MIDI Patterns vs Audio Clips - FL Studio 20 Basics

New FL Studio users wonder whether MIDI clips or audio clips sound better and what the differences in workflow are.

This video is designed for people fresh to FL Studio and new to the program, with recommendations for advanced users to explore other playlists on the channel.

• Comparison of MIDI patterns and audio clips • Sound quality differences • Workflow differences between approaches

A quick example shows one pattern using only MIDI and instruments, another using only audio clips, demonstrating they can sound essentially the same.

Using only audio clips avoids forcing the CPU to run through plugins, significantly saving CPU resources.

Audio clips use approximately 9-10% CPU while MIDI clips with instruments surge to 40-45% CPU usage due to synthesizer processing.

For users on underpowered machines, printing audio files (especially those using CPU-heavy synthesizers like Serum) is recommended.

This consideration is most important when starting out on limited hardware, making audio clips a practical choice for optimization.

Many producers believe drums sound louder and punchier when arranged directly in the playlist rather than through the channel rack.

The difference is based on velocity settings. In the channel rack, samples often use less than maximum velocity, making them quieter than their playlist counterparts.

• Access velocity settings via the graph editor in the channel rack • Increase velocity to maximum or adjust channel gain to match playlist loudness • Velocity in the graph editor mirrors the piano roll velocity setting

Both approaches can achieve equal loudness by properly adjusting velocity or channel gain, making the placement method less important than proper level management.

MIDI patterns allow easy transposition using Ctrl+A and Shift+arrow keys to adjust notes by semitones, maintaining crisp and clean sound.

Select all notes, hold Shift and use up/down arrow keys to move notes one semitone at a time, allowing quick key changes across multiple patterns.

Pitch shifting audio clips can sound mushy, lose distinction, and create artifacts, especially on bass frequencies, making MIDI preferable for key flexibility.

For songs requiring key adjustments (such as accommodating a vocalist's register), MIDI is the better choice to maintain sound quality during transposition.

Beginners without extensive music theory background benefit from using audio loops (drum loops, bass loops, chord loops) as starting points and inspiration.

Drag audio loops into the playlist and use the stretch mode to re-time them to fit the project's tempo and bar length.

• Use loops as initial inspiration rather than final solutions • Recreate loop notes on your own instruments to learn composition • Modify and customize loops to develop unique ideas • Compare your creation with the original inspiration

This approach teaches melody, harmony, rhythm, and DAW skills without requiring complete origination of all musical elements.

Zoom in on drum loops in the playlist to see exactly where kicks, hi-hats, and snares are positioned, including off-grid placement.

Line up your samples with the visual reference to mimic drum patterns and learn authentic timing without relying solely on the grid.

• Study professional drum patterns to understand groove • Manually position samples to match the reference • Learn rhythm and timing organically • This mirrors the approach of making a cover or remix

Learning to recreate others' beats is a legitimate educational technique comparable to covering songs or remixes in music production.

The channel rack struggles with samples containing complex transients (the initial signal spike), causing timing issues that result in samples sounding behind.

A snap sample with layered sounds appears to have unclear starting points, making accurate triggering from the channel rack difficult or impossible.

• Drag samples to the playlist for manual alignment • Visually position samples exactly where needed • Maintain full texture and quality of the sample • Achieve precise timing without cutting off important content

Use Ctrl+B to paste samples across the timeline in exact positions rather than Ctrl+V, which requires manual realignment each time.

The shift parameter in the graph editor allows pushing samples between grid steps for subtle groove adjustments, though the interface is somewhat fiddly.

Adjustments made in the channel rack graph editor are hidden until reopened, whereas playlist adjustments remain fully visible at all times.

• Some producers prefer channel rack organization with hidden elements • Others prefer playlist visibility with everything in front of them • This mirrors choosing between a studio with constant setup versus storing tools away

Neither approach is right or wrong; the best method depends on individual workflow preferences and comfort with organizing projects.

The playlist excels at handling long samples such as crashes, fallers, and risers that are impractical to manage in the channel rack.

• Select the wave file icon to make samples unique for independent editing • Reverse crashes to create risers • Maintain proper timing of long transition effects • Layer and combine different effects

Timing risers and fallers in the channel rack is virtually impossible, making the playlist the only practical choice for these sound design elements.

Many professional producers use a combination of both the channel rack and playlist depending on the specific elements they're working with.

There is no difference in export quality, loudness, or sound quality between using kicks from the channel rack versus the playlist.

As long as all elements are sent to mixer tracks and mixed consistently, both approaches produce identical results when exported.

The choice between MIDI patterns and audio clips should be based on workflow preference, project needs, and technical constraints rather than sound quality concerns.

The channel offers additional tutorials on sound design, mixing, and mastering for those wanting to deepen their FL Studio knowledge.