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When you are starting out, there are a lot of things to learn. Like how to record with a mic in FL Studio.
When you are new to the process it can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to feel intimidating or overwhelming.
In this post I’ll cover the basics about how to set up and record, from a microphone in FL Studio.
It may seem complicated at first.
But I promise once you have done it a couple of times, it’ll feel like second nature.
Let’s get to it.
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Basic Steps to setup your mic and interface
We’ll cover the components you need, how to set everything up the first time, and how to start recording.
I’m going to give you two options you can use for recording.
You can pick which method works best for your workflow.
Here are the pieces of audio gear you are going to need to follow along with this post:
- A Microphone
- An Audio Interface
- A Microphone cable
- A purchased copy of FL Studio Producer or Signature Edition.
- Laptop or Computer
- A pair of headphones
*Note if you are using a USB Microphone to record, the process is a little bit different.
Let’s get back to this example.
We’re going to do a couple of things to make recording happen:
- Setup the gear we need
- Open FL Studio
- Save the project
- Configure the audio interface
- ASIO Device
- Buffer Size
- Set the location to record audio to
- Setup the mixer track
- Set up the transport controls
- Record audio
- Option to record from playlist
- Option to record with Edison
- Advanced options
- Loop recording
- Headphone mix
STEP 1 – Setup the Gear
Plug the audio interface into the computer.
Audio interfaces come in a variety of connections.
So plug into the correct port (USB, Firewire, or Thunderbolt).
Now plug the microphone cable into the mic.
Make sure that the Phantom power button is not on on your audio interface.
And then plug the other end into your audio interface.
If the microphone needs phantom power (+48V), then push the +48V button.
Generally, condenser mics need phantom power. Dynamic mics do not.
Having phantom power on when you plug the mic into the audio interface can cause damage to your microphone.
So we want to keep that microphone working well for a long time.
Open up FL Studio
Now let’s open up FL Studio.
I’m currently running version 20 of FL Studio. Which as of 2019, is the latest version.
It looks this when you open it up …
Save the Project
First thing I like to do is to save the project.
It may seem a little weird to save a song before we’ve started.
But it’s just to help prepare where we are going to record things.
FL Studio calls the files you save projects, but really it’s a song.
Hit CTRL + S on your keyboard.
This will bring up a dialog window that lets you choose where you want to save the project.
So name the song what you want to. And then choose where you want to save it on your computer.
And finally press the save button.
Setting up the Audio Interface
Let’s get everything setup to record from our mic.
To get to the settings window in FL Studio, press F10 on your keyboard.
This will bring up a dialog box that has a couple tabs across the top like Midi, Audio, General and File.
This is the settings window in FL Studio.
You’re going to click on the Audio tab.
And you should see a section called input/output.
So underneath is the device drop down menu.
You want to look for your device (audio interface).
There should be some options at the top that are called direct sound devices.
And underneath of that there should be some called ASIO devices.
We want to look at the drop down menu of ASIO devices.
ASIO Settings
So from the ASIO devices menu select the driver for your audio interface.
The name of the driver might not be exactly the name of your audio interface.
I am working off of a Presonus AudioBox iTwo audio interface in this example.
And in my case the ASIO device is called AudioBox ASIO Driver.
So I select that as my ASIO Device.
And then we need to set up the buffer.
Buffer Settings
Below the device drop down menu you’ll see another box that says buffer length.
I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about this.
But for recording, you want the buffer setting as low as you can get it, without it starting to clip, crackle, or pop.
This will prevent you from hearing a delay when you go to record your audio. It will also make sure that you get a clean sound from your interface.
In my case I’m selecting a buffer length of about 6-8 milliseconds. For me, if I try to go lower than that I start to get some crackle in my recordings.
You will be able to hear pops and crackles in your recording if you have it set too low.
You can see in this menu if you have had underruns.
So now we have the audio interface setup.
Now FL Studio can receive the input from the audio interface.
So let’s choose where we are going to save our recorded files.
Choose where to save the audio files
While we still have the Setting Window open let’s do one more thing.
We’re going to go over to the Project tab.
You should see a box beneath that that says data folder.
This lets you pick the folder on your computer that you want to save the recorded audio to.
Click on the folder icon and select where you want the data to be stored.
And now we’ll move on to setting up the mixer track.
Setting up the mixer track
This is where we set up the microphone input from the mixer track.
This will get the input from the microphone and the audio interface into a mixer track in FL Studio.
The first thing that we’re going to need to do is set up your microphone in a mixer Channel.
Press F9 on your keyboard and that will bring up the mixer window.
You should see a whole bunch of vertical bars, They will be titled Insert 1, Insert 2, and so on.
These are all mixer tracks for the project that you’re working on.
Let’s pick Insert 4 for this example.
When you click on it you’ll see a green box around it. And the fader will turn green at the bottom.
If you go to the right side of the mixer window you’ll see another box. In that box you’ll see Slot 1, Slot 2, and so on.
These are your effects slots that you can put on an individual mixer Channel.
But we’re going to be paying attention to the drop-down menu that’s at the top. It has an arrow pointing into a box. That is where you are going to select the input that you connected your to.
When you look at the drop-down menu you should see options that have your audio interface name and then stereo and mono track options.
Since we’re recording one microphone I’m going to assume that it’s a mono source. Because most mics are mono sources unless you have a stereo microphone.
So I select mic input one. Because that’s where I plugged in my microphone.
As you talk into the microphone you should see the bars on the insert for channel moving up and down. This means that you’re getting signal into the insert Channel.
Which means that you set it up right. Woohoo!
Now onto the transport controls.
Setting up transport controls
Up at the top of the FL Studio program you’ll see some transport controls.
These are the play button, the stop button and record button.
Right click on the record button and you should see some options.
It should have a box that says recording filter. And underneath of that with options to check automation, notes, audio, and clips.
Since we are recording audio we want to make sure that the audio option is checked by right-clicking.
Next to the play button there is a button that says pat on the top and song on the bottom.
Make sure that the song button is highlighted. Because that will allow us to record directly to the playlist. If it’s not selected, press the song button now.
Now you should see a green arrow show up in your playlist window and the song button should be highlighted in green.
I also like to set up a count in before it starts recording.
This option gives you a four count click before the recording starts. Which is helpful.
Press CTRL + P to turn this option on.
Alright, you’ve finished all the setup.
Now it’s time to do some recording.
Record Audio
What I like about FL Studio is that there are several different ways of doing everything.
So there are a couple different options for recording audio:
- Recording directly into the playlist
- Recording through Edison
Before you start recording, make sure to plug in your headphones.
You don’t want the audio from the song to be bleeding into your mic.
You’ll get some weird sounds and feedback from doing that.
We’ll cover recording into the playlist first, since that is the most common.
Recording in the playlist in FL Studio
Open up the Mixer window by pressing F9.
Go to Insert 4 where we set up the mic.
At the bottom of the fader there is a track arm button.
Press that so it turns red.
You can also right click on the arm track button to bring up a window.
You could save the audio file to a different location if you want. And you can give the file whatever name you choose.
Open up the playlist window by pressing F5.
Click a spot on the playlist where you would want to start your recording.
I like to choose a spot a little before so it give me more time.
Now click on the record button in the transport bar, and wait for the count in.
Then start recording audio.
Once you are finished. Press Stop in the transport controls, or press the Space bar.
And that’s it. You’ve learned how to record a mic in FL Studio.
But I’ll show you another way to do it as well.
Recording a mic in Edison in FL Studio
Let’s get back to the mixer window.
Press F9.
Then go to Insert 4.
Go to the right side where the Slots are.
Click on the down arrow in Slot 1.
A window will come up that you will show you all the available plugins.
Look for the miscellaneous section and you should see Edison.
Pick Edison and a window should pop up.
To the right of the record button is a drop down menu.
Select On Play. And then press the record button.
Nothing will happen at this point, so don’t freak out.
This option just arms Edison to record.
Then go to your playlist window.
Click where in the song you want to start recording.
I like to move the marker to a little bit before that.
It gives you a little extra time before it starts the part you want to record.
When you are ready hit the play button.
This will start the recording in Edison.
When you are done, press the Stop on Edison.
And then you can Press stop on the Transport Controls in the Playlist.
There’s a button in the top right side of Edison.
Click that and then drag what you recorded into the playlist where you set your marker to start.
Everything will be lined up.
And that’s all you have to do to record audio in Edison.
BONUS TIPS – ADVANCED RECORDING OPTIONS
Now we’re getting into the extra credit section. You don’t have to do this.
But this is a way to take your mic recording skills to the next level.
Multiple Takes
One of the reasons that I like using Edison to record is the multiple takes option.
So as I’m putting together a song, I can highlight a certain section I want to record.
Let’s take the chorus for instance.
I can go the Playlist window by pressing F5.
I right click and drag around the section of the song I want to record.
Open up Edison on the Mixer Track, with the On Play option selected.
Arm Edison to record by pressing the record button.
Now when I press Play on the transport controls it will record.
It will keep recording as many takes of that section as you want.
I could do 3-5 takes on that one part.
Stop Edison when you are done. And stop the song in the transport controls.
Now in Edison you should see multiple takes.
I can select one of those takes by double-clicking on the orange marker at the front.
Then I can drag that take into the playlist. Using the drag to playlist option on Edison. (The button that’s highlighted in blue below)
I could drag all of them in individually if wanted.
Then I could create vocal comps of the best of those takes. But that’s a different subject.
Separate Mix
Another option you can try is to set up a headphone mix for your vocalist.
Each track in the mixer window is routed by default to the Master Fader.
You can see this when you click on any of the Insert tracks. It’s the neon green line that goes to the Master Fader.
You can change the default routing of a track if you want, though.
So let’s go back to Insert 4, where we set up our mic.
Now right click on the arrow at the bottom of Insert 5. You’ll see an option box come up.
It looks like this.
Now we’ll select the option that says route to this track only.
This is going to send the audio from Insert 4 to Insert 5 only.
So we’ve set up a new signal path for Insert 4.
It used to be that Insert 4 went directly to the Master Fader.
Now Insert 4 goes to Insert 5, and then to the Master Fader.
So we’re going to set up effects on Insert 5. And that will go into the Master Fader.
So that’s what you’ll hear in the headphones.
But, we will record on Insert 4, where there will be no effects.
So we’ll have a dry signal that we can edit and add effects to later.
How To Connect Usb Mic To Fl Studio 20 Mac
So click on Insert 5.
Now go the Slots on the right side of the Mixer Window.
In Slot 1, let’s pick Fruity Delay 2.
In Slot 2, let’s pick Fruity Reeverb 2.
So if you sing into the mic. You’ll hear the effects.
But, if you record the vocals from Insert 4, there won’t be any effects.
This gives you the opportunity to edit and add different effects later in your mix.
So there you have it.
You’ve learned how to record with a mic in FL Studio. And I’ve given you some bonus tips on how to record multiple takes. And even set up a separate headphone mix for a vocalist.
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I hope you enjoyed it.
If you plan on doing any recording, you are going to have to setup an audio interface in FL Studio. So I’m going to show you how to now.
These devices are great for recording and playback. It will cut down on the resources that your computer is having to use to process audio in FL Studio. So let’s talk about what it will take to get you up and rolling with an audio interface in FL Studio.
How To Connect Mic To Fl Studio 20 Mac
The process isn’t too complicated. And once you do it, you really never have to mess with it again. The steps we are going to cover are:
- Install the latest driver
- Check for Firmware updates
- Select the correct ASIO driver
- Set the Sample Rate and Buffer size
- Start recording!
So let’s get to it.
INSTALL THE LATEST DRIVER FOR AUDIO INTERFACE
Download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you have the latest and greatest software driver for the interface that you purchased. So jump onto Google, and search for:
Audio interface name + driver
Go to the manufacturer’s website that comes up in the results. And download the latest driver that corresponds to the Operating System you are working with (Windows 7, 10, OS, etc.).
Don’t download drivers from sketchy sites that aren’t the manufacturers. That could end badly.
At this point, make sure that you haven’t connected the audio interface to your computer. Because you want to install the driver before you connect to the interface.
This is an important step to setup an audio interface in FL Studio.
So Install the driver then attach the interface to the computer. It should recognize the audio interface and tell you that the drivers have been detected or some other success message like that.
There will probably be an application that gets installed for your audio interface. Open this up and look for a way to check for updates to the firmware. Again, this is just to make sure you have the latest and greatest updates before you start using the interface in FL studio.
Now that we’ve gotten the boring stuff out of the way, let’s move on to getting the audio interface setup in FL studio.
SETUP AUDIO INTERFACE IN FL STUDIO
Open up FL Studio.
Press F10 to bring up the settings window.
Then navigate to the AUDIO tab on the settings window.
ASIO DRIVER SETTING
Under the Device drop down menu you want to select the ASIO driver that corresponds with your audio interface. My interface is a Presonus Audiobox iTwo. The driver for my interface is called AudioBox ASIO Driver.
I’m not going to get into the reasons why you want to select ASIO driver versus DirectSound Device. But the simple answer is that ASIO works better when it comes to processing the audio.
So now that you have the right driver selected, let’s talk about the sample rate.
SETUP AUDIO INTERFACE SAMPLE RATES IN FL STUDIO
You will have a few options, like 44000 Hz or 48000 Hz, or maybe even 96000 Hz or 192000 Hz. This may not make sense, but it is just talking about how many times the audio is sampled per second. So the higher number you pick, the more information it saves, but it also increases the file size of the recordings that you make.
Most common are 44000 and 48000, some people want to do 96000 and above, but you take up a lot more space on your hard drive doing that. I recommend setting it as low as you can without compromising on the quality. 44000 and 48000 are safe bets here.
Just make sure you set the sample rate to be the same on the audio interface application, and in FL Studio. If you don’t, it can cause some errors that will prevent you from being able to record audio in FL Studio. If you change the buffer size, FL Studio will give you a warning that you are about to change the project settings.
The next part of the window is the buffer setting.
BUFFER SETTING
The buffer size rule of thumb is this, you want to go as low as you can on the buffer size when you are recording without creating glitches, pops, and underruns. And then you can increase the buffer size when you move into a mixing phase if you need to.
How To Connect Microphone Pc
It’s important to try to set the buffer size as low as you can. When you are recording, if you have the buffer size set higher, you will actually hear what you are recording on a delay, and it can really mess you up.
When you select the buffer size, or click on the button to select the buffer size, it might bring up the application for your audio interface to let you set the buffer size there.
For my audio interface, they call it block size instead of buffer size. So just look for a setting that is similar to buffer size and set it.
When you are done setting the buffer size, you need to check by doing some test recording for a vocal or a guitar or another instrument you run through the audio interface. If you need some help on how to do this, you can check out the article on recording audio. The buffer size is also important on playback of your projects.
When you have a large project with a lot of files, samples, instruments, etc. you can start to get glitches and pops when you play it back. So make sure that you understand you can adjust this by messing with the buffer size.
Again, you are making sure that as you are recording, you aren’t hearing any pops, clicks, or glitches being caused by underruns. And make sure that you aren’t hearing a delay as you are recording.
CONCLUSION
Connecting Microphone To Laptop
As you can see, there are only a few steps you need to take to get your audio interface setup in FL Studio:
- Download the Latest Driver for your Audio Interface
- Check for Firmware Updates
- Select the correct ASIO driver in FL Studio
- Set the buffer size and sample rate to not get glitches
- Enjoy recording in FL Studio