{"id":5515,"date":"2018-11-23T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T17:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=5515"},"modified":"2024-08-09T13:51:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:51:32","slug":"manipulating-samples-gross-beat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/manipulating-samples-gross-beat\/","title":{"rendered":"Manipulating samples with FL Studio’s Gross Beat"},"content":{"rendered":"
Illustration: Niv Bavarksy<\/a><\/h6>\n

Gross Beat has made a big name for itself in the world of music production.<\/h1>\n

Gross Beat<\/a> is a volume and time\/pitch automation effect VST made by Image-Line, the same company behind the popular DAW, FL Studio. Gross Beat can take a sample or instrument and apply a user-defined time and pitch shifting envelope. It can also automate volume to create gates and other similar effects, and even apply both volume and time\/pitch shift effects simultaneously. In this tutorial, you\u2019ll learn about Gross Beat\u2019s inner workings and how you can use Gross Beat to turn a simple sample into your own work of genius – let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

Getting familiar with Gross Beat<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ll be using FL Studio 12 to showcase how you can use Gross Beat to soup up your Splice samples. First, let\u2019s take a look at the user interface. Add Gross Beat to any blank Mixer track and click on it to open the UI.<\/p>\n

\"manipulating-samples-gross-beat-01\"<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s run through the numbered items:<\/p>\n

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  1. The time mix level knob<\/strong> changes how much of the time\/pitch effect is being applied to the Mixer track that Gross Beat is on, ranging from 0% to 100%.<\/li>\n
  2. The volume mix level knob<\/strong> changes how much of the volume effect envelope is being applied to the Mixer track, and also ranges from 0% to 100%.<\/li>\n
  3. The time slot preset bank<\/strong> stores time envelope presets.<\/li>\n
  4. The volume slot preset bank<\/strong> stores volume envelope presets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can click on the set of arrows or the drop down menu at the top right of Gross Beat’s user interface to access presets that change the volume and time slot banks.<\/p>\n

    \"manipulating-samples-gross-beat-06\"<\/p>\n

    Click a Time<\/strong> or Volume<\/strong> slot to change the active time or volume envelope to that specific slot preset.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n
        \n
      1. The volume envelope attack knob<\/strong> controls how fast the volume envelope will reach its designated values when going from a lower volume to a higher volume, from 0 ms to 100 ms.<\/li>\n
      2. The volume envelope release knob<\/strong> controls how fast the volume envelope will reach its designated values when going from a higher volume to a lower volume, from 0 ms to 1000 ms.<\/li>\n
      3. The volume envelope tension knob<\/strong> controls the ‘springiness’ of the ATT<\/strong> and REL<\/strong> knobs.<\/li>\n
      4. The time offset wheel<\/strong> can be clicked-and-dragged in real time to apply a time and pitch offset. This wheel is what is being automated by the Time<\/strong> envelope.<\/li>\n
      5. Grid snap presets<\/strong> allow for different snapping intervals for your control points.<\/li>\n
      6. These buttons can be used to toggle between Volume<\/strong> envelope editing and Time<\/strong> envelope editing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Using Gross Beat for gated vocal effects<\/h2>\n

        Volume gates are used on vocals in a wide array of electronic music genres including trance and progressive house. Now that we\u2019re a little more familiar with how Gross Beat works, we can use it with Splice samples<\/a> to make our own gated vocal effects in FL Studio.<\/p>\n

        In Gross Beat, volume automation is done using a grid. The horizontal position on the grid is time moving forward, and the vertical position on the grid is volume.<\/p>\n

        Step 1: Add a sample to the Playlist and match the sample tempo<\/strong><\/p>\n

        I chose a nice vocal sample<\/a> from the “Roniit Silk Vocal Samples”<\/a> pack on Splice. Once downloaded, just click and drag your sample from the FL Studio Browser\/Plugin picker<\/strong> to the Playlist<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        For the best effect, we need to change FL Studio\u2019s tempo setting to match the sample’s tempo. In this case, it\u2019s 125 BPM, as indicated in the sample file name and by the Splice library.<\/p>\n

        \"manipulating-samples-gross-beat-10\"<\/p>\n

        Also make sure that FL Studio is in Song<\/strong> mode, since we have the sample in the Playlist<\/strong>. Toggle it on or off using the button in the toolbar circled below:<\/p>\n

        \"manipulating-samples-gross-beat-02\"<\/p>\n

        Step 2: Route the sample to the Gross Beat Mixer track<\/b><\/p>\n

        Find the newly-added sample in the Channel<\/strong> rack<\/strong> and route it to the Gross Beat Mixer track<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        \"manipulating-samples-gross-beat-07\"<\/p>\n

        The sample gets sent through the Gross Beat patch, and then to the Master bus. Here’s what it sounds like:<\/p>\n

             <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span>