREQ A: Frequency of OSC A. PW A: Pulse-width of OSC A. PW AB: Pulse-Width of OSCs A and B. MW AMNT: The amount of modulation that the MOD Wheel will apply. PB RANGE: Pitch Bend Range.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - LFO

LFO LFO is a 'Low Frequency Oscillator' that is an Oscillator that creates an output changes at a rate less than 30 Hz. This generator is used to control parameters inside PoiZone to add motion or variability to sounds in order to make them more interesting or a 'human' feeling.

LFO Controls LFO DEST: LFO Destination, select from CUTOFF: Cutoff of the filter frequency (pitch) of oscillator (OSC) A. FREQ A: Frequency of OSC A. FREQ AB: Frequency of OSC A and B. PW A: Pulse Width for OSC A. PW AB: Pulse Width for OSC A and B. PAN: Stereo Panning. AMOUNT: Amount multiplier, 0% bottom 100% top. RATE: Determines the frequency of the LFO, faster is up. SHAPE: Select the LFO waveform shape (SAW, PULSE, TRIANGLE, SINE, RANDOM). RETRIG: Retrigger, when selected restarts the LFO cycle at the start of

each note. TMP SYNC: Tempo Sync, synchronizes the LFO speed to the host tempo. Left-click to show a drop-down menu of options from 1/16th to 32/16th. When the display shows 'no sync' there is no tempo sync and rate of LFO is defined by the 'RATE' knob.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Envelope Generator

Envelope Generator The Envelope Generator is a user assignable Envelope that is used to control parameters inside PoiZone to add motion or variability to sounds. The envelope is triggered on a per-note basis at the start of each note.

Envelope Generator Controls EG DEST: Envelope destination, select from CUTOFF: Cutoff frequency of the filter. FREQ A: Frequency of OSC A. FREQ AB: Frequency of OSC A and B. PW A: Pulse Width for OSC A. PW AB: Pulse Width for OSC A and B. AMOUNT: Amount can be -100 to +100%. The middle value of the slider is zero. A, D, S, R: Attack (ramp up speed), Decay (ramp down speed), Sustain (sustain level), Release (release rate) of the envelope.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - ADSR

Master Level ADSR (Amplifier) Master ADSR (Amplifier) Envelope adds an envelope to the final output sound of PoiZone. The envelope is triggered on a per-note basis at the start of each note.

Amplifier Controls A, D, S, R: Attack (ramp up speed), Decay (ramp down speed), Sustain (sustain level), Release (release rate) of the envelope.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Oscillators

Oscillators Oscillators are the basic sound sources of a synthesizer, Poizone has 2 Oscillators (A and B) and one 'Noise' source. Oscillators A and B generate SAW or PULSE shapes that can be futher modified. All Oscillator modulations are applied to OSC A, so that OSC A is a carrier and OSC B is a modulator for RM and SYNC operations (as described below). OSC B always generates an unmodulated sound - for example, this is why OSC B has controls for pitch while OSC A does not. These features together with 'Unison' in the Master Controls section and the Effects Section allow Poizone to quickly and easily create thick, lush textures or cutting leads.

BALANCE The knobs in the 'BALANCE' section are used to mix between Oscillator A, B and the Noise source. OSC: Controls the balance between Oscillator A and Oscillator B, turn fully left to hear OSC A and fully right to hear OSC B, the 12 O?clock position is a 50% mix of OSC A and OSC B. NOISE: The output of the OSC knob is then sent to the NOISE mixer, fully left is 100% Oscillators and 0% NOISE, fully right is 100% NOISE and 12 O?clock is a 50% mix of the Oscillators and the Noise source.

OSCILLATOR A PW (Pulse Width): Controls the 'width' of the Oscillator waveform when the PULSE button is enabled and Oscillator is in PULSE mode. When fully left and the original waveform will be a narrow 'spike' shape, when fully right the waveform will be equal to the original PULSE waveform (100% width).

PULSE: Pulse switches between Saw and Pulse shapes of the Oscillator. RING (Ring Modulation): Ring modulation multiplies the output of OSC A and OSC B. The result is passed to OSC A (e.g. A = A * B) while OSC B remains unchanged (has its original sound). Ring can be used to produce extra harmonics that are characteristic of struck metal. SYNC: When selected synchronizes the phase of OSC A to B. In other words, every time OSC B completes its cycle OSC A is forced to reset and start its cycle from the beginning.

OSCILLATOR B PW (Pulse Width): Controls the 'width' of the Oscillator waveform when the PULSE button is enabled and Oscillator is in PULSE mode. When fully left and the original waveform will be a narrow 'spike' shape, when fully right the waveform will be equal to the original PULSE waveform (100% width). PULSE: Pulse switches between Saw and Pulse shapes of the Oscillator. PITCH: Changes the pitch of OSC B by +/- 24 Semitones. DETUNE: Changes the pitch of OSC B by 0 to + 50 Cents.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Filter

Filter Section The PoiZone filter can be used to shape the output from the Oscillators transforming the sound into something completely new. The PoiZone Filter operates in LowPass, HighPass and Band Pass modes as described below.

Controls CUTOFF: Determines the cutoff frequency of the filter. Try automating this filter knob for interesting sound variations. RESO: Determines the Resonance (Or Bandwidth) of the filter. KEYTRK: This knob controls how closely the filter cutoff frequency will be tied to the MIDI key number pressed by the user. Lower keys will result in lower cutoffs, while higher keys will have the opposite affect. VELTRK: Determines how much velocity will effect the filter cutoff frequency. MODE: Toggles the filter between LP - Low-Pass, frequencies below the cutoff are allowed to pass, those above are filtered out. BP - Band-Pass, a band of frequencies are allowed to pass, those above or below are filtered out. Cutoff controls the center position of this band. HP - High-Pass, frequencies above the cutoff are allowed to pass, those below are filtered out.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Arpeggiator

PoiZone Arpeggiator The PoiZone Arpeggiator can sync the playback of various patterns to the host tempo allowing you to create complex melodies while holding down notes or chords, instant gratification is yours!

Controls MODE: Select from one of 5 modes OFF: The arpeggiator is turned off. UP: Notes are played back from the lowest to the highest held and then the arpeggiator loops back to the start (e.g. 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4, etc). DOWN: Notes are played back from the highest to the lowest held and then the arpeggiator loops back to the start (4,3,2,1 4,3,2,1, etc). UP/DOWN: The note sequence runs up and down those held (e.g. 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 - 1,2,3,4,3,2,1, etc). RANDOM: Notes are played back in random order from among those held. RANGE: Select the number of octaves the pattern will be played over. Select from 1 to 4 octaves. TMP SYNC: Tempo Sync, this determines how quickly and in what time signature the Arpeggiator will play relative to the host tempo. 1/32 (32nd notes) is the fastest setting while 4/4 (whole notes) is the slowest.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Effects

Effects The effects are important to add 'polish' to your sounds. PoiZone offers a DELAY and CHORUS effect bank, To activate the effect, click on the 'ON' button (it will light-up red). Values for controls may be seen in the top left display of PoiZone.

DELAY Delay is an echo-based effect. Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a 'reverb' like sound. ON: Turn the effect ON/OFF. LEFT: Delay time for the left channel. Changes in 1/16th note tempo-synced units. RIGHT: Delay time for the right channel. Changes in 1/16th note temposynced units. FDBK: Feedback, the level of the delay feedback. Greater levels produce more echoes. MDPTH: Delay Time Modulation Depth. The delay has an internal LFO that can control the delay time. LO-CUT: Low Cut, determines a high-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer the tail of echoes, the less low frequencies they will contain. HI-CUT: High Cut, determines a low-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer the tail of echoes, the less high frequencies they will contain.

WET: The amount of wet (effect) added to the dry sound (i.e. Full-Left is 100% Dry + 0% Wet, Full-Right is 100% Dry + 100% Wet).

CHORUS The Chorus effect results from the interaction of several copies of the original sound that are detuned by a very small and constantly variable amount. It is called 'Chorus' because it can make a single voice sound like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) to create a thick and lush texture. The Chorus in PoiZone does not have delay time control, rather delay time is modulated with the main LFO, so it varies from zero to "depth" in range. With rate at which the pitch variations occur is controlled by "rate" knob. ON: Turn the effect ON/OFF. DEPTH: Depth of the chorus effect. RATE: The speed at which the chorus voices change pitch (in Hz). WET: The amount of wet (effect) added to the dry sound (i.e. Full-Left is 100% Dry + 0% Wet, Full-Right is 100% Dry + 100% Wet).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

PoiZone - Trance Gate

Trance Gate The PoiZone Trance Gate chops the final output sound from the effects section according to the selected pattern. The gate has a 16 step pattern that is synced to host tempo.

Controls TMP SYNC: Tempo Sync, this determines how quickly and in what time signature the Trance Gate will gate (chop) relative to the host tempo. 1/32 (32nd notes) is the fastest setting while 4/4 (whole notes) is the slowest. WET: The balance between the wet (gated) and dry sound. Right is 100% gating, left is 0%. SMOOTH: This controls the aggressiveness of the gate attack, similar to the attack of an envelope. Left is a faster gate while right is slower gate. GATE PATTERN: Each step in the row of 16 squares represents 1 unit of the TMP SYNC selection. Selected steps (black) is gate OFF, deselected steps (orange) is gate ON. Left-click with your mouse to select/deselect steps.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

ReWired ReWired allows you to host any compatible ReWire device in FL Studio, including sample accurate streaming audio input, synchronized transport/playback controls and MIDI data receive/transmit. For more information, please see the Rewire Host Mode pages.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sakura DEMO ONLY: Sakura is provided as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Sakura channels.

Like the transient beauty of Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom), the sound of stringed instruments blossoms and fades. Sakura, the string physical modeling instrument, expresses the delicacy and beauty of stringed sounds.

Click on the image above or the link below to jump to the help for that section. Master Controls Modeling Modulation Acoustics & Effects

Overview Just as the traditionally cultivated and prized Sakura has 5 petals, Sakura the modeling instrument implements the hanami-go method:

Sakura Hanami-Go Method Virtual modeling in Sakura follows a 5 stage hanami-method: Touch - An impulse, the mechanical contact with the string, is generated then shaped to

simulate plucks, picks, scrapes, hammers, taps or humble fingers. Vibration - Sakura's dual string model then gives the operator control over a wide range of parameters including damping, tension, positioning and string properties. String interaction - A single string or dual strings are mixed, panned and enveloped to simulate interactions (where desired). Resonance - The string's vibration then excites an 8-resonator 'body simulator' to model the size, material and shape of the instrument. Acoustics - Virtual acoustic space is then simulated with chorus, delay and reverberation effects. Definitions: Sa.ku.ra - Cherry blossom. Ha.na.mi - The Japanese tradition of enjoying Sakura. Go - Five.

Master Controls The Cherry Blossom - Click on the Blossom to display Credits, Version and Registration details. Preset - Load presets by clicking on the center of the name display. Left and right arrows step through presets. Options: Save Program - Save the current program (sound) as a single file. Load Program - Load a single program (sound). Reset Program - Reset Sakura program to the default state. Transpose - Transpose the main pitch +/- 3 octaves. Tune - Transpose the tuning +/- 50 cents. Volume - Main output volume. Level - The red portion of the meter shows the 'over 0 dB' range when Sakura is in a calibrated output environment.

Modeling Touch These controls allow you to simulate plucked, struck, picked and bowed sounds depending on the settings. The Exciter stage determines the initial mode of contact. This 'impulse' is further refined with the 'Hi Cut' (filtering controls).

Exciter: Controls the string excitation that is the simulated method of actuating the string's vibration. Click/Noise - This slider controls the balance between a single click (top, associated with plucking and picking) and noise (bottom, associated with bowed or scraped sounds). When creating a 'bowed' string, the slider should be moved towards the 'Noise' end of the scale. When making a plucked or picked sound, it should be moved towards the 'Click' end. The filter section that follows the Exciter is also very important for determining the audio qualities of the string's excitation. Noise rate - Controls the intensity and high-frequency content of the noise waveform. To hear the noise in isolation turn the String 'Decay' controls to minimum. Hi Cut The Hi Cut controls impose both filtering and enveloping on the Exciter waveform. They are important for shaping the overall 'touch' to the string. For example, simulating pick vs finger plucking, bowed vs scraped interactions. Cutoff - Cutoff frequency for the 'High Pass' filter. When simulating picked sounds (fingernails or plectrums) more height frequencies should be allowed to pass. When a finger pad 'pluck' is simulated then less high frequencies are generally used. Reso - Resonance is a boost in the volume of frequencies close to the filter cutoff. Overdrive - A form of distortion, pleasing to some and useful for certain string sounds. A - Attack speed. Slower attacks are useful for bowed sounds. Fast attacks are required for plucked sounds. D - Decay rate. Rate at which the excitatory waveform decays. S - Sustain level. The volume level at which the excitatory waveform is held when a key is held. For example, a bowed sound may require a slightly lower 'sustain' level than the initial bowing attack level. Low Cut The Exciter waveform can also be filtered of low frequencies. Cutoff - Low frequency cutoff. Reso - Resonance is a boost in the volume of frequencies close to the filter cutoff.

Vibration String 1 & 2 The string section is divided into three main parts. The left side (black bar) controls the fixed Pickup 1 and string interactions, the middle section string damping controls, and the right side Pickup 2 and interactions. Decay - String decay time. -/+ - string reflection phase. When a string is plucked a number of waves propagate

up and

down the length of the the string reflecting of the fixed end-points. These controls determine the phase of reflected waves. Tonal changes occur since the phase of the reflected waves determines whether there will be constructive or destructive interference with other waves in the string as they meet. S2 Ratio - Frequency ratio of String 1 to String 2. Click on the window to show options. Amount - Damping amount Sharpness - Rate of decay. Offset - Damping offset for the far string node.

String interaction Mix - Controls the mixture of String 1 and 2. Center to hear both strings. Turn the knob left to hear String 1 or right to hear String 2. Stereo Spread (String 1 / String 2 slider) - When the slider is in the middle String 1 and 2 are panned to center. Move the slider upwards to pan String 1 to the right and String 2 to the left. Down pans String 1 to the left and String 2 to the right. Saturation - A type of analog distortion pleasing to some.

Envelope Standard ADSR envelope to control the overall String 1 & 2 output. A - Attack speed. D - Decay rate. S - Sustain level. The volume level at which the volume is held when a key is held. R - Release time.

Resonator In stringed instruments a large part of both the tonal quality and volume of the sound comes from the string vibrating (resonating) the body of the instrument and any air spaces within it. Resonance

is the

process where an object vibrates in sympathy with a vibration source (in this case strings). Sakura has an 8 stage 'resonator', that is the ability to set up 8 specific frequencies at which the simulated body will resonate. FB - Feedback. This knob controls how much resonance the control will contribute. Greater levels of feedback produce louder and longer lasting resonances. Frequency slider - Tunes the resonant frequency of the specific resonance.

Modulation The grey band under the modeling section allows you to set up various modulation relationships. These are particularly important for adding variation and expressiveness to sounds.

Free Envelope A standard ADSR envelope to serve as a modulation source in the Modulation matrix. A - Attack speed. D - Decay rate. S - Sustain level. The volume level at which the volume is held when a key is held. R - Release time.

LFO A standard Low Frequency Oscillator to serve as a modulation source in the Modulation matrix. Rate - LFO speed.

Modulation Matrix An 8 stage modulation matrix allows you to assign modulation sources to vary the values of the nominated targets. The upper field selects the modulation source while the lower field selects the modulation target. Modulation Source (upper field) - Left-click to select: '---' - Off. envelope - Free envelope, set on the far left of the modulation matrix section. lfo - Low Frequency Oscillator, set on the left of the modulation matrix section. mod whl - Modulation wheel. Standard MIDI input parameter (an external controller with a Mod Wheel is required to use this source). ptch whl - Pitch wheel. Standard MIDI input parameter (an external controller with a Pitch Wheel is required to use this source). aftch - Aftertouch. Keyboard key-pressure modulation. velocity - Key velocity. key num - Controller keyboard key number. release - Key release velocity. Amount (knob) - Scales the modulation amount. Phase (switch) - Changes the modulation phase (direction). Modulation Destination (lower field) - Left-click to select: lfo ampl - LFO amplitude. level - Volume level.​ pan - Stereo panning.

pitch - Pitch.​ lo-cut ctf - Low cut cutoff frequency. hi-cut ctf - High cut cutoff frequency. hi-cut atk - High cut attack speed. hi-cut dec - High cut decay speed. str1 decay - String 1 decay. str2 decay - String 2 decay. str1&2 dec - String 1 & 2 decay. str1 damp - String 1 damping. str2 damp - String 2 damping. str1&2 dmp - String 1 & 2 simultaneous damping. noise rate - Noise rate.

Acoustics & Effects The effects are important to add 'polish' to your sounds. Sakura offers Delay, Chorus and Reverb, To activate the effect, click on the 'ON' button in the lower right corner of each effect section (it will light up). Delay - Creates echoes or 'reverb' effects when the time settings are short. Time - Spacing between echoes. Sync - Sync echoes to beats. '---' is off, so the 'Time' control works in ms. Feedback - Adjusts the level of the echo feedback. Greater levels produce more echoes. Chorus - The Chorus effect results from the interaction of several copies of the original sound that are detuned by a very small and continuously variable amount. It is called 'Chorus' because it can make a single voice sound like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) to create a thick and lush texture. The Chorus in Sakura does not have a delay time control. Rather delay time is modulated with the main LFO, so it varies from zero to "depth" in range. With rate at which the pitch variations occur is controlled by "rate" knob. Depth - Depth of the chorus detuning. Speed - The speed at which the chorus voices change pitch (in Hz). Mix - The amount of wet (effect) added to the dry sound (i.e. Full-Left is 100% Dry + 0% Wet, Full-Right is 100% Dry + 100% Wet). Reverb - Reverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a 'reverberant' sound. Sakura's reverb parameters

allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your patches a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical. Decay - The time it takes the reverberation to fade away. Higher values make the room sound like it has hard shiny surfaces. Lower values more muted and padded. Color - Changes the cut-off frequency of a low-pass filter. Use this to remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. Mix - Mix between the wet (reverberant) and dry signal.

Sakura Online Hear demo tracks, check for updates or purchase Sakura online at www.image-line.com

Plugin Credits: Sakura was created by Maxx Claster exclusively for Image Line Software BVBA Copyright 2009-2010.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer DEMO ONLY: Sawer is provided as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Sawer channels. Sawer is a vintage modeling synthesizer, that can cut through a mix with precisely articulated and punchy sounds.

Video tutorials here

.

Click on the interface above or the list below to jump to the help for that section. General Settings Master Controls Oscillators Filter Modulation Effects Arpeggiator MIDI Control

Overview

Sawer Development Filters & Oscillators Sawer pays homage to the envelopes and filters of a rare 1980s 'Soviet era' analog synthesizer, Polivoks. Maxx has devoted meticulous attention to the detail of Sawer's filter design, ensuring Sawer delivers a unique sonic character reminiscent of the Polivoks hardware. But Polivoks, like all analog synthesizers, wasn't without its problems. Keeping the oscillators stable and in tune has been likened to 'moving a pile of live frogs, by wheelbarrow' - impossible! As Sawer is algorithmic, this solves the problems of tuning and stability. However, in the same way electrical component instability makes analog gear unique (if not cranky), Sawer benefits from the 21st century equivalent, a coding error. While programming the SAW oscillator, Maxx accidentally set some incorrect variables and immediately the sound gained bass, acquired some light but pleasing noise on the attack and an overall richer sonic spectra. Maxx realized this was not a mistake, it was a discovery. Building on this sound Maxx added some frequency modulation to give it a touch of analog 'authenticity', and so Sawer was born.

Physical Envelopes Sawer carries forward the 'physical' envelopes first heard in Toxic Biohazard

. Physical envelopes are named

as such because they are modeled on the physical decay & resonance of natural sounds. Rendered in realtime, without interpolation to avoid noise artifacts, they allow Sawer to deliver incredibly fast, sampleaccurate, envelopes.

Features Sawer has the following key design features -

Voicing Main oscillator for subtractive synthesis: SAW shape with Sync frequency. Sub oscillator (-2 to +2 octaves) with level, phase & detune controls. 1 NOISE Oscillator. Variable polyphony (1 to 24 voices). 8 voice UNISON with user-adjustable stereo panning, detune and 'Octaver'. The Octaver expands the harmonic range and flexibility of the unison sound. Additionally it supports the creation of realistic 'vox-like' effects.

Modulation SYNC frequency modulation. RING modulation. 2 ADSR envelope generators (one user-assignable to modulation parameters). 4 FILTER modes - low pass (24 & 12 dB/Oct), band pass and high pass. Sawer features a warm, analog-modeled filter with self oscillation. The Sawer filter can sound bright and clean, passing high-frequencies transparently, or 'gritty and grungy' with the addition of resonance (including carefully crafted distortion) for that 'exciting' sound. Keyboard and Velocity tracking for the filter.

Effects CHORUS provides a fat and warm sound with excellent unison emulation. PHASER great for stereo 'panning' effect. DELAY effect, with tempo-synced, click-free stereo delays and delay time modulation. Lo-cut and hi-cut for trancers! REVERB simulating acoustic spaces.

Performance Muti-mode Arpeggiator. MIDI learn feature with the ability to save/load MIDI setups to/from a patch. MIDI MODULATION MATRIX - Controller parameters (e.g. LFO and MOD WHEEL) can be assigned to a wide range of performance parameters in Sawer.

Sawer Online Hear demo tracks, check for updates or purchase Sawer online at www.image-line.com

Plugin Credits: Sawer was created by Maxx Claster exclusively for Image Line Software

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - General Settings & Controls

General Settings & Controls The Master Controls section provides a range of global controls as described below:

Program management BANK: Several options for managing banks Bank names - Displays the names of banks available to load. Online content - Opens the online-content browser where you can download new Sawer patches and banks (if available). PRG (Program) - Drop-down menu containing the list of preset sounds in the current Bank. OPTIONS Save Program - Save the current program (sound) as a single file. Load Program - Load a single program (sound). Reset Program - Reset Sawer program to the default state. Import CC Map - Load a Continuous Controllers MIDI setup from preset file. Reset CC Map - Reset the Continuous Controllers MIDI settings to the default state.

MIDI Controls CTRL (Control): Shows the active MIDI control and value. LINK: Link the last touched MIDI parameter (on your controller) to the selected target in Sawer. UNLINK: Unlink the displayed link-relationship. PARAM: Displays the value of the currently selected parameter.

Voice Controls POLYPHONY: Set 4 to 24 note polyphony. Polyphony sets the maximum number of notes that can sound at one time. With lower polyphony numbers the 'voice stealing' will occur. This can help to keep CPU loads down. BEND RANGE: Sets the maximum pitch bend range in semitones (1 to 12). ?: Sawer information.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Master Controls

Master Controls The Master Controls section provides a range of global controls as described below:

Amplifier LEVEL - Final output volume control. PANNING - Final output panning. ADSR - Note volume envelope controls: ATK (Attack) - Note volume ramp-up speed. DEC (Decay) - Note volume ramp down speed (after reaching the maximum level set by the Attack). SUS (Sustain) - Note volume when held (after the Decay time has completed). REL (Release) - Note volume release rate (decays to silence).

Tuning TRANSP (Transpose) - Controls the global pitch in semitones. FINE - Controls the global pitch in cents (1/100th semitone steps). The range is -100 to +100 cents with 0 in the middle position (vertical knob).

Portamento Portamento is used to slide between notes or create legato effects. STATIC/VARI (Static / Variable) - Static: Glide time is static. Notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size. Variable: Glide time is variable depending on jump size. The glide rate is fixed so larger note intervals will take longer. BEND/HELD - Bend: All notes will glide. Held: Only held (overlapping) notes will glide. GLIDE TIME - Controls the slide-rate between notes.

Voicing MONO/POLY (Monophonic/Polyphonic) - Monophonic: playback mode, only one note will play at a time. Polyphonic: playback mode, multiple notes will play, up to the maximum set by the General Settings POLYPHONY option. OCT (Octave) - Even numbered UNISON voices are shifted up one octave. RETRIG (Retrigger) - All unison voices are retriggered and phases reset at note on. UNISON VOICES - Set the number of unison voices from 1 to 8. 1 = No unison. Unison is similar to chorus in that copies of each voice (note) are detuned and panned to create a thicker audio texture. UNISON DETUNE - The relative detuning of the unison voices. Higher levels creates a more discordant sound. UNISON PANNING - The relative stereo panning of the unison voices. Higher levels create a wider stereo field.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Oscillators

Oscillators Oscillators are the basic sound sources of a synthesizer. Sawer has 2 Oscillators (Main and SUB Oscillator) and one 'Noise' source. The main oscillator generates SAW shapes that can be further filtered. The SUB Oscillator can generate SAW or SQUARE shapes and has level, phase, octave and detune controls. The oscillator features, together with 'Unison' in the Master Controls section and the Effects Section allow Sawer to create thick, lush textures and cutting leads.

Controls Main SAW oscillator NOISE LEVEL - Controls the level of the Noise oscillator. Noise can be used to give a sharp, breathy or metallic attack quality to sounds. SYNC FREQ - When Sync is selected (the LED switch is to the upper right of the Sync-knob), the Main-oscillator synchronizes its phase to (an unheard oscillator's) frequency. In other words, every time the Sync-frequency oscillator completes a cycle, the Main-oscillator is forced to reset its cycle from the beginning. This adds in harmonics or overtones to the sound. Automating the Sync-frequency control is an effective way of generating cutting and evolving saw-sounds. Sub Oscillator

RETRIG (Retrigger) - Resets the phase of the Sub Oscillator at note-on events. INVERT - Inverts the phase of the Sub Oscillator. SQUARE - Sets the oscillator to a square wave. LEVEL - Relative volume of the Sub-Saw. PHASE - Phase relationship between the Sub-saw and Main-Saw oscillators. OCTAVE - Changes the pitch of the Sub-oscillator in octaves. DETUNE - Offsets the tune of the Sub-oscillator.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Filter

Filter Section The Sawer filter can be used to shape the output from the Oscillators, transforming the sound into something completely new. The Sawer Filter operates in LowPass (two filter slopes 12 & 24 dB/Oct), High Pass and Band Pass modes as described below.

Filter Controls CUTOFF - Sets the filter cutoff frequency. Try automating this filter knob for interesting sound variations. The LFO section can be used to control the Cutoff knob or the ENVELOPE section below. RESO (Resonance) - Filter resonance introduces a frequency boost just prior to the cutoff slope. This gives the sound a metallic or 'resonant' quality. KBD TRACK (Keyboard Tracking) - This links the cutoff frequency to the MIDI note number. Low notes will have a lower cutoff frequency for a 'darker' sound while higher notes will have a higher cutoff frequency for a 'brighter' sound. The amount of keyboard tracking controls the strength of this effect. VEL TRACK (Velocity Tracking) - This links the filter cutoff frequency to note velocity. Soft notes will have a darker more muted sound while harder struck notes will have a brighter sound. The amount of velocity tracking controls the strength of this effect. MODE toggles the filter between LP 12 / 24 - Low-Pass (12 or 24 dB per octave), frequencies below the cutoff are allowed to pass, those above are filtered

out. BP - Band-Pass, a band of frequencies are allowed to pass, those above and below the center of the band (controlled by the CUTOFF knob) are filtered out. HP - High-Pass, frequencies above the cutoff frequency are allowed to pass, those below are filtered out.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Modulation

Modulation Sawer provides an Envelope and LFO source that can be used to control a number of destination controls on the interface. Modulation is critical for achieving the most interesting and evolving sounds.

Envelope Controls A modulation envelope responds to note events as follows: ADSR ATK (Attack) - Modulation envelope ramp-up speed. DEC (Decay) - Modulation envelope ramp down speed (after reaching the maximum level set by the Attack). SUS (Sustain) - Modulation envelope note sustain level (after the Decay time has completed). REL (Release) - Modulation envelope note release rate (decays to silence). AMPLITUDE - Is a multiplier factor, or the amount of Modulation Envelope applied to the Destination control. DESTINATION - Select the Envelope to modulate: CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency. SYNC FREQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency.

SUB PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase. MASTER FREQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency.

LFO Controls LFO is a 'Low Frequency Oscillator' that creates an oscillating control output, the rate of which can be adjusted between 0 and 10 Hz. This generator is used to control parameters inside Sawer to add motion or variability to sounds in order to make them more interesting. SPEED - LFO speed, between 0 and 10 Hz. ATTACK - Fade-in for the LFO, ramps up the LFO amount. This is linked to a note-on event. RELEASE - Fade-out for the LFO, ramps down the LFO amount. This is linked to a note-release event. AMPLITUDE - A multiplier or amount of LFO to be applied to the Destination control. RETRIG (Retrigger) - Restarts the LFO cycle at the start of each note. TMP SYNC (Tempo Sync) - Synchronizes the LFO speed to the host tempo. When selected the SPEED knob now controls the tempo sync from 1/16th to 32/4. INV (Invert) - Inverts the phase of the LFO waveform. SHAPE - Select the LFO shape (TRIANGLE, SAW, SQUARE, RANDOM). LFO DESTINATION LFO Destination, select from CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency. SYNC FRQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency. PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase. FREQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency. NOISE - Controls the Oscillator noise level. LEVEL - Master volume. PAN - Master panning.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Effects

Effects The effects are important to add 'polish' to your sounds. Sawer offers CHORUS, PHASER, DELAY and REVERB. To activate the effect, click on the 'ON' button next to the effect name (it will light red).

CHORUS The Chorus effect results from the interaction of several copies of the original sound that are detuned by a very small and continuously variable amount. 'Chorus' is so called because it makes a single voice sound like a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other). Chorus creates a thick and lush texture. The Chorus in Sawer does not have a delay time control, rather delay time is modulated with the main LFO. With rate at which the pitch variations occur is controlled by "rate" knob. DEPTH - Depth of the chorus detuning. RATE - The speed at which the chorus voices change pitch (in Hz). MIX - The amount of wet (effect) added to the dry sound (i.e. Full-Left is 100% Dry + 0% Wet, Full-Right is 100% Dry + 100% Wet).

PHASER Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both come from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. However, the Phasing effect is significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum. CENTER - Center frequency around which the phase inversion occurs. RATE - Controls the LFO detune speed between phaser voices. DEPTH - Control the range (depth) of the phasing effect. FDBK (Feedback) - Increases the amount of signal fed back into the phaser for a more complex sound. MIX - Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

DELAY Delay is an echo-based effect. Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a 'reverb' like sound while longer asymmetrical settings are great for left-right 'ping-pong' effects. LEFT - Delay time for the left channel. RIGHT - Delay time for the right channel. FDBACK (Feedback) - Adjusts the level of the delay feedback. Greater levels produce more echoes. M DEPTH (Modulation Depth) Delay Time Modulation Depth. This is an internal LFO that can modulate the delay time. LO-CUT - Low Cut, sets a high-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer the tail of echoes, the less low frequencies they will contain. The sound becomes 'thinner'. HI-CUT - High Cut, sets a low-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer the tail of echoes, the less high frequencies they will contain. The sound becomes 'darker'. MIX - The amount DELAY effect added to the dry sound.

REVERB Reverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a 'reverberant' sound. Sawer's reverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your patches a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical. DECAY - The time it takes the reverberation to fade away. Higher values make the room sound like it has hard shiny surfaces. Lower values simulate more muted and padded surfaces. HI-CUT - Changes the cut-off frequency of a low-pass filter. Use this to remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. DAMP (Damping) - Damping, adjusts attenuation of the high frequencies in the reverb signal. Damping refers to the rate at which the high frequencies decay relative to the low frequencies. This level control causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warmer. The frequencies affected are controlled by the HI-CUT knob. MIX - Mix between the wet (reverberant) and dry signal.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - Arpeggiator

Sawer Arpeggiator The Sawer Arpeggiator can sync the playback of various patterns to the host tempo allowing you to create complex melodies while holding down notes or chords, instant gratification is yours!

Controls MODE - Select from one of 4 modes: UP: Notes are played back from the lowest to the highest held and then the arpeggiator loops back to the start (e.g. 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4, etc). DOWN: Notes are played back from the highest to the lowest held and then the arpeggiator loops back to the start (4,3,2,1 4,3,2,1, etc). UP/DN (Up/Down): The note sequence runs up and down those held (e.g. 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 - 1,2,3,4,3,2,1, etc). RND (Random): Notes are played back in random order from among those held. PLAY - Select to turn on the Arpeggiator. SYNC - Tempo Sync, this determines how quickly and in what time signature the Arpeggiator will play relative to the host tempo. 1/32 (32nd notes) is the fastest setting while 3/4 (whole notes) is the slowest. RANGE - Select the number of octaves the pattern will be played over. Select from 1 to 4 octaves.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sawer - MIDI Modulation Matrix

MIDI The MIDI Modulation Matrix provides the ability to route a MIDI controller to a range of targets in Sawer, as described below. NOTE: MIDI assignments are saved on a per-program (sound) basis.

Controls The matrix provides 6 Source & Destination pairings. That is 6 MIDI controller source to Sawer destination controls. SOURCE - Click on the Source Name area to open a drop-down list of MIDI sources. AMOUNT (Amount) - The amount of modulation that the source will apply to the destination. DESTINATION - Click on the Destination field to open a drop-down menu of Sawer controls.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Credits & Information

Credits: Sawer was created & developed by Maxx Claster Manual: Scott Fisher

. No one reads the manual!

Distributed by: Image Line Software Kortrijksesteenweg 281 B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgium

Copyright (©) 2008-2009

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INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

SimSynth Live SimSynth Live is the FL Studio plugin version of the widely popular SimSynth standalone created by David Billen. SimSynth Live is modeled after the classic analogue synthesizers of the 80's and is capable of producing a wide range of instruments and effects: from strings and pads to deep bass lines. The sound is created by three oscillators, filtered by a SVF section (State Variable Filter) and amplified by an ADSR envelope. The

unit includes a programmable LFO section that can control some of the parameters in the oscillator and SVF sections. Finally you can filter the sound with a chorus effect to widen the stereo panorama of the patch.

Parameters Oscillators Section (OSC1, OSC2, OSC3) Oscillator ON/OFF switch - Each oscillator has a checkbox on its left that can be used to turn it on/off. An orange light indicates the oscillator is turned on. Oscillator Waveshape selector - The selector is located at the top of each oscillator. You can use it to select the wave shape used for synthesis: Pulse/Square – This produces a bright tone sounds. The pulse width can be adjusted using the PW knob (and can also achieve square oscillator shape); Saw – Produces bright tone sounds yet with different harmonics than Pulse/Square; Triangle – Produces dark tone sounds; Noise – Produces random white noise. The frequency range of the noise can be adjusted using the CRS knob where zero is white noise (full spectrum); Sine – This produces a very dark and pure tone. The sine can be varied from standard to the 4th power using the PW knob. Pulse Width wheel (PW) – Adjusts the pulse width of the Pulse wave shape. This varies the harmonic content of the oscillator (technically it varies it from odd harmonics to all harmonics). It also affects the Sine

wave shape - from standard sine to 4th power of sine. Frequency wheel (CRS) – Offsets the frequency of the oscillator in semitones. Has a two octave range, from –12 to +12. Fine Frequency (FINE) – Offsets the frequency of the oscillator in cents, (1/100-th’s of a semitone). Has a two semitone range, from –100 to +100. Level wheel (LVL) – Sets the output level (volume) of the oscillator from 0 to 100%. LFO Modulation wheel (LFO) – Specifies the amount of frequency modulation from the LFO unit. Has a two octave range, from –100% to +100%. Note that in order for the LFO to modulate around a tuned frequency, the CRS and/or FINE knobs must be adjusted to compensate for the variation. Envelope Modulation wheel (ENV) - Specifies the amount of frequency modulation from the Amplitude Envelope. Has a two octave range, from – 100% to +100%. Mix One Octave switch (1) – Mixes additional wave in the oscillator (one octave higher). Adds an octave to the oscillator. Best used with the sine and triangular wave shapes. Mix Two Octaves switch (2) – Mixes additional wave in the oscillator (two octaves higher). Best used with the sine wave shape. Warm Oscillator switch (WARM) – Softens the oscillator sound by mixing a second wave with slightly detuned frequency (without variation). Ring Modulation switch (Ring 1x2) – Ring modulates Oscillator 1 by Oscillator 2. This produces a "harsh" sound that was expensive with the older analogue synths.

Filter Section (SVF) Filter Envelope Attack wheel (ATT) - The amount of time required for the envelope to go from zero to full when a new note is played. Filter Envelope Decay wheel (DEC) – The amount of time required for the envelope to fall from full to the sustain level after the attack.

Filter Envelope Sustain wheel (SUS) – The level at which the filter envelope will sustain as long as a note is held. Filter Envelope Release wheel (REL) – The amount of time required for the envelope to fall from the sustain level to zero after the note is released, or through being held. Envelope to Filter wheel (ENV) - The amount of modulation of the filter envelope over the filter cutoff value (negative or positive). This amount is added to the existing cutoff value. LFO Modulation wheel (LFO) - The amount of modulation of the LFO over the cutoff value (negative or positive). This amount is added to the existing cutoff value. Important: You must turn on the LFO unit first for this knob to have any affect. KB to Cutoff wheel (KB) – The amount of modulation of the note's pitch over the cutoff values. Track Amp switch (TRACK AMP) - This switch disables the filter envelope, and the Amplitude Envelope is used instead. The ENV wheel then controls the modulation of the Amplitude Envelope over the cutoff level. This makes editing easier when creating presets with identical filter and amp envelopes. Cut Off Frequency wheel (CUT) – The base cutoff frequency of the filter, from 0% to 100%. Filter Emphasis wheel (EMPH) – Also called resonance and Q. Emphasizes the frequencies near the cutoff. A little emphasis is useful for general purpose synthesis. A lot of emphasis sounds highly electronic and is useful for techno or special effects (together with cutoff frequency variations). High Pass Frequency wheel (HIGH) – Sets the high pass frequency of the filter. Note that this knob reduces low pass output as high pass output is increased. Set to 50% to produce a notch filter. Band Pass Frequency wheel (BAND) – Sets the band pass frequency of the filter. Note that this knob reduces low pass (or high pass as specified by the high knob), as band pass output is increased.

Amplitude Envelope (AMP)

Amplitude Envelope Attack wheel (ATT) - The amount of time required for the envelope to go from zero to full when a new note is played. Amplitude Envelope Decay wheel (DEC) – The amount of time required for the envelope to fall from full to the sustain level after the attack. Amplitude Envelope Sustain wheel (SUS) – The level at which the filter envelope will sustain as long as a note is held. Amplitude Envelope Release wheel (REL) – The amount of time required for the envelope to fall from the sustain level to zero after the note is released, or through being held. Volume wheel (LVL) – The overall volume of the audio output of SimSynth.

Low Frequency Oscillator Section (LFO) LFO Waveshape selector - The selector is placed on the top of the LFO section. You can use it to select the shape used for oscillation: Square – Alternates between the max and min values; Saw – Falls gradually down to the min value then switches to max again; Triangle – Alternates gradually between the max and min values; Noise – Produces random values. LFO Rate wheel (RATE) - The LFO speed. LFO Delay wheel (DEL) - The amount of time required for the LFO to take affect after a note starts. It can be seen as fade in or attack time for the LFO. LFO retrigger switch (RETRIGGER) - When selected, the LFO starts at zero when a note is played. Also, the delay (see above) begins with each note. When not selected, the LFO cycles continually for all notes.

Chorus Switch Chorus switch (CHORUS) - When turned on, applies a chorus effect to sound. The chorus widens the stereo output by slightly delaying and modulating the frequency of the sound. It usually adds a nice, stereo

touch to any preset - however, it can cause a side effect called "phase cancellation" which might not be desired. Phase cancellation might cause problems with bass sounds, especially if they get mixed to mono and played through a subwoofer at some point).

Plugin Credits: David Billen (engine), Frederic Vanmol (conversion), Didier Dambrin (interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Slicex Slicex uses advanced beat detection algorithms to slice song/percussion samples into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or controller. If the wave file contains slice/region data this will be automatically used instead of the beatdetection algorithm. Slicex offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. Related plugins are the Fruity Slicer and Edison. Tutorial videos

here

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Using Slicex This section is a quick-start guide to using Slicex and covers some of the most common issues new users encounter.

Quick start

Answers to four common questions people want to know about using Slicex: To play a region (slice) use the Keyboard panel, the Piano roll or an external controller. If you Right-click a region this plays the raw audio without any articulation settings, so it may sound different to the Keyboard/Piano roll method. The KB INPUT switch must be on for Slicex keyboard shortcuts to work. It's off by default so the typing-to-piano kb can be used to test your slices. To play the whole slice regardless of how long the slice key is held, load Vol - sustaining.fnv in the VOL and ENV mapping for the linked articulator. To use an ADSR envelope select the slice with the Region selector on the Articulation Panel, assign the AMP to an articulator and then load a state for that Articulator from the Envelope's Options Menu (small down-arrow next to the FREEZE selector, lower right) To play to end like in Fruity Slicer, Run script > Regions > Play to end. NOTE: The play to end is not compatible with low-tempo drumloops or fill-gaps.

Manipulating Regions (Slices) Loading samples & loops - Slicex can load and slice two independent samples/loops into decks A and B (accessed from the Wave Editor). After opening Slicex there are several ways to load a sample: Drag samples from the Browser and drop them onto the plugin channel or interface. NOTE: Holding

Shift + Dragging from the Browser will

append the new sample or slices to the existing data. Click on the grey Slicex logo that shows on the left side of the Articulation panel (prior to loading a sample). Click on an empty Wave editor window to open a file browser. Click on the File icon on the Wave editor to open a file browser. Slicex will then load and automatically slice loaded samples (deck A is used unless the sample is deliberately dropped on deck B). Manual tempo setting using a selection - You can improve many autoslicing functions by manually setting the tempo properties of the sample. Highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact # of beats, then the

properties dialog (

F2) will show 'Selection (beats)' instead of 'Length

(beats)'. If 4 beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected. Manual grid/tempo alignment using downbeat - As some options slice according to the background grid, you may want to try manually aligning the grid to the beat.

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the location in the

sample where the first downbeat marker is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift keys still held (drag left/right) to

adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat. Perfecting slices - After loading the sample/loop there are two possibilities depending on the sample/loop that was loaded: The gaps between slices are pre-filled. Pre-made Slicex loops and REX files will often be ready to play without further processing (if the author knew how to make a correctly sliced loop). Gaps or clicks can be heard between slices. In this case, start by adjust the slice points manually (if needed). Clicking on the small tab at the top of the slice markers and moving them appropriately, this may solve your problems, if not then try: Tools > Regions > Declick out all regions OR Tools > Regions > Perfect all regions depending on what sounds best. Declick out is usually better than 'perfect' for drumloops, as it only smooths the decay portion leaving the attack transients untouched. OR Tools > Time > Drum(loop) stretch can be done globally, or per-slice for more accuracy. This methods overwrites the original sample data (a destructive edit), explaining why it is not done automatically. The stretch method is best used when drum sounds are already cut too short and you can't afford losing even more of the decay de-clicking slices. NOTE: Slicex's own sampler has a real-time declicker, but if the decay is already short, Slicex can't do magic. Layering slices - Slicex has a range of powerful layering tools that will give your sliced loops the creative edge. Right-click a slices region-marker tab and select 'Trigger note', then select your piano key. Once you assign another slice to the same key the layering options on the Master panel will provide more creative options.

Editing samples - Slicex includes a Wave Editor with all the power of Edison, so you can edit, mangle, process and tweak slices to perfection. Express yourself - Programmed variations are the key to expressive control and Slicex has infinite variation as a design principle. Any number of regions, within and between decks, can be layered/crossfaded using the settings on the Master Panel. Region slices may be assigned to any or all keys. All the while, these samples and layers are under the control of the articulator section that includes filters, envelopes, LFOs and more. Think outside the loop - Yes, Slicex is the perfect loop/beat slicer and percussion powerhouse however, Slicex will process any source audio with equal ease - why not try it on melodic parts, vocals, guitar tracks or whole songs! The creative and sonic possibilities are endless.

For details on each section click on the heading below:

Master Panel Articulation Panel Wave Editor Keyboard & Piano roll Controls Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin. Script compiler: paxCompiler

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Slicex - Master Panel Slicex uses advanced beat detection algorithms to slice song/percussion samples into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or controller. If the wave file contains slice/region data this will be automatically used instead of the beatdetection algorithm. Slicex offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. Related plugins are the Fruity Slicer and Edison.

Master Panel Controls are described from left to right -

Master levels Master level - Final output volume from Slicex.

Master randomness level - Scales the randomness level. Master LFO - Scales the LFO level. Master Pitch - Changes the pitch of all slices.

Modulation X/Y Modulation Pad - Click here and move your mouse to control linked X and Y controls. Smooth - Smooths modulation input. X & Y knobs - Independent X and Y controls.

Layering To activate layering between regions within OR between Decks A and B, select a layering option from the Options menu. To create a layer simply assign more than one region to the same note/key. These regions can come from within the same deck or between decks. Layered regions are played in order - Deck A (left to right), Deck B (left to right). Drum layering mode - Drop down menu: All - When more than one slice region is assigned to the same note, all will play. All (gain compensated) Same as above, with the total output volume lowered so that two slice regions don't sound louder than one. Velocity-mapped - Velocity values are used to crossfade between coassigned slice regions using the crossfade method/curve set below the layering menu. Modulation X-mapped - X modulation values are used to crossfade between co-assigned slice regions using the crossfade method/curve set below the layering menu. Modulation Y-mapped - Y modulation values are used to crossfade between co-assigned slice regions using the crossfade method/curve set below the layering menu. Random - A random modulation value is used to crossfade layered slice regions. When the crossfade method is set to NONE this will randomly flip between assigned slice regions.

Cycle - Alternates between co-assigned slice regions. Song time-synced - Selects the slice region that is closest to the current tempo. Same deck (switch) - If slice regions from Deck A & B are layered, both will play. If the 'same deck' switch is on and the notes are received from an even MIDI channel co-assigned regions of Deck A will be layered if notes are received from an odd MIDI channel Deck B regions will be layered. Layering is according to the crossfade type selected below. NOTE: Each color in the Piano roll represents a different MIDI channel (1 to 16). To see the number, open the color selector, hover over the note colors and look at the hint bar. Crossfade curve - The crossfade icons select the following crossfade curves: None - Layered regions instantly switch from one to another. Linear - Mathematically linear crossfade. Balanced curve - Perceptually balanced crossfade. Unbalanced curve - Rapid crossfade. Adding - Alternative rapid crossfade.

Options Down arrow Macros (scripts that configure Slicex). Assign both decks to whole keyboard - Assigns slices on Decks A and B side-by-side on the keyboard. Assign both decks to black & white notes - Assigns slices on Deck A to white notes and those on Deck B to black notes. Layer both decks - Layers both decks in parallel. That is, region 1 to n of Deck A is layered with the corresponding region 1 to n of Deck B. Layer selections in both decks - Assigns the selection in both decks to the same note. Layer homonymous regions - Layers regions with the same name ('homonymous' adjective - of homonym; having the same name). NOTE: This is a macro so you need to re-run it if you subsequently give some more regions the same name.

Assign deck A regions to articulator 1 - Assigns all regions in Deck A to Articulator 1. Assign deck B regions to articulator 2 - Assigns all regions in Deck B to Articulator 2. Normalize layered region levels - Normalizes the volume of layered regions. Settings Sample start covers whole length - OFF: The sample start mapping covers 100ms. ON: Covers the length of the slice region. This setting is used to limit (or not) the sample start modulation articulation to the attack portion of the sound (~ 100 ms). Link velocity to volume - Key velocity controls region slice volume. Loop half of regions - Loops the last 1/2 of regions. HQ envelopes - When selected, envelopes will have greater accuracy. Lock audio data - Prevents editing of the audio. Leave unedited audio data on disk - Unedited audio data is not saved along with the presets/project, and so bloating the size of save files. About - Information about Slicex. Auto dump - Automatically dumps Piano roll notes for samples imported into Deck A. Deck B must be forced to dump to the Piano roll using the 'Dump score' button from the Editor panel. KB Input - Enable typing keyboard-input for working with keyboard shortcuts in the Editor section & when working with MIDI controllers as it enables transport functions. Disable to play Slicex from the typing keyboard.

Display Modes Keyboard - Shows/hides the preview keyboard Full - Shows all main panels. No audio editor - Hides the audio editor panel (bottom). No region settings - Hides the Articulation panel (middle).

Compact - Displays only the Master panel (top).

Articulation Panel Wave Editor Keyboard & Piano roll Controls

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Slicex - Articulation Panel Slicex uses advanced beat detection algorithms to slice song/percussion samples into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or controller. If the wave file contains slice/Region data this will be automatically used instead of the beatdetection algorithm. Slicex offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. Related plugins are the Fruity Slicer and Edison.

Master Panel Articulation Panel This panel controls envelopes, filtering, Mixer track output routing and other modulation effects applied to the Regions (slices).

Region settings Each Region has a number of parameters that can be modulated by one of 8 sets of envelopes (Articulators). Region selector (Marker #1 to #n) - Each Marker defines the start of an independent Region. Each Region contains the following settings: OUT - Output mixer channel offset. '---' = none. Causes Slices to output Regions to indpendent Mixer tracks. Any number set here will be added to Slicex's Mixer Channel mixer track selection. Rightclick to see Mixer tracks listed by name. CUT - Cut group controls how one Region will play in the presence of another. Any Region that is playing will be silenced by any subsequently triggered Region of the same 'cut group'. The sounds must overlap for the Cut group to have any effect. AMP (Pan & Level) - Amplitude. ART - Linked articulator, "--" = none. FILTER (Cutoff frequency & Resonance) - Filter. ART - Linked articulator. SPEED - Playback speed. ART - Linked articulator. START (Delay & Start position) - Sample start. There are Options > Settings to limit the variability to the first 100 ms or allow this to vary over the entire sample duration. ART - Linked articulator. Articulator 1 to 8 - Each articulator can be used to control the behavior of a linked Region according to the following parameters: FILTER - Choose between LP (low pass), BP (band pass), BS (band stop - notch), HP (high pass) at one of three filter cutoff slopes 1x (shallow), 2x (medium) & 3x (steep). ENV - Filter cutoff envelope / LFO amount. CUT - Filter cutoff frequency. Remember to select a Filter type to activate this control. Envelopes - Associated with each articulator are a number of envelopes. There are two rows of tabs, the top row selects the modulator target while the bottom row selects the modulation source. In other words, for each target in the top row there are a range of sources affecting how that target is modulated below.

Modulation targets include: PAN - Affects the stereo panning of the bank. VOL - Affects the volume output of the bank. CUT (Filter Cut) - Affects the filter cut-off frequency of the bank. This interacts with the CUT parameter (above) and the filter type switches. RES - Affects the resonance of the filter selected. SPEED - Playback speed. Scratching: This envelope can be used to go forwards/backwards in time. To pause playback use a setting of -25%. Below this setting the sample will play backwards. Normal reverse speed is a setting of -50%. Curved lines will create accelerations or decelerations in speed. START - Playback start position. There are Options > Settings to limit the variability to the first 100 ms or allow this to vary over the entire sample duration. Modulation sources may include: ENV - General purpose envelope. LFO - An Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) envelope. VEL - Velocity as a modulator (usually used with VOL) . Input velocity is on the horizontal axis, low input velocities (0%) to the left, high (100%) to the right. Playing a note with this envelope open will show the current velocity as vertical line. MOD X - Determines how the X parameter of integrated X/Y controller responds to X position changes. MOD Y - Determines how the Y parameter of integrated X/Y controller responds to Y position changes. RAND - Random number generator. A random number is selected in the range of 0% to 100%. The envelope defines how the random number relates to changes in the controlled property. The value of the envelope at a particular location defines how likely the value will be selected by the random generator, allowing you to fine tune the behavior or the random generator and effectively defining the "chances" of certain values being selected.

Working with envelopes

The envelope editor allows you to create infinitely complex envelopes. Select the envelope target (upper row) and envelope source (lower row) tabs then edit the envelope as follows:

NOTE: To activate envelope select the switch as shown above. Deselecting it will disable the envelope.

Graphical Curve Editing There are several basic operations for editing the envelope/mapping shape: Add a new Control Point - Position your cursor over the line until the add point cursor appears (

). Right-click and a new point will be added.

Reposition a Control Point - Drag control points using your left mouse button. Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or CTRL to lock the horizontal position. Delete a Control Point - Right-click a control point and select Delete. Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click. Change a tension curve type - The editor offers 5 types of curve types for joining control points. To open the menu, Right-click a control point (the selection applies to the preceding segment): Single Curve - Default mode for creating linear, ease-in and ease-out curves (depending on the tension). Double Curve - Smooth 'S' curves. Hold - Single steps between points, handy for creating abrupt value changes in the envelope.

Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Change Segment Tension (Acceleration) - To change the amount of tension, Left-click on the tension handle (the circle located half way between the control points) and move your mouse up/down. Right-click the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustments to fine-tune.

ADSR Envelope Knobs Although many envelopes are pre-defined with 'attack', 'decay', 'sustain loop start' and 'sustain loop end' control points you can Right-click a control point to set control point types in the graphic envelope editor. Once control points have been defined, the knobs act as multipliers, for each section. Attack (ATT) - Defines the attack length/speed. Decay (DEC)- Defines the sustain section length/speed. Sustain (SUS) - Defines the sustain section slope ("decay" amount). Release (REL) - Defines the release length/speed. Tempo - Lets you determine whether the envelope length is relative to the project tempo (changes with tempo) or absolute in time. NOTE: When adjusting ADSR properties the display will preview the effect of the knob value on the envelope shape. Once the mouse key is released the envelope is restored to its previous view. This allows you to set a basic envelope shape and modify it quickly. Alternatively you are free to hand-draw the entire envelope.

Option menu Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset.

Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. Background gradient - Flips the background gradient shading vertically.

Switch settings Along the lower-right edge you will find a number of control point options: Freeze - Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup. This feature is useful if you have finished changing the spline structure of an envelope and want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles to provide a clear view of the shape). Step - Enable this option to set the Editor to step editing mode. Drag within the editor to create a 'free hand' curve in which a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw 'pulse' lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created in this mode uses the same tension as the previous segment. Snap - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging.

Slide - Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points after it (this option is enabled by default).

Wave Editor Keyboard & Piano roll Controls

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Slicex - Wave Editor Slicex uses advanced beat detection algorithms to slice song/percussion samples into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or controller. If the wave file contains slice/region data this will be automatically used instead of the beatdetection algorithm. Slicex offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. Related plugins are the Fruity Slicer and Edison.

Master Panel Articulation Panel Wave Editor The Wave Editor section shares much in common with Edison so learning one will help

you master the other.

Section links Transport Controls Menu Buttons Utility Bar Sample Edit Window Mixdown Envelopes Feature Switches Sample Properties Options

Transport Controls In the top-left section of the Sample Window are several transport controls. Loop - Turns on loop playback. Play - Press to play/stop the sample playback. The space bar will also start/stop playback when the Slicex plugin is focused. Stop - Stop playback.

Menu Buttons File Open/Save options New - Opens a new (empty) editor window. Load sample ( Save sample as (

Ctrl+O) - Opens a file browser dialog in 'load' mode. Ctrl+S) - Opens a file browser dialog in 'save'

mode. The pop-up dialog has two options under the 'Save as type' field. Microsoft wave file (*.wav) - Standard lossless

.wav file

at the bit-depth and sample rate set in the Sample Properties dialog. Microsoft compressed wave file (*.wav) - Lossy compression formats. After initiating the save a second dialog opens to save the sample in one of many compressed formats. MS compressed wave files simply wrap the selected compression type in a *.wav file, and put information in the wave header as to what decompression method the opening program should use (not all programs read this information). FL Studio will load and decompress MS compressed wave files automatically as long as you have the appropriate codec installed. WavPack (*.wv) - Lossless or lossy

, depending on

settings, open-source compression (see the WavPack website for more details). After initiating save in this format you will be prompted for a bit-depth (lossless is the default, other settings are lossy compression modes). In 'lossless' mode expect between 30-70% reduction in file sizes, useful for archiving purposes. FL Studio will load and decompress WavPack files automatically. MPEG 3 audio file (*.mp3) - Mp3

is a Lossy

compression format. It has gained world-wide popularity because it was one of the first on the market that provided good quality lossy compression. After initiating a save a second dialog opens to select the quality (bit-rate), this controls the tradeoff between audio quality and file size. Good listening quality on portable devices starts at about 160 kbps, use 224 kbps or 320 (max) if you want something probably indistinguishable from CD quality. Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg) - Lossy

, open source compression

format, similar in concept to mp3 Wikipedia

(see the Vorbis

or Ogg

website for more details). After initiating a save

a second dialog opens to select the quality (bit-rate), this controls the tradeoff between audio quality and file size. Use a setting of 0.50 or more if you want good quality. FL Studio will load and decompress *.ogg files automatically. NOTE: Do not use any of the lossy formats (Microsoft compressed wave file, MPEG 3 or Ogg Vorbis) to archive project samples or loops. Use Microsoft wave files or WavPack in lossless compression mode if you want to save space. Hard disk space is cheap, samples may be

irreplaceable. Export regions For common use - Exports any regions as clean wave files. The names of the markers at the start of each region are used as file names. For sampler use - Exports any regions as wave files including 'middle note' data. Where set, the names of the markers at the start of each region are used as file names. Export display as - Exports the wave display as a .png or .jpg image. Recent projects - Lists the 10 most recently opened files.

Format Edit properties (

F2) - Opens the Sample Properties dialog where you can

set the file properties. Resolution 16-Bit int - Sets the file to 16-Bit integer format. This is CD audio standard. 32-Bit float - Sets the file to 32-Bit floating point format. This is the native format for FL Studio audio processing. Channels Mono - Sets the file to Mono. Stereo - Sets the file to Stereo. Mono files will be saved with L and R channels containing the same data.

Edit Many of the actions in this menu work on a selected region. To select a region, Leftclick in the sample window and drag horizontally. To move the start point, Left-click near the start of the region and drag to a new point. To move the end point, Left-click near the end of the region and drag to a new point. At any time you can zoom the window using the mouse-wheel. Undo (item) ( performed.

Ctrl+Z) - The first item in this menu indicates the last action

Undo history - Displays the last 10 actions. Undo using mix (envelope) - Uses the All-Purpose envelope to guide the undo process. A number of options will be shown based on the actions recently made. Undo using mix (spectral) - Uses the All-Purpose envelope to apply the EQ curve set in the EQ tool. Apply an EQ, tweak the all-purpose envelope, use the 'Undo mix envelope' option. Disable undo for large samples - Turns off the undo feature. This is useful for saving memory and CPU when working on very large samples. Cut ( Copy (

Ctrl+X) - Cuts the selected region. Ctrl+C) - Copies the selected region.

Paste insert (

Ctrl+V) - Inserts the copied sample at the start of the

selected region. Paste replace (

Alt+V) - Replaces the selected region with the copied

sample. The duration of the copied sample determines how much of the region will be replaced. Paste mix (

Shift+V) - Mixes the copied sample with the selected region.

The duration of the copied sample determines how much of the region will be mixed. Paste mix (envelope) (

Shift+Ctrl+V) - Uses the All-Purpose envelope to

decide how the sample in the clipboard buffer is mixed with the sample in the editor. The envelope controls the mix level (0 to 100%). The duration of the copied sample determines how much of the region will be mixed. Paste mix (spectral) - (

Ctrl+Alt+V) - Paste-mixes the sample from the

clipboard into the edit window according to the EQ curve set in the EQ tool. Apply an EQ, use the 'Paste mix (spectral) option. Paste stretch (

Shift+Ctrl+T) - Pastes the copied sample via the Time

Stretch / Pitch Shift Tool. Paste replace (drum) (

Shift+T) - Opens the Paste replace drum tool. This

tool reconstructs the decay portions of drum beats that may have been cropped during the slicing process and replaces the selection to the original location. Clear (

Shift+Del) - Clears the selected region, leaving the rest of the

sample unchanged. Consider this a mute function.

Delete (

Del) - Deletes the selected region. This function will change the

overall length of the sample. Trim (

Ctrl+Del) - Deletes the region outside the selection.

Delete part after loop (

Alt+Del) - Deletes sample data after the loop end

point. Insert silence (

Ins) - Inserts silence from the region start point of a length

equal to the selected region. Click-free (smooth) editing (

C) - Switch, prevents audio clicks/pops in

samples caused by edit functions. This option avoids the clicks caused by discontinuities in the sample amplitude at cut/splice points by fading, or crossfading, edit points by a few samples.

Tools Envelope Cancel all envelopes (

Alt+E) - Cancels all envelopes.

Add points at selection (

P) - Automatically adds points at the

start, middle and end of a selected region for the currently selected envelope type ( 10 ). Add points at regions - Adds control points at the boundary of the selected region and/or where region markers are located. Flip vertically - Inverts the envelope points. Amp Mixdown amp envelopes (

Ctrl+E) - Applies custom envelope/s to

the sound. Amp (

Alt+A) - Opens the Amplitude Tool that allows you to modify

L/R channel volume, Panning and Stereo Separation. Reverse polarity - Inverts the phase of the waveform. Normalize (

Ctrl+N) - increases the amplitude of the waveform so

that the loudest sample is at 100% maximum possible level. The process works by determining the multiplication factor that will make the loudest sample reach 100%, then multiplies all samples by this value, rescaling them.

Lossy normalize - Similar to the standard Normalize, the amplitude of the waveform is increased so that the loudest sample is at 100% maximum possible level. There is an additional manipulation of the waveform phase that can sometimes eek out a few more dB gain. The process is considered 'lossy' as it changes the waveform phase, although it should sound identical to the standard Normalization. Fade in (

Ctrl+F) - Ramps up the volume from 0% to 100% using a

logarithmic curve. If a region is selected the fade function will apply to that, if not, the entire sample will fade in. Fade out (

Alt+F) - Ramps down the volume from 100% to 0%

using a logarithmic curve. If a region is selected the fade function will apply to that, if not, the entire sample will fade out. Declick in - Smooths clicks at the beginning of a selection. Declick out - Smooths clicks at the end of a selection. Waveform Center - Removes DC offset. The average amplitude of the waveform is shifted to be at the zero crossing. Time Reverse (

Alt+Left) - Reverses the entire wave or selection.

Time stretch / pitch shift (

Alt+T) - Opens the Time Stretch /

Pitch Shift Tool to independently manipulate pitch, time and formants. Drum(loop) stretch (

Ctrl+T) - Opens the Drum (loop) stretch

tool, which restores decay portions of drum beats that may have been cropped during the slicing process. Claw machine (

Alt+W) - Opens the Claw machine tool, that works

on a tempo-sliced sample, removing beats, adding beats and/or shifting beats to create interesting new rhythms. NOTE: The sample must have a tempo set (or beatmarkers set) for the option to be available. Scratch (envelope) - Uses the All-Purpose envelope to apply 'scratching' effects to the sample, i.e. automate the playback direction and speed. Channels

Swap channels - Swaps the left and right channels. Convert left channel to mono - Converts the sample to a mono file based on the left channel. Convert right channel to mono - Converts the sample to a mono file based on the right channel. Convert mono signal to mono format - Converts the file to a mono format if both left and right channels are equal. Synthesis Generate noise - Generates white noise in the selected region or whole sample if a region is not selected. Scripting Run script - Opens a menu containing the list of available scripts. You can write your own scripts using Visual Basic or Pascal, which will be compiled by the paxCompiler

and run when you select the script from

the menu. The paxCompiler is a true Pascal compiler that allows you to write code to perform complex DSP on your samples. Save scripts as .pas files in the FL Studio installation directory under ..\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\Slicex\Data\Scripts. Files saved here will be visible the next time you use the 'run script' command. Dialogs - Note that while some of the demo scripts show a dialog, it isn't necessary to use them. Errors - If a script has an error, a dialog is shown explaining the error with options to 'edit' the script or 'run' it again. Writing scripts - Examine the contents of the existing scripts and read the Reference.txt file in the script directory to learn more about writing them and the functions available. You can learn more about Pascal HERE

.

Run last script - Repeats the last script run. Noise Acquire noise threshold (

Alt+N) - Uses the peak of the selection

as the noise/gate threshold. To use: select a region of the sample containing only noise and click this button. Gate noise - Forces the sections of the sample below the noise threshold (shown in green) to silence. Trim side noise - Trims any parts of the sample that are below the threshold volume. Set gate threshold - Left-click the peak meter ( 6 )

and move the mouse up/down to change the threshold. A green band will display (as shown in the Slicex screen shot above) in the sample view window. Trim all noise & slice up - Trims any parts of the sample that are below the threshold volume and slices the regions defined by the resulting gaps. Set gate threshold - Left-click the peak meter ( 6 ) and move the mouse up/down to change the threshold. A green band will display (as shown in the Slicex screen shot above) in the sample view window. Spectral Convolution reverb ( Blur (

Ctrl+R) - Opens the Convolution/Reverb Tool.

Ctrl+B) - Opens the Blur Tool.

Equalize (

Ctrl+Q) - Opens the Equalize Tool.

Clean up (denoise) (

Ctrl+U) - Opens the Noise Removal Tool.

Regions Normalize all regions - Normalizes the amplitude on a per-region basis. Normalization increases the volume of the waveform so that the loudest sample is at 100% of the available amplitude. Declick in all regions - Remove clicks from the start of regions (works by creating a very fast fade-in). Declick out all regions - Remove clicks from the end of regions (works by creating a very fast fade-out). Perfect all regions - Declicks the start and end of all regions (as described above). Tune loop (

Ctrl+L)- Opens the Tune Loop Tool dialog that allows

you access to the main loop controls for a region. Analysis Convert to score and dump to piano roll - Slices the sample, pitchdetects each slice and creates a note-score to match, dumping it to the Piano roll. Sequencing

Send to Playlist as audio clip (

Shift+C) - Dumps the selection to

the Playlist as an Audio Clip. Send to selected channel - Dumps the selection to the selected Channel. NOTE: An alternative method for exporting audio is to use the Drag / copy sample / move selection button on the Sample Edit Functions shortcut toolbar.

Regions Regions Add region (

Alt+M) - Adds region start and end markers at the

boundaries of the defined region. Add marker (

M) - Adds a single marker at the start of the selected

region. This can be dragged to a new position by the square handle at the top of the marker. Set loop (

Alt+L) - Defines the selected region as a loop. Special

red loop markers will appear. Set first downbeat - Adds a Downbeat marker at the start of the selected region. The marker is used to align Audio Clips to the Playlist grid. The marker can be dragged to a new position by the square handle at the top of the marker. Quick method: Manual Downbeat & Grid alignment -

Right-Ctrl +

Right-Shift + Click on the location in the sample where the

first downbeat marker is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift

keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat. Delete (

Del) - Deletes the selected region, loop or marker.

Rename all (

Ctrl+F2) - Steps through the regions in the editor

allowing them to be named. Quick rename all (

Alt+F2)- Steps through the regions in the

editor providing quick name options, allowing all regions to be named. Auto rename all - Automatically renames all regions based on an

audio analysis of the waveforms. This function is designed to work with percussion sounds and works best when there are clearly distinct hits. Assign trigger notes to all - Automatically steps through the regions/slices allowing you to assign trigger notes to each region. When you select the function the first slice will automatically sound, then play the MIDI controller key/pad that you want to trigger that sound. Then the next slice will play and you select the MIDI note and so-on. Trigger notes are simply the MIDI note numbers that will play the specific region. NOTE: Make sure KB INPUT is selected if you want to enable MIDI controller transport functions. Assign to all - Choose to automatically assign regions to: Whole Keyboard, White Notes, Black Notes or None. Detection Auto slice Dull auto-slicing - Fewer slices/regions. Medium auto-slicing (

Alt+S) - Average slices/regions.

Sharp auto-slicing - Many slices/regions. Small grid-slicing - Slices the sample according to the small grid lines. Medium grid-slicing - Slices the sample according to the medium grid lines. Large grid-slicing - Slices the sample according to the large grid lines. Detect beats - Detects beats and slices according to regions assigning downbeat and regular beat markers. Detect pitch regions - Detects and slices according to regions of constant pitch. Zero-cross check all regions - Moves the region markers to the nearest zero-crossing. Removes clicks at the start and end of the regions. Freeze all (switch) - Prevents region editing.

View Audio Spectrum (

S) - Selects spectrum view. This display mode shows

time on the horizontal axis and frequency on the vertical axis. Brighter or more saturated colors (depending on the spectrum gradient options) represent louder frequencies. Dual view - Shows both the spectrum and waveform views superimposed. Display settings - Change the appearance of the spectrum display mode. Fancy mode - Smoothed waveform view. Waveform channels - Note that in stereo mode L and R channels are superimposed with slightly different colors (zoom to view more clearly). Mono - Display a single (L/R averaged) waveform. Multichannel - Display all channels (superimposed). Left - Display Left channel. Right - Display Right channel. Spectrum max resolution - 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 1024, 2048, 4096 and 8192 bands. This is the number of vertical slices the frequency domain is divided into, higher numbers provide more detailed analysis. Resize Slicex to obtain an overall larger view. Natural scale - Sets the vertical scale to reflect the musical 'octave' relationship of frequencies (a logarithmic scale). This will stretch the lower frequencies to occupy a greater area and so is particularly useful when working with frequencies below 500 Hz. Natural weighting - Sets the color intensity gradient to better represent the way we hear frequencies. Specifically, it changes the brightness weighting from white noise

, a linear

relationship between frequency and display brightness to pink noise

. Pink noise decreases the intensity by 3dB/Octave,

making it more suitable for musical uses as the higher frequencies no longer dominate the spectral display brightness, which is closer to how we hear those same frequencies. Draft quality - Less visibility of details in favor of quicker graphics responsiveness. Medium quality - Balanced tradeoff between detail visibility and graphics responsiveness. High quality - Maximum visibility of details at the expense of higher CPU load. Spectrum gradient - 12 dB steps, Charcoal, Furnace, Deeper furnace, Glacier, Temperature, The Matrix. Choose the theme that reveals the most detail in the sound or that appeals to you. Regions Regions - Turns region markers on/off. Loop - Turns loop markers on/off. Time Time in samples - Displays the time-base in samples. This information is displayed to the bottom left of the peak meter ( 13 ). Right-clicking the time display ( 13 ) opens a context menu showing Deselect (

Up arrow) - Deselects the current selection.

Select before current selection - Selects the area before the current selection. Select after current selection - Selects the area after the current selection. Select zoomed part (

Ctrl+A) - Selects the region defined

by the visible sample. Select previous region (

Left arrow) - Selects the

previous region. Select next region ( region.

Right arrow) - Selects the next

Misc Scroller above - Places the Zoom / Scroll bar ( 12 ) above the sample. Background gradient - Applies a 3D background effect to the sample edit window ( 7 )

Snap Snap to grid (

1) - Envelope points and selections snap to the background

grid. Snap to regions (

2) - Envelope points and selections snap to the region

markers. Snap to samples (

3) - Envelope points and selections snap to samples.

Snap to zero-crossing (

4) - Envelope points and selections snap to zero

crossings. This is the point where the waveform crosses the 0 amplitude line and is useful to avoid clicks. Snap to pitch period (

5) - Envelope points and selections snap to the

period of any pitch detected at the selection point.

Select Deselect (

Up arrow) - Deselects the current selection.

Select before current selection - Selects the area before the current selection. Select after current selection - Selects the area after the current selection. Select zoomed part (

Ctrl+A) - Selects the region defined by the visible

sample. Select previous region ( Select next region (

Left arrow) - Selects the previous region.

Right arrow) - Selects the next region.

Zoom Zoom in 2x (

PgUp) - Zooms in 2 times.

Zoom out 2x ( Zoom out full (

PgDn) - Zooms out 2 times. Home) - Displays the full sample.

Zoom on selection (

End) - Zooms the selection to fill the Sample Edit

Window. Zoom on left of selection (

Ctrl+Left) - Centers the Sample Edit Window

on the right edge of the selection at maximum zoom. Zoom on right of selection (

Ctrl+Right) - Centers the Sample Edit

Window on the left edge of the selection at maximum zoom.

Sample Edit Functions From left to right: Undo/undo history - Left-click to undo the last action. Right-click to display the last 10 actions (Left-click the point in the history you wish to return to). Normalize/normalize regions - Left-click to normalize the current selection. Right-click to normalize on a per-region basis. Fade in/declick in - Left-click to fade in. Right-click to smooth in (removes clicks). Fade out/declick out - Left-click to fade out. Right-click to smooth out (removes clicks). Run script - The Script Tool compiles and runs scripts written in Pascal, to process the wave file. Right-click to use the Run last script option. See the Tools Menu (Scripting) 'Run Script' option (above) for more details. Drumloop stretch - Left-click to open the Drumloop stretch or Right-click to open the Time stretch tool . Add / remove marker / region - Left-click to add/remove a new marker at the start of the selected region. Right-click to add region markers bounding the selected region. Auto-slice - Auto-slices the sample. Right-click to open the following slice presets: Dull / Medium / Sharp Auto-slicing - These are three options for auto-slicing the loop with three predefined values for the slice thresholds (see the threshold knobs explained below). The slicing performed is rough/normal/fine respectively. Small / Medium / Large grid - Slices are based on the editor grid. Useful when the tempo has been set in the sample properties since the

grid will reflect the beat-spacing. NOTE: Since the Grid slice options are based on the Grid, then aligning the grid prior to slicing can be an accurate method for making quantized time-slices of the audio. Manual grid/tempo alignment using downbeat Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the location in the sample

where the first downbeat marker is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl +

Right-Shift keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid

spacing to align the grid to the beat. Dump score - Dumps the current slices to the Piano roll as a note sequence. Right-click the button to open the list of 'dump' presets: Normal - Writes the notes to match the beat length (adjusted to current tempo). Reverse - As normal, however the sequence is reversed (each individual slice is still played forward). Random - Each slice is placed on random location while preserving the loop groove and length. The sequence will be different each time this option is selected. Flatten (groove) - The loop groove is preserved (slice locations) however all slice locations are played with the first slice. Shift Up / Shift Down - The groove is preserved but all slices are shifter up/down with one slice. Quantize / Swing - As normal, however the timing is adjusted (quantized and swing). Swing holds the first note of the bar at the expense of the second note in the bar. Accentuate Beat - The first slice in each beat (beat as a measurement) is assigned a higher velocity. Pitch Up Beat - Every slice which belongs to an odd beat (1st, 3rd, etc.) is assigned a higher pitch. Widen Stereo - The panning alternates between medium left panning and medium right panning for each alternate slice. Crazy - The pan, pitch and velocity values of every slice are

randomized (values will be different each time). Stutter (half) / Stutter (quarter) - Each slice is broken into two pieces (half) or four pieces (quarter) to create a "stuttering" effect. Original Length - Dumps the slices to the Piano roll to match the loop's original speed (at the current tempo). Save as.... / save as compressed... - Opens a save file dialog with the options of .wav and compressed .wav (ogg format). Drag / copy sample / move selection - Left-click and drag the button (yes the button) to the desired location. The selected region in the Sample Edit Window (or whole sample if no selection is made) will be copied and moved to any compatible location in FL Studio, e.g. Edison, Sampler channels, Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, the Playlist, etc. Right-click to copy the selection to the clipboard.

Utility Bar The tility bar runs underneath the tools and quick edit buttons. Sample rate - Displays sample rate in Hz. Right-click to open the Sample Properties dialog to change this value. Format - Click here to change between 16/32-Bit OR Mono/Stereo data files (NOTE: both the 32 to 16-Bit and Stereo to Mono are destructive processes, clicking them again will not recover the original data). Tempo - Displays Tempo in Beats Per Minute (BPM). Right-click to open the Sample Properties dialog to change this value. Deck A/B - Swap between Deck A and B as the main sample edit window. Title - Name of sample. Right-click to open the Sample Properties dialog to change this value. Length/Sel - Shows the length of the sample or selection. Right-click below the Name (on the length display area) to open a menu to swap between Samples, Time or Bars. Mode switches (left to right): Scrub - Left-click and drag (left/right) to play/scrub the sample/selection. Deck display - Single or dual decks.

Wave/Spectrum view - Swap between spectrum and waveform views. Click-free editing - Click free editing performs a short fade in/out on slice points to avoid clicks. Auto-scroll - The display will track the playing section when the sample display is zoomed beyond 100%.

Sample Edit Window Edit, set markers/loop-points, or apply envelopes to the sound: Edit sample - Select 'Waveform Edit Mode' (

, bottom left of the window).

Define a region - Left-click and drag horizontally over the region to be selected. The selection will turn red. Select a region - Left-click on the square tag at the top of any region markers. The selection will turn red. Deselect a region - Double-click in the sample window. Move region start/end - Click at the point where you want the new start/end of the region to be. The start/end points will automatically change to reflect the newly selected point. Apply Envelopes (Pan/Volume/Stereo Separation) - Select the envelope type (

, bottom left of the window) and Right-click to add points,

Left-click to move points and tension markers. Zoom - Hover over the window and scroll the mouse-wheel Horizontal Scroll - Hold the shift key and then scroll the mouse-wheel Zoom/Scroll - Click the mouse-wheel or middle mouse button and move up/down (zoom) and left/right (scroll).

Mixdown Envelopes These envelopes are set then applied to the sound. There is no 'live-preview', ( Ctrl+Z) to undo. Left-click the symbols to apply, from left to right -

Pan - To edit the Pan envelope. Volume - To edit the Volume envelope.

Stereo Separation - To edit the Stereo Separation envelope. All-purpose Envelope - Some tools in Slicex will use this envelope as an input. The horizontal axis represents time while the vertical axis is the modulation value, generally 0% at the bottom to 100% at the top. There are three ways to use the envelope 1. Copy the sample, apply an effect, tweak the all-purpose envelope, use the 'Paste mix using envelope' option from the Edit menu. 2. Apply an effect, tweak the all-purpose envelope, use the 'Undo mix envelope' option from the Edit menu. 3. Scratching - Select 'Scratch using envelope' from the Tools menu. In scratching, the horizontal axis represents time while the vertical axis is the sample playback position from the sample start (bottom) to the sample end (top). Preview - As there is no 'live' preview for the 'All-purpose' envelope in Slicex, you will need to process the wave to hear envelope changes. To hear your envelopes, select the 'Tools' option and then Mixdown envelope or (

Ctrl+E) to process the wave. The

undo function can be used to reverse any unwanted changes. Editing envelopes - After selecting the desired envelope type, Right-click in the 'Sample Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type

Feature Switches These switches vary, depending on the Edit mode, from left to right: Freeze - Prevents any changes to the sample. Noise T. - Enables/disables the threshold display (green horizontal band). The level can be set using the Tools > Acquire noise threshold menu function. Regions - Enables/disables the region marker display. Step - Enables the step editing mode. As a Left-clicked cursor is dragged over the window a new control point is added at each step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created will have the most recent tension setting applied. Snap - Enables/disables snapping. This applies to envelopes and sample edit functions.

Slide - Slides the selected region marker & envelope control points, without affecting the relative positions of any following points. Note how the cursor changes depending on whether you are in Freeze or Edit mode. In Freeze mode you won't be able to make any changes.

Sample Properties (

F2)

This area displays the sample properties including Sample rate, Bit depth, Channel format, Tempo information and Title. Right-clicking this area or pressing opens the Sample Properties dialog.

F2

Options Info Title - Name the sample. Comments - These comments will show in the sample properties.

Format Samplerate (Hz) - Set the samplerate. Resample (switch) - Selecting this switch forces resampling of the sample data

to the desired samplerate. If this switch is off the sample rate only changes the playback samplerate (speed) without modifying the data. For example, choose to either resample data to 22kHz (data reduction), or to play existing data at 22kHz (pitch-shift). Format - Choose between 16-Bit integer & 32-Bit floating point formats. Mono or Stereo. NOTE: Slicex automatically converts data to 32-Bit before applying any function that modifies the sample data. It is better to apply several edits in 32-Bit floating point, then convert to 16-Bit integer after you have completed editing the sample than to apply several edits in 16-Bit integer.

Tempo Tempo (BPM) - Set tempo in Beats Per Minute. If 'tempo-sync' is selected setting a tempo here will cause FL Studio to stretch/pitch-shift the sample according to this value when loaded. Round: Round the tempo (removes decimals). Limit: Correct any double/half tempo problems (range options appear when the button is selected). Resample (switch) - Forces a high-quality resample of the data when the sample rate is changed (recommended). Length (beats) / Sel (beats) - Enter the number of beats in the sample or selection. 'Sel (beats)' appears if a selection has been made. Used when slicing & beat detecting (see below). Round: Round the number of beats (removes decimals). Tempo-sync: Default - Set the BPM to the FL Studio project tempo. Quick guess - or songs with a constant tempo). Autodetect - Select to choose from three options: Quick estimation for short loops - Quick tempo-detection based on the host tempo and the length of the sample. Detection for songs with constant tempo - This algorithmic tempodetection generally gives the most accurate result, but requires constant tempo tracks.

Detection for songs with variable tempo - This algorithmic tempodetection has been tuned for songs that don't have a constant tempo. NOTE: An alternative tempo detection technique is to highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact # of beats, then, in the properties dialog, the display will show 'select (beats)' instead of 'length (beats)'. If 4 beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected.

Sampler These functions aid samplers that read meta-data to auto-process the sample (DirectWave and the Channel sampler for example). Middle note (root note) - Selects the MIDI note at which the sample will play back at the original (recorded) pitch. This data is used by samplers such as DirectWave and the Channel Sampler to automatically set the 'root' note. low: Set the lowest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. high: Set the highest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. Fine tune (cents) - Fine tune the intended pitch of the sample in 1/100ths of a semi-tone. Default - Restore default settings. Autodetect - Autodetect the pitch of the sample. Use on monophonic singlepitch sounds only.

Keyboard & Piano roll Controls

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Slicex - Keyboard Slicex uses advanced beat detection algorithms to slice song/percussion samples into pieces and make them independently playable from the Piano roll or controller. If the wave file contains slice/region data this will be automatically used instead of the beatdetection algorithm. Slicex offers playback, reordering of slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. Related plugins are the Fruity Slicer and Edison.

Master Panel Articulation Panel Wave Editor

Keyboard & Piano roll Controls Keyboard controls Use the keyboard to preview & assign sliced regions to notes. This display simulates a Piano keyboard using stepsequencer-like pads in the place of keys. The region to key assignments set here affect how Slicex will respond to external note input also. NOTE: While the keyboard may look like the stepsequencer, it does not function as one, it is a preview keyboard only. Range selectors - Down the left side are a series of switches starting at C0 to F3. Using keys - Left-click a key to sound the associated region. Right-click a key to open an assign options: Assign current region to this key - Assigns the selected region to the key Right-clicked. Select region assigned to this key - Selects the region assigned to the key Right-clicked. Assigning keys & layers The assigned keys display in...ummm...well I'd like to say some 'manly' color like red, but there is no way around this...the active range displays in 'pink'. Apologies to our female users who believe it's 'tea rose'. The author (being male) sees only in 'real colors

'.

To create layers assign more than one slice region to the same note. Assignments may be made from within or between decks A and B. There are a number of crossfade curve and layer options on the Master panel.

Piano roll deck control The Piano roll note colors can be used to control Decks 1 & 2 independently. As shown below even note colors play Deck 1 and odd note colors play Deck 2. Colors 15 & 16 are special 'reverse playback' colors. Remember that note colors represent MIDI channels 1 to 16 so you can access the same functionality from a properly configured MIDI controller.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Speech Synthesizer The Speech synthesizer processes text to create computerized or Vocoder-like vocals to your projects. The *.SPEECH presets are supported by all native FL Studio plugins that use custom samples for synthesizing, i.e. Sampler, Granulizer, Fruity Slicer and Fruity Scratcher.

How to open the Speech Synthesizer The speech synth is not a stand-alone instrument so does not appear in the add-plugin list, it is a pop-up dialog that processes text to audio then renders the result as a sliced Audio Clip. To add speech samples to your project two common methods are: Drag a speech preset from the Browsers Speech directory to an empty channel (or plugin that accepts a .wav file). The settings dialog will open, modify the text to your liking and then click OK to apply the preset to the channel. Right-click a speech preset in the Browsers Speech directory and choose either 'Open in new Fruity Slicer channel' or 'Open in new Slicex channel'. After modifying the speech to your liking in the Speech properties window, either plugin will give you word-by-word playback capability.

Speech Properties Dialog

Text Speech Text box - Enter here the text to be synthesized by the engine. Listen button - Click to preview the sample based on the current settings.

Voice Personality menu box - Click this box to select voice personality. The personality changes the timbre of the voice used. The rest of the voice settings are also set to the defaults for the personality selected. Style menu box - Selects intonation style for the voice. Monotone/Sing uses constant pitch for all words. Natural resembles a natural talk intonation. Random select random pitch for each word. Mode - Select the amount of noise mixed in the voice generated. Normal uses natural levels for the noise mixed in the voice. Breathy uses more noise to create 'breathy' voices. Whispered uses only noise for the voice synthesis, thus creating 'whispered' voice effect. Rate LCD - Sets the speed of the voice.

Pitch keyboard - Click a key to see the pitch of the voice.

Process text Accept button - Applies the speech preset to the generator/effect selected. If you have changed some of the settings in this dialog, you will be prompted to save the preset with a new name.

Speech Text Formatting 1. Pitch shifting of separate words You can supply a pitch offset for a word. Just place the offset amount (in semitones) after the word as a number, enclosed in parentheses: "Semitone up(1), 2 semitones down(-2)". If in this sample the base pitch is, for example, F#2, the word "up" will have pitch G2 (one semitone higher), the word "down" will have pitch E2 (two semitones lower).

2. Separating words To get more naturally sounding sentences, you may try replacing intervals " " with underscore "_". So the sentence: "This is example sentence", turns to: "This_is_example_sentence". Note that underscored sentences are recognized as a single word by Fruity Slicer channels and are not sliced properly (see below).

Fruity Slicer Support When you open a speech preset in a Fruity Slicer channel, the sentence is automatically sliced so each word resides in a separate slice. Because of this feature, a BeatSlicer grid (*.zgr) file is automatically generated by the Fruity Slicer channel, that contains the sentence.

INSTRUMENTS & EFFECTS

FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) FL SynthMaker (FLowstone) is a programming application that is used to create virtual instruments, effects and computer control of external hadrware without the need to write basic code. The instruments and effects you create in SynthMaker can be used in FL Studio as 'native' plugins and shared with other SynthMaker users. Check the Image-Line FL Synthmaker (FLowstone) forum here

Using FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) FL Synthmaker (Flowstone

) includes the Ruby

high level programming language. This allows you to create Synths, Effects and

control external hardware - USB devices, I/O cards, webcams and audio hardware. FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) is a self-contained plugin construction tool that is beyond the scope of this manual. The links below in the 'Detailed Help?' section can be used to download the .pdf manuals direct from the SynthMaker Website. FL SynthMaker differs from the commercial version in that you can't compile VSTs of your FL SynthMaker creations. FL SynthMaker is treated by FL Studio as a plugin instrument/effect and will save/open along with your projects. While FL SynthMaker project files can be shared with other FL Studio or SynthMaker users, if you want to compile VST instruments you will need to purchase the commercial version.

To load FL Synthmaker (Flowstone) - Instrument - Use the main Menu > Channels > Add one > SynthMaker. Effect Select from the Effect pop-up menu > SynthMaker. Channel vs Effect - When you add a FL SynthMaker channel in the Channel Rack you will get the Instrument version, when you add SynthMaker into an FX channel in the Mixer you'll get the Effect version. FL SynthMaker loads up with a default schematic. The Generator has a basic single oscillator synth and the Effect has a simple echo delay. These are provided to help you see how a schematic is constructed. From the Browser - The original FL SynthMaker instrument and effects have a '.osm' extension and FL Synthmaker Flowstone an '.fsm' extension, you can load both. Simply drag a .osm or .fsm file from the Browser to a channel/effects slot to open an instrument/effect. Show panel - Clicking the 'Show panel' switch will hide the workspace and show only the plugin interface, this is the usual mode for using a FL SynthMaker plugin. Click it again to return to the workspace view. Library - Click here to open the Content Library to access more FL SynthMaker instruments and effects on the Image-Line servers. Modules - Download the latest module packs

from DSP Robotics. If you have used Synthmaker in the past and FlowStone

is missing a module then it's likely in one of these packs.

Video Tutorials There are several video tutorials available: Create an effect Create an instrument

Detailed Help? FL SynthMaker (FLowstone) is a complex program and has its own help. We have provided a range of links below to get you started. NOTE: FL Studio 11 marks the transition from Synthmaker to Flowstone (the program in FL Studio is Flowstone) and this is why there are two sources of doccumentation below. FL Studio SynthMaker Guide SynthMaker User Guide

SynthMaker Tutorial Guide Flowstone forums

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.

. .

FLowstone manuals

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Flowstone YouTube Channel

.

The guides are in PDF format. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader Here

.

Upgrade to export VST format While FL SynthMaker allows you to create and share instruments and effects within the FL Studio environment, if you want to take pity on people without FL Studio (or even sell VST plugins to people), using other DAW software, you can upgrade to SynthMaker Pro and export your projects to VST format. FL Studio Producer Edition (or higher) customers can get discount upgrade pricing in our shop

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Plugin Credits DSP Robotics

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INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus Sytrus is a powerful and versatile synthesizer featuring six customizable operators for FM (Frequency Modulation) and RM (Ring Modulation) synthesis, plucked string synthesis, 3 filter modules, an effects module with chorus, three delay lines and unique programmable unison mode. The rich implementation characteristics of Sytrus allow for an extremely wide range of sounds, including bass lines, bells, pads, drums, pianos, strings, organs and even entire drum and synth loops (in a single patch/note),

patch/note), made possible by the completely customizable envelopes supported by each module. Along with this flexibility comes complexity. However, if you stick with Sytrus and study this help file (there's a easy step-bystep tutorial here), we are sure you will find Sytrus to be one of the most rewarding plugins in the Image-Line library. Want more sounds? There are a large number of user created Sytrus patches available online in the dedicated Sytrus Presets & Tips Forum . A

video

tutorial

for

Sytrus is also available on

the FL Studio website.

Index The Main Module The Operator Module Working with the Harmonics Editor. Working with Envelopes Creating Arpeggios The Filter Module The Effects Module Basics of FM Synthesis and the Modulation Matrix Sytrus Tutorial Notes & Tips to Patch Creators Options, Helpers and Tools

Common Controls Below most envelopes is the Zoom Bar. This can be used to scroll and zoom envelopes. Scroll - Left-click in the middle of the bar and move the mouse left/right or Left-click the arrows at the end of the bar. Zoom - 1. Left-click the left or right edge of the bar when the double arrow appears (as shown above). 2. Hover over the center bar and scroll the mouse-wheel. 2D Scroll Mode - Alt+Left-click in the middle of the bar or hold down the center mouse button (wheel), move vertically to zoom and left/right to scroll. Select Range - Right-click at the point where you want the selection to start/end and drag the mouse to select the range.

Sytrus forum Sytrus Presets

- Forum dedicated to sharing Sytrus patches and patch creation.

Plugin Credits Code / graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi port: Fr?d?ric Vanmol. Many thanks to: Bram (oversampling), Jaha (for showing the wrong path :), Antti, Robert Bristow-Johnson (for making their filters public) , and all the ones who designed presets. Reverb by: Ultrafunk.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - The Main Module The main module contains some global settings for the current patch. It provides less experienced users with easy to use global filter and volume envelope levels, allowing them to adjust the existing patches to their preferences, even if they lack experience in the programming of FM synthesizers.

Master Levels Master Level (VOL) - Sets the master volume level of the patch. Master LFO (LFO) - Sets the master LFO level. Notice that the property range is -128 to 128, so to effectively disable all the LFOs across the patch, position the slider at the middle (or Alt+click to reset to the neutral value). Master Pitch (PITCH) - Sets the master pitch of the patch. The range is -2 octaves to +2 octaves. To use the original pitch, position the slider in the middle or Alt+click.

Global Volume Envelope Levels These properties allow you to define global offsets to the volume envelopes of all modules in the patch. Please note that if the patch does not use ADSR Vol parameters these will have no effect. Attack (ATT) - Defines the attack length/speed.

Decay (DEC)- Defines the sustain section length/speed. Sustain (SUS) - Defines the sustain section slope ('decay' amount). Release (REL) - Defines the release length/speed.

Global Filter Envelope Levels These properties allow you to define global offsets to the cutoff/resonance filter envelopes in the patch. Please note that if the patch does not use ADSR filter parameters these will have no effect. Attack (ATT) - Defines the attack length/speed. Decay (DEC)- Defines the sustain section length/speed. Sustain (SUS) - Defines the sustain section slope ('decay' amount). Release (REL) - Defines the release length/speed.

Unison Mode The highly customizable unison mode is a great feature that allows you to quickly add depth and texture to even simple sounds. Unison works by triggering a userdefined number of 'subvoices' for each note played. Each sub-voice can have slight variations of panning, volume, pitch, phasing to generate a thicker, softer sound with rich stereo spread. The global unison settings are: Unison Order (ORD) - Sets the number of voices in the unison (drag up-down). To turn off (default), drag down until the indicator disappears. OSC - CPU saver. Merges unison voices before passing through a single filter as opposed to multiple independent filter paths when the switch is off. The result is a CPU saving mono unison that is the same number of unison voices as the normal unison but with no stereo spread. Unison Panning (PN) - Sets the panning variation across the unison voices. Unison Volume (VL) - Sets the volume level variation across the unison voices (the closer to the center a voice is, the louder it will sound).

Unison Pitch (PT) - Sets the pitch variation (detune) across the unison voices. Unison Sub-Level (SB) - If set higher than zero, a duplicate for each unison voice is created, with a pitch offset of -1 octave. This parameter sets the volume of the sub-level voices. Unison Phase (PH) - Sets the initial oscillator phase variation across the unison voices. Envelope variation (EV) - Sets the amount of variation added to the attack and decay of the filter cutoff, resonance and volume envelopes of each unison voice. NOTES: Several Unison variations are selectable from the Effects section of the Options menu (

) The Unison is also fully programmable via the unison

mapping envelope available in the articulation section for each module. Keep in mind that unison triggers real voices rather than simulating FX via audio processing (such as the Chorus effect in the effects section). The polyphony of Sytrus in unison mode is multiplied by the number of unison voices (in the case of a sub-level higher than zero, an additional copy of each subvoice is generated). This can use a lot of CPU if not used carefully, so use unison mode with a moderate number of voices and try to use the integrated chorus effect if you don't want to use any of the advanced features of the unison mode.

Modulation (X/Y Controller) The modulation interface represents two adjustable controllers (horizontal and vertical direction). These have no inherent effect on patch sound and parameters, but are provided so they can be linked to real-time controllable parameters within the articulation section of each of the Sytrus modules. To set the values of both controllers, drag inside the controller screen or adjust the knob values provided for the X and Y values. You can also set the initial Mod X/Y values for each note via the Piano roll properties (in the Note Properties menu you will find two additional entries: Mod X and Mod Y). The Smooth option can be enabled if gradual smooth changes are preferred over quick changes for the linked properties and articulators. For more information on the Mod X/Y mappings, see the Envelope Editor.

Equalizer (EQ) Sytrus includes a parametric 3-band equalizer, which can filter the effects module signal and/or the output signal. Scheme Selection (LED check boxes) - Allows you to select how the equalizer is processed in the synth mixing chain. OFF disables the equalizer; OUT+FX filters both the effects module signal and the main output signal; OUT filters the main output signal only, and FX filters the FX module signal only. Equalizer Bands - The equalizer has 3 bands with adjustable range and frequency. By default the first band is low shelf, the middle is peaking band and last is high shelf. However, by Left-clicking on the EQ type icon above the sliders and dragging up and down, each band can be changed to one of the other two types. Using these three bands you can achieve all basic frequency filtering you need - low pass, high pass, band pass, peaking, notch filter, bass boost, etc. Frequency Knobs - Adjust the frequency of each corresponding EQ band (turn right to increase frequency). Range Knobs - Adjust the range (width) of each corresponding EQ band (turn right to increase band range). Bands with wider range have more impact over the filtered signal.

Misc Settings Random - Enables random mapping in the articulation section of each module (see the Envelope Editor for more information on random mapping). If you use small property variations via random mapping to introduce a more inaccurate performance (e.g. to simulate a live performance or the slight inaccuracy of old analogue synths), this option allows you to quickly turn the randomness off and get "perfect" output without losing your settings. Mono Key - This is a CPU saving feature. Enable this option to limit the number of voices per key to one (unison voices are still generated if unison is enabled). For example, when you play a note with a long release, then play the same note again before the previous release has ended, it adds to the number of notes being played and so CPU load. Mono Key cuts decaying releases from old notes when the same notes are

played again. How this sounds in practice will depend on the patch. Mono key mode in Sytrus is a CPU saving feature. Soften - Applies a softening filter to the attack of voices with velocity less than the default (100 for MIDI input/import). Turning the knob right increases the effect, while turning it fully left disables it. Global Pitch - Enable this option to make the pitch articulation of Operator 1 global, so that all other operators use it as a base from which to offset their own pitch settings. Center - Enable this switch to remove the DC offset from the final Sytrus output. This should be enabled if DC offset is present and affecting sound quality. Attenuate Gibbs Phenomenon (GIBBS OFF) - This option attenuates an unwanted side-effect of synthesis called the 'Gibbs phenomenon', i.e. low-level oscillations (ringing) around the point of sharp transitions in output amplitude (discontinuous line). You can learn more about Gibbs phenomenon on the internet

. Alternatively you may choose to use the

(per operator) version of this command in the Harmonics Editor. NOTE: The Gibbs attenuator will not be needed with 2X oversampling or more is in use. Portamento (PORTA) - Enables pitch envelope-controlled slides or 'glissando' (in addition to the usual Piano roll based slides in the native version of Sytrus). To activate envelope based portamento: enable a pitch envelope with an attack segment and define the envelope for the main operator in global mode (to affect all operators). To gain familiarity with this function load the 'Porta - basic.fnv' in the pitch envelope and examine how the duration of the attack portion of the (flat) pitch envelope controls the portamento duration/speed (see Options -> Porta for more details).

Quality Settings The quality settings are split into two sections - draft (real-time) and rendering, thus allowing you to optimize Sytrus for real-time performance and for highquality output during rendering. HQ Envelopes - Increases the envelope accuracy, but with greater CPU use. In many cases, this option is not required as the default setting is

sufficient. Oversampling Factor - Enables oversampling in order to increase the accuracy of the Sytrus rendering engine and to reduce aliasing. It is recommended to use oversampling only during rendering, unless the patch complexity and your CPU allow for high quality real-time performance. NOTE: in some cases, oversampling may alter FM feedback slightly as well as the filter sections, so it is advisable to test how your patch sounds with oversampling in real-time, if you plan to use it in your final output.

Info / Comments In this area you can assign the patch name and author name, as well as add any comments on the patch usage (such as X/Y controller usage, recommended patch usage, etc.)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - The Operator (Oscillator) Module In FM Synthesis Oscillators are called 'Operators', this is because they can be used to modulate other operators. The operator modules are central to the Sytrus synthesis engine as this section is used to define the operator shape and pitch. The module supports full articulation section (envelopes and mappings of volume/pitch/phase, etc.)

Oscillator Settings NOTE: In Sytrus 1.5 and later, harmonics have been vastly enhanced and moved into their own tab. To learn more, see Working with the Harmonics Editor.

Shape Preview Window The shape preview window shows the operator/oscillator shape after it is processed with the harmonics and other modifiers. There are 3 switches above the shape window (from left to right): Half - Uses only the first half of the shape phase in the sound generation. Even - Each odd phase of the shape is rendered silence. Absolute - The shape values are made absolute (only above the middle line).

Shape Modifiers The modifiers are a set of parameters which can help you in adjusting the operator shape to suit your needs. Alt+click a modifier to reset it to its default level: Shape (SH) - Allows to morph the shape to sine, triangle and pulse (via the other modifiers you can also achieve saw and other shapes). Tension (TN) - Sets the tension (distortion) of the base operator shape. Skew (SK) - Allows you to "skew" the base operator shape. Sine Shaper (SN) - Applies a transform which is useful for certain patch types (such as bells). Pre-Filter (FL) - Applies a smoothing (low-pass) filter to the shape. This can reduce potential aliasing artifacts but makes the sound less bright. Noise (NS) - Mixes 'white' noise with the operator. At maximum it only plays white noise, in the middle its half white noise, half the operator. This can be useful with plucked mode (which requires rich spectrum) and drum/percussion samples.

Pitch Offset & Multiplier Here you can set the base pitch of the operator. Position the cursor over a digit from either display and drag up/down. Frequency Offset allows you to adjust the pitch as an absolute offset in Hz. Frequency Ratio is a multiplication over the base pitch. The default value is 2. To increase the pitch with an octave, multiply by 2 (x2, x4, x8, x16, etc). To decrease with an octave divide by 2 (x1, x0.5, x250, etc).

Misc Settings Center - A DC offset removal. Declick - Applies a special filter to avoid clicks when starting a voice (useful for operators with sharp attack). B.Limit - Band limits the waveform. Pluck - Plucked mode turns the operator into a plucked string simulation unit. The unit basically starts with the original spectrum as set by all harmonics and modifiers then a gradual "damping" occurs which filters that spectrum to a

sine wave with the pitch value of the operator. For this mode to work it is recommended to start with a spectrum rich operator (if you start with a simple sine there is no audible effect). The damping amount is controlled via the DAMP articulation target (see articulation below). Note that an operator in plucked mode can not be frequency modulated (FM) by other operators,so its FM row in the matrix will be disabled while plucked mode is on (however ring modulation /RM/ is still available). Phase (PHS) - Sets the initial phase offset for the operator when a voice is started (or global offset, depends on the next option). Global - Enable this option to use a "global" phase for the operator in all voices (i.e. sync the phase between all voices for the operator). Volume (VOL) - Sets the operator volume. The modulation levels in the matrix can not be automated, however this volume property has the same effect for modulators and can be automated. Pitch Envelope/LFO Amount (PE) - This property sets the range the pitch articulators operate with (the default value is 12 semitones). You can copy all the settings defining the oscillator and paste them to a different operator by using the Copy/Paste Oscillator Settings command in the Options menu (

). The menu also contains the Reset Oscillator Settings in case you need

to quickly revert all oscillator settings to their default position.

Articulation Section The articulation section allows you to apply an envelope, LFO, map keys, velocity or unison mode voices to a set of predefined properties. To see the full list of envelopes/mapping in the articulation section and their meaning, please check the envelope editor page. The filter mode supports the following articulation targets (controlled parameters): Panning (PAN) - Sets the operator output panning (graph bottom = left panning, graph top = right panning). Volume (VOL) - Sets the operator output volume (graph bottom = no output, graph top = maximum output). Modulation Influence (MOD) - Defined the amount of 'influence' other operators (as modulators) can have on the current operator (graph bottom = no modulation, graph top = maximum modulation). Pitch Offset (PITCH) - Sets an offset to the operator base pitch (graph

bottom = -100% offset, graph top = +100% offset). Phase Offset (PHASE) - Sets an offset to the operator phase (graph bottom = -100% offset, graph top = +100% offset). If you vary the phase via the LFO articulation unit, the result is a vibrato effect. Plucked Damping (DAMP) - This target has effect only if the plucked strings mode is enabled for the operator. This envelope/mappings set controls the plucked string dampening amount (graph bottom = 100% dampening, graph top = no dampening). Oscillator Harmonics Editor (OSC) - A feature-rich harmonics editor and external sample analyzer lets you adjust the oscillator for every operator in Sytrus.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Working with the Envelope Editor The Envelope Editor may be used to adjust the articulation settings of a module including all envelopes, LFO and mapping charts. Sytrus envelopes are very customizable - each envelope segment can consist of unlimited nodes and segments, each with customizable tension (acceleration). The articulator combines the best of multi-point envelopes and more simple ADSR envelopes with special section markers that allow for ADSR automation. Section markers can also be used to create arpeggios which can also be defined within envelopes.

Common Functionality & Spline Editing Although there are several different types of envelopes and maps in Sytrus, they all share common functionality, as described below.

Enable/Disable Switch To use envelope/mapping, you first need to enable it by turning on the LED at the bottom left of the editor (see the screenshot above).

Load/Restore & Copy/Paste Note the placement of the load/restore button in the screenshot above. NOTE: Not all options appear for all Envelope sources. Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available.

Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Bipolar LFO tension - The LFO shape is mirrored above and below 0. Into both the positive and negative. Frozen LFO - The first LFO value is held. The LFO envelope (red) continues to act on this value. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. Background gradient - Flips the background gradient shading vertically.

Common Settings Freeze - Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup. This feature is useful if you have finished changing the spline structure of an envelope and want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles to provide a clear view of the shape). Step - Enable this option to set the Editor to step editing mode. Drag within the editor to create a 'free hand' curve in which a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw 'pulse' lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created in this mode uses the same tension as the previous segment. Snap - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging. Slide - Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points after it (this option is enabled by default).

Curve Editing There are several basic operations for editing the envelope/mapping shape: Add a new Control Point - Position your cursor over the line until the add point cursor appears (

). Right-click and a new point will be added.

Reposition a Control Point - Drag control points using your left mouse button. Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or CTRL to lock the horizontal position. Delete a Control Point - Right-click a control point and select Delete. Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click. Change a Segment Type - Sytrus offers 5 types of spline segments for joining control points. To open the menu, Right-click a control point (the selection applies to the preceding segment): Single Curve - Default mode for creating linear, ease-in and ease-out curves (depending on the tension). Double Curve - Smooth 'S' curves.

Hold - Single steps between points, handy for creating abrupt value changes in the envelope. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Change Segment Tension (Acceleration) - To change the amount of tension, Left-click on the tension handle (the circle located half way between the control points) and move your mouse up/down. Right-click the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustments to fine-tune.

Envelope Sections (ADSR) Some of the envelopes/mappings are divided into sections to provide classic ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) envelope functionality. Sytrus uses special section markers (see the screenshot above) to mark the end of a section and the start of the next one. There are few markers available: S (sustain): Marks the end of the decay section and the start of the release section. L (loop): Marks the start of a sustain loop section - enables you to define an envelope section to be repeated while a voice is sustained. D (decay): Marks the start of the decay section. DL (decay/loop): Combines the functions of the L and D markers. It is not necessary to use any or all of the markers provided. Without markers the envelope will be played once as a 'static' definition played once from start to finish for each voice. You can also use certain combinations as needed.

How to Add a Marker: Right-click the control point where you want to set the section marker. From the menu select the marker you want to add. If the item you want to add is disabled make sure the marker is in the correct place (e.g. a sustain loop start cannot be

placed after a sustain loop end). To make a DL marker, simply check both the Decay and Sustain Loop Start entries in the Right-click menu.

How to Remove a Marker: Right-click the control point where the marker is placed and uncheck the item representing the marker name. Keep in mind that removing some markers might make another marker/s redundant or cause them to be removed automatically (e.g. if you remove the sustain loop end marker, a sustain loop start marker will become redundant).

Envelope/Mapping Types There are few types of envelopes/mappings which define the articulation of a specific property: ENV, LFO, KEY M, VEL M, etc. The only exception is WS (WaveShaper) in the filter module (as described below).

ADSR Envelope (ENV) This is a "classic" ADSR envelope which combines the ability to define a sustain loop section with the power to create unlimited spline segments and refine various envelope sections as needed. Besides the editable envelope curve, the envelope also provides the regular envelope level controls, allowing you to lock the curves and still adjust some basic aspects of your envelope. All values are applied relative to the curve defined in the editor. Attack (ATT) - Defines the attack length/speed. Decay (DEC)- Defines the sustain section length/speed. Sustain (SUS) - Defines the sustain section slope ("decay" amount). Release (REL) - Defines the release length/speed. Tempo - Lets you determine whether the envelope length is relative to the project tempo (changes with tempo) or absolute in time. Global - Enable this option to use global envelopes. The envelope of all notes (including those already playing) restarts with each new note starts playing (so all notes share the same envelope). Useful for making perfectly synchronized gated presets as well as some special effects.

NOTE: When adjusting ADSR properties you can preview the effect of the knob value on the envelope shape. However, once the mouse key is released the envelope is restored to its previous view. The knob still has an effect, although it is not reflected in the curve to avoid distortion and make editing easier. For more information on the available envelope sections (attack, decay, sustain, sustain loop, release) and how to define/remove a section marker, see Envelope Sections (ADSR) above.

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) This unit allows you to vary the controlled property with an LFO. The LFO can also be modulated by its own envelope. The secondary blue curve visible behind the envelope is a preview of the LFO "in action" with the applied envelope, shape speed and settings. The following additional knobs are available for this unit: Speed (SPD) - Defines the LFO speed. Tension (TENS) - Defines the LFO curve 'tension'. This parameter is bipolar (both plus and minus values are possible) allowing you to morph the LFO through a wide range of shapes. Skew (SK) - Defines the balance between the odd/even splines in the LFO, visible as shape 'skew'. Pulse Width (PW) - Sets the pulse width, i.e. balance between the first and the second half of the LFO phase. Tempo - Lets you determine whether the envelope/LFO speed is relative to the project tempo or is absolute in time. Global - Normally, the LFO envelope is started from the beginning for each voice ("local" LFO). If this option is enabled, the envelope is "global" and is sustained, without restarting, for the duration of the song.

Mappings - Key M, Vel M, Mod X, Mod Y, Rand, Uni The mappings unit lets you map the value of the controlled property to the values of another property (keyboard key, velocity, etc). Mapping involves the definition of a single continuous curve in which the horizontal direction represents the values of the source property used for mapping - min>max = left>right; and the vertical direction represents the values of the controlled property (articulation

target) - min>max = bottom>top. By defining the mapping curve, you define where the horizontal positions are relative to the vertical positions, thus mapping the source property to the controlled property. Within a Sytrus graph the brighter vertical line represents the current value of the source property used for mapping (or the default value, if current is unavailable /such as with velocity/). Sytrus graphs allow several different mapping options: Keyboard Mapping (KEY M)

With keyboard mapping you can define how the controlled property is offset depending on the keyboard key (note) pressed to generate a voice. At the bottom of the graph you can see the keyboard range (the highlighted range matches the range displayed by the integrated Sytrus keyboard). Velocity Mapping (VEL M)

With this graph you can define how the voice velocity value relates to the controlled property. Modulation X/Y (MOD X and MOD Y)

These two graphs allow you to map the values of the integrated X/Y controller (in the main module of Sytrus) to changes in the controlled property. Random Mapping (RAND)

The random mapping lets you define the amount of randomization to the controlled property (one random value per voice is generated). This may be useful for simulating a live performance or the subtle inaccuracies of old analogue synths. A random floating point number is selected for each voice, in the range of 0% to 100%. The curve lets you define how the random number relates to changes in the controlled property. The more curve "dots" there are for a particular vertical position, the more likely the value will be selected by the random generator, thus allowing you to fine tune the behavior or the random generator and effectively defining the "chances" of certain values being selected for each voice. Unison Mapping (UNI)

This mapping is used by the unison feature of Sytrus (see the main module for

more information) and it has effect only if the unison mode is enabled for the current patch. The unison mode works by triggering a user-defined number of subvoices with altered properties for each actual voice in the sequence. Unison mapping lets you define how the controlled property varies across each of the sub-voices inside the unison. By default the unison uses only its global variation levels (if enabled), as specified in the global settings. By defining a mapping curve in this unit you can have much greater control over the type and amount of variation of both the property and the module. WaveShaper Mapping (WS)

This is the only articulated property defined by a single mapping and is available in each of the filter modules. The curve defines how the signal is distorted by the WaveShaper features in the filter modules, i.e. the original input levels and how they relate to the processed output levels.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Arpeggiator Sytrus has a unique method of creating arpeggios (Arps). Arps are defined by Envelope (usually volume, modulation or filter) arpeggiator 'break-points' that can be applied to the Envelope nodes. See Working with Envelopes for more detail on the basics of Envelope manipulation and also where you can open the Envelope Sequencer Tool. There are three types of Envelope Break Points used in making arpeggios (the middle three in the picture left),

Previous, Same, Next. The first and last nodes relate to the loop start and end points (Loop Sustain start and Loop Sustain End respectively). When a chord is played and the envelope is set to arpeggiate, each of the notes in the chord is played in turn within the envelope loop, as defined by the Arp breakpoint flags. Arp breakpoints are described in more detail below.

Settings To add or change an Arp break-point, Right-click on the envelope node and select 'Arpeggiator break' from the popup menu, then select one of the following break-point types from the sub-menu. None - Use this to clear an unwanted break point.

Previous( ) - At the break-point plays the next note below the previous note played. Same( ) - Plays the same note as at the last break-point. Next( ) - At the break-point plays the next note above the previous note played.

Making an Arpeggio Generally we advise using the Envelope Sequencer Tool opened from the Envelope menu. However for this tutorial will give you a feel for operating with the arpeggiation controls directly on the Envelope Editor window. Open Sytrus and load the patch labeled Default (this is a simple sinewave on Operator 1). Select Operator 1, set the Editor target to VOL and the Articulator part to ENV (this will open up the volume envelope for Operator 1. The same windows should be open as shown above. From the Envelope Options menu (

) select the Open state file...

menu item and open the 'Arp - classic up.fnv' state file. You should see a simple triangle-shaped Envelope with a Same breakpoint on the first node and a Next Arp break-point on the last node. Playing a chord will sound the classic upward repeating Arp. Change the last node to Previous and note that Arp descends. Experiment by adding some more Envelope nodes and break-point types. You are now on your way to creating your own Arps - have a look at some of the other Arp presets to learn how they work.

NOTES & TIPS: Arps need chords: To hear an Arp you need to play a chord (otherwise there is no 'previous' or 'next' note for Sytrus to play). Single notes will work, sounding the rhythm of the Envelope. Envelope loops: If you want your Arp to repeat while you hold down the chord, the first node should be set to Sustain loop start and the last node should be set to Sustain loop end (it is possible to add both Arp

'break points' and 'Loop sustain' flags to the same node). Envelope release: Avoid Envelope releases with Arp presets ('release point' envelope data after the 'Sustain loop end' node) as the envelope will play the whole chord. Timing: Make sure Tempo and Global selectors are activated in the Envelope settings so that the Arp plays in time with the BPM of your project, and timing of the notes does not drift. Per-Operator Arps: The speed of the Arps can be varied on a 'per operator', basis. Very complex and 'cool' patterns are possible. Speed: The envelope 'decay' (DEC) knob can be used to increase or decrease the speed of the sequence. The knob is set to 2X speed increments.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Working with the Harmonics Editor The operators in Sytrus contain a fully-featured harmonics editor in which you can define an oscillator shape with up to 128 harmonics, either by drawing the harmonics manually or by analyzing external samples.

Harmonic Editing An harmonic is a simple sine-wave that is an exact (integer) multiple of the starting frequency (in this case 1,2,3,...128). Harmonic Editors allow you to perform 'additive synthesis', in which you mix together harmonics (upper facing bars) and adjust their phase (downward facing bars). Using this technique you can create any type of waveform. In the example below, a square-wave has been created by adding the first 30 (or so) odd harmonics and adjusting their phase. Bars on the graph may be Leftclicked and moved up and down to adjust the relative level (upper) and phase (lower) values of a harmonic. After the mix is calculated, the shape amplitude is normalized to 100%. Harmonic Amplitude: The top row sets the number and level of harmonics to be mixed with the shape (order increases from left to right). Left-click and drag inside the row to add harmonics to the shape. Rightclick and drag to draw 'lines' inside the graph. ALT+click to reset the harmonics levels to neutral position. The scale of the amplitude levels is logarithmic, useful for when you need to add small amounts of a harmonic to the oscillator. Dark bands: To make editing more convenient, darker harmonic levels indicate frequency offsets in octaves (e.g. +1, +2, +3 octaves, etc). Harmonic Phase: The lower row sets the harmonic phase (time offset in the range of one oscillator cycle). Harmonic frequency: Please note that there are 128 harmonics available. To access higher harmonics use the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom of the graph (only the first 60 harmonic levels are visible by default). You can also Zoom sections of the graph using the Zoom box (lower right). NOTE: Harmonics are only active if the corresponding harmonic has a level higher than 0.

Keyboard Shortcuts - Lock/Unlock harmonic (CTRL + Left-click), Focus on harmonic (SHIFT + Left-click), Clear harmonic (ALT + Left-click), Affect multiple harmonics (Right-click + drag across harmonics). SMOOTH - Applies smoothing to the levels in the harmonics editor (averaging the levels with their neighbors). When odd/even harmonics are locked, only they will be smoothed (however, all harmonics will still be considered when computing the average values to apply.

Additional Commands Menu (

)

Click the arrow at the bottom left corner for commands related to working with the harmonics: Convert shape to sine harmonics - A sine shape is the default for each operator. This makes working with harmonics easier and more predictable. You can use this command to convert an oscillator with a non-sine shape to the closest representation of sine wave available. If the shape is already a sine, this command has no effect. Analyze single-cycle waveform - Allows you to analyze ('import') an external sample as an oscillator shape. Please note the following restrictions: the sample needs to be an oscillator shape ('single cycle' sample), as opposed to sample playback in samplers. Also, keep in mind that no actual wave sample is importer. Rather, the harmonics of the sample are analyzed and imported as harmonic settings in the Harmonic

Editor. If the sample is too long and/or too complex the import might not be accurate. Export single-cycle waveform - Creates a .wav file of the current waveform in the Editor. Lock harmonics - Use this to selectively gain control of the harmonic bands. The options are None (default), All, Odd, Even, Invert and Inactive (note that if this does not appear to lock inactive bands they probably have a very small level not visible in the Editor,). ALT+ Left-click will clear a band. Transpose One Octave Up - This command 'multiplies' the position of the harmonics to shift them up with an octave. Bear in mind that some information will be lost (for all harmonics and the high end which go out of range /above 128'th harmonic/). Shift Left/Right - Shifts the harmonics one position to left/right. Smooth up soft/hard - These options smooth the harmonics by a small (soft) or large amount (hard). Designed to avoid waveform clicks. Attenuate Gibbs Phenomenon - Applies techniques to attenuate the 'Gibbs phenomenon' as a pre-processing step applied to the harmonic levels. There is also a runtime 'Gibbs attenuation' option, found in the Main Panel. The 'Gibbs phenomenon' causes ringing around the point of transition in oscillators with sharp transitions (discontinuous line). You can learn more about Gibbs phenomenon on the internet

.

Remove Gibbs Phenomenon - Removes the 'Gibbs phenomenon'. The 'Gibbs phenomenon' causes ringing around the point of transition in oscillators with sharp transitions (discontinuous line). You can learn more about Gibbs phenomenon on the internet

.

Reset phases - Restores the Phase settings to their original state. Randomize phases - Randomizes the value of any active phase bars. What did you think it did? :) Copy/Paste - Allows you to copy the harmonic settings of an oscillator and paste them to another oscillator. There are several modes: Replace the "classic" method in which old data is replaced by that in the clipboard; Add- sums the existing harmonics with the clipboard; Subtract -

subtracts the clipboard levels from the existing levels; Multiply Multiplies the existing harmonic levels with those in the clipboard; Blend - sums the existing harmonics with the clipboard at 50%.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - The Filter Module The Filter Module has 13 filter modes and many options that you can tweak to get the perfect sound for your project. It includes a complete articulation section that allows you full control over the filter parameters. The module also includes waveshaping distortion with customizable mapping. The SVF filter is capable of handling 3 filter modes simultaneously - low-pass, band-pass and high-pass. NOTE: The Filter Mode switch is automatable.

Settings Filter Mode (Automatable) Filter Type LCD - Select from one of 13 filter types, including a fullyfeatured SVF 'Chocolate' filter, 8 'Vanilla' filters (Low Pass - LP, Band Pass - BP, Notch - NOT, High Pass - HP, All Pass - AP, Low Shelf - LS, Peaking - PK and High Shelf - HS) and a lowpass 'Mango' filter. Only the SVF filter will display/use the low/band/high levels on the panel (see the screenshot above). A Phaser filter (PHS) is also included (see below). Flat - Applies an alternative resonance algorithm to the filter (try both modes to see which suits your project). HQ - Improves filter quality. This option is necessary when operating at sample rates of 44 kHz or less and using the high-pass result of the SVF filter. Bandwidth - Sets the filter bandwidth. OFF turns the filter off. x1, x2, x3 are 12, 24 and 36 dB filters, respectively. ALT x2 and ALT x3 provide alternative algorithms for the 24/36 dB filter modes.

Phaser The Cherry Phaser is implemented as a filter type (see above) giving you full control of the frequency and enabling the phaser to be synced to the LFO, with full control of the LFO shape. Res - Phaser feedback. Filter Mode - Phaser order. The buttons marked 1 to ALT x3 provide phaser order 1 to 10. To keep the interface simple ALT x2 and ALT x3 are orders 4 & 5. The 'FLAT' switch adds 5 to these buttons giving you 6 to 10 on the same switches. For example, FLAT + x1 = 6, FLAT + x2 = 7 ... FLAT + ALT x3 = 10.

Common Filter Settings These settings control some common aspects of the filter (cutoff, resonance, etc.)

Cutoff LFO/Env. Amount (ENV) - Adjusts the amount of cutoff LFO/Envelope articulation above the cutoff value. Turn fully left to disable cutoff articulation. Cutoff (CUT) - Filter frequency. Affects all modes of the filter - low, band, high, etc. Resonance (RES) / Bandwidth - Sets the resonance or "sharpness" of the filter. For bandpass/notch filters, sets the filter bandwidth.

Low/Band/High Levels These settings apply to the included SVF filter only. Each slider controls the amount of output from each of the filter bands: L: low-pass,B: band-pass, H: high-pass. By default, the low-pass level is set to maximum, while the rest are muted.

WaveShaper Settings Each filter module includes an optional waveshaper distortion. This distortion maps the input signal amplitude to another amplitude based on the waveshaper mapping (see the Articulation section below). To enable the effect, turn on the Enabled LED. Unipolar/Bipolar (+ / +-) - Allows you to set the waveshaper graph to symetric (unipolar) or asymetric (bipolar). Affects the waveshaper envelope presentation (switching from bipolar to unipolar mode loses all the asymetric information). Preamp (AMP) - Allows you to increase the amplitude levels of the signal before it is processed with the waveshaping distortion. Mix Level (MIX) - Sets the mix balance between the unprocessed and distorted signals.

Send to Next This knob allows you to send the audio processed by the current filter module to the next one. This feature is available for the first two filter modules only.

Articulation Section

The articulation section allows you to apply an envelope, LFO, map keys, velocity or unison mode voices to a set of pre-defined properties. For a full list of envelopes/mapping in the Articulation section and their descriptions, see envelope editor page. The filter mode supports the following articulation targets (controlled parameters): Panning (PAN) - Sets the filter output panning (graph bottom = left panning, graph top = right panning). Volume (VOL) - Sets the filter output volume (graph bottom = no output, graph top = maximum output). Cutoff (CUT) - Offsets the cutoff levels for the filter (graph bottom = -100 offset, graph top = +100 offset). Resonance (RES) - Offsets the filter resonance levels (graph bottom = -100 offset, graph top = +100 offset). Low-pass, Band-pass, High-pass Levels (LOW, BAND, HIGH) - Sets the output volume of the corresponding filter mode (graph bottom = no output, graph top = maximum output). WaveShaper Mapping (WS) - This is the only articulation target without a full set of envelopes, LFO, etc. It is simply a map describing the relation between the input audio amplitude and the waveshaper processed signal. The horizontal axis represents the input levels (left>right = min>max) while the vertical axis represents the output levels (bottom>top = min>max). WaveShaper Mix Level (WMIX) - Sets the output volume of the waveshaper processed signal (graph bottom = no distortion mix, graph top = maximum distortion mix level).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - The Effects Module The effects module offers highquality chorus effect, 3 delay lines which can process either in parallel or in serial (with the possibility to send the module output to a mixer send track for further processing) and a reverb section.

Settings Panning (PAN) Allows you to pan the signal before it is processed by the effects.

Chorus Effect The chorus effect enables you to enrich the stereo panorama and depth even for simple patches. It can also be used as a less CPU-intensive alternative to the integrated unison mode (see the main module page), if you don't need to use any of the advanced unison features, such as sub-level voices, custom parameter mapping , etc.

Order (ORD) - Sets the number of "stacked" flangers to be used for the effect. Using more flangers makes the effect smoother and richer. Drag the screen down until the indicator disappears to disable the effect. Depth (DP) - Controls the "chorus depth" (amplitude of pitch oscillation for each of the stacked flangers). Speed (SP) - Controls the flange speed (speed of pitch oscillation). Delay (DL) - Variable amounts of delay can be applied to each of the stacked flangers. Use this parameter to define the overall amount of delay applied. Spread (SR) - Each flanger is assigned a different speed, depth, etc. in a range defined by the basic properties provided for the Chorus effect. Increase the SPRD value to "smooth" the spreading of the stacked flangers across the parameter ranges. Chorus Stereo Cross (CR) - This parameter applies a stereo cross mix between the left and right channel audio output of the Chorus effect. Increase the parameter value to mix more of the left channel sound in the right one and vice versa. The parameter has range of -128 to 128. Negative values mix inverted sound in the opposite channel. Chorus Level (VL) - Determines the level of the processed signal into the overall mix. You can load several presets for the chorus effect by clicking the Options button on the Sytrus interface (

) and pointing to the chorus submenu.

Send Track Settings Here you can select a mixer send track and send level if you want to send the signal to a track for further processing. Select the send track number from the LCD (NUM) and adjust the send level (VOL).

Delay Line Settings The effects module includes 3 separate delay lines (echo) which can process either in parallel or in serial. To see the settings for each delay line, select one via the D1/D2/D3 switches. To enable the effect, turn on the Enabled LED. Delay Feedback (FB) - Sets the feedback volume. Setting this to maximum will create feedback that never fades out, while setting it to minimum will

result in no feedback. Delay Time (TM) - Sets the signal delay time (and amount of time between echoes in the feedback). Delay Stereo Offset (SO) - Lets you set a time offset for the left or right audio channel, thus creating richer stereo panorama of the delay effect. To delay the left channel, use a negative offset value. To delay the right channel, use a positive value. Delay Volume (VL) - Sets the delay line output. Keep in mind this parameter has a range of -128 to 128 - to decrease the delay volume, position the slide near the middle. Negative values produce echoes with inverted signal (phase). Delay feedback Mode (NORMAL, INVERTED, P.PONG) - Sets the feedback stereo mode. Normal preserves the original stereo, Inverted swaps the left and right channels once, Ping Pong swaps the left and right channels for each successive echo. Tempo Based (TEMPO) - Enable this switch to make the delay speed tempo based rather than absolute in time. Serial Processing (SERIAL) - Enable this switch to feed the next delay filter with the output of the current delay (thus processing in serial as opposed to independent parallel processing). Only the first two delay effects have this option. Enabled (ENABLED) - Turn this switch on to enable the current delay line.

Reverb section The effects module includes a high quality reverb based on the Fruity Reeverb FX plugin. Color Selector - Color has five settings: Brighter (B+), Bright (B), Flat (F), Warm (W), Warmer (W+). The Color parameter is used for adjusting the decay time of the bass frequencies of the signal. This allows you to change the overall perceived mood or 'sound' of the virtual room. A bright room has a low bass response, while warm rooms have a higher bass response. In a flat room, the response of the bass is equal to the general frequency response. Low Cut (LC) - Adjusts the low cutoff frequency. Use this to remove low frequencies from the input signal before reverb is added. For example, if you are adding reverb to, say a drum track, you might want to remove some of the 'rumble' from the bass drum by attenuating the bass frequencies. Setting

this parameter to the minimum value will bypass the Low Cut filter, displaying OFF in the value field. High Cut (HC) - Similar to the Low Cut, this adjusts the high cutoff frequency. Use this to remove high frequencies from the input signal. Predelay (PD) - Controls the delay time between the direct input signal and the first reverb reflection. This should be set to modest values for small rooms, and can be increased in relation to increases in room size. Predelay creates a slap-back echo effect that can both add atmosphere and muffle the signal, so use it wisely. Room Size (RS) - Use this to set the size of the virtual room where the reverb is created. The Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms sound better with longer reverb times. Diffusion (DF) - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the reflections sound more distinct, like closely spaced echoes. A high diffusion setting creates reflections so close they sound more like noise, where no echoes can be distinguished. Decay (DE) - Controls the decay time of the reverb, the time it takes for the signal to decay to -60dB (1/1000 of the maximum amplitude). Use low decay times for small rooms or boxes, and long decay times for large rooms, halls or churches. You should also make sure that the Room Size parameter has an appropriate value. High Damping (HD) - This parameter allows you to adjust damping of the high frequencies in the reverb signal over time. Damping refers to the high frequencies being attenuated and dying out. This causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warm like it is being absorbed in the room. Setting this parameter to the maximum value will bypass the High Damping, displaying OFF in the value field. Wet Level (WL) - Sets the relative reverb (wet) signal level.

Articulation Section The articulation section allows you to apply an envelope, LFO, map keys, velocity or unison mode voices to a set of predefined properties. To see the full list of envelopes/mapping in the articulation section and their meaning, please check the envelope editor page. The filter mode supports the following articulation targets (controlled parameters):

Panning (PAN) - Sets the module panning (graph bottom = left panning, graph top = right panning). Volume (VOL) - Sets the module volume (graph bottom = no output, graph top = maximum output).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Basics of FM Synthesis and the Modulation Matrix Basics of FM Synthesis Most of today's software synthesizers use a process known as 'subtractive synthesis' - a spectrum-rich oscillator (saw, square, triangle, etc.) is processed with a low-pass, bandpass, or high-pass resonant filter to produce the final sound. FM (Frequency Modulation) uses a different approach - pure tones (sine waves) processed in such a way that additional harmonics are created (one sine wave modulates the frequency of another) and added to the signal to produce the final sound. Unlike sub-synths, the basic module of the FM synth is called an 'operator', which includes a pure tone oscillator (sine wave) and an articulation section. At the basic level the articulation section is at least a simple ADSR volume envelope.

FM synthesizers contain two or more operators (Sytrus supports up to six operators). When an operator is connected to the input of another, a pitch (frequency) modulation occurs (see diagram, above). The modulating operator is known as the 'modulator', while the modulated operator is called a 'carrier' (in Sytrus a single operator can act both as a carrier and modulator).

Sytrus Implementation Sytrus offers everything found in classic FM synthesizers and supports up to six operators and a modulation matrix, in which you can define the synthesis algorithm. Sytrus also includes a set of advanced features which allow you to create many unique sounds: Custom Oscillator Shape - The oscillator shape of each operator can be tweaked in various ways, such as adding harmonics, morphing to shapes other than sine (square, triangle), pulse width, add noise, etc. An operator can also be set to generate plucked string tones with a fully customizable damping envelope, which can be indispensable for string and pads patches. Ring Modulation - Besides FM (frequency modulation) and additive mixing, Sytrus operators can also interact in RM (Ring Modulation) mode. Ring Modulation is the process by which two input signals are multiplied together to produce a new sound, often with characteristics which are qualitatively different from the original input signals. Support for Subtractive Synthesis - Sytrus includes three fully-featured SVF (filter) modules which can be used to filter the operators' output. By combining both additive (FM/RM) and subtractive (SVF) synthesis techniques, Sytrus offers a very flexible means of producing a wide range of sounds, without the need for additional plugins or processing. Effects Module - Offers a range of effects to treat the patch sound, including three delay lines (which can process in parallel or serial mode) and a highquality chorus effect to add depth to Sytrus patches. The signal from the effects module can also be sent to a mixer send track for additional processing. Fully Customizable Articulation - Mapping diagrams, LFO and envelopes in Sytrus extend far beyond simple ADSR volume envelope support. Each diagram and envelope state can consist of of unlimited number of curve segments, with control of pitch, volume, panning, velocity mapping, and unison settings, etc.

This allows for more complex patch structures, including even programming whole drum and synth loops into a single patch/voice. Programmable Unison Mode - Supports sub-level voices, variable pitch, pan, volume and envelope variation. Uniquely, each property targeted in the articulation sections of the modules can be mapped by the patch creator to the unison voices following 100% customizable mapping graphs, which allows almost every voice in the unison to have different properties (for more information, see the main module). NOTE: If you want to create your own Sytrus patches or modify existing ones, it is recommended to check the Sytrus processing diagram. It describes in detail how the Sytrus modules are processed and mixed:

The same diagram is quickly accessible from a button on the Sytrus interface:

Modulation Matrix The modulation matrix in Sytrus allows you to set up the FM synthesis algorithm and to adjust the operator send levels for effects and filter modules, and panning and 'dry' output levels.

Each knob controls a specific function or mapping (as explained below). The neutral position for each knob is the middle Use Alt + Left-click to reset a knob to its neutral position. You can also Right-click a knob to quickly mute/unmute, while preserving the knob value (this feature is useful when testing and tuning a patch)

The modulation matrix comprises several discrete parts. Below we will take a more detailed look at each section and its applications:

Modulation Setup The FM/RM section sets up the modulation algorithm of Sytrus. Each row represents an operator and determines which operators will modulate it and by how much. The knobs determine the amount of modulation - if the value is negative (turn the wheel at left) the modulation phase will be inverted. At the neutral level (Alt + Left-click a knob), there will be no modulation. It is not necessary for an operator to be modulated in order for it to produce output. Note - If you're unsure of the purpose of any knob in the matrix, simply hover over it with your mouse and check the FL Studio Hint Bar. Here are few very basic algorithms and their representation in the Sytrus matrix:

In these examples, Operator 1 is used as a carrier while the rest of the active operators are modulators. You can modulate an operator by itself (in example 3 row 2, column 2 - modulating operator 2 by itself), thus creating a feedback effect. Note that the carrier must be assigned an output, either directly (as in the examples), or via the filter modules. For more information on filters and output assignment, see the other two matrix sections covered below. Sytrus also supports RM (ring modulation) interaction between operators. To see and adjust the RM setup, click the FM/RM switch at the bottom of the matrix:

Please keep in mind the switch only affects the modulation setup section of the matrix, as the rest of the settings (pan, FX send, filter send, etc.) are shared among the FM/RM setups.

Filter Send Levels This section adjusts the amount of signal sent from each operator to the filter modules. Negative values will send an inverted signal to the filter modules. Sytrus includes three filter modules. Each row in the section represents one module. If you want to send 50% of the output from operators 3 and 4 to filter section 2, adjust the knobs as follows: in row F2 (filter section 2), adjust the knob in column 3 (operator 3) to 50%; in the same row adjust the knob in column 4 (operator 4) to 50%. To reset a knob to a neutral position, use Alt + Left-click. Note that to hear the output of the filter sections, they need to be assigned an output. To learn more, see the Pan, FX Send and Output section below.

Pan, FX Send and Output In this section you can define the panning, effects send and output amounts for each of the operators and the three filter sections. The first column sets the panning of its corresponding module (operator or filter). The default position is center. The second column defines the amount of signal sent to the effects module. If you set this knob to a negative value, an inverted signal will be sent to the effects module. In the default neutral position (middle), no signal is sent to the effects module. The third column defines the output amount for its corresponding module (operator or filter). A negative value will send an inverted signal to the output. IMPORTANT: Neither the operators or filter modules in Sytrus produce audio automatically. You'll need to use the matrix to rout them to the output stages as follows: 1. Assign an output level for the module from the matrix section. 2. Assign an effects send level for the module (the effects module is automatically sent to the output). 3. (operators only) Assign the operator a filter send level via the Filter Send Levels matrix section (see above). The filter module you send to needs to 'reach' an output by itself. 4. (Filters only) Use the Send to Next knob (see the filter module page for more info).

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus Tutorial FM Synthesis is typically regarded as black magic by most amateur synthesizer programmers. The Yamaha DX-7, the first popular FM synthesizer, was reported to have 90% of maintenance returns complete with their presets intact. You have probably browsed through the presets in Sytrus, and wondered, 'how did they do that'?. The next step, then, is usually to search the Internet for FM synthesis tutorials, only to discover that most of them tell you how to program a Yamaha DX7, or a particular DX7-like FM synthesizer to achieve a handful of particular sounds. But there's no clear idea how those "FM fundamentals" apply to Sytrus'. This tutorial will help remove some of the mystery from FM synthesis in general, and help you on your way to understanding what all those mysterious controls and knobs in Sytrus do.

Operators, Modulation Matrix, or Filters. This tutorial is all about the Sytrus FM synthesizer, and the purpose behind the most important controls on its variety of control panels. This tutorial will not discuss each knob and slider, and how each individual control affects the output signal. However, after proceeding through this tutorial, you will understand: What an "operator" is. How the modulation matrix is configured to route sounds from the oscillators through the modulators, filters, and effects processing to the output. How to apply a filter to an operator. The single difference between FM and subtractive synthesis

Step 0: Learn about subtractive synthesis basics It's fairly easy to get a basic grip on FM synthesis. Starting with simple waveforms, filters and envelopes are applied to get different "effects" on the final sound. With most subtractive synthesizers, you can pick a knob at random, tweak it, and likely hear a difference in the sound that comes out as a result. The 3xOSC plugin is a great place to start. Once you're comfortable with terms like, "oscillator", "LFO", "cutoff", and "ADSR", you may proceed.

Step 1: Understand what you're looking at in Sytrus 1.1 Add a Sytrus channel. Click the "plug" in the upper left of the window, and select the "Default" patch. This patch produces a pure sine wave output. Ignore the 9x9 matrix control on the right side of the window for now. 1.2 Click the "MAIN" box in the upper left to see how the synthesizer's overall characteristics are defined. These parameters operate on the signal that comes out of the synth/filter/pan/fx module. You can apply an overall volume and filter envelope, tweak the basic EQ, add a unison effect, and determine which parameters are affected by the x/y modulation controls. 1.3 Click on the "OP 1" box towards the top of the window. This panel defines "Operator #1". An operator is simply a waveform; some audio signal. You can see one cycle of it in the box in the upper left. The sliders and knobs to the right of the waveform display allow you to modify some characteristics of the waveform. The row of buttons, "PAN", "VOL", etc. allow you to modify the characteristics of the waveform. "OP 2" through "OP 6" allow you to define five more waveforms. 1.4 Click on the "FILT 1" box towards the top of the window. This panel defines "Filter #1". The panel and rows of buttons allow you to specify the characteristics of a filter, which can be applied to the output of the operators. "FILT 2" and "FILT 3" allow you to define two more filters. 1.5 Click on the "FX" button towards the top of the window. This panel defines a basic effects chain consisting of panning, chorus, three delay units, and reverb.

Step 2: Sytrus, the Subtractive Synth, part 1 - The Sawtooth Wave As a first step in learning how to program the Sytrus synthesizer, we will examine its capabilities as a subtractive synthesizer. This will build on our knowledge from Step 0, above, as we start to learn how to find our way around Sytrus without getting too complicated. 2.1 Go back to the "OP 1" panel, and slide the "SH" slider (just to the right of the waveform display). As you slide it up, the waveform will change from a sine wave through triangle, saw, and square patterns, ending up with a square pulse. Set the slider in the middle of its

range (50%) to produce a sawtooth wave. Play some notes and listen to the buzzing of all the high frequency components in the sawtooth wave. 2.2 Now we'll take a look at the modulation matrix. In the Default preset, only one knob is activated. On the far right of the OP1 row, the knob in the "OUT" column is turned all the way up, to 100%. This knob indicates that the output from OP1 should go straight to the output at full volume. Each of the top six knobs in the "OUT" column indicate how loud each of the operators should be in the output mix. The bottom three knobs indicate how loud the output from each filter should be in the output mix.

Step 3: Sytrus, the Subtractive Synth, part 2 - a basic filter envelope 3.1 Now, we'll apply the default filter to the saw wave in operator 1. First, Right-click the OP1 output level knob to mute it. Play some notes. Note that there is now no output from Sytrus. At least one of the various output knobs must be turned on to generate any output. So, to activate the output of filter 1, turn the output knob on the F1 row up to 100%. Play some notes. Note that there is still no output from Sytrus. At this point, we're sending 100% of the output from the filter to the output. However, there's no input signal to the filter, so no sound will be generated. 3.2 To send some of the OP1 signal to the first filter, turn on the knob in the first column of the F1 row, and set it to the full on position, 100%. This sends the output of OP1 to the first filter. The output knob in the F1 row sends the output of the first filter to the output module. Play some notes. The default filter, applied to the saw wave produces a cheap synth horn sound. 3.3 Activate the cutoff envelope for the first filter. Click on the "FILT 1" button toward the top of the window. This displays the Filter 1 settings. Click the "CUT" button in the middle row of buttons. This displays the parameters for the filter cutoff envelope. Click the "ENV" button to display the default envelope. Just under the bottom of the graphical envelope display are four knobs to set the Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release parameters of the envelope. To the left of these four buttons, is a small, hollow radio button. The default setting is "off", indicating no filter cutoff envelope should be applied. Click the radio button to activate the filter cutoff envelope. Play some notes. Note how the cutoff envelope alters the sound of the "horn".

Experiment with the ATT, DEC, SUS, and REL knobs to see how they alter the sound of the wave.

Step 4: An Introduction to Modulation The modulation operation: Basically, two waves combine in a magic way to create a richer spectrum output. It is important to note that OP1 modulating OP2 (OP1*OP2) does not produce the same output as OP2 modulating OP1 (OP2*OP1). Well, it's not that important, but just know that tweaking the OP1/OP2 modulation parameter will result in a different output than tweaking the OP2/OP1 modulation parameter.

Step 5: Sytrus, the FM synth, Simple Modulation 5.1 First, deactivate the filter by Right-clicking on the OP1/F1 knob. Re-activate the OP1 output by Right-clicking on the OUT/OP1 knob. Play some notes. The sound should be that of the original, unfiltered, buzzy, sawtooth wave. 5.2 Now, apply some modulation to the sawtooth wave. First, play some notes to get a feel for the unmodulated sawtooth wave. Now, click the knob in the OP2 column of the OP1 row, and turn it to a setting of 25%. Play some more notes. Hear how the buzzing quality has changed slightly. Turn the modulation knob from 25% to 50% and hear how the quality of the sound has changed again. Try settings of 75% and 100%. Congratulations! you've now created an FM synth patch.

Step 6: Filtering a modulated signal 6.1 Now, we'll apply the filter we created above to the FM modulated signal. Deactivate the OP1 output by Right-clicking on the OUT/OP1 knob. Make sure the OUT/F1 knob is activated. If not, Right-click it to activate it. Activate the OP2/F1 knob by turning it to 100%. Play some notes. The sound will be that of a pure sine wave. What's going on here? Well, what we actually did is route OP2 (an unmodulated sine wave) into Filter 1. Operator 2 is still at its default setting of a sine wave, so the output generated is a filtered sine wave, or, in other words, a sine wave. What we wanted to do is send OP1 into Filter 1. (This may be

the most confusing feature of the modulation matrix itself.) This is part of what I mean by OP1*OP2 not being the same as OP2*OP1. Since we configured OP2 to modulate OP1, in order to send the modulated OP1 output to a filter module, we must use the OP1 column of the desired filter row to route that signal accordingly. 6.2 To route OP1 into Filter 1, deactivate the OP2/F1 knob by Rightclicking on it, and re-activate the OP1/F1 knob by Right-clicking on it. Now, we are routing the modulated OP1 signal into the filter. Play some notes. Now, the filter we created above is acting on the modulated signal.

Step 7: The single difference between FM and Subtractive synthesis Subtractive synthesis uses richer waveforms (triangle waves, square waves, etc.) as the base signal before applying filtering, resulting in higher order harmonic content in the synthesized signal. FM synthesis creates richer waveforms via modulation, resulting in "sidebands" of the carrier signal (i.e. the operator being modulated). That's it. Both use filters, envelopes and modulators on the sound. Once you understand what the knobs in the modulation matrix do, you're off and running. FM Synthesis can seem intimidating because it does not seem as intuitive as basic subtractive synthesis. The 'sidebands' resulting from the modulation operations are not as easily visualized as relatively simple square waves, or triangle waves. Also, FM synthesizers typically have much more complex envelopes and automation capabilities (see the 'Electrocution' preset for a complex automated filter example), adding to their complexity and intimidation factor.

Tutorial credits: Eric Mitchell.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Notes & Tips to Patch Creators Recommendations for Patch Authoring Please check the following rules to ensure that the patches you make are immediately usable, merge with the other presets, & don't spend a lot of CPU power when it can be avoided at no quality loss: It is recommended to copy/paste the details text from the Default preset. The layout and colors are easy to read and provide a common format for the details text in all patches. Don't leave knobs in the matrix active if they are not to be used. For example, if a filter is not used, it should not have an output level. Envelopes: pay attention to the sustain point, it is the most important part of the ADSR envelope. A voice stops when all of the envelopes have completed their release part. The envelope section after the sustain point is important and it is recommended that all of the operators & FX should match it. When previewing your patch, try to press a key for a very short time, & see if it still releases properly (if there is a problem, you will hear a "lag" in release response even if you don't use long release time). If not, an articulator inside your synth is holding the voice active, try to find it and adjust it accordingly. For patch sounds like bells or drums, if a voice needs to act like a "one shot" regardless of the voice length, you can duplicate the part before the release section after the release section (if a voice is released instantly, the release section is used, otherwise the sustain section is used, yielding identical results in either case). Pay attention to possible DC offset. If your patch causes a DC offset, switch the "center" option on for the oscillator/s that cause that effect. Pay attention to keyboard mapping. With FM synthesis you might need to check if higher notes produce aliasing, & reduce the modulators levels using the keyboard mapping if needed. The last key you've pressed shows in the keyboard mapping editor.

To increase usability of the preset, always try to give a use to the integrated X/Y Controller (Mod X/Y) and explain what each direction means, as in the included presets. Chorus/unison: do not set Order to max, if 4 or 5 sounds the same or similar enough. This is especially true for the unison effect, where with the increase of order, more and more actual voices are generated and mixed together to produce a single voice in your sequence (order 6 = 6 subvoices per voice) which substantially increases CPU usage for your patch. If sublevel is used, then additional set of voices is generated. Aliasing: try to avoid aliasing using the 'Band-limit waveform' option in preference to oversampling: 4x oversampling = 4x more CPU usage, for example. Shapes: try to avoid using custom shapes for more than 2 or 3 operators (unless the specific patch requires it). Due to the serialized processing, it matters for the cache, thus to the CPU usage. Try to keep at least 3 oscillators as pure sines, so that they are shared.

Other Tips If you want to start a patch from scratch, load the Sytrus preset named Default. All controls in this preset are reset to their default state. Always ensure the oscillator has rich spectrum if you are going to use it in plucked string mode. The best way to ensure that is to add good amount of noise via the Noise modifier. You can use a modulator with very low pitch as a vibrato effect on the carrier. If you don't use the advanced features of the unison mode, you can try using the chorus effect in the effects section instead and save some CPU power.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Sytrus - Options and Helpers Left-click on the symbols to open the following features:

1. Show keyboard This shows/hides the preview keyboard.

2. Show block diagram This shows the Sytrus internal signal routing diagram. Click the user interface again to return to the normal Sytrus interface.

3. Show information This shows the Sytrus version and information screen, to revert to the normal Sytrus user interface Left-click on the screen again.

4. Options / Presets Contains a menu with several items as described below:

Presets Yamaha DX7 Presets - Opens a file browsing dialog to import DX7 SYSEX data. Sytrus will then read the patch and emulate the original DX7 sound. Imported DX7 presets appear as subitems in the DX7 menu. Copy / Paste preset - Copy and paste presets.

Oscillators Copy / Paste oscillator settings - Allows you to copy and paste settings between operators. Reset waveform settings - returns the Operator to the default state. Randomize waveform settings - randomizes the waveform settings,

use when you are stuck for ideas. And in the same way that idly fiddling with a Rubik's cube may solve the puzzle...you may end up with a great sounding patch. Morph oscillator 1 to 5 - Morphs oscillators 2,3 and 4 to create a series of wave-forms linking the end points in a smooth progression.

Effects Unison - Unison is the process of creating extra (detuned) voices, Sytrus can generate up to 9 unison voices per operator. This option contains a number of unison presets to browse and select. The Distribution suboption, specifies various panning methods. Set by ear. Chorus - Browse Chorus presets for the FX module. Reverb - Browse Reverb presets for the FX module.

Tone Arpeggio: Invert - Inverts the arpeggio settings in the envelope. Portamento: Variable time - Pitch envelope attack length defines the duration of a 12 semitone sweep, this is used to calculate a persemitone glide time that is then applied to any range. In other words a constant per-semitone portamento rate is applied so that portamento duration depends on the note interval, hence the name 'variable time'. Track origin - This option takes into account keyboard mapping and applies the portamento 'end' note keyboard-map properties to the 'start' note. For example, if the end note had a low filter cut-off, Sytrus will apply this value to the start note. If the option is off, keyboard map values will be applied at a C5 note value. No limit - Unlimited portamento range. Octave wrap - An interval larger than one octave will wrap to less than one octave, that is a glide from C4 to E5 will play as C5

to E5 1 to 4 semitone limit - Determine how far the slide will travel before cutting out. For example, a 4 semitone limit (when a larger than 4 semitone interval is played) will slide for 4 semitones before jumping to the target note. Velocity: These are toggle-switches. Link velocity to volume - Modulates the note output volume on the basis of velocity (normally on). Link velocity to attack time - Modulates the volume envelope attack time on the basis of velocity. Link velocity to attack length - Modulates the volume envelope attack length on the basis of velocity. Link velocity to release length - Modulates the volume envelope release length on the basis of velocity.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard DEMO ONLY: Toxic Biohazard is available

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately

so you can save projects containing Toxic Biohazard channels.

Overview Toxic Biohazard features a hybrid synthesis engine, combining the best of FM and Subtractive synthesis. With the addition of a warm, analog-modeled filter and set of built-in effects, the Toxic concept remains one of convenience, simplicity, and superb sound quality.

Features Powerful hybrid FM-Subtractive synthesis engine. Low CPU usage with no loss of sound quality. 6 customizable, anti-aliasing oscillators, each providing a rich, noiseless spectrum. 6 ADSR Envelope Generators, one dedicated to each oscillator. A Warm, multimode, analog-modeled filter, featuring Low-Pass, Band-Pass, and High-Pass settings. A dedicated Envelope Generator tied to the filter. 2 free-shaped, tempo-sync able LFO's, FM and LFO matrix. Up to 32 voice polyphony.

Up to 8 voices unison with stereo spreading. Support for any samplerate. Completely sample accurate. 2 effect modules where you can select Multistage Delay, Chorus, Phaser, Lo-Fi, Flanger, Reverb, plus master 8 band equalizer and distortion.. 8 band, analog-modeled, parametric equalizer. An aggressive distortion module. A modern, inspiring user interface design, featuring our own 'Symmetric Interface' layout. 64 step sequencer, featuring our 'Smart-Sequencer' technology and double polyphonic capabilities. MIDI modulation matrix, allowing the user to route up to 10 MIDI controllers to modulate Toxic Biohazard parameters

Controls While using Toxic Biohazard, you will find that many parameters have similar controls.

Buttons:

Buttons

have two states, ON and OFF. When ON, they emit an LCD like glow. To toggle a button between ON and OFF, simply "Left-click" while hovering over it with your mouse pointer. Knobs:

These controls are made to

work like hardware rotary encoder knobs that you'll find on most hardware synthesizers. To "Turn" the knobs, "Click-and-Drag" while hovering over it with your mouse pointer. Dragging upwards will bring the knob to the right, while dragging downwards will bring the knob to the left. Data Sliders:

Data Sliders work similarly to

the sliders on hardware synthesizers and mixing consoles. To increase the value of a Data Slider, simply "Clickand-Drag" the slider upwards. To decrease the value, "Click-and-Drag" downwards. Number Displays: Number displays work in the exact same way as Knobs and Data Sliders, except the value is represented by an LCD-Like number. To operate a Number Display, "Click-and-Drag" your mouse pointer upwards for positive values, and downwards for negative values, while hovering over the LCD display.

Control modifiers Fine adjustment -Holding Shift prior to clicking and dragging on a control allows fine adjustments to be made to parameters. Reset control - Hold Alt prior to clicking on a control or Right-click (VST) version. Right-click (FL native version) opens the link/copy/paste menu.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Master Panel

Top Panel The top section of Toxic Biohazard provides a range of global controls as described below:

Voice Controls (Configuration & Master Envelope) Configuration TRANSP: Transposition, controls the global pitch in semitones. POLY: Select the maximum number of voices (polyphony) Toxic Biohazard will use. UNISON VOICES: Unison voices are detuned and panned copies of the original voice. This control determines how many voices Toxic Biohazard will play. Unison has the effect of thickening the sound and is similar to the Chorus effect. However, Unison is a per-note effect while chorus effects the complete output of the plugin. Unison Detune: The amount of detune given to the unison voices - for wide silky effects. Unison Pan: The amount of stereo spread given to the unison voices. Turning the knob right will widen the spread. GLIDE MODE: This menu determines the glide type. Bend VT - All notes will glide at a fixed rate so that larger jumps take longer (Variable Time). Held VT - Overlapping notes will glide at a fixed rate so that larger jumps take longer (Variable Time). Bend ST - All notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size (Static Time). Held ST - Overlapping notes will glide at a variable rate so that glide-time is independent of the jump size (Static Time). GLIDE TIME: Controls the slide-rate between notes. When set to minimum, there is no glide.

Master Envelope ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN, RELEASE: Global A (volume ramp-up) D (decay rate from peak) S (held level) R (ramp down speed on release) volume envelope modifiers. VEL CURVE: When the knob is set to minimum (left) the relationship between velocity and volume is linear. As the knob is rotated to the right higher input velocity is required to achieve the same output volume as the linear setting. DRIVE: Overdrive distortion effect (form of soft clipping). MASTER VOL: Master volume controls the final output level from Toxic Biohazard.

Preset Control (Center) Above the Toxic IIII Logo, at the 12'oclock position on the user interface, you will find the Preset Display window. This display shows the name of the preset currently loaded into Toxic Biohazard and provides access to the Preset Options menu. BANK: Click here to open a new bank (the bank options will show on a drop-down list). Also on the list is the following item: Online Content - Items below this point in the list are available for on-line download. Click on a bank to download it (of course your PC needs to be 'on-line' to see and download content). PRG: Program - Left-clicking on the display window will open the list of all the presets in the currently loaded bank. From that list, you may then navigate to the desired preset and Left-click while hovering over it with your mouse pointer to open it. : To the right of the preset name is a 'Step through presets' control. Click the RIGHT and LEFT arrows on each side of the display to step forward and backward (respectively) through the currently loaded bank.

OPT: Opens the 'Options Menu'. The menu items are: Save Program - Saves the currently selected program as a '.tbio' (Toxic Biohazard single program) file. Load Program - Load a single program or bank. NOTE: To Toxic III users - Presets are now stored as separated files (.tbio). Toxic Bio is backward compatible with Toxic III presets. To load ToxicIII preset simply load it (FXP) using OPT->Load Program. Do the same for ToxicIII banks, and FXB will be automatically converted into .TBIO files, keeping the name of the original ToxicIII bank. Import CC Map Imports all CC links from saved FXP. This is used to load Midi Learn settings from FXP saved from your host. Import MIDI modulations - Imports MIDI routing settings. Import Sequencer Pattern - Imports MIDI sequencer patterns. Swap effects - Swap effect module one and two in the processing circuit. Default is module 1 --> module 2. Sometimes is useful to change the order of effects. Reset CC Link Map - Resets the external controller modulation links. Reset MIDI modulations - Reset all MIDI controller settings without affecting the other parameters in the program. Reset Sequencer - Reset all Sequencer note data without affecting the other parameters in the program. Reset Program - Reset all parameters and controller settings to their default values. LINK: Links the last tweaked MIDI parameter to the selected target. [X]: Unlink the displayed link-relationship.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Oscillators

Oscillators Oscillators are the basic source of sound in a synthesizer. Toxic Biohazard contains 6 Oscillators (or Operators as they are called on FM synthesizers), each with identical controls and functions.

Oscillator controls Turning an oscillator on: To activate an oscillator, click your mouse pointer on the window that appears under the waveform name. When activated, the oscillator's chosen waveform and name will be displayed in the oscillator display window. Choosing a waveform: To bring up the waveform selection menu for each oscillator, click your mouse pointer on the waveform's title (i.e. Sine) and choose a waveform from the list. If Custom is selected, a file browser will be opened, requiring you to select the desired waveform in .wav format. PITCH: The pitch control adjusts its respective oscillators course tuning within a range of -99 to +99 semitones. To increase the pitch, click-anddrag your mouse pointer upwards, while hovering over the Pitch window. The same action, in the opposite direction, will decrease the value into the negative numbers. DETUNE: This control, located underneath the Pitch Window, allows you to adjust the fine-tuning of each oscillator within a range of -99 to 99. To increase the value, hover over the Detune Window, then click-and-drag your mouse pointer upwards. FREQ OFFSET: This knob determines the frequency offset of the chosen oscillator. To increase its value, click-and-drag your mouse pointer

upwards while hovering over the knob. PHASE: Use to adjust the chosen oscillator's phase, from 0 to 360 degrees. To increase its value, click-and-drag your mouse pointer upwards while hovering over the knob. FREE: This button determines whether the chosen oscillator is key-synced or free-running. In its default OFF stage, the button will appear gray in color, and the oscillator will be key-synced. When ON this button emits a yellow glow indicating that the oscillator is free-running. VEL: The 'Velocity' slider determines how sensitive the specific oscillator will be to velocity MIDI CC's. To increase its value, click-and-drag your mouse pointer upwards while hovering over the slider. Drag down to decrease its value. INIT: The 'Initial' slider determines the initial value the Attack stage of the envelope generator starts from. Values can be increased in range from 0 to 100%. To increase its value, click-and-drag your mouse pointer upwards while hovering over the slider. The opposite action is taken to decrease its value. ADSR envelope: Each oscillator has 4 controls that affect the amplitude of the chosen oscillator. ATK: Attack determines how quickly the oscillator fades in, DEC: Decay determines how long the oscillator takes to reach the sustain point, SUS: Sustain determines the hold level at the end of the decay. The level is held until the note is released and REL: Release, the rate at which the note fades after the the key release.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Filter

Filter Section Toxic Biohazard has a powerful filter section that is reminiscent of a moog-style filter. It operates in LowPass or HighPass modes and has its own ADSR envelope. The filter can also accept modulation from various other internal sources.

Controls Mode: Toggles the filter between - Bypassed (---), Low-Pass (LP), BandPass (BP), and High-Pass (HP). Cutoff: Determines the cutoff frequency of the filter. Reso: Determines the Resonance (Or Bandwidth) of the filter. KEYTRK: This knob controls how closely the filter cutoff frequency will be tied to the MIDI key number pressed by the user. Lower keys will result in lower cutoffs, while higher keys will have the opposite affect. VELTRK: Determines how much velocity will effect the filter cutoff frequency. EG AMOUNT: Determines how strongly the envelope will effect the filter. This controller has a range of -100 (envelope completely inverted) to 00 (envelope does not affect filter) to +100 (envelope heavily tied to filter). LFO1 AMOUNT: Determines how much LFO 1 will effect the filters signal.

Filter Envelope Controls: Attack: The amount of time it takes for the envelope to affect the filter cutoff. Decay: The amount of time it will take the envelope to reach the desired sustain level. Sustain: The level at which the signal will rest after it has fully decayed. Release: The amount of time it will take for the envelope to release after the key has been let go.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - LFO

LFO Controls LFO Waveform select: This is the window that displays the currently selected waveform for the chosen LFO. Select a waveform by clicking on the title (i.e. Sine) and choosing one from the list. NOTE: The oscillators have unique "Gated" shapes at their disposal. You can route these gated LFO shapes to an oscillator's amplitude to create "Trance-Gate" like movement in sounds. You can also select your own waveforms via the Custom loading option. SPEED: Determines the speed at which the LFO moves, getting faster as you turn the knob to the right. FREE: The 'Free Run Switch' will set the LFO to free running mode, this means it will not be retriggered by each key press, but will instead pick up wherever it left off when you released the last key. SYNC: The 'Sync Menu' allows you to select sync values for the LFO speed relative to the host tempo. When the display shows '---' there is no tempo sync and rate of LFO is defined by the 'Speed' knob.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Matrix

Toxic Biohazard Matrix The FM Matrix is where you route each oscillator to another or itself. The matrix is laid out as follows: Oscillators 1 - 6 (top to bottom) down the left, and oscillators 1 - 6 (left to right) along the top. The modulation intersections are multiplier controls (0 to 100%). To modulate the frequency of Oscillator 2 by Oscillator 1's frequency, for example, increase the value of the cell located in the 1st column and 2nd row.

Controls PAN: Determines where oscillators are placed in the stereo field. This control's values range from -50 (Far Left) to 00 (Dead-Center) to +50 (Far Right). To increase the value, click-and drag your mouse pointer upwards, while hovering over the pan value display. The same action, in the opposite direction, will decrease the value into the negative numbers. LEVEL: Controls how much of each oscillator's signal will be routed to the final output. For example, if you just want oscillator 1 to modulate oscillator 2, and hear the result without hearing oscillator 1, then you would turn oscillator 1's level down to 0 and turn oscillator 2's level to 100. To increase the value, click-and-drag your mouse pointer upwards,

while hovering over the level value display. The same action, in the opposite direction, will decrease the value. LFO: This panel is where you route LFO1 and/or LFO2 to each oscillator's amplitude. It works in the same manner as the FM Matrix. For example, to route LFO1 to Oscillator 2, you would increase the value in the cell located in the 2nd column/1st row. Master Pitch Modulation: Working exactly like the LFO section, this allows the user to route either LFO2, the filter envelope to the Master Pitch, as well as define the pitch bend range.

Frequency ratios Once an oscillator is set to modulate another the table below shows how to set the source (columns) oscillator's Pitch and Detune settings to achieve a particular frequency. The table shows the approximate FM Frequency Ratios (from 0.25:1 to 32:1). The first column is the frequency ratio (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, etc). The second column is the equivalent course tuning on Toxic Bio, while the 3rd column is the equivalent fine-tuning on Toxic Bio (when necessary).

Frequency Ratio

Pitch

Detune

0.25:1

- 024

000

0.5:1

- 012

000

1:1

000

000

2:1

012

000

3:1

019

002

4:1

024

000

5:1

028

- 014

6:1

031

002

7:1

033

069

8:1

036

000

9:1

038

004

10:1

040

- 014

11:1

042

- 049

12:1

043

002

13:1

044

040

14:1

046

- 031

15:1

047

- 012

16:1

048

000

17:1

049

005

18:1

050

004

19:1

051

- 002

20:1

052

- 014

21:1

053

- 029

22:1

054

- 049

23:1

054

028

24:1

055

002

25:1

056

- 027

26:1

057

- 060

27:1

057

006

28:1

058

- 031

29:1

058

030

30:1

059

- 012

31:1

059

045

32:1

060

000

NOTE: Table courtesy of Frank Genus, master synthesist.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - MIDI Modulation

MIDI CC Modulation This is a very powerful control feature. The MIDI CC assignment matrix gives you the ability to route any CC#, from 0 to 127, as well as Pitch Wheel and Aftertouch to Toxic Biohazard's parameters. There are 3 columns in the matrix with 10 rows. You may select up to 10 CC# assignments and these selections will be saved with the currently selected preset.

Controls Select Source: Click on one of the rows under the "Source" title in the window and select a MIDI CC# from the list. NOTE: Some MIDI CC "Sources", such as CC7 (Channel Volume), CC10 (Channel Pan), and CC64 (Sustain) are assigned automatically. Therefore, they are labeled with an [A] character. Also, you can save once defined MIDI settings as a 'FXP' file and then load the MIDI map using 'Import MIDI From FXP' feature. Select Destination: Click the corresponding row under the "Destination" title and select a parameter from the list. AMNT (Amount): The Amount value defines the depth of modulation by

the control source. If the value is positive, then the controller will modulate the destination on a scale of 0 at minimum, and 100 when set to maximum. Setting the value to negative numbers has the opposite effect, inverting the controllers to modulate the destination on a scale of 100 at minimum, and 0 when set to maximum.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Sequencer

Sequencer The Toxic Biohazard sequencer/arpeggiator is highly advanced. It allows for all kinds of rhythmic sequences as well as basic arpeggiation. The sequencer defines the chord played and tunes the pattern according to that chord as well as simply playing the pure pattern while holding single keys. There are several modes of play for even more complex patterns.

Controls STEPS: This counter ('064' in the picture below) is used to select the number of steps in the sequencer/arpeggiator loop. Select anywhere from 1 to 64 steps. Regardless of the number of steps chosen all 64 possible steps will be displayed. PLAY: When selected (lit green) the programmed sequence will play. Changing step/note pitch: Every 4th step is labeled for your convenience. At each step (---) you can set the pitch to be played (in semitones relative to the played note). Dragging past the value of -24 will activate 'sustain' for that step, this holds the note played by the previous step. If the value of any step reads '---' then no note will sound when that

step is processed. SWING: Activating this button turns on 'Swing Mode'. Swing creates a 'swing' rhythm where the first note is held a little longer at the expense of the second note in the bar. PING PONG: The sequencer cycles forward then backward through the steps. RANDOM: Plays steps in random order. Good for creating chaotic rhythmical sequences. DUAL: This control splits the 64 step sequencer into 2 (32 step maximum) sub sequencers. This provides the ability to play complex 2note polyphonic patterns.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Toxic Biohazard - Effects

Effects The effects are important to add a final 'polish' to your sounds. Toxic Biohazard has a global distortion, equalizer and two user selectable effects banks as shown above in the left and right 'pods'. Select one of 6 FX algorithms in the drop down menu (delay, chorus, reverb, flanger, phaser or lo-fi) and the display will change to show the controls relevant to that plugin. FX work according to the following signal path: INPUT - Distortion - Effect 1 (left pod) - Effect 2 (right pod) - Equalizer - OUTPUT NOTE: The order of effects banks 1 and 2 can be reversed with the OPTIONS menu - 'Swap effects' command. Sometimes it's important, for example, when you have phaser and reverb, phaser is better to keep before reverb and so on.

Equalizer Toxic Biohazard includes a high quality 8 band graphic EQ with +/- 18 dB range. To activate the equalizer, click on the button left of the "EQ" label and move your mouse up/down to boost/cut the respective frequencies

Delay Toxic Biohazard uses a multi-tap delay with 6 delay lines. Delay is an echo-effect. TIME: Relative spacing between echoes. SYNC: Sync's the delay time to host tempo (select from a menu of tempo multipliers). This syncs the delay with the host tempo. FDBK: Amount of feedback applied to the delay. Increases the decay time of the echoes. RATE: LFO relative detune speed between echoes. DEPTH: Amount of relative detune between echoes. Creates a chorus-like effect. BLUR: Works in the same manner as a 'diffusion' dial on a reverb. This control 'blends' the wet sound, that is achieved by using the higher number of delay lines. MIX: Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

Chorus Chorus is an effect created by the slight detuning of multiple copies of the input sound (similar to a choir of voices).The controls contain parameters that affect the rate, time offset, shape and depth of detune. Chorus is similar to 'Unison' on the Master panel, however Unison is a per-voice effect, while the chorus here affects all voices. DEPTH: Amount of relative detune between voices. RATE: LFO relative detune speed between voices. MIX: Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

Reverb Reverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a 'reverberant' sound. Toxic Biohazard's reverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your patches a realistic (live) feel,

then use of reverb is critical. DECAY: The time it takes the reverberation to fade away.Higher values make the room sound like it has hard shiny surfaces. Lower values more muted and padded. HI-CUT: Changes the cut-off frequency of a low-pass filter. Use this to remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. DAMP: Damping, adjusts damping of the high frequencies in the reverb signal. Damping refers to the rate at which the high frequencies decay relative to the low frequencies. This effect causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warmer.The frequencies affected are controlled by the HI-CUT knob. MIX: Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

Flanger Flanging is a form of phase cancellation created by combining multiple, variously delayed copies of the input sound. DELAY: Phase offset between voices. FDBK: Feedback, increases the amount of signal fed back into the flanger. RATE: LFO relative detune speed between voices. DEPTH: Amount of detune between echoes. Creates a chorus-like effect. INV. MIX: Invert mix, inverts the polarity of the wet signal. Aqua when active. MIX: Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words. INV. FDBK: Invert feedback, inverts the polarity of the feedback signal. Aqua when active.

Phaser Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal which are not spaced evenly. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both come from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. However, the Phasing effect is significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum. FREQ: Phasing frequency. FDBK: Increases the amount of signal fed back into the phaser. RATE: LFO relative speed of the phasing effect. DEPTH: Amount of LFO applied to the phasing effect. MIX: Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

Lo-Fi The low-fi effect works by lowering the sampling frequency (adding in more aliasing sounds) and reducing bit-depth (adding in quantizing noise). These effects can add a crunchy distorted effect to the sound. Useful for imitating 1980's era samplers and digital synthesizers. BITS: Vary the bit-depth from 2 (harsh) to 9 bits (sizzle). SAMPLES: Adds a different kind of distortion to the Bit effect. FILTER: Low-pass filter cutoff frequency. Reduce high frequency noise.

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Acknowledgements Plugin Credits:

Manual Credits: Maxx Claster, Scott Fisher.

Distributed by: Image Line Software Kortrijksesteenweg 281 B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgium

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Wasp Wasp is a 3-oscillator synth with 2 LFO's and 2 ADSR envelopes, a ring modulator, FM, PWM and a distortion unit. There is an updated version of the Wasp plugin Wasp XT with more modulation parameters.

Parameters Filter Section The Filter section is located on top left. Cutoff (CUT) - Adjusts the Filter cutoff frequency. The keyboard track ("KB TRACK") button makes the cutoff frequency dependent on the actual note played - higher notes mean higher cutoff, lower notes means lower cutoff. Resonance (RES) - Adjusts the Filter resonance. Envelope Amount (ENV) - The amount the filter cutoff frequency is affected by the Filter ADSR.

Filter Type - The 6 green buttons select the filter type. LP[fat] = 24 dB Lowpass Filter, LP+NOTCH = 12 dB Lowpass + Notch Cascade, DBL NOTCH = double notch filter, BP = 24 dB Bandpass Filter, HP = 24dB Highpass Filter.

Oscillator section Coarse Tuning (CRS) - The two CRS wheels set the pitch for the first and second oscillators. Coarse tuning is adjustable in the range -3/+3 octaves. Fine Tuning (FINE) - The two FINE wheels set the pitch for the first and second oscillators (fine tuning in -1/+1 semitone). Oscillator Shape - The green buttons set the shape for the first two oscillators. The third oscillator can only use square or sawtooth shape. Mix Slider - The slider between OSC1 and OSC2 adjusts the mix of the oscillators in the final sound. Slide max to left to hear only OSC1, slide max to right to hear only OSC2. Amount (AMT) - Sets the volume of the third oscillator, which is zero (inaudible) by default. Ring Modulator (RING MOD) - If turned on, modulates oscillator 1 and 2. This often leads to a harsh metallic sound, dependent on the shapes and frequencies of the oscillators. Oscillator Voice (DUAL VOICE) - Doubles the oscillator voice, the second voice has a slight detune to fatten the sound. Pulse Width (PW) - This property has effect when at least one of the oscillators is set to the square shape. It shortens 1 of the square shape sides, thus altering the final sound. Turn max to left to use the default square shape. Frequency Modulation (FM) - When turned on, modulates the frequency of oscillator 2 with the output of oscillator 1. To hear the effect, set the mix slider to the right. Classic FM uses sinewaves (the 3rd oscillator shape).

LFO-1 LFO Shapes - the green buttons select the LFO shape to be used. This can be sawtooth, square, sine or noise.

OSC 1+2 / FILTER / PW - LFO-1 can modulate the pitch of the output (OSC1+2), the filter cutoff frequency (FILTER) or the Pulse Width (PW) depending on the highlighted option. SYNC - Synchronizes the frequency of the LFO to a multiple of the current tempo. RESET - Sets the LFO to the beginning of the LFO waveform (phaze is zero) when a note is triggered. AMT - Sets the effect's strength over the controlled value. SPD - Sets the modulation speed.

LFO-2 LFO Shapes - the green buttons select the LFO shape to be used. This can be sawtooth, square, sine or noise. OSC 1 / OSC MIX / AMP - LFO-2 can modulate the pitch of Oscillator 1 (OSC1), the mixing ratio of oscillator 1 & oscillator 2 (OSC MIX) and the volume of the whole output (AMP). SYNC - Synchronizes the frequency of the LFO to a multiple of the current tempo. RESET - Sets the LFO to the beginning of the LFO waveform (phase is zero) when a note is triggered. AMT - Sets the effect's strength over the controlled value. SPD - Sets the modulation speed.

Amplitude ADSR This is a standard ADSR volume envelope. The link button links the filter and amplitude envelopes for editing convenience.

Filter ADSR This is a standard ADSR filter envelope.

Distortion Parameters

Distortion (DIST) - The green button turns the distortion unit on/off. Drive (DRV) - Adjusts the drive. More drive means heavier distortion. Tone (TONE) - Changes the color of the distortion. Turn to the left for a more bassy sound, or right for a brighter sound.

Plugin Credits: Richard Hoffmann, Didier Dambrin (interface)

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Wasp XT Wasp XT is a 3oscillator synth with two LFOs, two ADSR envelopes, a ring modulator, FM, PWM and a distortion unit. Wasp XT is an update of the Wasp plugin.

Parameters Filter Section The Filter section is located at the top left of Wasp XT. Keyboard track (KB.TRK) - Scales the cut-off frequency on the note played - higher notes can have a higher cut-off, lower notes can have a lower cut-off. Envelope Amount (ENV) - The relative scaling of the cut-off frequency in response to ADSR. Cut-off (CUTOFF) - Adjusts the Filter cut-off frequency. Resonance (RESO) - Adjusts the Filter resonance. Filter Types Buttons select the following filter types - LP = 12 dB Lowpass

Filter, LP FAT = 24 dB Lowpass Filter, LP+NT = 12 dB Lowpass + Notch Cascade, DBL.NT = double notch filter, BP = 24 dB Bandpass Filter, HP = 24dB Highpass Filter.

Oscillator section Coarse Tuning (COARSE) - The two CRS wheels set the pitch for the first and second oscillators. Coarse tuning is adjustable in the range -3/+3 octaves. Fine Tuning (FINE) - The two FINE wheels set the pitch for the first and second oscillators (fine tuning in -1/+1 semitone). Oscillator Shape - Red buttons set the shape for the first two oscillators. The third oscillator can only use square or sawtooth shape. Mix Slider (OSC MIX) - The slider between OSC1 and OSC2 adjusts the mix of the oscillators in the final sound. Slide max to left to hear only OSC1, slide max to right to hear only OSC2. Amount (AMT) - Sets the volume of the third oscillator, which is zero (inaudible) by default. Ring Modulator (RINGMOD) - If turned on, modulates oscillator 1 and 2. This often leads to a harsh metallic sound, dependent on the shapes and frequencies of the oscillators. Pulse Width (PW) - This property has effect when at least one of the oscillators is set to the square shape. It shortens 1 of the square shape sides, thus altering the final sound. Turn max to left to use the default square shape. Frequency Modulation (FM) - When turned on, modulates the frequency of oscillator 2 with the output of oscillator 1. To hear the effect, set the mix slider to the right. Classic FM uses sine waves (the 3rd oscillator shape).

LFO-1 LFO Shapes - the red buttons select the LFO shape to be used. This can be sawtooth, square, sine or noise. OSC 1+2 / FILTER / PW - LFO-1 can modulate the pitch of the output

(OSC1+2), the filter cut-off frequency (FILTER) or the Pulse Width (PW) depending on the highlighted option. DELAY - Delays the onset of the LFO. SYNC - Synchronizes the frequency of the LFO to a multiple of the current tempo. RESET - Sets the LFO to the beginning of the LFO waveform (phase is zero) when a note is triggered. AMOUNT - Sets the effect's strength over the controlled value. RATE- Sets the modulation speed.

LFO-2 LFO Shapes - the red buttons select the LFO shape to be used. This can be sawtooth, square, sine or noise. OSC 1 / OSC MIX / AMP - LFO-2 can modulate the pitch of Oscillator 1 (OSC1), the mixing ratio of oscillator 1 & oscillator 2 (OSC MIX) and the volume of the whole output (AMP). DELAY - Delays the onset of the LFO. SYNC - Synchronizes the frequency of the LFO to a multiple of the current tempo. RESET - Sets the LFO to the beginning of the LFO waveform (phase is zero) when a note is triggered. AMOUNT - Sets the effect's strength over the controlled value. RATE - Sets the modulation speed.

Amplitude ADSR This is a standard ADSR volume envelope. The link button links the filter and amplitude envelopes for editing convenience.

Filter ADSR This is a standard ADSR filter envelope.

MOD ENV Attack (ATK) - The rate at which the modulation takes effect. Decay (DEC) - The rate at which the modulation releases. Amount (AMT) - Amount of modulation of the above two controls. Modulation destination switches PW - Pulse width. LFO 1 AMT - LFO 1 modulation amount. OSC 1 LEVEL - OSC 1 Volume. OSC 2 PITCH - Tuning of OSC 2.

Velocity This section changes the keyboard velocity modulation of the Amplitude and Filter envelopes. AMP - Velocity to Amplitude Envelope modulation amount. FILTER - Velocity to Filter Envelope modulation amount.

Output TONE - Changes the color of the distortion. Turned to the left, the sound gets muddy, turned to the right, more bright. Amount (AMT) - Adjusts the drive. More drive means heavier distortion. Volume (VOL) - Adjusts the final output volume of the Wasp XT plugin. Drive - The red button turns the distortion unit on/off. Dual - Doubles the oscillator voices with a slight detune to fatten the sound. Analog - Adds a small amount of randomness (oscillator tuning, for example), for a less predictable, more 'analog' sound. Oscillators are not synchronized in this mode.

W.Noise - Changes the 'noise' used in XT oscillators from a set noise wavetable to true random white noise.

Plugin Credits: Richard Hoffmann

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Wave Traveller Wave Traveller is an accurate vinyl scratch simulator and sampleplayback manipulator. Instead of trying to recreate the effect by operating in realtime on a virtual turntable, such as the Scratcher plugin, here you can assign a scratch "phrase" to each note by drawing and fine tuning special "path" splines the generator follows to recreate the effect. Another closely related plugin is the Gross Beat audio-

audiostream effect. You have a complete freedom on the spline forms, wave range and speed. 1. Preview Panel 2. Patch Selector 3. Keyboard View Scroll 4. Path Definition Panel 5. Mutes Definition Area NOTE: The Piano Keyboard contains a Right-click menu.

How to Use Select a Sample to Scratch Click the Browse Sample button at the top left side of the window and select a sample to use.

Select a Patch to Edit Each note contains a separate patch, with its own settings and scratch phrase. To select a patch to display and edit, please click on the Patch Selector ( 2 ) or click the corresponding key on the preview keyboard. If the key is not visible, use the Keyboard View Scroll buttons ( 3 ) to display different octaves on the keyboard.

Define a Phrase for the Patch The phrase depends on the active region you select to use for the scratch, the speed and the path spline. You can also define a custom attack (fade in) and release (fade out after key release) for each patch. The region is defined by the Start and End button you can find at the bottom left and bottom right side of the Preview Panel ( 1 ). You can see in the preview panel the section which is going to be used for the phrase. The Speed wheel and the T-A switch define the speed of the phrase (which also affects its pitch, like with a real vinyl). Read more about these settings in the Parameters section

below. The path spline is defined in the Path Definition Panel ( 5 ). This is basically a spline which defines the way the generator "travels" back and forth on the sample as time progresses, i.e. horizontal dimension represents time, while vertical dimension represents the wave position (only in the region defines by the Start and End buttons). You can see the used section of the wave displayed vertically on the right side of the panel (as you can see in the screenshot above). The path spline itself it a set of basic spline section connected to each other. For more information on how to work with this panel, see the Parameters section below. NOTE: You can also define a spline to alter the volume over time in the same panel or mute certain sections of the phrase, see Parameters below for more information.

Play a Patch To play a patch simply use the Piano roll or Step Sequencer to trigger the note the patch is assigned to.

Parameters Preview Panel The preview panel displays a preview of the full wave, the range defined by the Start and End buttons and the path spline inside that region.

Settings Panel Start - This wheel is positioned at the top left side of the Settings Panel and defines the start point of the region used in the current patch. End - This wheel is positioned at the top right side of the Settings Panel and defines the end point of the region used in the current patch. Patch Selector ( 2 ) - Click on the patch selector to see a list of patches available to the generator (each note holds a single patch). Select a patch to edit and you will see its properties displayed in the window. Speed (SPD) - The speed wheel defines the scratch phrase speed and support two modes (which you select with the T-A switch, see below). In Tempo Based mode, the speed wheel defines a number of steps as the length of the phrase (fractions are also allowed), while in Absolute mode you set the speed as a percent of the original wave speed (i.e. 100% speed with a straight path spline plays the wave at normal speed). T-A Switch - This switch defines whether the phrase speed is defined as tempo

based value (steps) or absolute value (as a percent of the original wave speed). Attack (ATT) - This wheel allows you to define an attack time (fade in) for the current patch. Release (REL) - This wheel allows you to define a release time (fade out after key release / note end) for the current patch. Keyboard View Scroll Keys ( 3 ) - These keys allow you to scroll the preview keyboard left or right with an octave so you can access the whole piano range available to the FL Studio generators.

Preview Keyboard The Preview Keyboard allows you to preview and select patch for editing (simply click a key to select/preview). If the key is not visible, use the Keyboard View Scroll Keys ( 3 ) to scroll the view to access it. Right-click the preview keyboard to show a menu of options, note you must Left-click the particular key/preset you want to act on Copy/Paste - Copy/Paste the selected preset. Normalize 100%/Normalize 50% - Adjusts the wave-path to 100% and 50% of the sample duration respectively. Presets - Opens a pop-up menu of Wave Traveller presets (most self explanatory). Save Preset - Save the currently select preset.

Path Definition Panel The Path Definition panel allows you define the actual phrase"path" inside the wave region selected by the Start and End buttons. You can also adjust the volume envelope and mute certain section in the phrase.

Working with the Spline Editor The spline is a set of points connected by simpler spline types (sine, line , etc.), where the segment types, points number and positions are user defined. To add a new point, Left-click in the panel area. To delete a point, Right-click it and from the menu select Delete.

To change a segment type, Right-click the point on its right side and select a spline type to be used: Half Cosine, Linear, Bezier, Tension, Quarter Sine, Quarter Cosine.

Spline Segment Types The following spline types are available:

Spline Name

Spline Preview

Description

Half Cosine

This spline represent 1/2 of the phase of the cosine function.

Line

Connects the two points with a straight line.

Bezier

This is a classic bezier spline with two handles which can be used to adjust the spline's start and end slope. This spline type provides an additional setting Locked (Right-click a point for bezier segment and check or uncheck Locked). When Locked is on, the two handles that appear on the left and right side of two bezier segments are locked in a straight line, ensuring a smooth transition between the segments.

Tension

This is a special 'tension'-based spline segment the shape of which depends on the position of a special handle (the circle in the middle of the spline).

Quarter Sine

This spline represent the first 1/4 of the phase of the sine function.

Quarter Cosine

This spline represent the first 1/4 of the phase of the cosine function.

Setting the Volume Envelope Each patch in fact contains two paths - "travel" path, displayed by default, and a volume envelope path you can see and edit by using the WAVE/VOL switch at the bottom right of the panel. The volume envelope can be defined using the same spline segments, where the bottom most position means volume 0% and the topmost - 100%.

Mute Regions in the Patch You can select specific regions to be muted inside the current patch. Left-click and drag in the Mutes Definition Area ( 5 ). The black region created as a result is muted. To unmute a region, Right-click and drag instead.

Notes & Tips The motion of a moving hand (as with a real scratching) is best approximated by the Half Cosine spline. The Bezier spline can create a curve that goes outside of the range of the two points that define it (horizontally). Since time always progresses linearly for the phrases, such sections of the spline are ignored.

Plugin Credits: Robert Conde

MIXING & EFFECTS

The Mixer Window

! !

Follow the links below to learn more about the FL Studio Mixer:

Mixer Functions - How the mixer works. Plugin Effects - Loading external VST and FX effects into mixer tracks. Mixer Track Properties - Per-track inbuilt filters and effects. Audio Input/Output Routing - Routing audio and side-chain signals around the mixer. Audio Recording - How to record audio through the mixer (internal and external sources). Levels, Mixing and Clipping - How to set the output levels to avoid distortion. Mixer menu - Mixer menu functions. Mixer Video tutorial

MIXING & EFFECTS

! !

Mixer Functions

All audio in FL Studio passes through the Mixer. Unless specifically directed, newly added Channels are routed to the Master Mixer track. There are 103 x Insert tracks for receiving input from plugins and external audio inputs, 1 x Current track for hosting tools like Edison and Wave Candy and a Master track for master effects processing. The Mixer has three docks for tracks (left, middle and right) and can be stretched horizontally or vertically by clicking the edges and dragging. In combination with the layout options (on the Mixer layout menu), the controls visible will change to suit the Mixers size. To see tracks outside the current view, use the Track Scroll Bar below the 'Send' switches OR roll your mouse wheel over the track names. Select a track by Left-clicking the pan or fader controls. Select multiple tracks by holding (

Ctrl+Shift). Selected tracks are highlighted with green faders (track 1

below is selected). For a detailed description of recording audio from internal and external sources see the Audio Recording page. Mixer video tutorials

.

NOTES: If your Mixer looks different to the above, choose the Compact view and stretch the Mixer height to match (some features will not be visible if the h

Mixer tracks vs Mixer channels - The terms Mixer Tracks and Mixer Channels are interchangeable, we use 'Tracks' to differentiate them from plugin 'Chann Rack. FL Studios Playlist is not bound to any 'Instrument' or 'Mixer' Track.

Mixer Controls Mixer icons - Along the top of the Mixer window: Mixer menu - Contains recording, view, plugin delay compensation (PDC), linking, routing, docking renaming and coloring options, click here to learn more about the details. Multi-touch control - Allows multi-touch movement of faders and other Mixer controls. NOTE: Turn OFF to use multi-touch gestures, such as 2-finger tap on meters to make multiple selections. Multi-touch gestures and control are necessarily independent modes. Meter wave view ( Alt+W) - Replaces the Mixer peak meters with waveform views. Width now equals peak level. Extra mixer track properties - Shows/hides additional Mixer track properties. NOTE: Vertical Mixer size and Layout menu settings also determine what controls are visible so you may need to increase the mixer height if controls are not visible with this selected. Track inspector & FX panel - Show/hide the mixer track properties, including the effects slots.

Master Mixer Track - Audio in the Mixer is routed to the master Mixer track (unless an insert track is routed directly to an ASIO output). The Master track is normally the place to load 'Mastering' effects and to set final audio levels before rendering your project to an audio file (.mp3, .wav, .ogg). This also means the Master track is not a good place to record external audio inputs. The recording will mix with all other project audio. See Levels, Mixing & Clipping to learn more about mixing with FL Studio. Mixer Insert Tracks - Audio from instruments in the Channel Rack should be routed to one of the 'Insert tracks' or the Master. Routing is set from the Channel settings, FX channel send control. If nothing is set [M], the default destination is the Master Mixer track. For each Mixer track audio passes through any Effects loaded on the Effects Slots and then through the integrated effects (3 band parametric EQ, phase, stereo separation, volume and panning). Finally the audio is sent to the Master Mixer track. It's also possible to route the audio of any Mixer track directly to an ASIO output and or to another Insert track. Internal re-routing is a powerful feature allowing you to create advanced Mixer setups with groups and subgroups of insert tracks. Select multiple tracks (

Ctrl+Shift) - Hold Ctrl + Shift and Left-click on Mixer tracks label/meter area or left-

click and drag on the same. You can now adjust all faders in the selected group. Track labels - Can be Middle-clicked, or Right-click and select from the 'context menu > Rename / color' (or press F2) to rename the track or recolor it. Quick linking of channel/s: From the Channel Rack use the Channel Selector to select the channel/s you want to route, then select the desired destination Mixer track and click ( Ctrl+L). There's also an option to sequentially link Channels to tracks starting from the selected track. ( Ctrl+Shift+L). NOTE: It is a good habit to name used Mixer tracks. This is particularly important for Multiple

Output Plugins as it ensures FL Studio knows the tracks are in use. This can be important for PDC calculations, splitMixer track rendering and automatic track assignment. Reorder Mixer tracks - Select the Mixer track to move and press ( mouse cursor over the track to be moved and (

Alt+Left or Right Arrow) OR place your

Shift+Mouse Wheel) . All linked internal and external audio

sources will move with the track. Send Tracks - Any Insert track can serve as a Send track via the Send switches (shown above). For convenience the default project layout links Insert tracks 1 to 99 to tracks 100 to 103, with the Send Level set to 0. Use send tracks to provide common effects (e.g. reverb and delay) instead of adding the same effect to each insert track that needs a reverb and so wasting CPU power. Mono vs Stereo - The FL Studio Insert Mixer tracks are stereo. To hear a Mixer track in mono, turn the Stereo separation control as indicated above, to mono (fully clockwise). Current (C) - This is a 'utility' track that receives the currently selected Mixer tracks output. Use it to host an instance of Edison for easy recording of any track (e.g. use Edison with a 5 minute recording loop as an audio logger) OR to host Wave Candy visualization tools.

Video Tutorial here

. NOTE: If you add FX or change the EQ levels of the 'Current (C)' track

these will apply to any selected track. This can catch you out, pay attention! Mixer layout menu - There are 6 view modes, from Compact to Extra large. These interact with the horizontal and vertical size you set. Extra large has a special feature showing the FX in use per track. To open an effect ( FX in the stack. To add an effect (

Right-click) an empty slot and select from the menu. (

Left-click)

Right-click) effects for more

options such as move up/down and replace. NOTE: The Mixer menu > Compact plugin list option removes empty slots and shows the logical order.

Mixer track control icons: Invert phase - Flips the sign of the waveform so positive peaks become negative peaks and vice versa. This can be used to avoid phase cancellation problems that can happen (between mixer tracks) when multi-mic recordings are mixed or percussion samples (such as kicks) are out of phase. When sounds are out of phase they tend to lose low frequency energy (bass) and sound thin. You can also use the PDC control to add ms delay to any track to reduce phase cancellation. Swap channels - Swaps the Left and Right stereo channels. Use to correct cabling errors from stereo mic recordings or to match the panning of pre-recorded audio to some visual such as a video. Channel FX master switch - Left-click - Enable/disable all effects for the selected Mixer track. Right-click Open/Close the user interfaces for all effects for that Mixer track. When there are no FX in the channel this will be dark-gray and unresponsive. Useful to hear what your effects chain is actually doing by switching them all in and out together. There are individual FX disable switches on the FX slots. Track delay - This is not an effect, it is a highly accurate time-offset delay for the selected track. It usually used by Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) to time-align tracks that have delays caused by their FX plugins. TIP: You can use this control to fine tune Audio Clips (on separate Mixer tracks) or any other audio that must critically timealigned. Click the switch and select the desired offset in samples. Track recording arm switch - When selected (red) the track is armed and any internal or external audio sources routed to the track will be recorded. Left-click - To arm. Right-click - To arm with record-file naming option. Send / Sidechain switch - Left-click on the destination track to enable audio to be passed from the selected track to the destination track. When a link is made the destination switch is replaced with a level control. Rightclick to route OR sidechain to a specific track with master routing disabled. Send Level Knob - When the 'Send' switch is activated this knob, on the destination track, controls the signal level received from the source track. For more detailed information see the section below Mixer Track Routing & Sidechaining. Peak Meters - Output is in dB. See Levels and Mixing to learn more about using peak meters in FL Studio. NOTE: Are you sitting? OK, it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to clip insert Mixer tracks. You can safely ignore peaks over 0 dB. Only the Master track or any track routed to an ASIO output can clip, see See Levels and Mixing to learn more about using peak meters in FL Studio. Mute Switch - Left-click to mute/un-mute the individual track, Right-click to solo/un-solo the individual track. Panning - Pan controls the position of the sound in the stereo field (left to right) and is often overlooked as a control for creating an interesting and spacious mix. The pan works by mixing one side of the stereo track into the other, so a 100% pan is the mono-sum of the Left and Right channels. If you would like to pan using independent Left & Right level changes with no cross channel mixing use Fruity Stereo Shaper. Level Faders - 'Volume control' for the track. The level fader is applied after the effects (post effect). If you need a prefader control of inputs to effects, use the Channel Rack volume knobs OR route one Mixer track to another. It can be automated (Right-click and 'Create automation clip or 'Link to controllers'). TIP: Click above and below the fader handle to initiate a smooth change in the level. To adjust multiple faders, use (

Ctrl+Shift) and left click on the meters or track

label area to select multiple tracks before moving one fader in the group. Stereo Separation - The stereo separation filter allows you to enhance or reduce any existing stereo effect in the track. The middle (default) position is disabled. Turn the knob right to decrease the stereo separation (sum L+R to mono), turn left to increase stereo separation. NOTE: This control has no stereo effect on mono sounds as it works by processing the difference between the L and R channels, if there is no difference then there is no stereo to enhance. Audio Input & Output - These menus allow you to select inputs and outputs from your audio interface or soundcard. To select external inputs you must be using an ASIO audio interface driver. Usually the main audio output on your interface is set on the Master mixer track and no other track. You can select as many audio inputs as your audio interface supports. NOTE: the input/output names that show in these menus are set by the audio interface manufacturer. Sometimes these can be quite cryptic and you may need to experiment to find the correct input. External audio INPUT - There is an input selector for each Mixer track. ASIO hardware inputs and some VSTi inputs can be selected here. For example, the input menu is used to select external audio from an audio interface (soundcard) to record audio. Right-click the INput menu to Automap audio interface inputs to Mixer tracks, starting from the selected track. The top part of the list combines pairs of audio inputs for stereo input. The lower part of the list allows you to select mono inputs. External audio OUTPUT - There is an output selector for each Mixer track. The Master Mixer track must have an output selected or you will not hear audio from FL Studio. For other Mixer tracks ASIO hardware outputs can be selected here. For example, in live-use where one channel is sent to headphones for monitoring previewed samples/mixes while the main mix goes to the PA, to create headphone sub-mixes for members of a band or to create a surround sound sub-mix by sending several Mixer tracks to the relevant surround channels of your audio interface. Effects slots - Each track has 10 effects slots. NOTE: If you need more than 10 Effects, use the 'Send' feature to route the output of one Mixer track to another OR load Patcher in one of the slots.

To load an Effect - Left-click the pop-up menu arrow at the left end of the slot and use the 'select' option OR Right-click the arrow to open the Plugin Picker. To open an Effect interface - Left-click the name of the Effect. Loaded Effects are displayed in slots 3 and 8 above. To re-order effects slots - Place your mouse cursor over the effect to be moved and scroll the mouse-wheel up/down (the Mixer window must be selected for this to work, click anywhere on the Mixer to select it). Mixer Track Properties - For more detail click here. The Parametric Equalizer - Left-click and drag left/right to control center frequency and up/down to control EQ level. Alternatively Right-click and drag left/right to control bandwidth and up/down to control EQ level. Th area below thr Equalizer holds controls for Plugin Delay Compensation. Mixer Track Scroll Bar - The scroll bar is below the Send switches. You can also roll your mouse wheel over the track name and peak meters. NOTE: Most controls on the Mixer are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip', 'Link to controller' or 'Edit events').

Routing Instrument Channels to Mixer Tracks Instrument Channels and Audio Clips are routed to the Mixer insert tracks via the Channel settings Routing selector, as shown below:

NOTE: Unlike 'traditional' DAW applications, Playlist tracks are not bound to Mixer tracks. The Playlist sequences Audio, Automation and Pattern Clips but Mixer track routing is direct from the Channel Rack (Channel Settings) directly to the Mixer.

Basic Routing 1. Left-click the Channel's button to open the instrument interface. 2. Click the Channel Settings icon to open the Channel Settings (if not already open). 3. Assignment options: Auto-assign - Click the 'TRACK' label below the track routing selector. The Channel will be assigned to the first free Mixer track and named accordingly. Manual-assign - Click the Mixer track routing display (shows track 2 above) and drag up/down to set the destination Mixer track.

Multiple Instrument Routing 1. Select Channel Selector/s to the right side of each Instrument Channel's button that you want to route (Right-clicking allows multiple selections). 2. Right-click the target Mixer track and select 'Channel routing > Link selected channels to this track' ( from the pop-up menu OR use 'Channel routing > Link selected channels starting from this track' (

Ctrl+L) Ctrl+Shift+L)

to assign multiple Channels to multiple Mixer tracks. NOTE: Learning the keyboard shortcuts for these two link methods is recommended.

Drag and Drop Routing 1. Drag and drop instruments from the Browser Plugin Database (

Alt+F8) or Plugin Picker (

F8) and drop on the Mixer

Track of choice. NOTE: This method auto-names the target Mixer track to that of the Instrument.

External Audio Inputs & Outputs Each mixer track can receive one stereo input from and send to one stereo output to your audio interface (see the note below). For example, if you have an audio interface (soundcard) with 16 microphone inputs, then you have the option of setting 16 unique Mixer channels to receive each of these audio interface inputs. It is even possible to set two or more Mixer tracks to receive the same input or send to the same output. External routing - Audio sent to and received from the input and output jacks on your audio interface is set by the Input / Output selectors (shown left). When '(none)' is shown, this means no external audio interface input or output is selected for the selected track. By default, the Master Mixer track 'Output' is the routed to the audio interfaces main outputs (usually the main/front Left/Right channels). However, by routing another Mixer track (other than the master) to other audio interfaces outputs (e.g. the rear channels of 5.1 surround-sound card), you can create a separate submix for band headphone monitoring or studio monitoring. Parallel internal / external routing - It is worth noting that the Mixer track Input / Output can function in parallel with the internal routing functions so that any track can receive both external and internal audio sources simultaneously OR output to the Master Mixer track and any other available audio interface output. Mixer routing is described in more detail below: Surround sound 5.1 or 7.1 - You can set a group of Mixer tracks to output to the individual channels of a surround sound system. 5.1 uses 3 Mixer track outputs (1.

Front L/R, 2. Rear L/R & 3. Center/Sub L/R). 7.1 uses 4 Mixer track outputs (1. Front 2. L/R, 3. Side L/R, 4. Rear L/R & Center/Sub L/R). There are 'surround' icons to help label tracks. NOTE: You MUST have an ASIO Driver selected in the Audio Options to record external audio and for any options to show in these menus.

Internal Mixer Track Routing & Sidechaining Standard Sends Insert Mixer tracks can be routed (sent) to as many other Mixer tracks as required. The Sendlevel knob above each Send switch appears after the switch is activated on the destination Mixer track. Send from one track to another - Select the source track and then click the Send switch on the destination track. Optionally, adjust the send volume with the knob that replaces the Send switch to change the audio level sent to the destination. This can be useful if you run out of FX slots on one Mixer track or want to use 'Send' FX to lower the CPU load. Remove a send - Click the Deselect Switch above the send volume knob, shown left. You can also turn the Send volume to 0 if you want to keep the link, but stop the audio.

Pre-fader Sends The send switches in FL Studio's Mixer take the audio after the Mixer track fader, so this is known as a Post-fader send. To create a pre-fader send you need to extract the audio from a point before the fader, a pre-fader send, in this case, one of the FX slots. Pre-fader sends - If you need to create pre-fader sends, use the Fruity Send plugin.

Sidechain Sends Sidechaining is the process of sending Audio from one track to another without the audio being heard at the destination Mixer track. The purpose is for a plugin on the destination track to make use of the audio for some aspect of its operation. A typical example is to sidechain a kick track to one or more compressors on destination 'sidechain' tracks, to trigger the compressor, and 'duck' the level of the audio of the destination in time with the kick. The Fruity Limiter can do this kind of sidechaining. Vocodex can accept a pair of sidechain inputs, one for the Modulator and one for the Carrier processing sections. Sidechain from one track to another - Right-click the Deselect Switch and select 'Sidechain only to this track'. A sidechain is any unheard 'audio send' from the output of one Mixer track directly into an effect plugin loaded somewhere on a second Mixer track. Sidechaining allows plugins that can accept more than one audio input to process multiple independent audio streams, in addition to those passing through the Mixer track where the effect is loaded. Sidechain direction - The direction signals flow will depend on the plugin, for example the Fruity Limiter receives a sidechain FROM another Mixer track while the Stereo Shaper sends a sidechain TO a Mixer track. Available Sidechain tracks are labeled by their track name when a plugins sidechain selector is Right-clicked. Remember if the sidechain direction is incorrect for the plugin type then the sidechain option won't show when the plugins sidechain selector is Rightclicked.

Multiple Track Routing You can route multiple tracks at once. Notice the first track you select, or a member of the selected group you Right-click, is highlighted slightly lighter than the rest (e.g. track 17 below). 'This track' is now the target for subsequent Mixer Menu > Track routing options.

How to route multiple mixer tracks: 1. Hold (

Ctrl+Shift) and Left-click (or Left-click and drag) all tracks involved in the multiple routing, including the target

track. Don't let go of (

Ctrl+Shift). NOTE: Don't use the faders to select tracks, use the number & label area (shown

above). 2. Still holding (

Ctrl+Shift), Right-Click the target track (Insert 17 in this example) and the context Menu will open.

Notice 'this track' (Right-clicked) is highlighted lighter than the others to indicate it is the target, otherwise referred to as 'this track' in the menu options. 3. From the Track Routing > option select the desired action to perform with 'this track'.

Routing NOTES: When one track is routed to another there are two independent audio paths. A regular audible send path that responds to the send volume level. A sidechain path that is NOT audible on the destination Mixer track UNLESS it is picked up by a plugin with a sidechain audio input capability loaded on the destination Mixer track. For more information on how to use sidechain audio sends, see the Audio Input/Output Routing section. In this way it is possible to have simultaneous send and sidechain signals from one track to another. The 'Sidechain to this track' option on Right-clicking a Send Switch (shown left), is just a macro to creates a send link with the send volume set to 0. So, you can change any 'send' into a 'sidechain' (only) link by manually setting the volume to 0. Remember the sidechain source Mixer track will remain routed to the Master Mixer track, so deselect its send to master switch if you don't want the sidechain source Mixer track to be audible. In the example above, the selected Mixer track 1 (Send FROM), is sending audio to three other Mixer tracks, the Master (not shown), Track 3 (a 'Sidechain' type send) & Track 5 (An 'audio' AND 'sidechain' type send). All audio sends are ALSO sidechain sends. Remember, you don't hear the sidechain send on the destination track unless some plugin on the destination track is receiving it and routing it into the regular audio path. For more information see this video tutorial on .

compressor Sidechaining

MIXING & EFFECTS

Mixer menu

This section covers the Mixer menu commands. For reference, the Mixer diagram is at the bottom of this page.

Options Disk recording Render to wave file (

Alt+R) - Renders all Mixer Tracks armed for recording to a wave file (see Disk Recording).

Auto-unarm - Tracks armed for recording will be automatically unarmed when stop is pressed. Auto-create audio clips - FL Studio inserts Audio Clips in the Playlist after recording. NOTE: The first available Playlist track that can fit the recording will be used. If you want to ensure tracks are placed where you want them, create empty playlist tracks under the location where you want them to go. Latency compensation - This applies to external audio input latency caused by the ASIO Buffer length setting. FL Studio will remove time equal to the input latency from the start of recorded Audio Clips, so they correctly align with the Playlist. NOTES: 1. Internal mixer Audio does not need latency compensation so this option should be off. 2. Depending on your system and ASIO drivers, you may still need to use the Playback tracking offset fine tune the clip placement. See also: Delay compensation on the 'Rendering dialog' options. This removes delay introduced by internal PDC where appropriate. 32-Bit float recording - If enabled, audio recording Tracks are saved as 32-Bit wave files, otherwise the standard 16-Bit format is used. '32-Bit floating point recording' is only necessary if your audio interface is set to record at a bit-depth higher than 16-Bit (24-Bit for example). 32-Bit will preserve the full quality of all audio interface quantization's above 16-Bit. NOTE: FL Studio receives audio from the audio interface as a pre-digitized stream, the bit-depth set here has no effect on the recorded bit-depth (that is set in the audio interface options). Saving a 16-Bit sample at 32-Bit will make the file significantly larger with no gain in quality. Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) - Compensates for plugin processing delays to bring Mixer Track audio back into sync (see the section on PDC). Set for all tracks - One-time automatic setting of the PDC delay panels of all active Mixer tracks. The system adds the same delay as the maximum plugin delay detected to all active Mixer tracks, minus each individual track's own delay (if any). This method may use more CPU than 'intelligent' (yes you are) manual PDC setup where fewer tracks may need delays. This option is grayed-out when 'Automatic' (see below is selected). Automatic - Automatically applies PDC (as described above) and updates the PDC settings when changes are detected. This is the default mode for new projects. If APDC fails you will need to reset the delays on each active mixer track and use manual PDC. NOTE: This option's state is saved per-project. Link all parameters... - Opens a link-dialog that is designed to link automatable software parameters to 'tweaked' hardware controllers and then automatically move to the next item in the 'parameter list' ready for the next link. There are options for skipping parameters or jumping to new locations in the list as described below: Basic operation - Select 'Link all parameters' from the menu, and move the first hardware controller to be linked (the link is made to the first item in the 'Current parameter' list), when you move the second hardware controller it will be auto-linked to the next parameter and so on, until the end of the parameter list is reached or the link-dialog is closed. You may choose to keep moving the same hardware controller (in this case all parameters will link to the same hardware knob) or move to a new hardware controller, where the new hardware controller will be linked. To skip a link - Left-click the Skip button at the bottom of the link-dialog (immediately left of the 'Accept' button). To jump directly to a parameter - use the Current parameter menu (top most in the link-dialog) and select the target parameter you are interested in. You can then continue auto-linking from that point in the list by moving hardware controllers as before OR jump to another parameter in the list using the 'Current parameter' menu as previously described. View Waveforms (

Alt+W) - Replaces the Mixer peak meters with waveform views. Width now equals peak level.

Names at top - Pins track names to the top of their window. Routing cables - Shows the routing cables when sends between tracks are made. Jiggly goodness! Compact plugin list - For the Extra wide view that shows plugins under the tracks, this option compacts the list to avoid empty slots. Track inspector on left side - Toggles the position of the FX slots, Track Properties and Track I/O to the Left (alternative) from the Right (default). Detached - Detaches the Playlist from the FL Studio workspace, allowing it to be dragged to another monitor.

Mixer Track (applies to selected track) Rename / color... (

F2) - Set the selected Mixer Track name, color & icon - Use these to improve the visibility of

important Mixer Tracks or to aid surround-mixing setups (a set of surround-mixing icons have been provided). Once the name dialog is open, press (

F2) to randomly select colors. For a selection of tracks - The name/icon will only apply to

unnamed tracks. File - Open and save Mixer state files. Open mixer track state - Allows you to restore a previously saved Mixer Track state in the selected Mixer Track. Save mixer track state - Allows you to save the state of the selected Mixer Track, which includes the Track settings and plugin filters. Browse states - Opens the Mixer presets in the Browser menu. Open audio editor (

Ctrl+E) - Opens Edison in the first available FX slot in the selected Mixer Track.

Open audio logger (

Ctrl+E) - Opens Edison in the first available FX slot in the selected Mixer Track. Edison will be set to

'audio logging' mode, that is, recording on FL Studio play and set to a 5 minute rolling audio-log.

Routing Inter Mixer Track routing options: Channel routing: Route selected channels to this track (

Ctrl+L) - All channels selected in the Channel Rack will be linked to

the currently selected Mixer Track. Route selected channels starting from this track (

Shift+Ctrl+L) - All channels selected in the Channel Rack

will be linked to individual Mixer Tracks, starting from the current one. For example, if three channels were selected and the current Mixer Track is 4, the channels will be linked to Tracks 4, 5 and 6. Track routing: Selected tracks to this track: Route selected to this track - Creates audio sends from the selected track/s to the current track. You can also route to a selection of tracks that will be linked in ascending order. Route selected to this track only - Creates audio sends from the selected track/s to the current track AND deselects their own Master sends. Sidechain selected to this track - Creates sidechain sends from the selected track/s to the current track. Sidechain selected to this track only - Creates sidechain sends from the selected track/s to the current track AND deselects their own Master sends. Create submix... - Modifies Mixer Track routing so that the currently selected Mixer Track is inserted between the Track chosen from the pop-up menu and all the Tracks originally routed to the chosen track. For example, in a new project, select Track 1 then use the Create submix to option and choose Master from the pop-up menu. Now all Mixer Tracks are routed to Track 1 and Track 1 is routed to the Master. Track 1 is now between the Master and all the Tracks originally routed to the Master. The intended purpose is to assist PDC setup where a Track needs to be created between the Master and all plugins requiring an added delay compensation. Selected tracks from this track: Route this track to selected - Creates an audio send from the current track to the selected track/s.

Route this track to selected only - Creates an audio send from the current track to the selected track/s AND deselects the current tracks Master send. Sidechain this track to selected - Creates sidechain from the current track to the selected track/s. Sidechain this track to selected only - Creates sidechain from the current track to the selected track/s AND deselects the current tracks Master send. Select Channels or Mixer tracks based on the following rules: Channels routed to this track (

Alt+L).

Tracks this one is routed to Tracks routed to this one (

Ctrl+Alt+L).

Group - Groups selected tracks and adds separators.

Solo (

S) - Solos the output from the selected Track.

Alt Solo (

Alt+S) - Solos the selected Track AND all other Mixer Tracks routed TO and FROM it.

Group Separator - Adds/removes a visual separator BEFORE the selected track. This is not a dock! Create group... - Groups the selected channels with separators to the left and right. The Auto color group - Applies the selected tracks color to others in the same group.

Layout Dock to - The mixer has 3 docking panels, you can choose Left, Middle or Right. Click the dock splitters to open/close the Left and Right docks. Move left ( Move right (

Shift+Left Arrow) - Move the selected Mixer Track left. Shift+Right Arrow) - Move the selected Track right.

CPU Allow threaded processing - When OFF will override any individual Plugin Wrapper Plugin Menu 'Allow threaded processing' ON settings. NOTE: When ON this will not override Plugin Wrapper Plugin Menu 'Allow threaded processing' OFF settings or the Plugin Wrapper Processing Tab Option 'Allow threaded processing' OFF settings.

Mixer reference diagram

Full descriptions are available on the main Mixer page. NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

MIXING & EFFECTS

Effect slots 1 to 10 This section covers the Mixer effect slot functions and interface. Each mixer track can have up to 10 independent effect plugins hosted in slots 1 to 10. For a list of FL Studio effects plugins, see Effects Plugins page. For a list of supported plugin standards, see Supported Effects Standards. BUT WAIT! If you need to use more than 10 effects on a single mixer track you can load an instance of Patcher in one of the slots and chain as many effects as you like inside that OR Send from one track to another.

Effect slot menu- Select an effect to load from the pop-up menu. Effect name (Label) - Left-click to open plugin, Right-click to rename slot. Effect disable - This disables the effect but does not mute the sound passing through the slot (is automatable). Effect mix level - NOTE: Normally leave this at 100% and control the Wet/Dry mix from within the plugin. If the plugin introduces a processing delay, most do, then the processed 'wet' and unprocessed 'dry' signal can phase-cancel as the wet audio is slightly delayed. This is usually most apparent on high frequencies such as cymbals. Summary? Don't touch that knob!

Using Effects Audio enters at the top of the Effects stack and passes through slots in order from 1 to 10, leaving at the bottom (the only exception to this is if a Fruity Send plugin is loaded into one of the slots, then a copy of the audio can leave the mixer effects stack from that point). After the effects stack, the audio passes to the inbuilt Mixer Track Properties section where further sculpting and manipulation of the sound is possible. Loading effects - To load an effect plugin choose a free slot and open the effect slot menu on that slot and select a plugin from the Favorites list. At the top of the menu there are also options to Open the plugin picker (FX are on the right), Browse plugin database etc, if you need to access plugins not yet set as Favorites. NOTE: Once an effect is loaded on any slot in a mixer track the FX icon all effects in the track).

will light on that track to let you know effects are active (clicking on the icon will disable

Delete an effect - Open the effect slot menu on the slot of the target effect and select "None" in the Select submenu. Edit effect parameters - The effect interface can be opened by clicking on the effect name label, to close the effect interface click on the label again. Bypass an effect - Use the disable switch to disable an effect (this switch is automatable). Note that the audio will still pass through the mixer track and any other active effects in the stack. The FX icon will light orange on any mixer track with effects. Click on the FX icon to disable all effects in the mixer track. Effect mix - Adjust the wet/dry mix of each effect using the Effect Mix Level knob. Fully left = 0% effect, fully right = 100% effect mix. NOTES: 1. Effects usually have their own internal wet/dry mix so adjusting the Effect Mix level to 100% does not guarantee a 100% wet signal. 2. Normally leave this at 100% and control the Wet/Dry mix from within the plugin. If the plugin introduces a processing delay, most do, then the processed 'wet' and unprocessed 'dry' signal can phase cancel as the wet slightly lags the dry signal. This is usually most apparent on high frequencies such as cymbals. Summary? Don't touch that knob! Unless you know what you are doing and since you are reading this you probably don't, so... Reorder / move effects within a track - Place the mouse cursor over the effect to be moved and scroll the mouse-wheel, the effect will move up/down depending on the direction of rotation. Don't move the mouse while performing this action as the effect will be released. Alternatively: Select the Effect slot menu and use the Move Up/Down commands. Simply open the menu and press the 'u' or 'd' keys on your keyboard. NOTE: The order of effects can have a dramatic impact on the sound so think carefully about the order in which effects are applied. Copy / move an effect - Including its current settings, to another Mixer track, select the pop-up menu associated with the effect to be copied and then click + drag the 'Save preset as...' menu item to the destination Mixer track.

Effect Slot Menu: Select / Replace (Select when slot empty, Replace when slot occupied) - Contains a list of all effects selected as favorites. Selecting an effect from this menu will assign it to the corresponding plugin slot. Click More... to open the Select plugin window, which contains a list of all effects available to FL Studio. Double-click a plugin name to assign it to the effect slot. Click the check box preceding each plugin to mark it as a favorite (all effects preceded by a check mark will appear in the favorites list). NOTE: To see newly installed plugins, click Refresh in the bottom of the Select plugin window and select Fast Scan (it is recommended that you use Fast Scan instead of Scan & Verify, because the latter may crash FL Studio with some badly programmed plugins).

Presets Presets - Contains a sub-menu with preset handling options for the effect: Randomize gives random values to the published (i.e. known to FL Studio) effect settings. When enabled, selecting a preset will load a random 50% of the settings, so you can quickly mix different presets and create new effects. Hybridize blends between the previous and next selected settings. Tree Display displays the settings in a 'tree' view. The Presets menu is disabled if there is no effect assigned to the plugin slot. Browse presets - Opens the presets menu in the Browser (the Browser may not have any presets for the plugin, however). Save Preset as - Allows you to save custom presets for the plugin assigned to the plugin slot. Presets are saved as FST files. It is recommended that you save preset files in the default location FL Studio chooses, so they can be properly detected and added to the Presets menu. NOTE: You can also click on and drag this menu item to a compatible location in FL Studio to

copy the effect or save parameters. For example, to copy an effect, including its current settings, to another mixer track. Add plugin to database - Adds the plugin to the Browser Plugin database folder that organizes the Plugin picker (

F8)

items.

Spare state These options are useful for saving plugin settings, making edits, then comparing the original vs edited versions. Store in spare state - Saves the plugins current settings in a temporary buffer (spare state). Flip with spare state - Swaps the plugins current settings with those in the spare state.

Parameters Last tweaked parameter - This command has moved to Menu Tools > Last tweaked parameters. Link all parameters... - Opens a dialog designed to link automatable parameters to 'tweaked' hardware controllers and then automatically move to the next parameter in the 'parameter list', ready for the next link. There are several options available for skipping parameters or jumping to new locations in the list include. Basic operation - Select 'Link all parameters' from the menu, and move the first hardware controller to be linked (the link is made to the first item in the 'Current parameter' list). When you move the second hardware controller it will be auto-linked to the next parameter and so on, until the end of the parameter list is reached or the link dialog is closed. To skip a link, Left-click the Skip button at the bottom of the link dialog (immediately left of the 'Accept' button). To jump directly to a parameter, use the Current parameter menu (top most in the link dialog) and select the target parameter you are interested in. You can then continue auto-linking from that point in the list by moving hardware controllers as before OR jump to another parameter in the list using the 'Current parameter' menu as previously described. Browse parameters - Allows you to see the list of automatable parameters in the browser. Embedded CC Parameters: Every instance of the Wrapper has 128 CC (MIDI Control Change) parameters in a parameter list. These parameters transmit CC data directly to the plugin (for plugins that read CC data directly) and can be linked like any other parameter to a MIDI or internal controller. Thus, you can send CC data directly to the plugin instead of linking to a specific knob on the plugin interface. These parameters can also be set in conjunction with the Omni mode associated with the Remote control settings 'link' dialog to send CC data to any selected plugin and to save MIDI controller assignments (see the Omni and VSTi/DXi Control section for more details).

CPU Allow threaded processing - Improves multithreading and multi-core CPU performance. NOTE: Some 3rd party plugins may perform worse with multithreading on. If you are experiencing choppy or broken sound, try turning this off. Smart disable - Stop processing the plugin when inactive. Reduces CPU load. There is a global Smart disable on the F10 Audio settings panel OR 'Smart disable' Tools > Macros > Misc > Switch smart disable for all plugins. NOTE: Smart Disable is active only during live playback, it is temporarily disabled when rendering. Move Up - Moves the effect one slot up. Alternatively: Place your mouse cursor over the effect slot name and roll your mouse-wheel upward. Move Down - Moves the effect one slot down. Alternatively: Place your mouse cursor over the effect slot name and roll your mouse-wheel downward. View editor - Opens the plugin interface. Alternatively: Click on the name shown in the Plugin slot. Rename - Rename the plugin slot.

You can also access this slot menu from the effect's own options:

NOTE: The 'Save preset as...' option can be dragged to another Mixer channel or FX slot to duplicate the current effect and settings.

Mixer reference diagram A full description is available on the main Mixer page.

NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

MIXING & EFFECTS

Mixer Track Properties This section covers the Mixer Track properties panel. The Mixer Track properties panel integrates a parametric equalizer and PDC (Plugin Delay Compensation) controls.

NOTE: The integrated effects are the last processing/FX stage prior to audio leaving the Mixer Track and so follow any plugin FX loaded into slots.

Integrated Effects Panel ( A ) Parametric EQ - The equalizer is very similar to the standalone Parametric EQ plugin which comes with FL Studio. However, the band types in this version are predefined and can not be changed: Band 1 - Low Shelf; Band 2 - Peaking; 3 - High Shelf. The graph for the Parametric EQ, Left-click to control center frequency (left-

right)/amplitude(up/down) or Right-click to control bandwidth (leftright)/amplitude(up/down). Panel ( B ) Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) controls as discussed below. NOTE: Plugin delay compensation > Automatic must be deselected to manually access this section.

Plugin Delay Compensation - PDC PDC is required when plugins (instrument or effects) have processing delays that put their audio out of sync with other audio or Mixer Tracks in the project. Most commonly an effect will introduce an unwanted delay that puts the audio on its Mixer Track out of sync with other Mixer Tracks. PDC works by adding the same delay to all other tracks to bring them into sync again. When several plugins introduce unwanted delay on several Mixer Tracks then multiple compensations are required so that all the tracks end up in sync when the audio reaches the Master Mixer track. Automatic PDC - Use the Plugin delay compensation > Automatic option on the Mixer menu. This will automatically update PDC settings any time a change in plugin delay is detected with no further input required from you. While convenient, this method may use a little more CPU than manual PDC and in some rare and complex inter-track-routing situations, fail. If 'Automatic PDC' fails then you will then be consigned to go down into the bowels of the manual PDC system. Down we say! Down to spend eternity unravelling the mess you created with the sidechain and send options. Delay Pre/Post - Left-click the upper/lower arrow switch to change between the upper, pre delay (used for instruments/generators) and lower arrow, post delay (used for effects). The Pre setting delays the audio prior to entering a Mixer Track, Post delays the audio leaving a Mixer Track. NOTE: Plugin delay compensation > Automatic must be deselected to access this option. Delay entry menu (showing '23'ms in the example at - This is the delay control menu, there are several units in which delays may be entered, Left-click to select from: Reset - Resets the PDC to 'none', the default 'no delay' condition.

Set in ms (milliseconds) - Set the PDC in ms, a value entry box will appear after selecting this setting. Set in samples - Set the PDC in samples, a value entry box will appear after selecting this setting. Set in beats - Set the PDC in beats, a value entry box will appear after selecting this setting. Set from - This will list Mixer Tracks that have latency caused by plugins. Select a track to automatically adapt the current PDC value to the selected track without the need to manually enter values. NOTE: Plugin delay compensation > Automatic must be deselected to access the above options. The Delay Panel ( B ), available on all Mixer Tracks, allows you to configure the mixer to use plugins that can't process audio in real-time, including compressors with 'look ahead' functions and 'Convolution Reverbs'. Without PDC, affected plugins will sound out of time with the main audio. The PDC control settings allow you to compensate for the unwanted delay so that the non-affected Mixer Tracks are synchronized with the delayed track. If you need to set up PDC manually, a tutorial is provided in the next section. NOTES: 1. Automatic PDC does not work for Plugins using multiple outputs (use manual setup, shown below). 2. When using PDC, FL Studio will no longer respond 'instantly' as the audio output is delayed to sync with the slow plugin 3. PDC is not related to the Mixer Menu > Disk recording > Latency compensation option. That strips ASIO audio interface latencies from input recordings.

Guide to Manual PDC - Effects If a Mixer Track contains an FX plugin that introduces a unwanted delay (delayaffected) then the audio from this track will be out of sync with the other Mixer Tracks. PDC is nothing more complex than delaying all 'normal' tracks by the same amount as the delay-affected track, bringing the two audio streams back in sync. To facilitate PDC, a highly accurate compensating delay is available through

the Mixer Track Delay Panel ( B ).

PDC Summary: 1. Place the delay affected plugin on a Mixer Track and route any instruments to it that require the effect. 2. Set up a NEW Mixer Track and use the Delay panel ( B ) to set the same delay as caused by the delay affected plugin and route all other Mixer Tracks exclusively through this track. That is, disable the individual Master sends. Right-clicking the 'track send' switches will provide a 'Route to this track only' send option.

Step-by-step instructions to using Manual PDC: 1. Load the delay-affected (slow) plugin - Insert delay-affected plugin into any FX slot of any Insert mixer track or Send track. Link the channels you would like to effect with the plugin to this Mixer Track. 2. Determine the delay compensation - If you are not using the 'Set from' option you will need to manually record the plugin delay compensation (PDC). This is shown in the hint bar when you hover over a plugin FX slot that contains a plugin causing (and reporting) a delay, as shown below. Take note of this value and the units (usually samples).

3. Compensating track - Use the 'Set from' PDC 'Delay entry' menu item OR enter the PDC delay value obtained above in the 'Delay entry menu' ( B ) on a second Mixer Track that DOES NOT contain the delay affected plugin. It makes sense to re-name this track 'PDC' and

change the color to something bright so you can easily locate it later. 4. Route all normal tracks to the compensating track, disabling their individual Master sends - All audio (other than that running through the track containing the plugin causing a delay) must be routed through the compensating track. You must DISABLE THE MASTER SEND of each Mixer Track routed to the compensating track so that the only path for audio from these tracks to the Master is through the compensating track. Use the 'track send' switches 'Route to this track only' OR:

! and select

TIP: Use the Mixer menu option 'Create submix to' when setting up PDC projects. In this case: 4.1 Select the PDC Mixer Track (from Step 3.) and use the Mixer Menu 'Create submix to' function 4.2 Select 'Master' from the pop-up list of Mixer Tracks. All tracks originally routed to the Master will now be routed exclusively to the (currently selected) PDC Mixer Track. 4.3 Select the Mixer Track carrying the delay affected plugin, Right-click the Master send switch and select 'Route to this track only'. This is required since it was re-routed to the PDC Mixer Track in the previous step. 5. Testing - The two audio streams should now be in sync. However, the PDC setting in the hint window is reported by the plugin, so if this is not available you may need to tune the delay setting by ear, if so compare the PDC and non PDC paths using a percussive sound such as a 'hat' sample. Set the step-sequencer to pattern mode and trigger the delayaffected and a normal instruments with equivalent steps. Make sure there are no FX on the compensating channel while you test. NOTE: If you intend to use a delay-affected plugin on the Master Mixer Track (and you are not sending audio out of FL Studio via an individual Mixer Track output), then you do not need to compensate as all audio passes through the Master track and so all audio is equally delayed by the offending plugin.

Guide to using Manual PDC - Instruments Some instruments give a delayed response to note input commands. It is possible

to use the Pre delay setting on the Delay Panel ( B ) to re-sync delayed and normal instrument audio, before either enter the mixer. Pre delaying simplifies the internal routing and set-up requirements. The principle here is to add a pre-delay to each Mixer Track receiving normal instruments while the track receiving a delayed instrument is not adjusted.

Step-by-step instructions to using instruments/generator PDC 1. Link the delay-affected (slow) plugin to the mixer - Select a Mixer Track and route the delay-affected instrument to this track. This will be the only track that does not receive a delay compensation. 2. Link normal instruments/generators - All normal generators/instruments may be linked to any other Mixer Track/s as usual. All tracks used by unaffected instruments/generators must receive a Pre-delay compensation set in the Delay Panel ( B ). 3. Determine the delay compensation - The delay caused by the affected instrument/generator will either be noted in the documentation that comes with the plugin OR if this is not available you will need to tune the delay setting by ear. If so compare a normal and delay-affected plugin using a percussive sound with a sharp attack and quick release. Make sure there are no FX on the Mixer Tracks you are testing. Set the step-sequencer to pattern mode and trigger the delay-affected and a normal instruments with equivalent steps. 4. Delay setting - Select Pre delay and enter the PDC delay value obtained above into the 'Delay entry menu' ( B ) of each track receiving a normal instrument.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Audio Input/Output Routing This section covers internal Mixer audio routing functions. Internal audio sources (instruments loaded in the Channel Rack) are routed to the Mixer insert tracks with the Channel settings FX selector, as shown below:

NOTE: In the example above Mixer Track 2 is selected and so the Track Send switches, External audio Input / Output options and Mixer Track Properties change to show unique settings for Mixer track 2. Usually the only Mixer track with an external audio output is the Master Mixer track.

Some points about internal and external audio routing: Routing instruments to Mixer tracks - See Routing Instrument Channels to Mixer Tracks. Internal sends and sidechan sends - See Internal Mixer Track Routing & Sidechaining. External routing - Audio sent to and received from your audio interfaces input and output jacks is set by the External audio IN / OUT selectors (as shown above). NOTE: that each Mixer track has its own input and output options. For example, if you have an audio interface with 16 microphone inputs, then you have the option of setting 16 unique Mixer channels to receive each of these audio interface inputs. It is even possible to set two or more Mixer tracks to receive the same input or send to the same output. When '(none)' is shown, this means no external audio interface input or output is selected for the selected track. By default, the Master Mixer track 'Output' is the routed to the audio interfaces main outputs (usually the main/front Left/Right channels). However, by routing another Mixer track (other than the master) to other audio interfaces outputs (e.g. the rear channels of 5.1 surround-sound card), you can create a separate sub-mix for band headphone monitoring or studio monitoring. Parallel internal / external routing - It is worth noting that the Mixer track External audio IN / OUT can function in parallel with the internal routing functions so that any track can receive external and internal audio sources simultaneously OR output to the Master Mixer track and any other available audio interface output. Mixer routing is described in more detail below:

How to Route Audio Mixer tracks - can take an input audio signal from one or more internal Instrument Channels by setting the Mixer Track Selector to a given track OR one external source (External audio OUT). After processing the input they can pass the audio to another location, usually the Master track ( M ) but it can be another Mixer track (as shown by the cables) or directly to a audio interface output (External audio OUT). To send audio from one insert track to another - Select the source track you wish to send FROM and then Left-click the send control switch

on the destination track you want to send TO. A send-level knob will appear on the destination track

that can be used to change the level of signal passed to the destination. By default the SOURCE track will maintain routing to the Master track - If you don't want to create a parallel path to the Master Mixer track, select the source track and disable the send switch on the master by Left-clicking it.

External Inputs - Most ASIO drivers provide inputs (External audio IN) for microphone, line-in, etc. You can route these inputs to any or all Mixer tracks. Note that the ASIO inputs will not replace but mix together with any input audio the track receives from other sources (instruments, other tracks, etc). External Outputs - Most ASIO drivers provide outputs (External audio OUT). You can route any Mixer track to any ASIO output. Surround sound 5.1 or 7.1 - You can set a group of Mixer tracks to output (External audio OUT) to the individual channels of a 5.1 surround system for surround-sound mixing. A Surround sound template is available in the File menu > New from template > Utility > Surround panner. After opening this template, select audio interface outputs using the Output menu to match the pre-named Mixer tracks. FL Studio as VST - Additional outputs also appear when using the FL Studio multi output VSTi connection. Limitations of routing: 1. If you are using the 'Primary Sound Driver' audio driver only one track at a time can output to the primary output (usually this is the Master Track). This limitation does not apply if you use an ASIO driver, then any Mixer track may be routed to any available output. 2. FL Studio will disable routing options that would create a feedback loop (for example trying to route a track to itself). 3. Use the Send Level knobs to adjust the amount of signal sent from an insert track to the send tracks. 4. The specially named 'Current' track can only receive audio from the currently selected track. Its main purpose is to hold an Edison plugin, ready to record any selected tracks audio OR visualization plugins, such as WaveCandy.

Prepare for Recording The record arm switch prepares a track for audio recording (to a *.wav file). The input and/or any internal audio routed to that track will be recorded.

Mixer reference diagram See the main Mixer page for a full descrption.

NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

RECORDING

Recording External and Internal Audio

! ! " " # # $ $

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This section covers everything you need to know about recording external audio sources connected to your audio interface input/s and internal audio generated by instruments. Sections include: Pre-requisites for recording audio Recording FAQ USB microphones (a special case) How to record external audio Recording into Edison the wave editor & recorder Recording directly into the Playlist Loop recording for multiple 'takes' Freezing mixer tracks

Pre-requisites for recording external audio Before you can record external audio sources the following settings & conditons are required: 1. You must be using FL Studio Producer Edition or higher. 2. An ASIO audio interface driver must be selected for your audio interface (press F10 to open the options settings, select Audio and select an ASIO driver). 3. The recording filter must be set to record audio (Right-click the Transport Panel record button), if you are recording to disk (Playlist recording). 4. An audio source must be connected to the soundcard/interface audio input/s (DOH!

).

5. The active audio interface input/s (from 4. above) must be selected on the Mixer track input menu. 6. Edison must be set to record audio on the input Mixer track (see Edison recording) OR the Mixer track must be armed to record audio (see Playlist recording).

Recording FAQ

Where does external audio enter FL Studio? At Mixer track input menus (shown above). Each Mixer track can receive one external stereo audio input. The input menu displays a drop-down list from your selected audio interface (mic, line, etc). The screenshot above shows the audio interface microphone (Mic 1) selected on Mixer Track 4. If you have more than one audio input to record, use multiple mixer tracks to receive each input. NOTE: Input options will only be available if an ASIO audio interface driver is being used. How do I record audio? There are two ways that can be used individually or together: 1. Edison - Place an instance of Edison in the Mixer track receiving audio and record into memory (see screenshot above). Edison is best when you plan to record one or two sources, each source requires a unique instance of the plugin. Edison is also ideal for 'Loop Recording' as region markers are automatically placed in the recording each time FL Studio loops back to the beginning of the project. Regions (loops) can then be dragged into the Playlist. 2. Playlist - Arm a Mixer track by selecting an input or clicking on the disk recording icon (see screenshot above). Playlist recording is ideal when multi-track recording as managing large numbers of Edison plugins can be unwieldy. The audio recorded by either of these methods can come from external sources, internal sources or a combination of both. For details, see below. Why do I hear music/percussion along with my recording - You are recording on a Mixer Track that has music/percussion routed to it. Probably, the Master Mixer track. Don't do that! All audio arriving on a Mixer track is recorded together. If you are recording an external audio source make sure no Channel Rack instruments are routed there. Why do my recordings come from one speaker? FL Studio expects a stereo input signal since all Mixer tracks are stereo. You are probably feeding your audio-interface a signal that only appears on the left or right channel of a stereo input. Solution: The Mixer INPUT menu has an upper stereo list and lower mono list. You have selected from the upper stereo INPUT. Select your input from the lower, mono INPUT list. This will copy the active channel into the silent stereo channel so audio comes from both speakers. How do I record multiple independent inputs (multi-track record)? Each of the 103 Mixer tracks can be independently loaded with an Edison recorder, however if you are recording more than one or two inputs it is better to arm individual Mixer tracks and record external and/or internal audio sources to disk (see Playlist Recording below). It is possible to simultaneously record the full number of audio inputs on your audio interface. NOTE: Right-click the Mixer Input menu to initiate an 'Auto-map'. This will automatically map each input on your audio interface to a unique Mixer Track Input, starting on the Mixer track where the Auto-map was initiated and working to the right. To prevent feedback, the Master Tack send (click here for an oversized and obsessive diagram) will be disabled on each Mixer Track, so you will see input activity on the Peak Meters, but won't hear anything. How do I record my hardware synthesizer/drum-machine/sampler? To use sounds from an external synthesizer, while it is played by FL Studio, you will need to make MIDI connections AND audio connections to your audio interface inputs. FL Studio can record the sound/s (discussed below) as it plays the external MIDI hardware using a MIDI Out plugin. Can I record using a USB microphone or headset? Yes, USB microphones require special setup discussed here.

How do I set the recording bit-depth - FL Studio receives audio from the audio interface as a pre-digitized stream, the '32 bit float recording' option set in the Mixer menu > Disk recording save option has no effect on the incoming recorded bit-depth (only the save format). Recording bit-depth is set in the audio interface's own options and is shown in the hint bar when selecting items from the mixer input menu. To set, right-click your volume control icon on the Windows task-bar, select 'Recording devices'. Select your input device and 'Set as default' then select 'Properties', then 'Advanced' and choose 24 bit 44100 Hz option if available OR 16 bit 44100 Hz if not. Are there video tutorials for recording audio? Yes,

click here

to jump to the video tutorials.

Using a USB microphone or headset

" USB microphone & headsets use their own audio driver separate from your main audio interface (i.e they appear to Windows as another audio interface). To use two audio interfaces with FL Studio follow the steps in the section on recording USB audio-inputs. The solution is to select independent input (USB mic) and output (audio interface) devices using the ASIO4ALL audio interface driver.

How to record external audio (microphones, guitars, etc)

" # & Three main methods for recording external audio are explained below, the first two record into an Edison plugin loaded into the Mixer track of your choice. The third method records audio into an Audio Clip displayed in the Playlist - please note that the clip will not be visible until the recording has been completed.

1. Quick audio recording procedure (using Edison) Edison is an audio editor and recorder. It will record audio from any FX slot in the Mixer. You can load as many instances of Edison as you like.

If the pre-requisites for external recording have been satisfied (as described above), the 'One click recording' wizard can be used to record into Edison as follows: 1. Select an unused Mixer track. This will be the track used by the shortcut process (see the note below). 2. Click the microphone icon (One-click audio recording) on the 'Shortcut Panel'. 3. Select 'Into Edison audio editor/recorder' from the drop-down menu. 4. Follow the prompts. 5. After recording, see section 2.5 below for options on saving/exporting the audio. NOTE: One-click recording uses the input on the selected Mixer track. If you are recording an external audio source then record on a Mixer track that only has the external audio on it. If you have internal audio playing through the same track it will be blended with the external audio. Once blended, it can't be undone.

2. Edison recording procedure

If the pre-requisites for external recording have been satisfied (as described above): 1. Load Edison - Load Edison in an FX slot in the Mixer track that you want to record. Don't use the Master track (all audio from all tracks is routed here). TIP: Select the Mixer track and press (

Shift+E) to auto-load Edison in the first empty FX

slot on the track ready to record. 2. Input selection - Select an external input (see below). Loading Edison before selecting an input will disable the autoarming of the disk-record function. It is possible to turn this back on (if you wish) by clicking on the Mixer track record icon associated with the track you are using. 3. Effects - Place Edison before any effects loaded in the same Mixer track for a 'dry' recording. It is recommended to record all external audio dry as this gives you the opportunity to add and change them later on. 4. Record using Edison - Click here to see the Edison help and normal recording setup options. You will be able to record into Edison, where it is stored in memory, and then export the audio to a sample or Audio Clip. 5. Exporting recorded audio - There are three main ways to export audio from Edison into FL Studio: 1.

Send to Playlist button, Left or Right-click to: Left-click: Send to Playlist as Audio Clip (

Shift+C) - Dumps the selection to the Playlist as an

Audio Clip. Right-click: Send to selected Channel - Dumps the selection to the selected Channel. 2.

Drag / copy sample / move selection - Left-click on the button and drag to the desired location (e.g. Playlist Clip-track). The selected region in the Sample Edit Window (or whole sample if no selection is made) will be copied and moved to any compatible location in FL Studio. Apart from the Playlist other locations may include Sampler channels, Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, etc. Right-click to copy the selection to the clipboard.

3.

Save and load - Save the audio/selection to a file and re-import it through the Browser.

NOTES: 1. Take the time to read the next section on Mono inputs (3.4) and Monitoring (3.7) as they are also relevant to Edison recording. 2. Memory considerations: Edison records into RAM and so is not suited to recording hours of continuous audio. Edison uses approximately 20 Meg of RAM per minute of recording. If you need to record for more than 15 minutes then the Playlist (disk recording) method is recommended (see below).

3. Playlist audio recording procedure Playlist lanes are not bound to audio inputs as they are in many other sequencers. Audio is recorded through the Mixer, to disk, and then the recording is automatically loaded onto the first Playlist track that has space to host the recording. That is, the first track where it won't overlap with existing clips. The recording is loaded as an Audio Clip. We know this section of the help looks complex with many steps, but it provides a full description of the external-audio to Playlist recording options and full step-by-step procedure covering many of the issues people face when recording external sources. Once you understand the process it only takes 3 mouse-clicks to set up a Mixer channel to record.

Audio inputs are recorded through the Mixer tracks, the audio from these sessions is placed in the Playlist as an Audio Clip. Remember that Playlist lanes are not tied to any Mixer track, so it doesn't matter what Playlist lane the Audio Clip is on. You can move clips around as needed after recording. 1. Pre-requisites - The pre-requisites for external recording must first be satisfied (as described above). 2. Don't record on the Master Mixer track - When recording external audio on a Mixer track, internal audio routed to that track will be mixed in with the external source so it is best to use a Mixer track with no internal instruments routed to it. Remember that the Master Mixer track has all the other tracks routed to it, so this is definitely not the place to record external audio sources. 3. Input selection & Mixer track arming - Select an external input (see below). The options that appear in this drop-down menu will depend on your audio interface, most audio interfaces have at least one mic and one line input, however you may need to experiment to find the input that carries your external audio. Selecting an input will auto-arm the track for recording, as indicated by the red track recording icon. If you want to use a USB mic or headset to record audio, follow the steps outlined here first.

4. Mono inputs - If you have a mono sound source that appears in only the L or R stereo channel, you will notice that the input options are divided into 'Stereo' in the upper section and 'Mono' in the lower section. By selecting the Mono version of your input, FL Studio will record the signal into both the L and R Mixer channels. 5. Naming & save location (optional) - If you want to select the name and location of the saved .wav file as something other than the default then Right-click the Mixer track recording icon

о to open the file-name/location dialog. Select a

location in the browser dialog and name the .wav file to be recorded. If you use Left-click, an automatic file name will be assigned to the track. Do the same for all Mixer tracks you want to record. NOTE: Setting a custom record location folder from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, will mean the default location is set by you. 6. Recording Options - Open the Mixer pop-up menu. In the Disk Recording sub-menu select Auto-create audio clip - Turn ON. Loads the recording as an Audio Clip and automatically places it in the Playlist, after you press stop. NOTE: Automatic Audio Clip placement only works in song mode. Latency compensation - Turn ON. Removes an amount of time equal to the audio interface latency (buffer length) from the start of the recording, ensuring the audio is aligned with the internal events. NOTE: This setting does not affect the live (monitored) sound, only the recording and doesn't have anything to do with the PDC delay panel ( C ) options. See the point below on 'Monitoring' for ways to improve latency delay on the live audio passing through FL Studio. Bit-depth - This is the saved bit-depth and is the resolution of the waveforms amplitude quantization. '32-Bit floating point recording' is only necessary if your audio interface is set to record at a bit-depth higher than 16-Bit so use the 32-Bit setting to save files recorded at 24-Bit. NOTE: FL Studio receives audio from the audio interface as a pre-digitized stream, the bit-depth set in the Mixer has no effect on the recorded bit-depth (that is set in the audio interface's own options and is shown in the hint bar when selecting items from the mixer INPUT menu). Saving a 16-Bit sample at 32-Bit will make the file significantly larger with no gain in quality. To set the recorded bit-depth under Windows: Either right-click the speaker volume control on the Windows system tray and select and select Recording devices > Recording tab OR Click Windows Start > Control Panel > Sound > Recording tab. Right-click the input recording device you intend to use and select 'Set as default' and then after that select 'Properties'. On the 'Advanced tab', under the 'Default Format' section we recommend using '2 channel, 24 bit, 44100 Hz (Studio Quality)' or '2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality)' if that is not available. 7. Hearing the sound being recorded (monitoring) - Let's assume you are monitoring FL Studio through headphones and not getting an echo caused by feedback from your speakers into your microphone. By default, live inputs to the Mixer are routed to the Master mixer track and back to the audio interface outputs. As the audio path through FL Studio is delayed by an amount equal to the audio interface buffer length setting, the monitored sound may echo against the live source.

Latency echo can cause problems for performers (e.g. vocalists) who need to hear their live performance mixed with the song. Latency echo can be eliminated in three ways: 1. Routing - Stop the incoming audio passing back to the audio interface by de-selecting the 'Send to master switch/knob' from the Mixer track you are recording into. Remember the send knob is located on the Master track, not the selected track. The downside is that you can no longer 'monitor' the recorded sound, although you can move one headphone cup an ear (DJ style) and listen live.

2. Latency - If you need to monitor your input signal, try lowering the buffer settings and see if the echo can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels. Of course there are limits to how low the ASIO buffer can be set. 3. Direct Monitoring - Use 'direct monitoring' if supported by your audio interface. Direct monitoring is achieved completely in hardware, routing a copy of the input signal directly to the audio interface outputs, and so eliminating latency caused by the software buffer. NOTE: If you use direct monitoring it will be necessary to apply the routing solution 7.1 (in this paragraph), to prevent input to the FL Studio Mixer being heard. Finally note that direct monitoring isn't common on basic (consumer level) audio interfaces, so consult the audio interface manual to see if it's available on your card. No manual? The direct monitoring options are usually found in the factory Mixer associated with the audio interface driver. Many external USB/FireWire audio interfaces have a hardware knob or button labeled 'Direct monitoring' or 'Monitor'. 8. Recording with effects - Don't! We recommend that you record all incoming audio without effects, add them later, as this provides maximum flexibility during post-production. If you want to monitor the incoming signal with effects while recording without effects 1. Deselect the 'Send to master' knob on the recording input Mixer track.

2. Re-route the recording input Mixer track to a second empty Mixer track. 3. Load the effects you wish to use on this second track and allow that track to pass to the Master. The above setup ensures that the audio is recorded dry, on the input Mixer track, then passes to a second track where effects are added for monitoring. NOTE: Edison recording makes this process simpler, put Edison in FX slot 1 of the input Mixer track (so it has no Effects before it), then put any effects you want to hear below it (slots 2 to 8). 9. The Record Button: Prepare for recording. There are two functions associated with the Record button on the Transport Panel. 1. Recording filter - There is a recording filter pop-up menu, Right-click the Record button and make sure 'Audio' has a tick (all data-types with a tick will be recorded, click to select/deselect items). 2. Arming - Left-click the record button to arm for recording. The button will light to indicate that record mode is activated (orange). 10. Start recording - Finally! Press the Play button to start recording. 11. Stop recording - When you are finished, press the Stop button. If you want all armed tracks to unarm enable the 'Disk Recording > Auto-unarm' option in the Mixer popup menu. If tracks remain armed and you press record again new Audio Clips will be created leaving previously recorded Audio Clips intact. 12. Where's my audio? - If you are in pattern mode, the recording will appear as an Audio Clip channel. If you are in song mode AND the Mixer menu setting, Auto-create Audio Clips is on, your recording will appear as an Audio Clip wave display in the Playlist window. Audio Clip placement - Audio Clips will be placed in the first track with enough room to fit the Audio Clip, without overlap

with existing Clips, although you can move it anywhere you like afterward. If you want to ensure your clips are placed sensibly you can right-click track headers and select 'add one' to make room for further takes below existing ones. The recorded audio data wil be saved to disk will be in one of three locations: 1. The folder set at Step 5 (above) OR 2. The FL Studio installation folder ...FL Studio\Data\Patches\Recorded. This folder is shown in the Browser OR 3. If you have set a custom record location from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, your audio files will be there. Mixer track routing - All recorded Audio Clips are routed to the same Mixer track the recorded input track was routed to (usually the Master). So, if you record on Mixer track 10, and Mixer track 10 is routed to Mixer track 3, then the Audio Clip will also be routed to Mixer track 3.

Loop recording Loop recording is the process of repeatedly laying down audio-takes while FL Studio loops a project. This technique is often preferred by instrumentalists or vocalists who want to repeat a phrase/section of a song until they get the perfect take, there are two loop recording methods available: Edison method - We recommend using Edison for Loop recording duties as described in the Edison Loop Recording section. This will provide glitch-free recordings with the advantage that Edison will place region markers at the start of each loop-back for precise selection of the preferred loop. After recording the desired regions (loops) can be selected and dragged (or sent) into the Playlist or saved as audio files. Use Edison as follows:

1. Load Edison - Select a Mixer track and press (

Shift+E). This loads Edison in the first empty FX slot ready to

record with 'Slave playback to host' and Record 'On play' enabled. 2. Select your input - Select your live audio input from the Mixer INPUT menu. 3. Make a Playlist selection - If you only want to record a section of the song, highlight the section of time in the Playlist, hold (

Ctrl) and then click and drag along the bar-count at the top of the Playlist. If you don't make a

selection then the whole song will Loop record. 4. Start recording - Press Play in FL Studio and record as many takes as you need into Edison. Each time Edison loops section Markers will be placed in the recording (these are useful for later). 5. Stop recording - Stop FL Studio and click on the record button in Edison to disable it. 6. Start playback - Press Play in FL Studio and the first take in Edison will play in sync with the Playlist (slave mode is on), looping when the Playlist does. 7. Audition takes - With Edison focused use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to select a different takes in Edison. Each left/Right-click will jump to the next/previous section. 8. Send the perfect take to the Playlist - Press (

Shift+C) to send the current selection in Edison to Playlist.

NOTE: Edison will automatically set the sample properties to the current project tempo so that the recording will stretch as the project tempo is changed. NOTE: The Edison method does not allow for 'sound-on-sound' recording where layers of audio are built up on each pass, for that use the Playlist method, below. Playlist & Sound-on-sound method - You can record audio directly into the Playlist as Audio Clips. You can Loop record all

or at any part of the Playlist by making a selection and monitor previously recorded loops for 'sound-on-sound' recording.

1. Select Loop record mode 2. Select 'Blend Recording' 3. Select Song mode

( - The switch is on the Transport panel.

) from the Transport panel.

* - From the Transport Panel.

4. Make a Playlist selection (optional) - If you want to Loop record over a section of the song, highlight the timeline section in the Playlist. Hold (

Ctrl + Left-click) and then drag along the bar-count at the top of the Playlist.

If you don't make a selection then the whole song will Loop record. 5. Monitoring options - To mute loop recorded Audio Clips switch recorded Audio Clips, turn it On.

) Blend recorded notes Off. To hear loop

6. Arm record mode and press Play to start recording - When FL Studio reaches the end of the Playlist data or selection it will dump the recorded audio to the Playlist as an Audio Clip and loop back to the beginning of the selection to start recording a new Audio Clip. NOTE: Each time around the loop FL Studio must save .wav files, create channels and new .wav files. On some systems there may be audio glitches in the first few ms of each loop. Adding a bar lead in at the start of the loop section where you are not performing input audio will avoid this problem, should you experience it. NOTES: 1. Setting a custom record location folder from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, will send any recorded audio files to this location. 2. If your audio interface does not have factory ASIO drivers, try the www.asio4all.com

driver on your

system. Please note that since ASIO4ALL is a 3rd party work-around to provide ASIO for audio interfaces that don't have a native ASIO solution, Image-Line cannot guarantee that it will work, but it usually does. 3. The ASIO4ALL driver has a number of internal options that can be adjusted if the default settings don't work for you. Click on the 'Show ASIO panel' button in the F10 Audio Settings to access them.

Recording Internal Mixer Audio (Freezing Mixer Tracks) FL Studio allows you to record the output of one or more Mixer tracks to .wav files and to auto-insert them as Audio Clips in the Clip Track area (optional). Mixer track recording, or freezing, enables you to quickly replace real-time effects and instruments with prerendered audio, thereby reducing CPU load. This type of recording also allows easier rendering of separate Mixer tracks (track stems, as they are called) for additional processing in 3rd party applications. There are two ways to record a track - non-realtime recording, which results in the highest audio quality and realtime recording (interactive) that allows recording of ASIO inputs.

Non-realtime recording Playlist (Mixer track freezing) To perform non-realtime export of Mixer track/s, also known as 'track freezing' and auto-create an Audio Clip. See the Freezing tutorial video

here

that follows the steps below:

1. Mixer track arming - Click to arm the record icon on Mixer track/s you wish to record. In the browse dialog that opens, select a location and name for the .wav file to be recorded. An orange disk icon indicates that the track is ready to be recorded. 2. Recording Options - Open the Mixer menu. In the Disk Recording sub-menu: Select 32-Bit floating point recording if you want to render to 32-Bit .wav files. Deselect Latency compensation as it will add an unwanted delay to the start of clips. This is used only for external audio input recording. Select Auto-create audio tracks to insert the resulting Audio Clip in the Playlist, once the recording process has completed. 3. Rendering / Freezing(

Alt+R) - From the Mixer menu go to the Disk Recording sub-menu and select Render to

Wave File. A rendering settings dialog will appear. Adjust the relevant settings and press OK to render the armed track/s. NOTE: Some of the options available for rendering a full song are not available for track recording (e.g. rendering to mp3 or MIDI file, saving an NFO file with the Audio Clip, and saving ACIDized audio). 4. Freezing? - If your intention was to freeze Mixer tracks you can disable all effects on each track rendered and disable plugins feeding those Mixer tracks. 5. Where's my audio? - If you are in pattern mode, the recording will appear as an Audio Clip channel. If you are in song mode AND the Mixer menu setting, Auto-create Audio Clips is on, your recording will appear as an Audio Clip wave display in the Playlist window. The Audio Files that were recorded to disk will be in one of three locations: 1. The folder set at Step 1 (above) OR 2. The FL Studio installation folder ...FL Studio\Data\Patches\Recorded. This folder is shown in the Browser OR 3. If you have set a custom record location from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, your audio files will be there. NOTE: ASIO inputs are disabled while recording in non-realtime. Alternatively, there is a 'Split mixer tracks' option on the Export project dialog that will create a .wav file for each active Mixer track in the project. Great for creating track stems when importing audio into a 3rd party application.

Realtime recording Edison & Playlist As an alternative to off-line rendering, as described above, you can use Edison or the track recording icon to capture audio from any number of Mixer tracks, live: 1. Select your recording location - Either load Edison into an FX slot of the Mixer track you wish to record OR for Disk/Playlist recording Arm Mixer tracks by pressing the disk icon. 2. Disk recording - If you are recording to the Playlist then turn OFF the Mixer menu > Disk recording > Latency compensation option. There is no latency for internal audio sources.

3. Effects - In the case of Edison, you have the option of placing multiple instances of Edison on the same Mixer track, with or without other effects loaded before or after each instance. In this way you can record dry and wet (with effects) versions of your Mixer track audio (to record a dry version, make sure Edison is in slot #1). In the case of disk recording any effects on the track will be recorded, if you don't want this, disable the effects now. 4. Record - Click here to see the Edison help and normal recording setup options. You will be able to record into Edison, where it is stored in memory, and then export the audio to a sample or Audio Clip. For disk recording the process is as described in the sections above, however this time it is internal audio that is recorded.

Mixer reference diagram

Full descriptions are available on the main Mixer page. NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

MIXING & EFFECTS

Levels, Mixing & Clipping

This this section explains how to use the tools at your disposal to create a good mix. Often we see new producers mixing and mastering at the same time, getting confused and ending up with disappointing results. Similarly, we observe many on never-ending search for 'mastering' plugins that will magically make mixes sound 'professional'. Be assured, everything you need to make a professional sounding mix is provided with the stock FL Studio installation. The rest can be achieved with some practice and by trusting your ears. In this section we'll consider: Setting output mix levels Using peak meters Making tracks louder! The dB scale used on meters

Setting Output Mix Levels How to accurately set the levels of your final mix.

Overview There are two places where the overall output level (volume) of FL Studio can be adjusted 1. Main volume fader. 2. Master Mixer track fader, see the 'Mixer reference diagram' below. The Main volume fader should be left at the default position (Right-click and select 'Reset') and the Master mixer track fader used for overall level adjustments. The following discussion assumes the Main volume fader is in the default position.

How to adjust levels of the final mix FL studio has a Main volume, in the menu bar AND a Master Track Volume . To ensure the Master mixer track level is an accurate reflection of the final output: 1. Make sure the Main volume is at the default level (Right-click and select 'Reset'). It's probably a good idea to get out of the habit of even touching this volume slider, its main purpose is to make sure a master volume control is always available (when the mixer is hidden) and some audio emergency crops up. 2. Adjust Mixer Track Faders and/or Channel volume knobs to obtain the relative instrument levels you desire in the mix. 3. Use the Master Track fader to adjust the final level. Consider also, placing Fruity Limiter in the last FX bank of the master track. Limiting is a form of automatic peak volume control. Following the above steps will ensure the Master track peak meter and the Main volume meter, in the menu bar, display the same peak levels. Red/Orange peaks (over 0 dB) will indicate clipping in the final output or rendered mix, as depicted below.

Sampler Channels vs Audio Clips If you are paying particularly close (and possibly unhealthy) attention to the output levels of Samples playing from Sampler Channels, you may notice they are a few dB down on their level when played as Audio Clips in the Playlist. There are three reasons for this: 1. Sampler Channels load at a default 55% volume, about -5.2 dB. This 'feature' is to prevent clipping when several Channel Samplers are used together and also to allow some extra headroom for note/step velocity modulation. The assumption is that Channel Samplers will be used as 'instruments' and so you will be playing (see the next point) and mixing them to sound right 'in the mix'. If a Channel Sampler is too quiet, turn it up. 2. Sampler Channels respond to note velocity. The default note velocity in FL Studio is 100 (MIDI = 0 to 127). If a sample is too quiet you can also play it louder. 3. Sampler Channels respond to the default Circular Panning Law. This reduces the sample gain by -3 dB at center pan,

tapering to 0 dB at the extreme L/R pan positions. So together the default load state for a Channel Sampler can be about 8.2 dB lower than the samples actual recorded level. If you absolutely need a sample to render at its recorded level, load it as an Audio Clip by dropping your samples on the Playlist (these default to 100% volume, 0 dB). Finally, make sure the Master and Main volumes (described above) are set to 0 dB and don't forget the effect of note velocity on playback level.

Using FL Studio Peak Meters When making the final mix, the goal is often to get the peaks of the loudest sections of the mix close to the maximum possible level, 0 dB, without clipping

, that is, going over 0 dB. Clipping happens when a waveform carried inside audio equipment (analog or

digital) becomes louder than the maximum level that can be reproduced. The peaks slam into the upper/lower limits and have nowhere to go. A clipped waveform looks like the peaks have been 'clipped' off, as shown in the picture lower left. While occasional transient clipping is not usually a problem, severe and sustained clipping will distort and crackle ruining the mix. Render audio in that state, and there is usually no way to fix the problem. The Edison Noise Removal Tool does have a Declipper Function, but this will work successfully only with mild clipping issues.

The 0 dB reference level marks the loudest sound a digital audio file can make OR your audio interface D/A converter

can

produce, before clipping starts. The Peak meters in FL Studio turn orange to attract your attention when the signals exceed 0 dB (see above). However, not all signals over 0 dB are bad. Audio inside FL Studio is digital

, and is (at least) represented as 32-Bit floating point

numbers. As with all digital audio

formats, the number gets bigger as the signal gets louder. Crucially, 32 bit numbers can represent a maximum value that is about 65,000 times greater than a 16 Bit audio CD or .mp3. In other words, a dynamic range over 1600 dB. This is why internal audio, carried on the insert mixer tracks, is not going to run out of headroom under any practical circumstance, and why you should not obsess if they peak over 0 dB. Of course, for practical reasons, you generally want to keep the peaks in the visible range of the meter. On the other hand, when the mix is sent to the outputs of your audio interface, or is rendered to a fixed bit-depth (e.g. 16 or 24-Bit), then clipping can happen and you do care about peaks over 0 dB, for the Master Mixer track. The Master Mixer track is usually the output to the 'physical world' so you should not let it peak over 0 dB. You can think of the Master fader as rescaling the combined output of all the tracks routed to it. The Insert Mixer track meters are merely guides to the relative volumes in each track. Of course, if you have routed any Input Mixer tracks directly to your audio interface outputs OR you are rendering mixer tracks to disk (at less then 32 Bit float), then these too become 'real world' meters and must not peak over 0 dB. NOTE: 0 dB peaking is not a 'requirement'. You don't need to set all your tracks to push the 0 dB limit. Recorded sounds, in particular, may peak at -12 dB (or less), and there is nothing wrong with that. However, some times you do want the mix to be loud, the next section discusses techniques for making a mix that's both loud and good.

Making tracks louder! (and good) Mixing is the process of setting the levels of your instruments and effects so all elements can be heard and sound 'good' together. Mixing primarily uses level, panning, equalization and possibly compression on a track-by-track basis. If you can't get the track to sound good at this stage it may be you are using the wrong sounds together or too many of them. Mixing is different from 'mastering', where your goal is to tweak the mix to sound both good and loud. 'Loud' will be defined by the context in which the track will be used and the genre it's from. Mastering primarily uses equalization, multi-band compression and or limiting on the Master mix (Master Mixer track). It's not a good idea to both mix and master at the same time. Concentrate FIRST on making a good mix. THEN work on mastering it. To slip in a carpentry example, first build a comfortable and well constructed chair (mixing) then polish it (mastering). No-one expects carpentry lessons in the FL Studio manual, but we deliver! If you have compared your music to commercial tracks, and thought yours sound quiet or flat, then this section will bring you up to speed on how 'loudness' and 'goodness' are made. Typically new producers diligently adjust the Master and Insert track levels, making sure the Master Peak Meter is just touching 0 dB and everything is as loud as it can go without clipping. But compared to the commercial mixes, tracks still sound quiet and lacking depth. The problem is that the relationship between 'peaks' and loudness isn't a good one. Our perception of loudness is based on an 'average' input over a period between 0.5 to 1 second. Peak meters show the instantaneous moment-by-moment levels so peak meters will be deceiving as a guide to loudness. In response, a number of alternative metering modes have been developed, see Wave Candy Metering, but these won't help you get your tracks any louder, just better represent what you are hearing. To make tracks both loud and good at the same time, experienced producers rely on all or some of the following tools and techniques (See here for

Mixing & Production Video Tutorials

).

Monitoring - refers to the speakers, headphones and listening environment. If your monitoring is biased, and you are not aware of the problem, then your mix will reflect these problems, in reverse. For example, if your monitors lack bass, you will add bass to compensate when mixing. See the section on Monitor Speakers & Headphones for more details. It is possible to make a great mix with less than perfect monitoring, with practice. Louder! - Making the track sound louder: Per-track Compression, particularly on the Bass and Drum parts. This will lower the attack peaks and use the saved dB headroom to raise the sustain parts of the sound. Remember, sustained level is more important for loudness than peak level. Beware though, you may be starting with already compressed drum samples and over compressing can make instruments sound squashed and muddy. Per-track Equalization to cut unwanted frequencies. Unwanted depends on the instrument and its role in the mix. For bass (less than 250 Hz) try cutting bass on anything that's not a Bass instrument, and any drums that don't need much bass like snares, hats etc. Unwanted low frequencies from the other instruments add together to create a 'rumble' that does little more than waste dB headroom and muddy the bottom end of the mix. Always cut too aggressively, then back it off until you get a sound you like. With the full mix playing, cut the bass on each instrument until you start to notice it, then back off a little. Mid frequencies (300-3000 Hz) tend to crowd in the mix, so cut them from instruments where they are not needed (same process as for bass). High frequencies (4000 Hz plus) tend to sum to create an overly bright or 'brittle' sounding mix, so don't be afraid to cut them back. Be especially aware that compressors can add 'saturation' (high frequency distortion) to sounds when over-driven. If you are doing this right, instruments will probably sound strange in solo but great in the mix. We can't stress enough that we are not talking about a few dB here and there. Make dramatic -10 to -20 dB cuts, or more! Limiting the Master Mixer track. If you have it, Maximus is the big gun in the FL Studio loudness kit. Soundgoodizer is Free, and based on Maximus as is Fruity Limiter. Good? - Making the track sound professional: Per-track Equalization to shape frequencies. Think of sounds as occupying the low, medium or high frequency range and discard any unnecessary frequencies outside their band. Discarding should be done in the context of the full mix, use Parametric EQ 2 to cut frequencies until you just start to notice the sound is changing, then back off a little. You may also need to reduce the cut-amount/s if the sounds are heard in isolation at particular times during the track. Simply automate the cut level. Timing. As far as possible, avoid dominant instruments playing on the same beat. For example, the classic 'trance' kick on the beat, bass on the Off-beat. If they must overlap, that's when Sidechain Compression can be useful (see 'Ducking' below), or you can rely on Master Limiting to sort the conflict out. Panning is one of the most overlooked yet effective mixing tools. Avoid all the instruments crowding into the center of the mix, spread a few of them around (+/- 40% max is a good range to work in). When you can clearly distinguish sounds in different locations, the mix will sound more open, interesting and powerful. Kick drum and Bass are usually panned to center, but use whatever works. Riding the gain. Use Automation Clips to adjust the relative volume of Mixer Tracks throughout the mix. If you turn a sound up to make a point with it, lower others to make room. We can only focus attention on one thing at a time, so use volume changes to draw that attention to important parts of the mix and create some drama. 'Ducking' some parts in response to others. Subtle Sidechain Compression between the Kick Drum and Bass parts & or Kick Drum and other dominant instruments. This is 'lazy-mans' gain riding and can be very effective. E.g. Sidechain a Compressor on the Bass track to the sound of the Kick Drum track. This will turn down the Bass when the Kick plays, allowing the Kick to punch through the mix, while at the same time, preventing the kick and bass sounds competing for dB headroom. Don't use so much that you can hear the compressed track/s pumping up and down (that's an effect of its own). Use subtle delay rather than reverb. Reverb is great when there is little else happening but is simply lost in a wash of 'muddying' sound under a busy mix. Subtle delay tricks the ear into thinking there is reverb since early echoes (predelay on most reverbs) are the first component in a rooms sound. If you really need reverb, one good compromise is to automate the reverb amount, down in the busy parts, up during the solo when it's needed. ...and more. Scattered about this manual you will find other tips and techniques, particularly in the sections associated with Effects Plugins, keep an eye out for them. No, we are not going to tell you where they are, we want you to read the manual To increase loudness the most effective place to start is Master Limiting, put Fruity Limiter in the last FX slot on the Master Mixer track (it may be there already) and with the default settings, raise the GAIN knob. Experiment with 'too much' and 'too little' Master Limiting and get a feel for what it does to the sound. For more finesse, use moderate compression on the Drum and Bass mixer tracks individually, then a little Limiting on the Master Mixer track. A little here and there, not all at once in the same plugin, or on the same Mixer track. Making loud tracks that also sound great is an art that you will only learn with practice.

A cautionary word. In recent years there has been an 'arms race' between producers to make their tracks louder than the other guys. This has been termed the ' Loudness War

'. There is an informative YouTube Video (The Loudness War)

that sums it up.

Although people are jumping up and down about The Loudness War, it's not necessarily all bad. Certain styles of music (electronic club/dance-music for example) have developed during this war and 'loud' has become part of the sound. On the other hand, acoustic and live instrument recordings can definitely be ruined by over compression, when the natural dynamics (volume changes) are squashed out of existence.

dB Metering scales Put simply, dB is a physical scale where adding 6dB, to any value, roughly multiplies the volume by 2. Subtracting 6 dB divides the volume by 2. If you are interested in why this is the case, or why most dB's are listed in the negative, the mathematics of the dB scale as used in audio production is discussed on the 'Calculating dB' page.

Some 'dB change' values to remember These are a list of dB change values that are good and easy to remember that represent the difference in dB between two levels. + 12 dB = 400% volume increase. + 6dB = 200% volume increase (twice the original level). + 1 dB = ~10% volume increase. This is very close to the JND (Just Noticeable Difference)

, that is the smallest increase in

volume you can notice. 0 dB - No change. Note this is not 0 dB on the scale, but the difference between two dB levels. - 1 dB = ~10% volume decrease. This is very close to the JND (Just Noticeable Difference) in volume you can notice. - 6 dB = 50% volume decrease (half the original level). - 12 dB = 75% volume decrease (to 25% of the original level).

Mixer reference diagram A full description is available on the main Mixer page.

, that is the smallest decrease

NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

MIXING & EFFECTS

The dB Metering Scale So it's come to this eh? You have no friends, no social life to speak of and so had nothing better to do than start reading about dB scales. Welcome to the lonely world of music production technology. If you have been wondering why dB is used or why the maximum level is marked as 0 dB and values below it in negative dB then read on. Unfortunately the dB scale can't be explained in a single sentence. It's worth noting that going over 0 dB on a peak meter is only a problem if this happens on the Master mixer track (see 'Levels & Mixing', for an explanation), or on a Insert track routed directly to a audio interface output.

What is dB? The peak meters in FL Studio are displayed in and against a dB

scale. dB

stands for deci (or tenth) of a Bel (unit of sound or electrical pressure named after Mr A.G. Bell

). If you start reading around about dB it will become apparent

that the dB scale has been used for many different physical measures - dB (SPL), dB(u), dB(v), dB(V), dB(m), dB(VU), dB(FS) and more! Probably not a great idea as this has lead to a lot of confusion and a number of different formulae for calculating dB. The dB scale used on audio equipment is a relative scale. That is, the values displayed are relative to the 100% volume limit imposed by the audio output device or audio file (wav, mp3 etc). It is impossible to have more than 100% since that, by definition, is as loud as the equipment or digital audio file can go. One exception to this rule is inside FL Studio where the audio exists as numbers in 32 Bit float format. The Hint bar shows this percentage (%) as faders/knobs are moved or when the mouse cursor is placed over the scale. If we assume 100% = 1 then all levels then are relative to this reference value of 1. For example, if the level is at 50% of the maximum volume, the level is 0.5. The value is transformed into dB according to the following formula:

Calculating dB 20 * log(X/Y) where: Y (reference level) - Assuming you haven't been fiddling with the Main volume fader, the 0 dB (almost top) scale represents 100%, or a level of 1. At this level we have used up all the bits

of the D/A converter

on

our audio interface or in the case of rendering audio to a file, all the bits of the save format. Go over this level (on the Master track) and we start to clip the signal, as described above. If Y = 1 (100%) then all level values are a ratio relative to this 100% level. The digital numbers representing level are a measure of power

(remember that as we need

it for later). X (signal level) - The signal level carried by the mixer track. This can vary between 0 (no signal) to more than 1. In this case the value represents the fraction (percentage) of the maximum signal level that your digital output format can carry. For example 0 (no signal), 0.5 (50% maximum level), 1.1 (110%, over the maximum level). Log (X/Y) - The purpose of taking the log (base 10 in this case), is to compact the number range. For example, X/Y may = 0.0123456789, however log(0.0123456789) = -1.9, much simpler to work with. Type 'log 10' into www.google.com

, or any of the values you see here, and the

Google calculator will spring into action. Compacting the range is useful as the X value can be very small. A nice property of log fractions is they come out negative, while logs of numbers greater than 1 positive. The dB's sign therefore shows whether the value is lower or higher than the reference. This is why the scale dB's are mostly negative. Given that 0 dB (log 1) is used to represent the maximum volume that can be rendered, all dB values on the scale are relative to this max level (most being fractions less than 1) and so calculate as negative dB values. 20 * (20 times) - Since the result of the log(X/Y) calculation gives 'tenths of Bels', for example, log(0.5) = 0.3. That would be 3 tenths of a Bell, the conversion into 1/10th units is achieved when 0.3 is multiplied by 10. But that's 10, not 20? Remember that our original measures are in power units, we are really concerned with air pressure (volume) or electrical pressure (voltage), to get this we square the result since (and you will just have to trust me on this, pressure happens over an area and areas are measured in square units) Pressure = Power squared. It turns out that to square a log value you simply need to multiply it by 2. i.e. 2 log(X) = (X)squared. But wait, that makes 10 times the log(X/Y) to convert into 1/10th units AND 2 times the log(X/Y) to convert to power units, or together 10*2 = 20 times the log(X/Y). So... 20 * log(X/Y), the difference (in dB) between any two sound pressures (loudness) or voltage measurements (signals) X and Y. For example, in the case of a 50% signal:

dB = 2(squared to convert to sound pressure) * 10(to convert into 1/10th Bel units) * log(signal level/reference level) = 2 * 10 * log(0.5/1) 20 * log(0.5/1) = 20 * log(0.5) = 20 * -0.3 = -6 dB. So -6 dB is a drop in amplitude by 50% (or half). In this case the reference level was 1, however it could be any other level that you are comparing the signal to (say 0.1/0.25). Try entering some of the following into Google

, 20*log(0.5), 20*log(1) and 20*log(2).

...time to go outside, find someone, anyone and have a conversation about squirrels. Squirrels are cute, have tiny brains that weigh about 6 grams and so can't comprehend the dB scale. Squirrels are your friends!

EFFECTS

! Effect Plugins !

" "

# #

FL Studio has a large number of high quality Effects (FX) at your disposal. Each Mixer track can hold up to 10 plugin effects, however you can add an instance of Patcher and add any number of effects to that OR route one Mixer track to another if you need more FX in the chain. If you are new to music production then getting to know how effects work and which situations they are best suited for may take some time. Using FX successfully is a 'craft', so you'll need to be patient in order to get the best results. The three most common effects in modern music production are 'EQ', 'reverb' and 'compression'. Learning about these three first should give you a good start.

A

video tutorial

on using FX is available on the FL Studio website.

Working with Effect Plugins This section explains general Effect Plugin operations. NOTE: When working with VST plugins there are a number of useful options under the Wrapper Settings & Processing tabs. Name (Label) - Left-click to open plugin, Right-click to rename slot. Disable - This disables the effect but does not mute the sound passing through the slot (automatable). Effect slot Menu- Select an effect to load from the pop-up menu. Mix Level - NOTE: Normally leave this at 100% and control the Wet/Dry mix from within the plugin. If the plugin introduces a processing delay, most do, then the processed 'wet' and unprocessed 'dry' signal can phase cancel as the wet slightly lags the dry signal. This is usually most apparent on high frequencies such as cymbals. Summary? Don't touch that knob! Unless you know what you are doing and since you are reading this you probably don't, so...

All audio is passed through the FL Studio Mixer. Each instrument has a channel settings window that contains a mixer track selector that directs its output to one of the 99 insert mixer tracks. Each mixer track processes the sound with a set of integrated effects, and up to 8 additional effects. To learn more about the mixer structure and functionality, click here.

How to add an effect From the Mixer Track FX slot click on the Load effect menu. Select the effect from the pop-up menu. Effects can be reordered at any time by hovering your cursor over the effect slot and scrolling the mouse-wheel up/down. Drag a preset from the Plugin Database - Drag the preset from the Browser to the Mixer track OR Mixer track FX slot. Use the plugin picker - Open the Plugin Picker database (Ctrl + F8) and drag the plugin to the desired Mixer track or FX

slot. For more detailed help on working with the effects slots click here.

Installing new effects Click here to see the manual pages on installing new effects plugins. FL studio supports a wide range of plugin standards. 3rd party effects: FL Studio installs with a complete kit of high-quality effects so there is no need to purchase anything else in order to produce professional quality tracks. However the internet is bursting with 3rd party plugins, a great place to start is www.kvraudio.com

.

The Plugin database & Plugin picker The Browser contains a special Plugin database folder that works in conjunction with the Plugin picker (

F8) to help you organize

and retrieve plugins based on a visual display.

Effect Plugins This section contains links to the help pages for all effect plugins that are installed with FL Studio. NOTE: FL Studio includes only the DEMO VERSIONS of some effect plugins. Demo effects show '(Demo)' on their wrapper title. You can purchase the full versions of these instruments at www.image-line.com

.

Effect Plugins by Name Control Surface

Fruity Flanger

Pitcher

Edison

Fruity Flangus

Fruity Reeverb 2

Effector

Fruity Formula Controller

Fruity Scratcher

EQUO

Fruity Free Filter

Fruity Send

Buzz Effect Adapter

Hardcore

Fruity Soft Clipper

Fruity 7 Band EQ

Fruity HTML NoteBook

Fruity Spectroman

Fruity Balance

Fruity Limiter

Fruity Squeeze

Fruity Bass Boost

Fruity Love Philter

Fruity Stereo Enhancer

Fruity Big Clock

Fruity LSD

Fruity Stereo Shaper

Fruity Blood Overdrive

Fruity Mute 2

Fruity Vocoder

Fruity Center

Fruity Multiband Compressor

Wave Candy

Fruity Chorus

Fruity NoteBook

Fruity WaveShaper

Fruity Compressor

Newtone

Fruity Wrapper

Fruity Convolver

Fruity PanOMatic

Fruity X-Y Controller

Fruity dB Meter

Fruity Parametric EQ

Gross Beat

Fruity Delay

Fruity Parametric EQ2

Maximus

Fruity Delay 2

Fruity Peak Controller

Soundgoodizer

Fruity Delay Bank

Fruity Phase Inverter

SynthMaker

Fruity Fast Dist

Fruity Phaser

Vocodex

Fruity Fast LP

Fruity Reeverb

ZGameEditor Visualizer

Fruity Filter

Patcher

See also: Instruments & Generators - To learn more about Generators/Instruments/Synths in FL Studio.

Effect Plugins by Category Automation Fruity Formula Controller - Define your own controller functions using mathematical formula. Fruity Peak Controller - Generate controller data based on audio input and LFO settings. Fruity X-Y Controller - Control two parameters simultaneously with your mouse.

Compression

Fruity Compressor - Control volume peaks and fatten sounds. Fruity Limiter - Single-band maximizer, compressor and limiter. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack. Maximus Multiband Maximizer - Heavy weaponry for the loudness war. Fruity Multiband Compressor - Control volume peaks and fatten sounds in three independent frequency bands. Fruity Soft Clipper - Easy-to-use volume limiter. Soundgoodizer - It's shiny, it's good!

Delay/Echo Fruity Delay - Create echoes. Fruity Delay 2 - Create echoes with echo filtering options. Fruity Delay Bank - Create complex echoes and filtering. Effector - 12 Multiple performance oriented effects. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Distortion Fruity Blood Overdrive - Create distorted guitar effects. Fruity Fast Dist - Easy-to-use distortion plugin. Fruity Squeeze - A Bit-reduction and sample skipping plugin. Fruity WaveShaper - Define your own distortion curves. Effector - 12 Multiple performance oriented effects. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Equalization (EQ) Edison Equalize Function - Envelope-based EQ Fruity Convolver - Phase linear EQ (activate from presets) EQUO - Graphic EQ Fruity 7 Band EQ - Seven 'tone controls' at fixed frequencies. Fruity Bass Boost - Specialized bass EQ plugin. Fruity Parametric EQ - Control bandwidth and target frequency of EQ bands. Fruity Parametric EQ2 - Control bandwidth and target frequency of EQ bands in style! Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Filtering Fruity Delay Bank - Filter delays and echoes. Fruity Fast LP - Easy-to-use low pass filter which cuts high frequencies. Fruity Filter - Easy-to-use filter. Fruity Free Filter - Easy-to-use variable state filter. Fruity Love Philter - Advanced filter plugin. Fruity Vocoder - Sound like a robot or make a synth 'talk'. Vocodex - The last word in vocoding. Effector - 12 Multiple performance oriented effects. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Phasing/Flanging/Chorus Fruity Chorus - Create multiple detuned copies of the original sound, adding depth and weight. Fruity Phaser - Make sounds like a jet passing at high altitude (phase cancelling). Fruity Flanger - A more intense version of Fruity Phaser. Fruity Flangus - Advanced flanger effect. Effector - 12 Multiple performance oriented effects. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Reverb Fruity Convolver - 'Borrow' rare and exotic recording locations and use their sound as your own. Fruity Reeverb - Simulate acoustic spaces such as a concert hall or bathroom. Fruity Reeverb 2 - An even better way to simulate acoustic spaces. Edison Convolution Reverb - Apply real-space acoustic fingerprints to audio (non realtime). Effector - 12 Multiple performance oriented effects. Hardcore - Multi-effect guitar rack.

Tools Control Surface - Design your own internal controllers. Edison - A wave editor. Buzz Effect Adapter - A wrapper for Buzz plugins. Fruity Balance - Position sounds in the stereo field. Fruity Big Clock - Show the bar/beat/time of the song. Fruity Center - Remove DC offset from waves/plugins. Patcher - Chain instruments & effects. Fruity dB Meter - Show volume in a nerdy way. Fruity HTML NoteBook - Make notes in your project using HTML synced to the playback position. Fruity LSD - Access the synthesizer built into your soundcard. Fruity Mute 2 - Turn noises off. Newtone - Pitch editor and correction. Fruity NoteBook - Make notes in your project synced to the playback position. Fruity PanOMatic - Move sounds in the stereo field automatically. Fruity Phase Inverter - Invert the direction of a wave relative to the original. Pitcher - Pitch correction and harmonization. Fruity Scratcher - Simulate turntables. Fruity Send - Siphon a sound from any point in the FX chain to a 'send' track. Fruity Spectroman - See what your sounds look like (sonograph). Fruity Stereo Enhancer - Simulate or enhance stereo effects. Fruity Stereo Shaper - Mid/Side stereo enhancer. Fruity Wrapper - Integrate 3rd party FX with FL Studio. Gross Beat - Play with time (scratching, stuttering, glitch, gating, etc). SynthMaker - Tool for making your own Effects. Wave Candy - A flexible audio analysis and Visualization tool.

Visual ZGameEditor Visualizer (free) - Visualization effect with movie render capability.

INSTRUMENT PLUGINS / EFFECT PLUGINS / CHANNEL SETTINGS

Plugin Wrapper The Wrapper is a software interface/layer between instrument / effect plugins and FL Studio. All controls are common to all plugins (FL native & VST), while the plugin options ( 6 ) only appear on Wrappers hosting VST format plugins. The Wrapper provides compatibility with the VST 1, 2 & 3 standards (the screenshot below demonstrates the Fruity Wrapper hosting the 'Drumaxx' VSTi plugin). More information on installing and using 3rd party VST/DX plugins here.

There is a native and a VST wrapper, FL Studio automatically selects the appropriate Wrapper depending on the plugin type loaded. There are several control options:

1. Plugin Menu The Plugin Menu contains various plugin-specific commands, including preset management. The commands displayed will depend on the type of plugin being hosted. NOTE: The Save preset as command can be dragged and dropped on a compatible target.

Piano roll Opens a Piano roll for the selected channel. Presets Presets - Contains a sub-menu with preset handling options for the effect: Randomize gives random values to the published (i.e. known to FL Studio) plugin settings. When enabled, selecting a preset will load a random 50% of the settings, so you can quickly mix different presets and create new effects. Hybridize blends between the previous and next selected preset. Tree Display displays the settings in a 'tree' view. The Presets menu is

disabled if there is no effect assigned to the plugin slot. Browse presets - Opens the presets menu in the Browser (not all plugins have presets shown here however). Save presets as - Save the current preset as a single preset file in the Browser. The menu item can also be dragged and dropped on a compatible location. e.g. The Browser, the Channel Rack or another instance of the same plugin to copy the preset. Add to plugin database (flag as favorite) - Adds the plugin to the currently open sub-directory of the Plugin database folder in the Browser. This is a special browser folder that works in conjunction with the Plugin picker to help organize and load plugins into projects. Spare state These options are useful for saving plugin settings, making edits, then comparing the original vs edited versions. Store in spare state - Saves the plugins current settings in a temporary buffer (spare state). Flip with spare state - Swaps the plugin's current settings with those in the spare state. Parameters Link all parameters... - Opens a dialog to link automatable plugin parameters to 'tweaked' hardware controllers in sequence down the 'parameter list'. There are several options for skipping parameters or jumping to new locations in the list. Basic operation - Select 'Link all parameters' from the menu, and move the first hardware controller to be linked (the link is made to the first item in the 'Current parameter' list). When you move the second hardware controller it will be auto-linked to the next parameter and so on, until the end of the parameter list is reached or the link dialog is closed. To skip a link, Left-click the Skip button at the bottom of the link dialog (immediately left of the 'Accept' button). To jump directly to a parameter, use the Current parameter menu (top most in the link dialog) and select the target parameter you are interested in. You can then continue auto-linking from that point in the list by moving hardware controllers as before OR jump to another parameter in the list using the 'Current parameter' menu as previously described. Browse parameters - Allows you to see the list of automatable parameters in the Browser. Embedded CC Parameters: Every instance of the Wrapper has 128 CC (MIDI Control Change) parameters in a parameter list. These parameters transmit CC data directly to the plugin (for plugins that read CC data directly) and can be linked like any other parameter to a MIDI or internal controller. Thus, you can send CC data directly to the plugin instead of linking to a specific knob on the plugin

interface. These parameters can also be set in conjunction with the Omni mode associated with the Remote control settings 'link' dialog to send CC data to any selected plugin and to save MIDI controller assignments (see the Omni and VSTi/DXi Control section for more details). CPU Allow threaded processing - Improves multi-threading and multi-core CPU performance. NOTE: Some 3rd party plugins may perform worse with multithreading on. If you are experiencing choppy or broken sound (the GPO/Kontakt Player for example), try turning this off. To permanently disable multithreaded processing for the plugin (even for future FL Studio sessions) disable the 'Processing > Allow threaded processing' option and save it for the plugin type. Smart disable - Stop processing the plugin when inactive. Reduces CPU load. There is a global Smart disable on the F10 Audio settings panel OR 'Smart disable' Tools > Macros > Misc > Switch smart disable for all plugins. Make editor thumbnail - Places a small thumbnail image of the plugin interface into the Browser > Plugin database so that the plugin is easily identified. NOTE: the Browser view must be larger than 'Compact' for the thumbnail image to display. Detached - Detaches the Plugin from the FL Studio desktop so it can be moved to a monitor that does not have the FL Desktop stretched across it. NOTE: Detached plugins now are seen by Windows and FL Studio as separate applications. See the sections on Plugin GUI Scaling and Audio Settings > Auto close device to learn more how this affects workflow. Help - Opens the plugins in-line help (if any).

2. Detailed Wrapper Settings (Show/Hide) Wrapper settings - opens and closes the additional settings details as discussed below.

3 & 4. Preset Browser & Window Controls Preset browser - This is for presets saved by the user and some plugins that publish their presets to the Wrapper. In this case, clicking on the left/right arrows will step through presets. Right-clicking here will open the preset menu for the plugin.

Minimize / Close - Minimize plugin interface / Close plugin interface.

5. Plugin Interface

Plugin interface - Use this to switch back to the Plugin interface after using one of the other Channel Settings tabs.

6. VST Wrapper Settings Settings - These options are only available when using VST plugins and provide advanced VST plugin wrapper controls. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs above to see the help for that tab.

Info - Displays any information published by the plugin, such as: Plugin Name, Type (32/64 Bit), Category & processing latency. Options - Options are saved per-plugin, saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded, until they are deleted. Autosave - Automatically saves the options set in the wrapper Settings and Processing tabs. Settings are remembered the next time the plugin is loaded (this option is on by default). Save - Saves the options set in the wrapper. Saved options are used each time the plugin is loaded. Use when automatic saving is disabled. Delete - Clear the options for the currently loaded plugin. Default settings will be used next time the plugin is opened.

Reset - Reset plugin options to the default state. Bit size - This option tells the Wrapper which Bit size version of a plugin to load for both FL Studio 32 and 64 Bit. It's useful when you want to always use a particular Bit size of a plugin (say a 64 Bit sampler in FL Studio 32 Bit) OR one Bit size is more stable than another across all versions of FL Studio. There are three options, Native, 32 Bit and 64 Bit: Native - The Wrapper will load the Bit-size plugin to match FL Studio 32 or 64 Bit (the native Bit-size). 32 or 64 Bit - The Wrapper will always try to load the set Bit-size in all versions of FL Studio (32 and 64 Bit). If the set Bit size can't be found the Wrapper will use the one that is available. Presets Load preset/bank - Allows you to import a standard VST bank (FXB) or preset (FXP) in the currently hosted plugin instance. A bank replaces all of the programs for this plugin instance, while loading a preset replaces only the currently active program. Save preset - Allows you to export the current patch as a VST preset (FXP). Save all - Exports all programs in the bank as individual VST presets (FXP). Buttons Reload plugin - Reloads the plugin and resets it to the default settings. Refresh plugin properties - Checks plugin properties, such as, the number of inputs, outputs and latency. Can be useful if these were not registered correctly on loading or for properties that have changed after the plugin was loaded. MIDI Input port / Output port - Select the MIDI input and output ports respectively. MIDI ports are independent communication channels within a given MIDI connection. When the same port numbers is set on an MIDI input and output device the plugin and other MIDI device will be able to share exclusive MIDI data. Send note off velocity - Sends the note release velocity to the plugin along with the 'note off' message. Note off velocity is set in the Piano roll and can be edited using the integrated event editor. Send pitch bend range - When selected, the MIDI pitch bend range selected to the right of the switch will be passed to the plugin. Plugins that support pitch bend range will respond correctly to host bend instructions. This is not selected by default as some plugins interpret pitch bend range messages as a filter 'reset' message, causing problems. Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Check properties on display change - Some plugins send a display change message when some properties have changed, such as the selected patch. This option allows FL Studio to detect the change and ensure data is correctly copied between FL Studio and the plugin. Invalidate plugin editor - Sends the plugin's 'idle' message. When FL Studio receives the idle message the plugin GUI can be refreshed. Try de-selecting this setting if the plugin has graphical display glitches. Don't allow stealing keyboard focus - Prevents the plugin from stealing keyboard input from other plugins when the interface is selected with the mouse. NOTE: This won't always work. In particular bridged plugins always steal keyboard focus if focussed. DPI aware when bridged - Must be used with 'Wrapper Processing > Make bridged'. VST plugins with native rescaling will then use the Operating System display scaling. See Rescaling VST plugins for more details. Automation Notify about parameter changes - Normally this is on so FL Studio is notified precisely what plugin controls you have been touching, and the police can be alerted. This data is also used for Last tweaked parameter linking and the undo history (when 'General Settings > Undo knob tweaks' is selected). As some badly behaved plugins continuously send parameter change messages to FL Studio this will reset the 'Last tweaked parameter' value and make it impossible select and link some target of your choice. > Processing. Click on the screenshot Settings or Processing tabs below to see the help for that tab.

Compatibility Options - Not all plugin developers work strictly to the letter of the VST/2/3 plugin specification (sadly). In this case there may be graphical, audio or other issues (crashing) with a plugin. These options are provided to help in such cases. NOTE: If you are troubleshooting plugins, see the section on 'Plugins behaving badly' for more tips. If you report plugin issues to developers expect a lot of finger pointing and blaming the other guy. No we don't really expect you to remember all these options, to understand what they do, or even to find them in the manual. They are here mainly so Tech support

can tell you to

flip a switch when some plugin is acting up, and you start pointing the finger at FL Studio. These options keep the peace and make everyone happy. Allow threaded processing - Switch to turn multi-core enhanced processing on/off. NOTE: A plugin will be multi-core threaded only if this, the Global Multithreaded options and the Wrapper menu - 'Allow threaded processing' options are on. The threaded processing option here is provided since it can be saved using the 'Settings' tab 'per plugin type'. This is useful to prevent plugins that are not multithread safe running in this mode in future, regardless of the other settings. Make bridged - Only VST plugins can be 'Bridged'. Bridging opens a plugin in a separate process outside FL Studio. This means Windows sees the plugin as a separate program and we can do more things with it. Non-bridged plugins are invisible to Windows, inside FL Studio. Both 32 and 64 Bit plugins can be bridged. There only 4 cases where bridging VST plugins is useful, if these don't apply, don't bridge: 1. Memory management (only useful for FL Studio 32) - Bridging removes the plugins memory allocation from FL Studio's memory space to an independent process under Windows. Bridging is particularly beneficial for sampler

and ROMpler plugins that consume large amounts of memory loading samples. The maximum memory available to the bridged plugin will be at least 2 Gb for 32 Bit Windows

and at least 4 Gb depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows

(see

2). To reduce the memory burden of Audio Clips and Sampler Channels use the 'Keep on disk' option. 2. Running cross-bit-depth VST plugins - Bridging allows 32 Bit VST plugins to run in FL Studio 64 Bit and 64 Bit VST plugins to be used in FL Studio 32 Bit. 32 and 64 Bit plugins are auto-detected and the Bridged mode will be set accordingly. The memory available to the plugin depends on the Windows bit-depth as described above. NOTES: 2.1 Memory - 64 Bit plugins running on 64 Bit windows will have access to the maximum memory available under your Windows version

.

2.2 CPU and Stability - We recommend using 32 Bit plugins in FL Studio 32 Bit and 64 Bit plugins in FL Studio 64 Bit, where possible. Bridging introduces an additional layer of processing and so a small CPU overhead (approx 1-2% per plugin). It can also decrease stability for some plugin. If a plugin crashes, please report it to Tech support

and we will fix it, or

point the finger at the developer. 3. Protect FL Studio from crashing plugins - If a plugin crashes while in Bridged mode then it is less likely to bring down FL Studio at the same time. Try using Bridged mode with plugins that are unstable or crash. If you just read point 2.2 (above), you are right, this is a paradox! 4. Rescaling VST plugins - High resolution monitors will shrink VST plugin interfaces. Bridging opens the plugin outside FL Studio so it can respond to Windows System scaling. Use the following options: VST plugins WITHOUT native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper processing > External window. VST plugins WITH native rescaling - Select Wrapper processing > Make bridged and Wrapper settings > DPI aware when bridged NOTES: See General Settings > Rescaling options for more information on GUI rescaling. You have probably already set Windows scaling to work on your high resolution monitor, and so the plugin will be scaled appropriately. If not, open the Windows Control Panel, click on Display > Custom Sizing Options. From there adjust GUI zoom percentage selector. All bridged plugins with the correct settings will use this scaling value. Ensure processor state in plugin callback - Only deselect if you are having unexpected issues including noises, DC offset, volume spikes, plugin crashes etc. Notify about rendering mode - The plugin is informed when FL Studio is rendering so it can switch to a higher quality output, if possible. This must be selected to achieve HQ rendering from plugins that support different real-time and rendered quality. Try deselecting this option if a plugin is not rendering correctly. NOTE: Native FL Studio plugins respond to the HQ for all plugins render option.

Send loop position - Sends information about the song loop start and end positions to a VST plugin. This setting is calculated by the wrapper and is not available until FL has looped once. Process inactive inputs and outputs - Some plugins mark one or more of their inputs/outputs as 'inactive' even though they are being used. By default, FL Studio doesn't process inactive inputs/outputs, so no sound is produced. This option ensures FL Studio processes 'inactive' outputs. Use fixed size buffers - FL Studio shares data with plugins using variable sized chunks of data (buffers). Some plugins require fixed sized buffers (the VST spec says they should also support variable size buffers, but no-one cares about specifications it seems, so we provide this format since FL Studio uses variable sized buffers). If the additional options are both off (see below) the fixed buffer size option uses 2 ms. The disadvantage is that fixed size buffering can introduce an extra delay, depending on the audio buffer size selected in the Audio settings (F10). This delay is doubled for effects plugins. However, in some cases this setting may fix unwanted rendering delays and/or audio glitches caused by some plugins. Options: These two options are only to be used if the default 2 ms 'Fixed sized buffers' does not work. In general, both these options should be off. Process maximum size buffers - FL Studio block size is used as the fixed buffer size, the block size is the maximum processing size, as determined by FL Studio itself. NOTE: The block size is typically a much bigger than the processing buffer size, leading to even bigger latency. Use maximum buffer size from host - Same as the above but the plugin is also informed of the block size being used by FL Studio. A few plugins can make use of this data to synchronize their processing. Connections - These options determine audio input and/or output routing for the plugin and are necessary only for multi-input or multi-output plugins such as a compressor that accepts side-chain inputs or a sampler with multiple outputs for separate effects processing. Auto map inputs - Auto map inputs only applies to plugins loaded in Mixer effects slots since instrument channels can't receive audio input. 1. Sidechain the total number of mixer tracks, to your multi-input plugin's mixer track, that equals the number of audio inputs the plugin needs BEFORE using the 'Auto map inputs' function. If you don't sidechain the total number, some inputs will remain unassigned. 2. Click the Auto map inputs button and the sidechained mixer tracks will be assigned to the multi-input plugin's available inputs. Auto map will assign the sidechained Mixer track with the lowest number to the first plugin input, and so on. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Reset - Reset the inputs/outputs to the default state.

Auto map outputs - Auto-assign plugin outputs to mixer tracks following the plugin's own Mixer track. The routing will incrementally map to Mixer-tracks following the plugins selected Mixer track. If you need to reassign these mappings see the section below on 'Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots'. Manual assignment of inputs/outputs - Right-click the input/output fields to open the list of routing options. The routing details vary depending on whether the plugin is loaded in an instrument channel or in an effects slot: Manual assignment of plugins loaded in channels - Right-click the input or output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in Channels, the numbers for the inputs and outputs are Mixer-track offsets (relative to the Mixer track number set in the Channel Settings). For example, if the plugin is routed to Mixer track 10 and a plugin input is set to -2 and a plugin output set to 10, then the plugin will receive audio-input from track 8 (10 - 2) and output audio to track 20 (10 + 10). Manual assignment of plugins loaded in effects slots - Right-click the input/output number fields to open a list then click on an item to select it. When plugins are loaded in the Mixer, the numbers are 'indexes' to the list of inputs or outputs that are routed to and from the Mixer track that the effect is in. NOTE: When routing Mixer tracks to the target Mixer track (the one holding the effect), Right-click the Track Send switch and use the 'Sidechain to this track' option. This mutes the audio being sent to the effect's track, while allowing the 'side-chain' signal to be processed on the input set to receive it. Failure to do this will result in a parallel audio signal, one entering through the effect's input and another passing through the effect stack as normal. NOTE: Always name the Mixer tracks being used by the plugin. This ensures FL Studio knows they are being used by a plugin which can be important for PDC calculations, split-mixer track rendering and automatic track assignment.

7. Miscellaneous Wrapper Settings Miscellaneous Channel Settings - These are available for all Instrument Channels, click here for full details or on the section of interest below.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol, Didier Dambrin

CHANNEL SETTINGS

Miscellaneous Channel Settings The Miscellaneous Channel Settings page contains various generator settings and are available for all Instrument Channels, including VST plugins.

Levels Adjustment This section controls Channel: Panning (PAN) - Channel panning (Left to Right) Volume (VOL) - Channel volume. Modulation (MODX/MODY) - Assignable modulation parameters. These duplicate the functionality of the other controls found in the Channel Settings window, but are useful for two main reasons: 1. Easier automation - You can, for example, create a fade in/out effect for a channel using the volume adjustment knob instead of the channel volume control. This allows you to independently set the

overall volume level using the channel volume knob, without needing to recreate the automation data. Similarly, you can set the pan adjustment knob to create panning LFO without automating the channel pan knob, i.e. adjust the overall panning without recreating automation data. 2. Wider range - The volume adjustment knob has a range of 0% to 200% compared with the channel volume knob (0%-100%). Thus, you can preamp the volume up to twice as loud as the original level without needing additional effects.

Polyphony MAX - Drag up/down in the Max Polyphony LCD (MAX) to reduce the maximum number of voices the channel will play simultaneously. Setting this property to a lower number reduces the amount of CPU used to play the song. If the LCD displays dashes, it indicates that polyphony is unrestricted. SLIDE - Portamento Time (SLIDE) is used to set the slide length when portamento is turned on. Also used for overlapping notes in monophonic mode. The more the knob is turned right, the longer the slide. Mono - Turning on the Mono button sets the instrument to monophonic mode (maximum one note played at a time). In this mode, when two notes overlap (the overlap amount does not matter) they will "slide" one to another (including their properties - cutoff, resonance and panning). You can set the transition length with the Portamento Time (SLIDE) knob (see below). Porta - Turning on the Porta button enables the portamento feature for this channel (sliding the pitch from note to note). In FL Studio the portamento transition also includes all other properties of the note (cutoff, resonance and panning). NOTES: Portamento and sliding of overlapping notes is not supported by VST instruments. It may also not be supported by some Fruity Plugin instruments (those that do not support pitch bending).

Time Two filters are available in this section - a gate that "truncates" the note events when they pass a specified limit and a filter that shifts notes' start time. Gate - The time interval set with this knob defines the maximum possible length of a note event in the channel - i.e. long notes are truncated to the set length. Look in the hint bar (see Main Panel) to see the length you set in STEPS:TICKS format. To disable the gate effect turn the knob fully clockwise.

Shift - Turn this knob to right to delay notes' triggering with up to 16-th note time period (one step). Swing - Multiplier knob for the Channel Rack swing setting. This allows you to independently apply varying amounts of swing to channels.

Velocity/Keyboard Tracking There are two trackers, one for velocity and one for keyboard key number. The keyboard tracker "links" the note number (i.e. note pitch) to the cutoff, resonance and panning properties of notes. For example, you can set the keyboard tracker so higher notes move the cutoff frequency to a higher value. The velocity tracker works in the same way, using a note's velocity to modulate target controls. Vol / Key - Click Vol to set the properties for the velocity tracker and Key to set the properties for the keyboard tracker. Both trackers remain active regardless of which one is currently selected. To disable the effects of the tracker, reset the PAN, CUT and RES knobs (Right-click a knob and select the Reset command) associated with it. Mod X / Mod Y - There are two destinations for the keyboard tracking modulation, Mod X and Mod Y. These can be linked to parameters in FL Studio such as a plugins filter-cutoff. The knobs are bi-polar so negative and positive tracking modulation can be generated. Middle value (Mid) - For both trackers there is a middle value where no offsets are generated. Higher values generate positive offsets and lower values generate negative ones. For the keyboard tracker, the middle value of a note's pitch (e.g. C5 or B3) determines the 'no-offset' point. The velocity tracker uses the note's velocity.

Example keyboard tracking. The blue note shows the MID key. Each key then generates a modulation value that can be sent to Mod X and or Mod Y.

Cut Groups Cut groups are arbitrary numbers used to identify Instrument Channels as belonging to a Cut or Cut by group. Cut groups are used so that an instrument channel can either silence other instrument channels when it plays (Cut) or be silenced by other instrument channels (be 'Cut by'). Cut - The current channel will silence (cut) any activity in channels that have their Cut by set to this number. Cut by - The current channel will be silenced (cut by) any activity that appears in channels with their Cut value set to this number. Example: Of two channels, one has a open hi-hat sample and another a closed hihat sample. You want the closed hi-hat sound to stop (cut) the open sound, so that it sounds as if the hi-hat has slammed shut (open to closed hat sound). 1. Set the closed hi-hat Cut group (LCD on the left) to 1 (for example) and leave the Cut By group (LCD on the right) at the default "--" . 2. Set the open hi-hat sound Cut by group to "1" and leave the Cut group to the default "--". The open hi-hat is then listening for any activity on cut group 1 and if the open hihat channel hears activity on Cut group 1, it will stop playing. Alternatively activity on the open hi-hat channel won't affect the closed hi-hat channel since its Cut by value is set to none "--". Cut itself: This button causes a channel to cut itself by setting the Cut/Cut By values to the same number. FL Studio will do this automatically if you check the Cut Itself button (this can also be accessed by Right-clicking the channel button and selecting 'Cut itself' from the pop-up menu). NOTES: 1. Step Sequencer vs Piano roll - The Cut itself (Cut 1 By 1) feature will work with Stepsequence notes but does not work with Piano roll notes. You can, however, use Piano roll activity from one Channel to cut note activity in another using the Cut/Cut by feature. 2. The release envelope - The Cut function works with the note data sent to the plugin (it is not an audio function like turning down a channel volume). 'Cut' sends an all-notes 'off' (release) command to the plugin on the

channel so all playing notes jump to the release phase of their envelopes. If your instrument has long release envelopes, you will still hear the notes fading out after they have been cut.

Arpeggiator This section lets you add a real-time non-destructive arpeggio effect to the sequence of an instrument. To use the arpeggiator, select a direction from the icons in the top left corner of this section. The available options are: Off (default; turns off the arpeggiator), Up, Down, Up-Down, Up-Down (twice the lowest and highest notes), Random (selects random notes from the range and chord specified). The arpeggiator can operate in two modes - classic arpeggiator, that uses any chords present in the channel note data, or it can use a predefined chord template. The mode is selected from the Arpeggio Chord option (see below): Arpeggio Time (TIME) - Select the delay between the successive notes generated by the arpeggiator. Right-click the knob and select Set for some time presets. Arpeggio Gate (GAT) - Gates the arpeggio notes, this results in shorter notes and a more staccato sound. Slide - Check this option to make the arpeggiator slide between notes. This option will not work with instruments that do not support slides. Arpeggio Range (RANGE) - Lets you set the arpeggio range in octaves. The arpeggiated chord is transposed within the specified range to create additional notes for the effect. Arpeggio Chord (CHORD) - Select None if you want the arpeggiator to progress with a step of 12 semitones (1 octave) within the specified octave range. Select Auto or Auto (sustain) to set the arpeggiator in classic mode - it will create arpeggio effects based on any chords contained in the instrument sequence. The remaining presets are predefined chords that will be applied to the instrument sequence (sequence chords will not be arpeggiated as in classic mode). Auto (sustain) will not apply arpeggio effect on monophonic sequences (given that the octave range is set to 1)

Echo Delay This section creates echoes for the channel based on echoing note events (rather than audio). This enables some special effects like pitch shifted echoes, but also requires additional CPU power for each echo generated (each echo is a normal note

voice). If you want to use a standard audio-effect, use the Fruity Delay effect instead (see Effects). All options described below are applied additive to each successive echo. For example, if you set the pitch knob to +10 cents, the first echo will have 10 cents higher pitch than the original sound. The second will have 20 cents higher pitch than the original sound, etc. Feedback (FEED) - Sets the volume of echoes. If this knob is centered, echoes have the same volume as the original note. Turning it to left creates fading out echoes. Turning it to right increases the volume of each successive echo. Turning this knob to the leftmost point turns echo delay off. Pan (PAN) - Sets the panning of echoes. Cutoff (MODX) - Sets the filter cutoff value of the echoes. Resonance (MODY) - Sets the resonance value of the echoes. Pitch (PITCH) - Sets the pitch offset of echoes. Time (TIME) - Sets the delay period between echoes in units of beats. This enables you to set a tempo based delay, so echo will follow properly tempo changes in the song. Number of Echoes (# ECH) - Sets the number of echoes generated for each note. It is recommended to keep this number down for lower CPU usage. Ping Pong - If turned on, the pan value will "bounce" when it reaches 100% left or right panning. Fat Mode- This is a special mode of the echo delay effect, which makes subtler echoes with alternating panning - useful for creating flange and chorus-like effects. If this option is turned off, some options of the echo delay unit are reset to their defaults. The reason is that settings that sound fine in fat mode, usually are extremely loud in normal mode. NOTE: If you click the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some presets for this section.

Preview Keyboard (Root note: & Zone:) The preview keyboard allows you to preview the channel instrument (Leftclicking on the piano-keyboard), set the root key (Right-click a key), and set key region (Left-click and drag on the ruler).

Reset - Sets back the default base note and removes the key region (all notes will be played). For the Sampler & DrumSynth that is C5. For SimSynth it depends on how the preset was set in SimSynth. Enable Main Pitch - If you turn off this option, channel's pitch won't be altered when you change the main pitch value (see Main panel). Add to Key - This option only affects multi-sampled instruments where more than one sample is spread across the keyboard (e.g. SoundFont players, DirectWave, Fruity Slicer, Slicex). Plugins with single-samples stretched across the keyboard or synthesizers are not affected by this option. ON: Root key transposes note input (use this option if you want to transpose your live MIDI keyboard playing). The Root Key offset transposes the MIDI keyboard input to the instrument so if you play C5 with an offset of +4 semitones the instrument will receive instructions to play D5. OFF: Root Key transposes source samples. The Root Key offset will re-pitch all the samples used in the instrument by the offset amount. This will sound bad with most multi-sampled instruments. Sampler & SimSynth/DrumSynth - (not shown) These buttons appear only in Sampler instrument, when SimSynth or DrumSynth preset is used to fill the sample bank in Sampler Channel Settings. If the Sampler button is clicked, the base note you set in preview keyboard is used as usual by the Sampler as a base tone of the sample (in this case the sample generated by the SimSynth/DrumSynth preset). When the SimSynth/DrumSynth button is clicked, the base note is used by the SimSynth or DrumSynth engines respectively for a pitch of the sample generated. Fine tuning (FINE) - You can use this knob to fine-tune the base note in cents (1 cent = 1/100th of a semitone). Root Key - The default Root Key is C5. The blue note (C5 in the example above) shows the root key of the channel. Right-click a note to change the setting. As each sample has a natural pitch, FL Studio needs to know what key should play this pitch. All other notes are generated by changing sample's speed (and so pitch), setting the root key higher will cause a given key to sound lower in pitch. NOTE: You can use this feature to change key of your MIDI controller (with sample based instruments make sure Add to key is also selected, see below). Key Region - The lighter region shows the playable note-range. Left-click and drag on the keyboard to define the key region. Once created, edit the region limits by dragging the end points. Setting a key region for a channel will cause notes outside the region to be ignored (so not played).

This can be useful when using a channel as part of a Layer, to create multisampled instruments (e.g. selecting a different sample to play over each octave). Multi-touch - Enlarges the keyboard for use with multi-touch displays and your fat fingers. Fine - Fine-tune the pitch in cents (1/100ths of semitone).

PLUGIN STANDARDS

Plugin Formats Supported FL Studio supports 32 and 64 Bit VST, VST2, VST3 and Image-Line's own enhanced proprietary FL Studio native format. FL Studio Native Plugins - FL Studio has an enhanced proprietary plugin standard that allows advanced integrated functions including: Right-click linking and automation of any interface control. Per-note pitch slides, legato, click here to learb more. VST support - VST format plugins are opened in the Fruity Wrapper that has many options to solve compatibility issues and input/output routing controls. See the section on Installing VST plugins for more information. Installing VST instruments and effects - Click here to see the section on installing plugins.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Buzz Effect Adapter Buzz Effect Adapter is a wrapper for Buzz generator machines. You can find a huge collection of Buzz machines at www.BuzzMachines.com . However, be aware that there are quite a few buggy ones around, and the stability of your project may be compromised.

Parameters The options and parameters apart from those described below depend on the hosted Buzz plugin. Select Machine - Click this button to browse for a Buzz machine plugin. Parameter Sliders - These sliders are used to control Buzz machine parameters. They are available as normal FL Studio parameters (Rightclick the sliders to display the default parameter menu of FL Studio). Attributes - Click this button to launch a window with additional parameters for the machine. Commands - Click this button to launch a menu with commands for the machine. When the machine doesn't have commands, this button is disabled. Import Buzz Preset - Opens a dialog for importing a Buzz preset.

Plugin Credits: Oskari Tammelin

INSTRUMENTS / EFFECTS

Control Surface The Control Surface plugin allows you to add real-time controls that can be linked to plugins in FL Studio OR Patcher. It's similar to and supersedes the Fruity Dashboard plugin. Control objects (knobs, sliders etc) can be linked to plugin and FL Studio interface targets to combine or aggregate control in a single location or to create dashboards for plugins and external hardware. You can add as many Control Surfaces as required to your project to Channels or Effect slots.

Tutoial Video here

Options and Controls Add a Control Surface - The default Patcher loads with a single Control Surface, to add additional Control Surfaces drag from the Browser > Plugin database > Visual > Control Surface and drop on the Channel Rack an Effect slot or Patcher. NOTE: If your plugin database is different, just search for 'Control Surface'. Load/save Control Surfaces - Click the Presets button as shown above and either save or load a Control Surface configuration. Add parameter controls - Click the + (Add) button as shown above and select from the pop-up menu of controls. Edit parameter controls - Click the E (Edit) button as shown above (controls will show red-rectangles around them) then you can click and drag to move or right-click and select the size, style, colors and rename the control. Link plugins to Control Surface controls 1. Add a Control Surface control as an Instrument or Effect (there is no difference). 2. Follow the usual internal Linking procedure using the Remote control settings. Rename Parameters - Right-click the parameter and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Live tweaking - Use the mouse on the Parameter of interest as you would any plugin control. Select Multitouch to control multiple controls on a multi-touch monitor.

Control Creator You can create your own Knob and Slider control designs with the Control Creator tool. This is located in the FL Studio installation folder under ..FL Studio\System\Tools\ControlCreator\ControlCreator.exe. This is a self contained program and you can copy the .exe to another location or make a shortcut to the .exe on your desktop.

NOTE: Many controls will change their appearance on roll-over with the mouse, this is shown by the preview control with the dot above it.

Use 1. Run ..FL Studio\System\Tools\ControlCreator\ControlCreator.exe 2. Select the Wheel, Slider or Button tab and then edit the control using the options provided. The display on the right side shows the control at various sizes. You can interact with these with your mouse to test their appearance. 3. After you have designed your control, save the .ilcontrol format file to the FL Studio install folder under ..FL Studio\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\Control Surface\Artwork\Styles and then depending if it's a Knob or Slider put it in the Wheels/Knob or Sliders folder respectively. 4. Finally, on the Control Surface or Patcher plugin, add a Knob, Slider or Button, then select Edit mode. Right-click the control and your design will appear as an option under the Styles menu option.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Edison Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool. Edison loads into an effect slot (in any mixer track) and will then record or play audio from that position. You may load as many instances of Edison as you require in any number of Mixer Tracks or Effects slots. To open Edison press ( Edison Video Tutorials

Ctrl + E) in a Sampler Channel, or load from the effects menu into mixer track/s.

. An alternative to Edison is Newtone.

Memory: Edison operates exclusively in RAM (memory) and is designed for working with samples or small songs, not recording hours of audio. With RAM in mind, edit functions can require 4x the original sample space, so we recommend limiting samples to a maximum of 500 Mb. If you don't heed this warning Edison may explode, injuring bystanders - don't say we didn't warn you! Editing operations that require sample processing convert the source sample/s into 32-Bit float and at the sample rate of the highest wave in any group processed. This means that processed wave files are unlikely to be in the same format as the source samples, although you can set the sample format after you have edited the sample (see the sample properties dialog).

Opening Edison There are a number of ways to load Edison, depending on your intended use, two recommended methods are: Quick load for Editing - Select the target Mixer track then press (

Ctrl+E). Edison will load in the first empty FX slot.

Quick load for Recording - Select the target Mixer track then press (

Shift+E). Edison will load ready to record with

'Slave playback to host' and Record 'On play' enabled. NOTE: Edison opens in the preview mixer track unless deliberately placed in an Effects slot.

Exporting Audio Alternatives for exporting audio from Edison to FL Studio are: Send sample to Playlist - Left-click - Sends the selection (or whole sample if no selection is made) to the Playlist as an Audio Clip. Right-click - Replaces the currently selected Audio Clip or Sampler Channel with the sample/selection in Edison. Drag / copy sample / move selection - Left-click on the button and drag to the desired location. The selected region in the Sample Edit Window (or whole sample if no selection is made) will be copied and moved to any compatible location in FL Studio, e.g. Sampler channels, Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, the Playlist, etc. Right-click to copy the selection to the clipboard. Tools > Sequencing Send to Playlist as audio clip (

Shift+C)- Dumps the selection to the Playlist as an Audio Clip.

Send to selected Channel - Dumps the selection to the selected Channel. Save and load - Save the audio/selection to a file and re-import it through the Browser.

NOTE: If an audio clip contains a downbeat marker (set by the region tool), dropping it on the Playlist will auto-align it.

Transport Controls In the top-left section of the Edison window are several controls for the recording setup. Loop - Turns on loop playback for selections and loop-points. Selections take precedence over loop-points. Hold (

Ctrl +

Left-click) to place the play-head in the file without making a selection.

Play - Press to play/stop the sample playback. The space bar will also start/stop playback when Edison is the active window (focused). Scrub - Left-click and hold the mouse button then move left or right to play (scrub) the sample under mouse control. Stop - Stops playback and returns cursor to the beginning of the sample or selection.

Recording Options Menu Buttons Sample Edit Functions Special Controls Peak Meter Sample Edit Window Main Menu Envelope Selector Feature Switches Zoom/Scroll Bar Time/Sample Display Sample Properties (

F2)

Plugin Credits -

Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin. Script compiler: paxCompiler 'Hello World' Sample: Katy Theodossiou.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Edison Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool. Edison loads into an effect slot (in any mixer track) and will then record or play audio from that position. You may load as many instances of Edison as you require in any number of Mixer Tracks or Effects slots. To open Edison press Ctrl+E in a Sampler Channel, or load from the effects menu into mixer track/s.

Transport Controls Recording Options Menu Buttons Sample Edit Functions Special Controls Peak Meter Sample Edit Window Main Menu Envelope Selector Feature Switches Zoom/Scroll Bar Time/Sample Display Sample Properties (

F2)

This area displays the sample properties including: Sample rate, Bit depth, Channel format, Tempo information and Title. Right-clicking this area or pressing

F2 opens the Sample Properties dialog.

To open the Sample properties dialog Select

> Edit properties OR press (

F2) with Edison focused.

Options Info Title - Names the sample. Comments - These comments will show in the sample properties.

Format Sample rate (Hz) - Sets the sample rate. Resample (switch) - Selecting this switch forces resampling of the sample data to the desired samplerate. If this switch is off the sample rate changes only the playback sample rate (speed) without modifying the data. For example, choose to either resample data to 22kHz (data reduction), or to play existing data at 22kHz (pitch-shift). Format - Choose between 16-Bit integer & 32-Bit floating point formats. Mono or Stereo. NOTE: Edison automatically converts data to 32-Bit before applying any function that modifies the sample data. It is better to apply several edits in 32-Bit floating point, than convert to 16-Bit integer after each edit.

Tempo Tempo (BPM) - Sets the tempo in Beats Per Minute. If 'tempo-sync' is selected, setting a tempo here will cause FL Studio to stretch/pitch-shift the sample according to this value when loaded. Round - Rounds the tempo (removes decimals). Limit - Corrects any double/half tempo problems (range options appear when the button is selected). Length (beats) / Selection (beats) - Enter the number of beats in the sample or selection. 'Sel (beats)' appears if a selection has been made (enter the number of beats in the selection). Used when slicing & beat detecting (see below).

Round - Rounds the number of beats (removes decimals). Tempo-sync - When selected - Instructs FL Studio to stretch (beatmatch) the sample to the Master tempo of the project (Audio clips & Channel sampler). The F10 General Settings, 'Read sample tempo information' option MUST BE ON. See the section on Time-stretching & Pitch-shifting in the Sampler Channel Settings section for more details. NOTE: When the option is selected, and nothing is set in the field, the host tempo will be used. Left-click in the field to manually enter a tempo. Manual tempo setting - The manual tempo detection technique is to highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact number of beats, then the properties dialog (

F2) will show 'Selection (beats)' instead of 'Length (beats)'. If 4

beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected. Manual grid alignment -

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the location in the sample where the first downbeat marker

is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat.

Default - Sets the BPM to the FL Studio project tempo. Quick guess - For songs with a constant tempo. Autodetect - Select to choose from three options: Quick estimation for short loops - Quick tempo-detection based on the host tempo and the length of the sample. Detection for songs with constant tempo - Algorithmic tempo-detection which generally gives the most accurate result, but requires constant tempo tracks. Detection for songs with variable tempo - Algorithmic tempo-detection tuned for songs without a constant tempo.

Sampler These functions aid samplers that read meta-data to auto-process the sample (DirectWave and the Channel sampler for example). Middle note (root note) - Selects the MIDI note at which the sample will play back at the original (recorded) pitch. This data is used by samplers such as DirectWave and the Channel Sampler to automatically set the 'root' note. low - Sets the lowest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. high - Sets the highest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. Fine tune (cents) - Fine-tunes the intended pitch of the sample in 1/100ths of a semi-tone. Default - Restores default settings. Autodetect - Auto-detects the pitch of the sample. Use on monophonic single-pitch sounds only.

end

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Amp Tool The Amp Tool works in a similar way to the mixer track controls, including stereo separation, panning, linked and independent L and R channel volume.

To Open the Amp Tool To open the tool press (

Alt+A) inside the editor, or use the Tools > Amp >

Amp option.

Options Stereo Sep - Stereo separation. The stereo separation filter allows you to enhance or reduce differences in the audio between the left and right channels of a track. In the default position (middle), the stereo separation filter is disabled. Turn the knob right to decrease the stereo separation (sum L+R to mono), turn left to increase stereo separation. This control

has no stereo effect on mono sounds as it works by taking the difference between the L and R channels, if there is no difference then there is nothing to enhance. Panning - Panning Panning law - Circular/Triangular panning. Circular panning maintains a constant apparent volume as the sound is panned. Triangular panning applies a linear ramp to the volume as the sound is panned. Read more about panning laws here. Left/Right - Volume, left and right channels linked. Left - Left channel volume. Right - Right channel volume. NOTE: Volume faders are bi-polar so below the mid-point the phase of the signal is reversed and amplified as the slider is dragged to the bottom. The mid point is 0 dB (silence).

Action buttons Reset - Return the tool to the default state. Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Blur Tool The Blur Tool works in a similar way to the Convolution Reverb, by multiplying an impulse sound (in this case, noise), with the waveform. The impulse function is cross-multiplied with the source in a moving average, to smear or 'blur' the sound. The multiplier function is determined by a user-selectable envelope. To retain a sound closer to the original, use narrower shaped envelopes.

To Open the Blur Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the Blur Tool button

, press

Ctrl+B inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > Blur option.

Options Amount - Adjusts the width of the convolution window; a greater amount means more blurring.

Offset - Adjusts the time offset between the source wave and the blurred section. Mix - Adjusts the level of the dry to wet signal. Use data outside selection - Only applies when a selection is made in the Editor sample edit window. This includes sample data immediately outside and adjacent to the selected region to improve the blend between the selection and surrounding sample data. Accept - Applies the settings to the wave. To undo the blur, press Ctrl+Z.

Impulse Envelope - Change the shape of the envelope to adjust the convolution function. The default 'Gaussian

' function creates a smooth blur. A wider function

generally creates more blurring and a narrower function less blurring. Experiment with different shapes to alter the blur texture.

Action button Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Convolution Reverb The Convolution Reverb engine in the Editor works by multiplying two audio signals in the frequency domain (in a sort of moving average). A reverb effect is obtained when an 'impulse' file is convolved

with the original wave file. Reverb

impulse files are created by recording short, sharp sounds in real spaces or through a reverb/effects unit. The recorded 'reverberance' is an acoustic fingerprint of the real space. This technique is equivalent to sampling an acoustic instrument and allows us to 'borrow' impulses from very expensive hardware or real spaces that we would never have the chance to record in. Naturally, the internet is brimming with free impulses for your downloading pleasure (see 'Impulse Resources' below). A real-time alternative is Fruity Convolver.

NOTE: While called the Convolution Reverb, any audio file can serve as a source for the impulse making this a general convolution tool. As always, experimentation will reward you with unique and interesting sounds.

To Open the Convolution Dialog To open the dialog you can either Left-click on the Convolution Reverb button , press

Ctrl+R inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > Convolution

Reverb option. Once an impulse is loaded you can perform any of Edison's editing functions in the spectral preview window. Right-click on the spectral preview to open the editing options

Options Offset - Adjusts the time offset between the onset of the reverb and the source wave. Dry - Adjusts the level of the dry signal. Wet - Adjusts the level of the wet signal. Use data outside selection - The reverb can operate on a selection of a wave. When selected data from outside the selection is used to create the reverberant sounds. When no selection is made the whole sample is effected and this option is greyed out. Add tail - Adds new reverberant data beyond the end of the original file. Accept - Applies the impulse to the wave. To undo the reverb press Ctrl+Z.

Impulse This section displays a spectral view of the impulse function. The vertical axis represents frequency 0 Hz (bottom) to 20 kHz (top) and the horizontal axis represents time. You can zoom and scroll through this display by Left-clicking in the scroll bar above the display (as shown by the double arrow cursor in the screenshot above). Load Impulse - Left-click on the 'Impulse:' tab above the spectral display and a standard 'Load File' dialog will open. Envelopes - There are several standard envelope controls along the bottom of the window that act on the reverberant sound. These envelopes provide enormous creative potential.

Left-click the symbols to apply, from left to right Pan - To edit the Pan envelope. Volume - To edit the Volume envelope. Stereo Separation - To edit the Stereo Separation envelope. All-purpose envelope - Can be assigned to playback velocity/direction and various other functions. Editing envelopes - After selecting the desired envelope type, Rightclick in the 'Impulse Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type.

Impulse Resources Edison comes with many impulses, however the addictive nature of these files will mean that you will soon be looking for more. Below are several links to get you started. To load a new impulse from outside FL Studio, Left-click on the 'Impulse:' tab above the spectral display to open the standard 'Load File' dialog and browse to the location of the new impulses. Noise Vault

- Nice resource for public domain reverb impulse response

files. Acoustics Engineering

- Some amazing spaces with pictures to inspire.

Promenadikeskus concert hall in Pori, Finland

- Impulses from the

concert hall with pictures. Cyber Kitchen Sound Design Enterprise

- A nice collection of impulse

responses and below these a good explanation of convolution and some of the interesting things you can do with it. EMES Virtual Rooms

- A nice collection of professionally made reverb

impulses. Sony Acoustic Mirror Impulse Collection

- Lots of high quality reverb

impulse packs made by professionals. Includes some microphone impulses. Voxengo Impulses

- Several packs ready for download.

Fokke van Saane's impulse responses

- Many of the impulses here are

.aif, Fruity Convolver can load these. We have included Fokke's site mainly because he clearly explains how the impulse response files were created and posts lots of great pictures of the spaces in which the impulses were made, be inspired! Google for 'Reverb Impulse'

- Be brave, find your own!

Action Buttons Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Claw Machine Tool The Claw Machine works on a tempo-sliced sample removing beats, adding beats and/or shifting beats to create interesting new rhythms. The Claw Machine is particularly effective at speeding up the tempo of a song (by extracting beats) without creating time-stretch/pitch-shift artifacts. The Claw Machine is also a great tool for working on starting scores with regular rhythms, although experimentation will be rewarded.

NOTE: An alternative is to use the Piano roll Claw tool with loops in Slicex.

To Open the Claw Machine Tool To open click on the Claw Tool button

or press (

Alt+W) inside the Editor,

or use the Tools > Time > Claw option. NOTE: The sample must have a tempo (or beatmarkers) set before the Claw Machine option will become available, due to the fact that the Claw Machine slices the audio according to the time-grid and relies on the sample being aligned to the grid in a meaningful way:

Aligning the grid to the sample tempo Prior to claw processing make sure the sample has the correct tempo and beats

are aligned to the Sample Window grid. Manual tempo setting - The manual tempo detection technique is to highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact number of beats, then the sample properties (

F2) will show 'Selection (beats)'

instead of 'Length (beats)'. If 4 beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected. Manual grid alignment -

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the

location in the sample where the first downbeat marker is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift

keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat.

Options Block extraction Period - The period over which the 'claw' process repeats. Trash every - Removes beats every (X) units of the Period. Snap to markers - Slices snap to beat/region markers.

Compensation stretching Stretches sliced samples to fill gaps left by 'clawed' slices. Amount - Amount of stretching. Method - Stretching method. These match the sampler stretching options.

Action buttons Reset - Reset to default. Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and replace the original selection with the processed audio.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Drum Tool The Drum Tool appears as the Drum(loop) stretcher and Paste replace drum dialog. The purpose of the tool is to reconstruct the decay portions of sliced drum beats that are often abruptly cut short in the slicing process. The Drum Tool works by detecting attack and decay portions of each region in a drumloop (or the selected beat) and then reconstructs more natural sounding decay/s. The options provide the opportunity to fine-tune the decay section to match the source material.

To open the Drum Tool To open: Select Tools > Time > Drum(loop) stretch (

Ctrl+T). The tool also

appears as a paste dialog active on the Edit menu after a selection (copy or cut) has been made - Paste replace (drum) (

Shift+T).

Amount Pitch coarse - Changes the base pitch in semitones. fine - Changes the base pitch in cents. mul - Pitch range multiplier. Time mul - Changes the sample duration in %. In 'Stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. length (ms) - Changes the sample duration by specifying length in milliseconds(ms). In 'Stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. tempo - Specifies the tempo of the stretched sample. The original loop must have embedded tempo information for this option to show. Insert tails - Fills gaps by reconstructing missing tails from drum beats.

Filling Method - Fill gap method. None - The whole slice (beat) is stretched. Echo grains - Granular-based stretching method. Waveform cycles are sliced (grains) and repeated. Stretch - Time stretching (constant pitch). Blur - A convolution blur function is used to smooth tails. Random presence - Adds more stereo randomness on the tail blurring. Loop - Applies a cross-fade loop to the last 1/2 of the sample.

Tail envelope Method - Decay method.

None - The whole beat is stretched. Smooth fade - The attack transient is detected and left untouched. The tail is used for the gap-reconstruction and smoothly blended with the attack transient. Using this method, the original drum sound will be modified. Append - Uses the same process as the 'Smooth fade' option but with the reconstructed tail appended. The transition between the original sound and the reconstructed tail will be more obvious, but the original drum will be left mostly intact. Transient - Transient detection factor. The engine uses this factor to detect which part of the slice is the attack portion of the beat. Tail slope - Slope of the reconstructed tail. smoothing - Smoothing factor for the reconstructed tail slope.

Action buttons Reset - Restores default settings. Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Click to process and paste/replace the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Equalize Tool The Equalize Tool is a linear phase EQ and boosts or cuts frequencies according to a user defined EQ envelope. The example below shows the effect of the selected EQ curve on a white noise sample. Frequency is displayed on the horizontal axis, time on the vertical axis (sample start is at the top, sample end is at the bottom) while intensity/saturation of color represents frequency amplitude.

To Open the Equalization Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the EQ Tool button

, press (

Ctrl+E) inside the

Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > EQ option.

Options Editing envelopes - Right-click in the 'Envelope Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type. The default mid-line is 'no change'. Boost/Cut values appear in the FL Studio Hint Bar as the nodes and tension handles are moved. Time is represented on the vertical axis and Frequency on the horizontal axis. Envelope - Drop-down menu containing harmonically computed EQ envelopes. The harmonic series is based on the sample middle note (root note). Set this using the Sample properties dialog. The harmonic envelopes will remove sounds that do not belong to the harmonic series of the set note. These envelopes can be useful for extracting sustained notes from complex recordings or removing noise from recordings of tonal sounds.

To filter non-harmonic noises 1. Set the middle note (root note) using the (

F2) Sample properties

dialog. 2. Open the Equalization Tool, Envelope options and select from narrow, medium or wide. 3. Use the Frequency scale knob to expand the lower frequencies to check that the filter envelope is starting at the correct frequency and covers the harmonics. 4. Set the Mix knob to the desired level, 100% to retain only the harmonic series. 5. Select Ok. To remove a note from a sample 1. Perform steps 1 to 5 above. 2. Select Tools > Amp > Reverse polarity. 3. Select Tools > Edit > Copy to Copy the entire sample. 4. Open a new instance of Edison with the original sample. 5. In the new Edison select Tools > Edit > Paste mix and the note plus harmonics will be removed from the original sample. Freq scale - Zooms the frequency scale for more or less precise EQ editing. Mix - Adjusts the level of the dry to wet signal. Smooth - Smooths the EQ envelope to reduce unwanted artifacts such as 'ringing'. Phases - Allows the envelope to change the phase of the sample, top of scale is 180 degrees, bottom -180 degrees. Reset - Resets the EQ envelope to the default state. Accept - Applies the EQ curve to the sample.

EQ envelope options Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different predefined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit.

Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis.

Action buttons Reset - Restore default settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Noise Removal Tool The Noise Removal Tool can independently remove background noise (tonal or broadband) from a sample, repair clipped samples and remove clicks from samples. Any or all these denoise functions can be performed in a single pass. The modules are activated by the button in front of each section label.

See a tutorial video here

.

NOTE: The Denoiser, Declipper and Declicker have a button preceding the section titles, this activates the given function when selected. The Declipper and Declicker are deactivated in the screenshot above.

To Open the Noise Removal Tool To open the Noise Removal Tool Left-click on the Clean up (denoise) button the Tools > Spectral > Clean up (denoise) option.

Residual vs Removed Sound Above the main display window.

or use

Output noise only - When selected the parts of the sample removed by the Denoiser tool (noise) are heard. Select this button when you need to fine-tune the Denoiser process Threshold and Amount settings (using the Preview function). Listen for settings that sound only like the noise to be removed. If you hear parts of the sound you want to retain in the noise output, then the settings are too aggressive. When deselected the Preview & Accept buttons will deliver the processed (residual) sound according to the plugin settings.

Sample Display The main display window shows a spectral view of the sample to be processed. This represents frequency on the horizontal axis and time on the vertical axis, while color represents intensity. Frequency scale - Zooms the frequency scale for more or less precise EQ curve editing or frequency inspection.

EQ Envelope The (white) EQ envelope allows a +12 to -24 dB EQ curve to be applied to the selected sample. Time is represented on the vertical axis and Frequency on the horizontal axis. Apply EQ in addition to the other noise reduction functions to fine-tune the result. To edit the EQ curve: Right-click in the 'Envelope Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that allows you to delete points or change the curve type. The default mid-line is 'no change'. Boost/Cut values appear in the FL Studio Hint Bar as the nodes are moved. If you need a dedicated equalizer use the Equalize tool. Reset - Resets the EQ envelope to the default state. Envelope options (small right facing arrow under the EQ display window). Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open Edisons. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool.

Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis.

Denoiser To activate ensure the Denoiser button is selected. The Denoiser is designed to reduce or remove constant background noises in recordings. This background noise can include tape hiss, microphone hum, power mains buzz, camera motor noise, air-conditioning rumble and any other type of noise that doesn't change in level or frequency significantly throughout the recording. Threshold - Controls the separation of noise and desirable signal levels. Higher threshold settings reduce more noise, but also may suppress low-level desirable components of the signal (select the Output noise only switch to hear the sound being removed). A lower threshold preserves low-level signal details, but can result in noise being modulated by the retained sounds. A good default is 0 dB. Amount - Controls the level of noise suppression in decibels. Strong suppression can degrade low-level residual audio, so it's recommended to apply only as much suppression as needed to reduce the target noise to the level that is barely noticeable (click the Preview button to audition various settings prior to applying the noise reduction). Remember, if the sound is to be used in a mix, then it is likely that less suppression will be needed to render the noise inaudible. Using the Denoiser: 1. Noise profile - The Denoiser needs to hear an example of the background noise,

preferably in isolation from other sounds, so that it can generate an accurate 'noise profile'. From main Edison sample window, select a section of the sample that contains only noise (if possible). Examine the start and end of the sample, where noises are usually exposed. Alternatively, you may need to select regions in the sample where there are pauses in the desirable sound (breaks in speech or singing for example). If a 'noise-only' region can't be found, select a quiet section of the sample where the noise is at its most audible. After selecting the longest section of noise that you can find, Right-click the Clean up (denoise) button to create the noise profile. If the Noise Removal Tool is open, click the Acquire noise profile button to select the noise sample. 2. Select the region to be processed - Prior to returning to the Denoiser interface, make sure that the region you want to denoise is selected in the main Edison sample window (the Denoiser will retain the noise profile so it is OK to close the Denoiser to select the region to be processed). If no region is selected the whole sample will be processed, this is usually the desired outcome as processing small sections of a sample can lead to audible tonal changes at the boundaries of the processed region. 3. Preview the settings - Open the Denoiser Tool and preview the default settings by clicking on the Preview button. Note the noise profile will appear in the Denoiser as a green frequency curve (see the screenshot above). 4. Fine tune the controls - Sometimes you may hear 'underwater' artifacts of the noise reduction process, if so you should continue to adjust first the Threshold and then the Amount settings. You should apply only enough reduction (Amount) to make the noise barely or not noticeable in the context for which the sound is to be used. Excessive amount settings are guaranteed to cause audible artifacts. It is often useful to select the Output noise only button to more clearly hear the parts of the sample being removed. Ideally only noise will be heard. 5. Accept the result - Once you are satisfied with the settings. 6. Practice makes perfect - If you would like to experiment, the sound 'Maximus NoiseGate Tutorial 44kHz.wav

' is a vocal mixed with some power-supply hum,

exposed at the end of the sample. To download the file you will need to create a logon at freesound

. The freesound project is an initiative of the Music

Technology Group of Pompeu Fabra University Commons

to build a library of Creative

licensed sounds.

Declipper To activate ensure the Declipper button is selected. The Declipper can repair digital and analog clipping artifacts that result when A/D converters are overloaded or magnetic tape is over-saturated. The Declipper can be extremely useful for saving recordings that can't

be re-recorded such as live concerts, interviews or one-off audio events. Threshold - Selects the clipping level used for detection of clipped peaks. The ideal setting is a level just below the actual level of clipping, you can examine the waveform in the main Edison window and inspect the clip level by hovering the mouse over the clipped waveform. NOTE: The Declipper re-creates peaks above the clipped level and will therefore reduce the overall volume of the recording to provide headroom for this process. In light of this, declipping usually needs to be applied to the entire recording in order to avoid a sudden drop in volume in the processed region.

Declicker To activate ensure the Declicker button is selected. The Declicker is useful for restoring for old vinyl and other recordings that cause clicks, pops and/or crackles. The Declicker can also remove a variety of short noises from other sources, including lip clicks and 'smacking' on vocals, some clicks caused by digital errors or electrical interference. The Declicker works best on click-transients of 10 ms or less. Sensitivity - Controls the aggressiveness of the click detection algorithm. Low values of this parameter will remove fewer clicks, while higher values may treat musical transients as clicks, resulting in distortion.

Accept button Accept - Processes and pastes (replaces) the original selection.

Plugin Credits Interface: Didier Dambrin.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Script Tool The Edison & Slicex Script Tool (

Ctrl+T) - Opens a menu containing the list of available scripts. You

can write your own scripts using Basic, Pascal or Javascript, which will be compiled by the paxCompiler and run when you select the script from the menu. The paxCompiler is a true Pascal compiler that allows you to write code to perform complex DSP on your samples. Save scripts - as .pas files in the FL Studio installation directory under ..\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\Edison\Data\Scripts. Files saved here will be visible the next time you use the 'run script' command. Dialogs - Note that while some of the demo scripts show a dialog, it isn't necessary to use them. Errors - If a script has an error, a dialog is shown explaining the error with options to 'edit' the script or 'run' it again. Writing scripts - Examine the contents of the existing scripts and read the Reference.txt file in the script directory to learn more about writing them and the functions available. You can learn more about Pascal HERE

.

Edison Script Reference

Global variables CRLF

string - acts as a line feed for showing multiline messages

Editor

TEditor

EditorSample

TSample

ScriptPath

string

Global functions ProgressMsg

procedure ProgressMsg(const Msg:String;Pos,Total:Integer);

ShowMessage

procedure ShowMessage(const s: string);

Delphi/Windows functions Dec

procedure dec(var Value, Decrement: integer);

FloatToStr

function FloatToStr(Value: extended): string;

Inc

procedure inc(var Value, Increment: integer);

IntToStr

function IntToStr(Value: integer): string;

Round

function Round(Value: double): integer;

TimeGetTime

function timeGetTime: integer; stdcall;

Wave related classes // PasteFromTo modes

0: insert 1: replace 2: mix --// NormalizeFormat Mode flags (combine as needed) NF_NumChannels: normalize the number of channels NF_Format: normalize the sample format NF_Samplerate: normalize the samplerate NF_All: normalize all (combines all flags) --// region TRegion = class constructor Create; procedure Copy(Source: TRegion); property SampleStart: integer; property SampleEnd: integer; property Name: string; property Info: string; property Time: single; property KeyNum: integer; end; --// sample TSample = class constructor Create; function GetSampleAt(Position, Channel: integer): single; procedure SetSampleAt(Position, Channel: integer; Value: single); procedure CenterFromTo(x1, x2: integer); function NormalizeFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Vol: single; OnlyIfAbove: boolean = FALSE): single; procedure AmpFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Vol: single); procedure ReverseFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure ReversePolarityFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure SwapChannelsFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure InsertSilence(x1, x2: integer); procedure SilenceFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure NoiseFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Mode: integer = 1; Vol: single = 1); procedure SineFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Freq, Phase: double; Vol: single = 1); procedure PasteFromTo(aSample: TSample; var x1, x2: integer; Mode: integer = 0); procedure LoadFromClipboard; procedure DeleteFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Copy: boolean = FALSE);

procedure TrimFromTo(x1, x2: integer); function MsToSamples(Time: double): double; function SamplesToMS(Time: double): double; procedure LoadFromFile(const Filename: string); // loads a full filename (use ScriptPath to complete it) procedure LoadFromFile_Ask; // shows open dialog procedure NormalizeFormat(Source: TSample; Mode: integer = nfAll); function GetRegion(Index: integer): TRegion; function AddRegion(const SetName: string; SampleStart: integer; SampleEnd: integer = MaxInt): integer; procedure DeleteRegion(Index: integer); property Length: integer; property NumChans: integer; property Samplerate: integer; property RegionCount: integer; end; --// editor TEditor = class function GetSelectionS(var x1, x2: integer): boolean; function GetSelectionMS(var x1, x2: double): boolean; property Sample: TSample; end;

Dialog classes and functions TInput = class property DefaultValue: single; property ValueAsInt: integer; property Min: single; property Max: single; end; --TScriptDialog = class constructor Create; function AddInput(const aName: string; Value: single): TInput; function AddInputKnob(const aName: string; Value, Min, Max: single): TInput; function AddInputCombo(const aName, ValueList: string; Value: integer): TInput; function GetInput(const aName: string): TInput; function GetInputValue(const aName: string): single; function GetInputValueAsInt(const aName: string): integer; function Execute: boolean;

end; --function CreateScriptDialog(const Title, Description: string): TScriptDialog;

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Time Stretch / Pitch Shift Tool The Time Stretch / Pitch Shift tool allows you to alter the duration, pitch and formant of a sample independently. The audio Editor and more generally the Sampler Channels & Slicer tool, use the Elastique Pro, zplane algorithms to deliver advanced time stretching / pitch shifting that meets the standards of professional production and broadcast applications.

To Open the Time Stretch / Pitch Shift Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the Time Tool button

, press (

Alt+T) inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Time > Time stretch / Pitch shift

option. To open the paste-stretch dialog press (

Ctrl+Shift+T) or use the

Tools > Edit > Paste stretch option. The paste-stretch dialog is available only after a sample selection cut or copy operation.

Options Amount Pitch coarse - Change the base pitch in semitones. Fine - Change the base pitch in cents. Mul - Pitch range multiplier (in %). Time mul - Change sample duration in %. NOTE: To match a samples BPM to FL Studio, rather than use this control, make sure the sample has a Tempo set in the Sample properties dialog. You can use the Autodetect (tempo) button if one is not set. Next make sure the 'F10 > General Settings > Read sample tempo information' is selected. Finally, drag and drop the sample from Edison on the Playlist and FL Studio will stretch the sample to match the current project. Length (ms) - Change sample duration by specifying length in milliseconds(ms). In 'paste-stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. Method - Select from the following pitch shifting/preservation methods. NOTE: Certain methods may disable or automatically adjust the 'Formant preservation' settings. Affected settings appear in a lower contrast and tweaking the control has no effect. Elastique: e3 Generic - A 'Default' mode is designed to work with the widest range of input signals. As usual, experiment with other methods if you hear unwanted artifacts. e3 Mono - Specialized for monophonic input signals such as vocals or solo instruments. Uses automatic formant preservation techniques. Legacy Elastique: e2 Generic (Pro default & Pro transient) - Older version of e3 Generic. e2 Transient (Transient & Tonal) - Transient and formant

preserving stretch method. e2 Mono (Monophonic) - Older version of e3 Mono. e2 Speech (Speech) - Optimized for spoken words. For singing, use the 'e3 or e2 Mono' mode). NOTE: Names in brackets show pre FL Studio 12 nomenclature. Insert - If this switch is on the effected audio will be inserted, if it is off the sample will be mixed with the original.

Formant preservation Using the formant section - In order to manually preserve the natural tonal quality of the sound select 'Pro Default' method and set the Factor crs setting to the same value of the Pitch coarse in the 'Options' section above. For example, if the 'Options' Pitch coarse setting is +5 then set the Formant envelope Pitch crs to +5. Formants are peaks in the frequency spectrum caused by resonances, natural frequencies of vibration, of an instrument. Trumpets, guitars, violins, drums and the human voice all have formants. The human voice is an excellent case study for the importance of formant preservation as we are particularly sensitive to vocal formants. Resonances of the voice stem from mouth, sinuses and throat cavities and convey information about the size, age and sex of the vocalist. Normally, as the pitch of the vocal chords are raised or lowered, formants change intensity while the peak frequencies stay relatively fixed. A problem with 'traditional' pitch shifting of vocal recordings is that the formants transpose with pitch (itself an unnatural phenomenon) or fall outside the expected range; the 'chipmunk' effect is a classic example of formants shifted too high. Formant preservation algorithms work by detecting the pitch of the formants in the original sound and then apply the same frequency resonances to the pitch-shifted sound, preserving the 'natural' quality of the voice or instrument. The formant controls in Edison are Factor coarse - Moves the base pitch of the formants, in semitones. Fine - Changes the base pitch of the formants in cents. Mul - Formant pitch range multiplier in %. Order - The default setting works for most material. If the input audio is high pitched the order should be lowered if the input audio is low pitched

the value should be raised. Copy from pitch - Copies the pitch value from the 'Options' section above. If you select this after setting the desired pitch shift in the 'Options' section, then the formants should be automatically preserved. NOTE: If these controls appear to be lower contrast or 'grayed-out', compared to normal, it means that they are disabled for the selected Pitch Shift/Time Stretch method in the 'Options' section.

Action buttons Reset - Restore default settings. Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Tune Loop Tool The Loop Tuner allows you to remove clicks, pops or beating sounds from a loop. The Loop Tuner is not an automatic loop finding tool, it is intended for smoothing loops that have already been selected. Be aware that to accommodate the loop smoothing process, some settings will move the loop-start point automatically. To preserve your loop-start point, set the Crossfade length and Snap settings to minimum.

To Open the Loop Tuner Tool To open the tool, either Left-click on the Tune Loop button

, press (

Ctrl+L)

inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Regions > Tune loop option.

Options Crossfade Length - Changes the amount of crossfading. The end of the sample loop is crossfaded (blended) with the region before the loop start so that the end of the loop blends smoothly with the beginning of the loop. Consequently, the loop start point will be adjusted automatically as the Crossfade value is changed, to bring in more or less of the pre-loop sample data into the loop. tension - Changes the slope of the crossfade volume envelope. Set by ear. snap - The Crossfade and Smear processes take advantage of the detected pitch of the sample (set it in the sample settings, click

F2

inside the Editor). In order to minimize phase cancellation, the Smear echoes are snapped to the pitch period. The snap setting changes the multiple of the pitch period (shown in the title bar) that the Smear tool works to. Blur Order - A 'smoothing/blurring' tool that works by smearing together multiple 'echoes' of the waveform. The higher the value of this parameter the more closely spaced the echoes (delay taps). Works best on sustained sounds (e.g. pads/strings) and is designed to minimize the 'beating' sound sometimes heard in bad loops. scale - Similar to a 'tension' parameter. Controls the peak of the smear function. Higher values create a sharper cut-off at the blur boundaries. amp - Changes the amplitude (volume) of the loop.

Using Loop Tuner When you open the tool the selected region or loop will play continually, allowing you to process the loop with the options above. Technical explanations have been provided here for your edification, however experimentation and 'setting by ear' are the best way to use this tool (if it sounds good, it is good). Selecting the loop - Loop Tuner will work on the selected loop or active region when opened. If you have no selections the whole sample will be used. Loop start position - Some settings will move the loop-start point automatically, to accommodate the loop smoothing process. To preserve your loop-start point set the Crossfade and Snap settings to minimum. Settings - Loop Tuner remembers the last settings used and applies them the next time it is opened.

Action button Reset - Return to the default settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

EFFECTS

EFFECTOR Effector provides 12 performance oriented effects that can be used one at a time. The large center X/Y pad (X/Y parm knobs) can be linked to controllers for expressive control or used with a touch interface.

NOTE: Effector processes one effect at a time. You can load several Effectors to use multiple effects on the same channel.

Controls From top to bottom, left to right:

Gain Controls (Top) GAIN - The left is INPUT gain and the right side is OUTPUT gain.

Modulation Controls (Left side) X / Y PARAM - These mirror the X/Y pad in the center. X is horizontal and Y is vertical position. They will control whatever two performance parameters have been used for the selected effect (see below for details). BYPASS - When selected Effector is bypassed so only the dry signal is heard. When the X/Y pad is used the bypass is automatically disabled until the control is released. DRY/WET - Mix between the DRY input signal and the WET effected signal. Generally this should be set to 100% wet (far right). BYPASS - Click this switch to permanently enable the selected effect. Momentary activation can be gained by clicking in the X/Y panel.

X/Y Pad (Center) When you click here the X PARAM and Y PARAM controls can be moved together from a single input (mouse, X/Y pad or touch). Clicking the X/Y pad automatically deactivates the BYPASS switch.

LFO Modulation Parameters (Right Side) Down the right side of the plugin are the Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) controls. The LFO is control waveform that can be linked to control the X/Y parameters of the effects above via the X MOD and Y MOD controls. In other words, automatically twist the X and Y parameter knobs for you. By selecting the Tempo switches and TEMPO multiplier knob you can sync this to the beat or put it anywhere you like. Tempo switches (8/1 to 1/8) - LFO waveform cycle speed, synchronized to the track tempo. Speed is expressed in terms of beats/cycle. Settings range from 8/1 or 8 beats per cycle (slow), through to 1/8 or 8 cycles per beat (fast). NOTES: 1. Tempo switch values assumes the TEMPO multiplier knob is at 1 (default). Most effects require the X MOD and Y MOD multipliers to be moved from the default 0% before the tempo modulation takes effect. Exceptions are TRANS and GRAIN which are automatically driven by the Tempo switches. X MOD & Y MOD - These are LFO multiplier amounts fed to the

respective X & Y Param controls. The default, 12 O'Clock = no modulation, Left - negative multiplier, Right - positive multiplier. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. Select Sine, Saw or square wave. TEMPO - Tempo speed multiplier. In the far Left (default) position the Tempo switches correctly reflect Beats per Cycle. As the knob is turned Right the LFO cycle speed is increased (multiplied).

Effects (Bottom) Effects - There are 12 effects these include: DISTORT - Distortion. X - Distortion amount. Y - Tone control. Use this to convince the club owner you blew his speakers ;) LO-FI - Bit reduction. X - Sample-rate reduction amount. Y Low pass filter cutoff frequency. Creates old-school low bit depth sounds (particularly at high X values) reminiscent of gaming consoles. FLANGER - Flanging. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. PHASER - Phasing. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. FILTER - High and Low pass filtering. X - Left of center = Low pass filter cutoff frequency. Right of center = High pass cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount. DELAY - Delay/Echo. X - Feedback amount (echo strength) Y Echo filtering. REVERB - Reverberation. X - Feedback. Y - Wet level (reverb amount). STEREO - Panning. X - Left/Right pan position. Y - Binaural effect level. Up/Down. TRANS - Trance / gating effect. X - Release time. Y - Drop level. The Tempo switches & TEMPO speed multiplier knob will determine the period. Use this effect to induce side-chain style pumping. GRAIN - X & Y - Not used. The Tempo switches and TEMPO

speed multiplier knob control the grain size. VOX - X - Formant filter, vowel sound (A,E,I,O,U). Y - Throat size. Creates human vocal resonance sounds. RING - X - Modulator frequency Y - Not used. Ring modulation multiplies the input (your music) with a sine wave oscillator (FM synthesis style).

Plugin Credits Maxx Claster.

EFFECTS

EQUO - Morphing Graphic Equalizer EQUO is an advanced morphing graphic equalizer plugin. Equalizing is the process of increasing or decreasing the loudness of specific frequencies. EQUO is particularly suited to live or automated tweaking during a performance. The main display contains both the EQ (VOL) and EQ (PAN) controls so that sounds can not only be shaped according to frequency content, but panning can be applied on specific frequency basis. Further, One Master EQ shape and then a further 8 separate EQ/PAN shapes may be set and then these EQ shapes can be smoothly morphed using the Morph knob. When to use: EQUO was designed as a 'broad brush' toneshaping effect rather than as a surgical EQ. For precision equalizing duties use Fruity Parametric EQ 2.

Parameters Morph Section Shift (Band Shift) - Turning the knob to the right will move the current EQ shape to the higher frequencies, moving the knob to the left shifts the current shape to the lower frequencies. Try automating this parameter. Mix (Band mix) - By default, applies 100% of the selected EQ shape to the (knob full right). Moving the knob fully left will apply -100% of the current shape (invert it). The 12'Oclock position applies 0% EQ. Morph (Between Banks)- Morphs (blends) between banks 1 (knob fully left) to 8 (knob fully right). For this function to have an effect you must set different EQ curves on each

bank. Smooth (Motion Smoothness) - Sets how quickly changes to EQUO settings can happen. This is like an inertia effect for knobs. Vol - Main output volume.

Setup Section Contains controls to set the routing and audio quality Send only | Send - Mutes the direct output from EQUO in the present Mixer channel. The LED display window shows which of the 4 'Send' mixer tracks EQUO is set to. The Send window is not operational if EQUO is in the Master Mixer channel to avoid a feedback loop. NOTE: To send EQUO's output to mixer tracks other than the 'Send' tracks, use normal inter-track routing. Add mode - Normally EQUO band-slices the incoming audio, effects it and recombines the audio at the output. The band-slicing and recombination process introduces subtle changes to the input audio, even when no EQ is applied (the EQ bands are flat). Add mode combines (adds) the sound of EQUO to the original input rather than replacing it (as normal) to avoid these subtle effects. However, in add mode an EQ band set to minimum will allow the original signal to pass. Over sample - Engages 2X oversampling for higher audio quality. BW (Band Width) - Changes the bandwidth of the EQUO bands. Simply adjust for the most pleasing sound.

Main Display There are several controls available from the main screen that will change the way you can shape the EQ or PAN settings. Options Menu -

Contains three options, Random Curve, that produces a random EQ

or PAN curve, surprisingly :) Flat Line that resets the current EQ curve to the default state and Interpolate 1 to 8, this allows you to set a EQ or PAN curve in bank 1 and 8 and then EQUO will create the intermediate steps in-between on banks 2 to 7. Drawing modes - There are three drawing modes available by clicking the appropriate icon: Pencil mode Line mode Curve mode

- allows you to move individual EQ or PAN bands with precision. - Left-click and drag the mouse to create straight lines. - Left-click and drag the mouse to create smooth curves.

Analyze - When the Analyze button is held, EQUO will average the frequency spectrum of the incoming signal (over the duration the button is held) and upon release create an EQ curve antagonistic to that signal (that is an EQ curve that when combined with the input will tend to be flat). The interaction of the analyzed curve can be varied from antagonistic

(cut) through to complimentary (boost) with the MIX knob. NOTE: Bands 40 Hz and below are not included in the 'Analyze' function as they 'muddy' the mix, set them manually if you require sub-bass EQ. EQ/PAN On/Off/Locked - Clicking the light-blue box at the top of an EQ band will switch through the sequence 1 - Band OFF, 2 - Band Locked, 3 - Band Enabled (default).

Adjusting bands - Clicking in the display area will activate the band under your mouse pointer. Move the band up and down as required. Consider these bands to be the sliders on a Graphic equalizer and you have a good idea of the basic interface. The image below shows EQUO in curve mode tracking an upward movement of the mouse, to move individual bands set EQUO to pencil mode.

Bank M, 1 to 8 - Select these to individually set the Master bank or Banks 1 to 8. The Master bank is applied to the final output of the plugin and is not used in the morphing sequence between banks. VOL/PAN/SEND - Switches, determine if the action in the main EQ area affect, VOL (Volume) - the standard EQ volume as a function of frequency, PAN - The stereo panning of the selected frequency or Send - The send levels for the selected frequencies.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity 7 Band EQ Fruity 7 Band EQ is a sevenband (one low shelf, one high shelf and five peaking) equalizer plugin, optimized for low CPU use. It is a close cousin of Fruity Parametric EQ 2, which provides greater control. Equalization (EQ) is an industry term for 'tone control', and is the process of increasing or decreasing the loudness of specific frequencies.

Most Hi-Fi systems have at least 'bass' and 'treble' controls. Fruity 7 Band EQ has seven tone controls with slightly overlapping areas. If the knobs were sliders we would call this a seven-band 'graphic equalizer'. It's all the same thing, really.

Parameters The parameters represent the levels of seven pre-defined frequency bands. Turn each knob to the right to boost a band, or to the left to decrease its level.

Tips Map the band knobs to the first row of your MIDI controller if you have one, for easier handling. Disable the bands (set the level to 0) to save CPU processing.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Balance Fruity Balance is a stereo balance plugin, optimized for real-time level automation. This is a true panning effect, it works by mixing left and right channels so that the left and right stereo channel information are no longer independent when panned. It's the audio equivalent of starting with two glasses with the same water level in each (balanced) and then pouring one glass into the other (the contents are mixed). The

alternative approach is to vary the relative loudness of the left and right channels to create a panning effect while maintaining the independence of the channels. An alternative is Stereo Shaper.

Parameters Balance - Sets the stereo balance of the sound. Volume - Sets the sound volume.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Bass Boost Fruity Bass Boost is a bass enhancing effect (specialized EQ). You may need to adjust the track volume to avoid clipping since this FX works by boosting frequencies. Try it on bass and kick drum sounds. Yes it's just a fancy 'bass' knob :)

Parameters Frequency - Adjusts the frequency range to be boosted. Amount - Sets the effect strength.

Notes You may have to adjust the track volume to avoid clipping when using this plugin.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Big Clock Fruity Big Clock: Can't see the menu bar clock? Too proud to wear glasses? Then the Fruity Big Clock plugin is for you. It shows the playing time in Bar:Beat:Tick format and Minute:Second:1/100 format. Optionally, it can also display the song time in Bar:Step:Tick format. To use, just drop an instance of the plugin on any Mixer track (the position does not matter). If only everything in life was this simple :)

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Blood Overdrive Fruity Blood Overdrive is a distortion FX, specially designed for the needs of digitalaudio musicians. It creates overdrive distortion using classic techniques that give compressed and soft sounds, as opposed to the harsh sound that can be typical of digital processing. This effect works particularly well with Guitar sounds. The integrated bandpass filter gives the ability to overdrive non-guitar audio that would otherwise produce poor

poor results. An alternative is the Waveshaper plugin.

Parameters PreBand - Sets the amount of band filtering that is applied to the audio before it is overdriven. Use this to improve the effect quality that may result from overdriving audio with a broad frequency range. Color - Sets the frequency of the band filtering. PreAmp - Overdrives the audio in order to achieve distortion. As you increase the PreAmp parameter, you need to compensate with the PostGain knob. x100 - Increases the power of PreAmp a hundred times. This is normally only useful on single instrumental tracks. PostFilter - The preamplified audio is low-pass filtered at the frequency specified by this wheel. This is another option for cleaning up the distortion. PostGain - Final gain reducer (at maximum leaves the gain at its original level after distortion). The preamplifier boosts the output considerably, so you need to compensate with this parameter.

Tips and Notes The order in which the filters are applied is: Band Pass Filter (PreBand) > Preamplifier (PreAmp) > 2-Pole Low Pass Filter (PostFilter) > Reduce Gain (PostGain) > Final Digital Clipping. If the output is too loud, do not try to reduce the input to the plugin, reduce it with PostGain (otherwise it will remove the distortion). After the audio has been preamplified and clipped, the signal still can be up to 300% out of range. When it is clipped after PostGain, normal, (harsh sounding), digital clipping is used. Therefore, a better sound is achieved if you take care to always compensate for PreAmp by reducing PostGain. Playing a mix through the plugin, (even without preamplifying), causes upward compression on the independent frequency bands. This gives overall upward compression and flattens the equalizer. This can be used to improve some mixes, and can even be used to master some projects (the compression is caused by non-linear signal response similar to vacuum tube compressors).

Plugin Credits: David Billen

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Center Fruity Center removes DC offsets

in real-

time and is useful for synthesizers which generate DC offsets. The term DC offset comes from electronic engineering, and refers to the situation where a Direct Current (DC) exists, that is a constant positive or negative deflection in the output from a plugin, rather than being at rest (zero) when no sound is present. This can cause problems as the waveform will oscillate around this 'offset' center and so have reduced headroom on the side of the DC offset bias. In the example below, the oscilloscope displays the case for no audio signal (1), so the offset is clearer, but with a positive DC offset. The oscilloscope output (2) shows no DC offset, either positive or negative, as a result of switching the Fruity Center plugin on.

Parameters Status - Allows you switch the plugin on and off.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Thanks to: David Billen for code sample.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Chorus Fruity Chorus is an effect created by the slight detuning of one or more delayed copies of the input sound (similar to a choir of voices). Controls adjust the rate, time offset, shape and depth of detune.

Parameters Delay - Sets the minimum delay between the chorus voices. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. Range: 0 to 30 milliseconds. For 'deep' chorus effect, set this parameter to low values. Depth - Controls the chorus delay modulation. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. If this value is zero, the chorus will remain 'static' as the delay modulation will stay constant. Setting the 'Depth' to higher values will create heavier modulation. Stereo- Controls widening of the stereo image. If set to 0, the LFO on the left and right channel will be in perfect synchronization. At 180 degrees the left and right channel will be 100% out of phase, i.e. left channel will reach maximum when right channel is at minimum. Range: 0 to 360 degrees. Try setting 10 degrees for subtle stereo enhancement. LFO 1 Freq / LFO 2 Freq / LFO 3 Freq - Sets LFO modulation speed.

LFO 1 Wave / LFO 2 Wave / LFO 3 Wave - Waveform of the LFO. Multi-sine is a mix of a normal sine wave and one three times its speed. Cross Type - Defines whether the plugin works on the lower or higher frequency part of the signal. Process HP processes only high frequencies, Process LP processes only low frequencies. Cross Cutoff - Cutoff frequency of the cross-over filter. Wet Only - If using the chorus as a send effect, switch this parameter to mix the pure 'wet' output with the source sound.

Plugin Credits: Smart Electronix

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Compressor Fruity Compressor: Compression is one of the most important Fruity Compressor is a legacy plugin, we recommend Fruity Limiter which also has

effects used in

a flexible compressor section.

enhancing modern music. It gives kick drums more 'thump', makes bass sound 'fat'. Importantly, compression makes a mix sound much louder. Compression is a form of automated gain control that reduces the dynamic range of sounds. When the input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold the gain is reduced. The art of setting a compressor is mainly in finetuning the magnitude, speed and timing of the automated gain changes so that the compression process does not introduce artifacts. Compressing the peak

transients in a signal, frees up headroom to raise the gain of the sustained portions of the sound, this step increases loudness. NOTE: compression represents a trade-off between dynamics and loudness, welcome to the loudness wars! Fruity Compressor is a variable-knee compressor with built-in peak limiting. The controls for this plugin relate to the relationship between input and output volume. A related, but more sophisticated, plugin is Fruity Limiter When to use: Use the Fruity Compressor on individual sounds in mixer tracks. It is particularly well suited to vocal tracks, individual kick/percussion and bass sounds. If you are mastering (compressing

(compressing in the Master Mixer Track) and need to apply compression to a complete mix we recommend using Fruity Multiband Compressor or Maximus instead.

Parameters Threshold - Sets the dB level at which the compressor kicks in. Range: 0.0 to -60.0 dB. The threshold should be adjusted according to the relative input level and the type of audio material. Once the threshold level is reached, compression will start, reducing the gain of the input signal according to the current Ratio, Type, Attack and Release settings. Ratio - Controls the amount of compression (gain reduction) that will be applied to the signal once the threshold level is reached. Range: 0.4:1 to 30:1. Ratio denotes the difference in dB between input level and output level, i.e. how much the signal above threshold level will be compressed (or expanded, at ratios below 1:1). For example, a ratio of 4:1 means that when the input level increases by 4dB, the output level of the signal above threshold will only increase by 1dB. Gain - Controls the amount of gain to be added or subtracted from the compressed output signal. Range: 30.0 to -30.0 dB. The gain should be adjusted to normalize the signal amplitude after compression, or to control the amount of limiting. Attack - Controls the time it takes to reach full compression once the threshold level has been exceeded. Range: 0.0 to 400.0 ms. Fast attack means that compression will be more or less instant. Slow attack results in the compression being gradually increased, allowing for more variations in the signal than a fast setting. Attack should be adjusted according to the type of audio material being used. Release - Sets the time the compressor takes to stop acting after the level has fallen below threshold. Range: 1 to 4000 ms. Short release times will make the compression more flexible and able to adapt to the input signal, but can cause fast changes in gain that may sound unpleasant. Long release times produce a signal with a more even level and less distortion, but make it harder to maximize the overall compression because small variations in signal level will be ignored. Type - Controls the knee type and TCR. The possible values are: Hard, Medium, Vintage, Soft, Hard/R, Medium/R, Vintage/R, Soft/R. The knee determines the dB range, above and below the threshold, in which the compression changes from 1:1 to the selected compression ratio. A hard knee setting means that compression will take place immediately after the threshold level is reached, whereas a soft knee setting indicates that compression is gradually applied over a range in the signal. See Knee Type below for more information on these values.

Knee Type While attack controls the speed with which compression is applied, the compressor's knee characteristics

control the rate at which compression is applied. Soft means there is a gradual increase from no to full compression as the input volume increases, while hard means the transition from no to full compression is instant once a predefined input level is exceeded. The actual values for this property mean: Hard - 0 dB Medium - 6 dB Vintage - 7 dB Soft - 15 dB The Vintage compression type emulates the compression curve found on some analog compressors, such as the classic Teletronix LA2A. The major difference is that the compression ratio is gradually reduced at a distance above threshold, slowly allowing the level to go back to a ratio of 1:1. This allows the loudest parts of the signal, such as drum beats and other peaks, to pass without being compressed as much as the rest of the signal. In this way, the Vintage compression type emulates electro-optical analog designs and can greatly enhance warmth and 'punch'. The Vintage compression type also affects the TCR parameter, utilizing a different release time adjustment method. The R types enable TCR (Transient Controlled Release), a special algorithm that automatically adjusts the release time in real-time to avoid fast compression changes. The release time is adjusted in relation to the current Release parameter setting. Enabling TCR can have positive effects on some types of audio material, and help to reduce "pumping and breathing", while increasing the overall loudness of the signal.

Plugin Credits: Ultrafunk

EFFECTS

Fruity Convolver (Convolution, Convolution Reverb & Linear Phase EQ) Fruity Convolver is a real-time Convolution

plugin that can be used to add

reverberation, create special effects, apply an acoustic impulse (audio signature) captured from audio equipment/plugins or perform as a linear phase equalizer. When convolving, Fruity Convolver applies the sonic character of one sound to another by convolution of the input audio with an impulse response

. The impulse response is

an audio recording of an impulse sound after it has bounced off something, bounced around a room (reverberation), passed through an electronic circuit (soaking up the magic within), passed through a plugin (sampling the effect) or any combination of the preceding events. Alternatively, impulse responses can be synthesized or simply another audio file (experiment!).

The convolution process is little more complex than multiplying every sample at the plugin input by the samples in the impulse response. This means that each sample of the input audio triggers the playback of a copy of the impulse response, where all the samples in the impulse response are multiplied by the value of the input sample (-1 to +1). In other words, if the input audio is a single click, 1 sample at 100%, then you will hear the original impulse response. If the impulse response is a single 100% click 5 seconds after the start of the file, you will hear an echo of the input audio delayed by 5 seconds. Most commonly convolution is used to reproduce the reverberation captured from real acoustic spaces you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to record in, or expensive/rare hardware reverb units. It's also possible to capture an impulse response through a guitar amplifier, from a speaker, microphone or to use any interesting audio file as an impulse response to create weird effects. The process of

making impulse responses is discussed in the section 'Making your own impulses' at the bottom of this page. Alternatives to Fruity Convolver include Fruity Reeverb and Fruity Reeverb 2. See the

Fruity Convolver Video Tutorial Series

here.

NOTE: Any audio file can serve as an impulse, experimentation will reward you with unique and interesting sounds.

Options There are two main areas on the plugin interface. The knobs along the top of the plugin give access to commonly used controls and the lower 'Editor' window that can be switched between impulse, the impulse can be manipulated like any recorded audio, and equalizer that can apply equalization to the impulse.

Impulse Dry Adjusts the level of the dry signal (0 to 100%). Input stereo separation Turn left to maximize stereo separation of the input or right to create a mono input. Wet Adjusts the level of the wet signal (reverb / convolution) sound (0 to 100%). Normalize Loudness normalization. This is useful to maintain a consistency across impulses as there can be dramatic differences in gain between them. Wet stereo separation Enhance or reduce the stereo effect in the wet output. Delay Adds a delay to the first reflection from the impulse. NOTE: Fruity Convolver puts any set or detected delays to good use, using the time afforded by the delay lower CPU load. Many reverb impulses have a period of silence at the start, the time taken for the sound to reflect off the closest surface to the microphone/s. Fruity Convolver will detect these delays and will use the extra time to reduce its CPU load also. Self-conv The impulse is convolved with itself before being convolved with the input. This creates a similar effect to putting a reverb on the impulse. Stretch Uses high quality resampling to change the length & pitch of the impulse. NOTE: This is not timestretching so the frequency of the impulse response is shifted lower with stretching and higher with time-compression. It usually sounds right, unlike time-stretching on the impulse with constant pitch

from the editor functions that often results in phasing artifacts. Eq Balance between the Equalized and Normal impulse response. KB Input Select to enable keyboard shortcuts in the impulse & EQ editors. Updating Animates while the plugin is processing changes to settings. There may be a short period of silence when the convolution algorithm updates. Note: Don't touch the delay, stretch, self convolve or eq controls if an interruption to the sound will be an issue (live performance for example).

Impulse Editor Window Fruity Convolver's Impulse Editor is based on Edison, so see Edison's help for features not covered here. The main controls and options needed to use Fruity Convolver's Impulse Editor are: Load Impulse Click the Browse impulses button (shown green above) and drag Impulse files from the Browser and drop on the Editor Window. Left-clicking Shows the location of the currently loaded impulse response. Right-clicking Shows FL Studio's default impulse response folder. Shift + Up / Down Arrow keys Will step up/down the Browser list and will load the impulse response into the most recently focused Fruity Convolver.

Alternatively click the disk icon and use the Windows file browser to locate your own impulse responses. Envelopes Several standard envelope controls are accessible along the bottom of the window that act on the Impulse sound. From left to right Pan To edit the Pan envelope. Volume To edit the Volume envelope. Stereo Separation To edit the Stereo Separation envelope. All-purpose envelope Can be assigned to playback velocity/direction and various other functions. Editing envelopes After selecting the desired envelope type, Right-click in the 'Impulse Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and

tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type. Trigger impulse (spark icon) Click this icon to create a 'click' impulse to create impulses from plugin effects (see a

video tutorial here

):

1. Load two instances of Fruity Convolved in the FX slots above and below the effect to be captured. 2. Make sure the plugin has a fairly loud dry signal passing through so the recording Fruity Convolver can reliably detect the onset of the impulse sound. This is used to compute predelay. 3. Press the record button on the lower Fruity Convolver that will perform the impulse recording. 4. Press the Trigger impulse control. The recording Fruity Convolver will capture the impulse until the signal level falls to zero and automatically stop. To make impulses from external hardware devices we recommend using the Sine-wave sweep method discussed below. Although in this case you can record the sine-wave sweep as it is played through the equipment, no need for microphone rigs.

Impulse Equalizer Window The equalizer functions acts on the impulse itself, not directly on the audio passing through the plugin, so the effect is to change the EQ of the convolved part of the output. You can also use this section to perform Linear phase EQ (see below). The background display shows a frequency spectrograph with time on the vertical axis (time zero is at the top) and frequency on the horizontal axis (frequency is indicated in Hz and Octaves along the bottom of the display). The EQ can be useful to fine-tune impulse responses that don't have the desired tonal characteristics. Pops & claps often excite the mid-range frequencies more strongly than the low and high frequencies. A gentle U shaped curve can help restore a more pleasing frequency balance.

NOTE: The EQ curve above was created by drawing a rough 6-segment set of straight lines and then applying the Smooth up tool.

Working with the EQ envelope Editing envelopes After selecting the desired envelope type, Right-click in the 'Impulse Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type. The default mid-line is 'no change'. Boost/Cut values appear in the FL Studio Hint Bar as the nodes and tension handles are moved. Boost/cut The top of the display = +12 dB, middle line = no change and bottom of the display = 100% cut (-infinite dB).

EQ envelope menu Open state file / Save state file Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. NOTE: State files prefixed by Impulse EQ - belong to Fruity Convolver, the state files prefixed EQ - belong to the EQ tool associated with the Impulse Editor Window. Copy state / Paste state Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history Shows the editing history since the last reset.

Flip vertically Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/100%. Decimate points Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with a rough-drawn EQ curve). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Turn EQ into impulse response Included mainly for your edification. The equalization curve is converted into a linear-phase impulse response. NOTE: This process will set the plugin to 100% Wet, 0% Dry since the EQ impulse response necessarily includes a delay to include pre-ringing required to maintain phase linearity.

Linear Phase EQ presets There are two special presets that turn Fruity Convolver into a Linear Phase Equalizer . That is the phase response of the filter is linear as a function of frequency. Some people claim linear phase filters sound better than other filter types, 'minimum-phase' designs as used in analog EQ and most plugins, particularly on transients. NOTE: The penalty for Linear Phase EQ is a longer plugin latency so PDC may be required for use on all but the Master track. Linear phase EQ (long latency) / (short latency) These presets use an impulse designed to filter the input audio according to the equalization curve you set on the plugin. There is no difference between these presets other than the position of the impulse response in time and so the delay caused by the convolution. As both cause significant output delays, as do all linear phase filters, they are best used in mastering situations. Use Load a Linear phase EQ preset and set the equalizer curve as discussed in the section above. This process relies on an impulse response that has been centered in

the impulse window to allow for a symmetrical impulse response necessary to preserve phase.

Impulse Resources Fruity Convolver comes with a collection of impulse responses, however the addictive nature of these files will mean that you will soon be looking for more. Below are several links to get you started. To load a new impulse response from outside FL Studio, Left-click on the 'Load File' icon on the Impulse Editor window and browse to the location of the new impulse responses. Image-Line Fruity Convolver forum

.

KVR forums "The best Impulse Response [IR] sites" Noise Vault

sticky thread.

Nice resource for public domain reverb impulse response files.

Acoustics Engineering

Some amazing spaces with pictures to inspire.

Promenadikeskus concert hall in Pori, Finland

Impulses from the concert hall

with pictures. Cyber Kitchen Sound Design Enterprise

A nice collection of impulse

responses and below these a good explanation of convolution and some of the interesting things you can do with it. EMES Virtual Rooms Voxengo Impulses

A nice collection of professionally made reverb impulses. Several packs ready for download.

Fokke van Saane's impulse responses

Many of the impulses here are .aif,

Fruity Convolver can load these. We have included Fokke's site mainly because he clearly explains how the impulse response files were created and posts lots of great pictures of the spaces in which the impulses were made, be inspired! Google for 'Reverb Impulse'

Be brave, find your own!

Making impulse responses from plugin effects Making your own impulse responses from plugin effects is fairly simple. Typical candidates are reverb plugins or any effect that does not change as a function of time (e.g. reverb and EQ). Phasing, flanging and delays won't work. The video Reverbs with Fruity Convolver

Sampling

follows the procedure below.

1. Select a Mixer track and Load Fruity Convolver in FX slot 1 then deactivate it. This Fruity Convolver will be used to create the impulse.

2. Load the FX plugin to be 'impulsed' in FX slot 2, below the first Fruity Convolver, and set the plugin to the patch/sound you want. Make sure it's passing the Dry input sound also (don't use 100% wet). 3. Reactivate the Fruity Convolver on FX slot 1. 4. Load a second Fruity Convolver in FX slot 3. This will be used to record the impulse response from the plugin above. 5. Click the Record button of Fruity Convolver on FX slot 3. This will arm it for recording. 6. Click the Trigger impulse (spark icon) of Fruity Convolver on FX slot 1. This will initiate the recording through the plugin on FX slot 2 and into the Fruity Convolver on FX slot 3. 7. Deactivate the plugins on slots 1 and 2. Test your impulse sounds the same as the FX plugin in slot 2.

Making your own impulses from external sources This section assumes that you want to make impulse responses of real-world objects, equipment or spaces. If you are interested in making impulse responses from plugins see the 'Trigger impulse' 4-step tutorial in the Impulse Editor Window section above. NOTE: The limitations discussed below don't apply to making impulses from plugins internally in FL Studio. Making acoustic impulse responses is no more than a specialized exercise in stereo audio recording. If you are capturing reverberation then the quality of the impulse response will depend on the quality of the audio source, the microphones used, the microphone placement, background noises (although sine-wave sweeps mostly avoid this, see below) preamplifier quality and recording equipment. Ideally the recording chain needs to be as transparent as possible so it imparts as little of its own sonic character on the recorded impulse responses. Remember that this process is all about capturing subtle, often low level signals. To do this right you need to have a professional and quality audio recording setup. But this isn't the Image-Line school of scary, 'do it perfectly or don't bother' impulse response recording, we just want to keep your expectations in perspective. If your mobile phone can record audio, why not start with that, you will still gain insight into the process and your impulse responses will be 'interesting', if not good. To create an impulse response you need to record the object being excited by a full audible spectrum (20 Hz to 20 kHz) impulse. There are two main methods for achieving broad-band impulse response recordings: 1. Noise burst method - The ideal burst sound is a loud, single-cycle

wavefront with an infinitely fast pressure-rise, a single spike in air pressure. While it is not practically possible to create a perfect acoustic spike, short, sharp sounds such as hand-claps, two blocks of wood slapped together, loud clicks or white noise blips from good speakers, balloon-pops or starters-guns can substitute reasonably well. This impulse will sound different depending on whether it's heard in a bathroom or a cathedral and if it was recorded on a mobile telephone or with a $2,000 microphone. So it's important to note the 'acoustic fingerprint' of the impulse response comes from both the space in which it was recorded AND the equipment it was recorded with. Once the impulse response is captured, we can apply it to any other audio. 1. Set up your stereo microphones in the location that has the sound you want. 2. Put on your hearing protection, you will be making loud impulse sounds! 3. Record the burst sound. You will need to experiment to get the levels right, you don't want to clip the recording but also want to be able to capture the reverberant sound well. Moving the burst source away from the microphones can help here. There are also many stereo recording techniques that we will leave up to you to sort out (have fun). Generally a nice pair of omnidirectional stereo mics in the A-B (spaced) array or baffled A-B array

(this authors

favorite) work well. Think about the reverberant sound you are trying to capture. If it's a concert hall, where is the audience located? Put your microphones there (best seats in the house, don't be stingy!) where are the instruments located? Make your impulse noise from there. What if you want the sound from the performers perspective? Then you put the microphones on stage and make the noise from there also, you get the idea. 4. The recording is your impulse response, load it into Fruity Convolver and appreciate the hard work that goes into making great sounding impulse response recordings. Problems with the noise burst approach include the sonic character of the impulse sound contaminating the impulse response, poor frequency coverage and poor signal to noise ratio as background noises contaminate the recording, particularly the decaying tail. 2. Sine-wave sweep method - This is the preferred as it avoids many of the problems associated with the noise burst approach. Here we record a sine-

wave frequency sweep (20 Hz to 20 kHz) as it excites the acoustic object. After some additional mathematical processing an impulse can be computed from the recording that represents only the sonic characteristics of the object across the frequency spectrum and with a very high signal to noise ratio. In addition to the recording rig you will need a good speaker (possibly amplifier) and CD, portable media player or laptop to play the sine-sweep wav file. Remember we are after quality audio reproduction here. 1. Generate or download a 20 Hz to 20 kHz sine-wave sweep of at least 10 seconds duration although longer sweeps result in better quality impulses. 20 seconds is a good target. 2. Set up your stereo microphones in the location that has the sound you want. Use the stereo technique of your choosing (see the 'noise burst' method, above). 3. Set up a high-quality speaker in the location from where you want the sound to originate. Remember speakers are directional so you should face them in the direction a performer or musician would be facing in the environment then put your microphones where the audience would be. Studio monitors are ok here, although they will have poor low frequency response (< 55 Hz) and probably lumpier than you expect at other frequencies. If you have the gear to calibrate the speaker to a flat frequency response, do it. 4. Play the sine-wave sweep in the acoustic environment over your quality speaker and record the result. Then go off and tape down and wedge foam or tissues in all the objects in the room that made resonant buzzing noises and do it again. 5. Use deconvolver software to construct the impulse. Voxengo's Voxengo Deconvolver

works well. Load the

original and recorded files in the program and they will be processed to create the impulse response .wav file. NOTE: The unregistered Voxengo Deconvolver demo version does not allow batch processing and is limited to 3 deconvolution per program's session. 6. Load your impulse response into Fruity Convolver and wonder if it isn't easier to just download other peoples impulse responses.

Impulses can be taken from literally anything that can transmit or reflect audio signals. In addition to sampling reverberation, you can create an impulse from a microphone, e.g. recording a frequency sweep through a Neumann U87 microphone would theoretically capture the 'fingerprint' U87 sound. Similarly, recording a guitar amplifier and cabinet would capture the sound of the electronics and speaker. The applications of impulses is therefore almost unlimited.

Credits Convolution engine by: LiquidSonics

.

Delphi code translation: Frederic Vanmol (reflex). GUI and Code by: Didier Dambrin (gol).

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity dB Meter Fruity dB Meter: is a large-display peak meter in a dB (decibel) format. Any signal above 0 dB is displayed in orange (see the Levels & Mixing section for an explanation of why over 0 dB may not be a problem). Hold the mouse cursor over the display to see the decibel level. Right-click it to reset the peak holds. Related plugins: Wavecandy has a range of fully customizable metering options covering most common metering types.

Suggested usage: Fruity dB Meter can be set at various points in the Fx chain, to check levels before and after different effects (e.g. compressors). NOTE: there is also an General Settings option Alternate meter scale that will change the scaling of all FL Studio peak meters.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Delay Fruity Delay is a delay line plugin, with inverted stereo / ping pong modes & a lowpass filter, optimized for automation (input and feedback values are ramped). Related plugins: Fruity delay is closely related to the Fruity Delay 2 plugin. Fruity Delay Bank is the most sophisticated delay plugin in the FL Studio effects kit.

Parameters Input - Sets the volume level of the input signal Feedback - Sets the echo volume. Setting this value at maximum creates a constant level of feedback (i.e. echoes that do not fade out). Cutoff - Sets the cutoff frequency for the low-pass filter used on the echoes. Set to maximum to disable this feature. Tempo - Allows you to set the tempo used to generate the echoes. 'Auto' uses the tempo of FL Studio, while the other values provide custom tempo settings.

Steps - Determines the amount of time between each echo. The default is three steps/notes. Mode - Sets the delay filter in a special mode for processing the stereo signal: Normal processes the stereo signal as in the original, Inv Stereo swaps the right and left channels for all echoes, Ping Pong swaps the left and right channels of the input for each echo, creating a 'bouncing' effect (if the source contains panned sounds).

Notes Echoes may break up if there is tempo automation, due to a limitation in the delay engine (the buffer has to be rebuilt to match the tempo).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Delay 2 Fruity Delay 2 is an enhanced version of the Fruity Delay VST plugin, with refined controls and some additional features, such as stereo offset and panning control for the input signal. Related plugin: Fruity Delay Bank is a more sophisticated delay plugin, for those times when one delay is not enough.

Parameters Input Section Allows you to tune the volume and panning of the input signal. Panning wheel (PAN) - Sets the panning of the input signal. Volume wheel (VOL) - Sets the volume of the input signal.

Feedback Section Sets various options for the echo feedback. Normal/Inverted/Ping Pong - Normal keeps the stereo data consistent with the input signal; Inverted switches the left and right channels in the feedback (so if the input is panned to right, the feedback will be panned to left); Ping Pong works like Inverted, but switches the left and right channels repeatedly for each echo generated (thus creating a "ping pong" effect). Volume wheel (VOL) - sets the volume of the feedback. Setting this to

maximum will create feedback that never fades out, while setting it to minimum (spun maximum to left) will result in no feedback. Cutoff wheel (CUT) - sets the cutoff frequency amount for the feedback. Using this feature allows you to "smooth out" echoes as they fade out thus creating more natural effect.

Time Section Contains the time settings of the delay effect. Time wheel (TIME) - sets the signal delay time (and amount of time between echoes in the feedback). This setting is tempo based. If you want to set the time to an exact number of steps, Right-click the wheel and from the popup menu select the Set submenu for a list of presets. Steps (16th notes) are each divided into 48, so you can set a perfect 1/3 fraction. Hold Ctrl for fine adjustment and check the hint bar as you tweak the delay time - 1/2 = 8:00, 1/4 = 4:00, 1/8 = 2:00, 1/16 = 1:00, 1/2 dotted = 12:00, 1/4 dotted = 6:00, 1/8 dotted = 3:00, 1/16 dotted = 1:24, 1/2 triplet = 5:16, 1/4 triplet = 2:32, 1/8 triplet = 1:16 and 1/16 triplet = 0:32 Stereo Offset wheel (OFS) - lets you set a time offset for the left or right audio channel, thus creating richer stereo panorama of the delay effect. To delay the left channel, spin the wheel to the left. To delay the right channel, turn to the right. To remove the time offset between channels, reset the wheel (Right-click the wheel and select the Reset command).

Dry Section Contains a single wheel (VOL) that sets the amount of "dry" (unprocessed) signal to be mixed with the "wet" (processed by the effect) signal. If you want to use Fruity Delay 2 in a send track, it is recommended to set the dry volume to 0 (the wheel spun maximum to left).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Delay Bank Fruity Delay Bank is a powerful delay/filter plugin. This effect consists of a bank of 8 identical banks, each of which can be fed to the next bank in the chain, to create complex delay and filtering effects. Related plugins: Fruity Delay and Fruity Delay 2 are less complex delay plugins, useful for those times when Delay Bank is messing too much with your head.

Parameters The top right corner of the Delay Bank are a set of global controls Oversample Switch - 2X Oversampling to improve the sound quality of the filters. Dry Sound Level (DRY) - The level of dry (unprocessed) signal that bypasses the Delay Bank effect, 0% to 100%. Processed Sound Level (WET) - The volume of the processed sound coming from the Delay Bank, 0% to 100%. Input Volume (IN) - The level of the signal fed into the Delay Banks. Feedback (FB) - Global feedback value. Each bank consists of a series of processes, running from Left to Right they are discussed below

IN Input Section Allows you to set volume and panning of the input signal. On/Off switch (ON) - Turns the selected Bank ON or OFF. Solo switch (SOLO) - Solos the sound of the selected Bank. Silences all other banks. Pan knob (PAN) - Sets the panning of the input signal. Volume knob (VOL) - Sets the volume of the input signal.

FILT Filter Section determines the filter type, cutoffs and if the filtering is applied before or after the delay section. Filter Pre/Post Delay (POST) - Determines whether filtering is applied before or after the delay. This setting is most audible when the filter is automated. Input Filter Type/Mode - (

), The first section of this display

can be used to change between one of 8 filter states (OFF - No filter, LP Low Pass, BP - Band Pass, NOT - Notch, HP - High Pass, LS - Low Shelf, PK - Peaking, HS - High Shelf). The Filter Mode Switches, 1 to 3 determine the slope of the cutoff filter, 1 = 12 dB/Octave, 2 = 24 dB/Octave and 3 = 36 dB/Octave. Filter Input (GAIN) - Adjusts the filter input volume from 10% to 200% Input Filter Cutoff Frequency (CUT) - Sets the Cutoff for the input filter. As this filter is applied to the input signal, it's effect passes to later stages. Input Filter Resonance/Bandwidth (RES) - Boosts a narrow band of frequencies close to the cutoff value to create a ringing effect.

FEEDBACK Echo Feedback Section - Controls how echoes from the delay are processed. Echo Processing - (

) Look very carefully at the second bar in each

image. The first switch state shown is Process First Echo the second is

Leave First Echo. This function decides if the first echo is affected by the echo filtering section. Tempo Based Time Switch - (

), The first T shows enabled the

second disabled. Tempo based time forces the echoes to sync with the BPM of the project. Delay Timing (TIME) - Determines the spacing between echoes. Stereo Offset (OFS) - Lets you set a time offset for the left or right audio channel, to create a richer stereo panorama of the delay effect. To delay the left channel, move the slider down. To delay the right channel, move the slider up. To remove the time offset between channels, center the slider (Right-click the knob and select the Reset command). Separation (SEP) - Affects the L and R spacing. Feedback Mode Off (OFF) - Turns feedback off. Feedback Mode Inverted (INV) - Swaps the left and right channels in the feedback (so if the input is panned to right, the feedback will be panned to left). Feedback Mode Normal (NORM) - Keeps the stereo data consistent with the input signal. Feedback Mode Ping-Pong (P.PONG) - Works like Inverted, but switches the left and right channels repeatedly for each echo generated, creating a "ping pong" effect. Feedback Panning (PAN) - Pan position for the feedback echoes. Feedback Volume (VOL) - Volume of the feedback echoes. Turn fully clockwise for infinite delays.

FB FILT Feedback Filtering - Contains a set of filtering options for the feedback signal. Feedback Filter Type/Mode - (

), The first section of this

display can be used to change between one of 8 filter states (OFF - No filter, LP - Low Pass, BP - Band Pass, NOT - Notch, HP - High Pass, LS Low Shelf, PK - Peaking, HS - High Shelf). The Filter Mode Switches, 1 to 3 determine the slope of the cutoff filter, 1 = 12 dB/Octave, 2 = 24

dB/Octave and 3 = 36 dB/Octave. Feedback Filter Gain (GAIN) - Adjusts the filter output volume, 10% to 200%. Feedback Filter Cutoff Frequency (CUT) - Sets the filter cutoff frequency amount for the feedback. This progressively filters each successive repeat to 'smooth out' echoes as they fade out, creating more natural effect. Feedback Filter Resonance/Bandwidth (RES) - Boosts a narrow band of frequencies close to the cutoff value, creating a ringing effect.

GRAIN Granualizing - is the process of chopping audio into small chunks (grains). The grain effect is here applied to the echoes of the delay. Grain Division (DIV) - Slices the delay sound into small pieces (grains) using an envelope function. The grains are aligned to the size of the echo for a smooth sound. Grain Shape (SH) - Adjusts the shape of the chopping envelope and therefore defines the nature of the grain sound. Tweak it until it sounds good.

OUT Bank output - Each bank can pass its output to the next bank in the chain, or to the main outputs. Output to Next Delay Bank (NEXT) - Changes the level sent to the next bank in the chain. This is not available for last (eighth) bank. Output Pan (PAN) - Changes the panning of the output from the bank. Output Volume (VOL) - Final bank output level control.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Fast Dist Fruity Fast Dist Fruity Fast Dist is a CPU-friendly distortion effect. Try using this plugin on bass and kick drum sounds for a gritty and punchier effect.

Parameters Preamp wheel (PRE) - Allows you to amp up or down the signal before it is distorted. The middle position means 100% volume. You might need to increase the volume sometimes with this wheel to get distortion. Threshold wheel (THRES) - Selects the frequency band to be distorted. The more you turn this wheel to right, the wider the band is. A/B switch - Selects among two types of distortion. Mix wheel (MIX) - Allows you to mix the dry sound (unprocessed) with the distorted sound. Turn the wheel maximum to the right to hear only the distorted sound. Post Gain wheel (POST) - If you distort the sound too much, it will become too loud. This wheel lets you reduce the volume AFTER applying the distortion. Rotated maximum to the right gives 100% the volume of the sound.

Plugin Credits: Richard Hoffmann, Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Fast LP Fruity Fast LP is a lowpass filter with very low processor usage, optimized for automation. This is the same filter algorithm used in the Instrument Channel Settings' Fast LP' filter .

Parameters Cutoff - Sets the "cutoff" frequency used in the filter (the higher the value, the wider the band passed through the filter). Resonance - Sets the filter's resonance: this is an amplified frequency band near the cutoff level used to create special effects.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Filter Fruity Filter is a variable state filter plugin, optimized for automation. For advanced filtering effects try Fruity Love Philter

Parameters Cutoff Freq - Sets the cutoff frequency for the lowpass/bandpass/highpass filters. Resonance - Boosts a frequency band near the cutoff level, to create a sound 'sharpening' special effect. Low Pass - Amount of lowpass filter mixed in the output. Leaves only low frequencies in the output. Band Pass - Amount of bandpass filter mixed in the output. Leaves a certain frequency band in the output and filters all other frequencies. High Pass - Amount of highpass filter mixed in the output. Leaves only high frequencies in the output.

Plugin Credits: Code: Didier Dambrin Thanks To: David Billen for the algorithm sample.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Flanger Flanging is a form of phase cancellation created by combining multiple, variously delayed copies of the input sound. Related plugin: Fruity Flangus.

Parameters Delay - Sets the minimum delay between the flanger voices. The flanger delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. Range: 0 to 20 milliseconds. For 'deep' flanger effect, set this parameter to low values. Depth - Controls the flanger delay modulation. The flanger delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. If this value is zero, the flanger will remain 'static' as the delay modulation will stay constant. Setting the 'Depth' to higher values will create heavier modulation. Rate - The rate at which the flanger is modulated. Range: 0 to 5 Hz. Phase - Use this control to widen the stereo image. Range: 0 to 360 degrees. If set to 0, the LFO on the left and right channels will be in perfect synchronization. At 180 degrees the left and right channel will be 100% out of phase. This means that the left channel will reach its maximum when the right channel is at minimum. Try setting 10 degrees for subtle stereo enhancement. Damp - Use this parameter to attenuate the high frequencies of the processed output. Range: 0 (no filtering) to 1 (full filtering - no output). Shape - Determines the shape of the LFO. Range: smooth transition between sine to triangle LFO. A sine LFO will produce smoother transitions, while a triangle LFO will result in more constant pitch-shifting. While subtle, this parameter can help you get just the right sound. Feed - Sets the feedback amount. Range: 0 to 100 %. Set to high values to make the flanger 'whistle'. Try high settings with heavy filtering (for example 99% feedback + the filter at 0.95) for special effects. Invert Feedback / Invert Wet - These two switches invert the processed (wet) and

feedback signal. Range: on and off. Mixing a signal with an inverted version of itself creates the known flanger effect. When both are off the sound is more like a chorus than a flanger. While Invert Wet will directly change the flanger/chorus sound, the Invert Feedback has a less dramatic effect, but can be used to change the sound timbre. Dry / Wet / Cross - These three knobs determine the output mixture. Range: -inf (silent) to 0dB. Dry is the original signal, wet is the effected signal and cross is a left-right inverted version of the wet signal.

Plugin Credits: Smart Electronix

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Flangus Fruity Flangus allows you to enrich the stereo panorama of your mix, add complex flange effects and simulate unison mode synthesis via a set of controllable 'stacked' flangers. Related plugin: If you wish to explore other flanging effects, a different plugin, Fruity Flanger, is also available.

Parameters Order (ORD)- Sets the number of "stacked" flangers to be used for the effect. Using more flangers makes the effect smoother and richer. Depth (DEPTH) - Controls the "flange depth" (amplitude of pitch oscillation for each of the stacked flangers). Speed (SPD) - Controls the flange speed (speed of pitch oscillation). Delay (DEL) - Variable amounts of delay can be applied to each of the stacked flangers. Use this parameter to define the overall amount of delay applied. Spread (SPRD) - Each flanger is assigned a different speed, depth, etc. in a range defined by the basic properties provided in the Flangus interface. Increase the SPRD value to "smooth" the spreading of the stacked flangers across the parameter ranges. Stereo Cross (CROSS) - This parameter applies a stereo cross mix between the left and right channel audio output of Flangus. Increase the parameter value to mix more of the left channel sound in the right one and vice versa. The parameter has range of -100 to 100. Negative values mix inverted sound in the opposite channel. Dry - Determines the dry (unprocessed) audio in the output. Range: -100 to 100. Negative values mix inverted sound into the output.

Wet - Determines the processed ('flanged') audio in the output. Range: -100 to 100. Negative values mix inverted sound into the output.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Formula Controller Fruity Formula Controller generates automation control data based on user-defined formulae. The Formula Controller will appear as an Formula ctrl - Out option in the Link dialog. It is just one of the many internal automation controllers available in FL Studio.

How to use: 1. Load Fruity Formula Controller in a Mixer FX Slot. NOTE: Renaming the Formula Controller will help you find the correct automation source when more than one is used in a project. 2. Enter a formula or select one from the plugin presets and make sure it compiles correctly. 3. Link the target Synth, Effect or FL Studio interface control to the 'Formula ctrl - Out' option (or custom name used at step 1) from the Link Dialog > 'Link assignment' menu. 4. Link other internal or external hardware controllers to the A, B and or C variables and or record A, B, C tweaking in real-time of the formula is running on time-based parameters.

Parameters A/B/C - These knobs can be used as variables in your formulas. Enter them into your formula as a, b and c variables (see the list operators and functions below). Formula - This is where you enter your formula. Press ENTER or Compile to compile to formula. If the formula is a valid mathematical expression, you will see a message 'Compiled ok' below the formula. If it's not, you will see a helpful error message. NOTE: The output of the formula must range between 0 to 1 in order to qualify as valid control data. ? - Opens the Syntax, Objects and Functions table (see below). Compile - Compiles the formula. Alternatively press ENTER when using the formula edit box. Comments - Type comments here. If text exceeds the height of the window a scroll-bar will appear on the right side. Supports RTF text from WordPad. The formula Monitor graph also displays

behind the text for your convenience. Monitor - Shows the output from the formula in real-time. NOTE: Many formula will not display as a moving trace until you click Play on FL Studio's transport panel.

Syntax, Objects & Functions The following syntax, functions and objects are supported by the Formula Controller:

Operators Abbreviation

Description

Example

+

addition

a+b

*

multiplication

a*b

-

subtraction

a-b

/

division

a/b

^

power

a^b

Sin

sine

Sin(a)

Cos

cosine

Cos(a)

Tg

tangent

Tg(a)

Ctg

cotangent

Ctg(a)

Sec

secant

Sec(a)

CoSec

cosecant

CoSec(a)

ArcSin

antisine

ArcSin(a)

ArcCos

anticosine

ArcCos(a)

ArcTg

antitangent

ArcTg(a)

Exp

exponent

Exp(a)

Sqrt

square root

Sqrt(a)

Ln

logarithm base e

Ln(a)

Log10

logarithm base 10

Log10(a)

Log2

logarithm base 2

Log2(a)

Neg

negative

Neg(a)

Abs

absolute

Abs(a)

Pi

pi

Pi()

Sum

sum of arguments

Sum(a,b)

Min

minimum

Min(a,b)

Max

maximum

Max(a,b)

Round

round to nearest integer

Round(a)

Functions

Int

integral part

Int(a)

Frac

fractional part

Frac(a)

IfE

returns 1 if a=b

IfE(a,b)

IfL

returns 1 if ab

IfG(a,b)

IfLE

returns 1 if a=b

IfGE(a,b)

Case

returns b if a=1, else returns c

Case(a,b,c)

Rand

random value (0..1)

Rand()

SeededRand

controlled random value (0..1)

SeededRand(Seed)

Special (FL Studio-related) a

value of knob A

a

b

value of knob B

b

c

value of knob C

c

SongTime

song position, in quarters

SongTime()

Time

system time, in ms

Time()

Tension

same as tension knobs

Tension(Value,Speed)

Date

system date

Date()

MouseX

mouse cursor X position

MouseX()

MouseY

mouse cursor Y position

MouseY()

Gadgets

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin, Andrew Tumashinov (RapidEvaluator)

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Free Filter Fruity Free Filter is a general purpose filter plugin. For advanced filtering effects try Fruity Love Philter.

Parameters Type - Selects the filter type to be used: low pass, band pass, high pass, notch, low shelf, peaking EQ or high shelf. Freq - Cutoff/bandpass/bandcut frequency (depending on the filter type). Q - Boosts a frequency band near the cutoff level, to create a resonance/ringing effect. Gain - Sets the filter gain. Applies only to 'peaking' filters (i.e. peaking EQ, low shelf and high shelf).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

Groove Machine Groove Machine is a multichannel (drum)sampler, multitimbral hybrid synthesizer, sequencer and last but not least a 'Groove Box', inspired by hardware of this genre. Special attention is paid to live performance via MIDI controllers. A related plugin is Groove Machine Synth.

Groove Machine Videos here

DEMO ONLY: Groove Machine is downloadable

as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you

can save projects containing Groove Machine channels.

Overview Groove Machine consists of a step sequencer, with integrated Note Editor driving 8 sampler tracks, 5 synth tracks and 10 effects for every track. The main parts of the plugin are the: Tracks section FX section (touchpad + buttons) Stutter. Synth and sampler section Sequencer. In normal mode it works as a keyboard to test the sounds. Transport section One of the most powerful features is PER step automation. Right-click any interface control to access the automation graphs for that control.

Linking & MIDI Groove Machine can make PER-Channel MIDI control links OR generic links to ALL similar targets across Channels (Channels refer to the 8 x Samplers and 5 x Synths). Each time you select a new sampler or Synthesizer Channel a unique set of synthesis & effects controls are exposed for editing. To provide a quick setup Groove Machine has its own internal linking system: NOTES: Automation - Groove Machine provides PER-Step automation of all parameters by right-clicking controls and editing the value field at the top of the Drum or Note sequencer page.

Sampler Channel Mapping - Sampler Channels are pre-mapped to general MIDI keys. This is why the SamplerChannels are pre-named as BD, SD etc. Selection via MIDI - You select multiple instrument channels via MIDI at the same time, then activate an effect OR tweak a control (say on an Effect), it will be applied to all selected parts. Note slides - Use the Step Entry method to select the FREQ SLIDE switch/time-knobs on a per-note basis. Multiple channel edits/actions - Select multiple channels in edit mode then edits to parameters or muting/unmuting will be made to all the selected channels simultaneously.

External Controller Links (PER Channel PER Target) When a GUI target is linked using this technique the link will be to the specific target on the specific (Sampler/Synth) Channel selected at the time of linking. To create a link of this type:

1. Select the LINK switch. It will turn orange. 2. Tweak a soft knob (CTRL 1 to 5). 3. Tweak the GUI target on the desired Drum/Synth Channel. 4. Link the soft knob to the external controller (MIDI controller or automation clip e.t.c) according to your DAW softwares usual procedures. In FL Studio, tweak the soft knob and select TOOLS > Last tweaked > Link to controller and then tweak the controller knob again. NOTE: Steps 2 and 3 are reversible.

Quick Link & Keyboard System (ALL Channels PER Target) When a target is linked using this technique the link will become active for ALL similar targets on the Sampler or Synth Channels when they are selected. To make a link of this type:

To link Groove Machine GUI targets to external MIDI keys/controllers: 1. This step is for FL Studio users only: Open the 'Options (F10) > MIDI settings' in FL Studio and select 'Controller type: (generic)'. This enables a custom Groove Machine MIDI mapping

to assist Groove Machine links with your

controller. 2. Tweak the Groove Machine control or click the button to be linked. Linking momentary switches to MIDI keys is a great way of mixing up your performances. 3. Tweak the knob, slider or press the MIDI key/pad on your controller. 4. Click the Link symbol as shown above. To deactivate a link select the GUI target and click the link symbol to deactivate it. NOTES: Steps 1 & 2 are reversible. Try linking MIDI keyboard keys & drum pads to any switch on Groove Machine. Another important capability of this system is to link Keyboard keys (or Pads) to Patterns and other momentary controls such as the stutter effects.

External Controller Links ALL Channels

Follow your DAW's normal procedure for linking MIDI controllers or software controllers (e.g. Automation clips) to GUI targets. NOTE: These links will work across all Sampler and Synth Channels when they are focussed. Not all GUI controls will work with this method, if not see the 'Quick link & keyboard system' below. In FL Studio: 1. Tweak the GUI target. If you open the 'Browser > Current Project > Generators > Groove Machine' folder all targets are available and will focus when tweaked. You can Right-click these and select Link to controller also. 2. Select Tools > Last tweaked > Link to controller 3. Tweak the controller knob/control OR select the controller from the Remote control setting pop-up and the link is made.

Options & Controls Click the MIDI/EQ button (showing SYNTH below) in the lower left of the screen to toggle between SYNTH and MIDI/EQ panels.

MIDI - From the top section you can set various MIDI controller input to a selected range of Groove Machine targets. Select the target using the DESTINATION drop-down menu box. VELOCITY - Assign keyboard velocity to control a range of targets in Groove Machine. The VELOCITY TO LEVEL switch enables the basic velocity to volume relationship. MODULATION - Assign the mod wheel to a range of targets in Groove Machine. AFTERTOUCH - Assign aftertouch to a range of targets in Groove Machine. Aftertouch is pressure applied to keys/pads after being played, this feature may not be supported on your MIDI controller. PITCH BEND - Set the Pitch Bend wheel to bend-range relationship. EQUALIZER - The 5 band equalizer is post-FX and covers the range of center frequencies of 60 Hz, 220 Hz, 1500 Hz, 8000 Hz and 12000 Hz respectively. ENABLE - Activates the EQ.

Sampler Panel Groove Machine has 8 independent Sampler Channels. While they are pre-named as BD (Bass Drum), SD1 (Snare Drum 1) etc., this is simply for organizational & standards purposes, you can load any sample/s you want in any Sampler Channel. However, Sampler Channels are pre-mapped to the MIDI percussion standard, so stick with the categories and your Groove Machine sampler patches will play from any MIDI percussion file correctly.

COMMON - Layer controls: LVL (Level) - Global level for the selected sample layer. PAN (Panning) - Pan position for the selected sample layer. PITCH - Pitch for the selected sample layer. LVL ENVELOPE - Layer controls:

ATK - Attack time for the selected sample layer. HOLD - Hold level for the selected sample layer. DEC - Decay time for the selected sample layer. FILTERS - Layer controls: LO-CUT - High-pass filter cutoff. HI-CUT - Low-pass filter cutoff. RES - Resonance amount. There is a resonance peak on both the LOW and HI cuts. TIMING - Layer controls: DELAY - Sample start delay. INVERT - Sample phase invert. REVERSE - Reverse sample playback. LAYER - There are (up to) 4 sample layers per Sampler Channel. Select a Layer and drop a sample on it from the Browser or the computers standard file explorer. BPS (Bypass layer) - Switch layers on or off. Automate for additional performance possibilities. TIP: Try layering between Drum Channels. To make a bigger/new kick sounds for example, load two kicks on two Sampler Channels, then use the high (HPF) and Low (LPF) filters to select the high end of one kick and with the low end of the other. Change the start point of one slightly to optimize the combined phases. BOOM!

Synth Panel The synthesizer section in Groove Machine is a hybrid additive, FM & RM design.

Oscillator section - There are 3 independent oscillators. WAVESHAPE - Click to select from predefined shapes or load waveforms from .wav files or the library. You can also drop waveforms on each of the 3 oscillators. PITCH - Pitch change in semitones. FINE - Pitch change in cents. MODULATION - Select from one of: 1 SYNC - OSC1 will be synced by the frequency defined by AMOUNT fader. 2 to 1 FM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Frequency Modulation relationship. 2 to 1 RM - Oscillator 2 is linked to Oscillator 1 in a Ring Modulation relationship. AMOUNT - Sync, FM or RM amount. MIX OSC 2 - Mix for Oscillator 1 & 2. INV - Invert the phase of Oscillator 2. OSC 3 - Mix for Oscillator (1+2) & 3.

NOISE - Mix between all oscillators and white noise source. PHASE OSC 2 - Oscillator 2 phase. RETRIG - Oscillator 2 phase retriggering. UNISONO - Unison phase. UNISONO - Multiple detuned voices are generated per note for a chorus-like effect. VOICES - Choose between 1 and 16. STEREO - Stereo spread of voices. DETUNE - Detuning of voices. KEYBOARD OCTAVE - Octave for all Oscillators. TIP: Feel free to change this on a per-step basis. MONO VOICE - Monophonic mode with portamento.

Articulation

FILTER CUTOFF - Channel global filter cutoff frequency. RES - Resonance. KBD - Keyboard scaling. The filter cutoff will track up and down with the note played. Higher notes having a higher cutoff frequency etc. TYPE - Switch between LP (Low Pass), BP (Band Pass) & HP (HighPass). ENVELOPE ATK - Attack time. DEC - Decay time. AMNT - Amount of envelope applied. Envelope scaling. INVERT - Invert the phase of the envelope. DEST - Target parameter for envelope modulation. EG1 / EG2 - There are two envelopes available, switch between them here. LFO - Low Frequency Modulation is used as a source to rhythmically or otherwise vary synthesis parameters. RATE - LFO Speed.

SYNC - Synchronize the LFO period to NONE (free running), BEATs or BARs. AMNT - LFO modulation amount. RETRIG - Retriggering restarts the LFO phase on each note. Leave off for a free-running LFO effect. DEST - LFO destination. Select the target to be modulated by the LFO. INVERT - Inverts the LFO waveform. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. NOTE: The Sine (top shape) is bipolar, generating both +1 and -1 values at opposing peaks. The remainder of the shapes (Triangle, Saw & Square) are uni-polar producing values between 0 and 1. LFO 1 / LFO 2 - There are two LFO sources available, choose the LFO to be edited here. LVL EG - Envelope Generator Level. The envelope is used to shape the volume contour of the sound of each note played. Amplitude - Overall gain. ATTACK - Attack time, low if faster. DECAY - Decay time, low is faster. SUSTAIN - Sustain level. Volume for the duration of the held note. RELEASE - Release time, low is faster. Try increasing this a little if notes 'click' when released. CHANNEL OUTPUT - Global Channel volume. PAN - Global Channel panning (position in the Left to Right stereo field). PITCH - Global Channel pitch (semitones). FREQ SLIDE - Slide time for portamento style effects. Activate with the switch below the knob. When using the Step Entry sequencing method, you can edit the Freq Slide activate switch per step, to decide what steps slide, for 'TB-303' style slide notes.

Effects Groove Machine has 10 performance oriented effects per Channel. This allows for completely independent operation. NOTE Groove Machine is also a multi-output plugin. You can route each sampler and Synthesizer Channel to a unique mixer track for even more in-depth processing.

GLUE - Click this switch to permanently enable the selected effect. Momentary activation can be gained by clicking in the X/Y panel. Effects - There are 10 effects these include: DIST - Distortion. X - Distortion amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. CRSH - Bit crusher. X - Sample-rate reduction amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. FLNG - Flanging. X - Depth. Y - Feedback.

PHSR - Phasing. X - Depth. Y - Feedback. LPF - Low pass filtering. X - Low pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount. HPF - High pass filtering. X - High pass filter cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount ECHO - Delay/Echo. X - Feedback amount (echo strength) Y - Echo filtering. RVRB - Reverberation. X - Feedback. Y - Wet level (reverb amount). PAN - Panning. X - Left/Right pan position. Y - Binaural effect level. Up/Down. TRNC - Trance effect. X - Release time. Y - Drop level. Use this effect to induce side-chain style pumping. STUTTER - Beat related repeat effects. Click to activate or link to a controller for live performance. Hold the ALT (bottom) button plus another to get the alternative mode printed in yellow under the white labels. LFO LFO Multiplier - Select a multiplication factor for the LFO. AMOUNT - LFO multiplier, from 0 to 100% (top). SYNC - LFO can be synced to the Bar or Beat. SHAPE - LFO waveform shape. Arm X / Y - Each effect has a pair of unique performance parameters.

Sequencing Groove Machine provides three main methods of sequencing performances. Loop Recording, Step entry. Sequencer entry and . Use these methods to enter data for up to each of the 8 PATTERNS by 8 BARS x 8 (drum) SAMPLER Channels and 5 SYNTHESIZER Channels. Hold the (

Ctrl) Key and click a PATTERN and BAR to edit them. Right-click the Stepsequencer to

open the Note Editor for the selected Channel OR any interface control for step-by step automation.

NOTE: If a button is flashing while Groove Machine is not playing, (

Ctrl) and click to select, that button is armed for editing.

Transport & Edit Controls When used in FL Studio Groove Machine will slave to the Master Transport Controls. Pressing play in Grove Machine will start FL Studio also. Transport Buttons - > step between patterns. Press the Record button to arm for recording and Play to start the recording. A 1 bar count-in precedes recording. EDIT MODE - (

Ctrl) when selected you can select the BAR and Steps to edit.

PLAY ONCE - Plays the selected PATTERN and BAR once. LOOP BAR - Loops the selected bar. MUTE - Mutes the selected Channel. SOLO - Solos the selected Channel. COPY - Copies the contents of the selected PATTERN or BAR. Hold (

Ctrl) and click to select.

PASTE - Pasted the contents of the clipboard to the selected CLEAR - Clears the selected (in edit mode) PATTERN or BAR. NOTE LENGTH - Change the length of selected notes. You can also roll your mouse wheel on notes when using the Note Editor . SWING - A 'swing' rhythm holds the first note of the bar. The control determines the amount of swing. People seem obsessed with swing rhythms (except Kraftwerk). Swing enable - The button below the knob enables swing (link it to something!). NOTE: The enable switch is per instrument channel so you can have any combination of swung and straight sequencing per instrument.

Drum Part Mapping For your convenience the 8 Sampler Channels are pre mapped to the following MIDI keys (playing notes outside this range will play the selected Sampler Channel unpitched). This also means when you are recording live you can access & record on all sampler channels at once from any selected sampler channel by playing the right keys. Channel Name

Note/Key

BD (Bass Drum)

C5

SD1 (Side Drum

D5

SD2 (Side Drum

D#5

FX1 (Effects 1)

F5

HHC (High Hat

F#5

1)

2)

Closed) FX2 (Effects 2)

G5

HHO (High Hat

G#5

Open) FX3 (Effects 3)

B5

NOTE: Replace octave 5 above with 4 on some DAW software. Anarchists can, of course, load any sample/loop on any Sampler Channel.

Loop Recording Groove Machine will loop up to and including the number of bars with note data in them provided you press Play THEN Record. If you press Record then Play, Groove Machine will loop the entire 8 bars of the Pattern. 1. Select Bar 1 of the Pattern (1 to 8) you want to record into. 2. Select the Sampler or Synth Channel you want to use. 3. Press Record and Play to start recording up to the number of bars you want to loop OR manually edit in a basic percussion track for the number of bars you want to loop, this is useful as the metronome won't be audible in looprecord mode. 4. Stop playback 5. IMPORTANT Press Play to start playback THEN Record 6. Groove Machine will now loop to the total of bars with note data. You can switch between Channels and FX while looping and all movements and notes will be recorded. 7. When you are done, Stop playback and record mode will be cancelled also. NOTE: See the Sequencer entry section for more details of the options available.

Step Entry/Sequencing

To use the step entry method for Sampler Channels: 1. Select a Sampler/Drum Channel 2. Select a Pattern (1 to 8) 3. Hold the Ctrl key - on your keyboard to enter EDIT mode. 4. Select a Bar(1 to 8) - When Ctrl is held (in EDIT mode) the last 8 notes of the Step Sequencer select bars. 5. Click on steps - to activate them. 6. Double-click active steps - to deactivate them. 7. Release the Ctrl key To use the step entry method for Synth Channels: 1. Select a Synth Channel 2. Select a Pattern (1 to 8) 3. Hold the Ctrl key - on your keyboard to enter EDIT mode. 4. Select a Bar(1 to 8) - When Ctrl is held (in EDIT mode) the last 8 notes of the Step Sequencer select bars. 5. Click on a step - to select one for editing (it will start flashing). 6. Click on notes - to set the pitch. You can activate any number of notes to create chords. 7. Click active notes - to deactivate them. 8. Release the Ctrl key NOTES & TIPS: Selected items - ready for editing, blink or flash. Slides - Edit the Freq Slide activate switch per step, to decide what steps slide, for 'TB-303' style slide notes. Octave switches - Per step Synth 'Octave' settings can be used as a simple arpeggiator by shifting the octave for each step entered. See the Sequencer entry section for more details of the options available.

Drum / Synth Part Sequencing Select a Channel - Select a Sampler or Synthesizer Channel by clicking on a DRUM PARTS or SYNTH PARTS Channel button. Bars and steps - There are 8 PATTERNS with 8 BARS with 16 STEPS per bar. Drum/Sampler Range - When opened from a Synth Channel there are 2 octaves available. Use the KEYBOARD > OCTAVE control to change octave. When opened from a Drum Channel the vertical position maps to the 8 Sampler Channels as shown down the left side (clicking there will preview the sample). NOTE: The Sampler Channels are premapped to general MIDI keys so the percussion Channels start with the BD from C4 or C5 (depending on your DAW software) and run up one octave. Playing outside this range will sound the sample for the selected Channel (without pitching). Note Editor - Right-click the steps OR any interface control to open the Note Editor. If you have a DRUM Channel selected you will see the Drum Sequencer. If you have a SYNTH Channel selected you will see the Synthesizer Note Editor as shown below. Moving notes - When you move notes horizontally you are actually moving notes between steps. The Note Editor treats each step as a unique event with associated automation parameters for any right-clicked interface target. Per step automation - The Note Editor provides PER STEP automation of any right-clicked interface parameter. The parameter to be edited appears above the steps in the Note Editor as shown below. Note entry - There are several ways of entering note data for the DRUM and SYNTH parts:

DRUM step-sequencing - Click on a PATTERN (1 to 8) to edit and then enter EDIT MODE (

Ctrl) and select

BAR 1 to 8. Then, while still in EDIT MODE click on the steps along the bottom to activate them. Double-click to delete a step. Steps 1 to 16 are available for sequencing DRUM PARTS. SYNTH step-sequencing - Click on a PATTERN (1 to 8) to edit then enter EDIT MODE (

Ctrl) and select BAR

1 to 8. Next Click a step to edit (it will start flashing) then click any or all notes to play on that step. Release and re-engage the (

Ctrl) button, click a new step then note/s. Repeat this until you are done.

MIDI recording - Arm the record button, press play and after the 4 beat count-in start playing in your data. Note Editor entry - Select a PATTERN, Right-click a DRUM or SYNTH part to open the Note Editor (as shown below). Click to add steps/notes.

NOTE: DRUM parts are labeled and mapped to General MIDI notes for compatibility. You can however load any sample into any Sampler Channel if you prefer to descend into a world of chaos and confusion.

To edit a Synth Channel in the Note Editor: 1. Select the Synth Channel to be edited (1 to 5) 2. Right-click a step OR right-click any control target to pre-select it for step-by-step automation editing in the upper area. 3. Click on the Piano roll area to add or delete notes, add chords

4. Change note-length by hovering over a note or making selections and rolling your mouse wheel or using the front panel note-length slider.

Plugin Credits: Code: Maxx Claster Presets: Toby Emerson, Arlo G (nucleon).

MIXING & EFFECTS

Gross Beat DEMO ONLY: Gross Beat comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can use Gross Beat without the demo limitations. Play with time! Gross Beat is a real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect. Gross Beat stores audio in a 2-bar rolling buffer controlled by 36 time and 36 volume mapping envelopes for easy beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat, scratching and gating effects. Welcome to Gallifrey

Time Lord!

Alternatives to Gross Beat are Wave Traveller & Fruity Scratcher, however, these work on samples rather than a live audio stream.

Watch the

Gross Beat Video Tutorial Series

VST Hint Bar Main Options Time Settings Volume Settings Envelope Mapping Panel

or check the preset forum here

.

Plugin Credits Code & Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Frederic Vanmol. ...watch out for falling satellites!

MIXING & EFFECTS

Gross Beat Play with time! Gross Beat is a real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect. Gross Beat stores audio in a 2-bar rolling buffer controlled by 36 time and 36 volume mapping envelopes for easy beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat, scratching and gating effects. Welcome to Gallifrey

Time Lord!

VST Hint Bar Main Options Lurking in the darkness, just below the Time mix knob (as shown above): Click reduction - Reduces clicks caused by discontinuities in volume between the 'jumpfrom' and 'jump-to' locations. For the best results you may need to apply manual 'click reduction'. Briefly ramp the volume down to zero to coincide with the point at which the Time Envelope relocates the playback position. Step the volume back to normal at or a fraction after the jump. Smoothing attack compensation - Compensates for the small period of silence at Time Envelope relocation events caused by manually applied volume smoothing envelopes (see above). Selecting this option will move the Time Envelope forward slightly so that attack transients are not lost when the Volume Envelope ramps down. Remove DC offset - Removes output offsets/biases when playback is stopped (e.g. when

the Time Mapping envelope matches the angle of the Safety line). HQ resampling - Adaptive 'sinc interpolation

' algorithm which improves the audio

quality of pitch-shifted audio at the expense of increased CPU load. View scratching clock - Shows the scratching dial. To scratch, click on the clock-dial and move your mouse up/down. Right-click to link to external or internal controllers. NOTE: If the Scratching Clock is hidden and Gross Beat is put into Compact Mode (drag to the left on the right edge of the Mapping Envelope area, until the plugin compacts OR for the VST version use the 'Resize' menu option), then a small mapping envelope will display here. About - Opens the plugin credits 'splash image'.

Time Settings Volume Settings Envelope Mapping Panel Plugin Credits Code & Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Frederic Vanmol. ...watch out for falling satellites!

MIXING & EFFECTS

Gross Beat Play with time! Gross Beat is a real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect. Gross Beat stores audio in a 2-bar rolling buffer controlled by 36 time and 36 volume mapping envelopes for easy beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat, scratching and gating effects. Welcome to Gallifrey

Time Lord!

VST Hint Bar Main Options Time Settings These controls relate to the Time/Pitch mapping envelopes: Time - Time mapping envelope mix setting. Range: 0% to 100%. Use this in preference to external host Wet/Dry mix controls to avoid phasing. Time offset (scratching) - Click the Scratching clock to the right of the Time knob (this is activated from the Options menu if not visible). Hold and drag your mouse vertically to vary the time offset and manually scratch. Right-click to link the Clock to internal/external controllers.

Hold

Hold delay (bar repeat) - Repeats the bar as long as the button is held and the song continues to play.

Scratching Clock Time offset (scratching) - Click the Scratching clock to the right of the Time knob (this is activated from the Options menu if not visible). Hold and drag your mouse vertically to vary the time offset and manually scratch. Right-click to link the Clock to internal/external controllers.

Time Slots Slots 1 to 36 (green) hold user-definable time mapping envelope presets. Slots are pre-assigned to MIDI keys and can be switched live from your controller keyboard (starting from Slot 1 = C5) OR slot changes can be automated by Right-clicking any slot and linking to internal or external controllers. NOTE: Time slots can be linked to the corresponding Volume slot number. Use the link setting (bottom middle of the mapping area) to create combined Time + Volume presets. Edit a slot mapping envelope - Select the slot by clicking it with your mouse. Edit the associated mapping envelope in the panel to the right. These changes are automatically associated with the selected slot. Move a slot - Right-click the slot button and select Move slot left / Move slot right from the popup menu OR hold CTRL to swap the selected slot with the next slot clicked. Rename a slot - Left-click on the slot name in the bottom-left corner of the Mapping area (as shown in the screenshot above) OR click on the slot with the middle-mouse button.

Automating Slot Selection To control slot selection by Automation you can use one of three methods (

video here

):

1. MIDI Controller keyboard (live) - Select Gross Beat and then play notes on your controller. C1+ will control the Volume slots, C4+ will control the Time slots. 2. Automation envelope - Right-click anywhere on the Time or Volume preset slots and select 'Create automation clip'. Then select the type 'Hold' for Automation Clip control points. Finally select and Right-click slots to 'Copy value' then 'Paste value' to the Automation Clip Control Points. 3. Fruity Keyboard controller (piano roll) - Add a Fruity Keyboard Controller to the project and then Right-click the Time or Volume slots and select 'Link to controller'. On the Remote control settings pop-up, from the 'Internal controller' menu select 'Kb Ctl (Fruity Keyboard Controller) - Note' and press 'Accept'. The Keyboard Controller notes can now be played from the Piano roll and Patterns added to the Playlist to control Gross Beat. While editing and playing, slots will show three colors: White rectangle = Slot currently being edited. Green rectangle = Queued for playback. Green filled = Playing.

Volume Settings Envelope Mapping Panel Plugin Credits Code & Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Frederic Vanmol. ...watch out for falling satellites!

MIXING & EFFECTS

Gross Beat Play with time! Gross Beat is a real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect. Gross Beat stores audio in a 2-bar rolling buffer controlled by 36 time and 36 volume mapping envelopes for easy beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat, scratching and gating effects. Welcome to Gallifrey

Time Lord!

VST Hint Bar Main Options Time Settings Volume Settings These controls relate to the Volume mapping envelopes.

Volume Slots Slots 1 to 36 (orange) hold user-definable Volume mapping envelope presets. These slots are preassigned to MIDI keys and can be switched live from your controller keyboard (starting from Slot 1 = C2) OR slot changes can be automated by Right-clicking any slot and linking to internal or external controllers. NOTE: Volume slots can be linked to the corresponding Time slot number, use

the link setting (bottom middle of the mapping area), in order to create combined Time + Volume presets. Edit a slot - Select the slot by clicking it with your mouse. Edit the associated mapping envelope to the right. These changes will be automatically associated with the selected slot. Move a slot - Right-click the slot button and select Move slot left / Move slot right from the pop-up menu OR hold CTRL to swap the selected slot with the next slot clicked. Rename a slot - Left-click on the slot name in the bottom-left corner of the Mapping area (as shown in the screenshot above) OR click on the slot with the middle-mouse button.

Volume Knobs The volume knobs are 'multiplier' controls applied to the Volume mapping envelopes. They are useful for applying global ADSR tweaks to the volume dynamics of all Volume mappings. ATT - Attack volume smoothing. Range: 0ms to 500ms. REL - Release volume smoothing. Range: 0ms to 1000ms. TNS - Tension adjustment (slope) setting. Range: -100% to 100%. Volume - Volume mapping envelope mix setting. Range: 0% to 100%

Automating Slot Selection To control slot selection by Automation you can use one of three methods (

video here

):

1. MIDI Controller keyboard (live) - Select Gross Beat and then play notes on your controller. C1+ will control the Volume slots, C4+ will control the Time slots. 2. Automation envelope - Right-click anywhere on the Time or Volume preset slots and select 'Create automation clip'. Then select the type 'Hold' for Automation Clip control points. Finally select and Right-click slots to 'Copy value' then 'Paste value' to the Automation Clip Control Points. 3. Fruity Keyboard controller (piano roll) - Add a Fruity Keyboard Controller to the project and then Right-click the Time or Volume slots and select 'Link to controller'. On the Remote control settings pop-up, from the 'Internal controller' menu select 'Kb Ctl (Fruity Keyboard Controller) - Note' and press 'Accept'. The Keyboard Controller notes can now be played from the Piano roll and Patterns added to the Playlist to control Gross Beat. While editing and playing, slots will show three colors: White rectangle = Slot currently being edited. Green rectangle = Queued for playback. Green filled = Playing.

Envelope Mapping Panel

Plugin Credits Code & Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Frederic Vanmol. ...watch out for falling satellites!

MIXING & EFFECTS

Gross Beat Play with time! Gross Beat is a real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect. Gross Beat stores audio in a 2-bar rolling buffer controlled by 36 time and 36 volume mapping envelopes for easy beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat, scratching and gating effects. Welcome to Gallifrey

Time Lord!

VST Hint Bar Main Options Time Settings Volume Settings Envelope Mapping Panel The envelope mapping panel displays the selected Time or Volume mapping envelope (slots are directly left of the Mapping Panel). Some notes about the mapping area: Mapping controls - A series of controls & options run down the left side and under the mapping area. Top-left is a drop-down menu (as described below). Right-clicking

a control-point will open a context menu with options for graphing shapes (as shown in the screen shot, right). Width vs height - The mapping panel is 4 beats (1 bar) wide and 8 beats (2 bars) high. This means it is possible to step back up to 8 beats (2 bars) from the current playback position, as long as the audio buffer is full (i.e. the plugin has received at least 2 bars of audio). The beat is indicated by the Playback locator - a vertical green scrolling line, visible only when the host is playing. Angled guide markings - You will notice single darker and multiple lighter angled lines across the mapping area: Safety line - The single dark 'Safety Line' cuts across the first 4 beats. The Safety Line shows the safe area for mapping envelopes during the first bar of a song. The area above the Safety Line (and behind the position of the Playback Locator) has buffered audio while the area below does not. If the Time mapping envelope goes below the Safety Line before the time-marker reaches that point, silence will be heard (or is that Gross Beat implodes creating an EMP

, causing satellites to fall out of the sky? I can't remember,

you will just have to experiment). While it's not shown, imagine the Safety Line continues down to the end of the second bar. If you need to start a song with a full audio buffer add two pre-song bars (with audio, of course) and start with a Volume mapping envelope flat-lining line along the bottom of the Mapping Area, so the pre-bars won't be heard. After two bars have played then any mapping curve is safe. Bear in mind that if you move into a new section of the song, change from verse to chorus for example, the previous two bars will be stored in the buffer and may not match the audio needed for the new section until another two bars have passed. Reverse guides - The multiple grey diagonal lines show the slope required to

effect a normal speed reverse playback. Slopes steeper than this line will play fast reverse, shallower will be slow reverse, depending on the angle of the line. NOTE: You can change the slope in semitone units using the Mapping Options menu (select the right-most point defining a slope and apply the 1 semitone up / down function). Time Mapping Envelopes - These envelopes control playback of the audio from the 2-bar, rolling, audio buffer. The Time envelope is a sample 'offset' envelope, i.e. realtime audio + 'offset' define the playback position, direction and speed. The top of the Mapping panel is 'real time' audio, while mappings down from the top of the Mapping panel move backward in time according to the beat scale down the left side. Some commonly used envelopes include: Normal speed playback (+100%) - Horizontal mapping segments play forward at normal speed (see diagram right). The Hold envelope is useful for creating horizontal segments. Fast / Slow playback - Straight sloping mapping segments will change playback speed (pitch). Slopes upward from left to right play faster (higher pitch), while slopes downward from left to right play slower (lower in pitch). Use the Single curve envelope mode for straight sloping mapping segments (reset the tension handle to straighten the curve if required). The slope angle adjusts speed - playback becomes progressively slower with increased downward angle. When the slope matches the Safety line angle, playback will pause. If the slope angle is steeper than the Safety line angle, playback will reverse, reaching 'normal speed (pitch)' reverse playback when the angle matches the Reverse guides. A tool in the Mapping Area Options Menu lets you add or subtract slope in semi-tone units (select the right-most point defining a slope and apply the function). Reverse playback (-100%) - Match the slope of the Reverse guides for 'normal speed reverse' playback. Slopes steeper than the guides will play fast reverse (see diagram right). Use the Single curve envelope mode for constant pitch slopes (reset the tension handle to straighten the curve if required). There us a useful tool in the Mapping Area Options Menu that can add or subtract slope angle in semi-tone units (select the right-most point defining a slope and apply the function). Jump backward / forward in time - Step the envelope down to jump backward or up to jump forward. The number of beats jumped is measured on the vertical axis (left). Use the Hold envelope to create steps.

Rising / Falling pitch & Scratching - Use curved mappings (e.g. Single curve, Double curve, Half sine envelopes and adjust the tension handle). Pause playback (0%) - Match the slope of the Safety Line (see diagram right) with a straight Single curve envelope. This will pause playback for the duration of the slope. Alternatively, use a stepped envelope mapping with these slopes for tuned/harmonic effects. Volume Mapping Envelopes - These behave as standard volume envelopes; the top of the mapping area is 100% (max) volume, the bottom is 0% (silence). The Normalize option, Scale Level and Envelope Sequencer tools (available from the Mapping Options menu) are useful for working with the Volume Mapping Envelopes.

Editing Mapping Envelopes Envelopes conform to the standard Image-Line envelope behaviors with some additional features tuned for use with Gross Beat. Add control points - Right-click on the mapping area, continue to hold and drag to reposition the point. Hold (

Shift) while dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless SNAP is off, see below). Hold ( dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Shift) while

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Change envelope curve - Left-click the tension handle (circle that appears on the envelope between control points) and move up/down. Holding (

Ctrl) will allow fine

adjustment. Right-click the tension handle to reset curve tension. Change curve type - There are a number of curve types to select from. Right-click the right-most control point of a pair of control points to select: Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt double curve - Asymmetrical linear, or accelerating / decelerating curves (depending on the tension). Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency.

Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Add control points - Right-click the location where you want to add a control point. Delete control points - Right-click the point to be deleted and select 'Delete' from menu. Alternatively, hold (

Alt) and Left-click the offending point.

Mapping controls Down the left-hand side of the mapping area are a number of controls as follows:

Mapping Options Menu Click on the down-arrow in the top-left corner of the area to access the following mapping envelope options: Open state file - Opens pre-saved Editor state files (envelopes, etc). Save state file - Saves an Editor state. Copy state - Copies the current Editor settings to be copied to another location. Paste state - Pastes the Editor state data to the clipboard. Undo - Undo last action. Undo history - History of edits; click the list to roll back changes. Last reset - Delete all edits to the last history reset. Tools - Contains a number of quick-edit options: Flip vertically - Mirrors the envelope vertically. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool that allows you to maintain the current envelope shape while changing vertical values. Normalize levels - Scales the mapping envelope to the maximum vertical extent. Decimate points - A simple tool that adjusts the number of control points in a mapping envelope. Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool.

Analyze audio file - Opens a file-import window and analyzes the envelope volume of the selected audio, converting it to an mapping envelope.

Snap Settings Snap determines how the envelope points snap (lock) to the nearest time/volume grid division. X - No snapping. Points can be freely moved to any location. 1/16 to 1/3 buttons - 1/16th beat snap to 1/3rd beat snap settings. NOTES: ( and (

Left-click+Alt) overrides snapping, (

Shift+Left-click) locks vertical movement

Ctrl+Left-click) locks horizontal movement of control points.

Step Settings Step editing (hold shift for pulse mode) - Click and drag in the Mapping Envelope area to add control points at each snap interval (when snap is off control points are added at the maximum resolution)

Slide Settings Slide remaining points - Points to the right of the selected control point will slide as a group in response to changes in position of the selected point.

Freeze Editing Freeze editing - Locks the mapping envelopes. Note the cursor changes to a + when mapping envelopes are frozen.

Envelope Settings Time travel - Selects time envelope editing. Volume - Selects volume editing.

Lower Panel Controls Running along the bottom of the Mapping area are the following controls: Link slots - Links the slot to its numerical equivalent (Volume or Time). Key-held - Holds the slot while the linked MIDI key is held. One-shot - The slot will play once and then Gross Beat will jump back to Slot 1. Hold - Changes the behavior of the HOLD button (located to the right of the Main Options menu). Off - No hold. Last - Replay the last stored bar when the HOLD button is activated.

Next - Buffer the next bar and replay it while the HOLD button is active. Trig(ger) Sync - Synchronization with the host beats/bars, i,e when the envelope will start after a slot change command in relation to the song position. Off - Slots will start immediately on being selected. 1/4 to 4 beats - Alignment with global song position. For example, 1 beat means that the slot will start on the next (global) beat. This means that if the song is already aligned to a beat, the slot will start immediately. If the song is 1/2 way inbetween 2 beats, Gross Beat will wait for half a beat. '4 beats' means that slots will always start on a bar boundary. Pos(ition) Sync - This is where within the envelope the slot will start, i.e. the number of beats (position) within the bar assuming Trigger Sync is OFF, so that slots start immediately. Off - Start at the beginning. 1/4 to 4 beats - Start at either 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 or 4 beats into the envelope depending on where the global song position is.

Plugin Credits Code & Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VSTi Port: Frederic Vanmol. ...watch out for falling satellites!

TOOLS

Envelope Sequencer The Envelope Sequencer provides a convenient tool for create repetitive arpeggiator patterns OR sequences.

To open Select the envelope Options menu (small right-facing arrow on standard envelopes) and then select 'Create sequence'.

Overview

Adding control points - The top row squares in the window defines 'steps' equal to the grid spacing of the parent envelope. Left-click to step forward, Right-click to step backward through 4 states: Off. normal step. step without gate. Step merged with next. Target levels - There are 4 target level controls selected by clicking on the buttons below the control/breakpoint area. Attack level - Controls the height of the leading control points in a step. Release slope - Controls the release slope. Decay slope - Controls the release curve (tension). Sustain level - Controls the sustain level.

Parameters Mode Menu - Normal (loop), Ping-pong (repeat envelope once backwards). Time mul(tiplier) - Changes the envelope time-base. Swing - Swing creates a 'swing' rhythm where the first note is held a little longer at the expense of the second note in the bar. Attack - Changes the attack of all notes. Decay - Changes the decay of all notes. Sustain - Changes the sustain of all notes. Gate - Changes the length of notes.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Randomize - Adds random variation to all parameters. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

TOOLS

Smooth up The Smooth up tool provides a number of controls for working with multi-point envelopes. It is particularly useful for modifying envelopes that have been created using an 'analyze audio' function to generate the envelope.

Options Attack - Attack curve smoothing. (Attack) Slope - Steepen/lessen the slope of the attack (ramp-up) phase/s. Release - Release curve smoothing. (Release) Slope - Steepen/lessen the slope of the release (ramp-down) phase/s. Link (symbol) - Links Attack and Release curves.

Offset - Horizontal position adjustment. Decimation - Varies the number of points used for curve fitting.

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

TOOLS

Level Scale Tool The level scaling tool modifies envelope amplitude and/or tension values.

Options Center - Changes the center of the envelope. Multiply - Multiplier for the control-point amplitudes with range -200% to 200%. Negative values effectively invert the event values. Offset - Vertical offset of the envelope. Tension - Changes the shape of the slopes in the envelope.

Action buttons Reset - Resets the tool to the default state. Accept - Accepts changes and closes the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

EFFECTS

Credits

Manual: Scott Fisher. No one reads the manual!

Distributed by Image Line Software Kortrijksesteenweg 281 B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgium

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity HTML NoteBook Fruity HTML NoteBook is an HTML viewer plugin, useful for adding information to a song, using the richness and power of HTML. Unlike the Fruity NoteBook, this plugin doesn't save the HTML document in the project file, so be sure to bundle the full HTML document with your project if you distribute it.

To add the HTML document - Click on the file icon in the lower left corner of the plugin and navigate to the .html landing page. To include the HTML document - Save the FL Studio project to .zip format, then copy the landing page .html file (and any subfolders into the .zip).

A related plugin is the Fruity NoteBook.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

EFFEECTS

Hardcore Guitar Effects DEMO ONLY: Hardcore is provided as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Hardcore effects. Hardcore gives you virtual access to 11 popular stomp-box effects, as used by famous guitar players (who won't let us use their names, unless we ship them suitcases full of cash), including a number of expertly crafted Cabinet simulations, of legendary hardware (from manufacturers that won't let us use their trade-marks, unless we ship them train-loads of cash). Who needs to drop famous names when you have Hardcore!

Note: The Hardcore pedalboard holds a maximum of 5 stomp-boxes, the screenshot above has been stretched to show the complete Hardcore selection. There is a video series available -

Image-Line | Hardcore Efffects Plugin

.

Master Controls The controls from left to right are:

PRESET - To open the list of presets, click on the preset name. To step through presets click on the left & right arrows flanking the selector. INPUT - Main input level, this can be useful in combination with the distortion effects if your source sound is a too quiet and the effects aren't punchy enough. OUTPUT - Main output level. EQ - 8 band graphic equalizer. To enable/disable click on the power button below the EQ label. To adjust bands, click and drag on the target band. CABINET - Guitar speaker cabinet simulations. Select models by clicking on the Model label. Models A to E are algorithmic while the remainder are convolution impulse-response based reproductions. That is, the sound is based on recordings from real cabinets. If we could afford the prohibitive licensing fees, then you may recognize some famous models in this list. But we couldn't, so you will have to listen out for them :)

Effects Pedals Hardcore has 10 stomp-boxes that can be inserted into any one of 5 slots on the pedalboard. If you need to use more than 5 hardcore effects at a time, simply use two instances of Hardcore in series in the same effects chain. Activate / Deactivate effects - Click on the stomp-pad below the controls for the effect. This parameter can be linked to an external controller.

Loading effects - Click on one of the drop-down boxes at the bottom of the GUI and select from the menu. Moving effects - Click on the drop-down box under the effect to be moved and select 'Move left" or 'Move right' to change the position. Deleting effects- - Click on one of the drop-down boxes at the bottom of the GUI and select 'None'.

Distortion Distortion is the reshaping of an input waveform, usually caused by non-linearities in the electronic circuitry close to (or above) maximum signal level: DIST - Distortion level controls amount of distortion effect applied to the input signal. COMB - Comb filter cut level. Comb filters remove frequencies in a series of narrow bands, an EQ graph that looks like a comb shape. INFERNO - Bass resonator that adds body to the sound. GLASS - High frequency filter.

Chorus Chorus is an effect created by the slight detuning of multiple copies of the same sound (similar to a choir of voices): WIDTH - Amount of pitch modulation. SPEED - Pitch modulation speed. INTENSITY - Wet / Dry signal mix.

Flanger Flanging is a form of phase cancellation created by combining multiple, variously delayed copies of the same sound. WIDTH - Amount of phase cancellation. SPEED - Phase modulation speed. INTENSITY - Wet / Dry signal mix.

Phaser Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal which are not spaced evenly. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both arise from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. The Phasing effect is however significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum. SPEED - Phase modulation speed. TUNE - Center frequency tuning, around which the phase modulation is performed. WIDTH - The depth of the phase modulation around the 'Tune' frequency. INTENSITY - Wet / Dry signal mix.

Reverb Short for 'Reverberation', Reverb simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom or concert hall, the sound is quite different. This is due to the fact that in enclosed spaces reflections build up and overlap to create the reverberant sound. DECAY - Decay time. Longer decay times simulate larger rooms.

HDUMP - Selectively removes the high frequencies from the reverb for a darker sound. MIX - Wet / Dry signal mix.

Delay Creates echo effects. TIME - Delay time between echoes. DECAY - Rate at which echoes fade over time. MIX - Wet / Dry signal mix.

Noise Gate Noise gates are useful to silence non-guitar noise, such as power hum, often heard from guitar pickups. Start by setting the THRESHOLD value so that the background noise is just cut off. Next select ATTACK and RELEASE values that allow the guitar signal to pass through the gate with the least 'choppiness'. ATTACK - Speed the gate opens after the input signal level passes the THRESHOLD intensity. RELEASE - Speed the gate closes after the input signal level drops below the THRESHOLD intensity. THRESHOLD - Signal level above which the gate opens, below which the gate closes.

Equalizer 4 band inline EQ tuned to Guitar specific frequencies. The 12 O?clock position is flat (no cut or boost), rotate right to boost or left to cut frequencies. Remember Hardcore also has an 8 band graphic equalizer on the Master control panel and Cabinet simulations for further EQ shaping. LOW - Frequencies < 200 Hz. MIDDLE - Frequencies around 600 Hz. TREBLE - Frequencies around 1800 Hz. HIGH - Frequencies > 5000 Hz.

Compressor Compression can be thought of as an automated volume control and will help your guitar sound to punch through the mix. Usually compression is used to increase the level of quiet playing while limiting the maximum volume of the louder parts (compressing dynamic range). The compressor also works well when placed after the Distortion effect to add even more crunch to the sound. THRESHOLD - Input level above which the signal volume is limited. RATIO - Input to output volume relationship after the threshold level has been exceeded. Higher levels will give more noticeable compression. ATTACK - Rate at which the compression is applied after the signal exceeds the threshold. Slow attack times will allow some transients through before the compression fully engages. RELEASE - Rate at which the compression is removed after the signal falls below the threshold level.

Modulator The Modulator provides four target parameters, Pitch, Amplitude, Panning & Rate. There is no modulation when the controls are turned fully counter-clockwise.

PITCH - Amount of pitch modulation. AMP - Amount of volume modulation. PAN - Amount of pan modulation. RATE - Modulation frequency (speed).

Tubedrive Tubedrive provides three target parameters, Pitch, Volume & Panning. There is no modulation when the controls are turned fully counter-clockwise. LOW - Control the low frequencies with a high-pass filter cutoff frequency. HIGH - Control the high frequencies with a low-pass filter cutoff frequency. GAIN - Drive to the tube-distortion unit. More gain = more tube-style distortion (soft clipping).

Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Maxx Claster.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Love Philter Fruity Love Philter is the most powerful filter plugin in FL Studio. Love Philter consists of eight identical filter units, each able to be run in parallel OR used in series by sending a filter unit to the next one in the chain. Love Philter can create complex delay, gating and filtering effects. Related, simpler, filter plugins are Fruity Filter and Fruity Free Filter. Forum: Check the Love Philter Preset forum here

.

Parameters Banks 1 to 8 Each filter bank consists of a series of processes that are described below (from left to right). The output from each bank can be sent to the plugin outputs and/or the next bank in the series.

IN The Input Section allows you to set the volume and panning of the input signal. On/Off (ON) - Switches the selected unit on/off. Solo (SOLO) - Solos the output of the selected unit. Silences all other banks. Volume (VOL) - Sets the volume of the input signal.

FILTER The Filter Section determines the filter type and cut-offs used. The controls visible will depend on the filter type selected. ALT - Alternates between resonance and bandwidth. Input Filter Type (

) - In the small rectangular box, hold your left mouse

button and move up/down to select one of 12 different filter types: AP - All Pass creates phasing effects, BP - Band Pass, HP - High Pass, HP 2 - High Pass 2, HS High Shelf , LP - Low Pass, LP 2 - Low Pass 2, LP 3 - Low Pass 3, LS - Low Shelf, NOT - Notch, PK - Peaking, and SVF - State Variable Filter. Filter Mode - These switches determine filter mode: OFF - filter mode off. x1, x2, x3 are 12, 24 and 36 dB/Octave filters respectively. ALT x2 and ALT x3 provide alternative algorithms for the 24/36 dB filter modes. ENV - Sets the cut-off envelope / LFO / IEF (Input Envelope Follower) amount. CUT - Sets the cut-off frequency. RES - Adjusts resonance / bandwidth. DRIVE - L (Low / gain / drive) - Adjusts the gain of the low band. B (Band) Adjusts the gain of the bandpass band. H (High) - Adjusts the gain of the high band.

WS (WaveShaper) A WaveShaper is a wave distortion effect which re-maps input amplitude (horizontal axis) to output amplitude (vertical axis) values using a flexible spline-based graph. It follows the same principles as shown in this video tutorial for

Fruity Waveshaper

.

ON - Enables the WaveShaper. +/- - Switches between unipolar and bipolar modes. Unipolar mode - the bottom of the graph corresponds to 0db input and the top corresponds to the maximum amplitude; Bipolar mode - the plugin process is aware of the position of the sample (above or below 0 dB), so the middle is mapped to 0db (DC) and up and down correspond to the offsets in both directions. AMP - Adjusts the WaveShaper pre-amplitude amount. MIX - Sets the WaveShaper mix amount. This allows you to mix the input signal with the processed signal in the final output.

OUT In the Output Section each filter can pass its output to the following bank or to the main

outputs. NEXT - Changes the level sent to the next filter in the chain (not available for filter 8 as there is no next filter). Negative values, (turning the knob to the left) invert the phase of the filter output. Use this to create phase-cancellation effects. PAN - Changes the panning of the output from the filter. VOL - Controls the final filter output level for the selected bank.

ENVELOPES Associated with each bank are a number of articulators/envelopes. There are two rows of tabs, the top row is used to select the articulator/modulator target and the bottom row the articulator modulation source. In other words, for each target in the top row there are a range of modulation sources in the bottom row that automate changes to those targets.

Articulators / Modulators Modulation target types include: PAN - Affects the stereo panning of the bank. VOL - Affects the volume output of the bank. CUT (Filter Cut) - Affects the filter cut-off frequency of the bank. This interacts with the CUT parameter (above) and the filter type switches. RES - Affects the resonance of the filter selected. LOW / BAND / HIGH - These select the Lowpass, Bandpass and Highpass filter modes. WS (Wave Shaper) - The curve defines how the signal is distorted by the waveshaper. Input is on the X axis and output on the Y axis, allowing you to define your own distortion curve. WMIX (Wave Shaper Mix) - Wet/dry ratio for the WaveShaper effect.

Articulator parts For each of the articulators above you can decide how each of the following modulator sources influence that parameter. The modulator can be a pattern (10 user definable pattern slots are available), LFO, Mod X/Y or the envelope of an input sound (IEF). PAT 1 to 10 - Left-click and move the mouse up/down to cycle through 10 unique pattern slots. A pattern is simply a user-definable shape. PAT - This envelope cycles through the 10 patterns selected to the left of it.

LFO - An LFO envelope. MOD X - Determines how the X parameter of integrated X/Y controller responds to X position changes. MOD Y - Determines how the Y parameter of integrated X/Y controller responds to Y position changes. IEF (Input Envelope Follower) - Smooths the input/output relationship of the IEF. The tighter the envelope (fast attack/release times) the more variability of the IEF response.

Common Envelopes Controls Envelope Menu > Right facing arrow to the left of the Freeze button (see screenshot above). Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope

editor for automatic analysis. Background gradient - Flips the background gradient shading vertically. FREEZE - Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup. This feature is helpful if you've finished changing the spline structure of an envelope and want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles, providing a clear view of the shape). STEP - Enable this option to set the editor in step editing mode - drag in the editor to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT key while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. SNAP - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging. SLIDE - Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it (this option is enabled by default).

MODULATION This section allows X-Y modulation. SMOOTH - When enabled, smooths modulation. X - Modulation X setting. Y - Modulation Y setting.

INPUT ENVELOPE FOLLOWER (IEF) This section allows you to set up the Input Envelope Follower. The IEF acts as a modulation source and is based on the amplitude of the input waveform.

USE1 - When enabled, the output from filter bank 1 is used as the input for the IEF. When disabled, the input to the plugin is used and the source for the IEF.

ATT - Sets the amount of envelope follower attack. REL - Adjusts the amount of envelope follower release. Understanding the IEF - Think of the IEF window as a dB/peak meter rotated on its side, increasing in volume from left to right (this is indicated by the increasing vertical ticks along the bottom of the IEF window). As the volume peaks of the input signal move across the window (there is no visual feedback, by the way), the IEF returns modulation values so that envelopes above the mid-line of the graph area are positive and envelopes below the midline are a negative. The ief output values act on the currently selected 'Editor Target' tabs in the row above the modulation source tabs (the row the IEF tab is on). In this way there is a unique IEF envelope for each modulation target tab in the row above. Use the 'Env Amount' knob to define the maximum and minimum modulation values passed to the target controls. Finally, pay careful attention to the Attack (ATT) and Release (REL) knobs to the right side of the plugin (this section) in order to achieve the correct modulation effect. These controls act to control the peak dynamics (hold and fade) and determine how quickly the output peak is reached and held after the input peak has passed.

Other Parameters In the top right corner you will find Options - Including the following sub-options: Copy preset - Copies the preset to the Windows clipboard. Paste preset - Pastes the preset from the Windows clipboard. Sync pattern changes - Envelopes are synced to song/pattern position when selected. Show Info - Shows plugin information. Three slider controls are located above the IEF section: (Triangular symbol) - Adjusts the master level. LFO - Adjusts the master LFO level. IEF - Adjusts the envelope follower level. Three controls are situated below the Modulation Section: CENTER - When enabled, removes global DC offset. HQ ENVELOPES - When selected, enables greater envelope accuracy. OVERSAMPLING - Sets the amount of oversampling as none, 2x, 4x, 8x or 16x (select by holding left mouse button and moving up/down within the small

rectangular box).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Limiter + Compressor + Gate The Fruity Limiter is a powerful single band Compressor (with sidechain), Limiter & Gate. To access the relevant limiter and compressor controls, switch between LIMIT and COMP tabs on the plugin interface (as shown below). When to use: Fruity Limiter is ideal for maximizing & limiting complete mixes, compressing & limiting individual sounds or doing basic 'noise gate' duty. Closely related alternatives are Maximus (multiband compressor/limiter/maximizer), the Fruity Compressor, Fruity Multiband Compressor and Soundgoodizer.

There is a video series available -

Compression & Limiting video tutorials

Overview Click on the following links to jump to the section of interest: COMP (Compressor Controls) LIMIT (Limiter Controls) Analysis Display Noise Gate Comparison Bank

Signal Flow

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The signal flow goes from the input to the Compressor (COMP), Gain, Limiter (with integrated Noise Gate), Saturation (SAT) and finally to the plugin output.

NOTE: To use the Compressor or Limiter in isolation, turn the Limiter CEIL or Compressor THRESH to their maximum value respectively. In the case of the Limiter also set ATT to 0.

Compressor Controls Compression

is a form of automated gain control that reduces the dynamic range of

sounds. When the input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold the rate of increase is slowed (or even stopped) beyond that point. The art of setting a compressor is mainly in fine-tuning the magnitude, speed and timing of the automated gain changes so that the compression process does not introduce artifacts. How can reducing the amplitude peaks make the sound seem louder? To understand this we need to consider the way our hearing interprets the start (attack) and body (sustain) portion of sounds. It transpires that the attack (first ~10 ms) is used mainly to form impressions of timbre, clarity, crispness and punch, while the sustain contributes most to the perception of loudness

. The sustain is

most important because loudness perception comes from an integration (averaging) of the preceding 600-1000 ms to any given moment. Attack transients (of very short duration) simply don't have as much weight (due to their short duration) as the sustain portion of the sound. Lowering the amplitude of the peak transients, frees up headroom to raise the gain of the sustained portions of the signal (after compression), it is this step that increases loudness. However, as we alluded to earlier, compression represents a trade-off between dynamics and loudness, welcome to the loudness wars! Video tutorials:

Compression video tutorials

Loudness These controls affect the input and compression thresholds for Fruity Limiter. GAIN (Purple) - Post compression output (makeup) gain. NOTE: this gain is postCompressor and pre-Limiter. THRESH (Blue) - Compressor threshold. Sets the level above which the signal will be compressed. To disable the compressor stage set the threshold level to the maximum (0 dB) level. RATIO (Blue) - Compression ratio. Sets the amount of compression to be applied once the threshold is exceeded. KNEE (Blue) - Compression rate. Sets the transition between no and full compression. The compression ratio can be set to increase gradually (soft knee or rapidly (hard knee

)

). The compression envelope will display while the knob is

held. NOTE: For the compression stage to become active you must lower the THRESH (Threshold) below the input peaks and increase the RATIO and optionally KNEE controls.

Envelope ATT (Attack time) - Adjusts how quickly the compression envelope responds to the start of the signal (in ms). CURVE (Attack & Release curve tension) - Select from curve 1 (immediate attack/release) to 8 (slow attack/release). This control sets both the Attack and

Release curves. NOTE: in the example below the attack was set to 1 ms and release 550 ms so only the release curve is visibly affected by the CURVE setting. At shorter release (REL) times the tension effect will be much less visible on the display, but can be very useful for tuning out distortion. At longer release times, as shown below, the curve setting can be used to good effect timing/tuning side-chain pumping effects to get the right feeling to the volume 'bounce-back'.

Sidechain - This selector works in conjunction with the Mixer Sidechain (Track Send) routing. Sidechain options will not be available until one or more sidechain tracks are set in the Mixer (except if Fruity Limiter is on the Master Mixer track, when all tracks will be available). The Sidechain is sent FROM the Sidechain source Mixer track TO the Fruity Limiter Mixer track (

Sidechain video tutorial):

1. Select the Mixer track that carries the signal to be used as a Sidechain source. 2. Right-click the Track Send / Sidechain Enable Switch on the Mixer track that carries Fruity Limiter (Sidechain destination). 3. Select Sidechain to this track from the pop-up menu or 'Sidechain to this track only' if you want to mute the sidechain audio source by deselecting the source track's send to Master. NOTE: You can send multiple side-chain sources to the Fruity Limiter's Mixer track if needed. 4. Right-click the SIDECHAIN selector on Fruity limiter's COMP tab and choose the Mixer track you want to receive sidechain audio from. NOTE: Fruity limiter's compression envelope will now be controlled by the sidechain Mixer track rather than the audio passing through Fruity Limiter's own Mixer track. 5. Lower the Threshold below the input peaks and increase the Ratio and optionally Knee controls to engage the compression stage. REL - Release time (in ms), this is the main influence for the compression envelope release time. Set this too low and the sound may become distorted. AHEAD - Compressor envelope sustain time (in ms). This prevents the compression envelope from releasing too early. NOTE: AHEAD is not a 'look-ahead' function and has no effect on the signal throughput delay (plugin delay), for that see ATT (Attack).

NOTE: You don't need to be overly concerned about compressor transients peaking over 0 dB since the limiter section can catch these.

Limiter Controls Limiting

is a form of heavy compression (generally used to describe compression ratios

greater than 10:1). The purpose is usually to 'limit' the output level to a set maximum level, usually 0 dB, to avoid clipping

in a final mix down. The Limiter can be used to

maximize the level of a track dramatically, without introducing noticeable distortion and so limiting is a favorite effect used in mastering. While louder often sounds better, we draw your attention to the excellent Wikipedia article on loudness wars!

NOTE: The limiter section can be effectively bypassed by turning the ceiling (CEIL) to max and attack (ATT) to minimum.

Loudness These controls affect the input and limit thresholds for Fruity Limiter. GAIN (Purple) - Limiter input gain. NOTE: this gain is post-Compressor and preLimiter. CEIL (Ceiling) - Limiter ceiling. Sets the level above which the signal will be limited. While it is not possible to disable the limiter stage completely, setting the ceiling level to the maximum (+12 dB) should effectively prevent limiter engaging. SAT (Saturation) - Controls the threshold level, signals reaching into the red region will be saturated. To lower the threshold, and so increase the saturation turn SAT left. Set by ear. Saturation (pleasing to some) is a type of amplitude distortion

,

usually associated with Valve / Tube Amplifiers

, tape or analog circuitry.

Generally, as a waveform exceeds the maximum amplitude that an analog system can carry, its shape is rounded or bent. This bending is a mild distortion that progressively increases as the input approaches the maximum (0 dB). TIP: For an alternative saturation sound allow the input to peak over the limit threshold, then blend in some 'Soft-clipping

' from the saturator. Over-limiting adds its own kind

of saturation effect that interacts nicely with the formal saturation process. NOTE: For the Limiter to work the input signal must exceed the limiter threshold (CEIL). Your options are to lower the CEIL level, increase the GAIN level or increase the signal level entering the plugin.

Envelope ATT (Attack time) - Adjusts how quickly the limiting envelope responds to the start of the signal (in ms). NOTE: The Limiter attack time is linked to a 'look-ahead' delay function that adds a delay to the plugins processed audio (hover your mouse over Fruity Limiters FX slot, to see the look ahead delay in the FL Studio Hint Panel). To avoid issues caused by plugin latency, such as phasing when you mix Fruity Limiter's output with the dry input signal, set the attack to 0 ms OR when using Attack settings greater than 0 ms, enable the 'Plugin delay compensation > Automatic' option from the Mixer menu. CURVE (Attack & Release curve tension) - Select from curve 1 (immediate attack/release) to 8 (slow attack/release). NOTE: See the Compressor section for a more detailed explanation of the CURVE 'tension' effect. REL - Release time (in ms). There are two release controls, this is the main influence for the compression envelope release time. Set this too low and the sound may become distorted. AHEAD - Limiter envelope sustain time (in ms). This prevents the limiter envelope from releasing too early. NOTE: This is not a 'look-ahead' function and has no effect on the signal throughput delay (plugin delay). NOTE: In order to trap transient signals before they pass through the Limiter a look-ahead time greater than 0 is needed. If 0 latency is desired then you can set the limiter's attack to zero and then adjust the compressor's attack to achieve the same effect (or as close as possible).

Analysis Display The analysis display is a valuable analysis tool to observe how the various plugin settings interact with the input / output sounds. Click on the display to Pause the display.

Display Controls & Options

Options - Displays plugin information. Show input peaks - Display the input level graph. Show output peaks - Display the output level graph. Where the input (purple) and output (green) peaks overlap the color is gray. Show analysis & gain envelopes - Displays the analysis (blue) and gain (white) envelopes applied to the selected band (white = compression envelope). Show level markers - Displays the GAIN (purple), CEIL (green) & THRESH (blue) level settings. In the default position the lines overlap at 0 dB and show as a single white line. Speed - Scroll speed slider (up is faster, down is slower). To PAUSE the display, click on the display area. Once paused, you can continue to change display modes to examine data of interest. NOTE: The limiter works on peak levels and the compressor on RMS (average) levels. The blue signal trace is the RMS input signal.

Noise Gate These controls affect the gating function in Fruity Limiter.

Controls GAIN (Noise gain) - Adjusts the signal level passing through the gate in the closed condition (the default 100%, i.e. no gating). Turn to the left for more gating effect. THRESH (Noise threshold) - Gate threshold. When the input level passes the Noise threshold the gate opens (immediately). The gate release is triggered when the signal falls below this same threshold to stop the signal. REL - (Noise release time). Longer release times cause the gate to close slowly, short release times cause abrupt closures. This acts in the same way as the release in an ADSR envelope. NOTE: The Gate is useful to suppress the noise that sometimes becomes audible on the tail-end of heavily compressed sounds where high levels of make-up (post compression) gain are used. It can also be put to creative uses, such as the classic 'gated snare' sound. Place a long heavy reverb on a snare, then set the gate Gain to minimum, the Release high

and the Threshold to open on the initial snare hit. Tune release length to match the BPM of the track.

Comparison Bank

In the bottom right corner of the plugin you will find: Store in spare state (Down arrow symbol) - Saves the current state to the comparison bank. Flip with spare state (A/B compare) - Selecting this control will allow you to make A/B comparisons between the stored and current settings. Useful for hearing the effect of a tweak more clearly.

Plugin Credits Didier Dambrin: Plugin & Interface. Frederic Vanmol: VST Port. Laurent de Soras: Saturation algorithm. Robert Bristow-Johnson: Filter algorithm. Thanks to: The music-dsp

mailing list.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity LSD Fruity LSD allows you to access the synthesizer/sampler built into your soundcard from within FL Studio. It provides sixteen MIDI instruments with an option to import DLS level 1 banks. Since Fruity LSD is a software synthesizer, you can process its output with effects, just as you would with a normal generator. Using Fruity LSD in conjunction with MIDI Out plugin/s you can play up to sixteen separate instruments from your soundcards general MIDI synth/sampler. See the section on playing General MIDI files on the Import MIDI Data page.

Setup 1. Load Fruity LSD as an effect in the Mixer track/s of your choice. Fruity LSD feeds the audio from your soundcard directly to that location. 2. Load a MIDI Out (instrument) plugin on the Instrument Channel containing the note (MIDI) data you want to play the LSD instruments with. 3. MIDI ports - Set the MIDI Out to the same Port number as the Fruity LSD, the default is Port 1.

4. Multi channel control - You can play each of the 16 instrument slots on the Fruity LSD plugin. Each LSD instrument responds to the MIDI channel number preceding the instrument selector. As each instance of the Fruity LSD plugin can only transmit on one MIDI Channel at a time, you will need to use multiple Instrument channels holding a MIDI Out plugin and set: A. The MIDI channel - selector, on the top left corner of the MIDI Out plugin. OR B. The Note color groups - If you have imported a MIDI file with MIDI channels encoded as Piano roll note color groups, note color transmit on independent MIDI channels, as shown below. 5. Set the Fruity LSD to Port 0 and it will respond to all MIDI channels (Omni mode). A similar technique can also be used to use multiple controllers transmitting on independent MIDI channels for live playing of the LSD plugin.

Parameters Main Parameters Bank - Lets you set the DLS bank to be used for synthesis. Click the browse button to select a DLS file. By default, Fruity LSD uses the Roland™ GM/GS Sound Set (which is default for the DirectMusic synthesizer as well and is usually located in 'Windows

directory/System32/GM.DLS'). The DLS file used is not included in the FLP file, but is stored as a path instead. Port - Sets the MIDI port number from where Fruity LSD will receive MIDI events (notes, volume changes, etc). You should set the same port in the MIDI Out channels that will be used to control the Fruity LSD. It is recommended that you avoid using port 0 with Fruity LSD, since this port is reserved for the main MIDI playing output in FL Studio (that one you set as 'Playing output' in the MIDI Settings page). Channels List - This is a list of the 16 channels of the LSD with the patch names. Click on a name to select a different instrument for the channel. Channel 10 holds the drum section. Main Volume - This wheel sets the main volume of the LSD output. This parameter is automatable.

Additional Parameters Device - Sets the DirectMusic compatible MIDI device to be used for synthesis. Hardware MIDI devices are filtered in Fruity LSD, since their output can't be routed to FL Studio. Reverb - Turns on/off the global reverb effect. Chorus - Turns on/off the global chorus effect. Note that this effect is not supported in the built-in Microsoft Synthesizer. However, it is included for compatibility with third party DirectMusic engines that may be used with Fruity LSD.

Notes & Tips You will need the latest DirectX installed on your system for the Fruity LSD to function properly. Pan, filter cutoff & resonance per note (in the graph edit or the Piano roll) are not supported - the MIDI standard only supports velocity per note. At low volume, you may notice some noise in the Fruity LSD sound (you can hear it clearly on decaying notes if you put a compressor after it in the FX track). This is not caused by the Fruity LSD plugin itself, but by the DirectMusic synthesizer. You can partly fix this problem by using Fruity

Filter or an equalizer to remove the very high frequencies of the output. There are several tools available for creating custom DLS banks. LSD supports samples per region, envelopes, LFOs, etc. With tools such as Awave, you can also take advantage of hundreds of freeware SF2 (SoundFont) banks you can find on the Internet by converting them to DLS format.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Thanks To: Chris Moulios for the source code

MIXING & EFFECTS

Maximus Multiband Maximizer so you can use Maximus without the demo limitations. Related plugins are the Fruity Limiter and Multi Band Compressor. When to use: Put Maximus as the last effect in the Master Mixer Track when creating a final master. If you need to compress individual Kick or Bass sounds (for example) we recommend the closely related Fruity Limiter or Fruity Compressor.

NOTE: Click on the screenshot above to jump to the help for the selected control section. There is a video series available Maximize

Image-Line | Maximus Compress, Limit, Expand,

.

Introducing Maximus Maximus is much more than a pristine quality Mastering Maximizer, it's also a Compressor, Limiter, Noise Gate, Expander, Ducker and De-esser. Maximus excels equally well as a finalstage mastering plugin or as a per-track effect, Maximus indeed!

Maximus features at a glance: 3 independent user-definable High Mid Low (HML) frequency bands. Custom look-ahead for the HML bands and Master compression envelopes. 4 limiter/compressors: One per HML band plus a Master wide band

limiter/compressor. Each compressor has an infinitely variable compression curve. Create any shaped knee or special effects (limiting, compression, gating or expansion). Fully configurable. Any of the HML or Master compressors can be bypassed to configure Maximus to suit any limiting, compression or maximization task. Two saturation types per HML & Master bands, with independent gain. Phase-free mixing between the frequency dependent compressors and the master, perfect for parallel & NY-style compression. Per-band stereo separation controls. Optional IIR or Linear-phase band-split filtering.

Maximization Maximus will quickly become one of the most rewarding tools in your recording and mixing arsenal. Maximus applies level maximization via compression and/or limiting across three frequency bands, to enhance and improve the final track. Used sparingly, Maximus raises the volume of the track without introducing unwanted distortion and ensures that the quieter parts, often lost in the mix, are more easily heard. Bass can be increased and higher frequencies sharpened. Selected elements of a mix, instruments or vocals for example, or complete tracks are given a professionally mastered 'presence'. NOTE: A word or two from The Society for Responsible use of Maximization: Perfect mixes are just a few mouse-clicks away, right? If you want to achieve truly professional (quality) tracks we encourage you to view the YouTube video Louder! Loudness wars

and read the

Wikipedia entry.

Maximus Controls All interface controls are discussed on the Maximus Controls Page. Click on the screenshot above to jump to the help for the selected control.

Tutorials The following sections of the manual explain how to use Maximus in more detail, including Compression Limiting Parallel / NY Compression Sidechain Compression Noise Gating

Ducking De-essing Decibels (dB)

Useful Internet Links Louder!

- How much is too much YouTube video? Loudness wars

Compression

- The story continues.

- Explained in Wikipedia.

Image-Line Store

- Buy Maximus and other Image-Line Software.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Maximus Controls & Options DEMO ONLY: Maximus comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Maximus effects.

NOTE: Click on the screenshot above to jump to the help for the selected control section.

Overview Maximus takes the input signal, passes it through a variable high-pass filter and then splits the signal into three user-defined frequency bands. Each frequency band can be treated independently with either saturation, compression, limiting or band level (EQ). The bands are then recombined and sent to the Master compressor. The controls for Maximus are explained in detail below. Compression Envelopes Analysis Display Band Process Controls Band Frequency Controls General Options

Compression Envelopes There are 4 independent compression envelopes in Maximus, one for each of the three user-definable frequency bands and one for the Master band. It is important to note that the compression envelope interacts closely with the PRE & POST GAIN, ATT & REL controls.

Compression Envelopes Controls If you are familiar with regular compressors you will notice that Maximus does not have a threshold level control. More flexibly, the compression threshold and curve are set by a user-definable envelope (see below). There are 4 independent envelopes, three are assigned to frequency bands - Low, Mid, and High, and one to a Master envelope on the final output of the plugin. Input levels are represented by the horizontal axis and output levels by the vertical axis.

In the example (above) the point at which the compression curve deviates from the 1:1 input/output line (45 degree line), is the point where compression starts (in this case approximately -3 dB). This is also an example of a 'Soft Knee

' curve to a maximum output level of +3 dB.

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless SNAP is off, see below). Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or Ctrl to lock the horizontal position. Change envelope curve - Left-click the desired tension handle and move up/down. Holding the Ctrl key will allow fine adjustment (tension handles automatically appear between control points). Right-click to reset curve tension. Change curve type - There are 5 curve types available to join control points, to select from a menu, Right-click a control point: Single Curve - Default mode for creating linear, or ease-in and ease-out curves (depending on the tension). Double Curve - Smooth 'S' curves. Hold - Single steps between points, handy for creating abrupt value changes in the envelope. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Add control points - Right-click at the point where you want a new control point to appear. Delete control points - Right-click the point to be deleted and select 'Delete' from menu. Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click.

Compression Envelope Options Located along the bottom of the graph window, from left to right, are: Compression Mapping Envelope Options Menu Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open Edison's. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. FREEZE - Freezes envelope editing so that changes can't be made. SNAP - Snaps the envelope points to a grid.

General Options Options Menu - Contains some general options for Maximus: Lock spare state - Prevents the alternate (spare) patch settings from being overwritten. This option is particularly useful when changing patches, since saved patches have their own spare state. For example, send your settings to the spare state (down-arrow button at the bottom right of the interface). Lock the spare state and switch to other presets. The spare state will contain your settings, rather than

being stored in presets. Oversample - Oversampling is applied to the internal processing to achieve the highest audio quality. NOTE: Oversampling consumes more CPU power and is most likely to benefit solo instruments that are exposed in the mix. It is less likely to benefit complex or dense mixes. Master Mid mode - Uses the MID frequency band to drive the MASTER compression envelope. The LOW and HIGH compression envelopes are OFF. This is useful for internal EQ sidechain type compression. Use the MID band to select the frequencies that control the MASTER (all bands) compression. For example, isolate the kick frequencies with the MID band, and cause those to pump all frequencies. It can also be used for Gating and De-Essing control, see the Tutorial section. Linear-phase filters - Alternative Linear-phase are IIR

band-split filters. The default filters

. The linear-phase filters preserve the phase relationships in the signal, but

come at the cost of greater CPU usage and approximately 2 ms more plugin delay, relative to the IIR filters. The band-split filter type you choose is entirely dependent on the material being processed and what sounds most pleasing to your ear. About - Shows plugin credits and software information.

Analysis Display There are two display modes accessed by selecting the BANDS or MONITOR tabs to the lower right of the display area. When the BAND cutoff or level values are adjusted while the display is in MONITOR mode it will momentarily snap to BANDS mode while the adjustment is made.

The MONITOR display is a valuable analysis tool to observe how the various compression and envelope settings are interacting with the input / output sounds. The example above shows a kick drum being analysed with a long release setting on the compression envelope. NOTES: Many of the display options work in combination with the selected frequency band and only show data for that band. Clicking on the display area will Pause the display.

The BANDS display shows the LOW, MID and HIGH frequency bands. It is possible to adjust the band cutoff and band level by clicking on the boundaries between bands and dragging with the mouse. The band cut-offs are used to feed the LOW, MID and HIGH compression envelopes. The Output Spectrum display option is useful to determine what part of the frequency spectrum the input sounds occupy so that band cutoffs may be most accurately set.

Display Controls & Options Show main input peaks - Display the main input level graph. Show band input peaks - Displays the input level graphs for the Low, Mid and High frequency bands, depending on the band selected. Show band output peaks - Displays the output level graphs for the Low, Mid and High frequency bands, depending on the band seleted. Show band analysis envelope - Displays the envelope representing the analysis of the level for each band selected. In combination with the Input Peak display, shows how the input signal envelope is being tracked. Show band gain envelope - Displays the gain envelope applied to the selected band (compression envelope). Show all gain envelopes - Displays all the gain envelopes applied to the selected bands, colorcoded for each band (Red = Low, Orange = Mid, Yellow = High, Green = Master. Apologies to the color-blind). Show band level markers - Displays the Pre (Purple) and Post (Blue) levels set for the selected band. Show output spectrogram - Displays a spectrographic analysis of the output frequencies. Only displayed when in BAND mode. Useful for selecting frequency band cut-offs. SPEED - Scrolling speed slider (left slow, right fast). To PAUSE the display, click on the display area. Once paused, you can continue to change display modes to examine data of interest. MONITOR - Graphical analysis display mode. BANDS - Frequency band selection display mode.

Band Process Controls The input signal is split into three bands, LOW, MID and HIGH before being passed to the MASTER stage. The controls in the light grey panel change to reflect independent settings for the selected band.

NOTE: IIR or Linear-phase band-split filters can be selected to separate the LMH bands, see the General Options menu.

Target Band Settings Selecting these tabs allows independent control of the 3 frequency bands and the Master controls. The cutoff frequencies for the bands can be adjusted using the LOW and HIGH frequency knobs, or by dragging on the BAND display mode. LOW (Red) - Low frequency band. MID (Orange) - Mid band. HIGH (Yellow) - High band. MASTER (Green) - Master controls.

Mode Settings A series of controls surrounding the target-band selection controls: ON- Turns the selected band ON. COMP OFF- Turns the compression envelope off, leaving other aspects of the band active. MUTED- Mutes the selected band. OFF- Turns the selected band OFF. SOLO- Solos the selected band.

Stereo Enhancer Stereo Separation - The stereo separation control increases or reduces unique L/R channel stereo information in the signal. In the default position (middle), the stereo separation filter is disabled. To increase stereo separation turn to the left, to decrease the stereo separation, turn to the right. The enhancer works on the differences between the L and R channels and so will have no effect on a mono signal. Uses include narrowing the stereo information in the bass frequencies and add more separation to the high frequencies; a process applied to many master mixes.

Gain Section These knobs control the input and output levels for each band-compressor.

PRE (Purple) - Pre-compression gain. Useful for raising the level of a band into the active compression region. POST (Blue) - Post-compression (make-up) gain.

Saturator Section The following controls will add saturation (valve/tape style 'overdriven' distortion) effects to the selected band. This is a subtle effect so don't expect the sort of sound you would get from a guitar distortion pedal. THRES (Level and Type) - There are two types of Saturation A (turn left) and B (turn right). Sets the threshold by the amount the knob is turned in either direction. Set the type by ear. NOTE: Adjusting type A saturation (left), while Maximus is processing audio, may cause clicking as a look-up table is re-calculated, this is normal. CEIL (Ceiling) - Soft saturation ceiling. Represents the maximum amplitude that the simulated analog device can carry. Lower ceilings create harsher saturation. NOTES & TIPS: Saturation (pleasing to some) is a type of amplitude distortion with Valve / Tube Amplifiers

, usually associated

, tape or analog circuitry. Generally, as a waveform exceeds the

maximum amplitude that an analog system can carry, its shape is rounded or bent. This bending is a mild distortion that progressively increases as the input approaches the maximum (0 dB). We suggest setting any band you wish to saturate to a hard-limiting envelope and allow the input to peak a little over 0 dB, then blend in some 'Soft-clip

' from the saturator. Superb results can come

from a combination of these two.

Envelope Section The envelope controls affect the dynamics of the envelope response. ATT (Attack time) - Adjusts how quickly the envelope responds to the start of the signal (in ms). NOTE: The MASTER attack time also sets the 'look-ahead' time for the Master channel. The total look-ahead time for Maximus = MASTER Attack time + LMH Delay (see below). CURVE (Attack & Release 2 curves) - Select from curve 1 (steep slope) to 8 (low slope). This control sets both the Attack and Release 2 curves. These interact strongly with REL and REL2 release times, so use in conjunction to achieve the 'sound' you are looking for. REL - Release time (in ms). REL has an accelerating curve shape. See also REL 2 (below). To use either in isolation set the other to 0.

NOTE: In the example above the CURVE setting is to a low slope of 8, REL 2 is at 0 ms (no effect) and the release time is around 1700 ms to clearly demonstrate the release shape. At shorter release times and steeper curves settings, the shape will not be as visible on the display. REL and REL2 may be blended by setting both. The compression curve was triggered with an audio spike. REL2 - Release 2 time (in ms). REL2 has a decelerating curve shape. See also REL (above). To use either in isolation set the other to 0. When used together they will interact to create blended release shapes. The overall release curve shape you are interested in will depend on the audio you are compressing.

NOTE: In the example above the CURVE is set to a low slope of 8, REL is at 0 ms (no effect) and the release time is around 1700 ms to clearly demonstrate the release shape. At shorter release times and steeper curve settings the shape will not be as visible on the display. REL and REL2 may be blended by setting both. The compression curve was triggered with an audio spike. AHEAD - Look ahead sustain window. This is a sustain function to prevent the compression envelope from releasing too early (it is not a look-ahead delay, see LMH DEL below). PEAK - Peak detection, best suited for Limiting. This mode tracks the instantaneous peak level of the input signal and will give the fastest detection of transients and therefore the quickest compression response. Peak detection is most appropriate when the compressor is used with a high compression ratio, to prevent clipping. RMS - RMS (Average) detection, best suited typical compression duties. This mode tracks the average input level and is best suited for smoothing out volume changes in an instrument or

voice. RMS produces a smoother compression response since transients will not trigger compression. PEAK vs RMS NOTE: For the master band, a limiter (PEAK mode) is normally used. For the other bands, PEAK or RMS is used depending on the desired results. Most analog compressors work in RMS mode, however peak generally gives better results with complete mixes.

Band Frequency Controls

Low, Medium, High Look ahead Delay LMH DEL (Low, Medium, High Delay) - Look-ahead delay, used for the LMH band compressors. As the LMH bands operate in parallel, they require the same delay. NOTE: This control adds a latency delay to the plugin output, so delay compensation will be required if Maximus is used on channels, other than the Master, with high LMH DEL settings. The delay will display in the Hint Panel when you hover your mouse pointer over Maximus FX slot. Adjusting the LMH delay while Maximus is processing audio may cause some clicking as the delay is reset, this is normal. LMH MIX (Low, Medium, High Mix) - The mix between plugin input & LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH output, i.e. Turn fully left (counter-clockwise) to pass dry input to the MASTER (0% LMH) and fully right to pass 100% LMH to the MASTER. Used in 'NY Compression' techniques. NOTES: The LMH delay parameter determines how far ahead Maximus will look into the signal and is useful for allowing fast transients through then limiting. This parameter then relates to detected input signal levels for the compression envelopes. As a real-time level monitoring system can't know what level a signal was at AFTER it has happened. This means the compression envelope will react a few samples later. By seeing a few ms into the future compression/limiting can be timed perfectly to be at the right level for any given moment. As looking into the future is impossible we can move the whole audio stream into the past (delay it) so the algorithm is now looking at the present while the audio it needs to process in in the past (buffer). When a LMH delay is set, Maximus will introduce a delay to the output equal to the look-ahead value so that inputs can be pre-analysed. Using long look-ahead times on mixer tracks, other than the master, will require Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC). For the master band, the delay is the attack length. The total delay of Maximus is equal to the LMH delay + Master attack. For effective LMH channel limiting, the LMH delay must be equal to the longest attack of those channels. For compression, other settings are usable since some transients can be allowed to pass uncompressed.

Frequency Control Section These controls set the Low-Medium and Medium-High band cut-offs. LOW (Low Frequency Cutoff) - Sets the Low band frequency cutoff. You can also select the

BANDS view and Left-click and drag the level and cutoff frequency. Low Band Slope - Switches between 12dB and 24dB per octave cutoff slopes. A higher value maintains greater separation between the boundary frequencies. HIGH - High Frequency Cutoff) - Sets the High band frequency cutoff. You can also select the BANDS view and Left-click and drag the level and cutoff frequency. High Band Slope - Switches between 12dB and 24dB per octave cutoff slopes. A higher value maintains greater separation between the boundary frequencies. LO.CUT - A High-Pass filter on the input of the plugin. The default value is set to filter frequencies below 20 Hz. Improves headroom without affecting the quality and depth of the audible bass.

Comparison Bank

In the bottom right corner you will find: Store in spare state (Down arrow symbol) - Saves the current state to the comparison bank. Lock spare state, under the General options, allows this state to be protected from overwriting. Flip with spare state (A/B compare) - Selecting this control will allow you to make A/B comparisons between the stored and current settings. Useful for hearing the effect of a tweak more clearly.

Arthur: I wonder what will happen if I press this button? Ford: What happened? Arthur: A sign lit up saying 'Please do not press this button again'. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)

MIXING & EFFECTS

Maximus Flow Diagram & Tutorials DEMO ONLY: Maximus comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Maximus effects. This page has two sections, the first section explains signal routing possibilities in Maximus while the second section delivers a series of tutorials spanning the basics through to some of the more advanced processing techniques. If you want to learn how to use Maximus, this is the place to start.

Signal Flow

The input signal may be Lo cut (LO.CUT, Band Frequency Controls) to remove subsonic energy, improving headroom for the remaining 'audible' frequencies. The signal may then be (optionally) up-sampled (General Options

, lower Analysis Display), to improve the quality

of the next stage - band-split filtering, into LOW, MID and HIGH channels. The LOW/MID and MID/HIGH boundaries are user-variable, according to the LOW and HIGH controls (LOW FREQ, HIGH FREQ, Band Frequency Controls) as are the band-split filter types (IIR or Linear-phase, General Options

). Each band can then be processed according to Stereo Separation (

, Band Process Controls). Enhances or reduces the

stereo content of the signal. If there is no stereo information, it can't be enhanced.

Pre compression gain (PRE GAIN, Band Process Controls). May be used to boost the input signal into the active range of the compression envelope. Compression curve (Compression Envelopes). Post compression gain or 'Make-up gain' (POST GAIN, Band Process Controls). If the compression stage has lowered the final output level, this can be used to restore the overall band volume. Saturation (SAT THRES, SAT CEIL, Band Process Controls). Once processed, the signal is then recombined and (optionally) down-sampled (General Options), as it passes to the final MASTER compression stage. The same processes used on the frequency sub-bands (as described above) may be applied. Finally, the signal is sent to the plugin outputs and onto the operator's ears where it is met with large nods of approval.

Tutorials The signal flow chart does little to explain how to use Maximus so we have provided some tutorials to help you understand the diverse capabilities afforded by Maximus. This section covers Compression Limiting Parallel / NY Compression Sidechain Compression Noise Gating Ducking De-essing Decibels (dB) NOTE: The key parameters to the 'sound' of most compression settings are the PRE and POST gain, compression envelope shape and the RELEASE time. You will need to fine-tune these parameters to suit the timing and dynamics of the sounds you are Maximizing. Please also note that the tutorials are a guide, there are no absolute right and wrong uses for Maximus, if something sounds great it is great. Now, if only we could all agree on what 'great' sounds like.

Compression Compression

is a form of automated volume control, that reduces the dynamic range of

sounds. When the input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold the gain is reduced. This does not mean the sound gets quieter, but the rate at which the waveform is increasing in loudness is slowed or stopped altogether. In other words, the volume is held within a narrower range than it originally occupied. The art of setting a compressor is in fine-tuning the

magnitude, speed and timing of the automated gain changes so that the compression process does not introduce artifacts. So, how can reducing the maximum amplitude peaks of an audio waveform make the sound seem louder? To understand we need to consider the way our hearing interprets the start (attack) and body (sustain) portion of sounds. It transpires that the attack (the first ~50 ms) is used mainly to form impressions of timbre, clarity and crispness, while the sustain (the sound that follows) contributes most to the perception of loudness

, pitch and 'punch'. The sustain

has most weight because our perception of loudness comes from an integration (adding/averaging) of the preceding 600-1000 ms to any given moment. Attack transients, simply because they are of very short duration, don't have as much weight as the main body of the sound. It is by lowering (compressing) the maximum amplitude of the transient peaks that we free up headroom to raise the gain of the sustained portions of the signal (post compression 'make-up' gain), as shown below.

The steps shown above are discussed in this video 1. The uncompressed input is 2. compressd so the transient 'attack' peaks are reduced, then 3. the level of the sound is increased (often by the same amount as the compression reduced the peaks). It is this step that increases the loudness and punchiness of a compressed signal. However, as we alluded to earlier, compression represents a trade-off between dynamics and loudness, welcome to the loudness wars! Maximus has 4 independent compressors and compression envelopes, one for each of the LOW, MID, HIGH frequency bands and a MASTER applied to the combined output of the three subbands. Why 3 sub-bands? When compression is applied to a single band across the whole frequency spectrum, a loud sound (bass-heavy kick drum, for example) will trigger the compressor, decreasing all frequencies, including the high frequencies. This may be heard as a fluctuation of the track's brightness in time with the kick, and is known as 'pumping' - desirable in certain styles of music, but not generally considered a good thing in a final mix. Isolating frequency bands, such as the bass and treble, and compressing them independently, avoids pumping effects and so allows for a more 'transparent' compression, without artifacts. So how do you control the compression parameters in Maximus? If you have some experience with traditional compressors you may have noticed that Maximus does not have threshold level or ratio controls. Instead, the threshold and compression ratio are fully customizable using a user-definable envelope. The graph represents the input (horizontal) to output (vertical) relationship and is described in more detail below.

In the left example 'No compression', input levels are passed unchanged to the output, regardless of the level. Note that the middle and right graphs also have input ranges, where no compression is applied, prior to the points marked 'Threshold'. The middle graph, 'Heavy compression' shows modification of the output starting after -3 dB, the point where the curve deviates from the 1:1 (45 degree) line. The deviation point represents the compression threshold, i.e. the level at which compression starts. It is clear that as the input level increases past the threshold point, progressively more compression is applied to the input signal. This compression curve would be typically used with percussion sounds, to cut the peaks, and allow the remaining parts of the signal to be boosted without clipping. The right graph, Hard limiting depicts a special case in which the signal is prevented from increasing once the 0 dB threshold has been passed. Limiting is described in more detail in the 'Limiting' section.

The possibilities are endless! Here we encourage you to think about some of the more creative uses for the Maximus compression envelope. The left panel 'Gating' will cut any input signal below -12 dB. The 'Boost & limit' curve will amplify low level signals, then limit them to 0 dB, while the 'Inversion' curve will invert the volume of a sound - loud is quiet and quiet is loud. Indeed, anything is possible when you are using Maximus 'creatively'. It's worthwhile to take some time to experiment with the MASTER compression envelope of the 'Default' Maximus patch, to see how sounds are affected by various compression curves.

Setting the Compressor In this example we will learn about the MASTER compressor settings, and how to use Maximus

as a single-band compressor. 1. Where to use - Basic compression is likely to be used on individual sounds or subtracks of a mix (e.g. percussion or bass sounds). 2. Source sound - Load a 4/4 percussion track with a kick sound and a bass note on every off-beat (1Kick, Bass, 2Kick, Bass, 3Kick, Bass, 4Kick). Yes, it sounds like techno! Don't like techno? Any percussion track with bass and kick will do. 3. Patch - Start with the patch labeled 'Default'; it has all the bands set to 'hardlimiting', as shown above. Next, select LOW, MID and HIGH and turn them off using the COMP OFF switch to the right of the band selector tabs (don't use the OFF switch as it will mute the band). The MASTER compressor will now be the only active band. 4. Set frequency bands - For now, work only with the MASTER band. Later, if desired, set the LOW & HIGH FREQ cutoff bands to match the material. Turning on the Output spectrogram (

) with the Analysis Display in BANDS mode can help to identify the

frequency range of the input sound, number of bands to be used and the location of the cut-offs. Remember however, your ears (not your eyes), should be your final guide. 5. Set the compression curve - Play your sound and adjust the compression curve, similar to the 'Boost & Limit' curve as shown above. 6. PRE GAIN - The Pre Gain is an important parameter which allows you to set the input level within the desired range of the compression envelope. There is no point setting a compression curve if the input never reaches the compression threshold (where the line deviates from 1:1 input to output ratio). Alternatively, you can edit the compression curve to match the active range of the input signal. 7. POST GAIN - Adjust the post gain so that the peak volume is close to 0 dB. You should notice that percussion sounds much louder (particularly the bass). 8. Attack & Release - For this patch the default attack is close 2.0 ms and should be OK. The release, however, will have a more dramatic effect. As the release time is increased the bass should become quieter. This is because the kick triggers the compression and the long release means the compression envelope is being held over the bass note. In other words, it has the kicks compression applied to it also. Generally, the principle for setting both the attack and release is to avoid any obvious artifacts such as 'pumping' (volume/brightness changes in time with loud sounds) and to achieve the right balance of sounds in the mix. 9. Visual analysis - Turn off all display options except the Band input peaks ( the Band gain envelope (

) and

) should allow you to clearly see the input peaks and the

compression envelope applied, along with the effect of adjusting the release envelope.

In the analysis above, the release time was varied from the minimum (left side of the trace) to a higher value (right side of the trace). In this instance the longer release results in a smoother curve which closely follows the input signal without being affected by the high frequencies, and so is probably a better setting. As usual, your ears should be the final guide for all settings, with the display analysis as a guide. NOTES & TIPS: For the compressor to work the input signal must exercise those parts of the compression curve that modify the output level. This author has to admit on more than one occasion spending several minutes wondering why the compressor isn't working as expected, only to discover the input level wasn't exceeding the compression threshold (Doh!). 1. Exercising the compressor - In the 'Heavy compression' example (top middle panel above), there will be no compression at all unless the signal peaks past the 'Threshold' point. There are two ways to achieve this Modify the PRE GAIN so that the signal sweeps across the compression zone by the desired amount. Modify the POST GAIN by the opposite number of dB the PRE gain was changed (reverse it). This will restore the uncompressed parts of the signal to their original levels. Redraw the curve to sit across the desired parts of the signal. 2. Rescale the curve - You may find that the signal of interest hardly peaks the compressor curve input, the lowest label marks -18 dB. To rescale the curve by 12 dB, so that the curve starts at -30 dB, increase the PRE gain by 12 dB and decreasing the POST gain by 12 dB, leaving the level of the uncompressed signal unaltered. 3. Bullet time - If you are having trouble hearing the effect of the compressor increase the RELEASE envelope to around 500 ms. Useful as an audio verification.

Limiting Limiting

is simply heavy compression (generally used to describe compression ratios greater

than 10:1). The purpose is usually to 'limit' the output volume at a certain maximum level, usually 0 dB, to avoid clipping

in a final track. In this example, we will use an infinite

compression above the limiting-threshold, i.e. no increase in output regardless of the input volume. Limiting prevents signal transients (fast peaks) from clipping the final mix. Although

limiting may be applied to any channel in Maximus (LOW, MID, HIGH), we will concern ourselves with the complete mix and apply a Limit curve to the MASTER compression envelope and so limit the maximum output to 0 dB.

In the example above, the MASTER compression curve has been set to hard limit the output to 0 dB once the signal exceeds this level. Since the audio analysis takes a finite amount of time, it is possible that the fastest transient peaks will slip through the compressor before the system can react. To solve this problem, a fast attack and look-ahead are used. Look ahead applies a small delay to the plugin so that it can 'look-ahead' into the signal to detect the fast transients and apply the compression 'just in time'. For complete mix limiting it is less critical to keep the LOW, MID and HIGH bands below 0 dB, as the MASTER limiting will prevent clipping.

Setting a Limiter 1. Where to use - Limiting is usually applied to the Master mixer track as a final mastering effect. 2. Tutorial source - Load a completed song in your host and put Maximus into the Master Mixer track. 3. Patch - Start with the patch labeled 'Default'. 4. Set the compression envelope - The 'Default' patch has all the bands set to 'hardlimiting', as shown above. Select the LOW, MID and HIGH bands and turn them off using the COMP OFF switch to the right of the band selector tabs (don't use the OFF switch as it will mute the band). Only the MASTER band envelope will now be active. Examine the compression curve, prior to the 0 dB point - the input and output ratio has been set at 1:1. That is, there is no change to the output for signal inputs below 0 dB. 5. Set the compression curve - The 'Default' patch already has a 0 dB 'brick-wall' limiter function set. 6. Pre gain - Start your host playing from the loudest parts of your track and adjust the Pre Gain so that the input level peaks occasionally into the limit range (above 0 dB). Our example is a little extreme for a final mix, as most of the signal exceeds this level. As always, let your ears rather than eyes be the final judge of what works best. Experiment with various input levels and listen to the results to learn what overlimiting sounds like.

7. Attack & Release - The attack of the MASTER band is also a 'look-ahead' delay. For limiting duties it is critical that a delay is set so that fast transients don't slip through. The default is set to 2.0 ms; decrease this value to zero and note how the limiter is less effective. The release should be set by ear. The default should sound reasonable. Here again, experimentation is the key. Generally, the principle for setting the attack and release times is to avoid obvious artifacts such as 'pumping' (volume/brightness changes in time with loud sounds) and to achieve a transparent balanced sound for the final mix. 8. Visual Analysis - In the display analysis the purple trace represents the Band analysis envelope (in this case it also closely represents the input peak levels). It is clear that the output (green peaks) do not exceed 0 dB. NOTES: Although it may be hard to determine from the peak-display, it is possible that the example used here has too much limiting for a final mix, since most of the input signal exceeds the limit threshold. This could be a problem, since much of the dynamic (volume) information of the track is being 'squashed'. Further, extreme limiting will introduce 'saturation' like effects that you may not want in a final mix. The solution is to turn down the band PRE GAIN inputs, so that the occasional peak is limited rather than most. Finally, spare a thought for others who may be working on your track in future. Are you passing it onto a recording engineer or a mastering house? If so, try to avoid heavy limiting or compressing of the final mix, since it leaves them little scope for applying the 'art' of mastering.

Parallel or NY Compression Parallel

, or NY compression, is the term given to the compression technique in which a dry

(uncompressed) signal is mixed with an over-compressed copy of the same signal. The purpose of such compression is to increase the average volume of the quieter parts of the signal, while preserving transients that would usually become squashed when heavily compression is applied. NY compression has a distinctive sound and can be achieved as follows:

Setting parallel compression 1. Where to use - Parallel compression is often used as to 'fatten' percussion tracks. 2. Tutorial source - Load Maximus into a mixer channel with a percussion track. Ideally it should contain kick and snare sounds. 3. Default Patch - Start with the patch labeled 'Default'. 4. BANDS - Turn OFF the LOW and HIGH compression bands, leaving the MID and MASTER compression envelopes active. You will notice that the MID band now covers the full bandwidth automatically (see BANDS display). 5. Set the compression envelope - Set a heavy compression on the MID band envelope with a 'Soft Knee' curve. This will sustain the lower level signals when used with a long release time. Leave the MASTER on the default setting (hard limit at 0 dB).

6. Attack & Release - Set a short attack (2-10 ms) and long release time (100-300 ms). It is particularly important to have the release set to sustain and fill the interbeat interval. 7. Pre & Post Gain - Increase the MID band PRE GAIN so that the input peaks to the full scale on the compression curve. Leave the POST GAIN at the default setting. 8. Parallel mix - Turn the LMH MIX control fully counter-clockwise (left) to allow only the uncompressed signal to pass. Turn the LMH MIX to the right until you find the preferred balance between the pumping MID band and the dry input. If you have the settings correct, your percussion track should be transformed into a huge pumping wall of sound when you turn the LMH Mix control to the right.

Sidechain Compression Sidechain compression

describes the process in which the sound driving the compressor

envelope is (usually) unrelated to the sound being compressed. The term 'Sidechain' comes from analog compressors that accepted an audio-input separate to, and unmixed with, the signal chain. In other words, a 'side-chain signal'. The Sidechain was used as the control signal (e.g. kick drum) and the signal-chain was compressed in response to this sound. Side-chaining causes a pumping, ducking or gating effect, as used in the 'Parallel / NY Compression' tutorial above. Strictly speaking, Maximus does not have a sidechain input, however there is a work-around as Maximus can selectively listen to a narrow slice of the frequency spectrum focused on the signal you want to control the compressor by. In this tutorial we will set Maximus into MID master mode, so that the MID band acts as a single wide-band compressor, and then single out the trigger frequencies in the mix using the LOW and HIGH cut controls on the MID band.

Setting sidechain compression 1. Where to use - Often used as an effect to add rhythm or 'bounce' to percussion tracks. 2. Tutorial source - Load Maximus into a mixer channel with a percussion track. Ideally it should contain kick and snare sounds. 3. Master MID mode - Master MID mode from the general options menu (

). MID

master disables the LOW and HIGH compressors, leaving the MID band to control the MASTER output. 4. Set the MID frequency band - Turn on the Output spectrogram (

) and select the

BANDS mode on the Analysis Display. Identify the frequency range of the Kick sound and narrow the MID bandwidth around this range. 5. Set the compression envelope - Set a curve similar to the 'Heavy compression' (mid top panel of the curves above) however drag the last point down to the 0 dB line.

6. Pre & Post Gain -It's important that the MID band input is peaking to around +9 dB (use the PRE gain). 7. Attack & Release - Start with a fast attack (2 ms) and a relatively slow release ~300 ms. The release parameter will need to be tuned to the tempo of the track, the aim is to have the compressor release about mid-way between kicks.

Noise Gating Noise Gating

is the process of muting a sound, usually after the signal falls below a certain

level. Noise gating is useful to mute low level hum or hiss, often found in recordings made at live gigs. In this example we will set the MASTER Band compressor curve to mute once the input signal falls below a certain level. As you work through this example, bear in mind you can also isolate the sound in one of the LOW, MID or HIGH bands and gate only the troublesome band.

Setting a noise gate 1. Where to use - On noisy recordings or live inputs. 2. Tutorial source - No-one admits to making noisy recordings, so to save you embarrassment we have created one for the tutorial 'Maximus NoiseGate Tutorial 44kHz.wav

'. This is a short vocal mixed with some power-supply hum. To download

the file you will need to create a logon at freesound

. The freesound project is an

initiative of the Music Technology Group of Pompeu Fabra University library of Creative Commons

to build a

licensed sounds.

3. Patch - Select 'Gate'. This preset uses the MASTER compressor envelope as the gate. 4. Compression envelope - The key to gating is the opposite of compression, that is we want the volume to drop to zero once the signal falls below a certain level. Note that the MASTER compressor envelope does this by falling prematurely to zero at around -18 dB. If you have loaded the 'Maximus NoiseGate Tutorial 44kHz.wav' and play this through the default Gate preset you should notice that the gating threshold is set too high and is chopping the tails from the vocal. Here's one solution Turn off the 'SNAP' switch below the envelope. Delete the point that is at about -12 dB. Right-click on the point where the curve contacts the bottom of the graph and select hold from the menu. This creates a step function. Drag the point back up to the 1:1 line and slide it down this path to the lower left until you find a better low cutoff point. Look for a point where the hum is gated when the vocals stop but that allows most of the tail of the vocal through. Note that you are probably still having issues?

5. Attack & Release - One solution to the premature gating issue (above) is to turn up the release so that momentary excursions below the cutoff point don't gate the output. The attack and release parameters are critical in a gate, the attack needs to be fast so the gate opens as soon as a signal is received, however the release needs to be slow enough to hold the gate open so that the tail of sounds can make it through.

Ducking Ducking

is the process of momentarily lowering the volume of one signal in the presence of

another and relies on the same principles as used in the side-chain compression tutorial above. Ducking is most commonly used in voice-over applications where a music track needs to be lowered so that the spoken part can be more clearly heard. Radio-announcers, DJ's, PA operators and movie-makers can all benefit from ducking.

Setting Maximus to duck 1. Where to use - Voice-overs Tutorial source - You will need a music track and a separate spoken vocal part. The track, 'I Am Female.mp3 you don't have one (you may need to convert it to .wav

' is an interesting vocal if if your DAW does not

support .mp3). To download the file you will need to create a logon at freesound

.

The freesound project is an initiative of the Music Technology Group of Pompeu Fabra University

to build a library of Creative Commons

licensed sounds.

2. Patch - Select 'Ducking music behind voice'. 3. Band compressors - Only the master band is active for this function. 4. The compression envelope - Note that a hard-limit to 0 dB is set once the input reaches 0 dB. The compression will start once the signal passes this point. Keep this in mind for the next step. 5. Attack & Release - The attack needs to allow the compressor to start immediately with the vocals, however the release should do so relatively slowly so the music fades back in, this can add some drama to the spoken parts. You will probably find the maximum release works well for most material. 6. Pre & Post Gain - Note that the compression starts at 0 dB. Set the PRE gain so that the loudest parts of the music peak just below the 0 dB. Once the voice is added set it to drive the compressor well into the +6 dB to + 9 dB range. This will cause the compressor to duck the music track. As the output of Maximus is limited to 0 dB the POST gain can only be decreased.

De-essing De-essing

selectively limits the high frequencies in a sound (usually vocals) from exceeding

an acceptable maximum. Often, when recording vocalists, 's' and 't' sounds become overly bright and detract from the quality of the recording. Sibilance, the technical term, can be tamed by 'de-essing' the recording (so called as it affects the 's' sound most noticeably). The

novice may simply turn down the high frequencies with an EQ, however this causes the vocal to lose its brightness and clarity. Here we will outline an approach that is based on selectively compressing the problem frequencies, and only when they occur.

Setting Maximus for de-essing 1. Where to use - Single instrument tracks (usually vocals). 2. Tutorial source - No-one admits to making noisy recordings, so to save you embarrassment we have created one for the tutorial 'Maximus NoiseGate Tutorial 44kHz.wav

'. It is a short vocal mixed with some power-supply hum (no we don't

admit to making recordings with noise like this either). To download the file you will need to create a logon at freesound

. The freesound project is an initiative of the

Music Technology Group of Pompeu Fabra University Commons

to build a library of Creative

licensed sounds.

3. Open preset 'De-esser Split Band' - Maximus has some excellent de-esser presets so open 'De-esser Split Band' patch. Note that a good de-esser setup will have a subtle effect on the sound, once your patch is tweaked to the problem frequencies you may need to A/B compare the sound with and without de-essing. Apply only as much de-essing as required. 4. Band compressors - You will notice the LOW band is 'COMP OFF' the MID band is ON. The MID band is controlling the sibilance, although its frequencies now extend up to 20 kHz as the HIGH band is OFF. The MASTER is also OFF. The difference between OFF and COMP OFF is that OFF completely bypasses the band while COMP OFF still passes signal through the band but without processing it. In summary, the MID band is the only active compressor in this patch. Since sibilance affects the high frequencies, adjust the LOW frequency setting of the MID band to be at the lower limit of the sibilance to be tamed. 5. The compression envelope - The MID (sibilance) band is heavily compressed holding input signals to around - 6 dB. The high frequencies passing through this band are be allowed to reach -6 dB without modification, however when they exceed this level they are heavily limited. Experiment with variations on this curve with the tutorial sound. 6. Pre & Post Gain - The idea is to limit the high frequencies, so you may need to adjust the PRE gain so that the sibilance drives into the compression range, otherwise they will pass unmodified. Decrease the POST gain by the same amount that you increased the PRE gain so the uncompressed parts of the sound maintain their original volume. 7. Attack & Release - The two most common sibilant sounds vary in their duration significantly, T sounds are transient while S sounds can last a second or so. Adjust the attack so that T sounds are caught and the release so that S sounds are held long enough to have a damping effect on their overall brightness. Experimentation will be key.

NOTE: Rather than rely on post-process de-essing, try to avoid sibilance in the original recording.

What is 0 dB? So you've noticed that the input/output of Maximus is measured in dB (decibels

) and

wondered what it means? Consider that a signal passing through Maximus without change has a 1:1 input to output ratio (1*input:1*output). Since we are engineers, and therefore quite nerdy, we will decide that all levels are thus to be measured relative to 1 (no change). We also agree among ourselves that values below 1 are negative and values above it positive (think negative and positive change). At this point we also realise that fractions aren't exclusive enough (even our mothers will understand if we say the signal level is half as loud). What to do? Let's choose to work in a logarithmic scale 'relative' logarithmic scale - the decibel

and, since all values are relative, let's use a

! At this point we (being engineers), look around and

realise that no-one knows what we are talking about and nod vigorously at each other in agreement, 0 dB = an unaltered signal. Still confused? The levels are given as a decimal fraction where 0 dB = 1.0. It turns out that a change in volume of 1 dB approximates the just noticeable difference (jnd

)

in volume. Thus, sound levels are rarely stated in fractions of a dB, you just don't care. If you want to convert relative volumes (as decimal fractions) to decibels calculate the Log

take the

20 * Log of the decimal to return an answer in deci (tenths) of a Bel. 0.5 or 50%, for example = 20 * Log 0.5 = 20 * -0.30 = -6 dB. It certainly sounds cooler to say "turn the vocal down by 6 dB" than to say "turn the vocal down by half" Still confused? Use your ears to set volume levels and don't exceed 0 dB on the MASTER band if the output will be rendered to wave format. My job here is done.

EFFECTS

Maximus Credits & Information

About Maximus: Code and Graphics: Didier Dambrin. VST Port: Frederic Vanmol. Manual: Scott Fisher. No one reads the manual!

Thanks to: Laurent de Soras (saturation algorithm). Robert Bristow-Johnson (filters). The music-dsp

mailing list.

Where can I buy Maximus? This link will take you to the Image-Line Store.

Distributed by: Image Line Software Kortrijksesteenweg 281 B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgium

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Mute 2 Fruity Mute 2 is a simple plugin for automating mutes in FL Studio mixer chain. It can also be used in combination with the Mixer routing to create L and R channel only sub-mixes. An alternative is Stereo Shaper.

Parameters Mute - Turns the sound on/off. Channel - Allows you to select left, right of both channels for muting.

Plugin Credits: Robert Conde

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Multiband Compressor Fruity Multiband Compressor is a three band stereo compressor using ButterWorth IIR or LinearPhase FIR filters to separate the incoming signal into three bands for processing. Limiter functionality is also included. A related plugin is Maximus. Compression is the process of automatically scaling the output volume so that the quiet parts are louder and the loud parts don't clip. It's like automatically adjusting a volume knob, keeping the volume level within a set min/max range. Compression is one of the most important effects in modern music. It is used to give kick drums 'thump' and make bass 'fat'. Importantly, it can make a mix sound much louder than it is. In particular, multiband compression is a highly useful tool for mastering applications since the complex sound (wide frequency content) of a complete track can have varying amounts and types of compression applied to different parts of the frequency spectrum. When to use: Use the Fruity Multiband Compressor in the Master Mixer Track for the final mix while mastering. If you need to compress individual Kick or Bass sounds (for example) we recommend the Fruity Compressor or Fruity Limiter as they are easier to set for individual sounds.

Parameters The controls for the Fruity Multiband Compressor affect the relationship between input and output volume for (up to) 3 frequency bands selected by the user. The Multiband Compressor is a variable-knee compressor with built-in peak limiting. Functions are discussed from left to right on the plugin:

Input & Filtering IN/OUT (Peak Meter) - Located below the peak meter, this switch (

) displays either the

incoming or outgoing signal strength. Hover your mouse pointer over the peak meter and look at the Hint Bar to see exact values. IIR/FIR (Filter type) - Select either an IIR (ButterWorth IIR, 24dB/oct) or a FIR (LinearPhase) filter. FIR is recommended for mastering applications. LIMITER - When selected (ON) the output of the Multiband Compressor will not exceed 0 dB. SPEED - Controls the scroll rate of the peak/filter cutoff display. When the slider is set to 0 (far left) the peak display will be turned off and only the filter cutoff graph will be displayed. Filter cutoff - Four knobs below the Speed slider for selecting the filter cutoff. From left to right: Lowpass upper limit, Midband lower limit, Midband upper limit and Highpass lower cutoff. The frequencies defined by these cutoffs as Low, Mid and High are then fed to the LOW BAND, MID BAND and HIGH BAND compressors.

Low, Mid & High Band Compressors Each of the three bands (LOW, MID and HIGH) have these same controls:

A/M/B - Next to the LOW, MID and HIGH BAND labels, this switch lets you select the state as Active (

): compressor activated, Muted (

): band sound muted, or Bypass (

): band

sound passed without alteration. Threshold - Sets the dB level at which the compressor kicks in. Range: 0.0 to -60.0 dB. Should be adjusted according to the relative input level and the type of audio material. Once the threshold is reached, compression will reduce the gain of the input signal according to the current Ratio, Type, Attack and Release settings. Ratio - From 1:1 (max. left) to

∞:1 (max. right). Controls the amount of compression (gain

reduction) that will be applied to the signal once the threshold level is reached. The ratio denotes the difference in dB between input and output levels, i.e. how much the signal above threshold level will be compressed. For example, a ratio of 4:1 means that when the input level increases by 4dB, the output level of the signal above threshold will increase by 1dB. KNEE Left 0%=Soft, Right 100%=Hard. While attack controls how fast a compressor acts, the knee characteristics control the rate at which the full amount of compression is applied. Soft means there is a gradual increase from no to full compression as the input volume increases, while hard means the transition from no to full compression is instant once a predefined input level is exceeded. Attack - 0.1 to 100 ms, controls the time it takes to reach full compression once the threshold level has been exceeded. Fast attack means that compression will be instantaneous, while slow attack means the compression is increased gradually, allowing for more variations in the signal than the fast setting. Attack should be adjusted according to the type of audio material you are using. Release - 10 ms to 1000 ms, controls the amount of time the compressor takes to stop once the level has fallen below threshold. Short release times will make the compression more flexible and able to adapt to the input signal, but may cause fast changes in gain that may sound unpleasant. Longer release times produce a more even signal with less distortion, but make it harder to maximize the overall compression because small variations in signal level will be ignored. Gain - From -∞dB to 17 dB, controls the amount of gain to be added or subtracted from the compressed output signal. The gain should be adjusted to normalize the signal amplitude after compression, or to control the amount of limiting. This parameter has an effect during Active and Bypass modes. IN/OUT (Peak Meter) - Below the peak meter, this switch (

) is used to display either the

incoming or outgoing signal strength. C (Compression Meter) - Displays the amount of gain reduction. Hover your mouse pointer over the peak meter and look at the Hint Bar to see exact values.

Plugin Credits: Code: slim slow slider Interface Design: Didier Dambrin

EFFECTS

NewTone Newtone is a pitch-correction and time manipulation editor. Slice, warp, correct, edit vocals, instrumentals and other recordings. A Newtone Video Tutorial series is available. A related plugin for live pitch manipulation is Pitcher.

Pitch Mode The default mode analyzes the file to show pitch, vertical position, and volume, height of notes.

Detected notes display as blocks on the Piano roll. Note volume appears as a background waveform. There are three indicators: 1. Orange rectangles show the average pitch for the detected note. 2. Orange shaded blocks indicate the nearest semi-tone. 3. Orange line displays the detected pitch at each point.

Global Pitch Control Knobs Center - Global pitch correction. Scales all notes toward 100% nearest pitch. Variation - Global pitch variation correction. Controls vibrato and pitch errors. Transition - Global pitch transition speed between notes.

Mode Buttons From left to right: Cut mode - Select and slice notes by clicking on the desired cut location. In Cut mode hold ( slices to be joined. Otherwise use ( Advanced Edit mode (

Alt) and click on the two

Shift + Alt) when not in Cut mode.

Double-click) - There are two advanced edit modes selected from the Edit menu. Pitch edit -

Allows the note's properties including Pitch, Formant, Volume etc., to be edited. When Vibrato edit is selected the tool shows the vibrato functions including frequency, start and end intensity and vibrato volume. Slaved Playback mode (

H) - Playback position will sync to FL Studio's transport controls (make sure FL Studio is in

Song Mode). The bars in Newtone and the Playlist will also be aligned. To start Newtone from a point later in the FL Studio project make a selection in the Playlist from the point where you want Newtone to start. You can disable this behavior by switching 'Ignore host selection' (right-click the slave button to access). Auto-Scroll mode (

A) - The Piano roll will scroll to follow the playback cursor.

Editing Pitch Editing options include: Pitch correction (single note) - (

Right-click) notes and they will snap to the nearest semitone. For unsnapped re-

pitching click the Pitch handle, hold (

Alt) and drag vertically.

Pitch correction (of a selection) - Make a selection by holding (

Ctrl + click-n-drag) vertically through any note/s to

select them and then click a note on the Piano roll ruler to the left. The selected notes will snap to the selected pitch. Pitch correction (all notes) - Use the 'Center' (pitch center), 'Variation' (pitch vibrato/ drift) and 'Transition' (legato) knobs. These scale values for all notes simultaneously. For most corrections you will probably just use these controls and make a few specific note-by note adjustments in Advanced Edit mode. Fine tune pitch Hold (

Alt + drag) the center of the note vertically.

Pitch variation correction - Enter Advanced Edit mode and then double-click the note to activate it. Controls include 'Pitch variation', 'Ramp-in' and 'Ramp-out' on a note-by-note basis (see above). To adjust parameters click on the controls as indicated and drag in the direction of the arrows. Formant - Enter Advanced Edit mode and then double-click the note to activate it. Drag vertically on the Formant control as indicated above. Formants are resonances caused by the size and shape of the vocal tract. Changing the fomant will change the apparent size, age or even sex of the vocalist. Vibrato - Make sure Vibrato Edit mode is selected and then double-click the note to enter Advanced Mode. This provides control over 'Vibrato frequency', 'Start' and 'End' intensity and volume vibrato envelope on a note-by-note basis.

NOTES: The vibrato control will interact with existing vibrato, so it can be easier to see what you are doing by dialing out the natural vibrato with the variation knob then bring back some of the natural vibrato later if desired. The vertical green line is fixed and shows the estimated frequency of the natural vibrato in the original sample (if any). The blue line can be moved horizontally to set the frequency from maximum (far right) to minimum (far left). The start and end vibrato levels are bidirectional and can be dragged vertically to change amount and phase of the vibrato. The set frequency line marks the division between start and end controls. Selections and editing - When you make a selection (or select all notes) to change the pitch all notes in the selection will respond. In Advanced Edit mode all notes will respond to 'parameter level' edits also (e.g. Variation or Formant). Note positions & boundaries - Clicking and dragging at the edges of the note blocks will move them. Where two notes are joining (as is often the case), the intersection of both notes will move together. The Snap resolution setting will determine how notes move. To override snap hold (

Alt) while dragging. To create new notes or insert missed notes, use the Cut

tool to slice existing notes. Join 'glue' notes or slices - Hold (

Shift + Alt) OR in Cut mode hold (

Alt) then wait for the pointing finger to appear

then click the notes to be joined. Cut, pasted & delete - Follow standard keyboard shortcuts (see below). Auto-flatten pitch - Select some notes then click a note on the piano roll to set the group pitch. Select a key for auto-pitching - Select Snap to scale and move notes vertically and they will only jump to notes on the selected scale. Snap to time grid - Where the audio snaps to is dependent on the snap resolution and which notes are selected.

Vibrato control - In addition to the 'Variation' knob it's possible to impose a simulated vibrato on notes. Select 'Vibrato edit' from the Edit menu then the 'Advanced edit' display will change to show vibrato controls. Convert your vocal parts to synthesizer performances - by sending MIDI scores to Piano roll with the 'Send score' button. Cut mode (

Shift) - Or click on the Cut button.

Move note start/end independently Click the Left or Right edge of the note and drag, hold (

Ctrl + drag) left/right to

detach it from surrounding notes, if possible. Move note independently Place the cursor on the front half of the note so the hand cursor appears and drag. Hold ( Ctrl + drag) to detach the note from surrounding notes, if possible.

Advanced Edit mode (temporary) (

Double-click) Double-click the note to be edited. To remain in Advanced Edit model

select the Advanced Edit button. Leave Advanced Edit (

Double-click) the Piano roll.

Preview / Scrub - When playback is stopped, click on the middle of a note (where the double-headed vertical arrow appears) and drag horizontally. Abusing Newtone - in ways for which it was not intended will reward the adventurous.

Warp Editor Overview To swap to Warp Mode select the disk icon and then 'Time warping from the menu. You will be asked if you want to save any pitch correction edits before changing mode. Warp mode is designed to work primarily with non-pitched, rhythmic content.

In warp mode the Global Pitch Control knobs are replaced by: Density - Controls the number of detected slices. Warp markers are added where transients are detected with Density controlling the detection threshold. Auto-slicing works best with percussion or other performed-to-a-tempo audio with clearly visible beats. NOTES: Audio longer than 20 seconds is auto-quantized - the beat is detected according to the Density setting and warp-markers auto-snapped to the tempo grid. For audio less than 20 seconds the Density control is deactivated if slices are already present in the file, as these are used instead. To check if a sample is pre-sliced open the audio file in Edison and edit slices as needed.

Editing in Time Warping Mode Percussion/Drum or polyphonic mode includes stretching - Any downbeat markers will be used to determine the start of a bar and then warp markers will be automatically placed at beat boundaries that are detected in the sample. Set the downbeat - Right-click an existing warp-marker.

Add and remove wrap-markers - Double click on the location to add/remove the marker. Set BPM (F2) - Click the disk icon and select 'Edit properties. Enter the desired BPM Preview Scrub Click the time-ruler above the slices

General Editor Functions These operations apply to the editor: Move the Piano roll in any direction Click (

Ctrl + Alt) & drag the mouse OR click the (

Middle mouse button) &

drag. Scroll the Piano roll vertically Scroll the mouse wheel. Scroll horizontally (

Shift + mouse wheel).

Zoom horizontally (

Ctrl + mouse wheel).

Zoom vertically (

Alt + mouse wheel).

Zoom Selection / Zoom Full Make a selection and (

Ctrl + Right-click). If nothing is selected this will Zoom Out to full

view.

Title-bar Options Transport Loop mode On/Off ( Play/Stop (

L).

Space Bar) To Pause (

Ctrl + Space).

File Mode - When switching modes you will be asked if you want to save the current file. If you have made changes compared to the original, then these will be saved and the file re-opened in the new mode. You can choose to re-open in the new mode without saving your existing changes. Pitch correction - Correct or edit pitch of monophonic sources. Time warping - Correct or edit timing of performances. File options New - Opens a new (empty) editor window. Load sample ( Save sample as (

Ctrl+O) - Opens a file browser dialog in 'load' mode. Ctrl+S) - Opens a file browser dialog in 'save' mode. The pop-up dialog has two options under

the 'Save as type' field: Microsoft wave file (*.wav) Standard lossless

.wav file at the bit-depth and sample rate set in the

Sample Properties dialog. Microsoft compressed wave file (*.wav) Lossy

compression formats. After initiating the save a

second dialog opens to save the sample in one of many compressed formats. MS compressed wave files simply wrap the selected compression type in a *.wav file, and put information in the wave header as to what decompression method the opening program should use (not all programs read this information). FL Studio will load and decompress MS compressed wave files automatically as long as you have the appropriate codec

installed.

WavPack (*.wv) (or Right-click the 'Save as' button) Lossless or lossy source compression (see the WavPack

, depending on settings, open-

website for more details). After initiating save in this format you

will be prompted for a bit-depth (lossless is the default, other settings are lossy compression modes). In 'lossless' mode expect between 30-70% reduction in file sizes, useful for archiving purposes. FL Studio will load and decompress WavPack files automatically. MPEG 3 audio file (*.mp3) Mp3

is a Lossy

compression format. It has gained world-wide popularity

because it was one of the first on the market that provided good quality lossy compression. After initiating

a save a second dialog opens to select the quality (bit-rate), this controls the tradeoff between audio quality and file size. Good listening quality on portable devices starts at about 160 kbps, use 224 kbps or 320 (max) if you want something probably indistinguishable from CD quality. Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg) Lossy Vorbis

or Ogg Wikipedia

, open source compression format, similar in concept to mp3

(see the

website for more details). After initiating a save a second dialog opens to

select the quality (bit-rate), this controls the tradeoff between audio quality and file size. Use a setting of 0.50 or more if you want good quality. FL Studio will load and decompress *.ogg files automatically. NOTE: Do not use any of the lossy formats (Microsoft compressed wave file, MPEG 3 or Ogg Vorbis) to archive project samples or loops. Use Microsoft wave files or WavPack in lossless compression mode if you want to save space. Hard disk space is cheap, samples may be irreplaceable. Save as MIDI - Saves the current pitch detections and manipulations as a MIDI file (.mid). Slave to host playback: Ignore host selection - Playback will follow the absolute song position in FL. Normally Newtone will align its first bar to start at the beginning of Playlist selections in FL Studio. Ignore own selection - Playback isn't limited to the selection in Newtone. Ignore space bar key - Spacebar is ignored when Newtone is slaved to FL Studio's transport. This avoids the situation where you are editing something in sync with a song, and each time you edit, if Newtone is in focus, it plays alone instead of with the FL Studio project. Edit properties (

F2) (Or Right-click the title text below the transport buttons) - Opens a dialog to set BPM and

Tempo-sync that causes the sample to stretch with changes to host BPM once imported.

Edit Undo ( Cut (

Ctrl+Alt+Z) OR (

Ctrl+Alt+Z) - Undo/Redo OR Undo many.

Ctrl+X) - Cuts the selection.

Copy (

Ctrl+C) - Copy selection.

Paste (

Ctrl+V) - Paste selection.

Copy to MIDI clipboard Copies the current note detection to the MIDI clipboard. To send notes to the Piano roll use 'Send to piano roll' below. Delete (

Del) - Delete selection.

Advanced Edit (

Ctrl+A) - Toggles Advanced Edit (A) pitch mode. In A mode the A box will automatically appear when

the mouse cursor is placed over a note. Otherwise you can double-click notes to enter Advanced Edit mode. Vibrato edit - Toggles Advanced Edit (A) vibrato mode. This allows you to fine-tune pitch vibrato effects on individual notes. In A mode the A box will automatically appear when the mouse cursor is placed over a note. Otherwise you can double-click notes to enter Advanced Edit mode. Cut Mode (

C) - Toggles Cut Mode used to Cut/Slice notes.

Snap to scale - Once you start moving notes from their existing locations they will only snap to notes from that scale. Scale - Select the scale to use in conjunction with the Snap to scale function. Snap to grid - Set the horizontal snapping from 'none' to '1/8 beat' (32nd notes). Hold (

Alt) to temporarily override

snap. Send to Playlist as audio clip - Sends the audio to the Playlist as an Audio Clip with markers set for the note boundaries. Send to piano roll - Sends the detected notes to the Piano roll as MIDI data.

Select Deselect (

Up arrow) selection.

Select time around selection (

Ctrl+Enter) - Selects the time-line range occupied by the selected notes. If no selection

is made the Zoomed range will be selected.

Select before current selection - Selects the time-line before the current selection. Select after current selection - Selects the time-line after the current selection. Select all - Selects the time-line. Select all slices (

Ctrl + A) - Selects all audio.

Undo Undo - Undo if there is nothing to redo, (

Ctrl+Z).

Create Score Left-click - Sends the detected score to a Piano roll in the currently selected Channel & Pattern. Right-click Copies the score to the MIDI clipboard.

Save as Left-click Save as a new file. Right-click Save the file as WavePack format (.wv). See the 'File > Save sample as' section for a detailed description of .wv format.

Drag selection Drag this button and drop on a compatible location in FL Studio (Playlist, Channel window e.t.c,) to copy the selection to that destination. If nothing is selected the entire sample will be copied.

Send selection to Playlist Sends the selection to the Playlist. If nothing is selected the entire sample will be copied.

Credits Pitch/Time manipulation engine by: Zplane Code & GUI: Frederic Vanmol. Title-bar skin: Didier Dambrin.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity NoteBook Fruity NoteBook is a 100-page notepad, useful for song information, story, lyrics or personal notes. It supports RTF data. If you would like to use HTML in your project use the Fruity HTML NoteBook.

Using NoteBook Add notes - Select a page using the page selector along the bottom and click in the Note area and type your notes. Paste notes - You can paste different text formats from rich text editors, such as WordPad (use keyboard shotrcuts - Ctrl+C [copy] and Ctrl+V [paste] between editors), but not pictures. Change pages - The page number selector (showing 1 in the bottom of the picture, left) is automatable, so you can synchronize the pages with a song. To automate the notebook in time with a song - Use an automation clip to turn the pages. Right-click the slider and select 'Create automation clip'. Place the Automation Clip in the Playlist. You will need to create steps in the Automation Clip where you want the pages to flip. Two things

to help you here are: Adjust vertical sensitivity - Use the Automation Clip Channel settings Max/Mix controls to adjust the vertical sensitivity/range of the Automation Clip. Create automation steps - Right-click the first control-point you add to the Automation Clip and select 'Hold' mode. Each point added after this will create a step.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity PanOMatic Fruity PanOMatic is a panning & volume plugin, especially useful for automation (the plugin uses level ramping to avoid clicks and pops). The plugin includes a handy volume/pan grid (drag the cross with your mouse) and an adjustable LFO unit.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS / EFFECTS

Patcher Patcher loads as an instrument or effect and allows you to chain both instruments and effects into complete units for reuse in other projects. Set up your favorite instrument & effects chain for example. You can also use it to add unlimited effects or instruments in a single Channel or Effects slot. Related plugins: Control Surface, Fruity Layer and Minihost Modular.

NOTE: The workspace is resizable, drag on the window to resize OR drag an object to the edge of the workspace to auto-resize..

Patcher Controls Data Links Audio (yellow) - Shows Audio links (inputs & or outputs depending on the plugin). Parameters (red) - Shows internal automation parameter links (plugin program/interface controls). Events (green) - Shows note/event links (MIDI control data). NOTE: Placing the mouse cursor over Link Nodes will show their name in the Hint Bar.

Working with links Make connections - Objects in Patcher have inputs on the left-side and/or outputs on their right-side. The connectors show as dots with colors that relate to the Parameter data type (see above). Click on any output or input connector and drag to a compatible connector (shown in green). Dragging to the Middle of an object - Will open a pop-up list of compatible link targets. Add / Remove connectors - Right-click the FL Studio icons, plugins or parameters and activate/deactivate connectors. Break a single connection - Left-click the input connector of a pair. Drag off the input into free space and release the mouse button.

Change connections - Left-click the input connector point and drag to the new target input connector. Audio volume - Click on the center arrow and drag vertically. The volume values are displayed in the Hint Bar. Mute audio - Right-click the link. Right-click nodes (and modules) - To see a popup with options, including to activate nodes, add links etc.

Events or MIDI to FX plugins If you need to get MIDI data to an Instrument plugin that's loaded on Patcher in an FX slot, then: 1. Load a MIDI Out channel and set it to 'Port 5', for example. 2. Right click the 'From FL Studio' icon 3. Select Patcher > Outputs > Events and activate 'Port 5'. 4. Make the Event connection from FL Studio to the Plugin as normal.

Saving/Loading Patcher Presets To save a patcher preset - use the Wrapper Menu 'Save preset as' option. You can also drag this menu item to a new Channel or Effects slot to duplicate the current chain. Patcher is a great way to save your favorite Instrument & Effects chains ready for use in new projects.

Encapsulate existing plugins - You can 'patcherize' existing plugins on a Channel Rack or Mixer Track slot by holding (

SHIFT) and dropping Patcher onto the existing plugin. If you don't hold SHIFT the plugin will be

replaced rather than encapsulated.

Tabs There are two tab types. The Map which is the main workspace and layout window for the Patcher project and the Control Surfaces that hold internal controllers for the project. These can be renamed, right-click the control-surface icon on the Map tab, to better reflect their use. You can add as many Control Surfaces as you need to the project.

Map The MAP tab allows you to build the plugin & or effects chain. Add plugins & controls - Right-click the workspace and add from the pop-up menu - Plugins, Effects or a Control Surface. Opening plugins - As of FL Studio 12 plugins now open in 'detached' mode outside the Patcher UI when double-clicked (see below). NOTE: Plugin interface parameters are not right-click linkable or visible to FL Studio unless a GUI (interface) target has been right-clicked and 'activate' selected. Once this has been done a Parameter node for the control will also appear on the plugins Map tab icon. There are two ways to open plugins: Open a plugin and close all others - ( for that Patcher instance.

Double-click) a plugin. This applies only to plugins open

Open a plugin leave others also open (

Alt+Click) a plugin. This applies only to plugins open for

that Patcher instance. Show data types - Right-click the workspace and select from the pop-up menu the data types to be shown (including latency) OR use the Audio, Parameters & Events buttons along the top of the plugin. Rename objects - Right-click the target object and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Delete objects - Right-click the target object and select 'Delete' from the pop-up menu. To add control surfaces & plugins - Use (

F8) OR (

Middle-Click) on the FL Studio desktop to open the

Plugin Picker OR drag from the Browser > Plugin database to Patcher's Map tab window.

Control Surface The CONTROL SURFACE tab/s allow you to add real-time controls that can be linked to plugins in the Map chain. Parameter objects can be linked to plugins by Right-clicking the plugin on the MAP tab and activating a Parameter by Right-clicking on the plugin. Right-click a control to automate it from this tab. You can add as many separate Control Surface tabs as needed to a project. In the image above there are two Control Surfaces, one has been renamed 'Wub this'. NOTE: For more details on working with and customizing Control Surface controls see the Control Surface > Control Creator section.

Working on the Control Surface tab: Add a Control Surface - The default Patcher loads with a single Control Surface, to add additional Control Surfaces drag from the Browser > Plugin database > Patcher > Control Surface and drop on Patcher. NOTE: If your plugin database is different, just search for 'Control Surface'. Load/save Control Surfaces - Click the Presets button as shown above and either save or load a Control Surface configuration. Add parameter controls - Click the + (Add) button as shown above and select from the pop-up menu of controls. Edit parameter controls - Click the Edit icon as shown above (controls will show red-rectangles around them) then you can click and drag to move or right-click and select the size, style, colors and rename the control. Automate Native Parameters - From the EDITORS tab Right-click the Plugin control and select 'Activate' from the pop-up menu. The control can be Right-clicked again and automated with the usual options such as 'Create automation clip' or 'Link to controller'. Link plugin parameters to Control Surface parameter controls

1. Add a Control Surface control with the + button or you can use an existing control. 2. Open the Map tab and drag FROM the controls related Parameter node on the right side of the Control Surface icon ONTO the middle of the target Plugin icon and release. 3. From the pop-up list select the desired GUI or plugin control target. Automate VST Parameters 1. Right-click the plugin on the MAP tab and select: 2. Inputs > Parameter and select the automation target Parameter from the pop-up list. 3. Right-click the red Parameter Node that appears on the Plugin and 'Create automation clip', 'Link to controller' or 'Edit events' as usual. Rename Parameters - Right-click the parameter and select 'Rename' from the pop-up menu. Live tweaking - Open the Parameter tab and use the mouse on the Parameter of interest as you would any plugin control. Select Multitouch to control multiple controls on a multi-touch monitor.

Patcher Voice Effects Plugins To add VFX Note Mapper to the Patcher project, dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control. VFX can't be used in FL Studio Channel or Effects slots so they are not generally made visible in the plugin lists. The VFX plugins include:

VFX Color Mapper - Control up to 16 independent generators/instruments (or groups of generators) using the 16 note colors of the Piano roll. VFX Key Mapper - Note input can be transposed, made into a chord, key-changed or creatively remapped.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol

EFFECTS / MIDI

VFX Key Mapper When VFX (voice effects) Key Mapper is used in Patcher, note input can be transposed, key-changed, chorded or creatively remapped. Check here for the

VFX Key Mapper video

.

Working with notes in the editor: Add/remove notes - Left click. Click on an empty cell to add a note, click on an existing note to delete it. You can place any number of notes on any or all rows. Exclusively add notes - Right click. Will replace any existing note/s with the new note. Reset to default - Middle click. The default maps input to output with no change in note.

Parameters To add VFX Key Mapper to the Patcher project, dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control. Input notes are shown on the vertical axis and output notes shown on the horizontal axis. You can map any input note to any or all notes over at least +/- one octave range relative to the input note. This includes mapping single notes to chords for example.

Key Mapper includes the following controls:

Base key - Changes the labeling on the input note axis. This does not affect the plugins output. Useful when you are feeding a VFX Key Mapper a pre-transposed input. Offset (transpose) - Transpose all input notes by +/- 12 semitones. Multimode - determines how multiple notes are played. For example where there is more than one note mapped for an input note as shown for C above. All - Plays all notes mapped. All (gain-compensated)x - Plays all notes but maintains the same volume level as a single note. Random - Randomly plays one of the notes mapped Cycle up - Each time the note is played the next highest note is sounded. Then when all notes have been played, starts at the lowest note again. Cycle down - Each time the note is played the next note down is sounded. Then when all notes have been played, starts at the highest note again. Pitch slide - Controls how many steps it will take to slide from the starting note to any mapped notes. Enable - Enable or disable the Key mapper. Automate to bring in special note effects during a live performance for example.

EFFECTS / MIDI

VFX Color Mapper When VFX (voice effects) Color Mapper is used in Patcher, up to 16 independent generators/instruments (or groups of generators) may be controlled from the 16 note colors of the Piano roll.

Parameters In most cases there's no need to adjust the Voice output or Color mappings. Simply add VFX Color Mapper to the Patcher project by dragging from the Browser > Effects > Voice category and drop on the Patcher Map. For fast linking drop on the Events link into the plugin you would like to control.

Voice Output VFX Color Mapper sends 'voice' data, note and note related events, to linked plugins. A voice port is conceptually similar to a MIDI channel except that it is limited to note data including note related properties (Pan, Velocity, Mod X, Mod Y & Fine Pitch). Colors - By default note colors 1 to 16 are mapped to voice ports 1 to 16 AND only voice ports 1 to 4 are activated on the output side. Drag a link from the target plugin to the middle of VFX Color Mapper and release to select ports 5 to 16. Mapping - Click the drop-down menu on a color to redirect a note color to the desired voice port. There are no restrictions on how many colors map to the same voice port. NOTE: Voice port mappings can be automated, Right click a color, select 'Activate' then right-click again to select automation options as usual.

Color Color mapping changes the note color associated with a voice as it passes through VFX Color Mapper. Why would you want to do that? Some note colors are used by certain plugins for special purposes. For example, note color 16 controls filter cutoff frequency in Harmless. So if color 16 was re-mapped to voice port 1, you may also decide to remap color 16 to color 1 to avoid it being used as a special purpose color by Harmless. Or you may like to work with colors 1, 5, 9 and 13 as they are most distinguishable, but want 13 to act as special note color 16 and so remap it. Colors - By default colors 1 to 16 are mapped to colors 1 to 16 (no change). Mapping - Click the drop-down menu to redirect a color to another. There are no restrictions on how may colors map to the same color. NOTE: Color mappings can be automated, right-click to select automation options as usual.

Working with VFX Color Mapper To connect a plugin to VFX Color Mapper, generally it's easiest to drag from the plugins event input port to the middle of VFX Color mapper to expose the pop-up ports available.

NOTES: A single Voice output may be routed to as many instrument/generator inputs as desired. To activate all Voice outputs - Right-click VFX Color Mapper to open Outputs > Events > Activate all.

Control up to 16 separate plugins (or plugin groups) with VFX Color Mapper.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Parametric EQ Fruity Parametric EQ is a CPU friendly 7 band parametric equalizer plugin. Equalizing is the process of increasing or decreasing the loudness of specific frequencies. You can adjust the frequency and width of each band in the EQ. Also, each band can act as high shelf, low shelf, peaking, band pass, notch, high pass or low pass filter. The plugin also contains global gain wheel to adjust the overall volume. When to use: We recommend using Fruity Parametric EQ 2 as it is the sucessor to this (legacy) plugin. A more general alternative to either of these Parametric EQ's is EQUO.

Parameters

1. Filter type (peaking, low shelf, high shelf, etc). 2. Equalization amount (the level of the band). High pass, low pass, band pass and notch filters don't use that parameter (so the slider is invisible when using them). 3. Center frequency of the band. 4. Width of the band (turning the knob to the left makes the band wider).

Notes

Graph area - Left-clicking in the graph area and moving the mouse up and down changes level, left and right movement changes center frequency. For Rightclicking, moving up and down changes level and left and right band-width. Disabled bands - When the filter type is set to 'off' and peaking/shelf bands that are not amplified do not use CPU resources. The plugin window - is resizable, allowing you to hide the bottom part of the panel. Need more bands? - You can stack more than one instance of this plugin in a Mixer track to gain more EQ channels, 2 instances would provide 14 bands of Parametric EQ!

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Parametric EQ 2 Fruity Parametric EQ 2 is an advanced 7-Band parametric equalizer plugin with spectral analysis. Equalizing is the process of increasing or decreasing the loudness of specific frequencies. The Band type (shape), center frequency and width of each Band are fully adjustable. You can choose from High Shelf, Low Shelf, Peaking, Band Pass, Notch, Low Pass, High Pass or Band Pass filters for each Band independently. There is also a global gain slider to adjust the overall volume. When to use: Parametric EQ 2 is a good choice whenever precise control over EQ is required (e.g. Mastering and controlling or enhancing specific frequencies at an instrument level). Alternatively, if screen space is tight use Fruity Parametric EQ, or for a graphic EQ, try EQUO. NOTE: If you require even more precise control over EQ, the offline Equalize Tool in Edison provides the

greatest precision of all the EQ plugins.

Parameters 1. Band Type & Filter Slope Selectors - Note that the upper section shows different shapes (Band Type) with dots below each shape (Filter Slope). Band Type: Left-click and drag up/down to change the filter type between OFF, Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass, Notch, Low Shelf, Peaking, High Shelf. Filter Slope: Left-click and drag up/down on the dot/s below each band shape to select filter slope. Down = Steep 4, 6 & 8, Up = Gentle 2, 6 & 8 (the steep filters give more precision in EQ isolation). NOTE: The Band Tokens can also be Right-clicked to show menus for both filter and slope types. 2. EQ Sliders - Adjust the equalization level by sliding up/down. The Band Tokens can also be directly clicked & dragged. Note that Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass and Notch filters don't use this parameter (so the slider is disabled). 3. FREQ / BW - Controls the center frequency and bandwidth of the EQ Band. 4. Band Token - Most Band EQ manipulations can be made by clicking on a Band Token and dragging with the mouse. Mouse wheel controls band-width. Bandwidth - Several methods. 1. Shift+Click and move mouse left/right on Bands; 2. Click the mouse-wheel and do the same, OR 3. Scroll the mousewheel while hovering over the token. Reset Band - Alt+Click a Band to reset a Band. Fine Adjustment - Ctrl+Click a Band to make fine adjustments (same for all knobs and sliders). Main Level - Left-click outside the Bands to adjust the main level control (the cursor will change from pointer to a cross). Filter Type & Order - Right-click on the token to open a menu of filter types and filter orders. 5. Options and Settings - From left to right: Options: High precision monitor - Increases the resolution of the background frequency spectrum monitoring at the expense of display latency (plugin audio latency remains unaffected). About - Shows version details and credits. HQ - Uses oversampling to improve audio quality, particularly in the region above 15 kHz. NOTE: HQ mode increases CPU load.

View Band tokens - Turns the tokens ON/OFF. Monitor - Turns the spectral monitoring ON/OFF or shows the spectrum of the plugin output. Compare - Click the first down-arrow to save the current EQ settings to a spare bank. Click the up/down arrow control to swap between the saved bank and the main bank. Tweaking any parameter in the spare bank will cause it to become the main bank again. Use this to compare EQ settings. Note that the comparison bank is saved along with the main bank, so keep this in mind if you are creating presets.

Notes Disabled Bands - When the filter type is set to 'off', peaking/shelf Bands that are not amplified will not use CPU resources. Need more Bands? - You can stack more than one instance of Parametric EQ 2 in a Mixer track to gain more EQ channels - two instances provide 14 Bands of Parametric EQ!

Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin. Thanks to: Robert Bristow-Johnson for his EQ Cookbook.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Peak Controller Fruity Peak Controller one of many internal controllers and it is used to automate targets in response to the volume envelope of an input sound AND OR its own intenal LFO generator. A typical use of the Peak Controller is to create 'Sidechain compression' style effects by putting Peak Controller on the kick track and use the automation signal to control (duck) the volume of other Mixer tracks, e.g. a synthesizer playing chords. NOTE: Alternatively, Fruity Limiter's compressor section has side-chain functionality.

Envelope colors: Orange envelope - Peak automation. Green envelope - LFO automation. White envelope - Peak + LFO automation. NOTES: 1. Hold the Vol click and hold Peak or LFO controls to see their envelopes in isolation. 2. Fruity Peak Controller will only use input signals above -50 dB.

Setup Load the Peak Controller on the Mixer Track that has the audio signal to control the target parameter. To hear the control audio, disable the MUTE switch on the lower-right corner of the Peak Controller plugin. Peak Controller will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller > Link assignment' Right-click link dialog. Link assignment options include: Peak Ctrl - Peak+LFO - The combination (sum) of the above two automation signals. Peak Ctrl - Peak - The peak control only. Automation comes from the plugins volume peaks of the input audio signal.

Peak Ctrl - LFO - The LFO controller only.

Parameters Pay attention to the Mute switch that is on by default and prevents input audio passing through the plugin.

Peak Controls Audio input peaks are tracked and an automation source is created according to the following options: Base - Base, or lowest value (offset), of the control output. Volume (VOL) - Maximum value of the control output. The control is bi-polar with values from -200% (maximum to left) to 200% (maximum right). When using positive values a higher volume means higher Peak Control output values. Negative volumes result in a 'ducking' effect where the Peak Controller output is negative and dips with each input peak. You will need to set this in conjunction with the Base level to create 'sidechain pumping' effects. Turn up the Base and then turn the Volume to negative. Tension - The shape of the attack and release curve (the controls graphic shows the effect). NOTE: As the attack of most sounds is very short you won't see or hear an effect of this parameter. It will be most useful on the decay side of the envelope. Decay - Time taken to decay to the starting level.

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) Controls The LFO runs independently of the audio input. Set according to the following options: Base - Base, or lowest value the LFO will output. Volume (VOL) - Maximum value of the LFO output. The control is bi-polar with values from -100% (maximum to left) to 100% (maximum to right). Use in conjunction with the Base value. Tension - Drag up and down to alter the shape of the curve used to map the LFO values to LFO controller values. You can think of tension as a multiplier for the output. Shape - Select the shape of the LFO waveform. Choose from sine, triangle, square, saw and random values (dice icon). Speed - LFO speed. Turn to left to speed up the LFO. Turn to right to slow down.

Phase - This sets the phase offset for the LFO. This effectively controls the startposition.

Additional Options Ramp switch - Prevents abrupt changes in output values. Use this if the parameters you link to clicks and pops when changed too quickly. Mute switch - OFF the signal passes through the Fruity Peak Controller plugin. ON the output of the plugin is muted. For example, mute the output if you want to create a 'sidechain pumping' effect without the kick audio being heard.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

EFFECTS

PitCHER Pitcher is a real-time pitch-correction, manipulation & harmonization plugin that can correct and harmonize under MIDI control from a keyboard or the Piano roll. A

Pitcher Video Tutorial series is available. A related plugin for detailed pitch correction,

editing and sample manipulation is Newtone.

WARNING: You are NOT allowed to use this plugin to tune crappy vocals and make millions!

Suggestions for using Pitcher To get the best sound from Pitcher: 1. Avoid singing pitches on the boundary between notes in the scale. Use the Input Pitch detection indicator as a guide. 2. Avoid excessive vibrato. 3. Pitcher works with monophonic (single note) sounds. It won't work with choirs, chords or complete mixes although abusing it this way may yield creative effects. 4. Select the appropriate scale for your vocal. If you don't know what key your vocals are in, watch the pitch indicator and deselect notes that are detected but unwanted. 5. Put Pitcher first in the effects chain so that it receives a non-effected input. Phasing, chorus and reverb can negatively impact pitch detection. 6. When using MIDI control, align (or play) notes slightly ahead of the vocal so you don't miss the vocal attack sound. 7. Ignore the above and get creative!

Options Pitch reference (REF) - Select the input channel, L, R or Independent, used for pitching. Independent tunes the L and R channels independently. Minimum Frequency (Min:) - Select the minimum detected frequency in the input. There are two benefits to selecting the highest Minimum frequency that works with your source audio. 1. Avoids spurious low frequencies interfering with pitch detection (e.g. rumble & vibrations, breath pops, background noise etc). Particularly useful with vocals, try 80-170 Hz with males and 170-220 Hz with females. 2. Reduces CPU load as frequency detectors below the Min setting are disabled. Automated pitch correction - There are a group of 4 controls that affect the output pitch: Scale - Select Major or Minor scale. Key - Pitches that fall on notes not included in the scale will be shifted to the nearest note in the scale.

A3 (Hz) - Tuning. You can adjust the frequency of A3 (440 Hz) to other reference scales. Notes (C to B) - When selected the note is available for pitching input audio. When deselected the note is avoided and the input is pitched to the nearest active note. You can manually override any Scale setting by turning these notes on and off. Enable/Bypass - Enable/Disable Pitcher. Bypass - Input pitches falling in the capture zone for the note will pass un-corrected. Correction Speed - Fast settings sound more artificial and slower settings more natural. Slower settings are particularly useful when the vocal contains legato or glissando style singing. Voice Panning - Pan position for each of the 4 voices. When playing a chord, the highest note is assigned to the top slider and lower notes to the sliders below based on the number of notes in the chord. Stereo Spread - Panning multiplier. Single control to adjust the spread of the voice panning set above. Replace / Mix - In 'Replace' mode the harmonized audio replaces the incoming audio. In 'Mix' mode the incoming signal is mixed with the harmonized audio. Vel - When selected the MIDI velocity will affect harmonized voice volume. Gender - Formant override control (see below). Formant - Formant preservation. A formant is a resonance or peak in the frequency spectrum of a sound. It's most commonly used to describe the throat, mouth and nasal cavity resonances in the human voice. As the resonance is related to the size and shape of these cavities, formants are a major aural cue to the age and sex of a speaker. The Formant option maintains a constant formant as the pitch is varied from the original (particularly useful in MIDI mode). When it's off, you will hear the common 'I've been sucking on helium

' vocal sound with pitch-shifts of more than a few

notes. Fine tune - Adjust the output tuning of the plugin +/- 100 cents (1 semitone). Scaling Mode Switches Automatic - All switches off. Pitches are rescaled to the active notes automatically. MIDI - - MIDI notes will scale the incoming audio to the note in the detected octave. Octaves - MIDI notes will scale the incoming audio to the note AND octave played. Harmonize - Up to 4 MIDI notes can independently scale the incoming audio to the note(s) AND octave(s) played.

MIDI Mode / Harmonizing Setup MIDI Mode allows you to play the 'corrected' pitch from a MIDI keyboard or from the Piano Roll. Perfect for live improvisation or to use manual pitch correction and/or harmonizing (play chords).

1. Select MIDI mode - Click the MIDI switch on Pitcher. When selected the Port display (as shown above) will appear at the bottom left on the plugin window. 2. MIDI Out - Load the MIDI Out generator on a channel and set the Port number (0 to 255) by dragging up/down in the Port window. This number is used to link the MIDI Out plugin to Pitcher. 3. Match Port numbers - Set the Port Number on Pitcher (drag up/down where it shows '1' above. When no port is set this shows '...' ) to match the Port Number on MIDI Out. This links the two plugins so the MIDI Out Channel will control Pitcher's harmonization or pitch. 4. Set other MIDI modes - Select Octaves & Harmonize (down position) if you want to play chords. 5. Formant - Turn the Formant switch ON (illuminated) if desired. Vocals will sound more natural with formant correction. 6. Play - Play notes on your keyboard while singing or routing audio to Pitcher's Mixer Track (and be amazed that you are milliseconds away from fame and stardom!).

Credits Plugin by: Maxx Claster

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Phase Inverter Fruity Phase Inverter inverts the phase of either the left or right channel.

NOTE: Be careful as L/R phase inverted channels will cancel each other if the output is converted to mono.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Phaser Fruity Phaser is an FL Studio exclusive plugin based on SupaPhaser, developed by Smart Electronix

.

Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal which are not spaced evenly. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both come from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. However, the Phasing effect is significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum.

Parameters Sweep Frequency - Sets the frequency of the LFO which controls the phaser. The range of this parameter depends on the Frequency Range parameter. If the value for that parameter is large, Sweep Frequency will change the frequency between 0 and 10Hz. If the range is small, it will change the frequency between 0 and 2Hz. Min and Max Depth - Control the range of the phaser action. The phaser

will be swept between these values. Frequency range - Sets the frequency range using for the Sweep Frequency parameter. Stereo - Use this control to widen the stereo image. If it's set to 0, the LFO on the left and right channel will be in perfect synchronization. At 180 degrees the left and right channel will be 100% out of phase. This means that the left channel will reach its maximum when the right channel is at minimum. Range: 0 to 360 degrees. Try setting 10 degrees for subtle stereo enhancement. Stages - Stages controls the number of phasing stages. Old stompbox phasers usually have 4 or 6 stages, but this digital equivalent can have up to 23 stages. As the number of stages rises, the effect becomes more aggressive and more pronounced. Feedback - Determines how much of the signal is sent back into the phaser. Dry-Wet - Sets the mixture of processed and non-processed sound. Out-Gain - Sets the additional gain for the signal at the output of the effect. Use this parameter to boost silent signals.

Plugin Credits: Smart Electronix

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Reeverb Fruity Reeverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be This is a legacy plugin, we recommend Fruity Reeverb 2

quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a reverberant sound. Fruity Reeverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your acoustic and electronic instruments a realistic (live) feel, then use

feel, then use of reverb is critical. Alternatives to Fruity Reeverb are Fruity Reeverb 2. and Fruity Convolver. NOTE: Reverb is one of those effects that is easy to overdo in a mix, creating a washed out and 'muddy' sound. Reverb works best on isolated or solo instruments. When your track gets busy and has a lot going on it is better to use some light delay on instruments. Rarely should you use reverb on the Master track and affect the whole mix, this tends to muddy the sound also.

sound also.

Parameters Low Cut - Adjusts the low cutoff frequency. Use this parameter to remove low frequencies from the input signal before reverb is added. For example, when adding reverb to a drum track, you might want to remove some of the 'rumble' from the bass drum by attenuating the bass frequencies. Setting this parameter to the minimum value will bypass the Low Cut filter, displaying OFF in the value field. High Cut - Similar to Low Cut. Adjusts the high cutoff frequency. Use to remove high frequencies from the input signal. Predelay - Controls the delay time between the direct input signal and the first reverb reflection. Set to lower values for small rooms, and increase relative to the room size. Predelay creates a slap-back echo effect that can add atmosphere and muffle the signal, so use it wisely. Room Size - Sets the size of the virtual room where the reverb is created. Adjust according to decay time. The Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound best with a shorter decay times, while large rooms are suited to longer decay times. Diffusion - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the reflections sound more distinct, like closely spaced echoes. A high diffusion setting creates reflections so close they sound more like noise, in which echoes are indistinguishable. Color - Use to adjust the decay time of the bass frequencies of the signal. Five settings are available: Brighter, Bright, Flat, Warm and Warmer. This parameter allows you to change the overall perceived mood, or 'sound' of the virtual room. A bright room has a low bass response, while a warm room has a high bass response. In a flat room, the response of the bass is equal to the general frequency response. Decay - Controls the decay time of the reverb, i.e. the time it takes for the signal to decay to -60dB (1/1000 of the maximum amplitude). Use low decay times for small rooms or boxes, and long decay times for large rooms, halls or churches. You should also make sure that the Room Size parameter has an appropriate value.

High Damping - Allows you to adjust damping of the high frequencies in the reverb signal over time. Damping refers to the high frequencies being attenuated and dying out. This causes the sound to become gradually warmer and more muffled, as if it is being absorbed in the room. Setting this parameter to the maximum value will bypass the High Damping, displaying OFF in the value field. Dry - Sets the relative dry output level. Reverb - Sets the relative reverb (wet) signal level.

Plugin Credits Algorithms: Ultrafunk. Translation: Frederic Vanmol.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Reeverb 2 Fruity Reeverb 2 simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom or concert hall, the sound is quite different. This is due to the fact that in enclosed spaces reflections build up and overlap to create the reverberant sound. Fruity Reeverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you wish to give your acoustic and electronic instruments a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical. Fruity Reeverb 2 can create lush and smooth reverberations of up to 20 seconds duration and is the most sophisticated reverb in the FL Studio stable. Alternatives to Fruity Reeverb 2 are Fruity Reeverb and Fruity Convolver.

NOTE: Reverb is one of those effects that is easy to overdo in a mix, creating a washed out and 'muddy' sound. Reverb works best on isolated or solo instruments. When your track gets busy and has a lot going on it is better to use some light delay on instruments. Rarely should you use reverb on the Master track and affect the whole mix, this tends to muddy the sound also.

Parameters MID / SIDE - Process the Mid or Side components of the input signal. The default is MID processing, summed mono (Left+Right). The input must have stereo information before SIDE processing will have any effect. Processing in SIDE mode can be useful when you are processing a complete mix, giving a sense of space and reverberation without washing out the details, as reverb tends to do in this situation. Side reverberation processing affects the sound in the L/R stereo field while instruments panned close to center will remain unaffected. See Fruity Stereo Shaper for more details on Mid vs Side signals.

H.CUT (High Cut) - Changes the high cut-off frequency. Use this to remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound duller. L.CUT (Low Cut) - Adjusts the low cut-off frequency. Use this to remove low frequencies from the reverberations. For example, if you are adding reverb to a drum track, using the L.Cut parameter will reduce the 'rumble' and muddiness from the bass drum by attenuating the bass frequencies before being passed to the reverb engine. DEL (Predelay) - Controls the delay time between the direct input signal and the first reverb reflection. There is a tempo switch (

) below

the Delay knob that will select 'tempo based' predelay. Predelay should be set to modest values for small rooms, and can be increased to suit room size. Predelay creates a slap-back echo effect that can add atmosphere and muffle the signal, so use it wisely. SIZE (Room Size) - Use this knob to set the size of the virtual room being simulated (the display will give you feedback). For realistic effects, the Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms sound better with longer reverb times. DIFF (Diffusion) - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the reflections sound more distinct and sparse, like closely spaced echoes. A high diffusion setting creates a dense series of reflections, so close they sound more like a constant decaying noise. BASS (Bass Multiplier) - Adjusts the decay time of the bass frequencies in the reverberations. The bass level has a b effect on the overall 'mood' or sound of the virtual room. A bright room has less bass response, while warm rooms have a more bass response. CROSS (Bass Crossover) - Determines the point below which bass frequencies will be boosted by the Bass knob. DEC (Decay) - Controls the decay time of the reverb, this is the time it takes for the signal to decay to -60dB (1/1000 of the maximum amplitude). Use low decay times for small rooms (good for fattening drum sounds), and long decay times for large rooms (halls or church-effects). DAMP (High Damping) - Adjusts damping of the high frequencies in the

reverb signal. Damping refers to the rate at which the high frequencies decay. This effect causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warmer. Bypass: Setting this parameter to the maximum value will bypass the High Damping, displaying OFF in the value field. DRY (Dry Level) - Sets the relative level of the (dry) input signal passed to the outputs. When using Reeverb 2 in a Send mixer track this should be set to 0% (minimum). ER (Early Reflection) - Sets the relative level of the first reflections in the reverb. WET (Wet Level) - Sets the relative level of the reverberant (wet) signal. When using Reeverb 2 in a Send Channel this should be set to 100% (maximum). SEP (Stereo Separation) - Adjusts the stereo separation of the wet reverb signal. Any dry signal bypassing the reverb is left unaltered.

Plugin Credits Algorithms: Ultrafunk. GUI: Didier Dambrin. Translation: Frederic Vanmol.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Scratcher Fruity Scratcher is a vinyl turntable simulator. You can load any sample that is supported by FL Studio into this plugin to record your performance in real time. You can also adjust the turntable's acceleration (mass) to suit your needs. Two closely related, but more sophisticated plugins are the WaveTraveller instrument and Gross Beat effect. Note, however, that WaveTraveller is a generator rather than an effect and thus needs to be loaded into a Channel. See a video here on

how to link

Fruity Scratcher to a MIDI Controller Knob

.

Parameters Smooth 1/2/3/4 - These four parameters control the 'gradient' generation of the turntable simulator. Adjusting these values may improve the results for certain types of source material. Pan - Sets the stereo panning of the audio output. Vol - Sets the volume of the output. Hold - Stops the turntable playing. Switch this on if you are linking the turntable platter to a MIDI Controller. Mute - Mutes the sound of the turntable (suitable for automation). Turntable Platter - Left-click and drag up/down to scratch the sample. Right-click to link

.

Play Backwards - Press to play the sample backwards, when not scratching. Pause - Press to pause the turntable, when not scratching. Play Forward - Press to play the sample forward, when not scratching. Speed (SPD) - Adjusts the playback speed (default: 1x). Acceleration (ACC) - Adjusts the motion acceleration of the turntable. Sensitivity (SEN) - Adjusts the turntable's sensitivity to mouse movement. The lower the sensitivity, the slower the rotation from the same mouse movement. Browse for Sample - Click to select a sample as the source material to be 'scratched'. Wave Preview - Displays a preview of the sample. You can also scratch the sample using a horizontal version of the turntable display.

Plugin Credits: Robert Conde

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Send The Fruity Send plugin is a pre-fader send that allows you to extract audio from any point in a Mixer channel's effects stack and send it to any linked Mixer track. This differs from the post-fader audio send switches/knobs built into the Mixer that take audio from the point after the effects stack and Mixer track fader.

NOTE: FL Studio will refuse to allow Fruity Send on the Master Mixer track or to make sends that would create a feedback loop. You don't want that, no really you don't.

Controls Dry - Dry signal that passes through Fruity Send's FX slot. By default dry is at 0%, so turn this up if you want to hear audio on Fruity Send's own Mixer track. Send to - Choose the target Mixer track. NOTE: You can ONLY send to Mixer tracks that Fruity Send's OWN mixer track is linked to (see below). Pan - Left/Right panning of the sent audio. Volume - Level for the sent audio.

Making Pre-Fader Send Links Fruity Send can send only to Mixer tracks linked to its own Mixer track. Use Sidechain links as this will exclude Fruity Send's host mixer track, pos-fader and complete FX stack audio, passing to the target.

1. Link the Fruity Send's host track to the target track - Right-click the send control on the target track and select 'Sidechain to this track' 2. From Fruity send to the destination - Right-click Fruity Send's 'Send to' control and choose the target track sidechained above. Pre-naming destination tracks will avoid confusion. 3. Do you want audio from Fruity Send's host Mixer track to be heard? - If yes, turn up Fruity Send's Dry control to allow audio to pass through the plugin and out to the master. NOTES: To send to multiple Mixer tracks you will need to use multiple Fruity Send's. There are two states for the Fruity Send Dry control (passing or not passing audio on Fruity Send's own track). There are two states for the link from Fruity Send's own mixer track (excluding Fruity Send itself) to the destination track (audible send or silent, sidechained send). There are also two states for the link from Fruity Send's own mixer track to the Master (audible send or deselected). That's 6 possible combinations, take a moment to think about exactly what you are

trying to achieve.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Soft Clipper Fruity Soft Clipper is a CPU-friendly soft limiter. Soft limiting avoids clipping by applying gentle (soft knee) compression to the input signal. It is worth noting that soft knee compression will cause 'saturation' effects when the signal level exceeds the threshold level. While a little saturation brings 'warmth', too much can sound distorted. Whether or not the soft clipping saturation is audible will depend on the level applied to the signal. A closely related plugin is Fruity Limiter and is probably best used if you need a more transparent clip protection. The graph on the plugin shows input (horizontal axis) vs output (vertical axis). You can see in the example below, that the output volume per unit of input decreases after the threshold level (brighter horizontal line toward the top of the graph) is exceeded.

Parameters Threshold (THRES) - The volume threshold above which Soft Clipper will compress the audio signal. Post Gain (POST) - Volume level applied after the compression. Output Meter - Displays the output volume levels of the plugin. Levels display - Displays the compression settings (hold your cursor over the display to see input to output levels mapping in the hint bar). Drag the cursor in the display to change the compression threshold.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Spectroman Spectroman is a spectrum analyser plugin. Insert Spectroman into the mixer track you wish to produce a a spectrograph or sonograph from. A spectrograph behaves like a row of peak meters, from low to high frequencies. The louder the frequency, the higher the bar will peak. A sonograph is a rolling display of the intensity plotted as a chart. Low frequencies are plotted on the left through to high frequencies on the right (Edison has a much larger and higherresolution capability for this type of display on sampled data) or if you want live displays Wavecandy also has a real-time spectrograph. The louder the particular

the particular frequency the brighter the trace on the screen. This plugin is useful (when mixing) for checking the frequency distribution of your mix. Be sure to have one running if anyone is watching, it makes you look like you know what you are doing :)

Parameters Change Mode - To change between spectrograph (above left) and sonograph (above right) click on the switches [

] above the main control area.

STEREO - Displays both the Left and Right channel data. SHOW PEAKS - Holds the peak values (spectrograph mode only). WINDOWING - Performs windowing before FFT. This improves the accuracy of the display. AMP - Varies the amplitude of the displayed signals. SCALE - Varies the horizontal scaling of the display. Reveal Frequency - To show the frequency at which an event occurs, hover the mouse over that part of the display and read the value from the hint bar.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin, FFT analysis by (FFTW library

)

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Squeeze Fruity Squeeze is a bit-reducing, distortion (called 'Puncher' that replaces audio sample data with a fixed, user controlled value) and filtering plugin. Fruity Squeeze will add a gritty tonal character to input sounds and is particularly effective when applied to drum loops.

Parameters Squarize - Reduces the bit-depth of the input sample stream. This has the effect of making the output wave appear blocky/rectangular and the output to sound gritty. Puncher Preserve - The number of samples that are left unaffected by the Puncher section. This can vary between 0 samples (knob fully left) to a 1 second buffer (knob fully right). The maximum value is determined by the sample rate setting of the Mixer (F10 - Audio Settings). Puncher Impact - The number of samples that are forced by the Puncher section to the nominal value. The Preserve and Impact sample variations are alternated (interleaved) in the output sample stream. Puncher Relation - Determines the relationship between the number of Impact and Preserve samples. Possible values are: no relation, equal, double and half. Puncher Amount - The Puncher section replaces 'Puncher Impacted' samples by value between 0% (knob fully left) and 100% (knob fully right) of the maximum amplitude. Best results are obtained with low settings (0% for example). Filter Freq - Low pass Filter cutoff frequency. Filter resonance - Low pass Filter resonance.

Pre/Post - The filter can be applied before (pre) or after (post) the Squarize and Puncher sections. Mix - Determines the amount of dry (input) and wet (after processing) signals to be sent to the output. Gain - Determines the final output volume.

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (programming), Joel Zimmerman (UI)

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Stereo Enhancer Fruity Stereo Enhancer contains various filters and processors to alter and enrich the stereo image of the input sound. Related plugins are the Fruity Stereo Shaper and the Mixer Track Properties Stereo separation. Visualize stereo effects with Wavecandy Vectorscope

Parameters Stereo Separation knob (STEREO SEP) - Adjusts the stereo separation of the input signal (does not apply to mono input). Range: 0% (max right) to 200% (max left). At 0% the signal is mono; at 100% the stereo image remains unaltered. Pre/Post switch - Lets you choose whether to have the phase offset effect applied before (PRE) or after (POST) the other filters in that plugin. Phase Offset knob - Changes the phase of the L or R channels. Top dead center is normal phase, turning the knob right will progressively offset the phase of the right channel, while turning the knob to the left will progressively offset the phase of the left channel. The phase offset is achieved by delaying the affected channel by up to 500 ms. Settings of 20 to 40 ms usually produce a realistic stereo effect on mono signals. Invert switch - With this filter you can invert the phase in one of the audio channels. NONE disables the effect, LEFT inverts the left audio channel, RIGHT inverts the right audio channel. Panning knob (PAN) - Sets the panning of the output. When used with small delays, the phase offset effect can make the sound appear panned to left or right. You can use this knob to compensate for this effect. Volume knob (VOL) - Sets the volume of the output. In some cases the

stereo separation filter may decrease on increase the volume of the output. You can use this knob to compensate for this effect.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

EFFECTS

Fruity Stereo Shaper The Stereo Shaper is a multi-purpose stereo shaping tool, it can: Provide control of individual Left/Right Mixer channels & how they're intermixed. Affect panning/balance (with or without Left/Right channel intermixing) Phase invert one or both channels. Enhance or reduce stereo information present in the input signal. Isolate a Left or Right channel and fill both Left/Right Mixer channels with the isolated mono signal. Allow effects to be applied only to the stereo signal leaving the center mix unaffected. 'Stereoize' mono inputs using a L/R delay. Related effects are the Stereo Enhancer and the Mixer Track Properties Stereo separation ( ) filter & Phase (

) switch. You can also

visualize your stereo triumphs with Wave Candy Vectorscope. Presets - As most of the standard uses of the plugin are covered, we recommend using the Fruity Stereo Shaper presets (see the 'Presets' section below).

Parameters

If this is your first time to use a mid/side stereo shaping tool, it is recommended that you read the tutorial section (below), in order to get the most out of the Stereo Shaper. Try using the Presets rather than manually adjusting the Mixer matrix, all the normal MID/SIDE processing options are covered.

Mixer Matrix The sliders control the mixing, level and phase of the Left and Right audio inputs. The + and - markings to the left of the slider bank indicate that the upper and lower slider positions add (positive phase mix) or subtract (negative phase mix) audio signals. For example, dragging the left-most slider downward subtracts the Right channel from the left (blending a phase-inverted R channel into the L channel), although the overall result of this action will depend entirely on the positions of the other sliders. Use the Hint Bar to make precise settings for the sliders. NOTE: The left and right pair of sliders sum to create the Left and Right channel outputs of the Stereo Shaper.

Sliders from left to right: Right into Left channel volume - The Right-channel into the Leftchannel mix, + will be an additive blend, - a phase cancelling mix, that is any common audio information will cancel when the slider reaches the -0dB point. Left channel volume - Normal Left-channel volume slider. To invert the phase move the slider to the -0 dB position. Right channel volume - Normal Right-channel volume slider. To invert

the phase move the slider to the -0 dB position. Left into Right channel volume - The Left-channel into the Rightchannel mix, + will be an additive blend, - a phase cancelling mix, that is any common audio information will fully cancel when the slider reaches the -0dB position. Don't panic! Breath slowly and deeply, look carefully at the presets and work your way through the settings in a systematic manner, patience will be rewarded by understanding.

Effects Pre / Post - Determines if the effects are applied, before (pre) or after (post) the stereo-mixer matrix. Delay - Turn right to delay the Right channel up to 500 ms, turn Left to delay the Left channel up to 500 ms. Creates a pseudo-stereo effect on mono signals, try settings between 20 Phase - Center frequency of an all-pass filter that can be varied from 10 Hz to 22 kHz. All-pass filters allow all frequencies equally in level but change the phase relationship between various frequencies. This is useful to create interesting phaser or pseudo surround-sound or wide-stereo effects. Top dead center is off, turning the knob right will sweep the center frequency of the Right Channel, while turning the knob to the left will sweep the Left Channel. NOTE: Automation of Delay and/or Phase will create useful phaser effects.

In / Out Difference (Sidechain) Selector This control sends a 'difference' signal to a sidechained track. That is, the difference between the plugins main outputs and the original input signal (the difference or remainder). The control displays (Right-click it) those Mixer tracks that the Fruity Stereo Shaper's own Mixer track is sidechained TO. In / Out difference - This control sends the parts of the signal that were removed by the operation of the Mixer Matrix to a 'side chained' Mixer track. It is important to set up 'sidechain' routing/s, so only the 'Difference' output is sent to the 'Difference' Mixer track, see below: 1. Set a sidechain track - Select the Fruity Stereo Shaper's Mixer

track and Right-click the send knob on the destination Mixer track. Select the 'Sidechain to this track' option from the pop-up menu. 2. Select a sidechain track - Right-click the 'In / Out Difference' control to see the Mixer tracks that the Stereo Shaper's own Mixer track is routed to. Make sure the destination track is set as a Sidechain (in other words, the send volume is at 0). Off - When the difference send control is set to ' -- ' the plugin outputs only those parts of the signal that remain after the Mixer Matrix operation. NOTE: The selector indexes (counts) available send-to tracks, so the numbers are not Mixer track numbers (Right-click the control to see Mixer tracks listed by name). This sidechain output path is important for a number of processes such as 'MID/SIDE processing' as discussed in the Tutorial section.

Presets Generally the Fruity Stereo Shaper should be controlled using presets, all of the typical uses of the plugin are represented. Effects: Delay - Standard L/R stereo delay caused by a 30 ms delay between the L/R channels (R channel delay). Settings between 20-40 ms usually result in the most pleasing stereoizing of a mono sound. Old / Old 2 / Phaser - Variations on phase + L/R delay to create stereo/ static-phase effects. Automate the Phase or Delay controls to add movement in the phase. Shrinked - Another pseudo-stereo effect using channel feedback and L/R delay. Stereoize... - Various pseudo stereo effects using combinations of inter-channel mixing, phase and L/R delay controls. Mixing: aMid - Side splitter - An 'adapted' (see below) Mid signal remains on the host Mixer track and a Side signal is sent to the IN/OUT Difference track.

aSide - An 'adapted' (see below) Side signal is output on both channels. aSide - Mid splitter - An 'adapted' (see below) Side signal remains on the host Mixer track a Mid signal is sent to the IN/OUT Difference track. Invert Left - Invert the phase of the Left channel. Invert Right - Invert the phase of the Right channel. Left - Right splitter - The Left channel remains on the host Mixer track and the Right channel is sent to the IN/OUT Difference track. LR to LL - The Left channel is selected and fills both L and R outputs. LR to MS - Converts a stereo input to M/S Joint stereo signal. That is, the Left contains a MID and Right channel SIDE signals. LR to RL - Swaps Left and Right channels. LR to RR - The Right channel is selected and fills both L and R outputs. Mid - A Mid signal is output on both channels, Mid = (L+R)/2. Mid - aSide splitter - A Mid signal remains on the plugin's Mixer track an 'adapted' (see below) Side signal is sent to the IN/OUT Difference track. MS to LR - Converts a M/S Joint stereo input to Stereo Left/Right signals. Side - The Side signal is output on both channels, Side = (LR)/2. Side - Residual splitter - A Side signal, (L-R)/2, remains on the plugin's Mixer track, the residual is sent to the IN/OUT Difference track.

Preset NOTES:

Adapted channels - (a) denotes one of the channels has been phase inverted to aid Left/Right stereo reconstruction. For example, aSide has its Right channel inverted so that mixing the aSide's Right channel with either Mid channel (both the left & right Mid channels are identical) will reconstruct a Right channel signal. In other words, while Left = Mid+Side, Right = Mid-Side, so the Right channel of the Side output must be phase inverted or 'adapted' (aSide). If the Right side channel was not phase inverted (adapted) we'd get another Left channel reconstructed on the Right Mixer track. See the section on Mid/Side Stereo processing for more details. Mixing preset names - The first descriptor of any preset name pairing with splitter in the Mixing preset list describes the signal to leave the plugin on the same Mixer track, while the second descriptor of a pairing will be sent out via the sidechain track. For example, the 'Left - Right splitter' preset outputs the Left channel on the plugin's Mixer track, and the Right channel on the sidechain Mixer track (as selected by the 'In/Out Difference' selector).

Stereo Shaper Tutorials This section covers some of the functions that Stereo Shaper can perform and how it is achieved. Before we start, let's consider ways Left and Right channels can be combined to create various components of the stereo mix, and their terminology. You will see these terms used in the Fruity Stereo Shaper's presets. The diagrams below depict Left and/or Right channels being intermixed, the signs at the mixing nodes (circles) are operations (adding, subtracting or dividing gain/channels) while the + signs in front of the words (channel content) indicate the phase of the sound, + is original phase, - is phase inverted. MID - Is short for Middle, it is the mono sum of both channels. Formula: Middle = (L+R)/2. While it is called MID (Middle), it is not only the center pan (middle) sounds, as the Left and Right panned sounds are also mixed into the MID signal. It's just both stereo channels combined and divided by 2, bringing the level down to the average of the two channels. Unfortunately you will see MID discussed on the web as if it is only the center pan (Middle) information, that is a misunderstanding stemming from its origins in the Mid/Side recording

microphone

technique. A MID signal is however dominated by the center pan (middle) sounds. MID is produced when:

The +1 (0 dB) shows the Right channel is being mixed into the Left channel at +1 (100%) or 0dB change in level (no change). This is a reference to the metrology used on the Fruity Stereo Shaper interchannel mixing sliders (outer pair). Notice also that only one channel is required to represent the MID signal, and as mentioned above, the MID signal is dominated by the center pan (middle) information from the original stereo source. The middle signal being twice the extreme panned Left and Right channel information. SIDE - Are the sounds panned to the sides, in other words the stereo components of the audio or the signals unique to each speaker. Formula: SIDE = (L-R)/2. As the common mono signals cancel we are left with the side signals, mixed together. A positive 'SIDE' signal indicates that the Left signal is larger than the Right channel, a negative 'SIDE' value indicates that the Right channel is larger than the Left. SIDE is produced when:

Like the MID signal, the SIDE signal requires only one channel to represent it, see MS Stereo coding (below). Unlike the MID signal the SIDE is indeed only the stereo information, free of any mono signals. This means any processing done on this signal will affect only the stereo (side) components of the mix. Left stereo channel = (L+R)/2 + (L-R)/2. Given L+R/2 = MID & (L-R)/2 = SIDE, this can also be written, Stereo Left = MID + SIDE.

Right stereo channel = (L+R)/2 - (L-R)/2. Alternatively, Stereo Right = MID - SIDE. M/S stereo coding - This is a type of Joint Stereo

, a stereo signal that

has been re-processed as a MID and SIDE channel rather than Left and Right. Since MID and SIDE signals are able to be represented in single channels, then a two track audio file (stereo) can contain M/S rather than L/R. NOTE: Did you know that you can perform all the functions present in the Fruity Stereo Shaper by appropriate routing and phase inversion of standard Mixer tracks? When you are done with these tutorials, why not try to create a MID and SIDE Mixer track from a source Mixer track using only the routing and Mixer track controls.

The physics of mixing sound One of the main functions of the Stereo Shaper is to cross-mix the Left and Right stereo channels. By varying the phase and level of mixing a variety of useful effects can be achieved, including panning, stereo enhancement and MID/SIDE encoding/decoding. To understand the more complex mixing processes it's useful to have a clear understanding of how sound waves mix according to their phase. For example, when two identical sound-waves are mixed they add together to make a wave twice as loud. However, if one wave is inverted so the phase is exactly opposite, they will cancel to silence. In the case of the stereo mix, we can use this technique to cancel out the middle (center pan) audio as described later in the next section.

Mixing Left/Right stereo channels It's common to think about a stereo track as a Left and a Right channel, reproduced over a pair of speakers or headphones. However we can also think of it as stereo and mono signals mixed together. The center pan sounds appear to come from the middle of the speakers (i.e. mono-like), don't confuse this with the MID signal since the MID signal (as described above) also has stereo information mixed into it. 'Mono' sounds are generated when both speakers producing the exact same sound at the same level. The stereo audio is produced when the Left and Right speaker make unique sounds, or the same sound at different levels. Consider the following example; The diagram left shows two tracks, a center panned (Mono) and a 'Stereo'

track with 'Left-side' and 'Right-side' hard panned L and R. These two tracks are mix into a single stereo track. Stereo signal - If we take the words as literally then 'Left side' is panned hard left and the words 'Right side' are panned hard right. This sounds stereo since the Left and Right channels are making unique sounds. Mono - The word 'Mono' is panned dead center. This means both Left and Right speakers reproduce the same word 'Mono' at the same volume. This also sounds 'mono' and so panned to the middle. Combined - When the two tracks are mixed (+) the Left channel will now say 'Left side' & 'Mono' while the Right channel will say 'Right side' & 'Mono'. Consequently, the words 'Left side' and 'Right side' appear to come from the extreme Left and Right sides of the mix while the word 'Mono' appears to come from the Center of the stereo field, the resulting mix will cover the full stereo spread (Left, Right & Center).

Panning Our stereo track can be later panned Left or Right by one of two methods: 1. Independent L/R volume changes - By lowering or raising the volume of the L or R channel will cause the apparent position of the sound of the word 'Mono' to move toward the louder side. The independent words 'Right side' & 'Left side' will appear to stay put but will seem quieter. The independent channel loudness method preserves the independence of the L and R channel information at the expense of losing any audio that is unique to the reduced channel at extreme panning. To resolve the problem: 2. Cross channel mixing - Mixing (adding) the signal from one channel into other and reducing the source channel volume by the same amount. This is similar to 'pouring' the sound from one channel into another, a little like water from one glass to another

(the sounds mix). In our pan-to-left example, the Left channel will produce all the words, 'Left', 'Mono' & 'Right', no sounds are lost. NOTE: This is the method used by the FL Studio Mixer pan control. The Stereo Shaper allows you to pan stereo tracks using either of the methods described above. However, some of the Stereo Shaper's most interesting functions apply to its stereo processing capabilities, as described below.

Stereo Expansion

Start with a new project and load an audio clip with a good1. stereo spread into the Playlist, this tutorial won't work with a mono sound, if there is no stereo, there is nothing to enhance. 2. Load a Stereo Shaper on the Master Mixer track. Subtractive cross-mixing works by inverting the phase of a channel and adding it to its stereo partner. Phase is controlled by the direction of the sliders as shown in the Mixer Matrix diagram above, the upper half is a normal mix, the lower half is a negative phase (a subtractive mix if any signals are in common). 3. The Stereo Shaper opens with the 'Default' patch; note that the Left into right and Right into left channel sliders are set to the middle position (no mixing) and Left channel volume and Right channel volume sliders are at the 100% position (+0 dB). The dB figures, by the way, describe the change made relative to the original signal. 0 dB is no volume change while -0dB means the signal is at the original volume but of the opposite phase (a mirror image). 4. Set the project playing and drag the Left into right and Right into

Left channel sliders down to -6dB (-50%). Notice how something magic happens; the stereo image seems to widen. The method described above is the same process that the Stereo separation knob on the Mixer uses when turned to the left of the 12 O'clock position. The diagram (above) shows what has happened algebraically, the Left channel = [(Mono + Left) - (0.5 Mono + 0.5 Right)] = [Left - 0.5 Right - 0.5 Mono] and Right channel = [(Mono + Right) - (0.5 Mono + 0.5 Left)] = [Right - 0.5 Left - 0.5 Mono]. Note that the 'Mono' (center pan) sounds are at 0.5 (50%) of their original volume and, more importantly, the L and R (side) signals are still at 100%, now 2x louder than the Mono (center) mix. In other words, we have enhanced the side component (the stereo effect).

Stereo Reduction Compared to expansion, stereo reduction is relatively simple. Here the L and R channels are simply cross-mixed into each other so that, at the extreme, the Left and Right channels are identical. 1. Start with the default patch. 2. Set all the sliders to -6 dB, this is, starting from the left most slider, 50% mix of Right into left, 50% Left level, 50% Right level and 50% Left into Right mix. The L and R channels are reduced to 50% in order to maintain the overall level. This is how the Stereo separation knob on the Mixer operates when turned to the right of 12 O'clock position. To achieve this using the Stereo Shaper place all the sliders in the 50% (+6 dB) position, or select the 'Mono' preset.

Middle Pan Sound Removal

1. Starting from the 'Stereo Expansion' tutorial, if the Left into right and Right into left channel sliders are lowered from - 6 dB to -0 dB (that is -100% cross-mix) then any common audio signals between the L and R channels will completely cancel. 2. This leaves only the information unique to each Left and Right channel PLUS and inverted copy of the unique audio from the opposite channel.

Algebraically, Left channel = (M+L) - (M+R) = L-R and Right3. channel = (M+R) - (M+L) = R-L. This cross-mixing will still sound 'mono', compressed into the center, but it has removed the sounds that were originally common to both channels (the middle mixed sounds). You will probably also notice it sounds slightly strange, this is due to the cross-channel phase differences, the sound you are hearing is effectively a center-pan mix of what used to be in the extreme stereo-field. Inverting the phase of either the L or R channel will make the sound less 'strange' (as both channels will then be truly identical) but the sound will be diffuse, low level and not particularly pleasing. To invert the phase of one channel, insert another Stereo Shaper after the first, select the 'Default' patch and set either the Left or Right channel volume to -0 dB. NOTE: 'Middle Pan Sound Removal' is commonly marketed as 'vocal extraction' (

see a video here

). Assuming the vocals are panned to the

exact center of the speakers and they contain no stereo effects (reverb, pingpong delay, etc.) and the music is mostly in stereo, the instruments panned around the stereo field, then theoretically it should be possible to extract the mid (vocal) from the side (music) components of the mix. Sounds great in theory, but almost always fails in practice, as the stereo-effect is removed along with the vocal, and the assumptions we just outlined are never 100% satisfied, just like customers of vocal extraction tools. As Fruity Stereo Shaper can side-chain out the MID and SIDE components into separate channels you can either preserve the MID (mainly vocal, although there will still be L/R panned music at 50%-100% of the original level depending on where it was panned) and SIDE (mainly music) components of the mix.

MID / SIDE Stereo Mastering

The

MID/SIDE processing technique has a number of applications including mastering. For example, stereo recordings of instruments such as acoustic guitars can have their stereo components equalized brighter and/or have the stereo field widened. On the other hand, bass sounds (usually panned to center) can be independently compressed and made louder. To aid this process, Fruity Stereo Shaper has the ability to side-chain out the difference output, that is, the difference between the processed output of the plugin and the original input signal. If we cause the plugin to output the MID (middle) signal, then the difference (leaving via the sidechain selector) will be the SIDE (stereo) signal. Using this approach we will set the plugin to split the MID and SIDE signals for independent processing. You will require two Mixer tracks for this technique and your input audio will need a stereo component, otherwise there is no 'side' signal to separate from the MID:

1. Open a new FL Studio project. 2. Load your audio to be processed as an Audio Clip and put it in the Playlist. 3. Load Stereo Shaper into a Mixer track. 4. Rename the Mixer track, holding Stereo Shaper, MID (Middle). This track will output the MID signal to the Master track.

5. Route your Audio Clip (that is the audio to be processed) to the MID Mixer track. 6. Rename the Mixer track immediately to the right of the Stereo Shaper SIDE (stereo). This track will receive the SIDE signal and forward that to the Master track. 7. Sidechain routing - Select the MID Mixer track and Right-click on the SIDE Mixer track's send switch and select Sidechain to this track. The MID track is now sidechained to the SIDE track. 8. Right-click the IN / OUT Difference selector and select the SIDE Mixer track from the list. The Stereo Shaper is now sending the SIDE signal to the SIDE track. You need to have sidechained to a track for it to appear in the list (see the step above). 9. From the Stereo Shaper plugin select the Mid - aSide splitter preset. The MID and SIDE signals from the Audio Clip will now appear on the respectively named 'MID' and 'SIDE' tracks (see the 'Presets' section for notes on interpreting preset names). 10. Press play and listen to your Audio Clip. It should sound unchanged, however you should see the MID and SIDE Mixer tracks both contain audio. Normally the SIDE signal is usually quite a bit lower in volume than the MID signal, so the peak-meters will reflect this. 11. Stereo enhancing - You can raise the SIDE Mixer track by UP TO +6 dB or lower the MID Mixer track by -6 dB (or +3 dB SIDE and -3 dB MID) to maximize the stereo effect. If you go beyond 6 dB relative adjustment, the stereo effect will be progressively diminished (see the section 'Stereo expansion' above to learn why 6 dB is the magic number). If you have been 'fiddling', re-select the 'Mid - aSide splitter' preset. 12. Soloing MID/SIDE components - Note that if you solo the MID track, it sounds mono (as expected), however if you solo the SIDE track it doesn't sound stereo. Indeed, it sounds 'very weird' mono. This is because the side signals need to be combined with the mid signals before they become a stereo sound. Soloing the side signal results in the same audio as discussed in section 'Middle pan sound removal' above. Rest assured, that the effects processing you apply to this signal will be applied independently to the SIDE components of the input signal, you just can't hear these in isolation and in 'stereo' at the same

time. 13. MID / SIDE Mastering (finally!) - By placing effects such as a Compressor and Parametric EQ after the Stereo Shaper plugin and on the SIDE Mixer track, you can independently reverb/compress/EQ the MID and SIDE components of the signal. Keep levels in mind - When compressing and EQing the MID and SIDE signals, make sure you keep an eye on the final level in each of the MID and SIDE Mixer tracks. If the output of either track varies from the unprocessed level (disable the 'mastering' effects to check), you will be modifying the stereo spread along with level changes caused by the effect/s (you may or may not want this). For example, if you compress the SIDE signal and that raises the track output by +4 dB, you may want to reduce the track's volume slider by a few dB to compensate and (generally) preserve the original stereo balance. NOTE: If you made the project you have access to all the components of the mix, so it's far more effective to make any changes to compression, EQ and panning, etc. at an individual track level. You generally don't really need to be MID/SIDE mastering. The technique is used mainly by mastering engineers who are given a stereo track and don't have access to the complete mix as separate tracks (track 'stems' as they are called).

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

INSTRUMENTS & EFFECTS

FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) FL SynthMaker (FLowstone) is a programming application that is used to create virtual instruments, effects and computer control of external hadrware without the need to write basic code. The instruments and effects you create in SynthMaker can be used in FL Studio as 'native' plugins and shared with other SynthMaker users. Check the Image-Line FL Synthmaker (FLowstone) forum here

Using FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) FL Synthmaker (Flowstone

) includes the Ruby

high level programming language. This allows you to create Synths, Effects and

control external hardware - USB devices, I/O cards, webcams and audio hardware. FL SynthMaker (Flowstone) is a self-contained plugin construction tool that is beyond the scope of this manual. The links below in the 'Detailed Help?' section can be used to download the .pdf manuals direct from the SynthMaker Website. FL SynthMaker differs from the commercial version in that you can't compile VSTs of your FL SynthMaker creations. FL SynthMaker is treated by FL Studio as a plugin instrument/effect and will save/open along with your projects. While FL SynthMaker project files can be shared with other FL Studio or SynthMaker users, if you want to compile VST instruments you will need to purchase the commercial version.

To load FL Synthmaker (Flowstone) - Instrument - Use the main Menu > Channels > Add one > SynthMaker. Effect Select from the Effect pop-up menu > SynthMaker. Channel vs Effect - When you add a FL SynthMaker channel in the Channel Rack you will get the Instrument version, when you add SynthMaker into an FX channel in the Mixer you'll get the Effect version. FL SynthMaker loads up with a default schematic. The Generator has a basic single oscillator synth and the Effect has a simple echo delay. These are provided to help you see how a schematic is constructed. From the Browser - The original FL SynthMaker instrument and effects have a '.osm' extension and FL Synthmaker Flowstone an '.fsm' extension, you can load both. Simply drag a .osm or .fsm file from the Browser to a channel/effects slot to open an instrument/effect. Show panel - Clicking the 'Show panel' switch will hide the workspace and show only the plugin interface, this is the usual mode for using a FL SynthMaker plugin. Click it again to return to the workspace view. Library - Click here to open the Content Library to access more FL SynthMaker instruments and effects on the Image-Line servers. Modules - Download the latest module packs

from DSP Robotics. If you have used Synthmaker in the past and FlowStone

is missing a module then it's likely in one of these packs.

Video Tutorials There are several video tutorials available: Create an effect Create an instrument

Detailed Help? FL SynthMaker (FLowstone) is a complex program and has its own help. We have provided a range of links below to get you started. NOTE: FL Studio 11 marks the transition from Synthmaker to Flowstone (the program in FL Studio is Flowstone) and this is why there are two sources of doccumentation below. FL Studio SynthMaker Guide SynthMaker User Guide

SynthMaker Tutorial Guide Flowstone forums

.

.

. .

FLowstone manuals

.

Flowstone YouTube Channel

.

The guides are in PDF format. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader Here

.

Upgrade to export VST format While FL SynthMaker allows you to create and share instruments and effects within the FL Studio environment, if you want to take pity on people without FL Studio (or even sell VST plugins to people), using other DAW software, you can upgrade to SynthMaker Pro and export your projects to VST format. FL Studio Producer Edition (or higher) customers can get discount upgrade pricing in our shop

.

Plugin Credits DSP Robotics

.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Vocoder Fruity Vocoder is an advanced real-time vocoder effect with a wide range of adjustable parameters and zero latency. Vocoding is the process of using the frequency spectrum of one sound to modulate the same in another. The vocoder acts like a series of gates allowing through those frequencies it detects in the modulator. When a human voice is used to modulate a synthesized chord, for example, it can sound like the synthesizer is talking (a classic robot voice from sci-fi). The vocoded sound is referred to as a carrier. The sound used for vocoding is called a modulator. A classical example is having a voice as a modulator and a synth as a carrier, to create the effect of a 'speaking synth'. The vocoder works by detecting the levels of certain frequency bands and then filtering the carrier. Thus the carrier takes on the characteristics of the modulator sound. Related plugin - Vocodex - By your command!

Setup 1. Load: an instance of Fruity Vocoder in a mixer track effect slot (don't use the master). 2. Routing: By default, the left channel is the modulator and the right channel is the carrier. This means the vocoder can only process a mono input sound, although the output is stereo. The modulator/carrier channel assignment can be swapped from the MIX section. There are several ways to create a modulator/carrier combination in the L/R channels of a Mixer Track: Use panning - Route the carrier and source Instrument Channels to the Mixer track containing the Fruity Vocoder and pan the Channel Panning knob for the modulator source hardleft and carrier source hard-right. Single channel muting - Use the Fruity Mute 2 plugin to mute the L and R channels of a 2nd and 3rd mixer track carrying the modulator and carrier respectively then route these to the mixer track with Fruity Vocoder. 3. Carrier sound - The most effective carriers (the sound you hear vocoded) are those covering the whole frequency range. Pad sounds often make good carriers, you can also try mixing in some white noise if you need to hear speech (s & t sounds) vocoded more clearly. Remember, the vocoder acts like a series of gates allowing through those frequencies it detects in the modulator. If a frequency gate opens and there is no carrier sound in that band, that part of the 'tonal' character in the vocoded sound will be lost when compared to the original. 4. Modulator sound - Using some compression on the modulator usually helps sound (and speech in particular) to vocode more clearly.

Parameters FREQ section FORM - Formant slider, changes the pitch relationship between the Modulator and Vocoded bands, up/down for a more feminine/masculine

sound. Min/Max - These knobs set the frequency range processed in the vocoder. Cutting off high and low frequency regions that are not present in the modulator sound helps you achieve higher quality result with less bands. Scale - Lets you adjust the scale of the frequency (linear or logarithmic). The best value for this property varies with the type of modulator sound (voice, instrument, noise, etc). Invert (INV) - This switch inverts the modulator frequencies. Bandwidth (BW) - This knob sets the bandwidth of the bandpass filters used to filter the carrier sound. You can think of wider bands as producing softer sound. The best value differs with the different source sounds.

ENV Section Sets the envelope follower attack and decay. This is the fade in/out times for the envelopes of the frequency bands tracked in the modulator sound. Attack - Sets the "fade in" time. Decay - Sets the "fade out" time.

MIX Section Mix the source and carrier levels using the sliders. To solo the left (modulator) or right (carrier) channel click the LCD switches. To swap the left and right channel assignments and change the channel the modulator and carrier are taken from, click the L and R labels at the top.

Bands Display Displays the bands and their volume levels and the sound plays. You can adjust the volume of the individual bands by dragging up/down the sliders in the view. HOLD - Press this switch to hold the current band levels (i.e. "pause" the vocoder's band volume detection). You can automate this switch. Bands - Allows you to select from 4 to 128 bands to be used for vocoding. The more the bands, the higher the output quality (unless you

are looking for some kind of special effect), however, more bands consume more processor power. Also note that unlike the FFT-based the vocoders on the market (which usually use 256, 512 or more bands), Fruity Vocoder uses a more precise detection system, so you can achieve better results with much less bands (and no latency, unlike FFT vocoders!) than usual. Filter - Allows you to set the filter order. Higher order allows for "steeper" frequency band edges.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

EFFECTS

Wave Candy Wave Candy is a flexible audio analysis and visualization tool which includes an Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer, Vectorscope and Peak Meter.

Video Tutorial here

. The display type, colors, frequency range and dynamic range are all fully customizable. Related

plugins include Spectroman, dB Meter & Fruity Dance.

How to use Load Wave Candy into an effects slot on the Mixer Track to be monitored. A good place to load Wave Candy is on the special 'Selected' Mixer track located to the right of the 'Send' tracks. The 'Selected' Mixer track receives audio from any selected track (as the name suggests). Audio from any track that Wave Candy is loaded into drives the plugin visualizations.

Quick links Oscilloscope Spectral Analyzer Metering Vectorscope

Parameters Input Gain - Increases (right) or decreases (left) the display gain. NOTE: if you change this value any dB values shown by Wave Candy will be relative to the input level. Fade out - Sets the delay between input stopping and the display fading from view. This only works if the background is also turned off (see the Appearance controls below). HOLD - Freezes the current display. Click a second time to return to normal operation.

Appearance Title - Click to edit the display title. Visible - Turns the display window on or off.

Mini view - Selects an alternative small display. Background - Shows/hides the display window background. Solid - When selected, you can use Left-click to move and resize the display (depending on where clicked) and Right-click to open the display menu. When deselected, Wave Candy will be transparent to mouse clicks and you can work on applications behind it. Keep in front - Keeps the display window on top of any open application. On desktop - The display window will continue to be visible on the Windows desktop after the host application has been minimized. Blur behind (VISTA) - Blurs anything behind Wave Candy's transparent display window, in Vista & Windows 7. Reflect / bevel - Turn right to change the reflection level, or left to hide the reflection and change the width of the display window bevel (surround). Corners - Corner 'rounding' control. Punches - Displays/hides background decorations, known as 'punches'.

Colors Color target - Drop-down menu provides targets for the color adjustment controls. Once selected, a color can be changed by clicking on the box to the right of the menu, to open the color chooser. Frame - Displays window frame related colors. Bevel - Bevel (outer frame) related colors. Glass - Glass effect related colors. Text - Text related colors. Helpers - Helper related colors. Oscilloscope - Oscilloscope related colors. Spectrum - Spectrum related colors. Peak meter - Peak meter related colors. Vectorscope - Vectorscope related colors. Eye candy - Special lighting effect colors. OA (Object opacity) - Turn to the right to increase the target variable opacity. CA (Color opacity) - Turn to the right to decrease color transparency. H (Hue) - Cycles through the color spectrum. L (Lightness) - Turn to the right to increase lightness (washes out the color). S (Saturation) - Turn to the right to increase color saturation or density. Hint: Wave Candy has been designed so that tweaking the color targets will create pleasing effects. This may make it a little difficult (if you are new to the plugin), to see exactly which color you are working with. Turn AO (object opacity), CA (color transparency) and S (saturation) all the way to the right, so that changes to H (hue) will be clearly visible. But its gaudy, so put them back when you are done. We shudder to think what visual disasters you will create once you discover these controls. On second thoughts, perhaps we should hide them.

Oscilloscope Displays the wave form created by the audio signal. Pinch - Restricts the movement of the ends of the waveform (as if they are being 'pinched'). Interpolate - In short, smooths zoomed waveforms. When it's on it will more closely

represent what your speakers play, when of the digital data in the waveform. Update - Waveform synchronization. Right-click to sync to a specific note/frequency. Turn to the right to match higher frequencies, left to match lower frequencies. Window - Zoom, turn to the left to zoom in on the waveform. Turn to the right to zoom out. Stereo separation - Turn right to separate the L and R channels of a stereo signal.

Spectrum Displays a moving trace of the audio signal. Color hue represents intensity (level), vertical position represents frequency (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, bottom to top is represented) and horizontal position represents time. Update - Scroll speed, right is slower. Max res - Increases the resolution of the analysis at the expense of CPU load. Scale - Right increases the low frequency detail, left increases the high frequency detail. Piano keyboard - Rotate the knob fully right to see a Piano keyboard to aid in note identification from audio files. When looking at a single note, the fundamental/root pitch (note name) will generally be the lowest horizontal line in the group. The lines above this are likely to be harmonics

. With practice you will be able to recognize the root

notes in chords and other complex music. dB range - Changes the intensity scaling. Natural weighting - Sets the color intensity gradient to better represent the way we hear frequencies. Specifically, it changes the brightness weighting from white noise linear relationship between frequency and display brightness to pink noise

,a

. Pink noise

decreases the intensity by 3dB/Octave, making it more suitable for musical uses as the higher frequencies no longer dominate the spectral display brightness, which is closer to how we hear those same frequencies.

Meter Displays the audio level as a pair of vertical bars (left and right channels) on a dB scale. Scale - Zooms the scale range. Hold time - Amount of time the peak indicator remains at its peak. NOTE: The peak shown will be the peak of the Mode type selected. This won't be the absolute peaks, unless you are in 'Peak' mode. Mode - Choose a metering algorithm. Apart from 'Peak' all the other metering algorithms apply some 'average', 'weighted average' or 'secret squirrel mathematics' to the signal to better represent 'loudness

' as perceived by humans. The problem is that

the ear responds in a complex way to sound pressure level, depending on frequency and duration of the sound, and so various arguments about what method best represents 'loudness' have broken out among audio engineers. Welcome to the 'metering wars' Peak - Displays the precise and instantaneous level of the audio. Most useful for spotting clipping problems and seeing absolute maximum peak levels. PPM (Peak Program Meter

) - Similar to the 'Peak' meter with a slightly slower

response time (~5 ms averaging window) so that transient peaks are ignored

and levels are easier to read. RMS (Root Mean Square

) - The RMS calculation is performed over a 300 ms

'time window'. This moving average evens out transient peaks, to better represent loudness. Vu (Volume Unit

) - Originally developed in 1939 by Bell Labs, CBS and NBC

for measuring and standardizing the speech levels in telephone lines, Vu was one of the first methods used to represent perceived loudness of audio signals by metering. Rather than showing peaks Vu has an intentionally slow and logarithmic

response to changes in input to better represent loudness

. The

main shortcoming of Vu is that the fluctuations in the metering are greater than the changes in volume the ear perceives. This problem is addressed by the next two methods: Leq(A) - Another attempt to 'more accurately' represent loudness Leq(A) metering algorithm is essentially an A-weighted

. The

average of the audio

signal. The A-weighting takes into account the changing sensitivity of the human ear as a function of audio frequency. Leq(A) is reputed to be useful for matching speech levels across different tracks. ITU-R BS.1770 - Yet another algorithm (developed by the International Telecommunications Union

, published 2006) to 'more accurately' measure

perceived loudness of lengthy sections of program material (particularly for multi-channel 'surround' audio). This algorithm measures a frequency-weighted ' average over a long time-window (several seconds) and is probably best suited to the 'Mastering' stage when you need to match the perceived loudness of a number of different songs. Advice: Use a Peak mode to watch for clipping and your ears to make adjustments to loudness, not so difficult after all. The art of metering is really most important for audio engineers in the broadcast industry, where they need to match the volume of a widerange of source material so that we don't have to keep adjusting the volume on our TVs & Radios. If only they would agree to use Leq(A) or ITU-R BS.1770 to match the volume of advertising to the surrounding program material! By the way, Leq(A) or ITU-R BS.1770 are not your new weapons in the 'Loudness War'

, we're watching you!

Decay speed - Rate at which the metering bar falls.

Vectorscope The Vectorscope measures the differences between the left and right channels of a stereo input and can provide information about stereo content, panning and phase. The display requires some additional explanation: The flying spot - follows the positive and negative amplitude oscillations of the left and right input waveforms. The stereo channels share the spot by having their amplitude axes orthogonal to each other, so 'vectors

' are created between the two channels, hence the name

Vectorscope. It sounds a bit complex but is really quite simple, think of the display as an oscilloscope-style graph where one axis (+R/-R) represents the right channel amplitude and the other axis (+L/-L) is the left channel amplitude. The technical name for the visual display on a Vectorscope is a Lissajous figure

(as shown left).

Left, Right & Mono signals - When fed a lone left or right channel input, a straight line is generated as the spot bounces up and down along the input axis (the dotted +L/-L or +R/-R grid). A left channel input will generate a line sloping to the left, while a right channel input generates a line to sloping to the right. A mono input, panned to center, will generate a vertical line. This is the 'vector' between the left and right channels. By observing the orientation of the line OR general orientation of a 'Lissajous figure

', the display will give a visual indication of the

average pan position. NOTE: The background grid shows center pan, 50% pan and 100% pan for left and right). Stereo - Stereo is created by amplitude differences between the left and right channels, so stereo signals cause the display to deviate from the vertical line, creating a 'Lissajous figure

'.

The more 'stereo' content the signal has, the more complex and 'fatter' the Lissajous figure will be. Thin figures mean there is low stereo content (lines mean there is no 'stereo' effect and indicate pan position).

Phase - If a straight line, or Lissajous figure, appears oriented along the horizontal axis this indicates that left and right channels are 180? out of phase. Note that the more stereo content the signal has the more difficult it will be to see the orientation of the 'Lissajous figure

'.

Options Update - Display update speed, right is slower. Thickness - Thickness of the Lissajous figure's flying-spot. Mode - Menu with several 'flying-spot' options. Add - Additive blending (improves visibility). NOTE: If you want to use the plugin to create visual effects, try sine-wave sounds (Sytrus 'Default' for example) with phasing or flanging added. Two note chords will add another layer of complexity. Generally, keep the input simple and you will be rewarded with the most coherent and beautiful Lissajous figures

. But it's not a toy, get back to work and improve your mix!

Output Display Menu Right-click any of the above output display to open this menu. Note that the appearance setting 'solid' must be on for the mouse action to be effective. Window Visible - Turns the display window on or off. Mini view - Selects an alternative smaller display. Background - Shows/hides the display window background. Mode Auto - Changes the display type based on the size and shape of the window. For example, making the display tall and narrow will select 'Peak meter' mode while making it short and wide will select 'Oscilloscope" mode. Oscilloscope - Displays the wave form created by the audio signal. Spectrum - Displays a moving trace of the audio signal. Color hue represents intensity (level), vertical position represents frequency (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, bottom to top is represented) and horizontal position represents time. Peak meter - Displays the audio level as a pair of vertical bars (left and right channels) on a dB scale. Vectorscope - Displays information about the differences between the left and right audio channels (stereo effect). View settings - Opens the Wave Candy control panel.

Hints Hold your mouse pointer over the display allows you to inspect the levels under the pointer. The middle mouse button freezes the display (same as HOLD). CPU load: In general, CPU increases with increasing display size.

Plugin Credits Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity WaveShaper Fruity WaveShaper is a wave distortion effect which maps input (horizontal axis) to output (vertical axis) values using flexible splinebased graph. See a video tutorial here

.

Effect Parameters Unipolar/Bipolar Switch - When you select unipolar mode, the bottom of the graph corresponds to 0db input and the top corresponds to maximum; Bipolar is aware of the exact position of the sample (above or below DC), so the middle is mapped to DC (0db) and up and down correspond to the offsets at both directions. Pre - Preamplifies the input signal (volume). Mix - Balance between the dry input and processed signal. Turning to right mixes more signal from the processed version. Post - Postamplification of the sound (volume). Oversample - Oversamples the input to the factor specified, applies the distortion and downsamples. Oversampling helps to avoid aliasing artifacts, if any. Center - Turn on to remove DC offset from the final output.

Spline Editing Spline Editing Parameters Freeze - Enable this switch to lock the map curve to its current setup. This feature is helpful after you finish with the changes to the shape and you want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles providing a clear view of the shape). Step - Enable this option to set the editor in step editing mode - drag in the editor to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline. Hold SHIFT key while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Snap - Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the graph while dragging.

Curve Editing Here are several basic operations you can perform to edit the envelope/mapping shape: Add a new Control Point - Position your cursor over the line until the add point cursor appears (

). Right-click and a new point will be added.

Reposition a Control Point - You can drag the control points with your left mouse button. Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock vertical position or CTRL to lock horizontal position. Delete a Control Point - Right-click a control point and select Delete. Alternatively hold ALT and Left-click. Change Segment Type - WaveShaper offers three types of spline segments to select from. Right-click a control point and you will see three spline type options (the affected segment is the one preceding the control point): Single Curve - the default mode which allows you to create linear, ease in and ease out curves (depending on the tension); Double Curve - allows linear, ease in-out and ease out-in curves (depending on the tension); Hold - creates "hold" or "pulse" curves which are handy for

creating abrupt value changes in your envelope. Change Segment Tension (Acceleration) - You can drag the tension handle of each spline up/down to change the spline appearance. Rightclick the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustment to fine tune.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity X-Y Controller Fruity X-Y Controller is an internal controller plugin that allows you to use your mouse (or joystick) to generate two smooth controller inputs. It has the following inputs: X-Y Ctrl - X - The value of this controller depends on the X (horizontal) position of a target (small circle with a cross) in a 2D grid. X-Y Ctrl - Y - The value of this controller depends on the Y (vertical) position of the target. To use this plugin, place an instance of it in any effects track. Open the editor window. You will see the target in the middle of a 2D grid. Drag in the grid to change the goal position and the target will follow. The X and Y controller values also change according to the target movement, reaching minimum at the bottom left corner of the grid and maximum at the top right corner. NOTE: Once this plugin is loaded it will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls.

You can also control the target using a joystick. You may find Logitech's Wingman Rumblepad (as shown) especially useful, because it has two analog controllers that allows you to adjust two instances of the X-Y Controller.

Parameters: X/Y Setup Section: Contains options for the X/Y axis interpretation and goal position. X/Y switch - If you select X, the rest of the controls in that section will control the behavior of the X axis. If you select Y, they will control the behavior of the Y axis. Level wheel (LVL) - Sets the X or Y (depending on the X/Y switch) goal position the target is moving towards. Minimum Value wheel (MIN) - Sets the value of the X or Y (depending on the X/Y switch) controller when the X/Y coordinate of the target is at its minimum. Maximum Value wheel (MAX) - Sets the value of the X or Y (depending on the X/Y switch) controller when the X/Y coordinate of the target is at its maximum. Tension (TNS) - Drag up and down to alter the shape of the curve used to map the coordinate values to the controller values. This parameter is like a controller 'tension' setting.

Additional Options: Speed wheel (SPD) - Turn to the right to speed up the target's movement toward the goal position. Turn to the left to slow the target down. Acceleration wheel (ACC) - Sets the acceleration of the target when the goal position changes. Turn to the right for greater acceleration, or to the left for less acceleration. Enable Joystick Controller - Turn on this switch if you want to use your joystick to control the target. X and Y buttons - Click to launch menus where you can choose which joystick properties will control the X and Y axes. Joystick Speed wheel (SPD) - Sets the speed of the joystick.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

EFFECTS

Soundgoodizer Soundgoodizer is a stereo 'maximizer-enhancer' plugin based on the Maximus soundprocess engine. Soundgoodizer has been fully endorsed by famous people with really big egos ears - It's shiny, it's good!

Parameters The knob - Blends from left to right from Soungoodizing 0% (bad) to 100% (good). Turn the knob to the level that sounds goodest. Parameters (A, B, C, D) - Click the switches to select one of 4 carefully chosen, hand crafted phase-locked hyper-calibrated Bit-polished Maximus presets. Select the preset to match your music by clicking and listening for the good stuff to happen. To learn more about what makes the Soundgoodizer sound good, open the Maximus presets A, B, C and D and examine the settings associated with them. The Soundgoodizer 'big knob' controls the same parameter as the LMH mix knob on Maximus, that is, the mix between plugin input & LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH compressor output.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

MIXING & EFFECTS

Vocodex Vocodex is the last word in vocoders, featuring advanced articulation envelopes, integrated Carrier synthesizer and Soundgoodizer maximizer, vocoder envelope control and up to 100 variable-width multi-parameter vocoder bands. See a Vocodex video tutorial series here

. Vocodex - By your command!

Related plugin - Fruity Vocoder.

Vocoding is the process of using the real-time frequency spectrum of one sound (Modulator) to modulate the frequency spectrum of another (Carrier). The vocoder engine consists of a series of bandpass filters that allow through only those frequencies detected in the Modulator source. So, for example, when a human voice is used to modulate a synthesizer chord, it will sound like the

synthesizer is talking, the classic robot voice from many sci-fi movies.

Setup Inputs Parameters Carrier Synthesizer Vocoding Tutorials Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Vocodex sample: Katy Theodossiou.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Vocodex Vocodex is the last word in vocoders, featuring advanced articulation envelopes, integrated Carrier synthesizer and Soundgoodizer maximizer, vocoder envelope control and up to 100 variable-width multi-parameter vocoder bands. Vocodex - By your command! Related plugin - Fruity Vocoder.

Vocoding is the process of using the real-time frequency spectrum of one sound (Modulator) to modulate the frequency spectrum of another (Carrier). The vocoder engine consists of a series of bandpass filters that allow through only those frequencies detected in the Modulator source. So, for example, when a human voice is used to modulate a synthesizer chord, it will sound like the synthesizer is talking, the classic robot voice from many sci-fi movies.

Setup Inputs A vocoder needs two audio sources to work: 1. A Carrier - The sound that donates its timbre

& pitch. This is the sound

you hear (usually a synthesizer). Stereo carriers pass through Vocodex in stereo, mono carriers will remain mono so a lush stereo carrier will often sound better. NOTE: The internal Carrier synthesizer is provided for live 'demo' purposes, use the external Carrier 'Production Method' (described below) for project work. 2. A Modulator - The sound that will control the frequency spectrum of the Carrier, usually the spoken voice. The Modulator is not usually heard directly. NOTE: Modulator band analysis is peformed on the mono sum of the L + R channels, although modulator pass-through is stereo. Vocodex is very flexible with respect to Modulator and Carrier input routing, via the MOD and CAR input selectors. Vocodex inputs work with the Mixer sidechain routing system. In this way, audio from any other pair of Mixer tracks can be routed directly to Vocodex's MOD and CAR inputs once these are sidechained to Vocodex's Mixer track. NOTE: If a MOD or CAR input is set to '0' then the audio passing through Vocodex's own Mixer track will be used on that input. If the selector is set to '---' then external Mixer track inputs are blocked.

Immediate Method - External Modulator with Internal Carrier The 'Immediate' method relies on the internal Carrier (synthesizer) generator built into Vocodex and is intended for live demo use, where you don't need to control the Carrier synthesizer from the Piano roll (see the note at the end of this method), the setup is as follows:

1. Load - Vocodex in a Mixer track (don't use the Master track). 2. MOD input - Route the Modulation source to the same track as Vocodex OR if you plan to use a live mic, then select your microphone as an INPUT on Vocodex's Mixer track. 3. Select an immediate preset

- Select one of the 'Immediate' category of presets, these all use the internal Carrier synthesizer. Notice the CAR input changes to '---', this disables external Carrier input. The MOD input will show '0' offset indicating Vocodex's own Mixer track. 4. CAR input - Use the Carrier Synthesizer menu to select a Carrier sound. On selection of a preset you should hear the word 'Vocodex' expressed according to the Carrier sound. See the Carrier Synthesizer section below for more details. 5. Keyboard - If Vocodex is focused it will respond to your MIDI controller. When using a MIDI controller the keyboard will hold keys/chords until the next note/chord is played. Alternatively you can use your mouse on the Vocodex piano keyboard to latch keys on/off. 6. Operation - Make sure Vocodex is focused (click on Vocodex to focus it) then play the project or speak into your microphone while manipulating the keyboard (mouse or MIDI controller), and you should sound like a Cylon, Daft Punk or just plain annoying to family members. NOTE: The internal Carrier mode is aimed at live use since Vocodex does not respond to Piano roll notes. There is

no path from the Piano roll or Step Sequencer to Effects plugins. See the Carrier Synthesizer section below for more details on how to replicate the internal Carrier sounds with Sytrus.

Production Method - External Modulator & Carrier The 'Production' method allows an external plugin to provide the Carrier sound under the control of the Piano roll / Step Sequencer or MIDI keyboard. This method is intended for serious music production and vocoding duties. Vocodex can receive Modulator and Carrier signals from any of the other Mixer tracks (via sidechain sends) or from sound passing through Vocodex's own track (set the selector to 0). The default input selector setting assumes the Modulator comes from a Mixer track sidechained to Vocodex's track and the Carrier is routed to Vocodex's Mixer track:

1. Load - Vocodex in a Mixer track effect slot (don't use the Master if you are planning to add other instruments to the project). 2. MOD Mixer track - Identify and label a Mixer track as 'MOD'. Use a track other than Vocodex's Mixer track. The MOD Mixer track will contain the Modulation signal (usually speech, vocals, a live microphone input). 3. MOD input - With the Modulation source Mixer track selected, Right-click on the Vocodex mixer track, send switch and select Sidechain to this track only, to deselect the send to master switch and prevent the Modulator audio passing to the Master track.

4. CAR input - Route the Carrier signal to Vocodex's Mixer track. The Channel Settings FX selector, of the plugin providing the Carrier sound, should match Vocodex's Mixer track number. 5. Carrier sound - The most effective Carriers (the sound you hear) are those covering the whole frequency range. Thick lush synth sounds often make good Carriers. Try mixing in some noise from the NOISE slider if you need to hear speech (s & t sounds) vocoded more clearly. Remember, the vocoder acts like a series of gates allowing through those frequencies it detects in the Modulator sound. If a frequency band gate opens, and there are no frequencies in the Carrier over the same band, that 'tonal' character in the Modulator will be lost as it does not exist in the Carrier sound. NOTE: See the Carrier Synthesizer section below for more details on how to locate Sytrus presets designed specifically for Carrier duties. 6. Modulator sound - In the case of speech, some compression usually helps with intelligibility of the vocoded sound as it brings

up the level of the quieter parts, improving the frequency-band detection process. NOTE: You can of course, use the MOD and CAR selectors to choose a Modulator and Carrier signal from any number of Mixer tracks sidechained to Vocodex's Mixer track. Giving the source Mixer tracks clear MOD and CAR labels will help you to select the right ones.

Interlaced Method - Replace Fruity Vocoder The 'Interlaced' method is intended to replace projects that already use Fruity Vocoder with Vocodex. Proceed as follows:

1. Replace - Fruity Vocoder with Vocodex or put Vocodex in the same Mixer track and disable Fruity Vocoder's FX slot. 2. L-R Encoding - Select the 'L-R ENCODING' switch from the Mixer section of Vocodex. This assumes MOD = Left stereo channel and CAR = Right stereo channel. If you find the L and R inputs to Vocodex are reversed, place a Fruity Stereo Shaper before Vocodex and select the 'LR to RL' preset or swap the panning of the Carrier and Modulator Channels. If you want to set up Vocodex with the L/R method use -

Panning Route the Carrier and source Instrument Channels to the Mixer track containing Vocodex and pan the Channel Panning knob for the Modulator source hard-left and Carrier source hard-right. Single channel muting Use the Fruity Mute 2 plugin to mute the L and R channels of a 2nd and 3rd Mixer track carrying the Modulator and Carrier respectively then route these to the Mixer

track with Vocodex. 3. Carrier & Modulator sounds - See points 5 & 6 in the 'Production Method' section.

Parameters Carrier Synthesizer Vocoding Tutorials Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Vocodex sample: Katy Theodossiou.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Vocodex Vocodex is the last word in vocoders, featuring advanced articulation envelopes, integrated Carrier synthesizer and Soundgoodizer maximizer, vocoder envelope control and up to 100 variable-width multi-parameter vocoder bands. Vocodex By your command! Related plugin - Fruity Vocoder.

Vocoding is the process of using the real-time frequency spectrum of one sound (Modulator) to modulate the frequency spectrum of another (Carrier). The vocoder engine consists of a series of bandpass filters that allow through only those frequencies detected in the Modulator source. So, for example, when a human voice is used to modulate a synthesizer chord, it will sound like the

synthesizer is talking, the classic robot voice from many sci-fi movies.

Setup Inputs Parameters Mixer The Mixer section controls Modulator and Carrier levels, input routing and provides controls for fine-tuning input/output signals. From left to right: WET - Vocoder effect level. SG - Soundgoodizing level. Applies Soundgoodizer maximization to the vocoder output. Soundgoodizer is useful to limit the (sometimes) unpredictable output levels from the vocoder process. Setting the slider to 0% (minimum) disables Soundgoodizing. Modulation sidechain input selector - Right-click to display Mixer tracks that have been sidechained to Vocodex's Mixer track. The label simply describes the expected input, all sidechains to Vocodex's track will be visible (Modulator, Carrier and others). Typical Modulation sources include speech, singing & percussion. MOD - Modulation pass-through level & peak meter. Allows the Modulator source to pass through to the output signal. This can be used in conjunction with the HP (high-pass) filter to selectively pass only high frequencies to improve the intelligibility of speech. HP - Modulation pass-through highpass frequency. High-pass cutoff frequency for Modulation pass through signal. Fine-tune the specific frequencies passing through the MOD slider. Carrier sidechain input selector - Right-click to display Mixer tracks that have been sidechained to Vocodex (select '---' to disable external input when using the internal Carrier or the NOISE source as a 'reverb' on a MOD input). The label simply describes the expected input, all sidechains to Vocodex's track will be visible (Modulator, Carrier and others). Good Carrier sources are bright lush synth-pad sounds. L.R Encoding - Uses the Left channel as Modulator and the Right channel as Carrier from a stereo input. This is the same system Fruity

Vocoder uses. See the Interlaced method routing method for more details. CAR - Carrier pass-through level & peak meter. Allows the Carrier source to pass through to the output signal. This can be used in conjunction with the LP filter (see below). LP - Carrier pass-through lowpass frequency cutoff. This is useful to selectively pass lower frequencies in the Carrier so some 'tone' is audible but the high-frequencies in the Carrier are not masking the sibilants

or

just to tone-down the carrier, that are necessarily 'bright'. NOISE - Adds noise to the Carrier input. This can help improve speech intelligibility by preserving sibilants

.

Contour - The Contour control is used to follow the volume envelope of the Carrier and/or detect Consonants in the Modulator and then use these to control the MOD pass-through, NOISE level (or both). NOTE: At least one FROM and one TO category switch must be selected for the Contour controls to work. FROM CAR - Contour taken from the Carrier volume envelope. FROM CONSONANTS - Contour taken from the Modulator's sibilant

consonants (a filter is used to isolate consonant sibilant

frequencies). TO MOD - Any selected 'From' category Contours are applied to Modulator pass-through. TO NOISE - Any selected 'From' category Contours are applied to Carrier added noise pass-through. Typical settings for the Contour switches are 'FROM CONSONANTS TO NOISE or MOD' in order to make either respond to consonants only or 'FROM CAR TO MOD' to make the Modulator pass-through follow the Carriers volume envelope. DRAFT - Lowers CPU usage at the expense of some audio quality, glitches or blips when moving some knobs (such as the 'Modulator pitch shift'). Draft mode is automatically disabled during rendering. THREADED - Allows multi-threading for improved multi-core CPU performance.

Options (down arrow) - Options include: Detect modulator noise level - Modulator noise reduction process. Analyzes the MOD input source for approximately 2 seconds to generate a Modulator noise level mapping. To use: Select a representative quiet section of your Modulation source audio (loop a shorter section if necessary) OR if you are using a live mic, leave the mic open and record the background noise of your system/room and select this function. This will set a noise level mapping envelope, above which the Modulator level must pass before the bands will open (when 'Subtractive denoising' is deselected). Subtractive denoising - When selected, subtracts the detected Modulator noise level Modulation Mapping from the Modulator input. When deselected the detected noise mapping acts as a threshold, below threshold Carrier level = 0, above threshold Carrier level = Normal level. About - 'About Vocodex' information. VCX - Click to sound 'Vocodex' (Australian accent) and test the current settings.

Envelope Follower These controls adjust the dynamics of the per-band envelope follower. Note that individual band behavior can be modulated relative to these settings using the Modulation Mappings section (below). From left to right: HOLD - Hold time for the Modulation envelope follower, set by ear. In PEAK mode (see below) the HOLD setting sustains the peak band levels for a defined duration. In RMS mode the HOLD setting changes the integration window length. In this way PEAK produces stepped volume envelope and RMS produces a smoothly changing volume envelope (most evident at the longest HOLD settings). CPU load also increases with HOLD length for PEAK, but not RMS. PEAK/RMS - Select the modulation envelope follower mode to PEAK or RMS. RMS may sound better with some Modulators, so it's worth checking as it also presents a lower CPU load. Freeze (snowflake) - Press this switch to hold the current band levels.

This is a good automation target for cool effects. ATT - Band attack time. Faster times (rotate left) will more closely track the Modulator volume envelope. Attack curve - Knob below ATT, fine-tune the band attack envelope curve. Labels show curve shape range. REL - Band release time. Longer times (rotate right) will make the sound more 'laggy' and reverberant. Release curve - Knob below REL, fine-tune the band release envelope curve. Labels show curve shape range. MIN TIMES - Ensures bands remain open for a minimum duration (minimum HOLD length). This reduces audible glitching.

Band Distribution These controls adjust the number of vocoding bands, their width and input filtering. While technical descriptions are given for each control, we recommend you 'tweak and seek' your desired sound. ORDER - Detection band filter order (1,2,3,4). Lower setting (1) has a lower slope to the input window edges while higher settings (4) have a steeper slope to the input window edges. In other words, the filter order adjusts the roll-off in sensitivity either side of the central detection frequency. The default setting (2) is usually good, when adjusting by ear, sounds good, is good! Bands - Select from 5 to 100 vocoder bands (click on the control and move up/down). Each band is a slice of the Carrier frequency spectrum under the control of the Modulator signal. However, more is not necessarily better or the sound you are after. Many 'classic' vocoder effects from the past use 8-16 bands. NOTE: More bands also means more CPU usage. Vocodex uses a precise detection system, so it is possible to achieve great results with few bands. Band width (sideways arrows) - Adjusts the width of the vocoder bands. When a modulator sound is active, adjusting this knob will change their apparent width of the bands display. Set by ear, not by sight. Filter flatness - Controls if the bands have pointy (rotate left) or flat

(rotate right) peak. This will affect the relative distribution of frequencies within each band. Another control to set by ear, tweak and smile. Modulator bandwidth multiplier (mouth) - Sets the bandwidth of the Modulator detection filters. Lower settings (rotate left) produce a more resonant sound, while higher settings (rotate right) produce a softer more 'breathy/raspy' sound. Modulator pitch shift (gender symbols) - Slew the pitch of the vocoder down for a more masculine sound (rotate left) or up for a more feminine sound (rotate right). Modulator unison shift (people) - Control the pitch shift between unison voices. NOTE: The Modulation unison order must show a number for this control to be active. Modulator unison panning (speakers) - Control the unison voice panning. No panning is the 12'Oclock position, max panning happens at max left/right rotation. Direction changes voice panning mode. Modulation unison order (number display) - Off when set to ' - '. On '1' to '5' voices. Unison is similar to a 'Chorus' effect where voices (copies) of the output are detuned and panned. Warning: CPU usage scales with order (voice) number. NOTE: Per-band adjustments to the above controls can be made using the Envelope section, see below.

Modulation Mappings Displays the vocoder bands, peak-level curve and Mapping Envelopes for the Modulator sound input. Envelope selector Equalizer Band gain multiplier - Band Equalizer. From mute (bottom), 0 dB (middle) to +12 dB (top). Band panning - Set the panning of vocoded bands according to the Mapping Envelope. From 100% Left (bottom), center (middle) to 100% Right (top).

Band gain offset - Adds/subtracts to the band gain multiplier. From -infinity dB (bottom) to 0 dB (top). ​ Modulator noise level - Threshold noise Mapping Envelope. When the Modulator signal exceeds the level defined by this envelope, those bands from the NOISE source will be allowed to pass-through to Vocodex's outputs. From -1 (bottom) to + 1 (top). Use the Detect modulator noise level function in the Options menu to create a mapping based on the unwanted low-level noises in your Modulation source. This will improve the quality of vocoded speech. Modulator pass through - Set the parts of the modulator signal to pass through the plugin. From mute (bottom), 0 dB (middle) to +12 dB (top). Envelope follower - All Mapping Envelopes range from x0.125 (bottom), x1 (middle) to x8 (top). Hold - Hold level multiplier. Modifies the per-band response to the HOLD control (see above). Envelope attack - Attack time multiplier Mapping Envelope, modifies the per-band response to the ATT control (see above). Envelope release - Release time multiplier Mapping Envelope, modifies the per-band response to the REL control (see above). Spectral distribution Band distribution - Defines the frequency range of the bands. This envelope mapping will have a dramatic effect on the vocoder process. Bottom scale is 0 Hz (DC), top scale is 20,000 Hz, the curve will map vocoder bands across these frequencies (or a sub-set of them). See the 'Band distribution -' presets under Options > Open state file. Band width - Modifies the per-band Band width from x0.125 (bottom), x1 (middle) to x8 (top).

Modulator pitch shift - Pitch shift multiplier Mapping Envelope, modifies the per-band Modulator pitch from -1200 cents (bottom), 0 cents (middle) to +1200 cents (top). Saturation Saturation mix - Per-band Mapping Envelope saturation mix level. That is the vocoder band response Mapping Envelope shape is saturated (given a unique shape). From 0% (bottom) to 50% (middle) and 100% (top). Saturation curve - This is the envelope distortion effect applied to the band-follower Mapping Envelope. It maps input (horizontal axis) to output (vertical axis). The default sloping line matches a 1:input/output. In other words, no change to the input envelope shape. NOTE: There are a number of preset states for the Modulation Mapping envelopes under Options > Open state file.

Mapping controls Follows Modulator pitch shift (lips) - Per Mapping Envelope switch, links the Mapping Envelope frequency-scale to the Modulator pitch-shift knob. When selected - the frequencies affected by the Mapping Envelope will follow their original target frequencies in the Modulator as the pitchshift knob is adjusted. When deselected - the Mapping Envelope remains at the original fixed frequencies while the Modulator pitch moves relative to it (as the Modulator pitch-shift knob is tweaked). It is useful to enable 'Follows Modulator pitch shift' when a particular frequency/sound in it has been identified for modification with the Mapping Envelope. Leaving this off will save some CPU load. Options menu - Opens to show standard envelope options including: Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Opens a directory containing a number of pre-defined Envelope state files. Files are labeled according to the control they are intended to control. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste

envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. While this feature is common to all native FL Studio envelopes, it has been included as it may be useful with creative uses of Vocodex. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis. While this feature is common to all native FL Studio envelopes, it has been included as it is particularly useful with creative uses of Vocodex. Freeze (snowflake) - Freeze all envelopes to afford a clearer view of the envelope/mapping. It's also useful to stop your little brother/sister/kids messing with your carefully crafted shapes (or you).

Step editing - Sprays control points like drive-by machine-gun fire, allowing you to draw envelope curves. Slide remaining points - When selected, slides all control points after the moved point.

Carrier Synthesizer Vocoding Tutorials Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Vocodex sample: Katy Theodossiou.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Vocodex Vocodex is the last word in vocoders, featuring advanced articulation envelopes, integrated Carrier synthesizer and Soundgoodizer maximizer, vocoder envelope control and up to 100 variable-width multi-parameter vocoder bands. Vocodex By your command! Related plugin - Fruity Vocoder.

Vocoding is the process of using the real-time frequency spectrum of one sound (Modulator) to modulate the frequency spectrum of another (Carrier). The vocoder engine consists of a series of bandpass filters that allow through only those frequencies detected in the Modulator source. So, for example, when a human voice is used to modulate a synthesizer chord, it will sound like the

synthesizer is talking, the classic robot voice from many sci-fi movies.

Setup Inputs Parameters Carrier Synthesizer Vocodex includes an internal Carrier generator based on the Sytrus synthesisengine.

Carrier sounds - Select from the Carrier options using the drop-down menu to the left of the keyboard. To use the internal carrier see the Setup section 'External Modulator with internal Carrier'. Playing the carrier - You can lock keys (to create chords) on/off using mouse clicks. Alternatively when Vocodex is focused (interface selected) it will steal any MIDI keyboard controller input and can be played manually. When responding to a controller keyboard the note/chord will hold until the next note/chord is played. The first held note will clear all other notes. Any notes played after the first held note will lock on, to clear, release the first held note and play another note. NOTE: the internal Carrier mode is aimed at live use as it does not respond to the Piano roll or Step Sequencer. However the same Carrier sounds are also available in the 'Vocoder carriers' preset section of Sytrus or from the Browser > Plugin presets > Sytrus > Vocoder carriers folder. Use the Production input method, described above, to use Sytrus as an external Carrier source.

Vocoding Tutorials Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin Vocodex sample: Katy Theodossiou.

MIXING & EFFECTS

Vocodex Vocodex is the last word in vocoders, featuring advanced articulation envelopes, integrated Carrier synthesizer and Soundgoodizer maximizer, vocoder envelope control and up to 100 variable-width multi-parameter vocoder bands. Vocodex By your command! Related plugin - Fruity Vocoder.

Vocoding is the process of using the real-time frequency spectrum of one sound (Modulator) to modulate the frequency spectrum of another (Carrier). The vocoder engine consists of a series of bandpass filters that allow through only those frequencies detected in the Modulator source. So, for example, when a human voice is used to modulate a synthesizer chord, it will sound like the

synthesizer is talking, the classic robot voice from many sci-fi movies.

Setup Inputs Parameters Carrier Synthesizer Vocoding Tutorials Controlling Vocodex will be easier if you clearly understand how vocoding works. This section covers the basics of vocoding then moves onto some more creative uses of Vocodex.

Vocoding in detail

Vocoding is the process of detecting signal levels across a range of narrow frequency-bands in one sound (the modulator, MOD) and filtering another sound (the Carrier, CAR) with the same frequency-band level activity. Band analysis - In the screenshot left, the vertical colored bands show the modulator frequency-level activity. The bands are in essence automatically controlled levels on a 5 to 100 band graphic equalizer through which the Carrier is trying to pass. When a band opens, that frequency (if present) in the Carrier is allowed through. More precisely, each frequency band's analysis envelope

continuously tracks level changes in the Modulator and applies this envelope to the equivalent band in the Carrier's filter bank. It is through this process the Carrier takes on the temporal-frequency characteristics of the modulator sound, and it is the essence of vocoding. Vocodex allows you to change the number of vocoding bands from 5 to 100 (using the Bands selector). Generally the more bands used, the more like the original (Modulator sound), the vocoded sound will be (within the limits of the Carrier's frequency range and timbre

, see below). If you are after a more

'robotic' (harsh) sound try using the 16 to 32 band range. You can also achieve a similar effect by turning the Band width knob to the right, and widen the bands. To keep CPU usage down we recommend using the lowest number of bands needed to achieve the sound you want. Carriers - It should be clear to you that if a frequency band opens, and there is no sound at that same frequency in the Carrier, then that particular 'timbral

'

character of the modulator sound will be lost. The clarity of speech, in particular, suffers when there is little or no high frequency sound present in the Carrier. This is because sibilant

sounds ("s","t", etc.) consist mainly of high frequency noise.

In response to this problem Vocodex includes a NOISE control (that injects noise into the Carrier), a Modulation pass-through slider (MOD) on the Mixer section, with high-pass filter to select only the sibalent sounds and a Modulator passthrough envelope (that can also be set to allow through only high frequencies from the Modulator). Use any of these controls to preserve the intelligibility of speech. NOTE: The Sytrus synthesizer engine is used in Vocodex to generate internal Carrier sounds, see the Carrier Synthesizer section above for more details on how to replicate the internal Carrier sounds with Sytrus as an external source.

Creative uses Pitch-tracked modulator - One interesting variation on the standard vocoder effect is achieved when the Carrier tracks the pitch of the Modulator (usually the pitch of the Modulator and Carrier are independent), this results in a more 'pure' vocoded voice sound more closely resembling a 'Talk-Box

'.

1. Open a new project - Stop complaining about all the steps, it looks more complex than it is. The goal is to convert a Modulation sample to a Piano roll score, use these notes to drive the Carrier synthesizer while the Modulator does its usual Modulation thing in Vocodex. In this way the Carrier is following the pitch of the Modulator. 2. Modulator vocal - You will need a monophonic, singing vocal (here's a

nice one we

prepared earlier

, uploaded to freesound

. You will need to have a

(free) account there to download the vocal recording). 3. Convert the vocal to notes - Open the vocal sample in Edison, Rightclick on the sample and select Tools > Convert to score and dump to piano roll. This will perform a pitch analysis and save the result to the selected channel as a Piano roll score. This score will be used to drive the Carrier synthesizer. 4. Load Sytrus on the score Channel - Drag the 'Saw' preset from the 'Browser > Plugin presets > Sytrus > Vocoder carriers' folder and drop it on the Channel containing the 'audio analysis' score from the previous step. 5. Carrier routing - Route the Sytrus Channel to Mixer track 1. 6. Create a Modulator vocal Audio Clip - Drag the original audio from Edison, use the drag tool (

) and drop it on the Playlist to create an

Audio Clip. 7. Create a Modulator Mixer track - Route the Modulator Audio Clip to Mixer track 2 and rename the Mixer track 'Modulator'.

8. Create a Pattern Clip - Select the pattern containing the 'audio analysis' score and place it in the Playlist. 9. Align Modulator and Carrier sources in the Playlist - Align the 'audio analysis' Pattern Clip with the Audio Clip of the source audio (see image right). Play them together, Sytrus and the Vocal should sound in time and in tune (mostly). 10. Tidy and align score to audio - If you are using our Modulation source vocal, alignment and pitch should be about right. Generally at this step you may need Play the score and audio together in the Playlist, edit the score to fix any errors or time-alignment issues. It can be useful to align the Carrier score 1/4 of a step before the vocal it was made from. This ensures the Carrier is playing when the Modulator kicks in and you don't lose any of the Modulator's attack. 11. Sidechain the Modulator Mixer track to track 1 - See the screenshot for routing settings, use the 'Production method' as described in the Setup Inputs section. 12. Load Vocodex - On Mixer track 1, rename the Mixer track 'Vocodex' (and why not). The Vocodex default is set to receive the Carrier on its own Mixer track and the Modulator from the first Sidechain Mixer track. This means Vocodex should be set up correctly on loading. 13. Play - Play the project from the Playlist and be impressed. Usually this form of vocoding works best with fewer (rather than more) bands, try the 16 to 40 range. For another variation, drop the Carrier score by 1 octave. Experiment with the various Sytrus 'Vocoder carrier' presets. Percussion - While vocoders are usually associated with speech, they also make unique and cool effects when applied to drums and other instruments. When using Vocodex as an effect (on percussion in particular), you may want to allow some of the original Modulator (drum) sound through with the MOD (Modulation pass-through level) slider. Carriers can be the sound being effected or something totally different, as usual, experimentation is rewarded. Need speech? - If you don't have a mic or are looking for interesting speech recordings, to use as Modulators, check out Librivox

, a library of out-of-

copyright audiobook recordings by volunteers. See the site's Copyright details on how they can be used.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin

page for

Vocodex sample: Katy Theodossiou.

VISUAL EFFECT

ZGameEditor Visualizer ZGameEditor Visualizer is a visualization effect plugin with movie render capability. ZGameEditor Visualizer is based on the free open source ZGameEditor

that can be used to create visualization objects for the plugin.

Video Tutorials here

Using ZGameEditor Visualizer Depending on the objects selected various controls will become available and may be automated, respond to audio or in some cases accept MIDI input. Clear - These effects replicate the foreground and background images as patterns in the video background. Background - Background image effects Foreground - Foreground image effects. Sidechain - You can use sidechaining to select a separate audio input for each effect category (Clear, Background & Foreground). For example, make the foreground effect react to the kick and the background to the lead sound. Simply sidechain other mixer tracks to the mixer track containing ZGameEditor Visualizer and then the inputs will be available. If ZGameEditor Visualizer is on the Master Mixer track then all other Mixer tracks will automatically be available. Zoom / Rotate - Zoom and rotate the video image. Frame rate - The current frame rate of the video output, use the menu to choose alternative rates. Higher rates are smoother but at the expense of CPU/Video load. Paused - Select to pause the video effect. If there is an error message this will be automatically be checked. NOTE: Most sliders and knobs associated with the effects can be 'Right-clicked' to use create automation clips and edit events. TIP: If you are unsure which settings produce the best visual effects try selecting Presets - R 'Randomize' above the effect category menu. Often this results in something interesting that you can continue to develop.

Settings

Antialias - Uses Open GL 4x oversampling for smoother graphics. Preload effects - Avoids transition delays when switching effects types. Stereoscopic - Switches side-by-side stereoscopic mode on/off for 3D effects when images are fused. MIDI port - Some effects respond to MIDI input & control. Set the port between 0 to 255. A setting of '...' is disabled. Once MIDI Out and ZGEVis Ports are matched to the same value, then Channels 1, 2 and 3 on that Port control Clear, Background and Foreground respectively. Render to texture quality - Applies to the 'Clear' effects responsible for image feedback processing. Keep this on High unless your graphics card can't keep up when using 'Clear' effects. Video Texture - Click the 'Video options' button and select a video or web-camera input to be used with the Video Warp effects. NOTE: The pretty 'mosaic' pattern you see when you select some video effects is the default video texture pattern. Detach window - Allows the Video Display screen to be dragged onto another monitor or to a video projector. Show Log - Useful to collect Techsupport debugging information. Video export - The video is rendered along with the audio from the project. Select this option and set a video save location then render the project as normal. Select various video options under the 'Export settings' button. FFT settings - These apply input audio. Sound is analyzed into frequency bands for use by the visual effects. Restart the plugin to apply. Spectral bands for fx - Number of spectral bands available to be used by effects. More = higher CPU but more complex/interesting results. Internal size - Number of spectral bands the processed audio is divided into. More gives higher accuracy at the expense of lag/latency. Custom content Meshes - ZGameEditor Visualizer uses .3ds format effects.

3D meshes that can be loaded and used as objects by some

Text - Enter custom text here to be displayed by some effects. Bitmaps - Are .bmp format images that can be used by some effects. Video cue points - Set any number of cue points in the video by entering a list of time offsets in seconds (see above). The video is selected from the Main > Clear/Background/Foreground > Video option. Trigger cue-point playback by matching the MIDI IN Port set here on the Settings dialog to a MIDI Out Port (and Channel 1, 2 & 3 for Clear, Background and Foreground respectively). MIDI notes played on the MIDI Out Channel will then trigger playback from the set cue points. There are two special cuepoints - play and stop and you can place these anywhere in the list. Cue-points start from note C5 (C5 = the first cue-point in the list) and are mapped progressively to each cue-point down the list as you progress up the keyboard. Videos - Use this tab to set the path to videos. They must be in .wmv or .avi format. Once loaded they are available from the Main > Clear/Background/Foreground > Video menus. Reset defaults - Press when you have created a complete mess of the settings and want your sanity back.

Controlling the effects There are three types of control available. How the presets respond to these controls will depend on the design of the visual objects. See below for details on making your own.

Audio Control Objects will generally have their parameters linked to respond to audio input. Often this is analyzed in terms of frequency to cause the low, mid and high frequencies to cause different visual effects. NOTE: Link a Fruity Peak Controller from key Mixer tracks and/or Fruity Envelope Controller from Piano roll/Pattern Clips to target parameters/sliders for more advanced control.

Automation Control Right-click plugin target controls and select Edit events, Create automation clip or Link to controller.

MIDI Input Control 1. Load a MIDI Out Channel to the project. 2. Match the PORT number on MIDI Out to the MIDI input port on ZGameEditor Visualizer. 3. Notes & control data on the MIDI Out Channel will now be available to control parameters in ZGameEditor Visualizer.

Adding objects with the ZGameEditor Place *.zgeproj objects

in ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\ZgeViz\FgAndBg. To make the objects you

will need to download and install the ZGameEditor here

.

Watch the video tutorials below to learn how to use the ZGameEditor 01 - Getting Started 02 - Designer Layout 03 - Project Tree 04 - Real-Time Preview 05 - Component Properties 06 - Build Executable 07 - Texture Mapping 08 - Bitmap Font 09 - Keyboard Input 10 - Play Sound 11 - Audio Editor 12 - Import 3DS 13 - Writing Expressions

:

14 - Create Model 15 - Spawning Clones 16 - Collision Detection 17 - Compress Build

Plugin Credits: Ville Krumlinde (ZGameEditor Visualizer), Tsviatko Jongov (Video encoder), JPH Wacheski (scripts) Steven Magyar (development testing).

INSTALLING VST PLUGINS

Installing VST Plugins

!

"

#

This section explains how to install VST and DX plugins Installation Procedure - How it's done. What is VST? KVR

- Wikipedia explains the VST standard.

- is a one-stop resource for plugin reviews, news and links to

free/commercial plugins.

INSTALLING PLUGINS

Installing Plugins

! "

# #

This page provides step by step instruction on installing VST instruments and effects. The following topics are covered: How to install VST plugins - Instruments & effects. 32 vs 64 Bit VST plugins - Some 'tech' information you should know. VST folders - More detail about where VST plugins may be located. Watch a tutorial video here

Virtual Studio Technology (VST) Plugins VST is a software interface standard that allows you to load 3rd party software synthesizer and effect 'plugins' in FL Studio. VST is in addition to the FL Studio 'native' plugin format. VST plugins generally come in two types, instruments (VSTi) that are designed to make sound and effects (VST) that are designed to process sound, although some can do both. FL Studio categorizes VST instruments as 'Generators' because some also generate control or note data, rather than audio. VSTs are self-contained programs that 'plug-in' to FL Studio giving you access to a, virtually unlimited, source of new instruments and effects. VST plugins are provided in the 'dynamic link library'(*.dll) format file.

Important notes about 32 vs 64 Bit plugins The computer music industry is in the process of changing from 32 to 64 Bit software. This has made things a little complicated, what's new :) Plugin compatibility - Just as FL Studio is available in 32 and 64 Bit editions

, VST

plugins can also come in 32 or 64 Bit format. This determines how much memory the plugin can access. It has nothing to do with 'audio quality', despite what some sleazy marketing guy may have said. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND using 64 Bit plugins in FL Studio 64 Bit and 32 Bit plugins in FL Studio 32 Bit. If you load 64 Bit plugins in FL Studio 32 Bit or 32 Bit plugins in FL Studio 64 Bit, a 'bit bridge' will be used and this consumes about 2% extra CPU, per plugin. Certainly, a few bridged plugins won't matter, but bridging 10 or more plugins definitely will waste a lot of CPU. Bridging is automatic, you don't need to do anything special to make it happen, one reason you should keep an eye on it. The Wrapper Settings Tab will show if a plugin is bridged and its Bit version. NOTE: It's usually possible to install both 32 and 64 Bit versions of a plugin if they are available. Many older, free VST plugins you can find online, will only be available in 32 Bit. Project compatibility - You can load projects made with FL Studio 32 Bit in FL Studio 64 Bit and vice versa. When you load a FL Studio 32 Bit project in FL Studio 64 Bit, all plugins are automatically loaded with 64 Bit versions, if the 64 Bit version exists. When loading 64 Bit projects in the FL Studio 32 Bit the reverse is also true, FL Studio will try to find 32 Bit versions of all plugins. If the bit-equivalent plugin is not available, then the

bit-original plugin is loaded and bridged (see the point above). More information - Click here to see the FL Studio 32 vs 64 Bit FAQ online

.

How to Install VST Plugins (Instruments & Effects) 1. Install the plugin - Run the VSTs own installer OR for plugins without an installer, copy the files including the *.dll file to your Options > General > VST plugins extra search folder. NOTE: When plugins have an installer you can choose to use the default installation folder or to install to your VST plugins extra search folder. VST installers usually ask you to select the install location during the process. If you don't set a custom VST folder, FL Studio will usually find the default VST location.

You can also set an unlimited number of additional VST search locations using the 'Refresh plugin list > Deep/slow scan > FL Studio VST scan tool > Add path. 2. Scan for installed plugins - After installing the VST plugin, use the 'Browser menu > Tools > Refresh plugin list' option OR click Options > General > Refresh plugin list (as shown above). Plugins found in the default VST folder locations and your optional VST plugins extra search folder, are added to the Browser > Plugin database > Installed. The default scan does not identify plugins as instruments (generator) or effects, so newly scanned plugins will show under BOTH 'Browser > Plugin database > Installed > Effects > New' and 'Browser > Plugin database > Installed > Generators > New'. You can categorize them with the 'Favorite' process as shown below. Alternatively you can run the Deep / slow scan that will categorize your plugins.

3. Making favorites - To categorize a plugin (generator/effect) and make it a 'favorite', available in the Plugin database, Plugin picker & Plugin list menus, open the Browser to the category and folder where you would like it to be placed and select 'Add to plugin database (flag as favorite)' from the plugin wrapper menu, as shown below. NOTES: 1. Alternatively you can 'favorite' plugins from a list using the FL Studio Plugin Scanner tool, if you are not interested in creating plugin thumbnails. 2. The plugin database is a standard folder on your disk. Feel free to reorganize and or create/delete categories using any file manager (right-click 'Plugin database' in the Browser and select 'Open').

4. Removing plugins from the database - From the database right-click it in the Browser and select 'Delete file...' from the pop-up menu. NOTE: This does not delete the plugin from your disk, it only removes the database entry.

5. Using the plugin - Now the plugin is installed and can be used as a standard FL Studio instrument or effect. 6. Creating and managing VST 'favorite' lists - See here for creating and managing favorites. Favorite VST plugins will show in drop-down menus and the Plugin picker.

Related Links: Installed instruments - Learn more about instruments (generators) pre-installed in FL Studio. Installed effects - Learn more about the effects pre-installed in FL Studio. Plugin standards - Learn more about the plugin standards supported by FL Studio.

VST Plugin Default Locations Things have gotten a little complex, there are three VST standards (1, 2 and 3) plus 32 and 64 bit formats. Fear not, FL Studio searches for VST plugins in a number of default locations, in addition to the extra VST search folder, including: VST 1 and 2 plugins: 1. The '..Plugins\VST' in the FL Studio installation folder (32 Bit plugins). 2. The '..\Program Files\Common Files\VST2' (64 Bit plugins on a 64 Bit Windows only). 3. The folder set as the Extra search path in the File settings window (32 Bit plugins).

VST 3 plugins: 1. The '..\Program Files\Common Files\VST3' & '..\Program Files\VST3' folders (32 Bit plugins on 32 Bit Windows OR 64 Bit plugins on 64 Bit Windows). 2. The '..\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3' & '..\Program Files (x86)\VST3' folders (32 Bit plugins on Win 64 Bit Windows). Custom VST Folders: 1. You can set your own custom VST folders from the VST plugins extra search folder AND OR 2. Set an unlimited number of additional search locations using the 'Refresh plugin list > Deep/slow scan > FL Studio VST scan tool > Add path. NOTE: If you use the default installation location suggested by the installer you should have no problems.

VST plugins extra search folder As noted above, you have the option of installing VST (1 & 2) plugins into a folder of your choice. If you want to create your own VST plugin folder you must set its location in the (F10) File Settings VST plugins extra search folder field. This can be a good way of keeping your VST plugins in a location you frequently back up. You can install VST3 & or 64 bit plugins here but FL Studio won't display information about the plugin type. The plugins should still function correctly as the wrapper detects bit-depth and plugin type on loading. Generally allow VST 3 plugin installers to go to their default location and FL Studio will find them automatically.

RECORDING

Recording Audio, Scores (Notes) & Automation Overview FL Studio can record three types of data: 1. Audio - internal mixer audio from instrument channels and external audio from a microphone or instrument connected to your audio interface inputs. 2. Scores - note data from a piano keyboard, typing keyboard or similar. 3. Automation - volume, pan, knob, slider and mouse movements on FL Studio and plugin interface controls. Choose which data types to record using the Recording filter, accessed by Right-clicking the record button on the Main Transport Panel. The following sections focus on recording each data type in detail. Video tutorials are also available on the FL Studio website.

Recording Audio (mixer, line-in, microphone) FL Studio can record the audio present on any number of Mixer tracks. This audio can come from internal instruments loaded in the Channel Rack or from external sources such as a microphone or line-in jack on your audio interface (ASIO drivers must be used). For more information see these pages:

!

Recording audio - Learn how to prepare and arm a mixer track for recording internal or external audio sources. Mixer input/output routing - A more detailed discussion of mixer tracks input/output, line-in and microphone input routing.

Recording Scores (notes / keyboard performances) External MIDI keyboards can be used to play the plugin synthesizers in FL Studio. For more information on recording a note sequence using your MIDI keyboard, see these pages:

"

Live keyboard recording - Recording a live keyboard performance on the fly. Step entry editing - Recording notes step by step. Score logger - A 3 minute buffer saves all note activity from external controllers and 'typing keyboard to piano'.

Recording Automation (controller changes) Record mouse movements on interface controls or link and record external controller movements of interface controls:

#

Recording Automation - Learn how to record continuous controller changes from your mouse or external controllers.

RECORDING

Recording External and Internal Audio

! ! " " # # $ $

% %

This section covers everything you need to know about recording external audio sources connected to your audio interface input/s and internal audio generated by instruments. Sections include: Pre-requisites for recording audio Recording FAQ USB microphones (a special case) How to record external audio Recording into Edison the wave editor & recorder Recording directly into the Playlist Loop recording for multiple 'takes' Freezing mixer tracks

Pre-requisites for recording external audio Before you can record external audio sources the following settings & conditons are required: 1. You must be using FL Studio Producer Edition or higher. 2. An ASIO audio interface driver must be selected for your audio interface (press F10 to open the options settings, select Audio and select an ASIO driver). 3. The recording filter must be set to record audio (Right-click the Transport Panel record button), if you are recording to disk (Playlist recording). 4. An audio source must be connected to the soundcard/interface audio input/s (DOH!

).

5. The active audio interface input/s (from 4. above) must be selected on the Mixer track input menu. 6. Edison must be set to record audio on the input Mixer track (see Edison recording) OR the Mixer track must be armed to record audio (see Playlist recording).

Recording FAQ

Where does external audio enter FL Studio? At Mixer track input menus (shown above). Each Mixer track can receive one external stereo audio input. The input menu displays a drop-down list from your selected audio interface (mic, line, etc). The screenshot above shows the audio interface microphone (Mic 1) selected on Mixer Track 4. If you have more than one audio input to record, use multiple mixer tracks to receive each input. NOTE: Input options will only be available if an ASIO audio interface driver is being used. How do I record audio? There are two ways that can be used individually or together: 1. Edison - Place an instance of Edison in the Mixer track receiving audio and record into memory (see screenshot above). Edison is best when you plan to record one or two sources, each source requires a unique instance of the plugin. Edison is also ideal for 'Loop Recording' as region markers are automatically placed in the recording each time FL Studio loops back to the beginning of the project. Regions (loops) can then be dragged into the Playlist. 2. Playlist - Arm a Mixer track by selecting an input or clicking on the disk recording icon (see screenshot above). Playlist recording is ideal when multi-track recording as managing large numbers of Edison plugins can be unwieldy. The audio recorded by either of these methods can come from external sources, internal sources or a combination of both. For details, see below. Why do I hear music/percussion along with my recording - You are recording on a Mixer Track that has music/percussion routed to it. Probably, the Master Mixer track. Don't do that! All audio arriving on a Mixer track is recorded together. If you are recording an external audio source make sure no Channel Rack instruments are routed there. Why do my recordings come from one speaker? FL Studio expects a stereo input signal since all Mixer tracks are stereo. You are probably feeding your audio-interface a signal that only appears on the left or right channel of a stereo input. Solution: The Mixer INPUT menu has an upper stereo list and lower mono list. You have selected from the upper stereo INPUT. Select your input from the lower, mono INPUT list. This will copy the active channel into the silent stereo channel so audio comes from both speakers. How do I record multiple independent inputs (multi-track record)? Each of the 103 Mixer tracks can be independently loaded with an Edison recorder, however if you are recording more than one or two inputs it is better to arm individual Mixer tracks and record external and/or internal audio sources to disk (see Playlist Recording below). It is possible to simultaneously record the full number of audio inputs on your audio interface. NOTE: Right-click the Mixer Input menu to initiate an 'Auto-map'. This will automatically map each input on your audio interface to a unique Mixer Track Input, starting on the Mixer track where the Auto-map was initiated and working to the right. To prevent feedback, the Master Tack send (click here for an oversized and obsessive diagram) will be disabled on each Mixer Track, so you will see input activity on the Peak Meters, but won't hear anything. How do I record my hardware synthesizer/drum-machine/sampler? To use sounds from an external synthesizer, while it is played by FL Studio, you will need to make MIDI connections AND audio connections to your audio interface inputs. FL Studio can record the sound/s (discussed below) as it plays the external MIDI hardware using a MIDI Out plugin. Can I record using a USB microphone or headset? Yes, USB microphones require special setup discussed here.

How do I set the recording bit-depth - FL Studio receives audio from the audio interface as a pre-digitized stream, the '32 bit float recording' option set in the Mixer menu > Disk recording save option has no effect on the incoming recorded bit-depth (only the save format). Recording bit-depth is set in the audio interface's own options and is shown in the hint bar when selecting items from the mixer input menu. To set, right-click your volume control icon on the Windows task-bar, select 'Recording devices'. Select your input device and 'Set as default' then select 'Properties', then 'Advanced' and choose 24 bit 44100 Hz option if available OR 16 bit 44100 Hz if not. Are there video tutorials for recording audio? Yes,

click here

to jump to the video tutorials.

Using a USB microphone or headset

" USB microphone & headsets use their own audio driver separate from your main audio interface (i.e they appear to Windows as another audio interface). To use two audio interfaces with FL Studio follow the steps in the section on recording USB audio-inputs. The solution is to select independent input (USB mic) and output (audio interface) devices using the ASIO4ALL audio interface driver.

How to record external audio (microphones, guitars, etc)

" # & Three main methods for recording external audio are explained below, the first two record into an Edison plugin loaded into the Mixer track of your choice. The third method records audio into an Audio Clip displayed in the Playlist - please note that the clip will not be visible until the recording has been completed.

1. Quick audio recording procedure (using Edison) Edison is an audio editor and recorder. It will record audio from any FX slot in the Mixer. You can load as many instances of Edison as you like.

If the pre-requisites for external recording have been satisfied (as described above), the 'One click recording' wizard can be used to record into Edison as follows: 1. Select an unused Mixer track. This will be the track used by the shortcut process (see the note below). 2. Click the microphone icon (One-click audio recording) on the 'Shortcut Panel'. 3. Select 'Into Edison audio editor/recorder' from the drop-down menu. 4. Follow the prompts. 5. After recording, see section 2.5 below for options on saving/exporting the audio. NOTE: One-click recording uses the input on the selected Mixer track. If you are recording an external audio source then record on a Mixer track that only has the external audio on it. If you have internal audio playing through the same track it will be blended with the external audio. Once blended, it can't be undone.

2. Edison recording procedure

If the pre-requisites for external recording have been satisfied (as described above): 1. Load Edison - Load Edison in an FX slot in the Mixer track that you want to record. Don't use the Master track (all audio from all tracks is routed here). TIP: Select the Mixer track and press (

Shift+E) to auto-load Edison in the first empty FX

slot on the track ready to record. 2. Input selection - Select an external input (see below). Loading Edison before selecting an input will disable the autoarming of the disk-record function. It is possible to turn this back on (if you wish) by clicking on the Mixer track record icon associated with the track you are using. 3. Effects - Place Edison before any effects loaded in the same Mixer track for a 'dry' recording. It is recommended to record all external audio dry as this gives you the opportunity to add and change them later on. 4. Record using Edison - Click here to see the Edison help and normal recording setup options. You will be able to record into Edison, where it is stored in memory, and then export the audio to a sample or Audio Clip. 5. Exporting recorded audio - There are three main ways to export audio from Edison into FL Studio: 1.

Send to Playlist button, Left or Right-click to: Left-click: Send to Playlist as Audio Clip (

Shift+C) - Dumps the selection to the Playlist as an

Audio Clip. Right-click: Send to selected Channel - Dumps the selection to the selected Channel. 2.

Drag / copy sample / move selection - Left-click on the button and drag to the desired location (e.g. Playlist Clip-track). The selected region in the Sample Edit Window (or whole sample if no selection is made) will be copied and moved to any compatible location in FL Studio. Apart from the Playlist other locations may include Sampler channels, Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, etc. Right-click to copy the selection to the clipboard.

3.

Save and load - Save the audio/selection to a file and re-import it through the Browser.

NOTES: 1. Take the time to read the next section on Mono inputs (3.4) and Monitoring (3.7) as they are also relevant to Edison recording. 2. Memory considerations: Edison records into RAM and so is not suited to recording hours of continuous audio. Edison uses approximately 20 Meg of RAM per minute of recording. If you need to record for more than 15 minutes then the Playlist (disk recording) method is recommended (see below).

3. Playlist audio recording procedure Playlist lanes are not bound to audio inputs as they are in many other sequencers. Audio is recorded through the Mixer, to disk, and then the recording is automatically loaded onto the first Playlist track that has space to host the recording. That is, the first track where it won't overlap with existing clips. The recording is loaded as an Audio Clip. We know this section of the help looks complex with many steps, but it provides a full description of the external-audio to Playlist recording options and full step-by-step procedure covering many of the issues people face when recording external sources. Once you understand the process it only takes 3 mouse-clicks to set up a Mixer channel to record.

Audio inputs are recorded through the Mixer tracks, the audio from these sessions is placed in the Playlist as an Audio Clip. Remember that Playlist lanes are not tied to any Mixer track, so it doesn't matter what Playlist lane the Audio Clip is on. You can move clips around as needed after recording. 1. Pre-requisites - The pre-requisites for external recording must first be satisfied (as described above). 2. Don't record on the Master Mixer track - When recording external audio on a Mixer track, internal audio routed to that track will be mixed in with the external source so it is best to use a Mixer track with no internal instruments routed to it. Remember that the Master Mixer track has all the other tracks routed to it, so this is definitely not the place to record external audio sources. 3. Input selection & Mixer track arming - Select an external input (see below). The options that appear in this drop-down menu will depend on your audio interface, most audio interfaces have at least one mic and one line input, however you may need to experiment to find the input that carries your external audio. Selecting an input will auto-arm the track for recording, as indicated by the red track recording icon. If you want to use a USB mic or headset to record audio, follow the steps outlined here first.

4. Mono inputs - If you have a mono sound source that appears in only the L or R stereo channel, you will notice that the input options are divided into 'Stereo' in the upper section and 'Mono' in the lower section. By selecting the Mono version of your input, FL Studio will record the signal into both the L and R Mixer channels. 5. Naming & save location (optional) - If you want to select the name and location of the saved .wav file as something other than the default then Right-click the Mixer track recording icon

о to open the file-name/location dialog. Select a

location in the browser dialog and name the .wav file to be recorded. If you use Left-click, an automatic file name will be assigned to the track. Do the same for all Mixer tracks you want to record. NOTE: Setting a custom record location folder from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, will mean the default location is set by you. 6. Recording Options - Open the Mixer pop-up menu. In the Disk Recording sub-menu select Auto-create audio clip - Turn ON. Loads the recording as an Audio Clip and automatically places it in the Playlist, after you press stop. NOTE: Automatic Audio Clip placement only works in song mode. Latency compensation - Turn ON. Removes an amount of time equal to the audio interface latency (buffer length) from the start of the recording, ensuring the audio is aligned with the internal events. NOTE: This setting does not affect the live (monitored) sound, only the recording and doesn't have anything to do with the PDC delay panel ( C ) options. See the point below on 'Monitoring' for ways to improve latency delay on the live audio passing through FL Studio. Bit-depth - This is the saved bit-depth and is the resolution of the waveforms amplitude quantization. '32-Bit floating point recording' is only necessary if your audio interface is set to record at a bit-depth higher than 16-Bit so use the 32-Bit setting to save files recorded at 24-Bit. NOTE: FL Studio receives audio from the audio interface as a pre-digitized stream, the bit-depth set in the Mixer has no effect on the recorded bit-depth (that is set in the audio interface's own options and is shown in the hint bar when selecting items from the mixer INPUT menu). Saving a 16-Bit sample at 32-Bit will make the file significantly larger with no gain in quality. To set the recorded bit-depth under Windows: Either right-click the speaker volume control on the Windows system tray and select and select Recording devices > Recording tab OR Click Windows Start > Control Panel > Sound > Recording tab. Right-click the input recording device you intend to use and select 'Set as default' and then after that select 'Properties'. On the 'Advanced tab', under the 'Default Format' section we recommend using '2 channel, 24 bit, 44100 Hz (Studio Quality)' or '2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality)' if that is not available. 7. Hearing the sound being recorded (monitoring) - Let's assume you are monitoring FL Studio through headphones and not getting an echo caused by feedback from your speakers into your microphone. By default, live inputs to the Mixer are routed to the Master mixer track and back to the audio interface outputs. As the audio path through FL Studio is delayed by an amount equal to the audio interface buffer length setting, the monitored sound may echo against the live source.

Latency echo can cause problems for performers (e.g. vocalists) who need to hear their live performance mixed with the song. Latency echo can be eliminated in three ways: 1. Routing - Stop the incoming audio passing back to the audio interface by de-selecting the 'Send to master switch/knob' from the Mixer track you are recording into. Remember the send knob is located on the Master track, not the selected track. The downside is that you can no longer 'monitor' the recorded sound, although you can move one headphone cup an ear (DJ style) and listen live.

2. Latency - If you need to monitor your input signal, try lowering the buffer settings and see if the echo can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels. Of course there are limits to how low the ASIO buffer can be set. 3. Direct Monitoring - Use 'direct monitoring' if supported by your audio interface. Direct monitoring is achieved completely in hardware, routing a copy of the input signal directly to the audio interface outputs, and so eliminating latency caused by the software buffer. NOTE: If you use direct monitoring it will be necessary to apply the routing solution 7.1 (in this paragraph), to prevent input to the FL Studio Mixer being heard. Finally note that direct monitoring isn't common on basic (consumer level) audio interfaces, so consult the audio interface manual to see if it's available on your card. No manual? The direct monitoring options are usually found in the factory Mixer associated with the audio interface driver. Many external USB/FireWire audio interfaces have a hardware knob or button labeled 'Direct monitoring' or 'Monitor'. 8. Recording with effects - Don't! We recommend that you record all incoming audio without effects, add them later, as this provides maximum flexibility during post-production. If you want to monitor the incoming signal with effects while recording without effects 1. Deselect the 'Send to master' knob on the recording input Mixer track.

2. Re-route the recording input Mixer track to a second empty Mixer track. 3. Load the effects you wish to use on this second track and allow that track to pass to the Master. The above setup ensures that the audio is recorded dry, on the input Mixer track, then passes to a second track where effects are added for monitoring. NOTE: Edison recording makes this process simpler, put Edison in FX slot 1 of the input Mixer track (so it has no Effects before it), then put any effects you want to hear below it (slots 2 to 8). 9. The Record Button: Prepare for recording. There are two functions associated with the Record button on the Transport Panel. 1. Recording filter - There is a recording filter pop-up menu, Right-click the Record button and make sure 'Audio' has a tick (all data-types with a tick will be recorded, click to select/deselect items). 2. Arming - Left-click the record button to arm for recording. The button will light to indicate that record mode is activated (orange). 10. Start recording - Finally! Press the Play button to start recording. 11. Stop recording - When you are finished, press the Stop button. If you want all armed tracks to unarm enable the 'Disk Recording > Auto-unarm' option in the Mixer popup menu. If tracks remain armed and you press record again new Audio Clips will be created leaving previously recorded Audio Clips intact. 12. Where's my audio? - If you are in pattern mode, the recording will appear as an Audio Clip channel. If you are in song mode AND the Mixer menu setting, Auto-create Audio Clips is on, your recording will appear as an Audio Clip wave display in the Playlist window. Audio Clip placement - Audio Clips will be placed in the first track with enough room to fit the Audio Clip, without overlap

with existing Clips, although you can move it anywhere you like afterward. If you want to ensure your clips are placed sensibly you can right-click track headers and select 'add one' to make room for further takes below existing ones. The recorded audio data wil be saved to disk will be in one of three locations: 1. The folder set at Step 5 (above) OR 2. The FL Studio installation folder ...FL Studio\Data\Patches\Recorded. This folder is shown in the Browser OR 3. If you have set a custom record location from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, your audio files will be there. Mixer track routing - All recorded Audio Clips are routed to the same Mixer track the recorded input track was routed to (usually the Master). So, if you record on Mixer track 10, and Mixer track 10 is routed to Mixer track 3, then the Audio Clip will also be routed to Mixer track 3.

Loop recording Loop recording is the process of repeatedly laying down audio-takes while FL Studio loops a project. This technique is often preferred by instrumentalists or vocalists who want to repeat a phrase/section of a song until they get the perfect take, there are two loop recording methods available: Edison method - We recommend using Edison for Loop recording duties as described in the Edison Loop Recording section. This will provide glitch-free recordings with the advantage that Edison will place region markers at the start of each loop-back for precise selection of the preferred loop. After recording the desired regions (loops) can be selected and dragged (or sent) into the Playlist or saved as audio files. Use Edison as follows:

1. Load Edison - Select a Mixer track and press (

Shift+E). This loads Edison in the first empty FX slot ready to

record with 'Slave playback to host' and Record 'On play' enabled. 2. Select your input - Select your live audio input from the Mixer INPUT menu. 3. Make a Playlist selection - If you only want to record a section of the song, highlight the section of time in the Playlist, hold (

Ctrl) and then click and drag along the bar-count at the top of the Playlist. If you don't make a

selection then the whole song will Loop record. 4. Start recording - Press Play in FL Studio and record as many takes as you need into Edison. Each time Edison loops section Markers will be placed in the recording (these are useful for later). 5. Stop recording - Stop FL Studio and click on the record button in Edison to disable it. 6. Start playback - Press Play in FL Studio and the first take in Edison will play in sync with the Playlist (slave mode is on), looping when the Playlist does. 7. Audition takes - With Edison focused use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to select a different takes in Edison. Each left/Right-click will jump to the next/previous section. 8. Send the perfect take to the Playlist - Press (

Shift+C) to send the current selection in Edison to Playlist.

NOTE: Edison will automatically set the sample properties to the current project tempo so that the recording will stretch as the project tempo is changed. NOTE: The Edison method does not allow for 'sound-on-sound' recording where layers of audio are built up on each pass, for that use the Playlist method, below. Playlist & Sound-on-sound method - You can record audio directly into the Playlist as Audio Clips. You can Loop record all

or at any part of the Playlist by making a selection and monitor previously recorded loops for 'sound-on-sound' recording.

1. Select Loop record mode 2. Select 'Blend Recording' 3. Select Song mode

( - The switch is on the Transport panel.

) from the Transport panel.

* - From the Transport Panel.

4. Make a Playlist selection (optional) - If you want to Loop record over a section of the song, highlight the timeline section in the Playlist. Hold (

Ctrl + Left-click) and then drag along the bar-count at the top of the Playlist.

If you don't make a selection then the whole song will Loop record. 5. Monitoring options - To mute loop recorded Audio Clips switch recorded Audio Clips, turn it On.

) Blend recorded notes Off. To hear loop

6. Arm record mode and press Play to start recording - When FL Studio reaches the end of the Playlist data or selection it will dump the recorded audio to the Playlist as an Audio Clip and loop back to the beginning of the selection to start recording a new Audio Clip. NOTE: Each time around the loop FL Studio must save .wav files, create channels and new .wav files. On some systems there may be audio glitches in the first few ms of each loop. Adding a bar lead in at the start of the loop section where you are not performing input audio will avoid this problem, should you experience it. NOTES: 1. Setting a custom record location folder from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, will send any recorded audio files to this location. 2. If your audio interface does not have factory ASIO drivers, try the www.asio4all.com

driver on your

system. Please note that since ASIO4ALL is a 3rd party work-around to provide ASIO for audio interfaces that don't have a native ASIO solution, Image-Line cannot guarantee that it will work, but it usually does. 3. The ASIO4ALL driver has a number of internal options that can be adjusted if the default settings don't work for you. Click on the 'Show ASIO panel' button in the F10 Audio Settings to access them.

Recording Internal Mixer Audio (Freezing Mixer Tracks) FL Studio allows you to record the output of one or more Mixer tracks to .wav files and to auto-insert them as Audio Clips in the Clip Track area (optional). Mixer track recording, or freezing, enables you to quickly replace real-time effects and instruments with prerendered audio, thereby reducing CPU load. This type of recording also allows easier rendering of separate Mixer tracks (track stems, as they are called) for additional processing in 3rd party applications. There are two ways to record a track - non-realtime recording, which results in the highest audio quality and realtime recording (interactive) that allows recording of ASIO inputs.

Non-realtime recording Playlist (Mixer track freezing) To perform non-realtime export of Mixer track/s, also known as 'track freezing' and auto-create an Audio Clip. See the Freezing tutorial video

here

that follows the steps below:

1. Mixer track arming - Click to arm the record icon on Mixer track/s you wish to record. In the browse dialog that opens, select a location and name for the .wav file to be recorded. An orange disk icon indicates that the track is ready to be recorded. 2. Recording Options - Open the Mixer menu. In the Disk Recording sub-menu: Select 32-Bit floating point recording if you want to render to 32-Bit .wav files. Deselect Latency compensation as it will add an unwanted delay to the start of clips. This is used only for external audio input recording. Select Auto-create audio tracks to insert the resulting Audio Clip in the Playlist, once the recording process has completed. 3. Rendering / Freezing(

Alt+R) - From the Mixer menu go to the Disk Recording sub-menu and select Render to

Wave File. A rendering settings dialog will appear. Adjust the relevant settings and press OK to render the armed track/s. NOTE: Some of the options available for rendering a full song are not available for track recording (e.g. rendering to mp3 or MIDI file, saving an NFO file with the Audio Clip, and saving ACIDized audio). 4. Freezing? - If your intention was to freeze Mixer tracks you can disable all effects on each track rendered and disable plugins feeding those Mixer tracks. 5. Where's my audio? - If you are in pattern mode, the recording will appear as an Audio Clip channel. If you are in song mode AND the Mixer menu setting, Auto-create Audio Clips is on, your recording will appear as an Audio Clip wave display in the Playlist window. The Audio Files that were recorded to disk will be in one of three locations: 1. The folder set at Step 1 (above) OR 2. The FL Studio installation folder ...FL Studio\Data\Patches\Recorded. This folder is shown in the Browser OR 3. If you have set a custom record location from the F10 > Project > General Data folder setting, your audio files will be there. NOTE: ASIO inputs are disabled while recording in non-realtime. Alternatively, there is a 'Split mixer tracks' option on the Export project dialog that will create a .wav file for each active Mixer track in the project. Great for creating track stems when importing audio into a 3rd party application.

Realtime recording Edison & Playlist As an alternative to off-line rendering, as described above, you can use Edison or the track recording icon to capture audio from any number of Mixer tracks, live: 1. Select your recording location - Either load Edison into an FX slot of the Mixer track you wish to record OR for Disk/Playlist recording Arm Mixer tracks by pressing the disk icon. 2. Disk recording - If you are recording to the Playlist then turn OFF the Mixer menu > Disk recording > Latency compensation option. There is no latency for internal audio sources.

3. Effects - In the case of Edison, you have the option of placing multiple instances of Edison on the same Mixer track, with or without other effects loaded before or after each instance. In this way you can record dry and wet (with effects) versions of your Mixer track audio (to record a dry version, make sure Edison is in slot #1). In the case of disk recording any effects on the track will be recorded, if you don't want this, disable the effects now. 4. Record - Click here to see the Edison help and normal recording setup options. You will be able to record into Edison, where it is stored in memory, and then export the audio to a sample or Audio Clip. For disk recording the process is as described in the sections above, however this time it is internal audio that is recorded.

Mixer reference diagram

Full descriptions are available on the main Mixer page. NOTE: Most controls are automatable (Right-click and select 'Create automation clip').

RECORDING

Recording with USB Microphones and Headsets

! !

This section covers the special issues raised by USB microphones.

The problem: If you use the F10 audio settings to select your USB microphone, then you can't hear sound from FL Studio and if you select your audio interface you can't record your microphone. Most ASIO audio interface drivers only support one audio device, that means you can select either to your USB microphone or audio interface but not both at the same time. You need both! The solution: ASIO4ALL

allows you to select independent input and output audio devices within the same audio interface driver.

This section will assist you in setting up ASIO4ALL to work with your audio interface (output) and USB mic (input), or another audio interfaces inputs, simultaneously. After these steps you can review the normal recording procedure here. NOTE: While there is no technical reason for a USB microphone to be inferior to a traditional analog-output microphone, USB mics can compromise your positioning, routing and monitoring options. If you haven't purchased a mic yet, we recommend using a traditional analog mic connected to FL Studio through a external audio interface for the widest compatibility and utility in the studio. This includes longer cable runs, direct monitoring and the option to use the highest quality microphones and mic preamps.

Using a USB Microphone or Headset This procedure is provided for your convenience, we can't guarantee that it will work as not all audio interfaces are compatible with ASIO4ALL

, but most are. The aim is to set your USB mic as the ASIO input device and your audio interface as the ASIO output

device. 1. ASIO4ALL - The default FL Studio installation includes ASIO4ALL, if not, Download ASIO4ALL here

and install it.

2. Select the ASIO4ALL driver - In FL Studio press F10 to open the Settings window and open the audio settings options. Select 'ASIO4ALL v2' in the Output window. 3. Open the ASIO4ALL driver settings - Click on 'Show ASIO Panel' in the 'ASIO properties' section to open the ASIO4ALL driver window.

4. Select the 'Advanced' options - ASIO4ALL should open in Advanced mode (as shown below) if not, click on the Spanner in the lower right of the window to change between modes.

NOTE: If any of the inputs/outputs of the devices in the 'WDM Device List' have unavailable.

against them, it means they are

means beyond logic. See the ASIO4ALL System Settings page for details on troubleshooting ASIO4ALL

input/output issues. 5. Select the input (ASIO mic) and output devices (your regular audio interface) - In the example above the host PC has a Scarlett 6i6 Soundblaster Z and a Sennheister USB Headset (with mic), your options will probably differ. Enable all the devices you wish to use (at the highest level in the list) and then expand the options for each device by clicking on the [+] tree-view symbol to the left of each device name. You must (at least) ensure that the input associated with your USB Microphone/Headset and the output on your audio interface are both enabled. In the picture shown above, the lighted blue buttons and arrows show the active devices and active inputs/outputs. Disabling unused inputs/outputs is not necessary, but it will simplify the number of options that appear in the Mixer input / output menus. If you are unsure what input you need, just make sure all inputs and outpts are enabled at all levels. 6. Success? If you have set ASIO4ALL correctly, your USB microphone should appear as an Mixer IN option on any selected Mixer track, while the audio out from the mixer (Master track) should be routed to your audio interface, as usual. 7. Return here to follow the normal recording procedure. Note about latency: USB microphones generally only allow you to hear the sound being recorded after it has passed through FL Studio. As the latency of USB microphones depends on the ASIO4ALL latency settings, there may be a troublesome delay between the sound made and it being reproduced from your speakers or headphones. For example, low latency monitoring is particularly important to vocalists as high latencies cause a distracting echo effect. The only solution to this problem is to lower your buffer length settings (there are limits) or obtain a new audio interface with direct-monitoring.

RECORDING

Live Score/Note Recording

Setup Connecting your controller - For help installing an external keyboard/pad controller see the MIDI Settings Wizard or MIDI Settings page. Filtering MIDI data - The Transport Panel Record Button has a recording filter (Right-click) which can be selected to record Audio, Score or Automation data. Make sure the Score option is selected. You may want to turn off the Score recording if, for example, you want to play along with a project while you are recording automation data without retaining the score. Timing issues - The Audio Settings Playback tracking: Offset control can be used to correct note-start timing errors caused by system issues/latencies. Make sure input quantizing caused by the Global Snap is not the problem before fiddling with this control. NOTE: If you don't have a MIDI keyboard controller you can also use your typing keyboard as a MIDI note keyboard. Simply select the Recording panel 'Typing keyboard to piano keyboard' option. Then follow the steps below:

Recording note data While this may look like a lot of complicated steps, it covers all the note recording options. Once set, the next time you want to record notes it should be a case of steps 1, 6 and 8. Three mouse clicks.

1. Select the Pattern - The note data will be recorded into the selected Pattern. You can only record into one pattern at a time. NOTE: You have the following two options as to how to record your MIDI data: In Pattern mode - MIDI data will be recorded into the currently selected pattern and appear in the selected Channels Piano roll preview window. Double-click the preview to display the Piano roll. In Song mode - The Pattern Clip will be automatically placed at the point where Playback started from after recording is stopped. If you have a specific Playlist track that you want the Clip to appear on, place an empty Pattern Clip for the pattern being recorded in the Playlist at the point where you plan to start recording. The Pattern Clip will automatically expand to fit any data recorded, so don't worry about its length. 2. Input quantizing - Use the Global Snap selector on the Recording panel to set input quantizing. Input quantizing will align notes to a precise timing, on beats or exact fractions of beats. Set to 'Line', 'Cell' or '(none)' if you don't want input quantizing. 3. Turn on the Score recording filter - Right-click the Record button and make sure 'Score' is selected as a recording type (all data types with a tick will be recorded). 4. Piano roll or Stepsequencer? - Usually you will want to record into a Piano roll. The MIDI settings option 'Record to step sequencer' should be off. 5. Recording countdown - If you want a 'count in' select the Recording Countdown option on the Recording panel. 6. Arm for recording - Select the Record button in the Transport panel. It will turn red to show it is ready to record. 7. Select an Instrument Channel - Click on the Channel button of the instrument you want to record notes for. The selected Instrument Channel will also receive the note data and the instrument will respond to the controller keyboard. 8. Press the Play button - FL Studio will play the project and record any note events received from your controller keyboard. When recording it's

generally a good idea to turn on the Recording Countdown feature so that you have at least one bar lead-in metronome.

Where is my note data stored? Generally note/score data is saved to a Piano roll. You may need to click on the channel and open the Piano roll to see your data. It is also possible to record the melody into the Step Sequencer (see the MIDI settings page, 'Record to Step Sequencer' option) associated with the instrument channel. NOTE: If you are in song mode recorded patterns will automatically appear in the Playlist clip-tracks after pressing stop.

Score Logger Always on: Never lose the perfect performance again. A three minute buffer records all note activity from external controllers and Typing Keyboard to Piano. This can be dumped to the Piano roll at any time with the Dump score log to selected pattern command on the Tools Menu. Perfect for retrieving those inspired improvised performances from the 4th dimension

.

Automation For recording mouse or external controller movements, see the section on Automation Recording.

Cancelling a recording session You can cancel a recording session (so it does not apply the recorded notes and automation events) in two ways. The first one is to choose Cancel Current Recording command from Help menu, but note that you should do this while recording, BEFORE pressing the Stop button. If you press it, you can still undo the whole recording session by choosing Undo from the Edit Menu. If you had recorded mixer tracks during the last session, you will be prompted if you agree that the files are erased (i.e. undone). Be careful, because once you undo audio recording, the files can not be restored and you will have to record them again if needed.

RECORDING

Step Entry of Notes !

" #

Step editing is a useful mode for entering melodies note by note using your controller keyboard (or computer keyboard if Typing Keyboard to Piano is enabled). 1. Enable step recording: Access the step recording switch from the Recording panel or Options menu. In the Step Sequencer, select the channel you want to step edit. You don't need to press record to start step-entry. 2. Enter notes: Each time you press a note-key on your controller keyboard a new note is added to the Piano roll. The cursor position advances to the next step automatically. The note length is equal to the snap size in the Recording panel. 'Line' is useful as the Piano roll Zoom level then controls the note length. Step back: Use the number pad

/ (forward slash)

key. Adding a note in an already filled position erases the old step. Skip forward: Use the number pad

* (star key) to

jump to the next step. Do this to leave empty spaces between notes. Sustain pedal: If you have a 'sustain pedal', press it to 'jump steps'. Increase note length: Hold a note on your keyboard and press the advance position shortcut (

*) one or

more times, then release the MIDI key. 3. Deselect step entry: Done! NOTE: - To record into the Step Sequencer in 'step-mode' select the F10> MIDI option 'Record to Step Sequencer'.

RECORDING

Mouse & Controller Recording

! " # $

%

Introduction The following section shows how to record the movement of FL Studio and plugin interface controls. Movements can be made with either your mouse or any linked external hardware controller. Once movements are recorded they will play back as part of the project performance, perfect for automating mixes and synthesizer controls.

Setup Recording automation filter - The Transport Panel Record Button has a recording filter (Right-click to view). The options set the data types that will be recorded - Audio, Score and/or Automation data. Make sure the Automation option is selected. You may want to turn off the Automation recording if, for example, you want to tweak project or plugin parameters while you are recording audio/score data and discard those tweaks. Mouse - The mouse needs no special setup, any interface control movements made while FL Studio is recording will be captured. Controller hardware - Before using an external controller it must first be correctly installed (see the MIDI Settings Wizard or MIDI Settings page) and then linked to the target control. What can be automated? - To determine if a native interface control can be automated, position the cursor over it and check the hint bar for

the following icons: - The control is automatable (events can be recorded and then edited with the Event Editor) - The control can be linked to an external controller.

Recording automation Mouse or external controller movements can be recorded and played back as part of the project. To record the mouse movements simply move the target control while the project is playing in record mode. In order to record an external controller it needs to be linked to an automatable parameter in FL Studio (e.g. knobs, sliders, LCDs, switches). 1. Select the target control/s: For mouse control you will simply click on any target control/s and move them while FL Studio is recording. External hardware controllers must first be linked to the interface target/s. Any number of links can be made, limited only by the number of unique controls on your hardware. 2. Select the Pattern: The automation will be recorded into the selected Pattern. If you automate more than one control during the session all automation will be recorded into the same pattern. The Event Editor allows you to independently select and edit the all the automation data associated with the pattern. 3. Turn on the Automation recording filter: Right-click the Record button and make sure 'Automation' is selected as a recording type (all data types with a tick will be recorded). 4. Arm for Recording: Click the record button in the Transport Panel, it will turn red to show FL Studio is ready to record. 5. Press Play. FL Studio will play the project and record any movement of controls animated by your mouse or controller keyboard. 6. Press stop.

Where is my automation data stored? Automation data recorded from live mouse or controller movements is recorded into the Event Editor associated with the pattern that was selected during the recording session. You will find all automation in the current project listed in the

Current project > Patterns folder in the Browser. You have two choices after recording the automation how it should be stored: 1. Patterns: Automation Event data remains associated with the pattern it was recorded into. This Event data can be further edited using the Event Editor. When you place the pattern in a Clip Track the automation data will remain synced to its pattern. Event data shows as a background image in the Pattern Clip. Also note that Event Automation remains active in either Pattern or Song mode. 2. Automation clips: Event data can be converted into Automation Clips. The conversion is initiated from the Event Editor (Main menu > Turn into Automation Clip). Note that Automation Clips must be placed in the Clip Track area of the Playlist to become active in the song and you may need to manually align them with the correct part of the Project. In other words, the sync between the original Pattern the automation data was recorded into is lost, and the Automation Clip must now be synced to the Playlist time-line. Reestablishing the relationship is not difficult, just start the related Pattern and Automation Clip on the same bar in the Playlist.

Recording score/note data See the section on score/note recording.

Cancelling a recording session You can cancel a recording session (so it does not apply the recorded notes and automation events) in two ways. The first one is to choose Cancel Current Recording command from Help menu, but note that you should do this while recording, BEFORE pressing the Stop button. If you press it, you can still undo the whole recording session by choosing Undo from the Edit Menu. If you had recorded mixer tracks during the last session, you will be prompted if you agree that the files are erased (i.e. undone). Be careful, because once you undo audio recording, the files can not be restored and you will have to record them again if needed.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Linking & Using External Hardware Controllers

! "

#

Most control on the FL Studio interface (knobs/sliders, etc.) can be linked to internal or external controllers. Once linked, controller movements can be recorded in real-time (make sure the recording filter is set to accept 'Automation' data). The movements will then be reproduced the next time the project is played. There are two classes of links: Local Temporary Links - are per-session and saved per-project. They have the highest priority and override Global Permanent Links, 'generic links'. Use these to link controllers to specific plugin and/or FL Studio interface targets for a specific project. These links persist when other parts of the program are focussed (clicked on) and so are useful where you will be interacting with non-linked GUI components while using the controller. Global Permanent Links - persist across Projects and FL Studio sessions. Once made, the links will always be available unless overridden by a Local temporary link. Use these to link controllers to your favorite plugin and/or FL Studio interface targets. Next time you open the particular plugin or focus the particular part of the FL Studio interface, a link between your controller and the target will be automatically established. These links require the target interface to be in focus (clicked on) to be established and so are not suitable if you will be interacting with other non-linked GUI components while using the controller.

Connecting a hardware controller to FL Studio For information on setting up a hardware controller see the section on F10 > MIDI Settings options.

Linking to internal controllers For information on linking to internal controllers see this page.

Local Temporary Links The links made with the methods in this section are local and temporary, remembered only for the current session/project. These links are saved with the project and will reestablish when you open the project again. They will temporarily override any Global links, until the project is closed and another project (without Local Temporary Links) is opened where any Permanent Global Links will be re-established. In this way you can save Local Temporary Links to project templates so you can have multiple custom controller assignments for specific project applications.

FL Studio interface & native plugin 'quick link' procedure:

1. Right-click the knob/slider you wish to control. 2. From the pop-up menu select 'Link to Controller' to open the Remote Control Settings dialog. 3. The remote control settings will open allowing you to modify the nature of the link. These are optional settings (see below). 4. Move the physical knob/slider on the external controller and the link is automatically made. Alternatively: Multi-link - To link multiple controls in one session, use the Multi-link option on the recording panel. Select the switch, tweak all the target controls, then tweak the same number of knobs on your hardware controller and turn off the switch (most people can remember about 7 links, how good is your memory?).

VST plugin quick link procedure: 1. Tweak one or two VST interface targets with your mouse (a tweak is a small movement). 2. Open the Tools Menu and select 'Last tweaked > Link to controller' to link the last tweaked parameter or Before last tweaked > Link to controller to link to the first of a tweaked pair. NOTE: the names of the 'last tweaked' and 'before last tweaked' parameters will show at the top of the Last tweaked parameters sub-menus. 3. The remote control settings will open allowing you to modify the nature of the link. These are optional settings (see below). 4. Move the physical knob/slider on the external controller and the link is automatically made. Alternatively: Multi-link - To link multiple controls in one session, use the Multi-link option on the recording panel. Select the switch, tweak all the VST target controls, then tweak the same number of knobs on your hardware controller and turn off the switch (most people can remember about 7 links, how good is your memory?).

Global Permanent Links After a permanent link is made, your controller will automatically link to the desired control/s of the FL Studio or plugin interface each time it is focused (click on the interface window to focus it). Global Permanent Links, called 'generic links', persist across FL Studio sessions and projects. They are always available unless a Local Temporary Link replaces them. Generic links only need to be set once, usually at the initial FL

Studio installation, or when a new controller is added to your kit. Notes about generic links: Remote control settings - Generic linking does not support mapping formulas & smoothing. Local Temporary Links have higher priority and will replace the generic links for the current session/project. Controller types - Links made with the multilink function will only work as expected from a controller of the same type. Selecting a new controller may result in unexpected links between the controller, FL Studio & plugins. MIDI channels - Up to 16 separate MIDI controllers can be used simultaneously. To link multiple controllers select unique MIDI channels for each controller prior to initiating the multilink process (don't forget to enable each controller in the MIDI settings). The multilink process remembers both the MIDI CC and MIDI channel that was used to make the link, that's how the controller is identified by FL studio. If you change the MIDI channel the controller is transmitting on then you will lose the Global link to that controller. Deleting or backing-up the links - See the section below 'Delete or backup permanent global links' section below.

Generic permanent linking procedure: Global generic links are window/plugin-specific, this means the same knobs/sliders/jogs on your controller can be used to control any number of user interface targets throughout FL Studio and plugins. The focused window or plugin controls the global link/s that are active (focusing is the act of clicking on the window with your mouse). override link video tutorial here

Generic

.

1. Select the Multi-link controllers switch on the Recording panel. 2. Tweak the software-user interface controls you want to link with your mouse (a tweak is any small movement of the control). 3. Right-click the Multi-link controllers switch on the Recording panel and select 'Override generic links'. 4. The 'Generic Link' window will open. 5. Tweak the hardware - knobs/sliders/jogs you want to link to those software targets. The links will be made in the same order the software targets were tweaked. The process will auto-close once the number of hardware controls tweaked equals the number of software targets. 6. Next time the same plugin or window is focused, these links will be

automatically re-established. NOTES: You can repeat this process as many times as required, there is no need to link all your software targets and controllers in one session. To use multiple hardware controllers each controller must be set to a unique MIDI channels prior to initiating the multilink process. FL Studio will use this MIDI channel to identify what controller is linked to what target (don't forget to enable each controller in the MIDI settings).

Generic volatile linking procedure: These links assign a specific controller knob, slider or jog-wheel so that it automatically links to the last user interface parameter moved by the mouse. These links are volatile as they continually change focus to the last touched control on the user interface. Global volatile links are global, that is they will persist across projects and FL Studio sessions. To set up a volatile link: 1. Tweak the user interface target (FL Studio, Plugin or VST) with your mouse (a tweak is a small movement). 2. Open the Tools Menu and select 'Last tweaked > Override volatile link' to initiate the volatile-link process. 3. The Generic link settings window will open, make sure the Auto detect switch is selected. 4. Move the physical knob/slider/jog on the external controller and the first volatile-link is automatically made. 5. Tweak a new user interface target with your mouse and the controller will now control that target, and so on... NOTE: Controller knobs/sliders that have already been linked to specific targets will not respond to volatile linking until the original link is cancelled. Two knobs? By creating a volatile link to one controller knob using the Last tweaked > Override volatile link and then a different controller knob using the Before last tweaked > Override volatile link, you will then have the last two tweaked user interface parameters at your 'volatile' command.

Delete or backup permanent global links The simplest method of deleting a few links is to reassign the offending links. However, if everything has gone seriously pear-shaped and your controllers seem to be changing the channels on your neighbors TV rather than doing what they are supposed to in FL Studio, you may need to completely delete all global links. Alternatively you may want to back the data files up (to copy it to a new FL Studio installation). In either case, the link data files are stored in the FL Studio installation folder: ..\FL Studio\System\Config\Mapping\Generic\Local\BY CONTROLLER\BY

TARGET BY CONTROLLER - you will find sub-directories for each controller used, (generic controller) being the default. If deleting, you have the option of deleting the individual 'BY TARGET.flmapping' files (deleting recommended) OR editing out the links you don't want in a text editor. Each link is bound by the and identifiers. WARNING: You realize that mucking about with FL Studio installation files can cause FL Studio instability, global warming and rust. Worse case, you will need to swim to your PC (due to the melted ice-caps) and delete the '*.flmapping' files on your now rusting PC to start again. By the way, while you are poking about in the FL Studio installation, don't start editing any other files, we realize that success here may lead you to think you are some kind of coding guru. Don't let it go to your head.

Remote control settings There are a number of options on the Remote control settings dialog (below) that can modify the linked relationship. Note that the Wrapper Menu also has several important functions (Link all parameters and Browse parameters) to make links between plugin parameters and internal/external controllers. The Remote control settings dialog options are as follows:

Link Assignment Link menu - Showing 'Link 1' above. Use this menu to link several external MIDI controllers to the same internal target. By default the dialog assumes a new link is to be made.

Remove Conflicts - When selected, any new link will replace any previous link relationships made to the target controller.

MIDI Controller These controls allow customization of the MIDI link. Port - Select a MIDI port (0 to 255) when more than one controller of the same type is in use. Channel (Chan) - Choose a MIDI channel to link the control to. Controller (Ctrl) - Choose a controller number to link the control to. Auto Detect - Very useful option that will detect and set the MIDI controller automatically - all you need to do is just tweak the desired control on your MIDI controller. Omni - Decides if the link is channel specific. OFF - If a MIDI controller knob is linked to a channel volume, the MIDI knob will control only that specific channel volume. ON - The MIDI controller knob will no longer be tightly bound to a specific channel volume, but will control the volume of any channel selected. For example, if you linked to the volume of a 'kick' channel and then selected the 'clap' channel, the MIDI controller knob will also control the clap channel volume. Mode - Select one of several modes designed to work with MIDI Keyboards (useful for Performance Mode). These include: Hold - Velocity is held as the automation value until the key is released. Latch - Successive key presses latch the automation between 0 and 100% (this replaces Black & White key auto links in earlier versions). Inc - Each key press increments the value. Stay - Velocity is held as the automation value even after the key is released.

Omni and VSTi/DXi Control Use the Omni mode to set your MIDI controller to control the same target in any selected channel. This section describes this process in more detail for 3rd Party plugins and a method for saving controller assignments for future quick recall. Omni CC Links - If you want to use the Modwheel (CC1, for example) on your controller, so the mod wheel controls the CC1 parameter of any instrument in an active channel and also to save controller assignments for future use 1. Create an instance of your desired VSTi/DXi instrument.

2. Use the Browser to select Current project > Generators > 'Your newly added VSTi will appear here in the list'. 3. From the control options list, scroll down and Right-click "MIDI CC#1" to open the pop-up menu. MIDI CC's are usually toward the bottom. 4. Select the 'Link controller' option, enable Omni on the Remote control settings and move your Modwheel (or use the selector pad to manually select the number 001). You can do this for all 128 CCs or you can selectively choose which CCs to use. These links will stay active until manually disabled (even if every instance of a VSTi or DXi is deleted), see below. Saving MIDI/CC control assignments - This method creates a project template with the MIDI assignments saved in the project. 1. Follow the steps above to create your desired MIDI controller assignments to plugin controls. 2. Delete the plugin/s. 3. Save the project as your default. 4. If you start future projects with this template your favorite MIDI controller assignments will be automatically available when you load compatible plugins.

Internal controller See the section on Internal controllers for more detail. NOTE: This section of the dialog will only be visible if there are internal controller sources in the project.

Mapping formula - Menu This menu provides some pre-defined mapping relationships between the controller and the target control. Linear (absolute): For use with standard range-limited controllers. Default - The controller changes the target with a 1:1 relationship. Inverted - Increases in the controller value decreases the target controller and vice versa. Log scale - Sensitive in the low range less sensitive in the upper range of the controller. Inverted log scale - Less sensitive in the low range more sensitive in the upper range of the controller. Switch - Once the input value passes the 50% point the output changes from 0% to 100%. Steppy - Stepped output in the face of smooth input.

Steppy (cents to semitones) - When linked to a master pitch control the output is incremented in semitones. First half - Output varies from 0% to 50%. Last half - Output varies from 50% to 100%. Incremental (relative): These settings are to be used with 'Endless controllers' (knobs/wheels that have no end-stops). If an endless knob moves the target too slowly try Input*2 or 1/10. Similarly endless knobs with around 200 steps (usually endless knobs are ticky), each step can be set to output increment unit, try 1/50,1/20,1/10 settings. Default increment - The controller changes the target with a 1:1 relationship. Inverted increment - Increases in the controller value decreases the target controller and vice versa. 4x, 2x smaller increment - Output is divided by 4 and 2 respectively. 4x, 2x bigger increment - Output is multiplied by 4 and 2 respectively. 1/50,1/20,1/10 increment - Output is restricted to 2%, 5% and 10% of the input range.

User Defined Formula Enter a custom formula to alter the default 1:1 mapping. For example: 'Input*2' multiplies the controller value by 2. After you enter an expression, press Enter. If you see message "Compiled OK" the formula was successfully compiled and you can press the OK button to apply it to the linked control. If a red text appears below, the formula is wrong (usually syntax error or unsupported variable/function was used). Correct the error and press Enter again. For a full list of supported variables, functions and operators click here.

Example Formula 1-Min(Round(Input*2),1)

ifg(input,0.25)+ifl(input,0.5)-1

Result

ifg(input,0.5)+ifl(input,0.75)-1

Max(Round(Input*2),1)-1

int(Input*9)/8

Input*2-1

1-(Max(Input,0.5)- Min(Input,0.5))*2

1-Cos(Input*Pi)*0.5-0.5

Max(Input,0.25)-Min(Input,0.25)

Max(Input,1)-Min(Input,0.5)

Max(Min(Input,0.75),0.5)

Max(Min(Input+0.25,1),0.5)*2-1

Sin(Input*Pi)

Sin(Pi*0.5-Input*Pi*2)*0.5+0.5

1-Input*0.5-0.5

1-Input*0.5

Smoothing: This feature allows you to smooth the motion produced by the remote control hardware and/or internal plugin. This reduces the need to manually refine recorded automation after live sessions and ensures proper ramping of the control motion to avoid abrupt changes. Time - The amount of smoothing applied to the remote control input. The longer the time, the smoother the motion.

Action Buttons Reset - Click this button to reset the remote control settings, including mapping formula & smoothing. Accept - Saves the dialog settings.

Generic link settings This link dialog is associated with 'Generic' and 'Volatile links'. The options are as follows:

MIDI Controller These controls allow customization of the MIDI link. Port - Select a Port here to match your controller if you are planning on using more than one. Otherwise make sure Autodetect is selected and simply move the controller knob/slider. Chan - Choose a MIDI channel to link the control to. Cont - Choose a controller number to link the control to. Auto Detect - Will detect and set the MIDI controller automatically - all you need to do is tweak (move) the desired control on your MIDI controller.

Action buttons Reset - Click this button to reset the remote control settings, including mapping formula & smoothing. Accept - Saves the dialog settings.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Controller Devices

! " #

USB & MIDI Controllers General controller support FL Studio supports all USB/MIDI controller keyboards, keyboard synthesizers, pad controllers/drums with MIDI output and all other similar devices with General MIDI output. To play a synthesizer or other instrument in FL Studio, using an external keyboard, select the Instrument button in the Channel Rack and play the controller keyboard. Remember that sliders and knobs can also be linked to virtually any control in FL Studio.

Notes about using multiple controllers It is possible to use up to 16 MIDI controllers simultaneously, for more details see the Multiple controllers & multiple plugin channels section on the MIDI settings page. Generally, each controller should be set to a unique MIDI channel. When playing instruments, the controllers will be automatically assigned by ascending MIDI channel number, to active instrument channels, from top to bottom in the Channel Rack. For automation of controls/knobs FL Studio will remember the MIDI channel the controller was set to when links are made to program/plugin target/s, so only the controller that made the link will control the target/s.

Custom controller support FL Studio is preconfigured to work with a number of custom controllers. Features supported include endless (relative) knobs, switch controls, support for jog and transport controls. To enable the advanced features of your custom controller, select it in the Input list in the MIDI settings window. If the device is not listed, it does not have preconfigured support - this does not mean it won't work, just some of the special (non standard) controls may not function correctly.

Generic These are usually small boxes filled with controls, for any kind of use Keyfax Phat.Boy

Doepfer DREHBANK

Keyboards Piano keyboards Alesis Photon X25 CME UF Omnipotent Master Keyboard Edirol PCR-30/50 Korg MS-20 Controller M-Audio Oxygen 25/49/61 Korg nanoKEY These keyboards also feature drum pads Cakewalk A-Series Edirol PCR-300/500/800 Korg KONTROL49 Korg microKONTROL Novation ReMOTE SL Novation SL MK II Sinn7 Kontrolux

Drum controllers AKAI MPC KORG padKONTROL Korg nanoSERIES Native Instruments MASCHINE (& MIKRO)

Control surfaces / mixers

AC-7 Core (iPad Mackie MCU Sim App) BEHRINGER BCF2000 Frontier Design AlphaTrack Frontier Design TranzPort Mackie Control Universal

(also emulated by some other controllers

["MCU"]) Peavey StudioMix Tascam US-428 Korg nanoKONTROL Korg nanoKONTROL II

Performance / clip launchers (FL Studio 10.5 onward) These are dedicated to clip launching, typically feature more pads (usually 8x8) & are "the real deal" including controller feedback and full functionality: Akai APC20/40

(8x5 [rotated], 3 colors, scene launch & stop pads,

knobs [APC40]) Liine Lemur Livid Block

customizable touch UI. (8x8, monochrome, knobs)

Novation Launchpad

(8x8, a dozen colors, follows FL's native track

orientation, track stop pads) liine Lemur

(8x12, mapping designed for FL)

Native Instruments TRAKTOR KONTROL F1

(4x4, full color pads)

These are suitable for clip launching as well, but have fewer features, usually 4x4 pads & fewer feedback colors: Native Instruments MASCHINE (& MIKRO) KORG padKONTROL Korg nanoKONTROL II

Special Percussa - AudioCubes Your device, not on the list? Don't worry it will likely function correctly Set the Input to USB Audio Device and the Controller type to '(generic controller)' , make sure to select the 'Enable' switch to the left of the Controller type menu. For more information on setting up MIDI controllers in FL Studio, see this page.

Other resources More controllers: For the latest list of supported devices visit the MIDI Controller Reference

forum.

Controller templates: There are a number of controller templates in the FL Studio installation directory (\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\System\Hardware specific). These templates are loaded into the editor that came with your controller and will map it to FL Studio. You may then be required to select the controller type in the Input settings (when FL doesn't do it automatically).

Multimedia keyboards

If you have a multimedia keyboard you can use the Play/Pause button to Start/Pause FL Studio, and the Stop button to stop and return the song position marker to the beginning of the Playlist. The FF/RW buttons will jump between Playlist Time Markers, if present.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Linking & Using Internal Controller Sources Internal controller plugins, either effects such as the Fruity Peak Controller or generators like an Automation Clip, can be used to move FL Studio and plugin controls automatically. The Fruity Peak Controller, for example, can follow the volume envelope of an input sound and move a knob or slider in response. Alternatively the Automation Clip moves linked controls according to a user drawn envelope path.

Internal automation sources include: Automation Clips - Draw your own automation curves in the Playlist. Control Surface - Create your own interface, link it to target controls and control them from one 'Surface'. Event Editor - Draw or record your own automation associated with patterns. Fruity Envelope Controller - Play back user-specified envelopes from the Piano roll/Step Sequencer. Fruity Formula Controller - Define your own controller functions using mathematical formulae. Fruity Keyboard Controller - Use controller keyboard performances as a control source. Fruity Peak Controller - Generates controller data based on audio input and LFO settings. Fruity X-Y Controller - Control two parameters simultaneously with your mouse. Dashboard - Create your own interface, link it to target controls and control them from one 'dashboard'.

Linking to external controllers For help linking to external controllers see this page.

Linking a software interface control to an internal controller Most knobs, sliders and controls that you can change with a mouse in FL Studio can also be automated by one of the above automation sources. NOTE: It is possible to link a single controller to multiple targets (see below).

Native FL Studio interface & plugin controls: 1. Right-click the knob/slider you wish to control. 2. To create an internal link select Link to controller option to open the 'Remote control settings' dialog. NOTE: If you move any knob or slider on an external controller at this point it will be automatically linked to the target control. However to create an internal link: 3. From the Internal controller drop down menu select the desired controller. Before this menu will appear on the dialog one of the automation sources, listed above, must be available in the project.

VST plugin interface controls: 1. Tweak the VST interface target control with your mouse (a tweak is a small movement). 2. Open the Tools Menu and select 'Last tweaked > Link to controller'. NOTE: If you move any knob or slider on an external controller at this point it will be automatically linked to the target control. However to create an internal link: 3. From the Internal controller drop down menu select the desired controller. Before this menu will appear on the dialog one of the automation sources, listed above, must be loaded in the project. NOTE: In some cases with badly behaved 3rd party VST plugins it may be necessary to

use the Browser > Current project > Generators [or] Effects > Fruity wrapper [plugin name] and right-click the MIDI CC parameter in the list.

Controls & Options The following options can be used to modify the linking behavior.

Link Assignment Link menu - Showing 'Link 1' above. Use this menu to link several external MIDI controllers to the same internal target. By default the dialog assumes a new link is to be made. Remove Conflicts - When selected, any new link will replace any previous link relationships made to the target controller.

MIDI Controller: This section is useful when linking a control to a MIDI controller. For more information see Linking & Using USB/MIDI Controllers section.

Internal Controller: Here you can link the property to an internal controller that controller plugins provide. Note that this section is NOT VISIBLE when there aren't any controller plugins added in the current FL Studio project. Record Automation - This switch should be usually turned off. When turned on, all events generated by the controller plugin will be recorded during a live recording session, as if you moved the control manually. However, you may turn this switch on if you want to use the controller plugin as a tool (like you use the LFO tool) to record specific set of events that you can then further refine and edit in the Event Editor window. It also makes possible to record events from controller plugins that might use much CPU when used in real-time. Don't forget to unlink the control after you recorded the events you need, not doing so may result in unwanted behavior (due to conflict between the recorded events and those generated in same time by the plugin).

Mapping formula - Menu This menu provides some pre-defined mapping relationships between the controller and the target control. Linear (absolute): For use with standard range-limited controllers. Default - The controller changes the target with a 1:1 relationship.

Inverted - Increases in the controller value decreases the target controller and vice versa. Log scale - Sensitive in the low range less sensitive in the upper range of the controller. Inverted log scale - Less sensitive in the low range more sensitive in the upper range of the controller. Switch - Once the input value passes the 50% point the output changes from 0% to 100%. Steppy - Stepped output in the face of smooth input. Steppy (cents to semitones) - When linked to a master pitch control the output is incremented in semitones. First half - Output varies from 0% to 50%. Last half - Output varies from 50% to 100%. Incremental (relative): These settings are to be used with 'Endless controllers' (knobs/wheels that have no end-stops). If an endless knob moves the target too slowly try Input*2 or 1/10. Similarly endless knobs with around 200 steps (usually endless knobs are ticky), each step can be set to output increment unit, try 1/50,1/20,1/10 settings. Default increment - The controller changes the target with a 1:1 relationship. Inverted increment - Increases in the controller value decreases the target controller and vice versa. 4x, 2x smaller increment - Output is divided by 4 and 2 respectively. 4x, 2x bigger increment - Output is multiplied by 4 and 2 respectively. 1/50,1/20,1/10 increment - Output is restricted to 2%, 5% and 10% of the input range.

User Defined Formula Enter a custom formula to alter the default 1:1 mapping. For example: 'Input*2' multiplies the controller value by 2. After you enter an expression, press Enter. If you see message "Compiled OK" the formula was successfully compiled and you can press the OK button to apply it to the linked control. If a red text appears below, the formula is wrong (usually syntax error or unsupported variable/function was used). Correct the error and press Enter again.

For a full list of supported variables, functions and operators click here.

Example Formula 1-Min(Round(Input*2),1)

ifg(input,0.25)+ifl(input,0.5)-1

ifg(input,0.5)+ifl(input,0.75)-1

Max(Round(Input*2),1)-1

int(Input*9)/8

Input*2-1

1-(Max(Input,0.5)- Min(Input,0.5))*2

1-Cos(Input*Pi)*0.5-0.5

Max(Input,0.25)-Min(Input,0.25)

Max(Input,1)-Min(Input,0.5)

Result

Max(Min(Input,0.75),0.5)

Max(Min(Input+0.25,1),0.5)*2-1

Sin(Input*Pi)

Sin(Pi*0.5-Input*Pi*2)*0.5+0.5

1-Input*0.5-0.5

1-Input*0.5

Smoothing: This feature allows you to smooth the motion produced by the remote control hardware and/or internal plugin. This reduces the need to manually refine recorded automation after live sessions and ensures proper ramping of the control motion to avoid abrupt changes. Time - The amount of smoothing applied to the remote control input. The longer the time, the smoother the motion.

Action Buttons Reset - Click this button to reset the remote control settings, including mapping

formula & smoothing. Accept - Saves the dialog settings.

Linking DirectX plugins Unfortunately, there is no way to link DirectX effects to a MIDI controller. This limitation is the result of DirectX specifications rather than FL Studio itself. Some DirectX plugins may have MIDI remote controller functionality, but NOT through the DirectX interface (and so cannot be linked inside FL Studio). To link such effects, follow the help instructions that come with your DirectX plugin.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Mapping Formula Here is a full list of supported variables and functions you may use to author expressions for the mapping formula in the Remote Control Settings Dialog. +

addition

a+b

*

multiplication

a*b

-

subtraction

a-b

/

division

a/b

^

power

a^b

Sin

sine

Sin(a)

Cos

cosine

Cos(a)

Tg

tangent

Tg(a)

Ctg

cotangent

Ctg(a)

Sec

secant

Sec(a)

CoSec

cosecant

CoSec(a)

ArcSin

antisine

ArcSin(a)

ArcCos

anticosine

ArcCos(a)

ArcTg

antitangent

ArcTg(a)

Exp

exponent

Exp(a)

Sqrt

square root

Sqrt(a)

Ln

logarithm base e

Ln(a)

Log10

logarithm base 10

Log10(a)

Log2

logarithm base 2

Log2(a)

Neg

negative

Neg(a)

Abs

absolute

Abs(a)

Pi

pi

Pi()

Sum

sum of arguments

Sum(a,b)

Min

minimum

Min(a,b)

Max

maximum

Max(a,b)

Round

round to nearest integer

Round(a)

Int

integral part

Int(a)

Frac

fractional part

Frac(a)

IfE

returns 1 if a=b

IfE(a,b)

IfL

returns 1 if ab

IfG(a,b)

IfLE

returns 1 if a=b

IfGE(a,b)

Case

returns b if a=1, else returns c

Case(a,b,c)

Input

value sent by the controller (MIDI or internal)

Input

Tension

the same as the tension knobs

Tension(Value,Speed)

Examples Enter a custom formula to alter the default 1:1 mapping. For example: 'Input*2' multiplies the controller value by 2. After you enter an expression, press Enter. If you see message "Compiled OK" the formula was successfully compiled and you can press the OK button to apply it to the linked control. If a red text appears below, the formula is wrong (usually syntax error or unsupported variable/function was used). Correct the error and press Enter again.

Example Formula 1-Min(Round(Input*2),1)

ifg(input,0.25)+ifl(input,0.5)-1

Result

ifg(input,0.5)+ifl(input,0.75)-1

Max(Round(Input*2),1)-1

int(Input*9)/8

Input*2-1

1-(Max(Input,0.5)- Min(Input,0.5))*2

1-Cos(Input*Pi)*0.5-0.5

Max(Input,0.25)-Min(Input,0.25)

Max(Input,1)-Min(Input,0.5)

Max(Min(Input,0.75),0.5)

Max(Min(Input+0.25,1),0.5)*2-1

Sin(Input*Pi)

Sin(Pi*0.5-Input*Pi*2)*0.5+0.5

1-Input*0.5-0.5

1-Input*0.5

PLAYLIST

Automation Clips Automation Clips move (automate) linked controls on the FL Studio interface or plugins. They are closely related to Event automation and are a type of internal controller. Unlike event data they are not bound to a specific pattern and exist as a special type of Generator, loaded into a Channel. Automation Clip data can be displayed in the Playlist window as a line-graph, as shown below.

NOTE: Once an Automation Clip is created it will appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls.

Automation Clips Automation Clip Focus The clip focus selector (shown below) is used to focus various clip types. This is particularly useful when clips are stacked, the focused clip will be brought to the top for selection and editing. Selecting CTRL+click will focus all clips so they can be moved together.

Right-click tab - Show Automation Clip menu. Step - Sets the Automation Clip curve editor in 'step editing' mode. Left-click and drag in the clip to create a "free hand" curve where a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline (steps depend on the current snap settings). Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw "pulse" lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only). Note that each new segment created this way uses the last tension set while adding a segment. Slide - Preserves the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points following it.

Creating Automation Clips There are several ways to create an Automation Clip:

1. Native FL Studio controls - Native controls, those on the FL Studio interface and Image-Line plugins, can be Right-clicked to show a popup menu. Select 'Create automation clip'. A clip will be added to the Playlist Clip-Track area (as shown above). See Notes below. 2. VST plugin controls - Move (tweak) the target control on the VST using your mouse, then, from the Tools Menu select 'Last tweaked > Create automation clip'. This will create an Automation Clip and place it in the Playlist for further editing. See Note below. For more information on linking targets in FL Studio and plugins see the sections on Linking internal controllers and Linking hardware controllers. 3. Add menu - Tweak the target control and use the Add menu > Automation from last tweaked parameter. 4. Convert from Event Data - All recorded automation is saved as Event Data. Convert Event Data to an Automation Clip from the 'Edit > Turn into automation clip' command in the Event Editor menu. 5. Audio Clips - FL Studio also provides you with a quick way to automate the volume/pan of an Audio Clip. Open the clip menu and select either Automate > Panning or Automate > Volume. The new Automation Clip will be placed over the target Audio Clip. NOTE: Time range - If you pre-select a time-range in the Playlist, the Automation Clip will be restricted to the selected range. If no range is selected then the Automation Clip will span the entire song length.

Deleting Automation Clips Delete the Automation Clip Channel. Deleting the Automation Clip from the Playlist leaves the Channel in place for use later in the Project. NOTE: Initialized controls - When an Automation Clip is created using the Right-click menu option, the control will be initialized with the current value. This initialization remains after the Clip is deleted or unlinked. To remove the initialization, find it in the Browser > Current project > Patterns > Initialized controls list, then Right-click and select 'Delete event' OR set the control to the desired starting level and Right-click it to select 'Init song with this position'.

Working with Automation Clips The following operations may be performed in the Clip Track area of the Playlist. See

Automation Clip focus

Video Tutorials here

.

- Selects the Automation Clip layer/s for editing.

Step - When selected, allows you to draw relatively free-hand curves by laying down a new control point each time a Left-clicked mouse is dragged past a grid line. Slide - When selected, slides any grabbed control points to the right of the selected point without changing the shape. When de-selected the moved control point will move relative to the points to the right of it. To place the Automation Clip in the Playlist - Use the Clip selector along the top of the Playlist window to select the Automation Clip to be placed, then Left-click in the Playlist window while in mode.

Draw (

Shift+P) or

Paint (

Shift+B)

Add control points - Right-click on the clip area, continue to hold and drag to reposition the point. Hold ( dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl) to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while

Alt) to override snapping (if

selected). Copy / Paste control point values - Right-click the source control point and select Copy value then Right-click the destination conorol point and select Paste value. Delete Control Points - Right-click a control point and select Delete (make sure 'STEP' mode is off), OR quicker, hold ( Right Alt) and Left-click points.

Move control points - Left-click the control point and drag to the desired position (the point will snap to the background grid unless

Playlist Snap Selector is set to none). Hold (

to lock the horizontal position. Hold (

Shift) while dragging to lock the vertical position, or (

Ctrl)

Alt) to override snapping (if selected).

Change envelope curve - Left-click a tension handle and move up/down. Holding (

Ctrl) will allow fine adjustment.

Right-click the tension handle to reset curve tension. Change curve type - Right-click the right-most control point of the segment to be changed, this will open the Curve Type Menu with the following options: Single curve - Default mode for creating straight or curved segments (depending on the tension). Double curve - Smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt single curve - Asymmetrical smooth 'S' curves, useful for scratching effects. Alt double curve - Asymmetrical linear, or accelerating / decelerating curves (depending on the tension). Hold - Single steps between points, useful for creating jumps in position. Stairs - Multiple steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for glitch / decimation effects. Step size controls the 'graininess'. Smooth stairs - Multiple smooth steps between the control points. Left-click on the tension handle and move your mouse up/down to change the step frequency. Useful for changes in pitch and granular effects. Pulse - Square wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Wave - Sine wave pulse, adjust the frequency with the tension handle. Half sine - One half of a sine wave. Useful for creating start, stop and scratch effects. Smooth - Allows for smoothly joining points with an 'S' curve. Change length - Drag the last control point to stretch the clip. When Automation Clips are created they will span the length of the Playlist selection or the entire length containing data. Clone / Copy an Automation Clip - From the Clip menu select 'Make unique'. The new Automation clip will not be linked to any of the original clips targets. Restrict /change the automation range - Use the MAX & MIN knobs on the Automation Clip Channel settings to keep the automation in the sweet-spot. NOTE: The automation values will be restricted, but the Playlist display will remain unchanged. Slicing - Clips can be sliced

(

Alt + Right-Shift) and then re-arranged. Once a clip is sliced any data outside the visible

window may be accessed with the slip editing tool

(

Shift+S). Use the Clip Menu 'Make unique' function to convert

the new slice into an independent clip that can be further edited without affecting the parent clip. Control point & Tension handle Values - The values will display in the FL Studio hint bar when moved. Automation Clip targets - The envelope is usually played back along with the Playlist patterns, sending modulation data to any linked controls (one Automation Clip may feed multiple controls or multiple Automation clips can be linked to a single control). Triggering - Automation Clips can be triggered with the Piano roll, Step Sequencer or live with a controller keyboard. The clip will automate while the note is held, note pitch will vary the automation speed. Clips do not need to be placed in the Playlist to be effective if triggered by note data. A

video tutorial

is also available on the FL Studio website.

Automation Clip Channel Settings

See above for details on using Automation Clips.

Options Menu Copy/Paste state - Copy and paste Automation Clip data between Automation Clips. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Preset filtering to remove abrupt changes (smoothing). Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope sequencer. Analyze audio file... - Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound (you will be prompted to choose an audio file after selecting).

Settings Min - Sets the minimum value the Automation Clip return. Max - Sets the maximum value the Automation Clip return. Time - Controls the speed at which the Automation Clip plays back. The number window after the Time knob is a multiplier setting. LFO Switch - Enables and shows a preview of the LFO and its amplitude envelope inside clips placed on the Playlist tracks. NOTE: Selecting the LFO function doesn't erase the 'main' automation envelope (although not visible). It remains available to be combined with the LFO when the Multiply switch (see below) is selected. Speed (SPD) - Sets the speed of the LFO.

Tension (TENS) - Sets the LFO shape 'tension', a shape morph for tuning the exact LFO shape - starting with square (pulse), sine, triangle and 'pulse'. Shape Skew (AK) - Skews the LFO shape. Together with triangle shape, the skew can be used to create saw and reversed saw LFO shapes. Pulse Width (NW) - Sets the width of the LFO shape. Level (LVL) - Sets the LFO amplitude (strength). Set it to the middle position to reset level to 0 and effectively disable the LFO. Turn it left for negative amplitude (inverted values) or right for positive amplitude. Multiply - Allows you to combine the LFO values with the 'main' spline envelope of the Automation Clip. When the switch is enabled the two values will be multiplied, i.e. the LFO acts as an amplitude modulator for the envelope. This is useful for unipolar (one directional) properties such as cutoff frequency, volume, etc. When the switch is disabled both values are added together, i.e. like an LFO 'offsetting' the envelope. This is useful for bipolar parameters such as panning.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Event Editor

! ! " "

The Event Editor holds automation data that moves linked controls according to the curves recorded, set or drawn. Event automation is closely related to Automation Clips but differs in two main ways. 1. Event Automation is bound to a specific Pattern, Pattern Clip. Automation Clips are not, they are a type of generator' plugin. 2. Event data can be recorded from live controller movements or drawn into the Event Editor by hand. Automation Clips can be edited only, you can't record one. Although you can convert Event Data to Automation Clips.

NOTE: You can convert recorded Event automation data to Automation Clips with the Menu > Edit > Turn into automation clip option.

Controls Toolbar icons - Along the top of the Piano roll window: Main Menu - Includes: File, Edit, Tools, View, Snap, Zoom, Target and Smoothing options.

Tools Menu - Includes: Scale Levels and LFO tools.

Snap - Controls the time resolution (horizontal). E.g. a setting of '(none)' will allow the finest resolution while 'Beat' will only allow value changes on every beat. Draw tool ( P) - Left-click and drag to draw curves. Right-click and drag to draw straight lines OR to edit in interpolate mode. Modifier keys: ( Shift) - Lock vertical position. ( Ctrl) - Select time-line. ( Alt) Bypass snap. Brush tool ( B) - Bypasses the snap value. Right-click and drag to draw straight lines OR to edit in interpolate mode. Modifier keys: ( Shift) - Lock vertical position. ( Ctrl) - Select time-line. Erase tool ( time-line. Interpolate (

Select tool (

Zoom tool (

D) - Resets data to the value at the start of the selected range. Modifier keys: (

I) - Redraw and connect data with straight lines.

Left Mouse) - Make a time-line selection.

Z) - Zoom the time-line. Right-click to zoom out.

Ctrl) - Select

Event Editor Target - Select any Event ASutomation data in the currently selected Pattern.

Event Editor Facts Event automation may link to controls on the FL Studio interface or in plugins (native and external). Some important Event Editor facts: 1. Browse all automation in the project using the Browser > Current project > Patterns folder. 2. The Event Editor will only show data from the selected pattern. Use the Transport Panel Pattern Selector or Channel Window Pattern Selector to change patterns. 3. Convert Event Automation to an Automation Clip by selecting 'Turn into Automation Clip' from the Event Editor Menu (for FL Studio Producer Edition or higher). 4. The Event Editor is the location for all recorded automation. Remember, the pattern selected during recording holds the Automation data. 5. Event Automation can be manually edited and drawn. 6. A single pattern may contain multiple Automation Events, use the Target menu to swap between Event Automation data for the selected pattern. Patterns may contain an unlimited number of Event Automation data-sets. 7. Event Automation data can be visualized and/or edited from a number of locations: From the Event Editor: 1. Select the Pattern that will hold the Event Automation, Right-click the control to be automated, then select 'Edit events'. If automation data was recorded for the control, the data will be displayed and it can be edited. If there is no pre-existing Event Automation data then it can be manually drawn and saved (simply close the editor when you are done). 2. Use the Browser > Current project > Patterns > 'Pattern name' folder. Left-click on an Event Automation file to open the Event Editor. NOTE: This will only be possible if Event Automation data exists somewhere in your project. From the Piano roll - Event Automation data can be displayed and edited in the lower panel of the Piano roll. Select a Pattern containing the automation data, then select the Event Automation data from the Target Control menu. From the Playlist - Event Automation data is shown as shading in the clip. If you would like Event Automation data to be independent of patterns, use the closely related Automation Clip. Event Automation data can be converted to an Automation Clip using the Edit > Turn into automation clip command in the Event Editor Main Menu. NOTE: To link other controls to Event Automation data - First convert the Event Automation to an Automation Clip through the Event Editor Menu > Edit > Turn into Automation Clip. The Automation Clip will now appear as an 'Internal controller' link option in the 'Link to controller' Right-click dialog on automatable controls and also in the Browser > Current project > Remote control list.

Waveform Helper View Sometimes it is useful to closely align Event Automation data with an audio waveform. For example when using Fruity Vocoder or Pitcher. To show the waveform drag from a waveform preview and drop on the Event Editor. To switch the view on and off after this, use (

Alt+N).

Working with Event Automation data The Event Editor graph shows time on the horizontal axis (measured in bars) and automation values on the vertical axis (0 to 100%). The time segments of the Playlist are set by the window's 'snap' parameter (

). Alternatively, selecting 'Main' will

implement the global snap value as defined in the Recording panel. Events are displayed as vertical lines (height represents the value of the event). The Event Editor window can display only one event data-set at a time. Open an Event Editor - Two alternative methods are: 1. Select a Pattern and Right-click the target control, then select 'Edit events'. If automation data was recorded for this target, the data will be displayed and can be edited. If there is no pre-existing Event Automation data then it can be manually drawn and saved. 2. Use the Browser > Current project > Patterns > 'Pattern name' folder. Left-click on an automation target to open the Event Editor. To switch between displayed events in the currently opened Event Editor (or to open a new one if none are open). You can also select Edit Events in New Window, to open a new Event Editor window. Remember, the Event Automation data visible using the Event editor target menu will depend on the Event Automation data in the selected Pattern. Create an event - In the Event Editor, switch to Draw Mode (

) or Paint Mode (

) and Left-click in the Event Graph

Area. You can also create whole curves of events - just Left-click and drag to create the desired shape. To create straight lines of events instead, Right-click in the grid and drag. Draw Mode and Paint Mode are identical, however Paint Mode ignores the current snap settings, allowing you to draw smooth curves without changing your snap preferences. Interpolate between events - Use the Interpolate Mode (

). While in this mode, Left-click and drag to select the

events to be interpolated. The events you select will be marked in blue. When you release the mouse button, all selected events will be refined using linear interpolation. To use spline interpolation, drag using the right mouse button instead. Erase events - Use the Erase Mode (

). While in this mode, Left-click and drag to select events to be removed. Selected

events will be marked in red and deleted when the button is released. Select events - In any mode (draw, erase, interpolate), double-click or ( time range. You can also use Select Mode (

Ctrl+click) the time ruler and drag to select a

) to select with a single Left-click and drag. Selections are used when cutting

events and using the LFO tool (see the menu commands described below). Tools Menu (

) - This is a shortcut to the window's tools submenu, containing various commands for operating on

patterns in the Playlist.

Using the Event Editor with VST Plugins There are two options: 1. Tweak or move the target control on the plugin. Then use the Main menu option Tools > Last tweaked > Edit events. 2. Use the Browser > Current project > Effect or Generators folder to see MIDI CC parameters for all controls the plugin publishes to the host (FL Studio). Then Right-click the target and select Edit events.

Event Editor Menu

The Event Editor Main menu provides useful commands for editing events. You can access this menu by clicking the Event Editor menu icon. File Open Automation - Imports automation data from a score file (*.fsc) into the current Event Editor. Save Automation as - Saves automation data from the current Event Editor to a score file (*.fsc). Import MIDI (

Ctrl+M) - Shows the Import MIDI Data dialog box where you can import controller data (cutoff,

resonance, etc.) from a MIDI file to the Event Editor. Paste from MIDI clipboard (

Shift+Ctrl+V) - Same as the Import MIDI command, but uses MIDI clipboard

data rather than a MIDI file. You can paste data from several different sequencers that can copy to MIDI clipboard format (e.g. Cakewalk Pro Audio (TM)). Edit Cut (

Ctrl+X) - Cuts all selected events to the clipboard. Select an area to cut, otherwise this command will be

disabled. Copy (

Ctrl+C) - Copies all selected events to the clipboard. Select an area to copy, otherwise this command will

be disabled. Paste (

Ctrl+V) - Pastes events from the clipboard to the current Event Editor. If an area is not selected, the

events will be pasted in the beginning of the pattern. Delete (

Del) - Deletes all selected events in the Event Editor. If no selection is made deletes all Event data.

Select All (

Ctrl+A) - Selects all events in the Event Editor.

Select Previous (

Ctrl+Left) - Moves the selection backwards so that the start of the selection matches the new

selection end. For example, if you select a bar, this command selects the previous bar. Select Next (

Ctrl+Right) - Moves the selection forward so that the end of the selection matches the new

selection start. For example, if you select a bar, this command selects the next bar. Insert Space (

Ctrl+Ins) - Creates "empty" space that matches the current selection by shifting the following

events forward. Delete Space (

Ctrl+Del) - Erases all events in the current selection and shifts back the following events to close

the gap. Insert Current Controller Value (

Ctrl+I) - Initializes the Event Editor with the current value of the

corresponding automated control. If you have selected a time slice in the graph, the current value will be inserted at the beginning of the selection. Turn into Automation Clip - Converts the current event pattern into a new Automation Clip. Tools Scale Levels - Multiplies/offsets/inverts the events in the event editor or maps the events to a logarithmic/exponential scale. See Scale Levels for more info. LFO (

Ctrl+L) - Shows the LFO dialog, where you can draw LFO shapes in the Event Editor.

View - View options include: Grid Color - Opens a standard Windows Color dialog box, where you can set a color for the Event Editor grid. Detached - When checked, the window is "detached" from the main environment of FL Studio and can be maximized on a second monitor (in a dual monitor setup). Precise time indicator - Uses a vertical line through the editor window to show playback and edit position. Snap - Snap determines how events move relative to the Event Editor grid and how quantization aligns items (NOTE: Holding the

Alt key temporarily sets snap to 'none'). The options are:

Main - Snap is set to the Global snap value. Line - Events snap to the nearest grid-line, notice that the grid changes resolution as the Event Editor is Zoomed horizontally.

Cell - Events snap to the start of the grid-cell they fall in. (none) - No snapping. Movement is limited only by the Project Timebase (PPQ) setting (F11). NOTE: Snapping can be temporarily disabled by holding the Alt key when dragging Events. Steps 1/6 to 1 (step) - Absolute grid values equal to the nominated fraction of a step. Beats 1/6 to 1 (beat) - Absolute beats values equal to the nominated fraction of a beat. Bar - 1 bar. Zoom - Right-click to open a menu of quick zoom options: Zoom in/ Zoom out ( Quick-zoom 1, 2 & 3 (

Page up / Page down) - Zoom centers on the Cursor position. Shift+1, 2, 3) - Three handy zoom levels.

Zoom out far (

Shift+4) - Minimum horizontal zoom.

On Selection (

Shift+5 - Zoom to time-line selection. The command will be disabled if no time region is selected

in the timeline. Target control - Each pattern can store a number of Event Data-sets, this menu item opens a list of the Event data-sets in the Pattern. Relocate Events - When deselected, paste commands will overwrite any existing events and Cut/Delete commands leave gaps. When selected, pasted commands will be insert and the Cut/Delete commands will shift forward all events after the selection. Auto Smoothing - When checked, the drawn events are automatically interpolated upon release of the mouse button. Center (

0 (zero)) - Scrolls the timeline so that the playing position marker appears in the middle. This is a useful option

if you want to see the playing position within a long sequence.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

LFO Tool The LFO tool allows you to draw LFO shapes in the Event Editor or lower Piano roll.

Controls LFO is drawn only in the selected time range. If nothing is selected, LFO will select automatically the first bar.

Start Value - Sets the value of LFO. Range - Sets the range between the lowest and highest points in LFO. Speed - Sets the frequency of the LFO (i.e. its speed). Right-click for a menu with tempo-based presets.

End Contains the same parameters as the Start section. When you turn on the LED in the top left corner of this section, LFO's settings will vary from those in the Start section to those in the End section. If LED is turned off, then only the settings from the Start section are used.

Shape Sets the shape of the LFO - sine, triangle or square (to select a shape click any of the icons at the top left corner of this section). The Phase knob sets the phase of the LFO (basically this moves the LFO shape left and right).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default state. Accept - Accept changes and close the tool. Note, these changes can be subsequently undone using the Current project History or Ctrl+Z.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Level Scale Tool The level scaling tool modifies Event amplitude and/or tension (logarithmic/exponential).

Controls Options Center- Scales the center of the events (-100 to 100). Tension- Re-scales the event level logarithmically (-100 to 100). Multiply - Multiplies the event level by the value indicated (0% to 200%). Offset - Adds to the event value (-100 to 100).

Action buttons Reset - Reset the tool to the default values (no effect).

Accept - Apply the settings. Even after accepting the edit, the manipulation can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Import MIDI Data Dialog (*.mid) The Import MIDI data dialog appears when you import MIDI files that contain note and/or automation data.

NOTE: MIDI is not audio, it is note and automation data. It needs to be read by an instrument before you can hear it. The reason you can play many .mid files on your computer is that the Windows operating system assigns the MIDI data to the inbuilt synthesizer/samples in your audio interface (see the section on playing General MIDI files below).

How to import MIDI data The options on the MIDI import dialog will change depending on how the MIDI file is loaded into FL Studio. Options are: 1. Import a MIDI file from the Main File menu. 2. Import a MIDI file from the Piano roll menu. 3. Drag a MIDI file from the Browser and drop on: 3.1 Channel Rack. 3.2 Piano roll. 3.3 FL Studio desktop.

Options

Which Tracks to Import - Click the drop-down menu to select which MIDI tracks to import. A track is usually associated with a MIDI Channel and contains a particular instrument's data ('Piano', 'Melody', 'Drums', etc.), there can be up to 16 MIDI tracks, what you will see depends on the data file to be imported. Which Channels to Import - Select the MIDI Channels to import. Leftclick a Channel number (selected channels are marked in red) to include it in the import, Right-click to exclude a Channel from the import. Blend with existing data - The MIDI data will be blended with any data already in the pattern/s. Start new project - Opens the MIDI file in a new project. If this option is deselected, any data in the Instrument channels for the selected pattern will be overwritten. Create one channel per track - Imports each MIDI channel (1 to 16 possible) in the MIDI file as a separate Instrument channel and loads a MIDI Out plugin set to the tracks Channel number, on each. Realign events - Removes any empty-space at the start of the file. Accept - Import the MIDI data.

Playing General MIDI Files For this trick you will need MIDI Out instrument/s, a Fruity LSD effect and a General MIDI file. Each track in the MIDI file will be imported into a separate Instrument channel (holding a MIDI Out plugin), with unique Piano roll 'color group'/MIDI channel data. These will use 'General MIDI' instruments from your audio interfaces inbuilt Synth/Sampler: 1. Import the MIDI data using the 'Create one channel per track' option (see above). NOTE: the import method will determine if you see the 'Create one channel per track' option, use 1 or 3.3 (above). 2. A MIDI Out plugin will automatically load on each Instrument channel. The MIDI Channel selectors on each MIDI Out plugin will be set accordingly. 3. Load a Fruity LSD plugin on the Mixer track Effect slot of your choice.

4. Set the Fruity LSD to Port 0 (Omni mode) so that it responds to all the MIDI Out Instrument channels. 5. Press play and enjoy the cheesy world of 'General MIDI'. We recommend replacing the Fruity Outs with regular Plugin instruments before someone catches you!

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Edison Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool. Edison loads into an effect slot (in any mixer track) and will then record or play audio from that position. You may load as many instances of Edison as you require in any number of Mixer Tracks or Effects slots. To open Edison press ( Edison Video Tutorials

Ctrl + E) in a Sampler Channel, or load from the effects menu into mixer track/s.

. An alternative to Edison is Newtone.

Memory: Edison operates exclusively in RAM (memory) and is designed for working with samples or small songs, not recording hours of audio. With RAM in mind, edit functions can require 4x the original sample space, so we recommend limiting samples to a maximum of 500 Mb. If you don't heed this warning Edison may explode, injuring bystanders - don't say we didn't warn you! Editing operations that require sample processing convert the source sample/s into 32-Bit float and at the sample rate of the highest wave in any group processed. This means that processed wave files are unlikely to be in the same format as the source samples, although you can set the sample format after you have edited the sample (see the sample properties dialog).

Opening Edison There are a number of ways to load Edison, depending on your intended use, two recommended methods are: Quick load for Editing - Select the target Mixer track then press (

Ctrl+E). Edison will load in the first empty FX slot.

Quick load for Recording - Select the target Mixer track then press (

Shift+E). Edison will load ready to record with

'Slave playback to host' and Record 'On play' enabled. NOTE: Edison opens in the preview mixer track unless deliberately placed in an Effects slot.

Exporting Audio Alternatives for exporting audio from Edison to FL Studio are: Send sample to Playlist - Left-click - Sends the selection (or whole sample if no selection is made) to the Playlist as an Audio Clip. Right-click - Replaces the currently selected Audio Clip or Sampler Channel with the sample/selection in Edison. Drag / copy sample / move selection - Left-click on the button and drag to the desired location. The selected region in the Sample Edit Window (or whole sample if no selection is made) will be copied and moved to any compatible location in FL Studio, e.g. Sampler channels, Fruity Slicer, DirectWave, the Playlist, etc. Right-click to copy the selection to the clipboard. Tools > Sequencing Send to Playlist as audio clip (

Shift+C)- Dumps the selection to the Playlist as an Audio Clip.

Send to selected Channel - Dumps the selection to the selected Channel. Save and load - Save the audio/selection to a file and re-import it through the Browser.

NOTE: If an audio clip contains a downbeat marker (set by the region tool), dropping it on the Playlist will auto-align it.

Transport Controls In the top-left section of the Edison window are several controls for the recording setup. Loop - Turns on loop playback for selections and loop-points. Selections take precedence over loop-points. Hold (

Ctrl +

Left-click) to place the play-head in the file without making a selection.

Play - Press to play/stop the sample playback. The space bar will also start/stop playback when Edison is the active window (focused). Scrub - Left-click and hold the mouse button then move left or right to play (scrub) the sample under mouse control. Stop - Stops playback and returns cursor to the beginning of the sample or selection.

Recording Options Menu Buttons Sample Edit Functions Special Controls Peak Meter Sample Edit Window Main Menu Envelope Selector Feature Switches Zoom/Scroll Bar Time/Sample Display Sample Properties (

F2)

Plugin Credits -

Code & GUI: Didier Dambrin. Script compiler: paxCompiler 'Hello World' Sample: Katy Theodossiou.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Edison Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool. Edison loads into an effect slot (in any mixer track) and will then record or play audio from that position. You may load as many instances of Edison as you require in any number of Mixer Tracks or Effects slots. To open Edison press Ctrl+E in a Sampler Channel, or load from the effects menu into mixer track/s.

Transport Controls Recording Options Menu Buttons Sample Edit Functions Special Controls Peak Meter Sample Edit Window Main Menu Envelope Selector Feature Switches Zoom/Scroll Bar Time/Sample Display Sample Properties (

F2)

This area displays the sample properties including: Sample rate, Bit depth, Channel format, Tempo information and Title. Right-clicking this area or pressing

F2 opens the Sample Properties dialog.

To open the Sample properties dialog Select

> Edit properties OR press (

F2) with Edison focused.

Options Info Title - Names the sample. Comments - These comments will show in the sample properties.

Format Sample rate (Hz) - Sets the sample rate. Resample (switch) - Selecting this switch forces resampling of the sample data to the desired samplerate. If this switch is off the sample rate changes only the playback sample rate (speed) without modifying the data. For example, choose to either resample data to 22kHz (data reduction), or to play existing data at 22kHz (pitch-shift). Format - Choose between 16-Bit integer & 32-Bit floating point formats. Mono or Stereo. NOTE: Edison automatically converts data to 32-Bit before applying any function that modifies the sample data. It is better to apply several edits in 32-Bit floating point, than convert to 16-Bit integer after each edit.

Tempo Tempo (BPM) - Sets the tempo in Beats Per Minute. If 'tempo-sync' is selected, setting a tempo here will cause FL Studio to stretch/pitch-shift the sample according to this value when loaded. Round - Rounds the tempo (removes decimals). Limit - Corrects any double/half tempo problems (range options appear when the button is selected). Length (beats) / Selection (beats) - Enter the number of beats in the sample or selection. 'Sel (beats)' appears if a selection has been made (enter the number of beats in the selection). Used when slicing & beat detecting (see below).

Round - Rounds the number of beats (removes decimals). Tempo-sync - When selected - Instructs FL Studio to stretch (beatmatch) the sample to the Master tempo of the project (Audio clips & Channel sampler). The F10 General Settings, 'Read sample tempo information' option MUST BE ON. See the section on Time-stretching & Pitch-shifting in the Sampler Channel Settings section for more details. NOTE: When the option is selected, and nothing is set in the field, the host tempo will be used. Left-click in the field to manually enter a tempo. Manual tempo setting - The manual tempo detection technique is to highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact number of beats, then the properties dialog (

F2) will show 'Selection (beats)' instead of 'Length (beats)'. If 4

beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected. Manual grid alignment -

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the location in the sample where the first downbeat marker

is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat.

Default - Sets the BPM to the FL Studio project tempo. Quick guess - For songs with a constant tempo. Autodetect - Select to choose from three options: Quick estimation for short loops - Quick tempo-detection based on the host tempo and the length of the sample. Detection for songs with constant tempo - Algorithmic tempo-detection which generally gives the most accurate result, but requires constant tempo tracks. Detection for songs with variable tempo - Algorithmic tempo-detection tuned for songs without a constant tempo.

Sampler These functions aid samplers that read meta-data to auto-process the sample (DirectWave and the Channel sampler for example). Middle note (root note) - Selects the MIDI note at which the sample will play back at the original (recorded) pitch. This data is used by samplers such as DirectWave and the Channel Sampler to automatically set the 'root' note. low - Sets the lowest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. high - Sets the highest intended MIDI note the sample should play on. Fine tune (cents) - Fine-tunes the intended pitch of the sample in 1/100ths of a semi-tone. Default - Restores default settings. Autodetect - Auto-detects the pitch of the sample. Use on monophonic single-pitch sounds only.

end

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Amp Tool The Amp Tool works in a similar way to the mixer track controls, including stereo separation, panning, linked and independent L and R channel volume.

To Open the Amp Tool To open the tool press (

Alt+A) inside the editor, or use the Tools > Amp >

Amp option.

Options Stereo Sep - Stereo separation. The stereo separation filter allows you to enhance or reduce differences in the audio between the left and right channels of a track. In the default position (middle), the stereo separation filter is disabled. Turn the knob right to decrease the stereo separation (sum L+R to mono), turn left to increase stereo separation. This control

has no stereo effect on mono sounds as it works by taking the difference between the L and R channels, if there is no difference then there is nothing to enhance. Panning - Panning Panning law - Circular/Triangular panning. Circular panning maintains a constant apparent volume as the sound is panned. Triangular panning applies a linear ramp to the volume as the sound is panned. Read more about panning laws here. Left/Right - Volume, left and right channels linked. Left - Left channel volume. Right - Right channel volume. NOTE: Volume faders are bi-polar so below the mid-point the phase of the signal is reversed and amplified as the slider is dragged to the bottom. The mid point is 0 dB (silence).

Action buttons Reset - Return the tool to the default state. Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Blur Tool The Blur Tool works in a similar way to the Convolution Reverb, by multiplying an impulse sound (in this case, noise), with the waveform. The impulse function is cross-multiplied with the source in a moving average, to smear or 'blur' the sound. The multiplier function is determined by a user-selectable envelope. To retain a sound closer to the original, use narrower shaped envelopes.

To Open the Blur Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the Blur Tool button

, press

Ctrl+B inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > Blur option.

Options Amount - Adjusts the width of the convolution window; a greater amount means more blurring.

Offset - Adjusts the time offset between the source wave and the blurred section. Mix - Adjusts the level of the dry to wet signal. Use data outside selection - Only applies when a selection is made in the Editor sample edit window. This includes sample data immediately outside and adjacent to the selected region to improve the blend between the selection and surrounding sample data. Accept - Applies the settings to the wave. To undo the blur, press Ctrl+Z.

Impulse Envelope - Change the shape of the envelope to adjust the convolution function. The default 'Gaussian

' function creates a smooth blur. A wider function

generally creates more blurring and a narrower function less blurring. Experiment with different shapes to alter the blur texture.

Action button Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Convolution Reverb The Convolution Reverb engine in the Editor works by multiplying two audio signals in the frequency domain (in a sort of moving average). A reverb effect is obtained when an 'impulse' file is convolved

with the original wave file. Reverb

impulse files are created by recording short, sharp sounds in real spaces or through a reverb/effects unit. The recorded 'reverberance' is an acoustic fingerprint of the real space. This technique is equivalent to sampling an acoustic instrument and allows us to 'borrow' impulses from very expensive hardware or real spaces that we would never have the chance to record in. Naturally, the internet is brimming with free impulses for your downloading pleasure (see 'Impulse Resources' below). A real-time alternative is Fruity Convolver.

NOTE: While called the Convolution Reverb, any audio file can serve as a source for the impulse making this a general convolution tool. As always, experimentation will reward you with unique and interesting sounds.

To Open the Convolution Dialog To open the dialog you can either Left-click on the Convolution Reverb button , press

Ctrl+R inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > Convolution

Reverb option. Once an impulse is loaded you can perform any of Edison's editing functions in the spectral preview window. Right-click on the spectral preview to open the editing options

Options Offset - Adjusts the time offset between the onset of the reverb and the source wave. Dry - Adjusts the level of the dry signal. Wet - Adjusts the level of the wet signal. Use data outside selection - The reverb can operate on a selection of a wave. When selected data from outside the selection is used to create the reverberant sounds. When no selection is made the whole sample is effected and this option is greyed out. Add tail - Adds new reverberant data beyond the end of the original file. Accept - Applies the impulse to the wave. To undo the reverb press Ctrl+Z.

Impulse This section displays a spectral view of the impulse function. The vertical axis represents frequency 0 Hz (bottom) to 20 kHz (top) and the horizontal axis represents time. You can zoom and scroll through this display by Left-clicking in the scroll bar above the display (as shown by the double arrow cursor in the screenshot above). Load Impulse - Left-click on the 'Impulse:' tab above the spectral display and a standard 'Load File' dialog will open. Envelopes - There are several standard envelope controls along the bottom of the window that act on the reverberant sound. These envelopes provide enormous creative potential.

Left-click the symbols to apply, from left to right Pan - To edit the Pan envelope. Volume - To edit the Volume envelope. Stereo Separation - To edit the Stereo Separation envelope. All-purpose envelope - Can be assigned to playback velocity/direction and various other functions. Editing envelopes - After selecting the desired envelope type, Rightclick in the 'Impulse Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type.

Impulse Resources Edison comes with many impulses, however the addictive nature of these files will mean that you will soon be looking for more. Below are several links to get you started. To load a new impulse from outside FL Studio, Left-click on the 'Impulse:' tab above the spectral display to open the standard 'Load File' dialog and browse to the location of the new impulses. Noise Vault

- Nice resource for public domain reverb impulse response

files. Acoustics Engineering

- Some amazing spaces with pictures to inspire.

Promenadikeskus concert hall in Pori, Finland

- Impulses from the

concert hall with pictures. Cyber Kitchen Sound Design Enterprise

- A nice collection of impulse

responses and below these a good explanation of convolution and some of the interesting things you can do with it. EMES Virtual Rooms

- A nice collection of professionally made reverb

impulses. Sony Acoustic Mirror Impulse Collection

- Lots of high quality reverb

impulse packs made by professionals. Includes some microphone impulses. Voxengo Impulses

- Several packs ready for download.

Fokke van Saane's impulse responses

- Many of the impulses here are

.aif, Fruity Convolver can load these. We have included Fokke's site mainly because he clearly explains how the impulse response files were created and posts lots of great pictures of the spaces in which the impulses were made, be inspired! Google for 'Reverb Impulse'

- Be brave, find your own!

Action Buttons Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Claw Machine Tool The Claw Machine works on a tempo-sliced sample removing beats, adding beats and/or shifting beats to create interesting new rhythms. The Claw Machine is particularly effective at speeding up the tempo of a song (by extracting beats) without creating time-stretch/pitch-shift artifacts. The Claw Machine is also a great tool for working on starting scores with regular rhythms, although experimentation will be rewarded.

NOTE: An alternative is to use the Piano roll Claw tool with loops in Slicex.

To Open the Claw Machine Tool To open click on the Claw Tool button

or press (

Alt+W) inside the Editor,

or use the Tools > Time > Claw option. NOTE: The sample must have a tempo (or beatmarkers) set before the Claw Machine option will become available, due to the fact that the Claw Machine slices the audio according to the time-grid and relies on the sample being aligned to the grid in a meaningful way:

Aligning the grid to the sample tempo Prior to claw processing make sure the sample has the correct tempo and beats

are aligned to the Sample Window grid. Manual tempo setting - The manual tempo detection technique is to highlight a part of the audio that you know to be an exact number of beats, then the sample properties (

F2) will show 'Selection (beats)'

instead of 'Length (beats)'. If 4 beats were highlighted (for example), enter 4, and the tempo of the song should be detected. Manual grid alignment -

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift + Click on the

location in the sample where the first downbeat marker is to be set, hold and drag horizontally to fine-tune the position if needed. Then, release the mouse button and click again with the

Right-Ctrl + Right-Shift

keys still held (drag left/right) to adjust the grid spacing to align the grid to the beat.

Options Block extraction Period - The period over which the 'claw' process repeats. Trash every - Removes beats every (X) units of the Period. Snap to markers - Slices snap to beat/region markers.

Compensation stretching Stretches sliced samples to fill gaps left by 'clawed' slices. Amount - Amount of stretching. Method - Stretching method. These match the sampler stretching options.

Action buttons Reset - Reset to default. Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and replace the original selection with the processed audio.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Drum Tool The Drum Tool appears as the Drum(loop) stretcher and Paste replace drum dialog. The purpose of the tool is to reconstruct the decay portions of sliced drum beats that are often abruptly cut short in the slicing process. The Drum Tool works by detecting attack and decay portions of each region in a drumloop (or the selected beat) and then reconstructs more natural sounding decay/s. The options provide the opportunity to fine-tune the decay section to match the source material.

To open the Drum Tool To open: Select Tools > Time > Drum(loop) stretch (

Ctrl+T). The tool also

appears as a paste dialog active on the Edit menu after a selection (copy or cut) has been made - Paste replace (drum) (

Shift+T).

Amount Pitch coarse - Changes the base pitch in semitones. fine - Changes the base pitch in cents. mul - Pitch range multiplier. Time mul - Changes the sample duration in %. In 'Stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. length (ms) - Changes the sample duration by specifying length in milliseconds(ms). In 'Stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. tempo - Specifies the tempo of the stretched sample. The original loop must have embedded tempo information for this option to show. Insert tails - Fills gaps by reconstructing missing tails from drum beats.

Filling Method - Fill gap method. None - The whole slice (beat) is stretched. Echo grains - Granular-based stretching method. Waveform cycles are sliced (grains) and repeated. Stretch - Time stretching (constant pitch). Blur - A convolution blur function is used to smooth tails. Random presence - Adds more stereo randomness on the tail blurring. Loop - Applies a cross-fade loop to the last 1/2 of the sample.

Tail envelope Method - Decay method.

None - The whole beat is stretched. Smooth fade - The attack transient is detected and left untouched. The tail is used for the gap-reconstruction and smoothly blended with the attack transient. Using this method, the original drum sound will be modified. Append - Uses the same process as the 'Smooth fade' option but with the reconstructed tail appended. The transition between the original sound and the reconstructed tail will be more obvious, but the original drum will be left mostly intact. Transient - Transient detection factor. The engine uses this factor to detect which part of the slice is the attack portion of the beat. Tail slope - Slope of the reconstructed tail. smoothing - Smoothing factor for the reconstructed tail slope.

Action buttons Reset - Restores default settings. Preview - Audition the current settings. Accept - Click to process and paste/replace the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Equalize Tool The Equalize Tool is a linear phase EQ and boosts or cuts frequencies according to a user defined EQ envelope. The example below shows the effect of the selected EQ curve on a white noise sample. Frequency is displayed on the horizontal axis, time on the vertical axis (sample start is at the top, sample end is at the bottom) while intensity/saturation of color represents frequency amplitude.

To Open the Equalization Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the EQ Tool button

, press (

Ctrl+E) inside the

Editor, or use the Tools > Spectral > EQ option.

Options Editing envelopes - Right-click in the 'Envelope Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that will allow you to delete points or change the curve type. The default mid-line is 'no change'. Boost/Cut values appear in the FL Studio Hint Bar as the nodes and tension handles are moved. Time is represented on the vertical axis and Frequency on the horizontal axis. Envelope - Drop-down menu containing harmonically computed EQ envelopes. The harmonic series is based on the sample middle note (root note). Set this using the Sample properties dialog. The harmonic envelopes will remove sounds that do not belong to the harmonic series of the set note. These envelopes can be useful for extracting sustained notes from complex recordings or removing noise from recordings of tonal sounds.

To filter non-harmonic noises 1. Set the middle note (root note) using the (

F2) Sample properties

dialog. 2. Open the Equalization Tool, Envelope options and select from narrow, medium or wide. 3. Use the Frequency scale knob to expand the lower frequencies to check that the filter envelope is starting at the correct frequency and covers the harmonics. 4. Set the Mix knob to the desired level, 100% to retain only the harmonic series. 5. Select Ok. To remove a note from a sample 1. Perform steps 1 to 5 above. 2. Select Tools > Amp > Reverse polarity. 3. Select Tools > Edit > Copy to Copy the entire sample. 4. Open a new instance of Edison with the original sample. 5. In the new Edison select Tools > Edit > Paste mix and the note plus harmonics will be removed from the original sample. Freq scale - Zooms the frequency scale for more or less precise EQ editing. Mix - Adjusts the level of the dry to wet signal. Smooth - Smooths the EQ envelope to reduce unwanted artifacts such as 'ringing'. Phases - Allows the envelope to change the phase of the sample, top of scale is 180 degrees, bottom -180 degrees. Reset - Resets the EQ envelope to the default state. Accept - Applies the EQ curve to the sample.

EQ envelope options Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different predefined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open plugins. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit.

Undo history - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool. Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis.

Action buttons Reset - Restore default settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Noise Removal Tool The Noise Removal Tool can independently remove background noise (tonal or broadband) from a sample, repair clipped samples and remove clicks from samples. Any or all these denoise functions can be performed in a single pass. The modules are activated by the button in front of each section label.

See a tutorial video here

.

NOTE: The Denoiser, Declipper and Declicker have a button preceding the section titles, this activates the given function when selected. The Declipper and Declicker are deactivated in the screenshot above.

To Open the Noise Removal Tool To open the Noise Removal Tool Left-click on the Clean up (denoise) button the Tools > Spectral > Clean up (denoise) option.

Residual vs Removed Sound Above the main display window.

or use

Output noise only - When selected the parts of the sample removed by the Denoiser tool (noise) are heard. Select this button when you need to fine-tune the Denoiser process Threshold and Amount settings (using the Preview function). Listen for settings that sound only like the noise to be removed. If you hear parts of the sound you want to retain in the noise output, then the settings are too aggressive. When deselected the Preview & Accept buttons will deliver the processed (residual) sound according to the plugin settings.

Sample Display The main display window shows a spectral view of the sample to be processed. This represents frequency on the horizontal axis and time on the vertical axis, while color represents intensity. Frequency scale - Zooms the frequency scale for more or less precise EQ curve editing or frequency inspection.

EQ Envelope The (white) EQ envelope allows a +12 to -24 dB EQ curve to be applied to the selected sample. Time is represented on the vertical axis and Frequency on the horizontal axis. Apply EQ in addition to the other noise reduction functions to fine-tune the result. To edit the EQ curve: Right-click in the 'Envelope Editor Window' to add points, and Left-click to move points and tension markers. Right-click points to open a context menu that allows you to delete points or change the curve type. The default mid-line is 'no change'. Boost/Cut values appear in the FL Studio Hint Bar as the nodes are moved. If you need a dedicated equalizer use the Equalize tool. Reset - Resets the EQ envelope to the default state. Envelope options (small right facing arrow under the EQ display window). Open state file / Save state file - Opens/saves envelope states. Several different pre-defined state files are available. Copy state / Paste state - Use this to copy and paste envelopes, usually between instances of the EQ editor across open Edisons. Undo - Undoes the last envelope edit. Undo history / Last reset - Shows the editing history since the last reset. Flip vertically - Inverts the current envelope. Scale levels - Opens the Scale Level tool.

Normalize levels - Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%. Decimate points - Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Filter - Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up - Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file). Smooth up abrupt changes - Quick removal of 'spikey' or sudden changes in the envelope. Turn all points smooth - Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope. Create sequence - Opens the Envelope Sequencer tool. Analyze audio file - Open, analyze and replicate the volume envelope of an input sound file. Drag and drop audio files directly on the Envelope editor for automatic analysis.

Denoiser To activate ensure the Denoiser button is selected. The Denoiser is designed to reduce or remove constant background noises in recordings. This background noise can include tape hiss, microphone hum, power mains buzz, camera motor noise, air-conditioning rumble and any other type of noise that doesn't change in level or frequency significantly throughout the recording. Threshold - Controls the separation of noise and desirable signal levels. Higher threshold settings reduce more noise, but also may suppress low-level desirable components of the signal (select the Output noise only switch to hear the sound being removed). A lower threshold preserves low-level signal details, but can result in noise being modulated by the retained sounds. A good default is 0 dB. Amount - Controls the level of noise suppression in decibels. Strong suppression can degrade low-level residual audio, so it's recommended to apply only as much suppression as needed to reduce the target noise to the level that is barely noticeable (click the Preview button to audition various settings prior to applying the noise reduction). Remember, if the sound is to be used in a mix, then it is likely that less suppression will be needed to render the noise inaudible. Using the Denoiser: 1. Noise profile - The Denoiser needs to hear an example of the background noise,

preferably in isolation from other sounds, so that it can generate an accurate 'noise profile'. From main Edison sample window, select a section of the sample that contains only noise (if possible). Examine the start and end of the sample, where noises are usually exposed. Alternatively, you may need to select regions in the sample where there are pauses in the desirable sound (breaks in speech or singing for example). If a 'noise-only' region can't be found, select a quiet section of the sample where the noise is at its most audible. After selecting the longest section of noise that you can find, Right-click the Clean up (denoise) button to create the noise profile. If the Noise Removal Tool is open, click the Acquire noise profile button to select the noise sample. 2. Select the region to be processed - Prior to returning to the Denoiser interface, make sure that the region you want to denoise is selected in the main Edison sample window (the Denoiser will retain the noise profile so it is OK to close the Denoiser to select the region to be processed). If no region is selected the whole sample will be processed, this is usually the desired outcome as processing small sections of a sample can lead to audible tonal changes at the boundaries of the processed region. 3. Preview the settings - Open the Denoiser Tool and preview the default settings by clicking on the Preview button. Note the noise profile will appear in the Denoiser as a green frequency curve (see the screenshot above). 4. Fine tune the controls - Sometimes you may hear 'underwater' artifacts of the noise reduction process, if so you should continue to adjust first the Threshold and then the Amount settings. You should apply only enough reduction (Amount) to make the noise barely or not noticeable in the context for which the sound is to be used. Excessive amount settings are guaranteed to cause audible artifacts. It is often useful to select the Output noise only button to more clearly hear the parts of the sample being removed. Ideally only noise will be heard. 5. Accept the result - Once you are satisfied with the settings. 6. Practice makes perfect - If you would like to experiment, the sound 'Maximus NoiseGate Tutorial 44kHz.wav

' is a vocal mixed with some power-supply hum,

exposed at the end of the sample. To download the file you will need to create a logon at freesound

. The freesound project is an initiative of the Music

Technology Group of Pompeu Fabra University Commons

to build a library of Creative

licensed sounds.

Declipper To activate ensure the Declipper button is selected. The Declipper can repair digital and analog clipping artifacts that result when A/D converters are overloaded or magnetic tape is over-saturated. The Declipper can be extremely useful for saving recordings that can't

be re-recorded such as live concerts, interviews or one-off audio events. Threshold - Selects the clipping level used for detection of clipped peaks. The ideal setting is a level just below the actual level of clipping, you can examine the waveform in the main Edison window and inspect the clip level by hovering the mouse over the clipped waveform. NOTE: The Declipper re-creates peaks above the clipped level and will therefore reduce the overall volume of the recording to provide headroom for this process. In light of this, declipping usually needs to be applied to the entire recording in order to avoid a sudden drop in volume in the processed region.

Declicker To activate ensure the Declicker button is selected. The Declicker is useful for restoring for old vinyl and other recordings that cause clicks, pops and/or crackles. The Declicker can also remove a variety of short noises from other sources, including lip clicks and 'smacking' on vocals, some clicks caused by digital errors or electrical interference. The Declicker works best on click-transients of 10 ms or less. Sensitivity - Controls the aggressiveness of the click detection algorithm. Low values of this parameter will remove fewer clicks, while higher values may treat musical transients as clicks, resulting in distortion.

Accept button Accept - Processes and pastes (replaces) the original selection.

Plugin Credits Interface: Didier Dambrin.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Script Tool The Edison & Slicex Script Tool (

Ctrl+T) - Opens a menu containing the list of available scripts. You

can write your own scripts using Basic, Pascal or Javascript, which will be compiled by the paxCompiler and run when you select the script from the menu. The paxCompiler is a true Pascal compiler that allows you to write code to perform complex DSP on your samples. Save scripts - as .pas files in the FL Studio installation directory under ..\Plugins\Fruity\Effects\Edison\Data\Scripts. Files saved here will be visible the next time you use the 'run script' command. Dialogs - Note that while some of the demo scripts show a dialog, it isn't necessary to use them. Errors - If a script has an error, a dialog is shown explaining the error with options to 'edit' the script or 'run' it again. Writing scripts - Examine the contents of the existing scripts and read the Reference.txt file in the script directory to learn more about writing them and the functions available. You can learn more about Pascal HERE

.

Edison Script Reference

Global variables CRLF

string - acts as a line feed for showing multiline messages

Editor

TEditor

EditorSample

TSample

ScriptPath

string

Global functions ProgressMsg

procedure ProgressMsg(const Msg:String;Pos,Total:Integer);

ShowMessage

procedure ShowMessage(const s: string);

Delphi/Windows functions Dec

procedure dec(var Value, Decrement: integer);

FloatToStr

function FloatToStr(Value: extended): string;

Inc

procedure inc(var Value, Increment: integer);

IntToStr

function IntToStr(Value: integer): string;

Round

function Round(Value: double): integer;

TimeGetTime

function timeGetTime: integer; stdcall;

Wave related classes // PasteFromTo modes

0: insert 1: replace 2: mix --// NormalizeFormat Mode flags (combine as needed) NF_NumChannels: normalize the number of channels NF_Format: normalize the sample format NF_Samplerate: normalize the samplerate NF_All: normalize all (combines all flags) --// region TRegion = class constructor Create; procedure Copy(Source: TRegion); property SampleStart: integer; property SampleEnd: integer; property Name: string; property Info: string; property Time: single; property KeyNum: integer; end; --// sample TSample = class constructor Create; function GetSampleAt(Position, Channel: integer): single; procedure SetSampleAt(Position, Channel: integer; Value: single); procedure CenterFromTo(x1, x2: integer); function NormalizeFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Vol: single; OnlyIfAbove: boolean = FALSE): single; procedure AmpFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Vol: single); procedure ReverseFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure ReversePolarityFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure SwapChannelsFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure InsertSilence(x1, x2: integer); procedure SilenceFromTo(x1, x2: integer); procedure NoiseFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Mode: integer = 1; Vol: single = 1); procedure SineFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Freq, Phase: double; Vol: single = 1); procedure PasteFromTo(aSample: TSample; var x1, x2: integer; Mode: integer = 0); procedure LoadFromClipboard; procedure DeleteFromTo(x1, x2: integer; Copy: boolean = FALSE);

procedure TrimFromTo(x1, x2: integer); function MsToSamples(Time: double): double; function SamplesToMS(Time: double): double; procedure LoadFromFile(const Filename: string); // loads a full filename (use ScriptPath to complete it) procedure LoadFromFile_Ask; // shows open dialog procedure NormalizeFormat(Source: TSample; Mode: integer = nfAll); function GetRegion(Index: integer): TRegion; function AddRegion(const SetName: string; SampleStart: integer; SampleEnd: integer = MaxInt): integer; procedure DeleteRegion(Index: integer); property Length: integer; property NumChans: integer; property Samplerate: integer; property RegionCount: integer; end; --// editor TEditor = class function GetSelectionS(var x1, x2: integer): boolean; function GetSelectionMS(var x1, x2: double): boolean; property Sample: TSample; end;

Dialog classes and functions TInput = class property DefaultValue: single; property ValueAsInt: integer; property Min: single; property Max: single; end; --TScriptDialog = class constructor Create; function AddInput(const aName: string; Value: single): TInput; function AddInputKnob(const aName: string; Value, Min, Max: single): TInput; function AddInputCombo(const aName, ValueList: string; Value: integer): TInput; function GetInput(const aName: string): TInput; function GetInputValue(const aName: string): single; function GetInputValueAsInt(const aName: string): integer; function Execute: boolean;

end; --function CreateScriptDialog(const Title, Description: string): TScriptDialog;

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Time Stretch / Pitch Shift Tool The Time Stretch / Pitch Shift tool allows you to alter the duration, pitch and formant of a sample independently. The audio Editor and more generally the Sampler Channels & Slicer tool, use the Elastique Pro, zplane algorithms to deliver advanced time stretching / pitch shifting that meets the standards of professional production and broadcast applications.

To Open the Time Stretch / Pitch Shift Tool To open the tool you can either Left-click on the Time Tool button

, press (

Alt+T) inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Time > Time stretch / Pitch shift

option. To open the paste-stretch dialog press (

Ctrl+Shift+T) or use the

Tools > Edit > Paste stretch option. The paste-stretch dialog is available only after a sample selection cut or copy operation.

Options Amount Pitch coarse - Change the base pitch in semitones. Fine - Change the base pitch in cents. Mul - Pitch range multiplier (in %). Time mul - Change sample duration in %. NOTE: To match a samples BPM to FL Studio, rather than use this control, make sure the sample has a Tempo set in the Sample properties dialog. You can use the Autodetect (tempo) button if one is not set. Next make sure the 'F10 > General Settings > Read sample tempo information' is selected. Finally, drag and drop the sample from Edison on the Playlist and FL Studio will stretch the sample to match the current project. Length (ms) - Change sample duration by specifying length in milliseconds(ms). In 'paste-stretch' mode this value is automatically calculated. Method - Select from the following pitch shifting/preservation methods. NOTE: Certain methods may disable or automatically adjust the 'Formant preservation' settings. Affected settings appear in a lower contrast and tweaking the control has no effect. Elastique: e3 Generic - A 'Default' mode is designed to work with the widest range of input signals. As usual, experiment with other methods if you hear unwanted artifacts. e3 Mono - Specialized for monophonic input signals such as vocals or solo instruments. Uses automatic formant preservation techniques. Legacy Elastique: e2 Generic (Pro default & Pro transient) - Older version of e3 Generic. e2 Transient (Transient & Tonal) - Transient and formant

preserving stretch method. e2 Mono (Monophonic) - Older version of e3 Mono. e2 Speech (Speech) - Optimized for spoken words. For singing, use the 'e3 or e2 Mono' mode). NOTE: Names in brackets show pre FL Studio 12 nomenclature. Insert - If this switch is on the effected audio will be inserted, if it is off the sample will be mixed with the original.

Formant preservation Using the formant section - In order to manually preserve the natural tonal quality of the sound select 'Pro Default' method and set the Factor crs setting to the same value of the Pitch coarse in the 'Options' section above. For example, if the 'Options' Pitch coarse setting is +5 then set the Formant envelope Pitch crs to +5. Formants are peaks in the frequency spectrum caused by resonances, natural frequencies of vibration, of an instrument. Trumpets, guitars, violins, drums and the human voice all have formants. The human voice is an excellent case study for the importance of formant preservation as we are particularly sensitive to vocal formants. Resonances of the voice stem from mouth, sinuses and throat cavities and convey information about the size, age and sex of the vocalist. Normally, as the pitch of the vocal chords are raised or lowered, formants change intensity while the peak frequencies stay relatively fixed. A problem with 'traditional' pitch shifting of vocal recordings is that the formants transpose with pitch (itself an unnatural phenomenon) or fall outside the expected range; the 'chipmunk' effect is a classic example of formants shifted too high. Formant preservation algorithms work by detecting the pitch of the formants in the original sound and then apply the same frequency resonances to the pitch-shifted sound, preserving the 'natural' quality of the voice or instrument. The formant controls in Edison are Factor coarse - Moves the base pitch of the formants, in semitones. Fine - Changes the base pitch of the formants in cents. Mul - Formant pitch range multiplier in %. Order - The default setting works for most material. If the input audio is high pitched the order should be lowered if the input audio is low pitched

the value should be raised. Copy from pitch - Copies the pitch value from the 'Options' section above. If you select this after setting the desired pitch shift in the 'Options' section, then the formants should be automatically preserved. NOTE: If these controls appear to be lower contrast or 'grayed-out', compared to normal, it means that they are disabled for the selected Pitch Shift/Time Stretch method in the 'Options' section.

Action buttons Reset - Restore default settings. Preview - Audition the current settings without applying them. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

WAVE EDITOR / RECORDER

Tune Loop Tool The Loop Tuner allows you to remove clicks, pops or beating sounds from a loop. The Loop Tuner is not an automatic loop finding tool, it is intended for smoothing loops that have already been selected. Be aware that to accommodate the loop smoothing process, some settings will move the loop-start point automatically. To preserve your loop-start point, set the Crossfade length and Snap settings to minimum.

To Open the Loop Tuner Tool To open the tool, either Left-click on the Tune Loop button

, press (

Ctrl+L)

inside the Editor, or use the Tools > Regions > Tune loop option.

Options Crossfade Length - Changes the amount of crossfading. The end of the sample loop is crossfaded (blended) with the region before the loop start so that the end of the loop blends smoothly with the beginning of the loop. Consequently, the loop start point will be adjusted automatically as the Crossfade value is changed, to bring in more or less of the pre-loop sample data into the loop. tension - Changes the slope of the crossfade volume envelope. Set by ear. snap - The Crossfade and Smear processes take advantage of the detected pitch of the sample (set it in the sample settings, click

F2

inside the Editor). In order to minimize phase cancellation, the Smear echoes are snapped to the pitch period. The snap setting changes the multiple of the pitch period (shown in the title bar) that the Smear tool works to. Blur Order - A 'smoothing/blurring' tool that works by smearing together multiple 'echoes' of the waveform. The higher the value of this parameter the more closely spaced the echoes (delay taps). Works best on sustained sounds (e.g. pads/strings) and is designed to minimize the 'beating' sound sometimes heard in bad loops. scale - Similar to a 'tension' parameter. Controls the peak of the smear function. Higher values create a sharper cut-off at the blur boundaries. amp - Changes the amplitude (volume) of the loop.

Using Loop Tuner When you open the tool the selected region or loop will play continually, allowing you to process the loop with the options above. Technical explanations have been provided here for your edification, however experimentation and 'setting by ear' are the best way to use this tool (if it sounds good, it is good). Selecting the loop - Loop Tuner will work on the selected loop or active region when opened. If you have no selections the whole sample will be used. Loop start position - Some settings will move the loop-start point automatically, to accommodate the loop smoothing process. To preserve your loop-start point set the Crossfade and Snap settings to minimum. Settings - Loop Tuner remembers the last settings used and applies them the next time it is opened.

Action button Reset - Return to the default settings. Accept - Process and paste (replace) the original selection.

REWIRE SUPPORT

ReWire, Connecting to external software ReWire

is a communications protocol originally developed by Propellerhead

Software & Steinberg. It enables instruments, sequencers and DAWs to connect and share 'sample accurate' audio and transport functions. A tutorial

Rewire video

is available.

FL Studio supports both client and host mode for all ReWire applications. The following pages describe how FL Studio implements ReWire and contain step-bystep guides on how to use ReWire to connect FL Studio with Cubase™ SX, Live™, Sonar™ (client), ReBirth™ and Reason™ (host). NOTE: FL Studio can also be used as a VST plugin. If your DAW software supports VST, we recommend loading FL STudio as a VST inside the host, rather than using ReWire.

Host & Client Modes Host Mode

Client Mode

NOTE: FL Studio can also be linked in client mode as a VSTi or DXi synth.

REWIRE SUPPORT

Client Mode FL Studio can function as a ReWire client with ReWire enabled hosts. When functioning as a ReWire client, FL Studio sends all of its audio output to the ReWire host (providing up to 16 individual stereo outputs). FL Studio synchronizes with the host transport controls (playback/stop, song position) and has ability to send and receive MIDI data from the host.

Implementation Characteristics FL Studio ReWire has the following specific features:

Exported Audio Outputs Outputs, when used as a ReWire client, FL Studio provides 16 stereo outputs (32 paired mono channels). By default the first output pair is assigned to the Master mixer track, which means the whole project mix is sent to the first output pair. You can change this combination to fit your needs. For example, you can assign each Mixer track to a separate output, thus assigning individual outputs to a maximum of 16 individual mixer tracks in the Rewire host. Plugins being used in FL Studio with multiple outputs should have these outputs routed to individual mixer tracks, this way they will become individually available through the Mixer outputs to the Rewire host.

MIDI Support ReWire allows MIDI IN and MIDI OUT via the ReWire connection. The ReWire output bus appears as a regular MIDI output device in the MIDI Settings window of FL Studio. The ReWire MIDI output is usually linked to port 10, but you can change this assignment to suit your needs (to use it, add a MIDI Out channel set to the same port). MIDI input works by mapping the first 16 channels (in order) in the Step Sequencer to 16 unique MIDI channels. To control any of these channels, simply send MIDI from the host to the appropriate channel number in the ReWire MIDI bus.

Automatic Launch

FL Studio is launched automatically when a ReWire device is activated within the host (since Cubase™ always activates all existing ReWire devices, FL Studio is launched at the startup of Cubase™). Normally, there is no need to launch FL Studio from the shortcut after launching the host. If the ReWire device is activated, but not used, FL Studio will use a minimum of additional system resources adding little to the CPU load. However, if you don't intend to use FL Studio as a ReWire device, you can unregister the device (see below).

Registering/Unregistering the ReWire Device You can register (enable) the FL Studio ReWire device by launching the Start Menu > Programs > FL Studio > Advanced > Install Plugin Version shortcut. You will be prompted to install the VSTi and DXi plugins first. Click cancel on both boxes and confirm you want to register the ReWire device in the last box. To unregister (disable) the FL Studio ReWire device, use the Start Menu > Programs > FL Studio > Advanced > Uninstall ReWire Client shortcut.

ReWire Panel If you?re using a host that supports ReWire devices, and the FL Studio ReWire device is activated, launch FL Studio from the Start Menu shortcut to display the ReWire panel rather than the default interface window. Click the FL Studio logo to toggle the visibility of the FL Studio window inside the host (normally this window is displayed automatically after the ReWire panel is launched).

Not a Standalone Process FL Studio is launched as a process inside the ReWire host. This means that the FL Studio window is 'linked' to the host application window, with the following consequences: The FL Studio window is 'linked' to the same taskbar button as the host. Although the panel has its own taskbar button, the FL Studio window uses the same one as the host. Minimizing the FL Studio window hides the host window and vice versa. To hide the FL Studio window only, use the close button instead of the minimize button (this will not terminate the current FL Studio session), or click the icon in the FL Studio ReWire panel to toggle visibility. Focusing the host window also focuses the FL Studio window, with the latter window always appearing in front of the host window. If FL Studio obstructs the view of the host, simply move it aside or hide it until it's needed.

General Use In most cases you'll need to follow these steps to get FL Studio running as a ReWire client in a compatible host: 1. Make sure the FL Studio device is registered. 2. Launch the host. 3. If required by the host, activate the FL Studio ReWire device (some hosts, such as Cubase™, do this automatically). 4. Launch the FL Studio ReWire panel from the standard FL Studio shortcut in the Start menu. Alternatively, some hosts (such as Sonar) provide a hide/show panel button to toggle FL Studio window visibility. 5. If the host requires it (such as Cubase™) activate at least one of the available ReWire audio channels to hear the output (FL Studio assigns the master output to the first pair of stereo ReWire channels).

Step By Step Guide

The following sections describe in a more detailed manner how to use FL Studio as a ReWire client in Cubase™, Live™ & Sonar™: Using FL Studio with Cubase™ SX Using FL Studio with Live Using FL Studio with Sonar

REWIRE SUPPORT

Using FL Studio ReWire with Cubase SX™ The following guide covers the steps required to use the FL Studio ReWire device with Steinberg's Cubase SX™ sequencer. The guide assumes you have read and understood the general information and guidelines about using FL Studio as a ReWire client (see Client Mode).

1. Make sure the FL Studio ReWire device is registered Registering ensures Cubase™ will detect the device at startup and launch FL Studio as a ReWire client. If you have disabled the device earlier or you are not sure if it is registered, repeat the FL Studio ReWire device registration procedure.

2. Launch Cubase SX Launch Cubase SX™ and start a new project (or open an existing one).

3. Enable the required audio channels In the Cubase™ window, open the Devices menu and select FL Studio. You will see the configuration for the FL Studio ReWire device that allows you to select the audio channels that are active for the device. By default all channels are inactive. The default setup of FL Studio links the master mixer track to the first stereo pair of audio channels (as shown lower-right) so the entire FL Studio mix is audible.

4. Launch the FL Studio ReWire panel. Launch FL Studio from the shortcut on your Desktop or the one in your Start Menu. Since you have started a ReWire host prior to this (Cubase™), you will see the FL Studio ReWire device panel. The panel automatically displays the FL Studio window in the host.

5. Toggle the FL Studio window visibility Clicking the FL Studio icon toggles the visibility of the FL Studio window inside Cubase™. If you need to hide the FL Studio window, use the close button in the FL Studio window (this will not terminate the current session) or click the icon button on the FL Studio ReWire panel. To display the window later, click the icon button again.

6. End FL Studio is now setup to work properly as a ReWire device inside Cubase™. To test the setup, load an existing project in FL Studio or activate several steps in an existing channel and hit the play button in Cubase™. You will hear FL Studio playing synchronized with Cubase™.

REWIRE SUPPORT

Using FL Studio ReWire with Sonar The following guide covers the steps required to use the FL Studio ReWire device with Sonar. The guide assumes you have read and understood the general information and guidelines about using FL Studio as a ReWire client (see Client Mode).

1. Make sure the FL Studio ReWire device is registered Registering ensures Sonar will detect the device at startup and launch FL Studio as a ReWire client. If you have disabled the device earlier or you are not sure if it is registered, repeat the FL Studio ReWire device registration procedure.

2. Launch Sonar Launch Sonar and start a new project (or open an existing one).

3. Activate the FL Studio ReWire device In the Sonar window, open the Views menu and select Synth Rack from the popup window and activate the FL Studio ReWire panel.

4. Show the FL Studio interface. Sonar's Synth Rack contains the Properties button which lets you show the FL Studio interface. Click the button once

to display the interface. Alternatively, launch FL Studio from the shortcut on your Desktop or the one in your Start Menu. Since you have started a ReWire host prior to Sonar, you will see the FL Studio ReWire device panel. The panel automatically displays the FL Studio window in the host. Clicking the FL Studio icon toggles the visibility of the FL Studio window similar to the Properties button in the Synth Rack.

6. End FL Studio is now set up to function correctly as a ReWire device inside Sonar. To test the setup, load an existing project in FL Studio or activate several steps in an existing channel and hit the play button in Sonar. You will hear FL Studio playing synchronized with Sonar.

REWIRE SUPPORT

Using FL Studio ReWire with Live The following guide covers the steps required to use the FL Studio ReWire device with Live. The guide assumes you have read and understood the general information and guidelines about using FL Studio as a ReWire client (see Client Mode).

1. Make sure the FL Studio ReWire device is registered Registering ensures Live will detect the device at startup and launch FL Studio as a ReWire client. If you have disabled the device earlier or you are not sure if it is registered, repeat the FL Studio ReWire device registration procedure.

2. Launch Live Launch Live and start a new project (or open an existing one).

3. Activate the FL Studio ReWire device In the Live window, open an Audio track and select FL Studio from the popup window in the Audio From menu.

4. Show the FL Studio interface To open the FL ReWire window, simply start FL Studio. When Live is running, FL will detect it as a ReWire master and will start in ReWire client mode.

6. End FL Studio is now setup to work properly as a ReWire device inside Live. To test the setup, load an existing project in FL Studio or activate several steps in an existing channel and hit the play button in Live. You will hear FL Studio playing

synchronized with Live.

REWIRE SUPPORT

Host Mode FL Studio can function as a ReWire host for installed ReWire clients. The host functionality is implemented via the ReWired plugin. Each instance of the plugin lets you host one ReWire device (to use multiple devices, simply add multiple instances of the plugin to your project). The ReWire client sends its audio output to the ReWired plugin. The client will also synchronize with the FL Studio transport controls (playback/stop, song position) and provides ability to transmit MIDI to and from the ReWire client.

Parameters Client - Select the ReWire client to be hosted in FL Studio. Show Panel - After selecting a client, click here to launch the client application. Note that some ReWire clients may not launch from this button (ReBirth for example). In this case simply use their Start Menu shortcut. The ReWire client will detect the FL Studio host automatically at startup. Online Device Information ("?" button) - Click this button to open your default browser and see more information about the ReWire client currently set in the Client menu box. You need to be on-line to use this feature. Multi Outputs - Normally the complete audio from the ReWire client will be sent to the ReWired plugin. If the ReWire client has multiple audio outputs you can enable this option to send each ReWire output to an

individual mixer track. For example, if ReWired was linked to track 10, output 1 will be sent to track 10, output 2 to track 11, output 3 to track 12, etc. MIDI Options - This button launches the MIDI output dialog where you can map ReWire MIDI busses (input and output) to standard FL Studio MIDI ports. For more information, see "MIDI Connectivity" below.

General Use In most cases you need to follow these steps to connect a ReWire client to FL Studio: 1. Add an instance of the ReWired plugin. 2. Select a ReWire device from the Client combo box. If the device is not listed, ensure the ReWire client is registered/installed correctly. 3. Click the Show Panel button to launch the ReWire client. This function may not work properly with some clients, in which case launch the application manually from the Start Menu shortcut (only after you have selected the client in the ReWired plugin). 4. The client is now connected to FL Studio. The audio output will be streamed into the ReWired plugin and the playback and song position will be synchronized. After you have completed this setup you can also access the MIDI connectivity features of ReWire (if the client supports it). See MIDI Connectivity below.

MIDI Connectivity ReWire allows the host (FL Studio) to send and receive MIDI data from the client by mapping the ReWire input/output MIDI busses to regular FL Studio MIDI ports. To adjust the MIDI mapping settings, click the MIDI Options button in the ReWired plugin. For this functionality to work, the client needs to make use of the MIDI connectivity features of ReWire, otherwise the controls in this window will be empty/disabled.

Mappings - Displays any existing mappings you have created for this ReWire client. Map - Lets you select Input or Output port to map. Input port sends MIDI data from FL Studio to the client, output port maps MIDI data coming from the client to FL Studio MIDI port. Port - Lets you select the FL Studio MIDI port to map. To - Lets you select the ReWire MIDI bus the port will be mapped to. Add/Change - Adds mapping defined in the Map/Port/To control to the Mappings list. Delete - Deletes the selected mapping from the Mappings list. Always send notes to bus - Notes and other MIDI events on the ReWired channel will be sent to the bus (showing 'Reason') and channel (showing '4') of the currently loaded ReWire device. Channels - The list displays the synths/controls that are linked to each of the channels for the currently selected ReWire MIDI bus (selected by the "To" combo box). The list is informative, you can not edit the assignments. You can perform several operations with the MIDI connectivity provided by ReWired:

Control the client via MIDI

To control the client and its synths from a MIDI Out channel, you can map an input port to a ReWire MIDI bus. To do this: 1. Via the MIDI Options of the ReWired plugin, map an input port to a ReWire MIDI bus. 2. In a MIDI Out channel, set the same port as an output port. 3. In the MIDI Out channel, select the MIDI channel to use (refer to the Channels list in the Options window for channel assignments). Control a VSTi/DXi plugin from a client

1. Via the MIDI Options dialog of the ReWired plugin, map an output port to a ReWire MIDI bus. 2. Make sure the client is set up properly to send MIDI data to the same ReWire MIDI bus. 3. In a VSTi/DXi channel, set the same port as an input port. You can use similar setups to control a ReWire client from another ReWire client or send MIDI data from a VSTi/DXi plugin to a ReWire client. NOTE: Even if no mapping exists for a ReWired plugin, adding a sequence for it (events, notes, etc.) automatically sends the generated MIDI data to the default ReWire bus. It is recommended to use MIDI Out channels for greater control over the MIDI data mapping.

Step By Step Guide The following sections describe how to setup and use two popular ReWire clients with FL Studio: Using FL Studio with ReBirth Using FL Studio with Reason

REWIRE SUPPORT

Using FL Studio ReWire with ReBirth The following guide covers the steps required to use the FL Studio ReWire device with Propellerhead Software's ReBirth. The guide assumes you have read and understood the general information and guidelines about using FL Studio as a ReWire host (see Host Mode).

1. Add ReWired to the project Add an instance of the ReWired plugin to your project.

2. Select a Client Select ReBirth Audio from the Client combo box of the ReWired channel. If ReBirth Audio is not present in the list, make sure ReBirth is properly registered/installed. Keep in mind only ReBirth 2.01 and later support ReWire (ReBirth 2.0 and earlier cannot connect with FL Studio).

3. Launch ReBirth Launch ReBirth from the Start Menu shortcut.

4. End ReBirth will now operate as a ReWire client for FL Studio. All of the output will stream into the ReWired plugin and the playback and song position will be synchronized.

REWIRE SUPPORT

Using FL Studio ReWire with Reason The following guide covers the steps required to use the FL Studio ReWire device with Propellerhead Software's Reason. The guide assumes you have read and understood the general information and guidelines about using FL Studio as a ReWire host (see Host Mode).

General Use 1. Add ReWired to the project Add an instance of the ReWired plugin to your project.

2. Select a Client Select Reason from the Client combo box of the ReWired channel. If Reason is not listed, make sure Reason is registered/installed correctly.

3. Launch Reason Launch Reason from the Start Menu shortcut. Alternatively, use the Show Panel button in the ReWired channel.

4. End Reason will now operate as a ReWire client for FL Studio. All of the output will be streamed into the ReWired plugin and the playback and song position will be synchronized.

Controlling Reason via MIDI Reason provides access to many of its controls and synths via the ReWire MIDI busses. To make use of this feature, you need to set a MIDI Out channel in FL Studio to a specific port/channel which is mapped to the ReWire MIDI bus of Reason:

Open the MIDI Options for ReWired Click the MIDI Options button for the ReWired channel that is linked to Reason.

Map Input Port To send MIDI data to Reason, you need to map an FL Studio input port to the ReWire bus. Use the following settings to create a new mapping: Map: Input Port: 50 (or any free MIDI port you have) To: Reason Click Add/Change. The mapping will appear in the Mappings list.

Create a MIDI Out channel Add an instance of the MIDI Out channel to your project.

Adjust the MIDI Out settings Set the output port of the MIDI Out channel to 50 (or the port you have selected to map earlier). The default project in Reason (2.5 or later) contains a controllable synth on channel 2 - MelodyB (for a full list of synths, see the Channels list in the ReWired MIDI Options window). Select channel 2 in MIDI Out. Any notes now played in MIDI Out will be sent to Reason and played by MelodyB. You can also add additional MIDI Out channels to control other available channels.

FL Studio AS A PLUGIN

FL Studio as a Plugin (VSTi) FL Studio can be loaded and used as a VSTi instrument in a compatible host application. In this mode, the output is sent to the host and the play/stop events and tempo are synchronized. Controlling FL Studio channels and parameters using MIDI messages is also supported. Additionally, you can send each mixer track to a separate output, if the host supports VSTi/DXi plugins with multiple outputs.

Installing VSTi connection plugins VSTi Connection Normally, FL Studio will ask you where to copy the VSTi connection to during the installation. However, if you didn't install the plugin at that time, or you want to install it on more than one host, in the Windows Start Menu, select Programs > FL Studio > Advanced > Install Plugin Version. You will see a dialog where you can set the plugin folder of the host where you want the connection installed. You will also be asked also whether to install the DXi2 version of the connection (click Cancel to skip this step).

Basic use of VSTi connections Add an instance of the FL Studio VSTi plugin or the Multi FL Studio VSTi plugin. Open the editor of the plugin (for more information on how to work with plugins, check the manual that comes with your host application). Click the FL Studio button (as shown) to access the FL Studio interface. Now you can continue to work as usual - load projects, edit instruments and melodies. However, the audio output of FL Studio will be sent to the host application. Also, when you play in the host application, FL Studio will be synchronized. You can select whether FL Studio should follow its own tempo or the host tempo using the Slave tempo option in the Audio Settings. The Time Offset setting in the plugin editor sets how many bars FL Studio should start playing before the host plays. Select a negative value to have FL Studio start later than the host. Due to issues with VSTi plugins (which are not FL Studiorelated), it is always preferable to leave one bar time empty at the start of the song, either using the Time Offset option, or by leaving an empty bar in both the

FL Studio Playlist and the host sequence. NOTE: To hide the FL Studio interface and work in the host, don't use the minimize button as it will also hide the host window. Use the close button so that FL Studio remains active.

Using multiple outputs FL Studio plugin connections can be either single or multiple output versions. The single output version sends the whole audio output of FL Studio as single pair of channels (left and right channel). The multiple output version allows you to link each mixer track in FL Studio to one of 16 possible stereo outputs. You can then mix each stereo output separately in the host. To select the output for a specific track, in FL Studio, open the Mixer window and use the OUT routing menu from the Mixer. You can route from the Master Mixer track to gain all Mixer channels or the individual mixer tracks as needed. NOTE: Not all hosts support VSTi or DXi plugins with multiple outputs. In these cases, use the single output version of the plugin.

Controlling FL Studio channels & patterns from the host All FL Studio channels can be controlled via MIDI messages from the host. To do so, create a MIDI channel in the host, select the FL Studio connection plugin as an output and check the instruments list. If the host supports custom instrument names, all FL Studio channels will be listed. Select the name of the channel to control. Remember to assign the track a unique MIDI channel number (out of 16 available). You can also control any automatable FL Studio parameter from the host. This feature works exactly like using MIDI remote control with an external MIDI device. Link the parameters as usual to the corresponding MIDI controller number and MIDI channel. Select whether to record MIDI messages from the host

application during recording sessions from the Audio Settings. To trigger patterns directly from your VSTi host, use the Playlist Live Preview MIDI channel (see MIDI Settings.)

Issues with the VSTi/DXi2 connections Slide notes, per note, shift, pan, cutoff and resonance are not supported by the MIDI standard; you will need to use FL Studio for sequencing to access these features. When running the VSTi connection from Cubase™, drag and drop operations in the Browser will not work.

FILE FORMATS

Open/Import File Formats This section contains a description of the file formats that FL Studio can open/import. They are all accessible from Open and Import commands in the File menu. FL Studio Loop File (*.flp) Zipped Loop File (*.zip) BeatCreator/BeatSlicer Grid File (*.zgr) MIDI File (*.mid) Beat to Slice (*.wav)

OPEN/IMPORT FILE FORMATS

FL Studio Project File (*.flp) This is the native project format of FL Studio. It retains all data that belongs to your project, but note this does not include any wave samples, DrumSynth and SimSynth presets that are included in the project. If you open a project file that doesn't have the required samples or presets, FL Studio performs a search in the folder where the loop file was loaded from, then its sample folder, and all custom folders that are added to the Browser (see Browser File Settings). If you want to skip the check, press and hold ESC key while loading.

OPEN/IMPORT FILE FORMATS

Zipped Project File (*.zip) FL Studio will open and uncompress standard ZIP files . Then it will search for a FL Studio project file and open it. Any samples included in the ZIP file will be loaded, if they are included in the project. This enables you to create single file where you have both the project file (.flp) and all samples/presets it uses. FL Studio can also automatically create such zipped packages (see Zipped Project File from Save/Export file formats).

OPEN/IMPORT FILE FORMATS

BeatCreator/BeatSlicer Grid File (*.zgr) ZGR files are created by BeatSlicer and BeatCreator programs. They contain the slicing scheme of particular loop - you can edit the slice points visually in either BeatSlicer or BeatCreator and then open grid files in FL Studio - it will slice the loop and map each slice to a separate Sampler channel automatically.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Import MIDI Data Dialog (*.mid) The Import MIDI data dialog appears when you import MIDI files that contain note and/or automation data.

NOTE: MIDI is not audio, it is note and automation data. It needs to be read by an instrument before you can hear it. The reason you can play many .mid files on your computer is that the Windows operating system assigns the MIDI data to the inbuilt synthesizer/samples in your audio interface (see the section on playing General MIDI files below).

How to import MIDI data The options on the MIDI import dialog will change depending on how the MIDI file is loaded into FL Studio. Options are: 1. Import a MIDI file from the Main File menu. 2. Import a MIDI file from the Piano roll menu. 3. Drag a MIDI file from the Browser and drop on: 3.1 Channel Rack. 3.2 Piano roll. 3.3 FL Studio desktop.

Options

Which Tracks to Import - Click the drop-down menu to select which MIDI tracks to import. A track is usually associated with a MIDI Channel and contains a particular instrument's data ('Piano', 'Melody', 'Drums', etc.), there can be up to 16 MIDI tracks, what you will see depends on the data file to be imported. Which Channels to Import - Select the MIDI Channels to import. Leftclick a Channel number (selected channels are marked in red) to include it in the import, Right-click to exclude a Channel from the import. Blend with existing data - The MIDI data will be blended with any data already in the pattern/s. Start new project - Opens the MIDI file in a new project. If this option is deselected, any data in the Instrument channels for the selected pattern will be overwritten. Create one channel per track - Imports each MIDI channel (1 to 16 possible) in the MIDI file as a separate Instrument channel and loads a MIDI Out plugin set to the tracks Channel number, on each. Realign events - Removes any empty-space at the start of the file. Accept - Import the MIDI data.

Playing General MIDI Files For this trick you will need MIDI Out instrument/s, a Fruity LSD effect and a General MIDI file. Each track in the MIDI file will be imported into a separate Instrument channel (holding a MIDI Out plugin), with unique Piano roll 'color group'/MIDI channel data. These will use 'General MIDI' instruments from your audio interfaces inbuilt Synth/Sampler: 1. Import the MIDI data using the 'Create one channel per track' option (see above). NOTE: the import method will determine if you see the 'Create one channel per track' option, use 1 or 3.3 (above). 2. A MIDI Out plugin will automatically load on each Instrument channel. The MIDI Channel selectors on each MIDI Out plugin will be set accordingly. 3. Load a Fruity LSD plugin on the Mixer track Effect slot of your choice.

4. Set the Fruity LSD to Port 0 (Omni mode) so that it responds to all the MIDI Out Instrument channels. 5. Press play and enjoy the cheesy world of 'General MIDI'. We recommend replacing the Fruity Outs with regular Plugin instruments before someone catches you!

OPEN/IMPORT FILE FORMATS

Beat to Slice (*.wav) Selecting this item (from Import submenu in File menu) lets you import wave file into separate slices, using the BeatSlicer engine by Peter Segerdahl (available at www.flstudio.com

).

After you choose a wave to be imported, select the folder where the sliced beat samples placed and this dialog box will appear:

Target - Lets you select how the sliced beat is imported to FL Studio. Available targets are: Layered Sampler Channels - each slice is imported to a (zipped) layered Sampler channel and the composition is placed in the Piano Roll of the Layer channel; Sampler Channels - each slice is imported to a Sampler channel and the Step Sequencer's grid is used to hold the beat composition; Slicer Channel - the sliced beat is imported to a single Slicer channel and the composition is placed in the Piano roll. Start New Project - Imports the sliced beat to a new project. When this option is off, the sliced beat is merged with the current project.

SAVE/EXPORT FILE FORMATS

Export Project Dialog (*.wav; *.mp3, *.ogg, *.mid)

!

Most commonly you will be exporting your project to .wav or .mp3 audio files to be played in a media player, car stereo or hi-fi. The final mix is exported from FL Studio using the export option in the file menu in a non-real time process called 'rendering'. The time taken will depend on export settings (see below) and project complexity. Rendered audio is better quality than the live sound from FL Studio. Export formats include: Audio - .wav, .mp3, .ogg formats that save the complete audio mix of your project (see the note below on including sounds from external hardware). MIDI - .mid, that saves Step Sequencer / Piano roll note data to standard MIDI files. MIDI is not an audio format. NOTE: Exporting is not necessary to save your project for later work, use the File menu project Save option to .flp or .zip.

Recording External Hardware NOTE: To include sounds from external hardware such as a synthesizer, drum-machine or sampler in the final render 1. Make MIDI connections to the device from your computer AND audio connections from the device to your audio interface inputs. 2. Record the sound as it is played by FL Studio (using a MIDI Out plugin to drive the hardware). 3. Place the recorded audio as an Audio Clip in the Playlist. 4. Render the project to audio as shown here.

Settings

We recommend watching the video Xiph.org)

A Digital Show and Tell (by Monty @

to learn about how digital audio works. It will help you to understand

what is and is not important on the audio settings.

Info Shows information about the current project. Mode - Displays whether FL Studio will render the whole Song or currently selected Pattern. Total Time - Shows total time length of the song to be exported. Disk Space - Shows the disk space required to hold exported audio file/s. If more than one save format is selected in the Output panel the combined total is reported. Bar# - Reports the current bar being rendered and the total number of bars in the project (current/total).

Looping Mode Looping mode only applies to audio formats (.wav, .mp3 and .ogg) and determines how any decaying sound after the last bar of your project/loop is rendered. For example, the tail of a reverb of a sound may be important for the impression of smooth continuity when looping, or to prevent the decaying reverb in a 'straight' render being chopped off. If, after rendering the last bar from the song there is still sound decaying, this option sets how FL Studio should proceed. Leave remainder is the default. NOTE: If you are making loop files use .wav format, .mp3 in particular leaves a small silence at the start of the sound that will interfere with looping. Leave remainder - Expands the song length to capture any decaying sounds. If 'Leave remainder' still chops of any trailing audio, the Playlist Repeat marker can be used to define the rendering end-point. While Repeat marker positions are usually ignored, if they are placed after the last Pattern, Audio or Automation Clip in the Playlist, the project will be rendered up to the position of the Repeat marker. Wrap remainder - Wraps any decaying sound at the end of the song onto the beginning (useful when rendering loops with effects). NOTE: This feature works by starting the render at the last bar, then mixing any audio decaying after the last bar back into the start of the song. If the

decaying sound comes from notes before the last bar it won't be wrapped. Cut remainder - Cuts the render at the end of the last bar.

Quality Sample Interpolation - Select the waveform interpolation method used for Sampler/Audio-Clip channels. Interpolation

is a curve fitting process

that computes intermediate sample amplitude data between the known sample points (filling in the gaps). This is only required when samples are transposed from their original pitch and the program calls for a sample value out of sync with the source data-points. Without interpolation quantizing (amplitude) errors can create unwanted high-frequency harmonic artifacts (aliasing

& quantizing

errors). FL Studio provides

several methods of increasing computational complexity and therefore accuracy Linear interpolation is the fastest method. It provides basic linear averaging between samples, however it can result in aliasing (high frequency noises) if samples are transposed far from their original pitch. 6-point Hermite has been optimized to be a quick curve interpolation method with superior quality to linear interpolation. It is ideal for exporting 'working drafts' of your audio files. 64, 128, 256, 512-point Sinc methods provide increasing quality interpolation, but they are also very slow. We recommended that you use at least 64-point Sinc on your final render, or better still, the maximum Sinc value that you are prepared to wait to finish rendering. This video covers

Aliasing and Interpolation

.

NOTE: There is an independent live audio interpolation set on the F10 > Audio Settings, Mixer section. If different Mixer and Render interpolation options are set, this can cause the live and rendered audio to sound different, specifically in the high frequency regions. Aliasing can create a 'false' high frequency brightness. Setting the live interpolation method to 64-point sinc will minimize this problem, should it arise. Dithering - Applies 32 to 16-Bit dithering to 16-Bit .wav and .mp3 files. Dither should only be applied once to 16 Bit audio file during the final render (if at all). What is dithering? Simply, dithering

randomizes the value of the least

significant bit when making bit-depth conversions (32 to 16 for example). The purpose is to break up the predictability of rounding errors that happen during the bit-depth conversion. If dithering is not used, these rounding errors correlate with the audio signal and so generate alias frequencies. When dithering is used these alias frequencies are replaced by an additional background hiss. Hiss is generally less distracting or noticeable than aliasing and so dithering has become a standard process to apply to the final 16 bit render ready for CD. NOTE: Both the bit-reduction induced aliasing noise (without dither) or the hiss (with dither) is only audible in very, very quiet parts of a recording, where the music is approaching the limits of the bit-depth AND you have the volume turned up very loud. If you are hearing noise

artifacts and your track is playing at normal listening levels, then it is some other type of noise, probably

resample based aliasing

(see the

interpolation settings) or compression artifacts (mp3/ogg bit-depth). There is a lot of nonsense written on music forums about the benefits of dithering. Remember, it's a simple random jittering of the least significant bit. It does not add 'sparkle', 'punch' or 'bass'! It replaces one very low level noise (aliasing) with another (hiss). HQ for all plugins - Sets high quality mode for any native FL Studio plugins (effects, instruments & sampler channels) used in the song. VST plugins may also render in HQ mode if the Wrapper setting Notify about rendering mode is selected. Disable Max Poly - Ignores the max poly setting in Miscellaneous Channel Settings but does NOT ignore Mono option if selected.

Output format/s Select the output format/s for the project render. To save in more than one format simply select multiple options on this panel.

Sample rate The output (Mixer) sample rate is set in the Audio Settings window. Values between 22000 Hz (22 kHz) and 192000 Hz (192 kHz) are possible. 44100 Hz (44.1 kHz)is the CD standard.

Wave (Audio) Wave is a lossless

audio format and preferred for handling audio in a production

environment (use it to save all your samples, sounds and archive material). The drop-down menu contains bit-depth

options for the exported wave file:

What bit-depth should I use? 16-Bit integer wave is the highest-quality audio file compatible with a wide range of playback devices. It's also the CD audio format so if you want to create audio files compatible with CD format use 44.1 kHz, 16-Bit .wav files make sure to set 44.1 kHz in the Audio Settings window. Also note that FL Studio does not burn to CD format, it creates audio files ready for burning. Use any 3rd party CD burning program to create the audio CD.

24-Bit integer wave is a common bit-depth used by DAW hardware & some older software DAWs. Use this bit-depth if 32Bit (see below) float is not supported by the device or application. 32-Bit floating point is the native format of FL Studio's mix engine. Render to 32-Bit float when you intend to continue mixing or editing the file in another application (wave editor or DAW) that supports the 32-Bit float format. 32-Bit float provides more precision for audio processing and so will ensure the highest quality is preserved during post production activities. What sample rate should I use? MP3 can only use 32000, 44100 and 48000 Hz. Set the FL Studio sample rate in the Audio Settings.

MP3/OGG (Audio) MP3 (Mpeg Layer 3)

and ogg(Ogg Vorbis)

are both 'lossy

' formats that

compact the audio to save space. This means that at lower bit-rate settings you may hear unwanted artifacts often described as 'underwater sounds' or 'bubbling'. The slider sets bit-rate of the mp3/ogg audio file, as bit-rate increases the audio quality improves, but at the expense of file size. What bit-rate should I use? 64 kb/s (or less) is useful for low-quality internet 'demo' tracks. Compression artifacts will be noticeable. 128 kb/s is the point where 'acceptable' quality starts for the majority of people. It is useful for web streaming and e-mailing music files. 160 kb/s is the point where it becomes difficult for many people to distinguish CD from MP3 (not discerning FL Studio producers, of course). It is a good minimum bit-rate to use for music distribution and listening purposes. Some material may still produce audible compression artifacts. Listen carefully to the entire track with headphones if quality is important and consider a higher bit-rate. 224 kb/s (or greater) and mp3/ogg become practically indistinguishable from CD under normal listening conditions. It is

a good minimum Bit rate to use for archival of a quality compressed copy of audio. bit-rates of 224, or greater, can be useful when collaborating over the Internet and you need to share audio files that may be impractical in CD .wav format (1400 kb/s). NOTES: The maximum bit-rate for MP3 is 320 kbps and 450 kbps for ogg. This means if you set the slider to 450 kbps, MP3 files will still render at 320 kbps while ogg files will render at 450 kbps. The relationship between kbps setting and the audibility of artifacts will depend on the material being rendered and the listening environment. You should always check your rendered files with a good pair of headphones prior to release. Sample rates - the MP3 standard only supports 3 rates (32000, 44100 and 48000 Hz). Setting the FL Studio sample rate outside these values will result in MP3 rendering errors. The MP3 conversion introduces a small silence at the start of the file in addition to the original audio. For this reason it's not suitable for use where time-alignment of the audio is critical (loops, samples, vocal tracks etc). Where possible use at least 16Bit .wav format when sharing or saving audio in a production environment.

MIDI (Data) MIDI is a standard note & automation data format and will save the contents of the Step Sequencer and Piano roll. As note data is saved along with FL Studio project, only export to MIDI if you intend to import the note data into a 3rd party application. To export: 1. Make sure to save your project in its current state, the next step will replace Channel instruments. 2. Use the macro Prepare for MIDI export on the main Tools menu that replaces all Channels with auto-configured MIDI Out plugins. This is necessary to export project-wide MIDI in the correct multi-channel format. To export individual Piano roll data as MIDI files use the Piano roll menu option 'Export as MIDI file'. 3. Select MIDI on the Export Project Dialog and press Start. 4. Don't save your project in this state you will lose the original Channel settings. Save to a new project if required. NOTE: MIDI is not an audio format. If your media player can play MIDI files it is using the synthesizer/sampler built into your audio interface to create audio from the MIDI data.

Options Split Mixer Tracks - When selected, each Mixer track in the project is exported as a separate .wav file. NOTES: 1. This option does not export to mp3/ogg formats. 2. If you are using plugins with multiple-outputs to Mixer tracks make sure the Mixer tracks have names. This will ensure FL Studio knows they are being used and renders them. Save ACIDized - Saves project tempo and slice/region markers in .wav/.mp3 files in Sony ACID™ meta-data format. Useful for programs that can read this data type. NOTE You can change the tempo using the Edison Sample Properties dialog and the slice/region markers in Edison's wave-edit window. Save Slice Markers - If enabled, each note will create a slice marker in the exported file. This means that FL Studio exports sliced drum loops which are automatically ready for slice re-ordering and high quality time stretching. Delay compensation - The default is ON and applies only to exported .wav files. As PDC can add a delay to Mixer Tracks, this option decides if the PDC delay is rendered, or not. When selected, any PDC that was added to the Master Mixer Track or Split mixer tracks (see above) is removed from the start of the rendered .wav file. When deselected the PDC remains as a short period of silence equal to the PDC setting of the source Mixer Track. NOTE: This does not turn PDC on or off, it just decides if any PDC is rendered at the start of the .wav file. See also: Latency compensation this removes delay caused by the ASIO Buffer length setting during recording. If you have already recorded the audio, it's too late, you will need to manually align it to the Playlist if it has a delay induced offset. Sometimes unwanted rendering delays can be caused by Plugins Behaving Badly.

Rendering Buttons Background Rendering - Minimizes and renders in background mode, allowing you to work on other Windows applications. Start - Starts Rendering. The name will change to Abort once rendering is underway.

SAVE/EXPORT FILE FORMATS

FL Studio Project File (*.flp) This is the native project format of FL Studio. It retains all data that belongs to your project, but note that this does not include any wave samples (unless there is an Edison Wave Editor loaded with an audio in the project), DrumSynth and SimSynth presets that are included in the project. To export package that includes samples used in the project, save to a Zipped Project Package instead. NOTE: Demo plugins are saved with the project BUT next time you open the project they will be replaced with placeholders. You will receive a warning about this when you try to save to .flp/.zip that contains a demo plugin. Sad solution Replace demo plugins with non-demo ones prior to saving. Happy solution Continue with the save, then buy the plugin, next time you open the project the plugin/s will re-load and be out of demo mode :)

SAVE/EXPORT FILE FORMATS

Zipped Project File (*.zip)

!

Projects can be saved to standard ZIP files. This format will save the FL Project file and all samples/presets used by the project. FL Studio can also open ZIP files directly (see Zipped Project file from Open/Import File formats). NOTE: Demo plugins are saved with the project BUT next time you open the project they will be replaced with placeholders. You will receive a warning about this when you try to save to .flp/.zip that contains a demo plugin. Sad solution Replace demo plugins with non-demo ones prior to saving. Happy solution Continue with the save, then buy the plugin, next time you open the project the plugin/s will re-load and be out of demo mode :)

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

DrumSynth Preset (*.ds) The Sampler can use presets from DrumSynth directly - a wave file is generated automatically from any DrumSynth preset loaded into FL Studio. When you load a .ds file rather than a wave file, you gain additional options in the Miscellaneous Channel Settings page.

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

FastTracker's Extended Instrument (*.xi) The .xi format is an extended instrument file format of FastTracker. The Sampler can ?extract? a wave sample from an .xi file directly, but note that some .xi files contain more than one wave sample. Since the Sampler supports only one wave per channel, only one of the available waves is imported. Also, envelope and LFO settings are not imported.

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

MS Waveform File (*.wav) FL Studio works internally/natively with 32 Bit float .wav files. All sample based instruments that work with sample data can load .wav format for samples. Supported wave subformats include: PCM Waveform and any ACM waveform, as long as you have the required codec properly installed and working. Bit depth 8, 16, 24, and 32-Bit int, 32-Bit float, mono & stereo and sample rates from 6 to 192 kHz (and non-standard rates)

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

ReCycle Loops (*.rex / *.rx2 / *.rcy) ReCycle loops are the native loop format for the Propellerhead Software Recycle software. These files contain the slicing scheme of particular loop, which will be used for the time-stretching functions in FL Studio. The slices also serve special purposes in the Granulizer and Fruity Slicer plugins.

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

SimSynth Preset (*.syn) The Sampler can use presets directly from SimSynth 1 and 2 - a wave file is generated automatically when a SimSynth preset is loaded into FL Studio. SimSynth is a software synthesizer written by David Billen. You can get SimSynth from our download pages at www.flstudio.com

(SimSynth 1 is now freeware!).

When you load an .syn file rather than a wave file, you gain some additional options in Miscellaneous Channel Settings page.

SAMPLE FILE FORMATS

Speech Preset (*.SPEECH) The Speech synthesizer processes text to create computerized or Vocoder-like vocals to your projects. The *.SPEECH presets are supported by all native FL Studio plugins that use custom samples for synthesizing, i.e. Sampler, Granulizer, Fruity Slicer and Fruity Scratcher.

How to open The speech synth is not a stand-alone instrument so does not appear in the add-plugin list, it is a pop-up dialog that processes text to audio then dumps the result as a sliced Audio Clip. To add speech samples to your project start by dragging any speech preset from the Browser speech directory to an empty channel (or plugin that accepts a .wav file). The settings dialog will open, modify the text to your liking and then click OK to apply the preset to the channel. If you start with an empty channel the audio will be saved into an instance of the Fruity Slicer.

Speech Settings Dialog

1. Text Panel Speech Text box - Enter here the text to be synthesized by the engine. Listen button - Click to preview the sample based on the current settings.

2. Voice Panel Personality combo box - Click this box to select voice personality. The personality changes the timbre of the voice used. The rest of the voice settings are also set to the defaults for the personality selected. Style combo box - Selects intonation style for the voice. Monotone/Sing uses constant pitch for all words. Natural resembles a natural talk intonation. Random select random pitch for each word. Mode - Select the amount of noise mixed in the voice generated. Normal uses natural levels for the noise mixed in the voice. Breathy uses more noise to create 'breathy' voices. Whispered uses only noise for the voice synthesis, thus creating "whispered" voice effect. Rate LCD - Sets the speed of the voice. Pitch Semitone combo box - Select the pitch semitone of the voice. Pitch Octave LCD - Select the pitch octave of the voice. 3. OK button - Applies the speech preset to the generator/effect selected. If you have changed some of the settings in this dialog, you will be prompted to save the preset with a new name.

Speech Text Formatting 1. Pitch shifting of separate words You can supply a pitch offset for a word. Just place the offset amount (in semitones) after the word as a number, enclosed in parentheses: "Semitone up(1), 2 semitones down(-2)". If in this sample the base pitch is, for example, F#2, the word "up" will have pitch G2 (one semitone higher), the word "down" will have pitch E2 (two semitones lower).

2. Separating words To get more naturally sounding sentences, you may try replacing intervals " " with underscore "_". So the sentence: "This is example sentence", turns to: "This_is_example_sentence". Note that underscored sentences are recognized as a single word by Fruity Slicer channels and are not sliced properly (see below).

Fruity Slicer Support When you open a speech preset in a Fruity Slicer channel, the sentence is automatically sliced so each word resides in a separate slice. Because of this feature, a BeatSlicer grid (*.zgr) file is automatically generated by the Fruity Slicer channel, that contains the sentence.

FILE FORMATS

Other File Formats This section contains other file formats used by FL Studio. FL Studio State File (*.fst) FL Studio Score File (*.fsc) Humanize Preset File (*.fpr) MIDI File (*.mid)

OTHER FILE FORMATS

FL Studio State File (*.fst) State files in FL Studio are used to save generator and effects presets. See Save Channel State As in Channel Settings menu and Save Preset As in Mixer menu.

OTHER FILE FORMATS

FL Studio Score File (*.fsc) FL Studio Score files (.fsc) can be used to save melodies from the Piano roll or to store automation data. You can also import note events in a score file by dropping it on the Piano roll view or a channel button. To save note scores, see Save Score As in the Piano roll menu. To save automation data, see Save Automation As in the Event Editor menu.

OTHER FILE FORMATS

Humanize Preset File (*.fpr) These files contain humanize presets for note properties in the Step Sequencer, which can be set manually using the Piano roll Editor). Currently humanize presets cannot be created inside FL Studio - you'll need to use a text editor (such as Notepad) for this purpose.

AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Import MIDI Data Dialog (*.mid) The Import MIDI data dialog appears when you import MIDI files that contain note and/or automation data.

NOTE: MIDI is not audio, it is note and automation data. It needs to be read by an instrument before you can hear it. The reason you can play many .mid files on your computer is that the Windows operating system assigns the MIDI data to the inbuilt synthesizer/samples in your audio interface (see the section on playing General MIDI files below).

How to import MIDI data The options on the MIDI import dialog will change depending on how the MIDI file is loaded into FL Studio. Options are: 1. Import a MIDI file from the Main File menu. 2. Import a MIDI file from the Piano roll menu. 3. Drag a MIDI file from the Browser and drop on: 3.1 Channel Rack. 3.2 Piano roll. 3.3 FL Studio desktop.

Options

Which Tracks to Import - Click the drop-down menu to select which MIDI tracks to import. A track is usually associated with a MIDI Channel and contains a particular instrument's data ('Piano', 'Melody', 'Drums', etc.), there can be up to 16 MIDI tracks, what you will see depends on the data file to be imported. Which Channels to Import - Select the MIDI Channels to import. Leftclick a Channel number (selected channels are marked in red) to include it in the import, Right-click to exclude a Channel from the import. Blend with existing data - The MIDI data will be blended with any data already in the pattern/s. Start new project - Opens the MIDI file in a new project. If this option is deselected, any data in the Instrument channels for the selected pattern will be overwritten. Create one channel per track - Imports each MIDI channel (1 to 16 possible) in the MIDI file as a separate Instrument channel and loads a MIDI Out plugin set to the tracks Channel number, on each. Realign events - Removes any empty-space at the start of the file. Accept - Import the MIDI data.

Playing General MIDI Files For this trick you will need MIDI Out instrument/s, a Fruity LSD effect and a General MIDI file. Each track in the MIDI file will be imported into a separate Instrument channel (holding a MIDI Out plugin), with unique Piano roll 'color group'/MIDI channel data. These will use 'General MIDI' instruments from your audio interfaces inbuilt Synth/Sampler: 1. Import the MIDI data using the 'Create one channel per track' option (see above). NOTE: the import method will determine if you see the 'Create one channel per track' option, use 1 or 3.3 (above). 2. A MIDI Out plugin will automatically load on each Instrument channel. The MIDI Channel selectors on each MIDI Out plugin will be set accordingly. 3. Load a Fruity LSD plugin on the Mixer track Effect slot of your choice.

4. Set the Fruity LSD to Port 0 (Omni mode) so that it responds to all the MIDI Out Instrument channels. 5. Press play and enjoy the cheesy world of 'General MIDI'. We recommend replacing the Fruity Outs with regular Plugin instruments before someone catches you!

INTERNET RESOURCES

Content Library

! ! " "

The online Content Library allows you to browse, buy and download additional content for FL Studio/plugins. To open the Content Library, click on the online download button located on the Online Panel, as shown below.

Some plugins such as FPC and DirectWave can launch the Content Library directly. In this case only content compatible with the plugin will be shown.

Browser Window The Browser Window shows the files available for download. The files shown will automatically match the selected instrument when it launched the Content Library. Files are categorized into: Type filter - Log into you Image-Line account and the Show only pack I own / Show all option will be available. Genres & Instruments - Use thse categories to further refine searches.

Downloading 1. Download - Clicking download will take you to your My Account with the product license open (give the page a moment to fully load). 2. Install - Use the 'Click here to download' link to download your content. Normally this will be in .zip file format. You can unzip this to a location of your choice (make sure it's visible to the Browser, see Browser extra search folders) OR use the included installer inside the .zip to put it in FL Studio to the default location.

TROUBLESHOOTING & FAQs

Troubleshooting & Other FAQ's This section covers Trouble Shooting and Frequently Asked Questions.

Troubleshooting FAQ FL Studio Editions & Features Audio glitches & Maximizing Performance Optimizing CPU and Memory Usage Missing Plugins or Files Plugins Behaving Badly Sample Pitch or Tempo Problems Updating & Upgrading Procedure Lost Registration Codes/Login Compatibility with Older Projects Reset Settings Lifetime Free Updates! Audio Myths & DAW Wars

TROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting FAQ

! "

This section gives you the tools to answers common questions and problems that may occur while working in FL Studio. Please, read this carefully before posting about problems in the tech-support message board. regardless of the problem, we have found two main things resolve the majority of user issues 1. Make sure your settings (F10) are correct. There is a setup wizard in this help-file to guide you through the basic steps if this area of the program is new. 2. Reset FL Studio settings, this can solve many, seemingly impossible to solve, problems and works by clearing the Windows registry of erroneous or corrupt setup-data.

Online knowledge base If your answer is not above then we have extensive online web help: 1. This manual - can be searched on several levels, check the INDEX and SEARCH tabs to the left of the text window. Video tutorials here 2. The Knowledge Base

.

. This contains a searchable database of common

problems with the forums, registration and FL Studio. 3. Search FL Studio community forums

. It's possible that your problem

has already been discussed. Try searching the forums. 4. The Tech Support Forum

. Please be patient if you post there, we work

through the posts several times per day. Staff are based in Europe and the USA. 5. Back-office Technical Support Team

. Here you can create a create a

traceable support-ticket. This link is primarily for registration and purchase problems. 6. Video Tutorials

- We have lots of useful step-by step video tutorials,

try searching our channel and also check the Playlist section.

Known bugs & limitations:

3rd party VST plugins crash. Some will crash randomly after being loaded. Some crash because a field full of cows at the Campazu Dairy have aligned and are all facing North West. You will probably get even more crashes from the 3rd Party DirectX plugins (that are not known for stability). If 3rd party plugins crash your computer, we're not responsible, although there may be Wrapper & FL Studio settings that can improve stability. We are also willing to investigate common failures (report it in Tech Support

). Also note that plugins are .dll's, small independent

programs with their own code, meaning they can also contain viruses or malicious code, not to scare you or anything. It's all care and no responsibility here at Image-Line with respect to 3rd party software you run inside FL Studio :)

TROUBLESHOOTING

FL Studio Editions & Features

!

"

It's our philosophy is that you should only pay for the features you use. We provide FL Studio in four editions, each with more features product hierarchy

than the next. The

below notes some key features:

FL Studio Fruity Edition - Is aimed at those people who need Piano roll and Pattern Clips in the Playlist for sequencing, but don't need Audio Clips, Audio Recording, Slicex or Edison. FL Studio Producer Edition - Provides the highest level of functions in FL Studio. It gives you access to ALL Clip types in the Playlist, Audio Recording, Automation Clips, Slicex, Edison and more! FL Studio Signature Bundle - Signature Bundle is a 'bundle' including Producer Edition + a collection of our 'signature' (most advanced) plugins. It's the cost effective way to get your hands on our best gear. If you already own some of the plugins in the Signature Bundle, the Image-Line store

will automatically deduct these from the upgrade price.

NOTE: Please see the product hierarchy

and feature comparison list

on the FL

Studio website for a detailed comparison of each edition. You may upgrade from one edition to the next at any time (check the shop for upgrade pricing).

FL Studio in DEMO mode If you are using FL Studio in DEMO mode there is only one limitation Projects can be saved but can't be opened again until FL Studio is purchased and unlocked. If you have used instruments or effects in the project not included in the edition purchased (above), then you will need to buy those plugin/s too. Projects in this state will open but the plugin/s will be replaced with placeholders. You can tell if a plugin is a demo when the Wrapper window title bar shows " (demo)" after the plugins name. All other functions in the FL Studio demo are fully unlocked. It is the equivalent of Signature Bundle plus all plugins. Remember, you can render to .wav, .mp3 .ogg or .mid files prior to saving a demo project.

Edition Icons When one of the following icons appears next to the page title it means the

feature or plugin is exclusive to a certain FL Studio edition or must be purchased separately. You can learn more about the editions here in the manual, or for a complete comparison of the FL Studio Editions page

visit the Feature Comparison

. - The feature or plugin is included with FL Studio (Fruity Edition, Producer Edition & Signature Bundle).

- The feature or plugin is included with FL Studio (Producer Edition & Signature Bundle).

- The plugin may be a demo, depending on your FL Studio version. If a project is saved, and it contains plugins that are in demo mode, the demo plugins will be replaced by empty channels/slots next time the project is opened. Each demo plugin that is subsequently purchased and registered will load as it was originally saved next time the project is opened. Warning: Don't open and re-save projects that were originally saved with demo plugins (opening is ok, just not saving them again). Saving a project that has opened with demo plugins will overwrite the demo-plugin data. To unlock the demo plugins you need to purchase them, visit the Image-Line store

. When you

open the project and you have registered all the demo plugins used, it will open as it was originally saved and you can continue working on it.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Update, upgrade, reinstall or uninstall FL Studio & plugins ! " # This section covers: Easy installation or update. Installation & update FAQ. Updating a Box installation. Account Login or Registration Problems. Copying or migrating an existing FL Studio installation. Parallel installations (two or more versions of FL Studio). Foolproof update or relocation Uninstalling FL Studio and plugins Default file locations. The latest downloadable installers are available here

.

Easy installation or update This is how to do it... 1. Download the installer

- This page hosts the latest 'released'

versions. The FL Studio installer includes most plugins in native format, so no need to download them all. 2. Unlock your product/s, there are two ways you can do this: Online computer - Use the 'About panel' registration system. Enter your Image-Line account

email and password and

click Unlock products. This will unlock all your products, not just FL Studio. Offline computer - From a computer with internet access, log into your Image-Line account

. Click where it says 'Click here

to unlock this product' and save the RegKey to a memory stick. Copy this to your FL Studio computer and THEN Double click it OR Right-click it and select 'Merge'. Accept all warnings and allow the key to be written into your registry. NOTE: You can save this RegKey and use it with any PC you own, all that we ask is that you are the only user of FL Studio. Installation Video Here

Box installation update If you have not registered your Boxed software and created an Image-Line Account, please complete the following steps: 1. Visit the Box registration

page.

2. Enter your serial number (found inside the box) and follow the instructions to create an Account 3. Once your Account

.

is created, follow the steps as shown for 'Easy

installation or update' above. Registration also means you do not need to worry about losing your FL Studio Box code. You can unlock FL Studio from your account at any time, anywhere. NOTE: Box customers (FL Studio 9 and below) are entitled to 1 free update that raises FL Studio 1 major revision number, i.e. 8 to 9 or 9 to 10, depending on your current version. You get all the minor revisions for that version for free also. If your update entitles you to a FL Studio version number less than the current version

then you can find the installer for the version you are entitled

to in your account page

. Lifetime Free Updates are available from our shop

(It's inexpensive, we're not greedy and want you on board). Starting from FL Studio 10 the box includes Lifetime Free Updates. If you still have questions or are just obsessively detail oriented then read on...

Installation & Update FAQ Where do I get the installation file? - From your Account page the Image-Line downloads page

OR

. See the section above Easy installation

or update above for more details. Do FL Studio Fruity, Producer or Signature Bundle have different installers? - No, a single Demo Installer

is used for all versions. The

FLRegkey.Reg

you install decides what features are unlocked and so

what version and plugins you have. However some plugins do need separate installers (DirectWave sound libraries and Slayer 2). Where do I get my registration code/file? - Click here Account page

or from your

. See the section Easy installation or update above for

more details. Do I need my old installation files or CD? - No. The latest installers are all you need. The FLRegkey.Reg

downloadable from your Account

will unlock it, once installed. Can I install more than one version of FL Studio? - Yes. Major revisions (i.e. 11 to 12) automatically install into a separate folders so you can have parallel installations. For minor revisions (i.e. 12.1 to 12.2) you need to manually set the installer to a different folder, otherwise 11.1 will be overwritten with 11.2. See the Parallel installations section below. Do I need more than one registration code? - No. One registration code (FLRegkey.Reg

file) will work with all existing FL Studio

installations, purchased plugins and sample packs. You will usually need to download and install a new regcode when you are installing a major revision (a good habit). Can I install FL Studio over an existing installation? - Yes. You can manually set the installer to any existing FL Studio folder. Make sure to select the reset settings option on the installer or do this manually after the installation. Minor revisions: i.e 12.0 to 12.2 are, by default, installed into the same installation folder: '..\Program Files (x86)\ImageLine\FL Studio 12' Major revisions: If you want to install FL12 over FL11 (for example), simply rename the '..\Program Files (x86)\ImageLine\FL Studio 11' folder to '..\Program Files (x86)\ImageLine\FL Studio 12' prior to running the installer. Then make sure the installer is pointing to the FL Studio 12 installation folder during the install. This method will retain all the files you may have scattered among the FL Studio installation folder (see the question below). Will I lose my data installing FL Studio over an existing

installation? - No (with some exceptions). If you are installing a minor revision, i.e 12.0 to 12.2 or forcing the installer to use an existing install location, the installer will only overwrite FL Studio files. Anything that you have created and saved into the installation folder will be left untouched, for example, projects, downloads and samples. The only exception is if you have modified original FL Studio installation files, then these may be reset. See the 'Default file locations' section below for more details. We recommend you keep your own files outside the FL Studio installation folder. Can I install FL Studio onto more than one computer? - Yes. We are reasonable chaps here at Image-Line and realize many people use more than one PC. Typically people have a home studio PC, a laptop and a work PC. It would be reasonable for you to install FL Studio onto each of these PC's, provided you are the only user of the program. It's not acceptable for you to install FL Studio on a PC where people can use it when you are not present. And all this without encryption 'dongles' how cool is that? :) Can I move or copy an FL Studio installation from one PC to another? Yes. For tips on copying FL Studio installations between PC's see the section below 'Foolproof Update or PC Relocation'. How do I completely remove FL Studio and my registration keys from a PC? - Follow the 'Uninstalling FL Studio and plugins' instructions.

Account Login or Registration Problems? If you have been through the above steps and are still experiencing difficulties with your Account page or reg.key please If you can't log into your account, try these steps first. Contact the back-office Technical Support Team

if these fail.

See the Knowledge base article Step-by-Step Installation Guide complete with pictures of the steps outlined above. Contact the back-office Registration Support Team

where you can create

a traceable support-ticket.

Copying or migrating an existing FL Studio installation

This section has been provided to help users manage multiple installations and to locate data and files that fail to make the leap across to a new installation. Generally it isn't necessary to be rummaging around in the bowels of the installation folder during an update.

Major vs Minor revisions, Install Locations Minor revisions - FL Studio 12.0 to 12.1 for example. The FL Studio installer will copy the new installation files into the existing FL Studio folder (..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12), unless you set it to install elsewhere. The installer only overwrites FL Studio program files, any files you have created that have been saved in the installation folder will be left untouched. The installer does not delete anything. Major revisions - FL Studio 11 to 12 for example. Each major revision is installed into a unique folder ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 11 vs ..:\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio 12. Each installation also has unique registry setup/preferences-data. There is no risk that you will lose your FL11 data updating to FL12, so long as you don't delete the FL Studio 11 installation folder before recovering any personal data (see below).

Parallel Installations It is possible to have parallel installations of various major and/or minor revisions of FL Studio. This will allow you to trial a beta or update to a new version, without losing your current FL Studio installation. For parallel minor revisions simply name the installation folder, during the installer dialog process, to something other than the default (i.e. from FL12 to FL12_New). Major revisions install in parallel by default (i.e. FL11 to FL12). Some points to remember: Setup options - Parallel minor revision installations share the same setup options while major revisions can have independent setup options to the previous version. Program shortcut - In the case of Parallel minor revisions, you will have to manually re-create a shortcut to the FL.exe (file that runs the program) for the older version after the new parallel update is installed.

Foolproof Update or Relocation

Well nothing is 'foolproof' really but here's the simplest method of making a FL Studio update or copying FL Studio between PCs and retaining all your files. Copying an existing installation on a single PC 1. Download and install the latest FLRegkey.Reg

file.

2. Run the original FL Studio and open the F10 > File settings and write down the 'Browser extra search folders' and 'VST plugins extra search folder' locations. 3. Copy the original FL Studio installation folder to a new folder i.e. '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 11' copied to '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12'. You can do this by: Right-clicking the FL Studio 11 desktop icon and selecting 'Properties' > 'Open file location'. This will open a browser at the FL Studio 11 install, probably C:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 11. In the file browser go up a level to C:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line. Right click the FL Studio 11 folder and select 'Copy' then rightclick on an empty white area below the folder list and select 'Paste'. This will copy the 'FL Studio 11' folder to 'FL Studio 11 (copy)'. Rename that folder to 'FL Studio 12' ready for the next step. 4. Run the new installer. Set the FL Studio installer to install into the copy folder i.e. '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12'. 5. Run the new FL Studio and set the F12 > File settings to the same locations as the previous installation (see notes from step 2). 6. Make sure the FL Studio desktop icon is pointing to the correct (new) installation. Right-click the FL Studio icon and select 'Properties > Open file location' then verify the location is correct. 7. Optional: Once you are sure the new installation is running correctly you can delete the old FL Studio installation folder, but don't empty your trash-bin until you are sure the new one is still working. Copying an installation to a new PC -

1. Download and install the latest FLRegkey.Reg

on the new PC.

2. Run the original FL Studio on the old PC and open the F10 > File settings and note the 'Browser extra search folders' and 'VST plugins extra search folder'. 3. Copy any data folders that are being used in step 2 from the old PC to the new PC and take note of where you put them. It's a new PC, so why not take some time to create a nice tidy directory structure to store all your FL Studio related files. 4. Copy the original FL Studio installation folder to the new PC's 'Program Files' folder i.e. Old PC '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12' copied to New PC '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12'. NOTE: If you are moving from 32 Bit to 64 Bit Windows, copy the original FL Studio folder to '..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 12'. Windows 64 Bit has two Program Files folders, one for 32 Bit programs 'Program Files (x86)' and one for 64 Bit programs 'Program Files'. ON 64 Bit systems, we install both 32 and 64 Bit versions of FL Studio to Program Files (x86). 5. Run the FL Studio installer on the new PC. Set the FL Studio installer to install into the copy folder i.e. '..:\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio 12'. 6. Open FL Studio and set the F10 > File settings to the locations noted in step 3. 7. Optional - Delete all FL Studio installation folders (32 bit OS '.:\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio' or 64 bit OS - '.:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio') from the PC and then remove your regkey, see 'Uninstalling FL Studio & Plugins' below. If the steps above look complicated here are the principles. 1. FL Studio installation folders can be copied. 2. You can install over an existing installation without losing your own data (there are minor exceptions where you have customized FL Studio system files). 3. FL Studio installations may include data that you have saved while using the program. Copying an installation and installing a new version of FL Studio over it will bring your data into the new installation.4. FL Studio projects may use external folders set in the F10 File Settings page. These include 'Browser extra search folders' and 'VST plugins extra search folder'. The data in these folders needs to be accessible to a new

installation for your projects to open correctly.

Uninstalling FL Studio & Plugins You can de-register FL Studio (and plugins) on your old PC/s by: 1. Download the file and follow the instructions here in the Knowledgebase to remove your registry keys. 2. Delete the ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line folder.

Default File Locations FL Studio looks inside its own installation path ..:\Program Files\ImageLine\FL Studio N (where N = the FL Studio version number) and in any extra search folders you have set for data files. If you open the new installation and your data appears to be missing there are a number of things to do. The following is provided to help you recover your data and move it to your own file locations where it can be backed up and shared between major revisions of FL Studio. Extra search folders - Ensure that any Browser extra search folders are the same in the old and new installation (F10 > File). VST plugins extra search folder - Ensure that the VST extra search folder is the same in each installation (if used). Samples, project & other program files - The simplest method is to add the previous FL Studio installation folder ..:\Program Files\ImageLine\FL Studio N-1 as a Browser extra search folder in the new installation. If your data files reappear, then you know they are in the old installation folder. If so, take some time to recover all your files and move them to your own directories. Your data files may be in the following locations: ..\Users\[your computer account]\Documents\ImageLine\Data - This is the 'Shared data folder' for downloads. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\Plugin database - Check here if you have set up your own database. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL

Studio\Data\Patches\Recorded - The default location for audio recordings and Mixer track freezing. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\Rendered - Location for rendered audio. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\Sliced beats - The default location for Slicex and Edison sliced and 'dragged' samples. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\User - User related files. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Projects - Project files (.flp / .zip). ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Scores - Score files you may have changed. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\Speech - Speech files you many have created. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\Data\System\Plugin databases - Plugin database (full), (simple) and (user) save the locations of all your plugins and favorite plugins respectively. Just back up the Plugin databases folder and its contents. ..\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio\System\Config\Mapping\Generic - These are your Permanent Global Link data files. It contains your custom controller to GUI and Plugin interface links. Copying the contents of this folder between installs means your controller/s and plugins should be set up correctly. Downloader files - Data downloaded using the Content Library will be in one of two locations: FL Studio 8 and lower - Unless the Downloader was set to another location, most files will be in ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\Shared\Data. One exception, FPC files will be downloaded to ..:\Program Files (x86)\Image-

Line\FL Studio\Data\Patches\Plugin presets & Packs directories. FL Studio 9 and higher - Unless the Downloader was set to another location, all files should be in ..:\Users\(user profile)\Documents\Image-Line (or different depending on the Windows version) and should be already visible to the newer installation.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Lifetime Free Updates!

!

" #

If you purchased FL Studio as a download from the Internet then we call you a 'Download customer' or if you purchased FL Studio in a store and it came on a CD in a box then we call you a 'Box customer'...where's the 'humanity'? :) Download customers - You are entitled to all future updates released, FL Studio N + 1, 2, 3... etc, free. Where N is the version number of the FL Studio edition you purchased. Click here to see the section on updating. Box customers - From FL Studio 10 onward box customers are also entitled to all future updates released, FL Studio N + 1, 2, 3... etc, free. Where N is the version number of the FL Studio edition you purchased. To get your Lifetime Free Updates you must first register your box at our site and create a download account. Register your box here

. For more

details see the section on updating. Earlier boxed versions - You can purchase Lifetime Free Updates for a small additional fee in our Shop log into your MY ACCOUNT

. Make sure to

page prior to entering the shop so

you are shown the upgrade option/s. You can watch the

Lifetime Free Update video here

.

Free for life? So, does this mean you will get everything we develop for free from now on? No, most new stuff that is built into FL Studio is included free to improve the application and make it more competitive with other software on the market. When we develop something new, such as a synthesizer or other module, we may build it into FL Studio and include it free in the next update, or offer it as an optional purchase. But don't worry, there is always lots of bug fixes, new features, synths, effects, etc., provided free with each FL Studio major version release. How does Image-Line stay in business? That's kind of you to ask. We have two overriding philosophies that help us. First, we believe you shouldn't have to pay for bug fixes. All those companies charging for new versions are in effect 'burning customers' as fuel in the engine of development. Over time, the cost of yearly updates, for what usually includes many bug-fixes, wears thin and customers move on to other products. Our lifetime free updates policy does attract a lot of new customers, FL Studio is possibly the world's most popular

DAW

but importantly we tend to keep nearly all our customers for the long-

haul, and so the active up-to-date, user base just keeps growing! It's the word of mouth, from this loyal and growing crowd, helps to propel us forward. One of our philosophies is that you should only pay for features you use. In this way, we include a number of optional (demo) synthesizers, effects and sounds. Since our loyal customer base is so large (thanks to all of you), the combined new and additional sales pay for the free updates to the existing customer base. This model has been working for us for over 15 years and we are continuing to grow. So, please purchase FL Studio and add-ons, support the entire FL Studio community...Lifetime Free Updates are powered by you.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Optimizing FL Studio performance

!

"

These tips will help you to get the most out of your computer's CPU and memory. Generally, items that reduce CPU load are far more important than memory usage, unless you are experiencing memory errors or the projects memory requirements exceed your installed RAM. Further information is available in the FL Studio Optimization

YouTube playlist.

Top things to check Audio settings - One of the most important settings is to select an ASIO audio interface driver from the Input / output menu. Look first for an ASIO driver that installed with your audio interface OR if one is not available use the generic ASIO4ALL driver. Whichever driver you use, download the latest from your audio interface manufacturer or from www.asio4all.com

. Make sure the Buffer length setting is not less

than 10 ms (441 samples). Buffer lengths below 10 ms will eat significant CPU power with little or no perceived change in program responsiveness. Increase the audio buffer length - The Buffer length setting is found on the Audio settings page. You will need to click the 'Show ASIO panel' button there, to see the settings if you are using an ASIO driver (as you should be!). Starting from 10 ms (441 samples) keep adding 5 ms (220 sample) increments until you notice a drop in CPU usage. Buffer lengths over 50 ms (2205 samples) make live playing difficult but will be fine for mixing CPU intensive tracks where you are making adjustments to controls rather than recording a performance. NOTE: sample latencies quoted assume 44100 Hz sample rate is set. Is your CPU running at full speed? Do you have some wimpy energy saving/CPU throttling

mode engaged. If you are serious about your

music production then you will be prepared for, at least, some melting of the polar ice caps. See the Windows 'Start > Settings > Control panel > System & maintenance*** > Power Options'. *** Whether or not this sub-menu shows depends on your windows settings. Set your power management to 'High performance mode'. Bridged plugins - Make sure you are using plugins that match your version of FL Studio (32 or 64 Bit). We've noticed many people switch to

FL Studio 64 Bit while their VST library is still 32 Bit. If FL Studio can't find 64 Bit equivalents of the plugins it will bridge 32 Bit versions to 64 Bit mode. This uses more CPU than 32 Bit plugin on FL Studio 32 Bit or 64 Bit plugins on FL Studio 64 Bit. It's about 2% extra per plugin, so a couple won't matter but 10+ definitely will. Make sure to install 32/64 Bit versions of ALL plugins to match FL Studio. For more details see FL Studio 32 vs 64 Bit FAQ

More things to check if required Multithread support - Make sure Multithreaded generator processing and Multithreaded mixer processing are selected on the Audio Settings panel. Smart Disable - Enable Smart disable on the Audio Settings and then run the Tools Menu > Macros Switch smart disable for all plugins. This will disable effects & instruments when they are not making any sound and can decrease CPU usage significantly. If this global option causes issues with any plugins it can be disabled for those individual plugins using the wrapper menu setting 'Smart disable'. NOTE: Smart Disable is active only during live playback, it is temporarily disabled when rendering. Disable 'Reset plugins on transport' this can cause significant glitching on start/stop events when using VST plugins. ASIO Options - Under the ASIO settings try the Mix in buffer switch and Triple buffer options. PPQ setting - The PPQ setting sets the event resolution for the current project. Settings above 192 PPQ can have a significant impact on CPU load. Generally use 96 PPQ unless you need the extra temporal resolution. Competing & background programs - Close all non-essential programs that may be competing for resources, e.g. Instant messaging programs (AIM, MSM/WLM, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger), torrents, web browsers, audio/video players, etc. If you experience intermittent issues, check for scheduled activity like virus scans, backups, windows updates, disk defragmentation, even Wi-Fi & Blue-Tooth adapters have been known to cause issues, particularly if they are constantly re-making flaky connections. For projects heavy with audio-tracks - Turn OFF 'Keep on disk' for any

Sampler and Audio Clip channels. This ensures samples are pre-loaded into memory avoiding underruns caused by disk-to-RAM swapping delays OR zoom out the Playlist, (

Ctrl + Right-click) on a blank area, so all

Audio Clips are visible prior to pressing Play. This forces Audio Clip data to be cached into RAM. Reduce the plugin count - Try to reduce the number of plugins (instrument and FX). These are the most CPU hungry parts of the program. Freeze mixer tracks - Render some Channels to audio and then mute the instruments in the Channel Rack or delete them. Remember that FL Studio records mixer tracks so you will select several mixer tracks to record, then mute or remove the Channels feeding those mixer tracks. Limit Polyphony - Use the maximum polyphony setting to reduce the maximum polyphony of channels (see Miscellaneous Channel Settings). This often reduces dramatically CPU usage in complex melodies. You can still set FL Studio to ignore the maximum polyphony settings when exporting to wave/mp3 file (see Exporting to .wav/.mp3/.mid). Disable MIDI - Disable all the 'Enable MIDI...' options using the Options menu as MIDI processing uses CPU resources even when not in use. Extend your memory - Check the manual page on the CPU & Memory panel. Adding more physical RAM can improve responsiveness where data was previously saved in the Page File. See also - Buffer underruns & maximizing FL Studio performance.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Buffer underruns & maximizing FL Studio performance

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If your CPU or disk usage climbs too high you will hear clicks or pops in the audio (buffer underruns). The good news is, CPU and disk usage can usually be lowered considerably if you take the time to make some adjustments to the FL Studio Audio settings. Why does this happen? The Audio Buffer stores the audio data before it's sent to your audio interface. This allows FL Studio to even out momentary spikes in CPU load when processing may be slower than 'real-time'. If the Audio Buffer runs dry, because your CPU or hard-drive can't keep up with the real-time audio stream, then your Soundcard will make rude pop, click or stutter noises. It is worth noting that underruns can ONLY occur in real-time playback, they will not happen while exporting to wave or mp3 file. If you do hear that sort of thing in an exported audio file, then it is likely a plugin behaving badly, check the plugin settings in that case. Further information is available in the

FL Studio Optimization

YouTube playlist.

Underrun Optimization Underrun minimization will require some trialand-error. Your goal is to get the Buffer length to around 10 ms (441 samples), with few or no new underruns added to the count. Failing that, up to 20-50 ms (882 2205 samples) usually acceptable if you are not playing a MIDI controller. Note that you will almost

always see some underruns, 20 is typical), these happen at startup. Similarly, the occasional underrun is not really a problem, but may indicate you are close to the minimum buffer size your PC can sustain with the current settings. Remember, underruns are only a problem if you notice them and they are distracting you.

ASIO Soundcard Drivers (ASIO will appear in the name) Open the Audio settings panel. Try the following steps, after each change, if the underrun count stops increasing, try to reduce the Buffer length setting further. We don't recommend setting the buffer lower than 10 ms (441 samples), CPU load increases sharply with very low buffer settings. 1. Is it an underrun? If you hear pops or crackling sounds and your underrun count isn't increasing it may be a plugin behaving badly. NOTE: In some cases underruns are not counted, particularly if you are using the Mix in buffer switch. 2. One of the most important settings is to select an ASIO audio interface driver from the Input / output menu. Look first for an ASIO driver that installed with your audio interface OR if one is not available use the generic ASIO4ALL driver. Whichever driver you use, download the latest from your audio interface manufacturer or from www.asio4all.com

.

NOTE: There is a troubleshooting section for ASIO4ALL if you can't hear any sound using it.

3. Click the Show ASIO panel button and adjust the Buffer length. Remember that as the Buffer length is increased, underruns decrease, but the delay between playing a MIDI keyboard, tweaking a knob and the response of FL Studio also increases. The aim is to minimize the buffer size without causing buffer underruns. For ASIO drivers, settings of 1-4 ms (44-176 samples) are 'impressive' but unnecessary, 5-10 ms (220-440 samples) are 'excellent' and 11-20 ms (485-882 samples) are 'very good'. We recommend a 10 ms (441 samples) minimum setting. 4. Is your CPU running at full speed? Do you have some wimpy energy saving/CPU throttling

mode engaged. If you are serious about your music production then you will be

prepared for, at least, some melting of the polar ice caps. See the Windows 'Start > Settings > Control panel > System & maintenance*** > Power Options'. You want 'High Performance' mode. *** Whether or not this sub-menu shows depends on your windows settings. 5. Increase the audio thread 'Priority' setting to 'Highest'. 6. Disable 'Reset plugins on transport' this can cause significant glitching on start/stop events. 7. Turn the 'Safe overloads' switch off. Safe overloads leaves some CPU over for the graphical display, we will sacrifice display smoothness for audio smoothness. 8. Make sure you are not bridging plugins - Are you using FL Studio 64 Bit? Did you update all your plugins to 64 Bit? If not, it's likely 32 Bit plugins are being bridged to 64 Bit mode, this uses more CPU than 32 Bit plugin on FL Studio 32 Bit or 64 Bit plugins on FL Studio 64 Bit. It's about 2% extra per plugin, so a couple won't matter but 10+ definitely will. So, make sure to install 64 Bit versions of ALL plugins you are using and try again OR keep using FL Studio 32 Bit for older projects. For more details see FL Studio 32 vs 64 Bit FAQ 9. CPU options - Make sure the CPU options, Multithreaded generator processing, Multithreaded mixer processing and Smart disable are on. Be aware, that some plugins (3rd party of course) don't like multi-core CPUs so these options can cause issues. Try all combinations of the switches if you have plugin trouble. 10. Create multi-core compatible projects - Make sure that your highest CPU using plugins are routed to completely independent Mixer Tracks without any shared 'Send' Channels. Multi-core CPUs need computational tasks that can be run simultaneously and so split across cores. Each Mixer Track represents an 'opportunity' to create these independent tasks. Each unit in the audio chain from the instrument through to the Mixer track and the effects must be processed in sequence over time. If one mixer track is linked to another, then all the instruments and effects on both Mixer Tracks now have a dependency and can't be split across cores efficiently. 11. Disable inactive plugins - Make sure the Audio Settings global option 'Smart disable' is on and also run the Tools > Macros > Switch smart disable for all plugins. 'Smart disable' turns off effects & instruments when they are not in use and so can decrease CPU usage significantly. 12. Try Mix in buffer switch - The option allows some audio interfaces to reach lower latencies however it can make underruns more audible and bypasses the underrun counter. 13. Try Triple buffer - This can be particularly effective when pushing the CPU towards 100%.

It does however effectively double the set latency. 14. Make sure the Mixer Interpolation is set to Linear and the sample rate is 48,000 Hz or less. Certainly don't exceed '6-point hermite' if your CPU is struggling with a project. 15. PPQ setting - The PPQ setting sets the time resolution for the current project. Settings above 192 PPQ can have a significant impact on CPU load. Set to 96 PPQ unless you need the extra resolution. 16. Decrease polyphony of the instrument channels. 17. Turn OFF 'Keep on disk' for any Sampler and Audio Clip channels. This ensures samples are pre-loaded into memory avoiding underruns caused by hard-disk overloads. 18. Record mixer channels to audio and disable the instruments feeding those mixer channels. NOTE: If your Buffer length setting is greater than 50 ms (2250 samples) and your CPU usage meter peaks over 80%, it's probably your computer is not fast enough to play the project. Welcome to the never ending cycle of PC upgrades!

Standard Soundcard Drivers (if ASIO drivers don't work) Open the Audio settings panel. Try the following steps, after each change, if the underrun count stops increasing, try to reduce the Buffer length setting further. We don't recommend setting the buffer lower than 10 ms (441 samples), CPU load increases sharply with very low buffer settings. 1. Is it an underrun? If you hear pops or crackling sounds and your underrun count isn't increasing it may be a plugin behaving badly. 2. You really did try to use an ASIO or ASIO4ALL audio interface driver didn't you? If not, work through the previous section. If you did and it failed, you really did work through the ASIO4ALL troubleshooting section didn't you? If not try that first. If so please read on... 3. Adjust the Buffer length setting. Remember that as the Buffer length is increased, underruns decrease, but the delay between playing a MIDI keyboard, tweaking a knob and the response of FL Studio also increases. The aim is to minimize the buffer size without causing buffer underruns. For standard drivers, settings of 5-10 ms (220-441 samples) are 'cutting edge', 11-20 ms (485-882 samples) are 'excellent' and 21-40 ms (926-1764 samples) are 'very good'. 4. Try each of the 4 possible combinations of the 'Use polling' and 'Use hardware buffer' switches. 4 combinations? Two switches with two states (on/off) mean 4 possible combinations, try them all. 5. Follow all steps (under the ASIO section) above for which there are options available under the Standard Soundcard Driver... NOTE: If your Buffer length setting is greater than 100 ms (4410 samples) and your CPU usage meter peaks over 80%, it it's probably your computer is not fast enough to play the project. Welcome to the never ending cycle of PC upgrades!

Reality Check Having the lowest Buffer length setting is not a competition. If you are happy with 20 or 30 ms then

that's great. Remember, the lower the buffer length setting, the higher the CPU load. We strongly recommend 10 ms (ASIO mode) as a minimum setting. At lower settings than 10 ms, most people don't experience improved 'responsiveness' and the CPU load climbs rapidly. To put 10 ms in context, the delay between pressing a key on a real piano and the hammer hitting the strings is in the order of 80 ms and the time taken for that sound to reach your ears is a further 3 ms, something to ponder.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Missing audio files or VST plugins

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#

If you open a project and some, or all, Channel buttons are red or a plugin instrument is replaced with an empty channel (and you are sure it's not a 'demo' plugin), this means the samples or instruments nominated for those channels can't be found. You will have been shown a pop-up message about missing data when the project was loaded.

Recovering missing files FL Studio searches its own installation directory for samples/plugins and then the Browser extra search folders for audio & VST plugins extra search folder for VST plugins. If you have no idea where the samples or plugins are, while your harddrive is still spinning there is hope: Audio files 1. Set the root directory of each hard-drive on your system (e.g. C:, D:, E:, etc.) as Browser extra search folders folders. 2. Reload the project. FL Studio will now search the entire contents of each hard-drive set. This will take some time. 3. If the samples were found, select the Channel, click on the waveform display of the Audio Clip or Sampler channel and drag it onto the Browser. The Browser will open at the location from where the file was loaded. Note the directory and or move them to a known location OR 4. Set the directory where the samples are located as a Browser extra search folder. 5. Remove any root search location/s (e.g. C:, D:, E:, etc.) from the extra search folder/s, as they will make future file searches very slow. TIP: It's a good idea to create a directory where you save all your audio files (using any number of sub-folders is OK), then you only need to set one 'Browser extra search folder' location. VST Plugins 1. Identify the exact name of one or more of the missing plugins. Let's say the missing plugin is 'plugin name' for example.

2. Use Windows Explorer to search your installation drive (e.g. C:) and any other drives you have installed for 'plugin name.dll'. All VST plugins end in '.dll'. You are simply adding .dll onto the name of the missing plugin in the Windows Explorer search window. 3. If the plugin is found, set the path to the directory where the 'plugin name.dll' file is located as the VST plugins extra search folder, or the directory above it if the plugin is a sub-directory of a folder containing other plugins. FL Studio Native Plugins - It is possible that the 'Favorite' switch hasn't been selected for the plugin and so it does not show in the list when adding plugins. See the section on adding Favorite Plugins as part of the normal installation procedure. For more information, there is a detailed explanation of FL Studio's installation file structure in the section on Updating FL Studio.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Plugins behaving badly? !

" ?

This section contains information to help bring wayward plugins back into line. Symptoms include issues like clicks, pops or crackling sounds but your underrun count isn't increasing (if it is click here. NOTE: Some ASIO options bypass the underrun counter so check). Plugins that play or render out of time with the timeline. CPU spikes, FL Studio lockups, crashes or rendering failures. There are three main places you can try making changes to settings and options to resolve issues with misbehaving plugins, they are:

Options and Settings Install the latest plugin wrapper from our forums here

. The wrapper is

the interface between FL Studio and plugins, it provides VST/VSTi 1, 2 & 3 (32 & 64 Bit) support. FL Studio 32 vs 64 Bit - Make sure you are using a 32 Bit version of the plugin with FL Studio 32 Bit or the 64 Bit version of the plugin with FL Studio 64 Bit. It could be the bit-bridge wrapper that is crashing. If this solves the problem, please report the plugin to Tech Support

so we can

fix it. Open the Audio Settings and try the following: CPU options - 'Multithreaded generator processing' (try off), 'Multithreaded mixer processing' (try off) & 'Align tick lengths' (try on/off). NOTE: If the Audio settings 'Multithreaded processing' options appear to be the cause of problems, isolate the plugin/s that are behaving badly then permanently disable it for the plugin/s at fault. Do this by deselecting the Wrapper Additional Settings Menu 'Allow threaded processing' switch and saving the wrapper state. The options set will be remembered for that particular plugin next time it is opened, allowing you to turn the Audio settings multithreaded processing options back on (if desired). Mixer options - 'Reset plugins on transport' (try turning off, if start/stop and moving around the Playlist is glitchy/slow). ASIO4ALL - If you are using ASIO4ALL and getting

crackling/glitches and the underrun count isn't increasing, check the Troubleshooting section of the ASIO4ALL settings. The plugin wrapper 'Processing' tab. Try these settings to fix problems with spiking CPU load, crashes, no sound, rendering quality, loopplayback behavior and rendering sync (timing issues). Start with 'Use fixed size buffers' then try the other options if that is not successful. The plugin wrapper 'Settings' tab. Try these settings to fix problems with MIDI, automation, GUI & patch-changing. NOTE: It's also worth checking the FL Studio knowledge base section

for more

information as the data-base is updated with plugin specific information from time to time. Finally, if it's a 3rd party plugin and it's not working correctly in FL Studio, contact the developer, it's all care (that's why we offer so many options) and no responsibility here

TROUBLESHOOTING

Sample Pitch or Tempo Problems

! " #

If you load samples and they play too fast, play too slow, change their pitch or won't change their pitch (3 below) there are a number of places to check in the sample for incorrect 'meta data'. This is information that is saved in the sample and includes things like BPM (speed) pitch (middle note) or regions and slices. This data is included in files to be used intelligently by samplers or the host program (FL Studio). If this data is incorrect, you may experience less than intelligent behavior.

Correcting Sample Pitch or Tempo problems Pitch issues will be related to data saved in the sample or FL Studio pitch modifier controls. 1. Correct sample meta data - Some samples contain 'meta data' that includes the pitch or tempo they were recorded at. If this is wrong then it can cause issues as described above. Open the sample in Edison. Press (

F2) to open the Sample Properties dialog. Check the Tempo

(BPM) field is empty (or set to the correct BPM) AND/OR the Middle note is set to C5 (the default). Low and High should be set to C0 and G10 respectively. You can also set FL Studio to ignore this data by deselecting Read sample tempo information. 2. Ignore BPM - The General Settings option 'Read sample tempo information' (sample meta data) can be deselected and the BPM will be ignored. Middle note errors can't be ignored and must be corrected in the sample (see above). 3. Override the sample settings - Click on the Audio Clip or Sampler Channel to open the Channel Settings SMP tab. Right-click the Pitch and Multiplier knobs and select 'reset'. Right-click the Time knob and select '(none)'. 4. Omni MIDI preview channel - When you have Omni MIDI preview channel set each key from C5 triggers a different Instrument Channel and so you cant play polyphonicaly as usual. 5. Main pitch slider - Check the Main pitch slider is at the default position. Right-click it and select 'Reset'.

6. Piano roll - Check the Piano roll integrated Event Editor Note fine pitch and Channel pitch settings are not causing the unexpected pitch changes. Use the Target control to select these modifiers for inspection. 7. Stepsequencer - Check the Stepsequencer Piano roll Pitch modifier is not the cause of unexpected pitch changes. 8. Root note & Add to key - Check the Root note is set to C5 (if that is what the root note should be). Right-click on the strip above the preview keyboard to set. If samples have their root note set to 0 in their meta data (see 1 above) this can cause the Root note to jump to C1 which is probably wrong and will make the sample play back very fast & highpitched. Set it to whatever it should be, and no we don't know what that is. You are the producer here, you figure it out :) 9. Playlist & time-stretching/pitch-shifting - Make sure you are not inadvertently using 'Stretch' mode on the Audio Clip Focus tab. This will stretch the samples and make them play off-pitch or tempo. See the section Working with the stretch/pitch functions for more details on synchronizing/beatmatching audio clips to the project tempo. 10. Tempo automation with constant pitch - If you want to maintain constant pitch as the tempo is automated, use Fruity Granulizer (see the Notes & Tips section). 11. Unintended automation - Look for unintended Event Automation in the project. This can happen if you move any control while FL Studio is recording. Event automation is saved as a Pattern Clip and is traceable from the Browser > Current project > Patterns folder. Event automation will show with a knob icon and can be clicked to open the Event Editor so you can delete the data. Also check the Initialized Controls Folder. Unintended initialized controls will jump to a value you are not expecting at the start of the project.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Lost login details, can't log into your on-line account? ! " # This section assumes you have previously registered your Image-Line product/s at the Image-Line website

If you have lost your registration details and can't

log into the 'Account' section of the Image-Line website

:

Recovering your login details 1. Try this direct link to your account

, to see if you can 'auto-login' to

your personal page. This will only work if your browser cookies have saved your login details. 2. Try the Online Password Recovery Feature

. Enter the email address

you originally used to register. If we have that email address on record a new login link will be sent to that address. 3. Still having trouble? Create a support ticket HERE

.

Note: When you retrieve your login details please save them in at least 2 safe places, one safe place should include a paper copy of the information.

Obtain a new regcode Clicking this link

should initiate a regcode download (FLRegkey.Reg file). It

requires that your browser remembers your login details at the Image-Line website

. Save the file and run it by double-clicking on it OR Right-click it and

select 'Merge' from the options. Allow the data to be written to your Registry. FL Studio and any purchased plugins should now be unlocked.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Reset Settings

! !

" "

You can reset the FL Studio settings to their default state from the Windows Start menu, as shown below. This action can be useful if you are experiencing problems with the set-up of FL Studio. This can include - audio drivers not behaving correctly, graphical glitches, installed components not showing or other problematic behavior of the program that seems hard to resolve. Reset settings acts by restoring all the registry values to their default state.

Things to check after you reset settings Once you run this function FL Studio will return to the default installation configuration. This means that you will lose any custom MIDI Settings Audio Settings General Setting File Settings You will need to manually set these to your preferred configuration. In particular, don't forget the Audio Settings.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Monitor Speakers & Headphones

! " #

Monitor speakers are designed to provide a flat frequency response so that the audio signal is reproduced faithfully, within the budgetary constraints of the speaker. Monitor design focus is to avoid artificially boosting bass, treble or other frequencies in an attempt to make the speaker sound 'good' and to avoid resonances from the speaker and cabinet. As the producer you need to hear accurately what you are mixing, without the speaker adding its own color to the sound. This can cause mixing errors as you correct speaker errors along with the mix errors. For a more thorough discussion see the Wikipedia article on Monitors here .

FL Studio setup using Event Opal studio monitors and B&W Hi-Fi speakers For home and project studio enthusiasts monitors are generally 'bookshelf' sized and sit relatively close to the user (near-field monitor) so as to minimize the influence of the sound from the room and a more direct sound from the speaker is heard.

Popular monitor speaker brands include: Adam, Alesis, Dynaudio, Behringer, Event, Focal, Fostex, Genelec, JBL, KRK, Kurzweil, M-Audio, Mackie, Tannoy, Tascam & Yamaha. Generally monitor speakers include in-built amplification and are so known as 'active monitors'. These will usually connect directly to your audio interface (with the correct adapter) or audio interface. Alternatively, 'passive' speakers require external amplification.

How much should I pay? Making a monitor speaker requires precision manufacturing, quality materials and considerable research & development effort. You can expect that the more you pay the better the monitor will be, TO A LIMIT. Based on reviews and customer experiences, here's what the following budgets will get you (when buying in the brand range above): $50 ~ 200 - Don't! Buy headphones instead. See 'Can I use headphones' below $200 ~ 300 - Marginal to Good $300 ~ 500 - Good to Very Good $500 ~ 1000 - Very good to Excellent $1000 ~ 3000 - Excellent with bragging rights $3001+ - Don't! Save your money and spend the difference in our shop

:)

Prices are in USD (per pair). NOTE: There is a lot of marketing hype surrounding monitor speakers and their performance. Cheap monitor speakers will suffer the same flaws as cheap hi-fi speakers. A well designed, engineered and manufactured speaker is a precision instrument that will require a reasonable investment.

Placement Form an equilateral triangle

between the speakers and your head with the high-

frequency drivers (tweeters) at approximately ear height, directly facing you. Notice how the speakers are angled toward the listening position in the image above. This is important as high frequencies are directional and you won't hear their true level otherwise. Also, make sure the speakers are not pushed hard-up against any wall. The gap between the speaker and the wall should be not less than a 5 cm (2"). The front panel of the speaker should not be placed more than 1 meter (39") from the wall. This placement will minimize low frequency phase cancellations as bass frequencies bounce off the rear wall and mix with the direct speaker output at the listening position.

Acoustic treatment, what about the room? The sound of the room will also have a big impact on what you hear. Generally it's a great idea to add sound absorbing material on your walls and possibly ceiling to absorb sound to reduce internal slap-echo, general reverberation and standing waves.

You don't need to cover every surface 100%, just enough to control the sound. The purpose is to better reveal the direct sound coming from your speakers so it's not masked by room noise. It also helps to flatten the frequency response. Standing waves (resonances) in the room can cause big peaks and dips in the frequency response (+/- 18 dB easily). Notice how dramatically bass seems to change as you move about a room with a pair of speakers playing in it. See this video

for an

inexpensive solution to acoustic treatment. Another level of control you may consider is 'room correction'. This can be useful to finesse the frequency response flater after the major room issues have been sorted with acoustic treatment. For example, the Event Opals (shown above) are used with the StudioEQ room correction software in this video

.

Many examples: This Flickr slideshow has wide range of FL Studio customers' studio setups. Rooms range from basic to advanced, but it will give you some idea what a typical home/project studio looks like today. Note the lack of acoustic treatment, it's something most people overlook.

Can I use Hi-Fi speakers? Yes. The much lauded Yamaha NS10

monitor speakers that carried mixes forward

for over 20 years, and still being used today, were Hi-Fi speakers rebadged for the studio. Generally Hi-Fi speakers from reputable manufacturers (B&W, Dynaudio, Polk, Wharfedale, Yamaha etc), follow a similar price-performance relationship as do monitor speakers (see above). If the NS10's were on sale today as 'Hi-Fi speakers' they would probably be in the $200 bracket. However, as the price/performance equation is similar for 'Monitor' and 'Hi-Fi' speakers, and unless you already own a set of quality Hi-Fi speakers, we recommend that you purchase monitor speakers. Why? You will end up wasting a lot of time arguing with self proclaimed music production 'experts' that your Hi-Fi speakers are as good or better than monitors, which they may well be. But that gets boring after a while and you have better things to do, like make music :) For your reference here's some pictures of Hi-Fi speakers used at Abby Road studios , a proper professional studio!

Can I use headphones? Yes you can, with practice. We have heard many excellent mixes made with a cheap pair of PC speakers and a good set of headphones. Headphones are like magnifying glasses for your sound. They allow you to hear things simply not audible with most monitor speakers. Headphones are certainly a great place to start if you are not sure how far you are going to take this music production malarkey. Two excellent and reasonably priced headphones consistently praised in our forums are the Audio Technica ATH-M50

and Sennheiser HD280 Pro

.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Audio Myths & DAW Wars

!

"

#

$ % &

'

Three things you need to know about audio quality Settings - There are many traps for young players when comparing audio from two DAWs, there are many settings that can be different, make sure you know what they are (numbered and discussed below). Bits & Hz - Research has shown that for music distribution, 16 Bit @ 44.1 kHz (CD standard) is indistinguishable from 24 Bit @ 192 kHz in a sample of over 550 listeners1. In other words, more bits and higher bit-rates are not going to improve the 'quality' of your tracks. Skill - The world is full of marketing departments trying to convince you that equipment and specifications can substitute for talent & hard work. This is not true, the 'performance' transcends the medium every time. The performance includes musicianship, vocals, orchestration, arrangement and the mixing decisions. These are all under your control and have little to do with the DAW software you use or plugins you have.

Audio quality, the eternal quest Spend time on any forum devoted to any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software or music production and you are guaranteed to see users making claims about the superior audio quality of this or that DAW application. Protagonists will say a given program is clearly and audibly superior to another. To be frank, that's just nonsense. Any DAW application that uses, at least, 32 Bit floating point calculations (and today, that's all software), will process audio without introducing unwanted distortions, frequency response alterations or any other effect that would be 'clearly audible' so as to influence opinion. This ability to process audio without making unintended, audible changes is called 'transparency'. From a transparency perspective all DAW software is created equal.

The psychology of sound So why do people 'hear' differences in DAW quality, why do they persist and why do you see 'famous' producers proclaiming the audio quality of one DAW application over all others. Surely these guys know what they are talking about.

The answer is, as usual, complex. First, recording engineers and 'famous people' are humans subject to psychological and perceptual limitations (see: placebo effect , Novelty effect

, Hawthorne effects

etc). When industry professionals compare or assess

equipment it's (almost?) never done under controlled and scientifically validated conditions. For example, statistically meaningful numbers of forced choice comparisons under double blind

listening conditions, in a controlled experiment.

Unless they have done this, their subjective opinions about audio quality should be ignored (yes really). While many industry professionals & musicians may have long and successful careers mixing & producing music, they are still open to making cause-effect misattributions when subjective listening. That's why we say, do the blind listening experiment. Related to the above, companies send their product/s out free to as many industry and famous people as they can find. This group tries the product and a sub-group think it "sounds great" or "better than anything they have ever heard". You will find these people in any sample. It's this sub-group and their quotes that appear in the marketing blurb for the product/s. Now don't get us wrong, these people really do think the product sounds great, but it's a subjective impression and hardly qualifies as proof that the product is any better than others in the market or even an improvement on what went before. A second and more important cause is the many settings and options that can affect the live and rendered audio from any DAW. Its unlikely that 'out of the box' any two DAWs will make exactly the same sound. The following list will help you to understand what these settings and options are, and to give you a broader perspective on what really can make a difference and hopefully protect you from the marketing machine: 1. Loudness - In a comparison, louder always sounds 'better' than quieter. It's almost guaranteed that the same track rendered from any two DAWs will be a few dB different and so this is the most common cause of the 'DAW wars'. The louder of two otherwise identical sounds will seem to have more bass and clearer high frequencies (as Bob Katz, mastering engineer, describes our ears work

). This comes from the way

, not anything in the audio itself. So yes, one DAW really

did sound better, because it was louder. This is why people are so adamant on the Internet forums, because they really did hear it with their own ears. Compounding the problem, these small differences may not be apparent from casual inspection of the peak metering. "Yeah the levels were the same". No, they probably weren't. Be very careful, level differences of 1-3 dB may not even seem 'louder' but do sound 'clearer',

'bassier' or 'crisper'. As a rule-of-thumb, 1 dB is about the smallest level difference listeners can detect in a mix (0.2~0.5 dB in a laboratory setting). So if you are comparing audio from various sources they need to be matched to within 0.5 dB! Seriously. Everything needs to be the same, especially the audio files you use for comparisons. Apart from basic mix decisions there are a number of reasons why sound rendered from FL Studio may be quieter/louder than another DAW. 2. Your mixing decisions - See the section in the manual on Levels and Mixing. This is where the magic happens. If you can mix well, your music will probably sound great no matter what the technical specifications of the DAW are. Mixing is a craft and takes years to learn, just like any musical instrument. So if your mixes sound bad compared to the commercial mixes, this is, with 99.99% probability, the reason why. The DAW doesn't suck, you do. Also be aware that you don't need any more sophisticated tools to mix than a nice Parametric EQ, Compressor/Limiter and the basic Mixer functions. All those 'mastering' plugins are useful tools that can save time, but no substitute for experience and methodical work flow. If you want to get some idea how the actual sound itself can influence you emotionally, load Harmless

in

a default project and start working your way through the presets. Some sound thin and reedy others will blow your socks off. It's all about the sounds mixed together (the performance), not the technical specs of the DAW. Now imagine how hard it is to separate the performance from the technical aspects of the DAW when it comes to our emotional reaction to a platform. All too often, great mixing, performance or patch programming is mistaken for product design or specifications. 3. Live Mixing interpolation - This applies to Sampler Channels when transposing samples from the root note. Plugin instruments may have their own live vs rendered interpolation settings. When sample-rates are converted (pitch shifting a sample for example) then the DAW may need to add sample data between the existing points. Interpolation is about making an accurate prediction as to what that level should be, and so reduce a problem known as quantization error and/or quantization noise

that results in aliasing

.

4. Rendered audio settings - Including WAV bit-depth setting, MP3/OGG bit-rate setting and Sampler interpolation. The wav bit-depth (16, 24 or 32) won't have a noticeable impact on the sound you hear however, the lossy formats (mp3 & ogg) definitely will introduce audible 'garbling' or 'underwater' sounds when used at bit-rates less than about 190 kbps.

These formats are really for music distribution, although can sound spectacularly good at bit-rates of 240 kbps and above. Sampler interpolation is the same feature as discussed in the mixer section, but here applies to rendered files. If you are hearing differences between the live and rendered sound, then make sure the live and rendered interpolation settings match. 5. Plugins behaving badly - We have a manual page 'Plugins behaving badly' dedicated to that. Some plugins just sound bad or make strange noises when used with the wrong settings. FL studio has a lot of Wrapper settings to give you the widest compatibility with poorly programmed plugins. 6. Plugins behaving differently - This trips many people up when they render the same synth from two DAWs and compare the waveforms under a microscope. Synthesizers usually have some randomization and/or free running oscillators (meaning the phase of the waveform will change as a function of the note start time), as the point of most synths is to not produce the 'exact' same waveform twice. Make sure to disable any randomization settings and to send the same notes of the same velocity with any of the same modulation settings. A better strategy here is to use a .wav file as a test source, then you know it's identical to start with in each DAW. 7. Marketing has influenced you - Yes it has. Digital audio is just a stream of numbers. Computers add up numbers in a well understood and predictable way, if they didn't we'd constantly have satellites raining down on us from the sky. We are talking here basic mathematics (addition, subtraction and division), there is no magic, there are no secret things that some DAW manufacturers know that others don't. Dithering

and interpolation

are well understood and there are plenty

of options in most DAW software to give you control over them. But understand, that the suppliers of professional and consumer audio equipment have strongly vested interests in convincing you that you need to upgrade to the latest and greatest gear/format, that's how they make money, selling gear based on specifications. Audio quality ceased to be a meaningful differentiator of music production software platforms once they had all moved to 32 Bit float internal processing. The effect of a lifetime's marketing has been so powerful, let's consider three aspects associated with bit-depth and sample rate: DAW Bit depth - Anyone who has used a calculator will know

that when you perform mathematical operations you only have so many decimal places and so get rounding errors and these errors accumulate in the least significant decimal place. The same thing happens when processing digital audio. If you have 16 Bit numbers representing your data then these rounding errors can creep into the audible realm, particularly with very quiet passages of music. A 32 Bit floating point format allows mathematical operations to be performed on audio without rounding errors becoming audible. Before you ask, no, 64 Bit is not subjectively better. Yes there are a few exceptional circumstances that can be concocted to create audible artifacts in a 32 Bit floating point format, but the same is true of 64 Bit float and these cases are not worth considering as a driving factor in perception of 'quality'. It's worth noting that with 32 Bit processing, using the IEEE floating-point standard double extended precision format

, it is

possible to achieve 80 Bit internal precision where needed. 64 Bit processing is technically a step down from that, but for audio DSP the difference between 64 and 80 Bit audio is not relevant. If you hear some difference between DAW software, it's coming from a setting, effect or option (numbered and discussed below), not from some inherent quality of the 'audio engine'. NOTE: If you turn up the volume to maximum on a longdecaying sound stored in 16 vs 24 bit, you will probably hear the difference as quantization noise

. But this is not how we

listen to music. When the normal music starts again you would blow your speakers and your hearing. Set to normal, or even loud listening levels, those noises are not audible in the domestic environment. As you read around the internet forums you will see many people extrapolate 'volume-cranked' listening as evidence the difference between 16 and 24 bit audio files affects the listening experience. Research1 shows it doesn't. Electronics - The best analog to digital electronic circuits that are currently possible to implement in commercially available 'professional' audio equipment are equivalent to, at best, 20 Bit. A dynamic range or 120 dB. Yes, all those 24 Bit recordings are actually delivering somewhere between 18 to 20 bits of real-world precision once they have been mangled by the best

converters and room-temperature electronics you can buy. What this means is that even a lowly 24 Bit file has outstripped the ability of our electronics to reproduce it, the noise inherent in the electronic components swamps the remaining resolution in a sea of noise. Sample rates, on the other hand can go almost as high as you want (although some amplifiers behave badly when fed ultrasonic signals, so even this can be an issue), but as we have seen in the study above, more than 44.1 kHz is a waste. Time to stop worrying about the technical specifications of DAWs as a driver of 'quality' and concentrate on the other things in this list that matter more, like mixing and performance. The weakest link - Human hearing. Surely 24 Bit 192 kHz wav files sound superior to the 16 Bit 44.1 kHz wav files used on CDs? As we have been referencing, the largest and best study conducted to date (see the reference below)1 shows that there is no audible difference between 'high-end' audio formats ~24 Bit @ 192 kHz and 16 Bit 44.1 kHz (CD standard). A userfriendly article discussing the research can be read at the following link: The Emperor's New Sampling Rate

.

What they found - From a sample of 554 listeners that included professionals, the general population & young listeners (prized for their high-frequency hearing), those that correctly identified the higher quality audio was 276, or 49.8%. The same number you would get if you just flipped a coin 554 times or asked untrained monkeys to do the task. No sub-group outperformed chance. In summary, 16 Bit 41.1 kHz sound is indistinguishable from ~24 Bit @ 192 kHz for music distribution. Yes, 32 Bit is important for audio processing in a DAW application, but once it comes time to convert that audio into a format useful for distribution and human consumption, you can't meaningfully improve on the CD standard. 8. Your audio interface or Windows mixer & Media player - Make sure you don't have any EAX

, Compressors or EQ settings etc., on in

the audio interface or Windows settings. Dig deep here, sometimes they are well hidden in 'advanced' options tabs etc. One trap we sometimes see is people comparing two DAWs that are using different audio interface drivers. One DAW may be using ASIO drivers while the other is using the Windows DirectSound driver for example. The settings

associated with the driver can have massive effects on the sound you hear. 9. You have influenced you - You can't make an unbiased comparison of the audio from two sources, A and B, if you know what source you are listening to at any given time. You can't so forget it, perceptual psychologists

realized this over 100 years ago and developed many

useful methodologies to work around it. In particular the 'blind listening' experiment with an 'objective response indicator'. An objective response indicator is one where there is a right or wrong answer. For example, is this sample A or sample B (not which sounds better, that's subjective). Get a friend to play you the two sources in random-order pairs. Your task is to simply identify source A and B

, nothing more,

nothing less. If you can distinguish source A vs B, at least 8 times, or more, from 10 random-order paired comparisons, then you may be able to hear something. If not, it is likely that you are just guessing. This is probably one of the most enlightening tests any audio-engineer can do, you will learn a lot about perception and your ability to hear things this way. You really think you can trust your ears and we have no idea? Watch this

. Invariably we are much less sensitive than we think and

perception is far more complex than it seems. If you sense of infallibility in your own perception remains intact, we have an exercise for you: An experiment - Render the same ~5 seconds of a project to a 320 kbps mp3 file and 16 Bit 44.1 kHz wav (CD format), then make 30 A vs B blind comparisons. This means you are not to know whether your helper is playing the mp3 or wav file to you. You should also avoid eye contact with them and receive no feedback on how well you are doing until the experiment is completed. The helper should write down a list of 30 comparisons randomizing the order to play them to you (wav vs mp3 or mp3 vs wav), they should ensure that you receive 15 mp3 vs wav and 15 wav vs mp3 trials, 30 in total in a mixed up sequence. You don't need to do them all at once, if you need a break do so, but don't confer with your helper about how you are doing. Your task is simply to identify the wav file (the better sounding one!). In order to convince a scientist, with a high degree of confidence you can tell them apart, you need to identify the wav file at least 20 times out of 30. Our untrained monkey fresh from his 24 Bit 192 kHz experiment will correct identify the wav file 15 times (chance). Surely, as mp3 is inferior to CD format, you can beat 20 correct identifications or at least the untrained monkey?

Conclusions First, all major DAW applications can process audio without introducing unwanted distortions, frequency response alterations or any other unwanted effect that would be 'clearly audible' so as to sway opinion. If you do hear something obvious, then look for the obvious causes (numbered above). Second, we are not saying that high quality analog gear, microphones, mic preamps and even 24 bit recording don't have a place or do not matter. These things definitely have a place in the production phase. What we are saying is the influence of the DAW in processing this information AND digital distribution formats greater than 16 bit @ 44.1 kHz have been vastly over-exaggerated in the minds of the music producing set. What matters most is mixing skill & performance. Both these 'essential elements' come from humans not the technology. Some time in the late 1990's we moved beyond the point where technical improvements to 'fidelity' ceased to have any meaningful impact on the audible quality of the music being produced. Further, with the Loudness Wars

of the

2000's and widespread adoption of low bit-rate mp3's as a music distribution standard, it's clear that audio quality has been going backwards for a while now, but people are still enjoying their music. In conclusion, we'd like to leave you with a quote from photographer Vernon Trent "Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light. I just take pictures"

References 1. Meyer, E. Brad and David R. Moran. Audibility of a CD-Standard A/D/A Loop Inserted into a High-Resolution Audio Playback, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Sept. 2007, pp. 775-779. This reference is discussed in the article The Emperor's New Sampling Rate

Further reading & videos 1. If you own FL Studio, and so have access to the Image-Line forums, we encourage you to look at the links posted in this Audio Quality / Audio Engine thread

. Every platform gets the attacks -

"Platform ABC is audibly superior to XYZ!". If it were true that one platform was audibly superior to the others, you wouldn't see such a wide distribution of platforms targeted as bad or poor in comparison to others. Note also how convinced the antagonists are there's a problem

and how clearly they can hear it. They are convinced because they did hear it, but what they heard was something from the above list. 2. The Science of Sample Rates (When Higher Is Better - And When It Isn't)

- by Justin Coletti

3. 24/192 Music Downloads...and why they make no sense

- Xiph

develop open source multimedia codecs including Ogg Vorbis (an mp3 alternative). 4. Digital show and tell video

- Monty at Xiph is back with well thought

out and explained, real-time demonstrations of sampling, quantization, bit-depth, and dither on real audio equipment using both modern digital analysis and vintage analog bench equipment. 5. Lavry Engineering

, manufacturer of high-end A/D and D/A converter

technologies explain, according to sampling theory - Why 44.1 kHz is enough and 192 kHz can actually be bad (PDF)

.

6. Another great thread is this one at 'Gearslutz' where Paul Findle (equipment designer) answers audio myths from the cloud. Paul has 35 years' experience in the pro audio and music industries. He has worked as a studio engineer in Oxford and Paris, and was a design engineer at SSL with responsibilities for E and G-series analogue consoles, emerging assignable consoles and nascent digital audio products. As one of the original team that became Sony Oxford, he is responsible for many revolutionary aspects of the Sony OXF-R3 mixing console. More recently he was responsible for product design and quality assurance at Oxford Plugins. On leaving Sony Oxford, he co-founded Pro Audio DSP in order to make novel sound-processing applications to fulfill many issues he had identified in the audio production chain over his career. 7. Finally, see the Image-Line Audio Quality video Playlist

at YouTube.

Audio Myths Workshop, Audio Engineering Society 2009 When you have an hour to spare one night, here's a video well worth watching, Ethan & co-presenters cover many of the issues discussed above, including placebo effects in audio, loudness vs quality, 'scam' equipment, dithering, expensive vs cheap audio interfaces and more...

Ethan Winer's, YouTube video, Audio Myths Workshop AES 2009 more about the AES on their website

.

. You can learn

COPYRIGHT

Copyright & Included Content The demo projects and their custom content (vocal recordings, music data, samples etc.) are not 'included content' for your use. They are provided as instructional projects to demonstrate what FL Studio can do. You are not allowed to use any part of these demos or their content and to publish it (e.g. upload to YouTube, SoundCloud, CD Baby, Tunecore, Monotunes, MySpace - yes it still exists, private websites etc.) or to directly share derivative works without written permission from the author/s.

What content is restricted? Project files - Browser > Projects > Cool stuff. Content (sequence/piano roll data, samples, vocals etc.) - Any content exclusively located in Browser > Misc.

I really want to use something from above Open the 'Cool stuff' project and look at the project information (press

F11 or

Options > Project info). Note the author/s and contact them for permission. If you are having issues contacting them, please ask on Loop Talk

.

About Copyright 'Copyright

' is one of the few legal terms that is almost self-explanatory. It is the

right of an author to decide who can publish copies of their work (i.e copy right). But WAIT this also extends to derivatives of their work. Derivative works include remixes and new songs that include any part of the original work, no matter how short. Copyright

is automatic, the author has this right the moment

they create something new. Specifically what 'rights' does the author have? The right to use the legal system of any country signed up to the Berne Convention to stop their work being used and to have it removed from publication. Copyright does not require any formal registration, although it can be useful for establishing legal ownership in a dispute and provide compensatory

or punitive

penalties

against the copyright offender, in some countries. Regardless of what you see happening on the Internet, using another's work (music, samples, vocals) without permission is an infringement of their Copyright . Listing the original author/s does not change anything. You must obtain

written permission to use anything that is not explicitly provided or sold as copyright cleared for use in music production. FYI, we also needed to obtain written permission from the authors to include their demo content for distribution along with FL Studio. If you use something from another author, without permission or explicit clearance, then they have Copyright

over your work. For example, say you use

a kick sound from another track, and that kick sound was the original creation of the author, and you publish your track in any format, then you are in breach of their Copyright

. It's simple, if you did not create content AND the content is

not specifically provided as or sold as cleared for commercial use, then you should not use it.

Where can I get Copyright cleared content? You are, of course, free to use all content included with FL Studio, that is outside the folders listed above. FL Studio comes with a wide range of cleared content (samples, recordings, patches etc). We also sell additional cleared content here

.

The simple rules! If both the following are true, then DON'T USE IT: 1. You did not make something yourself, from scratch OR from Copyright cleared/free content. 2. You do not have written permission from the author or legal representative to use it.

Contact If you are in any doubt about something, please see the Image-Line legal notices page or contact [email protected].

GLOSSARY

ACM Waveform Audio Compression Manager (ACM). Microsoft ACM is part of the Windows OS. It enables third-party applications to read and compress wave files in many compression formats, such as TrueSpeech and GSM 6.10. For a specific compression to be accessible in audio application, its codec (COmpressor DECompressor) needs to be installed and enabled. To see what codecs you have installed, go to Control Panel > Multimedia > Advanced > Audio Compression.

GLOSSARY

Cutoff and Resonance Filter Cutoff is used to block certain frequencies from a sound. In a standard LP (Low Pass) cut/reso filter, cutoff determines the range of high frequencies to be cut. However, in modern software and hardware synthesizers (and in FL Studio itself) you will notice that cut/reso filter comes in many "flavors", such as HP (High Pass), which cuts the low frequencies of the sound instead. Resonance effect originates from an artifact in the original cutoff filter used in old hardware synthesizers. It is narrow band of frequencies, near the cutoff level, where the sound is amplified. Today this artifact can be easily avoided, but it is still available though, because it can be used as a special effect. Changes in the cutoff level together with high resonance produces interesting phaser-like effect, which is one of the reasons for the popularity of the TB-303 synthesizer.

GLOSSARY

Envelope The envelope is a form of automation (automatic movement) built into synthesizers to control the value of a parameter (usually volume or filter cutoff frequency) over time. Envelopes are critical for giving synthesizers a more natural and interesting sound, as they can be used to simulate the volume envelopes of a real instrument. However, envelopes are also great for creating special effects. The most common type of envelope is called ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release), referring to the different functions of each part of the envelope. You will see in FL Studio some envelopes are enhanced with additional elements, to suit some particular requirements for the specific instrument, however the principle remains the same.

ADSR Envelope elements: Attack - The time it takes for the note to reach the maximum level. Decay - The time it takes for the note to go from the maximum level to the sustain level (the next level in the ADSR chain). Sustain - The level while the note is held. Release - The time it takes for the note to fall from the sustain level to zero (silence) when released.

GLOSSARY

Gate A gate is an audio processor that cuts or mutes the sound if the input level falls below a set threshold. Gates are used for variety of purposes including eliminating noise during speech pauses, or for special effects.

GLOSSARY

LFO Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) - LFOs are used to modulate a control on a synthesizer or effect. It can be used to simulate natural instrument effects, such as vibrato (by applying LFO to pitch) and tremolo (LFO applied to volume), or can be used to change gradually a setting to create special effects, such as applying a LFO to a filter cutoff value, creating phaser-like effect.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Help File Acknowledgements

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Help Version: 12 Editor: Scott Fisher. Main contributors: Didier Dambrin, Frederic Vanmol, Miroslav Krajcovic, Stan Vassilev. Thanks to: All the beta-testers on Loop-Talk

who provided feedback.

Nobody reads the manual!

Copyright © Image-Line Software BVBA Image-Line Software BVBA Franklin Rooseveltlaan 348 D B-9000 Gent Belgium

B&W Photography Photographs: Theodolite [Digital reproduction#LC-DIG-fsa-8e11088 courtesy US Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Div, Washington, DC 20540: FSA-OWI Collection restrictions on publication.

. Photography: No known