FL Studio FAQ

How can I figure out the bpm of a song?
How do I convert a wav file to a midi file?
Can I extract the vocals from a track?
Is FL good for dance/techno/hip-hop/country/[insert your own genre here]?
Was [insert name of popular song here] done in FL?
Is FL a professional program?
Where can I find more samples?
Can I save a midi version of my track?
Can I automate controls in FL?
Is FL better than Reason/Sonar/Cubase/[insert name of other popular software package here]?
Why do my tracks sound so quiet compared to commercial tracks?
Where is a good place to learn more about FL/music production in general?

How can I figure out the bpm of a song?

Go to the audio software section of analogx.com and download the "Tap Tempo" program.

How do I convert a wav file to a midi file?

You can't. Read the basic tutorial on midi [upcoming], and you'll realize the question doesn't really make sense!

Can I extract the vocals from a track?

Simple answer - no! A .wav file is a flattened form of multiple tracks from a sequencer (such as FL) or some other software or hardware capable of mixing multiple tracks into one. By "flattened" I mean that all of the individual instruments have been hopelessly "squished" together, and extracting ANY individual track is simply not possible, be it drums, bass, a synth line, or the most commonly requested - a vocal track.

One exception - and I haven't personally tried this, but it does make sense - if you have (A) the original track AND (B) a vocal-less backing track, you can subtract B from A, and end up with just the vocals. If anyone has tried this, with or without sucess, let me know!

Is FL good for dance/techno/hip-hop/country/[insert your own genre here]?

FL is good for whatever you are good at producing. There is nothing about it (or any other software) that makes it particularily suited to one genre. Think about what a sequencer is - it gives you the ability to place arbitrary wav data with arbitrary timing information in a composition, to be played simultaneously (i.e. "mixed") with other arbitrarily placed and timed wav data. The software does not care what wav data or timing data you use! It will happily mix away, even if the output sounds like crap... or like dance. Or like country. Or hip-hop. Or heavy-metal.

The bottom line is - YOU supply the material - the software merely mixes it to your specifications.

That said, FL can sometimes seem to be geared toward dance music and hip-hop, because most of the stock samples are geared for use in those genres. BUT - no one who is serious about producing music is going to be using very many of the stock samples anyway.

Was [insert name of popular song here] done in FL?

Only the artist could tell you that. Some people say certain tracks "sound" like they were done in this program or that program. What they are really saying is there are some sounds in the track that sound like they came from the FL stock sample selection. It's not like there's some barely audible FL "signature" that someone with good ears could hear a track and say, "yep, ah haaa, that's definately a fruity track!"

If you do indeed recognize some sounds as being "from FL," the chances are, they are from a standardized drum kit or well-known synthesizer that is included in FL, as well as many other sequencing programs.

Is FL a professional program?

Are you a professional producer? That's the real question! FL simply mixes what you put into it. It gives you control over just about every imaginable wav parameter with inaudible timing resolution - and if it doesn't, chances are it supports a plugin that does.

I should note, however, that some people seem to think the output quality of FL is less than perfect, compared to some other "professional" programs. Personally, I can't tell any difference. I don't know much about how audio software handles audio internally, so I truthfully can't say there may or may not be a reason for a difference. So technically and audibly, the jury is still out on this one. Feel free to contact me if you have info on this!

Where can I find more samples?

Search the internet! Go to popular music production forums and search! It does take work. There are terabytes upon terabytes of samples out there for absolutely free, but only about 2% of them are real gems.

Can I save a midi version of my track?

Yes, but probably not in the way you are thinking. See the midi tutorial [upcoming] for more information.

Can I automate controls in FL?

Yes! FL is automated to Pluto and back! Here's a trick - watch the status bar, and move your mouse over a control. In this example, I moved it over a channel panning control. If the little red dot shows up, then that control can be automated. How to Automate will be the subject of a later tutorial. For now - I know it's not fun at all - but read the manual!

Is FL better than Reason/Sonar/Cubase/[insert name of other popular software package here]?

No. And more breath/typing time has been wasted over this and similiar un-answerable questions than should ever be wasted on anything! Different software has different strengths and weakness, and some software may indeed be more feature rich than other software. But in the end, it depends on the producer. Even lower end software will provide you with enough tools for endless creativity.

I personally use FL for a very arbitrary reason. I saw someone else (a brother, incidentally) playing with it, before I even knew what a sequencer (or an mp3, for that matter) was. That was nearly 5 years ago, I think. It's simply what I started with, and it provides everything I need - so I have very little incentive to tackle the learning curve of another program.

Why do my tracks sound so quiet compared to commercial tracks?

This question is probably more complex than you're thinking. Books have been written on the subject, and people are paid big dollars to excercise their knowledge of this topic on a client's track.

The topic is that of mastering. It is way beyond the scope of a FAQ, so for now I'll simply give you a couple of terms to google for (or yahoo, if you're like me, and have a compulsive need to check the news headlines before every search):

1. Normalization
2. Compression

And there you go. Google away. : )

Where is a good place to learn more about FL/music production in general?

My two favorite websites are:

www.sectionz.com - lots of great resources, but the major thing is the review-exchanging community. If you want reviews on your music, go set up a free account there, and start reviewing other people's music.

www.futureproducers.com - everything you could ever possibly want to know about producing. And if there isn't an answer to something you want to know (and you have unsucessfully searched for it!!), then ask!

 

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