Any chance of some help with Fruity Loops ?

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Philby_Walsh

New member
I've just downloaded fruity loops and I want to make some drum tracks that I can play along to.I play singer songwriter kinda stuff along the lines of david gray.

any chance someone could run through the basic procedure for creating drum tracks in that style?

Ive tried messing around with it but Ive gotten absolutely nowhere.

Thanks guys.
 
get a 'How to Play Drums' type book - there's one in that guitar case series for about £5. Learn some basic patterns. Get comfortable with them. Then listen to the records you're interested in and figure out what the drums are doing and copy them. Your most basic drum beat would be Bass Drum on 1 and 9, Snare on 5 and 13, Hi-hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.

I bet there's basic drum patterns available on the net as well.

Sorry if that's too basic.
 
Philby - one of the nicest things about overdubbing is how you can BUILD.

Play your song a couple of times until it sounds right. While you've got the rhythm uppermost in your mind, go into Fruity and set up a click track that matches the rhythm exactly. You can use a kick on the first beat of each measure, for example. Or you can use a hihat sound or anything else - just so long as you can hear the rhythm through the headphones.

Now record your song while you're listening to the click track. Later, after you've laid down the instruments and vocals or whatever, you can go back into Fruity and replace the click track with a beats part that makes sense for the song.

I've tried coming up with a beats part first, and I always make mistakes that just interfere with the playing and laying down of other tracks on top of it.

My biggest problem with all this is that my audio prog, Cool Edit, won't let me have Fruity open at the same time. I have to keep closing it down and opening it back up again. I think I want nTracks.
 
You can also go to Borders or Barnes&Noble and read "Computer Music" magazine.... they've been running a series of articles on how to use Fruity.

Better yet, start buying the mag.... they have a CD in every issue that has tons of samples and software, too.
 
laj35 said:
you lookin for general formula's for pop drumloops or just info on how to work FL?


Laj
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies guy.

Basically I do want a drum track to go with my songs (And also something that I can play along to when recording) so the clik-track suggestion seems a good one.

I have messed about with FL a good few times but I just can't get anything to sound right for the type of music I'm into. I always end up with a really bass-heavy, techno-style beat that you couldn't possibly play guitar over. The drums timing seems too rigid for me. Ive tried to use the 'realistic' drum set but I cant get it to work.Ive tried dragging into into the main tracks window but it just comes in as one track called 'sample' and not each individual percussion instrument.If I can get that going I think ill be well on my way cos I think the 'late snare' and the more human sound would suit me better.

so does anyone know how I can use this realistic set instead of the built in one?

I also want to get a good working knowledge of FL. (Eg samples + synths etc) and 2 b honest I cant follow the instructions at all.

Id be very grateful If anyone can solve any of these problems for me.

cheers guys.


Phil



PS Id like to thank slackmaster for all his help when I was trying 2 hook up my 4-track to my soundcard.I finally got there, thanks!
 
A lot of stuff in FL is hidden in the Browser - the list down the lefthand side of the screen. There's a couple of kits called Vintage and Basic which have some more acoustic style drum sounds. If you click on these you get a list of the individual instruments. To replace the FL default drums and hihats you just click and drag the individual instruments onto the step sequencer and replace the FL default ones one at a time. Just drag the new snare onto the button saying C_Snare and let go. Sometimes it doesn't work and you have to try again, but this is the basic method of changing instruments in FL.

Using the synths is the same principle, but you have to use a synth channel on the step sequencer. Click on TS404 presets - I think it's called this. I'm writing this from memory - choose a preset, click and drag it to the button on the step sequencer which says TS404#1 and let go. The preset should now be loaded onto the step sequencer. Add some dots to the sequencer channel with the mouse, press PLAY and you should hear some synth. If you click on the right hand diagram of a grid next to where it says Shuffle you'll call up the piano keyboard. With this you can alter the pitch of the synth notes and move them about. To put in a new synth channel, click on Channels in the drop down menu, click on the synth of your choice, and a new synth channel will be added to the step sequencer.

The Shuffle slider can be used to make the beats sound slightly less robotic.

I can't remember where in the Browser you find the Vintage and Basic kits. It might be under Drum Kits or it might be under Instruments or Packs. Like I say, a lot of stuff is hidden. It took me ages to find a crash cymbal.

Hope this is more help than my last post.
 
Or you could search the net for some drum individual samples.

Here is one site...

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~spufus/

Download the drum sample.

Paste it into the WAV folder in FLP (you will have to search your HD for it because I don't have it in front of me at the moment). ;)

Then insert them as you want.

;)

spin

p.s. If that was too vague. Let me know. I will walk you through it step by step.
 
Chorus-Verse Patterns?

How do you set a song to be a certain length? By that I mean for example 40 bars? As it is I only have one pattern that loops infinitely.

Also what if I want a different pattern say for the chorus? How do I do that? Also how do I set the pattern do go from the chorus pattern to the verse one and back again, as a song does?

Thanks guys
 
It depends on which version of FLP you are using.

That's why I asked the question of what version are you using. ;)
 
Re: Chorus-Verse Patterns?

Philby_Walsh said:
1) How do you set a song to be a certain length? By that I mean for example 40 bars? As it is I only have one pattern that loops infinitely.

2) Also what if I want a different pattern say for the chorus? How do I do that?

3) Also how do I set the pattern do go from the chorus pattern to the verse one and back again, as a song does?

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

1) You will have to open the PLAYLIST. Then, you can draw the specific length of bars you want to use. :)

2) Toward the top of the FL screen, you have a keypad with numbers. The different numbers enable you to create different sequences.

Small example .... with the #1 button lit, create you first SEQ (say that's your INTRO). Press button #2 and create your second SEQ (that'll be your VERSE). Press button #3 to create your third SEQ. (that'll be your CHORUS). Press button #4 and create your fourth SEQ (that'll be your BRIDGE). ETC, etc, etc....

3) You will open up your PLAYLIST, then place the appropriate DOTS onto the appropriate sequences. (it will make sense, once you open up your PLAYLIST ;) ).

I hope this info helps you.

:D peace... :D
 
Yeah to be able to do anything constructive at all with FL you'll definitely have to follow SPIN's tips. There is a relatively infinite amount of patterns that you can put together which in my opinion makes it a pretty useful program. On the other hand you're definitely right when you talk about the lameness (no that is not I word, I know) of alot of the samples. Again follow SPIN to the light, check out his links, the dude gives sound advice. Once you feel more comfy with sequencing within patterns/playlists, come back again and learn about the piano roll, my fav part of FL, also love how random tweaking of the arpg. knobs can get some really cool shit going on. Anyways, good luck man!

Laj
 
cheers for the help guys.

Im using Fruity Loops 3 btw

Ok Ive opened the playlist and have messed around a bit but can't get it working.

Can anyone explain the difference between Squares and diamond shapes when you draw it on?

I've set
bar1 = pattern1
bar2 = pattern2
bar3 = pattern1
bar4 = pattern2

and have pressed play but this does not play the patterns in that order.It only plays the pattern that is selected in the top right hand corner where the patterns are laid out like the numbers on phone if u know what i mean.

can anyone help?

I know I must sound like a fool but I am finding this prog VERY HARD to get going.there is simply too much content to make a song simply imho.

cheers
philby
 
Dude, I don't mean to be insulting but try looking at the program a little bit...it might help :)

You have to set the playback mode from "Pattern" to "Song". I'm not going to tell you where that is, but let's just say it's not far from the most logical place for it to be. You also have to make sure that your loop points are set right in the pattern sequencer. By default it'll loop everything, but just in case...it involves clicking the mouse...both the left button, and the right button....but that's all I'm going to say :)

Ok I'm sorry I'm so mean...but surely it must be faster to click "help" than to wait for replies on the BBS! Fruity loops is like the child's toy of sequencers...people love it because it's so flippin easy. Over time it's also become fairly powerful, but the interface has remained about the same. Man, don't try Buzz Tracker or any "old school" shit until you figure this fruity thing out :)

P.S. you always plop squares, never diamond shapes...look a little closer at that diamond!

Slackmaster 2000
 
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