CHANNEL SETTINGS

Instrument Channel Settings (INS)

The Instrument Channel Settings page contains options for additional adjusting how the Sampler plays a note. It appears in Sampler generators and Sampler plugins (these plugins replace the function of the wave sample in the Sampler).

1. Envelope & LFO Section

Envelope Section

Envelopes in this section behave much like standard ADSR envelope, but they have been enhanced with few additional properties (delay, hold and amount). You can control the envelope properties from the knobs, or you can drag up/down directly the elements in the envelope preview.

• Time/Tension mode switch (TIME/TNS) - These buttons switch between time and tension editing for the envelope. In time edit mode, the knobs set the length of the attack, decay, release etc. envelope elements. In tension edit mode, you set the shape of the elements instead (logarithmic, linear or exponential).
• Delay (DEL) - Delay can be used to add a "gap" between note's actual start and the envelope attack state.
• Attack (ATT) - Controls attack length of the envelope (attack shape in tension edit mode).
• Hold (HOLD)- This property "holds" the attack at its maximum level for a period before the decay starts.
• Decay (DEC) - Controls decay length of the envelope (decay shape in tension edit mode).
• Sustain (SUS) - Determines sustain level of the envelope.
• Release (REL) - Determines release length of the envelope (release shape in tension edit mode).
• Amount (AMT) - Controls the way envelope is applied to the property it modulates. Volume does not contain such knob, because the envelope is applied "straight" to note's volume - lowest point is zero volume, highest means highest volume (of course with respect to channel's volume). However, channel's cutoff, resonance & pitch values are already set in the Sampler (pitch is notes & slides, cutoff and resonance is explained in the Filter section below in this page). That is the reason why their envelopes act as an offset of the actual values. If the Amount knob is centered, the envelope is NOT applied in any way to the values. The more you turn it right, the more envelope adds to the value it modulates. The more you turn it left, the more envelope subtracts from the value it modulates.
• Tempo Based (TB) - Turning this option on makes lengths of attack, hold, decay etc. tempo based, so they change accordingly when tempo is changed. With this option checked, you can right-click all knobs in an envelope section (except Amount and Sustain, which don't set a time period) and point to the Set menu item. A submenu will open that contains some predefined tempo based lengths. Select any of them to apply it. If you select a predefined tempo-based length from this menu and the Tempo Based option is not checked, it will turn itself on automatically.
• Log Attack - If Log Attack is turned on, the attack of the envelope has logarithmic shape (the logarithmic shape is not reflected in the envelope display).
• Log Decay - If Log Decay is turned on, the decay of the envelope has logarithmic shape (the logarithmic shape is not reflected in the envelope display).

LFO Section

Applies LFO modulation to pan, volume, cutoff, resonance and pitch settings. You can choose among 3 LFO shapes - sine, triangle, square (shape selector is located in top left corner of LFO section).

Delay (DEL) - Delay can be used to add a "gap" between note actual start and LFO applying.

Attack (ATT) - This property sets attack length in the LFO modulation.

Amount (AMT) - Amount knob controls the way LFO is applied to the property it modulates (LFO is applied as an offset of the original value of a property). If Amount knob is centered, LFO is NOT applied in any way to the values. The more you turn it right or left, the more LFO is applied to values. Turning knob to right causes the values above center in the LFO to be added to the values, and those below center to be subtracted. Turning to left will act the opposite way.

Speed (SPD) - Controls the frequency (speed) of the LFO.

Tempo Based (TB) - Turning this option on makes lengths of delay, attack and speed tempo based, so they change accordingly when tempo is changed. With this option checked, you can right-click all knobs that control those values in a LFO section and point to the Set menu item. A submenu will open that contains some predefined tempo based lengths. Select any of them to apply it to the knob. If you select a predefined tempo-based length from this menu and the Tempo Based option is not checked, it will turn itself on automatically.

Global - Turning this options on makes the current LFO global, so it does not restart in the beginning of each note. If unchecked, LFO is local to each note.

2. Filter Section

This section controls the cut/reso filter type and it's cutoff & resonance values. Cutoff (CUT) knob controls the cutoff threshold, Resonance (RES) knob controls the resonance level. The combo box below them shows the currently set cut/reso filter type. Left-click it to set another filter type from the menu that appears.

3. Preview Keyboard

The preview keyboard lets you preview (left-click a key) the generator, sets the root key (right-click a key), and set key region of the channel (drag the gray ruler to define the region).

Root Key - The orange rectangle in the ruler above the piano keys shows the root key of the channel. Since each sample has particular pitch (except probably noise samples), FL Studio has to know how to interpret it - when you set the root key to C6, FL Studio maps pitches considering that when played at its original speed, sample has pitch of C6. All other notes are generated by changing sample's speed (and thus changing its pitch). So actually setting the root key higher makes all notes sound lower. For example if a sample has pitch C5, and you map it to C6, FL Studio will consider that C5 sample as C6, thus shifting all notes one octave down. To set the root key right-click a key on the preview keyboard.

Key Region - When you set key region for a channel, all note events outside the region will be ignored (not played). This feature is not useful when using a channel by itself. However, when using a channel as a layer in a Layer channel to create complex instruments, you might want some of the layers to play only in their specified region, for example, having different sample for each octave (each sample is placed in a separate channel). Drag the ruler above the piano keys to define key region for this channel. Once created, you can edit the limits of the region by dragging its end points.

Note that the Preview Keyboard also appears in Miscellaneous Channel Settings page, and there it contains some additional options, like fine-tuning the base note, reset command etc.