In this section we'll show you how to modify the sound of the samples in each Sampler Channel.
FL Studio supports so much of this kind of tweaking that it's possible for two people to create totally
different sounds using exactly the same samples. Technically, each Channel contains an
Instrument, which could be a sample player or a synthesizer plugin. While there are dedicated
samplers like FPC (for percussion) & DirectWave (for instruments), the Channel Sampler is a
versatile and useful tool, so let’s look at that in more detail.
1. Load a New Sample from the Browser. One way to load samples is to use the Browser.
This is usually on the left, although you can move it. To find a Kick sound, click on Packs >
Drums > Kicks. Left-clicking on a sample in the list will play it, right clicking will open it into the
selected Channel. You can also drag and drop samples onto the Channel Rack. Select a
Channel by clicking on the green Channel Selector light to the right of the Channel Button.
Wait! What's a "sample"? A sample is a recorded sound stored
in a file. Each Channel in FL Studio, by default, uses a single
sample, usually containing a single sound (like a snare drum), but
they can also contain entire beats (loops) or songs. Samples are
usually ".wav" format files but FL Studio supports ".mp3" and “.ogg”
sound format too.
Lost the Browser? No problem. The big
buttons on the tool bar shown below will
open and close various windows for you,
including the Browser & Step Sequencer.
(They will become clear in the fullness of
time…)
Open Browser
Click here
Here
Finally here
Here
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2. Open the Channel Settings Window (left-click on a Channel button). OK, let's modify the
kick drum sample. Load a Kick sound (shown below) and open the Channel Settings. You
can also change samples using the Open file icon to the right of the Sample Name (as shown
below) or use the Show in browser icon to show the location of the kick drum samples. As
you click on them, FL Studio will automatically play the sounds. Try opening some of the other
samples and listening to the effect a new kick drum has on the sound of the loop.
Can't hear the difference? If you press a button or turn a knob and
you can't hear any difference in the sound, try making the same change
on another Channel. For example, sometimes a change that doesn't
affect a kick drum much will make a huge difference to the sound of a
snare. If you still can't hear the difference, stop the loop from playing
and listen the sounds separately by clicking on the wave view window.
You might be able to hear the effect better without the other
instruments.
Click
Here
Show in Browser
Channel
Selector
Open file
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3. Play with the Sampler Channel. It’s worth noting that FL Studio can add audio effects on
Mixer tracks (set by the FX selector), but this section is to show you the power of Channel
sampler effects. Ok, at this point the best advice is to start the pattern looping, then play with
the controls in the sample panel of the Channel Settings Dialog and listen to the difference in
sound. Here's a short description of what some of them do. For more info see the on-line help.
Vol, Pan: These knobs that also appear
on the Channel Rack.
Wave View Window: Shows the shape of the
sound sample. Click here to hear the sample with
all the effects. Also, a drag and drop window for
loading samples. Right-click too!
Track: This control sets the Mixer track
used by the Channel. Click TRACK to
auto-assign to a Mixer track where you
can add effects.
Open sampler options
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4. Play with the Instrument Settings. Let's take a quick look at the Instrument panel before
we move on. Click on the Instrument settings tab . Here you can adjust Envelopes and
LFO to your sample for the Volume, Pan, Cutoff, Resonance, and Pitch settings.
5. What's an Envelope? An envelope causes a parameter to vary over time. The most common
is the Volume Envelope that changes volume over time. That’s over-the-note-duration not
over-the-whole-song (use Automation for that). You can also set envelopes to affect Pitch,
Cutoff, and Resonance. In terms of a volume envelope (Volume), the Delay sets how much
time passes before the envelope starts, Attack (ATT) is the fade-in time, Hold sets how long
the sound holds at full volume, and Decay (DEC), Sustain (SUS), and Release (REL) control
how the sound fades away. Play with the knobs and watch the graph change above them.
6. What's LFO? LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator. It’s like an Envelope but repeats a
waveform pattern over and over while a note is held. Commonly LFO is used to make pitch
oscillate up and down over the duration of the sound (vibrato). The Amount (AMT) sets how
much the effect oscillates, Speed how quickly it oscillates, Delay sets how much time passes
before the LFO oscillation starts, and Attack (ATT) sets how quickly the oscillation ramps up
to its full amount. Play with the knobs and watch the graph change.
Control target selector
Envelope
LFO
Right-click along this bar to set the natural pitch (root note)
Select this switch to activate the envelope
You won’t hear LFO unless amount is set
Open instrument settings
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7. How do I Use Them? Use the Target Selector (see diagram above) to choose the target then
turn the knobs on either the Envelope or the LFO. REMEMBER to turn the Envelope on and
off for each effect (click the switch as shown). To turn off the LFO, reset the Amount (AMT)
to the middle so the knob pointing straight up.
8. Why Can't I Hear the Effect? If you're still on the Kick Drum it will be hard to hear any LFO
effect, although the Envelope might make a difference. These effects are more audible on
longer samples or on sustained instrument sounds such as 3OSC.
9. Play with the Misc settings . These functions work by automating note or MIDI data sent
to the plugin on the Channel. The echo for example sends out repeated notes with successively
lower velocity (volume). Cut groups are particularly useful as they can allow you to create
realistic percussion parts, like a closed hi-hat Channel stops an open hi-hat Channel. So one
sound on one Channel can stop another. The ‘By’ number is the one a Channel will listen for
to stop itself. The Cut channel is the signal the Channel itself sends. Notice, Cut itself, sets
both to the same number. When you load a synthesizer plugin the Arpeggiator is a lot of fun.
Click the up-arrow to the left of the Arpeggiator label and hold down any 3 notes and listen to
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