Hands using FL Studio 20 with keyboard and MIDI controller

Essential FL Studio 20 Hotkeys You Need to Know

If you're diving into music production with FL Studio 20, knowing the right hotkeys can seriously speed up your workflow. In this post, we’ll cover some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts that can help you create music more efficiently. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned producer, these hotkeys will make your life a lot easier.

Key Takeaways

  • Control Shortcuts: Mastering control shortcuts can save you time.
  • Note Manipulation: Use hotkeys for quick note adjustments.
  • Exporting Made Easy: Learn how to export your work quickly.
  • Humanizing Your Sound: Use shortcuts to add a more natural feel to your music.

The Power of Control Shortcuts

One of the first things to know is how to use the Control key effectively. Holding down Control while clicking will highlight everything in your project. This is a huge time-saver because you won’t need to click around to select items individually.

  • Control + D: This shortcut duplicates your selection. It’s super handy for quickly creating copies of notes or patterns.

Note Adjustments Made Simple

When working with notes, there are several shortcuts that can help you adjust them quickly:

  1. Alt + Click: This is what I call the Tide Adjustment. It allows you to move notes without snapping to the grid, giving you more flexibility.
  2. Shift + Arrow Keys: This moves your selected notes up or down. If you hold Control while doing this, it will move the notes up or down an octave.
  3. Alt + S: This strums your selected chords, giving them a more natural feel, similar to how a guitar would sound.

Randomizing Your Sounds

To add some variation to your beats, you can use:

  • Alt + R: This opens the randomizer, which is great for adding randomness to single notes or hi-hats. It can adjust panning and velocity, making your sounds feel more human.

Exporting Your Work

When it comes time to export your tracks, these shortcuts will save you a lot of clicks:

  • Control + R: This exports your project as a WAV file quickly. Instead of going through the menu, just hit this shortcut.
  • Control + Shift + M: This exports a MIDI pattern, which is useful if you want to share your MIDI data with others.

Mixer Shortcuts

Working with the mixer can be a bit tedious, but these shortcuts can help:

  • Alt + S: This solos the selected mixer track, allowing you to focus on just that track without distractions.

Note Chopper

For those who work with hi-hats and snares, the Alt + U shortcut is a game-changer. It opens the note chopper, which lets you manipulate your notes more easily.

Final Thoughts

Incorporating these hotkeys into your workflow can really enhance your music production experience. It’s all about saving time and making the process smoother. If you have any other hotkeys that you find useful, feel free to share them in the comments. Remember, the more you practice these shortcuts, the more natural they will become. Happy producing!

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