Matching Sample Tempo With Beat Tempo

[dacalion]

(1.) 140.000 BPM (Beats Per Minute) is the default BPM setting when you first open FL Studio and is way too fast for most hip hop songs. Hip Hop pretty much lives in the 90-100 BPM range. So thats a good place to start. Adjust it by putting your cursor directly on the number 140 (be sure not to put it on the .000) click and drag to 93.000 BPM.

(2.) Turn on your Metronome by clicking on the light beside the wand. It will light up when it's on.




(3.) I dragged and dropped my drumline and sample over in the pattern window. The drumline will auto-stretch to match the BPM that you set in step 1. Your sample won't do that. I usually manually adjust the sample tempo.

(4.) Change your time stretching to "Tonal". Go back to your pattern window and turn on your sample by clicking the first pattern tab (it will be white). Make sure that you are in pattern mode (6.) and click the pattern play button (7.). Now your sample and metronome are both playing. The idea is to match the sample tempo with the metronome. The Metronome will be 93 BPM's, when you turn the "MUL" (5.) button, it will change the tempo of the sample...adjust until the tempo's match.

Thats pretty much it. You can test your setting by turning off the Metronome and turning on your drumline by clicking the first tab on it.

*NOTE: If you decide to use another sample out of the same song, right click on your first sample tab and choose "clone" (it will make an exact copy of the same tab the you just clicked "clone" on) directly under it. Then drag your 2nd sample over and drop it on your 2nd sample tab (that will change the sample but it will retain all of its settings so you don't have to readjust anything. It WILL be in time at 93 BPM's automatically.



Holla at me here if you have any issues...

 

[Sucio]

Nice tutorial.....I usually double the tempo in FL...

So if the beat is 90bpm...I set the tempo @ 180bpm..

This way instead of going 16ths...I go 32nds.....Yes the patterns are longer....but you have more freedom with your placements in the piano roll.


Another good way to do it for small loops (from 1/2 to 4 bar loops) In the time section of the channel settings, you can right click the TIME knob and set it up to 4 bars. This will time stretch to 4 bars.....it will also adjust the pitch as well to fit..

If the sample's pitch hasn't changed significantly and hasn't given you that distorted digital sound...You're good....Now if the original pitch is where you want to be and the time stretch has altered the pitch...You can right click the Pitch knob in the same section and click "reset" This way no matter what tempo you set it at, it will keep the original pitch..


Now if you're trying to make a sample that's 100bpm into 60bpm, it's going to sound horrible......It is not the cure all for everything time stretch...but it does work pretty well most of the time.

 

[dacalion]

Very Good points!

 

[2GooD Productions]

So if the beat is 90bpm...I set the tempo @ 180bpm..

<b>This way instead of going 16ths...I go 32nds.....Yes the patterns are longer....but you have more freedom with your placements in the piano roll.</b>

A problem I found with this method is that it affects the swing.

I think one of the biggest things about being creative with samples is to make it fit by being clever and trying different things. I have never found a one size fits all approach to sampling. Having sampled a lot of funk which can be up in the 110-125 bpm range I have found many ways to manipulate a sample to make it fit, I very rarely try to maintain correct pitch, if the pitch changes as I slow down a sample so does the key of my track to fit the sample. The key IMO, is to find as many ways as possible to slow down or speed up a sample to make it fit, from just slowing down or speeding up, to reversing, chopping each hit amd speeding up Rex style. To using a sample that doesnt even fit properly but sounds good being off. There are so many ways, the fun is in the exploration of those ways.

 

[dacalion]

I do that every chance I get. Most ears can't even catch it. Sometimes I have to cut a sample short (like a long chord...) because of another instrument coming in it...if I really want that chord I cut it short but then stretch it to the length that I want using the same time/stretch method that we're talking about here. It's kinda like you get a kick out of doing ish like that after a while...lol. The possibilities are infinite. Another thing is...FL is so versatile that it literally has multiple ways of achieving the same results. Thats a BIG reason why I love doing this ish so much.

Anyway, good point...100% cosign

 

[Relic]

I like doubling as well, but it throws the song arrangement off if your not careful... lol, I come up with my patterns and arrange them all 16-8 only to have a 2:30 song instead of a 3:30 song lol.
Thats learning for ya!

 

[Sucio]

Quite possibly it affects the swing, but in FL you don't have to always place the steps in the sequencer and snap it to the grid...you can take the snap off and have them off by slight...the hats can definitely benefit from that....but there are many tricks to the trade...I haven't found any issues with pitch at this point, a lot of times I don't reset the pitch, I keep it the way it is...but if i like the original pitch...then I go with it.

 

[JustRipe]

dam thanks for the tips dac

 

[dacalion]

Click the like button!...several times! lol