AUTOMATION & RECORDING

Internal Controller Plugins

Internal controller plugins (they can be either effects such as the Fruity Peak Controller or generators such as the Automation Clip) can be used to move knobs and other controls automatically. The Fruity Peak Controller, for example, can follow the volume envelope of an input sound and map this to a knob/control of your choice.

Linking a control to internal controller

Controller plugins provide special internal controllers that can be linked to knobs/controls etc. You can also link one controller to multiple targets. To link an internal controller to a target in FL Studio:

1. Right-click the target control (knob etc).
2. From the pop-up menu select Link to controller. The Remote control settings dialog (below) will appear.

   

3. From the Internal controller drop down menu select the desired controller. If this menu does not appear on the dialog then there are no linkable internal conrollers.

There are other controls available and these are discussed in detail below.

New link Menu:

The New link menu at the top of the dialog allows you to link more than one controller to the same control. Use this menu to either create a new link (default) or re-program an existing link, these show as 'Link1', 'Link2' etc as more links are made on that control.

Remove Conflicts

When this option is checked, FL Studio will remove conflicts, like linking two knobs to the same controller (either MIDI or internal).

MIDI Controller:

Internal Controller:

Here you can link the property to an internal controller that controller plugins provide. Note that this section is NOT VISIBLE when there aren't any controller plugins added in the current FL Studio project.

• Record Automation - This switch should be usually turned off. When turned on, all events generated by the controller plugin will be recorded during a live recording session, as if you moved the control manually. However, you may turn this switch on if you want to use the controller plugin as a tool (like you use the LFO tool) to record specific set of events that you can then further refine and edit in the Event Editor window. It also makes possible to record events from controller plugins that might use much CPU when used in real-time. Don't forget to unlink the control after you recorded the events you need, not doing so may result in unwanted behaviour (due to conflict between the recorded events and those generated in same time by the plugin).

Mapping Formula:

Here you can enter a formula that is used to map the controller values to the property you link (click the title for a list of formula presets). The default formula is 'Input', Input is the variable that holds the value of the controller (1:1 mapping). Now you can enter an expression to alter the default 1:1 mapping. For example: 'Input*2' multiplies the controller value by 2. When you write an expression, press Enter. If you see message "Compiled OK" the formula was successfully compiled and you can press the OK button to apply it to the linked control. If a red text appears below, the formula is wrong (usually syntax error or unsupported variable/function was used). Correct the error and press Enter again. For a full list of supported variables and function click here.

Smoothing:

This feature allows you to smoothen the motion produced by the remote control hardware and/or internal plugin. This reduces the need to manually refine recorded automation after live sessions and ensures proper ramping of the control motion to avoid abruptly changes.

• Time - The amount of smoothing applied to the remote control input. The longer the time, the smoother the motion.

Reset

Click this button to reset the remote control settings, including mapping formula & smoothing.

Linking effects

If you want to automate a FL Studio effect, you can proceed with its controls exactly as with any FL Studio control - right-click it to launch a pop-up menu, from where you can display the MIDI Remote Control dialog box. The same goes for VST effects that do not have their own editor's interface. Then FL Studio provides interface for the plugin, and all knobs can be automated as usual.

Unfortunately, there is no way to link DirectX effects to MIDI controller. That limitation comes from DirectX specifications, not from FL Studio itself. Some DirectX plugins might have MIDI remote controller functionality, but NOT through the DirectX interface (so they can not be linked right inside FL Studio). To link such effect, follow the help instructions that come with your DirectX plugin.

Included Internal Controller Plugins

FL Studio comes with several internal controller plugins available as effect or generator plugins. These are:

Automation Clip

Dashboard

Fruity Envelope Controller

Fruity Formula Controller

Fruity Keyboard Controller

Fruity Peak Controller

Fruity X-Y Controller