2. Getting Started
Click on the file button at the top left and click New. This will open a blank
project.
Figure 1. Blank project
3. Controls & Interfaces
The toolbar is located at the top of the screen. It offers a number of different
options. Here you can edit patterns, your playlist, the song tempo and it also
allows you to play and stop your song.
Figure 2. The toolbar
The toolbar also allows you to toggle between the channel rack and playlist using
the icons to the right of the tab containing each pattern title. That same tab
features a drop down menu that allows you to toggle between patterns.
4. Patterns
Each pattern is created using the Channel rack. Patterns can be edited to create
an individual beat. The individual beats can then be added to the playlist to
create a song.
Figure 3. The Channel rack (shown above) can be used to create or edit patterns
When creating a pattern, you can choose to use the default sounds or use the
browser located to the left of the screen to drag and drop new sounds into the
Channel rack’s step sequencer (see Figure 4). FL studio comes equipped with a
collection of sounds which are located in the packs section of the browser. You
can toggle through patterns using the toolbar. These patterns can all be used in
the playlist to create a song.
5. Figure 4. Drag and drop sounds/instruments from the browser into the step sequencer
Playlist
The playlist is designed to construct an entire song instead of an individual
pattern or beat. After using patterns to create your desired sound(s) you can
arrange and organize patterns to create a song by aligning each to your liking in
the playlist as pictured in Figure 5.
6. Figure 5. Playlist with patterns aligned to create a song.
1. Once you have created patterns to your liking and aligned them properly
in the playlist to create a song, you can save your song by clicking “File”
then Save As.
2. You will then be given the option to name your song and save it in FL
Studio. FL Studio also gives you the option to export your song (saved file)
to your computer and provides five options when doing so (zipped loop
package, WAV file, MP3 file, OGG file and MIDI file).
3. To do this click File then go down to Export and hover your mouse arrow
over it. You then be given these five options to choose from.
4. Once one is chosen FL Studio will prompt you to choose the folder in
which you would like to save your song in on your computer.
5. Simply name your song (file) whatever you like (it doesn’t have to be the
same as the filename used in FL Studio) then click the Save button and
your song will now be saved to your computer.
