- Playlist Menu Button
- Toolbar:
Tools Menu; 
Draw (
P); 
Paint ( B); 
Erase ( D); 
Cut ( C); 
Select ( E); 
Zoom to selection ( Z); 
Snap Selector; - Live Mode
- Horizontal Zoom (Timeline Zoom)
- Time Markers
- Patterns Tracks
- Tracks Tools and Options
- Audio/Automation Tracks Vertical Zoom
- Audio/Automation Tracks
Patterns vs Audio/Automation Clips
This page covers some generic information about using the Playlist window. For more details on using the patterns and audio/automation clip tracks and when to use which, please check the following pages:
Timeline and Time Markers
The horizontal dimension in the Playlist represents time. You can see the timeline displayed on top of the playlist window (4). The numbers in the timeline stand for the number of bars since the start of the song.
The time segments the Playlist is divided into are set by the window's "snap" parameter (). Selecting "Main" will use the global snap value as defined in the Recording panel instead.
You can add named time markers in the timeline, which helps for marking specific a section of your song, and allows a quick selection of a region between two markers.
To add a new time marker, open the Playlist's menu (1) and select Add Time Marker. Type a name for the marker and press Enter. All new markers apears at the start of the timeline. You can move them easily to any position by dragging their left edge with your left mouse button.
You can right-click any existing time marker for a popup menu enabling you to change its name or remove it.
Selection Methods
There are several ways to make a selection in the Playlist:
- Select rectangular area in the audio or pattern
tracks: In draw ()
or paint ()
mode, hold Ctrl and drag an to define the selection area with the left
mouse button. You can use left mouse button without Ctrl in selection
mode ().
- Add to existing selection: Hold Shift and Ctrl while making a rectangular selection to add to the existing selection.
- Select a set of pattern tracks: Hold Ctrl and drag up/down inside the pattern name are on the left side of the screen.
- Select a time region: Hold Ctrl and drag left/right inside the timeline (4) area.
- Select a marked time region: Double-click a time marker in the timeline to select the time region from this marker to the next one (or to the end of the song in case it is the last one).
Playlist Menu
The Playlist menu button (1) shows a menu that contains many useful commands for managing the Playlist.
1. Edit
- Cut ( Ctrl+X)
- Cuts all selected pattern bars and audio clips to the clipboard.
- Copy ( Ctrl+C)
- Copies all selected pattern bars and audio clips to the clipboard.
- Paste ( Ctrl+V)
- Pastes pattern bars and audio clips from the clipboard.
- Delete ( Del)
- Deletes all selected pattern bars and audio clips.
- Delete All ( Ctrl+Del)
- Deletes all pattern bars and audio clips.
- Select All ( Ctrl+A)
- Selects all pattern bars and audio clips.
- Invert Selection - Inverts the selection.
- Quick Quantize ( Alt+Q)
- Applies basic quantize to all selected pattern bars and audio clips depending
on the global snap setting in the Recording
panel (if nothing is selected, applies to all).
- Insert Space ( Ctrl+Ins)
- Creates empty space that matches the current selection start
and length by shifting all following pattern blocks forward.
- Delete Space ( Ctrl+Del)
- Erases all pattern blocks in the current selection and shifts back
the remaining blocks to close the gap.
2. Patterns
- Set Name - Opens a name popup allowing you to rename the selected patern.
- Color Selected ( Alt+C)
- Opens the standard Windows color picker, enabling you to select a color
for the selected pattern track.
- Open in Project Browser ( Alt+P)
- Expands the Project Browser folders to
show the selected pattern.
- Insert One ( Ctrl+Ins)
- Inserts blank pattern before the currently selected one.
- Clone Selected ( Shift+Ctrl+C)
- Inserts a clone of the current pattern right after it. The cloned pattern
has the same note events (with their velocity, pan etc. properties) in
the Step Sequencer as the original, but currently the events are not copied
into the new pattern.
- Delete Selected ( Ctrl+Del)
- Deletes the current pattern.
- Move Selected Up ( Alt+Up)
- Moves all selected patterns one step up.
- Move Selected Down ( Alt+Down)
- Moves all selected patterns one step down.
- Flatten Selected - This option scans the bars of the selected pattern and reconstructs the whole sequence in a big Piano Roll sequence(s) inside the pattern. The separate bars are replaced by a single big bar containing the entire sequence. With this feature you are able to quickly convert repeated patterns in a big sequence where you can variate the separate repetitions without creating a separate pattern for each variation. Note that this function converts all step grid sequences to Piano Roll notes.
- Merge Selected - Flattens all selected pattern tracks and merges them all in the topmost selected pattern.
3. Audio Tracks
- Auto Zero Crossing - Enabling this command
allows FL Studio to look for the closest zero (middle) level intersection
when splitting an audio clip to bars, beats, or when using the Cut tool
().
Splitting at zero intersection strongly reduces the chance of clicks and
pops artifacts caused due to the abruptly start of an audio segment.
- Flat Mode ( Alt+F)
- Switches between flat and 3D rendering mode for the audio tracks.
- Glass Mode ( Ctrl+Alt+F)
- Turns on/off the glass shading effects for the audio tracks waveform
preview.