FL studio automation

[broadus]

Pretty basic (and embarrassing) question, but something that's been confusing me. Basically i've been trying to record automation live in song mode. I have my basic song minus automation in the playlist, so I want to add automation live as the song is played. So I hit record, then mess with (for example) the cut off filter of my bass line. But as soon as one block of that pattern is finished, the song stops and my automation is finished, leaving each bassline pattern i've pasted with the same automation, when for example, I only want my automation clip to take effect from the 16th to 20th bar. I know you can do automation manually with the whole create automation clip thing, but surely there is a way to do it live, it would be so much easier.

Thanks.

[5-0-what]

record your automation in its own pattern
then stack it on top of the pattern that it is automating

[broadus]

Cheers, but would that mean creating duplicates of synths, because that wouldn't be great for cpu. Could you explain exactly how I would do that if possible? Anyone else got any ideas on how I can simply record automation live as the song plays?

[RandoRando]

Cheers, but would that mean creating duplicates of synths, because that wouldn't be great for cpu. Could you explain exactly how I would do that if possible? Anyone else got any ideas on how I can simply record automation live as the song plays?

Record into a separate pattern than Which your synth is on. And stop usin the pattern blocks , they limit creativity so much.

[broadus]

I don't use pattern blocks, shouldn't have said that. I generally have a main pattern, then use the split by channel tool and use the audio clips in the playlist to build my song. Got it working though by doing what both of you said. Cheers for your help.

[sunny_b_uk]

Record into a separate pattern than Which your synth is on. And stop usin the pattern blocks , they limit creativity so much.

this.
also when using a separate pattern you can record as many automations as you want in that one pattern without filling up the whole playlist.
i only record the automations (as a edit event) when my automations dont need to be super precise.
one thing that pisses me off is you cant get a looped playback when you press the record button (like in Reason), so if you get it wrong you'll have to just press record again or go in the edit events to alter it.
things would be 100x faster if FL would just loop when recording

[3za]

stop usin the pattern blocks , they limit creativity so much.

I love your humour man.

[mrmiller]

to automate a synth in fruity loops, goto the arrow in the top left corner of the screen,

then click browse parameters,

in the left you see all the parameters in the synth you can change find the one you wana automate
right click then click the automation clip thingy...

have fun

[sunny_b_uk]

to automate a synth in fruity loops, goto the arrow in the top left corner of the screen,

then click browse parameters,

in the left you see all the parameters in the synth you can change find the one you wana automate
right click then click the automation clip thingy...

have fun

a MUCH quicker way is to slightly turn the knob that you want to automate then click Tools (at the top) and type 'la'. done
pressing L will go to Last parameter tweaked and then A will select Automate.
there are also other cool none talked about FL shortcuts like that as well

[monte-m]

Record into a separate pattern than Which your synth is on. And stop usin the pattern blocks , they limit creativity so much.

this.
also when using a separate pattern you can record as many automations as you want in that one pattern without filling up the whole playlist.
i only record the automations (as a edit event) when my automations dont need to be super precise.
one thing that pisses me off is you cant get a looped playback when you press the record button (like in Reason), so if you get it wrong you'll have to just press record again or go in the edit events to alter it.
things would be 100x faster if FL would just loop when recording

isn't that what this button is for?

also, if you go to the edit events window of the control you are automating, after you've recorded your automation you can click the ▼ in the top left corner of the edit events window, go to edit, then Turn into automation clip. one of my favorite functions

[RandoRando]

Record into a separate pattern than Which your synth is on. And stop usin the pattern blocks , they limit creativity so much.

this.
also when using a separate pattern you can record as many automations as you want in that one pattern without filling up the whole playlist.
i only record the automations (as a edit event) when my automations dont need to be super precise.
one thing that pisses me off is you cant get a looped playback when you press the record button (like in Reason), so if you get it wrong you'll have to just press record again or go in the edit events to alter it.
things would be 100x faster if FL would just loop when recording

isn't that what this button is for?

also, if you go to the edit events window of the control you are automating, after you've recorded your automation you can click the ▼ in the top left corner of the edit events window, go to edit, then Turn into automation clip. one of my favorite functions

thats for recording overdub. and Sunny, just highlight what you want to loop while holding CTRL and it will select all of it and loop it for you, overdub allows you to record over what was already done (how you would record a drum loop one sound at a time)

[nowaysj]

Monte, thanks for pointing that out, very powerful tool. I remember some time ago, IL said there was a tool to reduce the number of automation points when converting event data into automation. Did they implement that to your knowledge? This would be extremely helpful!

[sunny_b_uk]

thanx guys i was unaware of that button for some reason and that specific shortcut as well (i normally double click and drag to select a loop point)
just when you think having read the entire manual more than once in the past will make u know everything
also @nowayj if you make straight automation lines in edit events by holding right click opposed to using the left mouse button, thats how you reduce automation points when turning it into an automation clip.

[serox]

Nothing wrong with pattern blocks, it how you use them.

[nowaysj]

Well, for the longest time, I've worked in two different ways in fl, and it sucks. All my drawn automation I do with... automation clips. But all recorded knob tweaks, obviously have to come in as event data. I'd just like to convert that recorded knob event data in to the very precise and easy to work with automation format. But in the past when converting, you end up with trillions of automation points, and it is just a ball ache and a half. I've seen some tool reduce the number of automation points, but I can't recall if it was some alpha or beta thing that got cut out of a release, or if it was really released. I actually need to stop dicking around and figure this out. I've asked about it over there on IL's forum, and had fuck all response.

[nowaysj]

And there is Serox himself, who was asking me how to reduce the number of automation points of converted event data. See that. The world is small.

[serox]

And there is Serox himself, who was asking me how to reduce the number of automation points of converted event data. See that. The world is small.

I did?

I dont record automation much anymore, well I do but differently. I normally just find some automation I like and record it and export/import. I cannot stand trying to work with all these automation patterns. I find it confusing to look at and I have moved things without realizing and then hours later I am scratching my head saying this sounds shit.

Contemporary Dubstep producers like their automation and that shit must get confusing. I only ever do a little bit on hits normally or some fades on noises so this method works alright for me.

[nowaysj]

A couple of ways of dealing with that, but what I've figured out works best for me, is name all clips, and name all automation clips. It gets easier to manage them. Also I try to keep them together. I used to overlay the automation clips over the midi or audio clips, but that is a hassle if you have 20 automation clips stacked on top of each other. So, I just put them below the audio or midi clip that I'm working on. So if I'm dragging sections around, I can pretty easily make sure everything is moving where it is supposed to go.

After years of complaining, IL finally implemented a grouping feature in the play list, so you can slect a bunch of clips, hit shift g, adn they will all be grouped together, much easier to move stuff when you literally have like 100 different little clips in a couple bar loop. Alt g ungroups the group if you wan tto go in and move elements around.

I've been begging for years to get folders, and they just might do it someday, but Gol is opinionated, and if he doesn't see a need for someting it rarely happens. Way back in the day I used to work in logic, and they had folders. It is just so much cleaner and easier to work with a track at the end stages when you can just folder up stuff...

And yeah, you did ask that :O it was a while ago.

[serox]

Making music needs to be fun for me. If it starts turning into me vs the computer I lose interest

[nowaysj]

Not gonna lie, every time I'm working on music w/ the computer, its me vs the computer.