How to Add Plugins to FL Studio. A VST plugin is a piece of 3rd party software that you can add to your DAW. They can be virtual synthesizers, effect modules, spectrum analyzers, and everything in between. In this tutorial I will show you: 'HOW TO LAYER SYNTHS IN FL STUDIO', in FL studio obviously but this can be done in any DAW (Digital audio workstations such.
I know when I find some weird or interesting sound on my synthesizer. I want to record it to your computer as quickly as possible.
The quickest and easiest way to connect most synthesizers to the computer for recording is by using an audio interface.
The quick steps for connecting a synth to your computer or laptop are:
1) Connect an audio interface to your laptop or PC using USB
2) Connect a ¼” guitar lead to your audio interface
3) Plug the cable into the ‘line output’ on the synth
4) Open up your recording software or DAW
5) Head to preferences in the DAW and make sure your audio interface is set as the audio input
6) Turn the synth on
7) Arm a track and hit record!
If you have never heard of an audio interface or want to see pictures of the above steps for more detail then keep reading for more details.
What is an audio interface?
An audio interface is essential for most people to record a synthesizer (or other instruments) to a computer as it contains an external sound card.
This is one of the most important things about the interface. Even most modern laptops and PCs don’t have sound cards, off the shelf, that can cope with a synth plugged straight into it.
This will result in latency (lag time from when you play a note to when it actually records), sound interference and generally a lot of frustration.
You could go and fit a new sound card to your computer or PC. But that would likely cost you just as much as an audio interface.
The interface will usually be fitted with at least a couple of inputs. So you can record multiple instruments at the same time if you have the need. You usually have the option of plugging in a ¼” ‘guitar’ cable or a microphone XLR cable (not as applicable to synths).
So you simply plug a cable from the output of the synthesizer to the interface. This interface is then connected to the laptop or computer by a USB and there you have it, you’re ready to get recording.
What is a pre-amp and do I need one?
A pre-amp is there to amplify low-level signals up to the operating level of your recording equipment.
Primarily this is important when recording with microphones. As they are very low level and so the signal must be boosted by a certain number of decibels (usually 30-60dB). Guitars and bass are also often run through pre-amps although they don’t need as much boost.
For a synthesizer, many argue that they have enough ‘juice’ already and so a pre-amp is not a requirement.
However, a lot of people do use them. They add a thickness and quality to the sound that you don’t quite get with an interface alone. This sound varies depending which pre-amp you get. As with all these musical things it is a matter of what sound you love. The fact is, if you have to pay 1000’s of dollars for a pre-amp to get your desired sound……..you probably bought the wrong synth.
Most audio interfaces come with built-in pre-amps. Which although cheap (some pre-amps cost 1000s of dollars) they will do a fine job for a beginner who is learning the ropes.
How much do I need to spend?
If you aren’t buying a pre-amp at this stage. Then splashing out on a slightly better than average audio interface with built-in pre-amps is a good idea. Don’t worry, this still won’t break the bank.
I have (and still use) the Scarlett 2i2 audio interface from Focusrite. For around $150 you get 2 input channels and 2 built-in pre-amps. The audio interface also has 2 line outs so you can connect it up directly to monitor speaks.
It plugs into the computer via USB. Which also gives it power (so no need for extra power leads). It’s lightweight and very sturdy with a lovely metallic finish. I’ve found it really useful as it is also very portable. I can pack it up with my laptop and I’ve got a portable music studio if I ever want to record on the move.
I’ll do another article with a few other options but as a beginner, this should be all you need.
Technical jargon you may see when looking at audio interfaces
If you decide to shop around for your interface. You are likely to be bombarded with a few technical terms that may start to give you a headache.
Here are a couple of summaries to help you decipher the jargon.
Direct monitoring
This will allow you to here the input directly through either the speakers or headphones without it having to go through the computer system first.
Sample Rate
Not as important as you may think. But always something you will see the producer of the audio interface bragging about in the product description.
The sample rate is the number of audio samples captured by the interface in a second. This gives a value in kHz (just to be confusing). You will see this range from 44.1kHz all the way up to 192kHz.
At 44.1 kHz sample rate sounds as high as 20.05 kHz in frequency can be recorded. But humans can only hear up to 20kHz I hear you say (maybe). So does that mean 44.1 kHz sampling rate is enough?. If only it was that simple…… It is actually a fact that even sounds outside of the human hearing range affect the tones of that within it! Mind…. blown!
There are other reasons why it is important. But as long as your interface has a fairly high sample rate you will be ok.
Bit Depth
Bit depth is basically the number of ‘bits’ of information in every single sample. So as with sample rate, technically the higher the bit depth the higher the quality.
Trying to keep it as simple as possible 1 bit is equivalent to 6dB. A standard CD is 16 bit audio so 16 x 6 = 96dB.
This gives a fairly small dynamic range and causes quiet sections in music to be noisy. In order to achieve contrast between the quieter sections and louder sections. It is recommended you get a minimum of 24 bit. Luckily this what most affordable interfaces will have.
Very basic setup for most synths (with some pictures)
1) Connect your audio interface to your laptop or PC using the USB
2) Connect a ¼” guitar lead to your audio interface
3) Your synth should have a line output plug into this
4) Open up your recording software or DAW
There are a variety of options available for you when it comes to recording software.
Some of these are free such as Reaper or Audacity. Some come at a cost such as Ableton and FL studio.
When starting out there is no need to buy an expensive piece of software straight away. But it is something you will probably want to look into at some point.
If you are using Ableton make sure the audio interface is selected as the input device.
Ensure that the correct channel from the audio interface is selected on the track you want to record. Arm the audio track (not a midi track) and then record away.
The above is obviously very basic. I just want to show you the simplest way to record your synthesizer at this stage.
Can I not just connect directly to the PC?
Connection Via USB
Although many modern analog synths have USB ports allowing them to be connected to the computer. Most have no digital audio converter. Therefore, it will most likely work as a midi-keyboard sending a midi signal to the laptop via the keyboard, allowing you to produce various midi sounds.
But to hear the actual output of your synth you will need to go through an interface.
Connection Via Microphone Socket
As mentioned earlier. If your PC or Laptop has a line in or microphone socket you can technically record straight in with no need for an audio interface.
When I first started recording music at home I used to do this. I would get a standard ¼” ‘guitar’ cable and use a ⅛” stereo plug adapter to connect the synth to the laptop directly.
No matter which computer or laptop I tried there would always be some lag. This is because on most computers, the sound card just isn’t up to it. You will also have nothing in the way of pre-amps and so sound quality is likely to be lower.
Conclusion
So there you have it. The basics of recording your synthesizer to a computer.
I have not gone into the details here of older synths that may have different outputs, different types of interface and different types of recording software. But the principles remain pretty much the same.
I hope that now with this basic information you will be able to start recording those interesting sounds you’ve been perfecting!
Ableton is unlike any other DAW you can get your hands on these days. Many producers are drawn to it due to its impressive functionality and efficient workflow. It helps the user to explore the bounds of their creativity and dive into new musical ideas. For this reason, Ableton is among the most powerful DAWs on the market today.
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The plugins that are included in Ableton Live are a great starting point for any music producer, but there are tons more plugins that can be combined with these to really enhance your production process. We’re going to look at what we consider to be the best plugins for Ableton to add to your collection.
Top 9 Ableton Plugins
- Xfer Records Serum (Best Synthesizer)
- FabFilter Saturn (Best Saturator)
- Waves H-Delay (Best Delay)
- SoundRadix SurferEQ2 (Best EQ)
- UAD Classic Limiter Collection (Best Compressor)
- Waves Center (Best Stereo Spreader)
- Valhalla VintageVerb (Best Reverb)
- Waves Smack Attack (Best Transient Shaper)
- Dadalife Sausage Fattener (Bonus)
1. Best Synthesizer – Xfer Records Serum
Ableton Live has a pretty good selection of VST instruments and synthesizers, but you may want access to a bigger collection of sounds. If that’s the case, you should check out the Xfer Records Serum wavetable synthesizer. It got a lot of attention when it was first introduced years ago because of its unique ability to minimize aliasing. If aliasing is not a term you’re familiar with, just think of inharmonic artifacts that come along with digital audio. With the Xfer Records Serum, you can avoid the unfortunate high-end distortion that virtual synthesizers typically give you. This means you end up with a much more realistic sound than you’ll get with the majority of VST synths currently available.
You’ll find A and B oscillators that you can see in 2D or 3D with the help of an advanced wavetable engine. You have the ability to blend these waveforms through the use of spectral morphing, standard crossfading, or harmonic morphing. If you are a synth aficionado and like to develop your sounds from scratch, you’ll appreciate this tool.
This plugin has a number of exciting features, including a filter module, a third oscillator for sub sounds, an editable graph display to manipulate waveforms, a variety of modulation sources, and a massive collection of editing options. The interface is beautiful and will give you a great visualization of how different sounds affect the mix. There’s also a crazy collection of over 450 presets to choose from. The Serum gives you nearly unlimited possibilities when it comes to shaping your sounds, so it’s definitely a handy wavetable synthesizer to have at your disposal.
Pros
- A great selection of modulation options
- An impressive library of presets and effects
- Flexible, morphing oscillators
Cons
- Takes up a lot of CPU
2. Best Saturator – FabFilter Saturn
The Ableton Saturator is sufficient for when you want to add a little warmth and distortion to your signals, but if you need a saturator that offers more flexibility, we recommend checking out the Fabfilter Saturn. This multiband saturation and distortion plugin is one of the most flexible saturators available today. Its versatile modulation routing technology will enable you to saturate your signal down to the finest detail.
Saturn acts like a single band frequency analyzer as it helps you visualize how your signal appears when coming in and when pushed. The display is very hands-on, enabling you to work with your multiple bands right on the interface without having to mess with knobs or sliders. You simply create a band, choose from 16 distortion or saturation options, and then push or pull that band however you like.
The Fabfilter Saturn offers incredible functionality and flexibility. You can use it for warm, subtle tape saturation or complete sound decapitation—and everything in between. You’ll be able to drive a portion of your signal, pan it, utilize M/S processing, and then blend it in with the use of the wet/dry knob. If you want to take it to a higher level, you can explore everything the modulation system has to offer, including envelope followers, the modulation step sequencer, and much more.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better multiband plugin with so many customization options and a user-friendly interface. If you are in need of a saturation plugin, this one won’t let you down.
Pros
- Unique modulation system
- Making crossovers is a breeze
- Awesome range of sounds
Cons
- Lacks real-time modulated parameter visualization
3. Best Delay – Waves H-Delay
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No matter what genre you’re working with, delay is an essential part of most modern productions. When looking for a delay plugin, your focus should be on flexibility and low CPU usage. The H-Delay from Waves has you covered in these areas, even if it does lack versatility. If you want a go-to delay plugin that can get you where you want to go quickly, this is a great choice. And its analog tone makes it a great choice for electronic music.
The H-Day gets its inspiration from the PCM 42, a piece of Lexicon Hardware. You’ll have access to just about any delay effect you can imagine, including slapback, phasing, ping pong, flanging, and others. One of the most critical parameters it offers is delay time, which allows you to set your delay to the host tempo or in milliseconds or BPM. The sound can then be manipulated through the Delay and Feedback knobs.
The onboard pitch modulation includes adjustable depth, which allows you to modulate LFO frequencies up to 6kHz. This will give you even more creative freedom when it comes to manipulating your sounds. The analog design ensures that you will end up with natural sounds, and you can further control your delay tone through the use of low and high-pass filters.
The H-Delay is a unique plugin from Waves that has all your delay bases covered. It’s very accessible for beginners but has enough effects to satisfy even seasoned producers.
Pros
- LFO range is wider than you would expect
- Super smooth parameter transition
- Intuitive interface
Cons
- Not able to bypass variable pitch
4. Best EQ – SoundRadix SurferEQ2
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Ableton Live comes with an impressively versatile parametric EQ, so we don’t blame you if you just want to stick with that. However, if you want to explore other options, we recommend that you start with the SoundRadix SurferEQ2. You’ll have access to two filters and five frequency bands for equalization and pitch tracking.
Frequencies often shift in dense modern productions. The Surfer EQ plugin is able to analyze frequencies in polyphonic material to determine if they should be corrected. This is super beneficial because you won’t have to worry about your EQ for the verse negatively affecting the chorus. The SurferEQ2 will read your signal while the song plays to make the best EQ choices.
One feature we love is the sidechain, which gives you the ability to make space in a track for each instance a certain sound pops up. For example, if your synth pad is consistently overwhelming your vocals, you just have to sidechain it and then it will drop down whenever vocals come along.
The GUI is gorgeous and incredibly functional. It will combine well with the standard parametric EQ in Ableton Live to give you even more capability and creative freedom.
Pros
- MIDI pitch tracking
- Unique Spectral Gate
- GateHelpful Sidechain feature with pitch tracking
Cons
- Limited Q widths lessens its surgical capability
5. Best Compressor – UAD Classic Limiter Collection
Ableton Live comes with a compressor that can pretty much get the job done. However, if you’re looking to add some more color and excitement to your mix, you should think about picking up some character compressors. We recommend the UAD Classic Limiter Collection.
UAD has a strong reputation for faithfully recreating some of the world’s best hardware compressors in software form. Bill Putnam was the designer of the original UA 1176 many years ago. It’s known for being one of the first true peak limiters with all-transistor circuitry. Its rapid FET gain reduction enables it to boost the grit and punch of whatever signal you’re working with.
The Rev A Bluestripe is included in the Classic Limiter Collection. It comes with many distortion characteristics and FET gain amplifier attributes. Another in the collection is the Rev E Blackface with low noise and linear compression straight from the 70s. Finally, there’s the 1176AE, which is UAD’s 40th anniversary edition.
If you’re looking for advanced sidechaining capabilities or multiple bands with various thresholds, you won’t find them here. But it still stands out as the best option for us because the sounds it produces have a quality that has yet to be matched by its competitors. Combined with the functionality of what you already have with Ableton Live’s compressor, this plugin will definitely take your mixes to a new dimension.
Pros
- Super detailed sound
- Three compressors in one bundle
Cons
- Drains processing pretty quickly
- Less flexible than other compressors
6. Best Stereo Spreader – Waves Center
The beauty of the Waves Center plugin is its simplicity. But don’t be fooled—it’s still a more than capable stereo image manipulator. You can utilize a stereo spreader to widen signals or elevate your masters to a more professional level. The Waves Center is basically a signal splitter that gives you the ability to make sure the center and sides of an individual signal, multiple signals, or the whole mix remain balanced.
With Ableton Live you’ll find a Utility plugin, which can be used to separate the sum and difference of your stereo signal, the sum being a mono mix of both the right and left signals. With the Waves Center, on the other hand, you’ll get a “perceived” center rather than a mono sum. This gives you the ability to work individually with various parts of the stereo field.
DJs love using the Waves Center to take out certain mono parts of a track like the vocals or the drums. You’ll also be able to rebalance the side and central elements throughout your mix. While we can’t tell you exactly how or why it works, Waves Center does give you an easy and effective way to adjust your stereo image.
Pros
- Has many different applications
- Unique stereo manipulation capabilities
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Isn’t able to pan signals
- No one can really explain exactly how it works
7. Best Reverb – Valhalla VintageVerb
The onboard reverb VST for Ableton does offer some flexibility, but if you want to get a true vintage sound, you’ll have to add something else into the mix. We recommend the Valhalla Vintage Reverb, which utilizes downsampling and modulation shaping to produce that distinct vintage sound. You’ll find nine different algorithms packed into this VST plugin, which all draw their inspiration from Lexicon. These include rooms, halls, ambient spaces, plates, and a few other unexpected options.
Check out the 1970s button if a warm, lo-fi texture is what you’re after. The 1980s button will give you a shimmery result, while the modern button offers a crisp digital version of the reverb sound of today. You can also add color to your individual sounds rather than having to destroy the reverb algorithms to elevate a sound. That’s one reason why this plugin stands out among its competitors.
There are a number of controls on this plugin that will give you all the power you want without overwhelming you. These include dampening controls that give you multiple shelving options, a Size knob for you to set the room size, a Decay dial that lets you set the reverb time, density controls to change up the early and late diffusion settings, and a bass multiplier to stretch out the decay time of various elements.
If you want to extend your reverb capabilities beyond what’s already included in Ableton Live without spending too much money, the Valhalla Vintage Verb should be at the top of your list.
Pros
- Super affordable
- User-friendly interface
- Great option if you want to add color to your sound
Cons
- Not an ideal option for simple room sounds
- Not able to sync pre-delay to BPM
8. Best Transient Shaper – Waves Smack Attack
If drums play an essential role in your mix, a transient shaper will help you achieve the best drum and percussion sounds. Smack attack follows in the footsteps of the Waves Trans-X, but there are several additional features that make it stand out.
Smack Attack gives you all the functionality you would expect from a typical transient shaper. It enables you to individually boost your transients on either the front or back end. This gives you the power to drive up the attack to achieve more front-end punch on your kick drum if you want. Or you can cut back the release to eliminate some unwanted decay. One feature we want to point out is the sensitivity thresholds. These give you the unique ability to set exactly when the plugin should get to work. This will help preserve the natural sound of the transients.
You’ll also find a limiter that will keep you from pushing your DAW past its limits. The Mix knob gives you the ability to mix in your transient-shaped sound. With the unique capabilities of the Smack Attack’s transient shaping technology, you’ll be able to easily achieve transparent sounds that will enhance any style of mix.
Pros
- Envelope shape controls
- Amazing transparent sound
- Protection limiter
Cons
- No multiband shaping
- Can take a while to figure out
9. Bonus – Dadalife Sausage Fattener
We’ll be the first to admit that this plugin is a bit on the silly side, but it’s also way more useful than you would expect. Dada Life got a lot of attention when they introduced their own plugin to help up-and-coming DJs replicate their sound. But it was uncertain if the Sausage Fattener would live up to the hype.
The beauty of this VST plugin is in its simplicity. It has one primary function—to add thick, bold compression while also dialing in incredible distortion. On the interface you’ll find two knobs: Color and Fatness. Use the color knob to dial in some brightness to your signal. The Fat knob can add some weight to your signal. Another feature is the small gain parameter, which enables you to view the incoming level.
No, the Sausage Fattener isn’t going to blow your mind, but it is a different and fun plugin option if you want to add weight to your signals.
Pros
- Affordable
- User-friendly
- Incredibly beautiful sound
Cons
- Limited flexibility
- Might make you hungry
Go to Another Level with Ableton Live
It’s easy to underestimate the plugins that are included in the Ableton Live Suite. The truth is they offer tons of functionality and will take your productions to the next level. That being said, as a mixer and producer, you never want your creative process to be limited. For this reason, you should experiment with as many plugins as possible and add the ones you like to your mixing toolbox. If you are looking to broaden your musical horizons, we suggest that you start with the high-quality plugins from our list.