Book Image

A Power User's Guide to FL Studio 21

By : Chris Noxx
Book Image

A Power User's Guide to FL Studio 21

By: Chris Noxx

Overview of this book

A digital audio workstation empowering both aspiring and seasoned producers to create original music compositions, FL Studio has not only advanced the culture of collaboration across several genres but has provided a creative outlet for up-and-coming artists worldwide. Achieving professional production prowess takes practice, market insight, and mentorship. This book explains how the author used FL Studio as a creative palette to build a successful career as a record producer, using specific techniques and workflow processes that only FL Studio can accommodate. You’ll develop a Power User's mindset, create signature sounds using stock FL Studio One Shots, create top-level drum loops, learn about FL Studio's VST’s, and approach arrangements from a practical and pop music perspective. This comprehensive guide covers everything from crafting and adding hypnotic melodies and chords, to mixing and mastering productions, and promoting those records to artists and companies, to take your career to the next level. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to create original productions from scratch using FL Studio’s virtual instruments and sound kits, mix and master the finished production, and arrange it using the Billboard-charting formula.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)
1
Part 1:Understanding the Basics
3
Part 2:Creating Music with FL Studio
9
Part 3: Best Techniques and How to Appear on the Billboard Charts

Creativity versus programming

Now, just like everything in music, you can be as creative as you want to be, but here I will share some secrets as they relate to creating billboard charting drum loops and arrangements that have stood the test of time. Drum patterns, loops, or sequences are all about creating an underlying rhythm to your production; they are the foundation for how your song will move and how songwriters will cadence their vocals, and determine whether the song is upbeat, slow, heartfelt, or abstract.

The first point of origin is that, in rap, each coast has its own distinct sound and production style within the genre, and has a specific feel and style of drum programming. Rap music from the East and West Coast typically follows beats per minute (BPM) range of 80-100, whereas southern music typically follows a BPM range in double time of 130-150. This is important to understand as rap has become the cultural cornerstone of how every other genre now creates productions...