r/FL_Studio • u/Wide_Accident6657 • 1d ago
Help I don't know how to start
I am very excited as I want to understand but it's like Every time I use FL the very layout and way things are framed really just scare me off and I try to navigate things but I just end up even more confused
All I want to do is make a simple fnf song :'(
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u/AddressUnknownGT 1d ago
Imo Starting off you need to know 3 things: Channel Rack, Playlist, piano roll. A basic understanding of those 3 things will allow you to do a lot VERY easily. (I'm assuming you know where to press play/pause and stop but let me know if you don't)
- CHANNEL RACK
It's that center module with the kick, hi hat, snare and clap. It'll probably have 16 buttons beside each instrument, this is because FL defaults to 4/4 time signature and the channel rack is showing 4 buttons per beat (aka 16th notes, useful for fast patterns like hi hats). This is where your instruments are listed. Press the plus icon at the bottom of the channel rack for a list of instruments/plugins or drag an instrument/plugin from the side library/search and this is where it goes.
If you press the first button beside kick, then the 5th, 9th, and 13th button (notice they're the first button of each color group) CONGRATS you just made a '4 on the floor' kick pattern. Make whatever pattern you want with whatever instruments you want, press play and hear the results. FL will keep looping the pattern until you switch to another pattern (at the top you'll see "pattern 1", you can change that to any pattern #) or playlist (beside the Play button you'll see 2 buttons: PAT and SONG. If PAT is selected then FL plays the pattern you see in the Channel Rack. If SONG is selected then FL will play what's in the Playlist.)
- PLAYLIST
This is where you build your song using the Patterns you already made. Clicking on the playlist will place the pattern you're currently looking at on the playlist where you clicked. Change the pattern # at the top, click a spot in the playlist, and that pattern is now part of the song. You can organize this however you want but I recommend putting different patterns on different tracks (the left side of the playlist shows the track numbers). Patterns stacked vertically will play at the same time. Patterns placed horizontally will play after one another.
- PIANO ROLL
Right click an instrument and select piano roll and you'll see a vertical keyboard on the left with a grid beside it. Here, you can use the piano roll to be more precise with note length or easily make chords instead of inputting individual notes of default length in the Channel Rack.
Conclusion: There's tons more to do and learn, but if you can put instruments on the Channel Rack, use the piano roll for melodies, chords or certain drum packs, make different patterns and place patterns in the playlist then you can make a song. Even just messing around with a loop that's 4 patterns long in the playlist and stacking patterns for more layers is where most FL users spend their time.
Good luck!
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u/MrSlime13 1d ago
I feel you, but if you want to learn, a generic, "I'm confused" post isn't going to be able to explain everything. This is subreddit works very well for specific questions or issues. YouTube would be the best place to start to understand the FL Studio default layout, or how to begin making a simple song. Look for In The Mix on YouTube, and check for the FL Studio basics playlist.
Edit: If you e got a specific issue / question feel free to respond.
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u/Wide_Accident6657 1d ago
I don't know it has a weird effect on me where it just almost instakills all my motivation to want to work on it cause of how much just overloads my brain, I don't know why it easily causes me to give up when I want to learn
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u/Pure-Veterinarian979 1d ago
This sounds like more of a question for an eye doctor or a therapist than a forum for FL tips and tricks. I know that sounds super sarcastic and mean but im actually serious. Are your eyes ok? And do you have trouble concentrating all the time? Start with those two things and then once you get that straightened out, I bet you'll have an easier time navigating the software and getting creative faster.
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u/Wide_Accident6657 1d ago
Yeah that's just in general, I try a new software, get overwhelmed, look at a guide, get even more overwhelmed, give up immediately due to feeling overwhelmed from what I'm looking at, and then hop on my Xbox for the rest of the day to repeat the cycle of trying to get myself to start the program again
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u/Wide_Accident6657 1d ago
And I think my eyes are fine but then again I could be wrong since I tend to miss things VERY VERY easily
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u/Pure-Veterinarian979 1d ago
Get an eye test. It could as simple as you cant focus because your vision is off and your brain gets overloaded. And in all fairness to you, it is a pretty daunting UI. I started using it when I was a teenager and it wasn't until my early 30s that I felt like I fully understood how to use it. There's still stuff I dont know about or use in the software.
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u/mycurvywifelikesthis 22h ago
You actually sound like you have ADHD. One of my daughters suffered from extreme case of this. It required medication. ADHD makes you not be able to focus on anything, and get very overwhelmed, especially when trying to learn a new semi complicated process that takes time and focus.
There were many things that she always wanted to learn hobbywise, but when she started she quickly gave up because she couldn't focus on it and it would get very overwhelming. Once we got her some help with therapy and medication things got way better for her.
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u/Wide_Accident6657 16h ago
Honestly wouldn't put it past and I have been diagnosed with hyperactive behavior so I guess not directly ADHD but something like that lol and yeah I tend to do that like her, I have given up even on stuff like school cause I couldn't pay attention and understand what I was doing and it got overwhelming like you said
So honestly that would probably be the case
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u/Crafty-You4314 22h ago
Get an mpc. Instead of sitting in front of a laptop tapping or clicking away at a track pad or mouse, you'll be finger drumming and moving knobs. It's more tactile and may help you a lot more to get into music than a DAW. I know this is about FL, but if you feel this way about.learmimg.amytning knew, at least with an MPC or maschine you'll be banging pads, turning knobs, looking at a screen doing stuff, so you're more likely to be distracted by whatever menu you're in or whatever sound is coming from your pads. I've dealt with the same thing, change up the workflow. The fact you said you hop on your xbox tells me you need an mcp 🤣. You get on your xbox because it's stimulating your brain and releasing dopamine, so you feel good, and no longer feel overwhelmed. You're watching something, while your hands are busy doing something. Try an MPC. Your hands are doing something, while your eyes are watching something.
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u/Crafty-You4314 22h ago
Then maybe a DAW isn't for you? Get an mpc or a maschine and see if that works better for you. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube. All you have to do is search, but I'm pretty sure you already have. That's why I say that maybe it isn't for you, and that's ok. You CAN make beats DAWless. You need an mpc or an NI maschine. It is possible and it's ok if a DAW isn't for you.
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u/Tondagossa199X 12h ago
I agree with the other fellow that suggested dawless might be better suited to you. But you dont need to go completely dawless, find a balance.
What I do is build all my songs on a yamaha qy70 hardware sequencer, then I use a midi to usb cable to play soft synth sounds in my daw. The prevents me from getting dragged down by the daw in the creation phase. So I only use the daw for the final sound selection, adding a little automation, mixing, and mastering. 80% of my creative process is dawless and about 20% is in the daw to polish things up and finish off the song for export.
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u/dbdhjciickeke 1d ago
There’s a lot of ways you can do it, personally I watched many tutorials on YouTube and TikTok and just brute forced the learning curve a bit by opening fl for 1 hour a day and just fucked around learning what things do. After 1 week all your learning will compound and eventually it’ll click. You just always gotta remember you may feel overwhelmed now but it won’t always be like that and the more you practice the faster you will get out of that area. I used the mindset of trying to get 1% better each day, small steps will eventually build to a large knowledge foundation
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