Sound Design Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for sound engineers, producers, editors, and enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
How can I alternate between the different layers in a pattern?
For example, if you create a set of notes for one instrument, and then clone the layer multiple times, and change the instrument on each layer. Is there a way to make FL alternate between these layers, at random for instance, on one pattern? I've heard that this is possible in Ableton, but I don't have Ableton.. apparently you can set how frequently it should switch layers.. like every beat, or half beat, etc.
You may be able to do some layer-inception, and have two different layers be children to one layer.
Here is how you can set up your layers:
Right click near one of your instruments and insert a new Layer. Click on the Layer to open up its properties. There is a button "Set Children". In order to set your children (the instruments you want to alternate on), you must select the green sliver next to each instrument to include (see the screenshot below). Then press the "Set Children" button to set the layer's children to your selected instruments.
Then, you put your melody into the Layer's piano roll for that pattern. All children will play that melody together. To alternate at random, select the "Random" button.
Now, create a high-level layer that has the other layers as its children, and let us know if it works!
You may be thinking of Live's Follow Actions, which can be leveraged using clip envelopes and Instrument Rack devices to change synth sounds like you've described.
I don't think FL Studio has a feature exactly like that, but I believe you can automate the volume of an instrument by right clicking it and choosing "Edit Events." Obviously this won't allow it to be random (since you have to program the automation), but it might allow you to produce similar effects.
