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Fl Studio 8: Recording With Computer Keyboard
Posted by mstrismusic on June 25, 2008
I’m planning on selling my Edirol Md-16 mixer, and I had to disconnect some equipment to do so. My midi controllers are off, and I feel like making some fire…I mean extreme heat to upload here…….
Have no fear Fl Studio is here 😉 …
There is a lot of power in the program, and Fl Studio has a function that allows you to use your typing keyboard as a midi controller.
It’s an easy thing to accomplish if you don’t have an external midi controller or if you are using a laptop. Here are 3 ways to activate this function.
1. Hit ( Ctrl+T) and activate the keyboard
2. Look for the icon of the “Typing Keyboard”, and click the small square to the left to activate the keyboard.
Keyboard Icon
3. Go to options, scroll down to “switches”, activate “Enable MIDI remote control” and ” Typing keyboard to piano”
Go To Options Panel
*–>”Typing Keyboard to Piano” – When selected, your typing keyboard will function as a MIDI (musical) keyboard. Right-click the LED to select the base octave for mapping the keyboard keys.< –this is instructions from Fl help file**
See The Typing keyboard to piano in action:Master M.-Making a Dirty South Style Beat on FL Studio 8
There you have it! Pretty cool huh?....
** update: to record what you play you will have to push both the"record(the dot) and play( the triangle)" buttons.**
Happy Beat Making To All...
Pz Til Later~..
MsTrisMusic.Com 
Rooky_Beater said
thanks a lot
i was looking for this since a long time!!!
great!
Raja said
a i can press 1 button and one sound comes out but wen i try to pretend like im playn da piano its doest work can u send me a another turtorial on doin dat
Raja said
is it juss for laptops or computers?
Ms.Tris said
Hey Raja Thanks for stopping by…Once you load a sound into the sampler channel you should be able to play it from the typing keyboard starting with the numbers “2” through the “shift” key. It may skip a few keys, but you will have about 4 octaves to play the sound…
and this works both on Desktop Pc and Laptop… if you need more help let me know
Jessy said
I like your tutorial, but how can I put it into a piano roll?
Ms.Tris said
Whats up Jessy…You just right click on the channel and select “Piano Roll”, push record and use your typing keyboard like a midi controller. What ever you play will be recorded into the piano rolll
Jessy said
Ty man!
Mike said
the first time I did this it asked me what I wanted to record, then it made some funky noises when I did record. Now it won’t enter the notes I press onto the piano roll at all. What did I screw up?
Ms.Tris said
Hey Mike..I’m gonna see what could have happened…be right back
..okay..
Hmnn I’m not sure what you could have done. Try to make sure the only thing lit “orange” is the typing keyboard icon. That should do the trick. When you are using the typing keyboard, you won’t see the notes up on the piano roll until you stop recording..
William said
ummm I’ve been looking how to do this for a long time… and everyone says the same thing. yet I do this and when I press a key on my keyboard nothing happens… I just was thinking maybe it’s becuase my keybaord is a usb keyboard… would this effect it? please reply I really want to do this. I have that option enabled I’m 100% absolutley positive.
Ms.Tris said
Hey William, what type of usb keyboard are you using? Maybe I can help you figure it out
William said
I really have no clue… it’s just a usb keybaord thats all I know… and it has a bunch of buttons on it I never use like sound control, internet browser control, explorer controls, and system controls, like turn off computer. the sound controls just work for programs that play music it alters the volume and play/skip stuff.
William said
oh wait, I got it to work some how… thanks.
Ms.Tris said
Yaay for you William , I was wondering if you were still trying to make it happen…Happy beat making to ya and let me know if you need help with anything..pz til later
DJ Bonez said
hi, when i try to record it asks me what do i want to record
Ms.Tris said
What’s up Dj Bonez ..thanks for commenting…this technique is making the keyboard you type on a midi controller,try going back over the the steps above.. I’m not sure why that message pops up…
NovA said
its not working for me also its usb keyboard…
Ms.Tris said
Hey Nova…Do you have the drivers installed for your typing keyboard?…Try using the steps above in Fl Studio. Close Fl Studio, disconnect your Typing keyboard…reconnect the keyboard( you should hear the little connect sound “ding ding” if using windows)…Then restart Fl Studio be sure all the settings above are set..and it may work now…if not let me know…
Will said
how do I assign keys to the different things (the layers or w/e they’re called) in the step sequencer? I press keys and ‘Q’ is the only one that makes the C5 in piano roll sound when one layer is highlighted…know what I mean?
so yeah how do I assign them?
Will said
not layers but channels
=) sorry
Ms.Tris said
Whats up Will..thanks for taking time to comment. Try re-doing the steps above. When you load a .wav file into a channel, it will automatically play chromatically (up and down the keyboard octave to octave. Try right clicking on the “typing keyboard icon” and select “C4”..this should work…
Izabael DaJinn said
Thanks for the help (you are so patient with people!!:)
I was stuck awhile too. For some reason it wouldn’t work at first with just hitting record. I had to hit play the first time, because just record wouldn’t capture the notes, and now everything works as you describe.
Anyway, you are nice to be patient to us noobs.
xoxo
iza
Ms.Tris said
Hey Izabael I am happy you got it to work… and you remind me I did not type “push record and play” in the tutorial which I should have..so we both helped each other 🙂
Also I don’t mind because I was a “Noob” too and I’m still learning everyday… Thanks so much for commenting and do come back often…
t said
Whenever i do this, instead of recording to the piano roll, it only records to the step sequencer. Im confused on why it does this, cause when i use to use FL Studio it never did this! any help?
Ms.Tris said
Hey T ..Thanks for commenting. You will have to send the sampler channel to the “piano roll”. Right click on the channel and scroll over to “Piano Roll”. The piano roll should pop up. When you record you won’t see the notes on the screen until the “bar” stops, then the notes that you played will pop up next to the keys in the piano roll.. Hope this helps, hit me back if not.
Nightwolf said
Hey, is there any way i can record off the testing keyboard?
Ms.Tris said
Hey Nightwolf, thanks for visiting…
I am not sure I understand your question…let me know what you are trying to do, maybe I can help you. I’m not sure what a testing keyboard is.. 😦
LiLRaze said
Just wanted to say thanks for this tutorial, just started using fl and never knew how to do this but it will be a big help to me!!
Ms.Tris said
Whats up LilRaze…I’m glad you liked it..and I appreciate you leaving a comment…stop back anytime and feel free to ask questions on any of the post..pz til later
Nightwolf said
like, when you Click on an instrument that’s in a channel the Channel settings for that intstrument should pop up. It’s a keyboard the shows up when you click on MISC icon within this setting.
Ms.Tris said
Oh okay.. I see what you mean. That keyboard is used for assigning the file to different octaves on a keyboard or previewing.. I just tried to click on it while recording but nothing happened, so I am assuming no…
another option to make a beat,you can send your file to the piano roll and manually draw in notes with the pencil tool…hope this helps.
amit said
every thig is ok but at one time only one key is working iam unable to play chords on my pc key board
Ms.Tris said
Amit I will check it out and edit this comment with an answer..check back tomorrow morn early..thanks for commenting
Saravanan said
Hi Tris:
I am sorry I am a bit new to this venture. What is meant by LED ? “Right-click the LED to select” I am sorry for being a dumb in using music software and thanks for your patience and assistance?
JwK said
i messed around with it trying to get the keyboard thing to record and now when i press the keys on the keyboard nothing happens and the mouse doesnt work either so im not hearing any sound from my fl studio….i need help plz
JwK said
oh its working now for some reason…
Pierre F. said
first off, thanks a lot for this man it made my FL Studio usage much better (im still a beginner at this) and i want to produce kinda old-Kanye West style beats the ones he did for Jay-Z (pure east coast)…. what instruments would u recommend
Thanks
Ms.Tris said
Hey Pierre, good question I’ll include your answer in todays post..Thanks for commenting…
Ms.Tris said
Jwk …hey man I’m glad you got it working..let me know if you need any more help..and of course thanks for commenting 🙂
Ms.Tris said
Hey Saravanan, the LED is the where the little orange boxes are..it means: light emitting diode, or a small element that “LiGHTS” up when electricity passes through…
thanks for commenting and Pz til later..
P2X said
For those who are having difficulty recording more than the the default 4 beats per bar.
Go to Options>MIDI Settings and make sure “Record to Step Sequencer” is ticked off.
After that you’ll be able to record for as long as you like and have every single note recorded.
Thanks Ms.Tris! for the tutorial it helped me out a lot and saves a lot of time when creating melodies etc.!!
Ms.Tris said
Hey P2X..wonderful bit of info you have shared, Thanks for taking time to comment…You are quite welcome…I am having fun with the tutorials and I am glad they are helping..take care…pz til later
spencer said
Hello, i got Fl studio for christmas and i’ve managed to make some pretty cool beats. I really want to record the audio and put it in my itunes library. Is there any way i can do that?..and if so, can you please explain!!??
Ms.Tris said
Yes there is a way. You will need to export the file as Mp3 from Fl Studio when rendering the audio. Save the file in a folder.Then you just load the Mp3 into your Itunes library from the folder where you saved it.
Thanks for commenting Spencer…Have a Safe Happy New Year
spencer said
oh okay thanks!..so i export the file after i record it? Also, im having troubles recording. When i try to record it tells me i need an ASIO driver, however, when i switch to ASIO4All in audio input; it doesnt make any sounds.
delf beatz said
when i click record it says record in edison,playlist,automation & score or everything which one do i pick
Ms.Tris said
Hey Delf Beatz..good question..I have to do this from memory. I chose all and selected don’t ask again. I am not sure the exact terms Fl Studio has in the box because it no longer pops up when I push record. You want to be able to use all the sources if needed. Look for an option that allows all and I think at the bottom of the box you can select” dont show again” or something similar.
Ms.Tris said
@ Spencer..yes after you record export the file to mp3. As for Asio you will need an Asio Soundcard or use the Asio for all..what type of sound card do you have?
marko said
was up man i get all the other stuff … but i had a question … do i need a 5.1 surround sound to record the music! because when i try to record it says something about nothing is in the asio driver???? (i think it the little speakers)?????
Ms.Tris said
Hey Marko…no you don’t need surround 5.1 to record. The Surround has to do with the speakers set up.I’ve had a few questions about ASIO..I will do a post on this tomorrow or Wednesday..check back and the post should help your situation…
Eugenia Mcloskey said
Great article! I’m loving your website.
Young Phlo said
ayyy..
great tut !
i have successfully enabled the “typing keyboard to piano keyboard” option on in fruity loops !
the only problem i have
is when i press a different key to get a different note [ie. C4 to D4 (being z to x)]
instread of getting D4, Fruity Loops plays the next instrument in the sequencer !
how do i turn that option off ?
thanks..
Ms.Tris said
@Eugenia..I appreciate the love and I am glad you like the site! thanks for taking time to comment..:-)
@ Young Phlo,,,hmnnn I will have to check this out hands on..check back tomorrow I should be able to help you with the problem..
Minh said
Hi Ms.Tris I need to ask a quick question maybe a dumb one also.
Well I’ve been trying to make a beat with my computer keyboard but when I press the record button and then press play and start typing in my beats and I press the stop button it doesnt show the beats on the piano roll and then when I play the beat I can only hear it until it hits the 2 in the piano roll.
Well if you know the answer to this question please reply
Thank you for your help!!.
Minh said
Oh,Sorry Ms.Tris to bug you but P2X helped me with that problem and thank you very much because I know you would have responded =]
Thanks to P2X!!
and to Ms.Tris for making this tutorial!!
Young Phlo said
alright.
Shane Six said
Is there a way to use my PC keyboard to change instruments while playing.Any possible keyboard shortcuts that I’m missing?
mike stevens said
Hi,,I can’t seem to be able to put all the fundamental parts of a beat together. Example, on the video about, in the first minute, the adding of bass, snares or highhats, I can’t seem to make a beat out of it, it all sounds out of place and wrong timing. Is there any tutorial for this anywhere. I’ve seen lots of videos and it seems so simple but my beats are not sounding like beats at all..Thanks much.
Ms.Tris said
Hey Mike ..
That’s a tough question..but if you continue to watch videos and read through tutorials here..you will begin to learn the basics. Once you start applying the new things you will find putting it all together gets easier.
I will suggest you start small.. work in 4 bar sections.. that will give you enough room to make a short drum pattern. Play around with a bassline, then add a melody like a piano or synth. Copy that and change the drums a little…This will start you off with an 8 bar loop that you can copy and continue to make additions and changes….
After you practice this hit me up again and maybe we can do a few live help sessions
Ms.Tris said
@young Phlo did you ever figure that out?
Ms.Tris said
@Minh …sounds like you need to set your buffers inside Fl studio or your sound card…it’s hard to explain with out the program in front of me I am on a laptop right now…
You can check the help file ..look for setting up Fl Studio. I can answer this better with the program open..if you dont find it hit me up again
Ms.Tris said
@Shane Six..I haven’t found one either..hmmnn I wonder I’ll bet they do have something there..good question..I’ll check around and find out
Ms.Tris said
@Minh..hey I just saw your other comment cool ..I’m glad you got it working.. 🙂
LFS said
aye man thanks,this really helped me out. ive been trying to figure this thing out for a while now lol
Evan Shaw said
Everytime i type on the keyboard the sound continues to play without stopping for a while and i cant type on it fast i can only type the notes in slowly because it will not allow it to be fast
Ms.Tris said
Hey Evan.. It sound like its a buffer problem.. Before you adjust write down your current buffer settings.Next, go to Options> Audio Settings and adjust your buffer size. This should fix the delay, and allow you to type the notes in faster.
Milky said
When I turn on the Typing Keyboard function, only one note on my keyboard activates the sample (letter Z will give me middle C when the range is set to C4). I can’t get it to let me play an entire range of notes. Pressing another button triggers a different sample in the list not a different pitch of the particular sample I’m trying to play across the keyboard.
Your July 12th comment states that I would be able to press the number 2 through Shift, but pressing the number 2 changes the view of the piano roll. A lot of these buttons activate shortcuts, not notes. Help please?
Milky said
This is the solution for my problem:
Under MIDI settings, Omni Preview MIDI Channel must be set to none. Mine was set to 1 by default. Might be a good idea to add that to your tutorial.
Ms.Tris said
@ Milky I am happy you solved your problem. The default for omni preview is — meaning 0..I am happy you noticed it to figure it out.. I will remind all to check that Ty..
For the second half,the problem with short cuts..did you check and make sure the orange button is selected as in the tutorial?..For me the shortcuts only pop up when thats not selected..
Marcko said
hey.. i finally understand the recording … its just once i record it never goes to the piano roll it all ways goes into the edison . and i dnt wont it to do this … can you help me out.
fuiee said
hey mr tris im, liking your work rigth here . i tryed all the steps u told me and my flstudio keyboard wen i try it on piano roll it doesnt show up or record
Ms.Tris said
Hello Fuiee, did you ever get it to work? It won’t show up on piano roll until after you stop recording.. let me know…
adam said
Is there a way to record the piano roll with a mouse?
I have a stylus with pretty good control, and would rather just hit the piano roll with the cursor instead of using the keyboard. It seems on my keyboard every row is missing 3 or 4 note keys and it’s hard to get used to. 😀
Ms.Tris said
Hey adam.. I tried to play the piano roll with mouse a while back..no luck at all lol. If I find a way I’ll let you know in a post.. so far It doesnt work for me either ..
thanks for commenting take care
Chreaus said
hey Tris, i left a comment on ur youtube video, SUPER helpful tutorial! watching u jam out that piece put some things into place and im glued to my computer with FL all day now 🙂 the only issue i had was after clicking “typing keyboard” icon (i did this b4 i really understood what i was doing) i didnt realize i wouldnt be able to turn the channels on and off with the “1-0” keys while recording… just sent me for a loop for a while because now i can just play it all through once without having to map it out 🙂 thanx very much!!!!!
Ms.Tris said
Hey Chreaus ..glad the video helped! That’s not me in the video I must add, but it helped me as well 🙂 ..appreciate you taking time to comment
Kirsty said
Hi..I am trying to record a melody on FL. I did the steps above, but when I record I play it on the keyboard, but when I stop recording nothing happens. What am I doing wrong? Also I selected the wrong thing in the message where it asks you were you want to record, and then check the “do not show me again” box. Yea…how do I fix that?
Ms.Tris said
Hey Kirsty Congrats on your new bundle of joy!!! 🙂 .. Hmnn .. I assume the selection you made has something to do with it. I will answer the other comments here, then load up Fl to see if I can figure how to help you undo it.. chck bck in a few.. its probably an easy fix..
**OK ..looks like you can right click on the record button in the control panel. Thats the button with the dot in the middle. After you right click check all three items on the list. Now you should be able to record audio, automation, and scores…let me know if this helps
Kirsty said
Heyyy!!! Your last post was the day I had my baby! Lol what a day that was.
adam said
whats up i was just using the typing keyboard and it was working but when it worked the rest of the comp volume wasnt working. now everything works but the volume on fl audio. the mixer is showing the sound waves but nothing comes out of my speakers. it worked a minute agoo
Ms.Tris said
Hey Adam did you ever figure out what was going on? What type of soundcard do you have?
Pj said
whenever i try to use my keyboard as a piano, it just doesnt happen for me, instead each letter on my keyboard controls a channel in my step sequencer, ive tryed clicking that keyboard to piano button, ive clicked “enable midi remote control” i think ive done just about everything but still theres no change. can anyone help me ?
Ms.Tris said
Hey P.J….. were you able to get it all working properly? Both “keyboard to piano button” & “enable midi remote control” have to be selected on the drop down menu.
Ed Richardson said
Yo seem like youve managed to help alot of people well done! but can u help me? im using typing keyboard to trigger the patterns in live mode only prob is i am dealing with large amounts of patterns and theres not enough keys to deal with them all, and changing the bass octave doesnt give me enough range is there a simple octave up/down shortcut like octave up/down on a midi controller? its doing my head in I just dont have the space for a controller! keep up the good work!
ed
Ms.Tris said
Hey Ed… at first I didn’t understand what you were asking…after reading again I think I know. I’ll have to look further into this one for you. If there is away to assign certain patterns to certain key/letters on the typing keyboard I think your issue will be solved..I’ll check it out and add another reply..
elliott said
thanks. i just started making beats and i don’t have midi controller and i couldn’t figure out how to record with the keyboard and putting everything in with the mouse is a pain
Ms.Tris said
Hey Elliot… glad the post helped.. keep at it…the more you learn the better …
Meezy said
Hey I’m stuck on this.. i’ve sorted the pc keyboard out and if i hit buttons i hear the sound..but how can i actually record a melody or tune cuz wen i did recorded i chose everything option n it stil dont let me play a tune with the notes! help plz
P.J said
Yep ive tried that, but it still doesnt work for some reason,,
Schedule said
Maybe you should edit the blog subject title Fl Studio 8: Recording With Computer Keyboard MsTrisMusic.Com to something more suited for your content you make. I enjoyed the the writing yet.
JE.RS84 said
ok. so when i try to use the piano roll it works with a few of the sounds in the step sequencer(kick, clap n etc) but only when pressing one certain key. like N being the kick or X being the clap. now how do i get to the point of where i can actually use the keyboard on my laptop as a piano and so on? i select the piano and it jus palys that one note when pressing the correct key as in S for example. HEEEEELP!!!!!!
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