Making Your First Beat In FL Studio: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Hello my friends. The goal here is simple: save you tons of time and help you understand how beats are actually made from the ground up. Every step matters. Skipping steps is how mistakes happen—mistakes that cost time, energy, and motivation.

All you really need to do is sit back, relax, and move through the process in order.

When you first open FL Studio, it will probably look overwhelming. There are so many different things on the screen, and at first, you won’t know what most of them do. That’s normal.

Let’s break it down.

Understanding the Core Areas in FL Studio

The Channel Rack

The Channel Rack is where all of your instruments live. By default, FL Studio loads sounds that come with the software, but to be honest, most producers don’t really use these. They’re placeholders.

This area is where you:

  • Add instruments
  • Load drum sounds
  • Trigger patterns

The Piano Roll

The Piano Roll is where notes are added.

If you’re working with a piano, a synth, or an 808, this is where:

  • Melodies are written
  • Chords are built
  • Basslines are placed

Think of it as the musical brain of your beat.

The Mixer

The Mixer is where everything gets shaped.

This is where you:

  • Route instruments
  • Add effects
  • Control volume
  • Clean and balance your sound

Mixing will come later, but it’s important to know where it happens.

The Playlist

The Playlist is where everything comes together.

This is where you:

  • Arrange sections
  • Build intros, verses, hooks
  • Lay out the full beat structure

At a high level, beat-making can be broken into three main areas:

  1. The musical part (samples, melodies, chords)
  2. Drums
  3. Mixing

Everything else supports these three.

Creating the Musical Foundation

Using Samples and Loops (The Easiest Starting Point)

When you’re just getting started, samples and loops are the easiest way in. It might feel like cheating—but it’s not. Tons of top producers do this. Probably your favorite producer too.

A sample or loop usually comes labeled with a BPM, which is the speed of the beat.

If a sample says 90 BPM, you should:

  • Set your project BPM to match it
  • Drag the sample directly into the Playlist

Once placed, many samples are already structured:

  • Intro
  • Chorus
  • Post-chorus
  • Verse

From here, some producers:

  • Add drums directly
  • Add a drum loop
  • Build an entire beat around the sample

Changing Pitch and Chopping Samples

Producers often:

  • Change the pitch
  • Chop the sample into pieces
  • Rearrange it into something new

This is especially popular in:

  • Boom bap
  • Old-school hip-hop

Another common technique is separating instruments within a loop. By cutting individual layers:

  • Each sound can be arranged independently
  • You gain more control over the beat’s energy

This turns a single loop into multiple creative options.

Creating Melodies From Scratch

On the flip side, you can create melodies manually.

Using Instruments Inside FL Studio

To do this:

  • Go to the Channel Rack
  • Add an instrument
  • Use a stock plugin like Flex
  • Open the Piano Roll
  • Start placing notes

This method gives you full control, but it’s more involved.

One-Shots: A Powerful Shortcut

Another popular option is one-shots.

A one-shot is a single sound that behaves like an instrument.

To use them:

  • Drag the sound into FL
  • Set it to Stretch
  • Adjust:
    • Attack (down)
    • Hold (up)
    • Decay (down)
    • Sustain (down)
    • Release (to taste)

Once set up, the sound can be played like a real instrument across the keyboard.

MIDI: Making Creation Faster

MIDI makes creating melodies much easier.

Instead of manually placing notes:

  • Load a MIDI file
  • Drag it onto an instrument
  • Instantly generate a melody or chord progression

This speeds things up and helps you learn musical patterns naturally.

Building the Drums (The Most Underrated Step)

Drums completely change the vibe of a beat.

Two drum loops can turn the same melody into two totally different songs.

You can:

  • Use drum loops
  • Build drums from scratch
  • Or mix both methods

The Core Drum Sounds You Need

A basic drum setup includes:

  • Snare or clap
  • Kick
  • Hi-hat
  • Open hat
  • Percussion
  • 808 or bassline

To add drum kits:

  • Go to Options
  • General Settings
  • File
  • Add the folder location

Basic Drum Placement Rules

  • Snare
    • Above 100 BPM: placed on common backbeats
    • Below 100 BPM: spacing is wider
  • Kick
    • Almost always hits on the one
    • Additional kicks create bounce
  • Hi-hats
    • Simple pattern: fill every two steps
  • Open hats & percussion
    • Often placed on thirds
    • Used to start or accent loops

Working With the 808 (The King of Drums)

The 808 is one of the most important sounds in modern music.

Unlike other drums, it behaves like an instrument.

Essential 808 Settings

  • Cut itself
    Prevents overlapping notes
  • Use correct notes
    The 808 must match the key of the beat

Using Chords to Place 808s

If you have chords:

  • Use the root notes
  • Copy the chord MIDI
  • Paste it into the 808 Piano Roll
  • Drop it down to a lower octave

Typically:

  • Fifth octave or lower works best

If you don’t have chords:

  • Identify the key
  • Test notes within the scale
  • Trust your ears

If it sounds wrong, it probably is.

Many producers also avoid having the kick and 808 hit at the exact same time to create more bounce.

Mixing: Making Everything Work Together

Mixing is where the beat starts to feel professional.

Routing Sounds to the Mixer

  • Select all drum sounds
  • Assign them to mixer tracks
  • Do the same for instruments and samples

This allows full control over each sound.

Volume Balance (The Biggest Beginner Mistake)

A common mistake is having:

  • Melodies too loud
  • Drums too quiet

In reality:

  • Drums should be the loudest
  • Otherwise, vocals won’t fit later

General guidelines:

  • Kick & 808 = loudest
  • Snare = to taste
  • Hi-hats & percussion = quieter
  • Instruments = typically below -12 dB

Listening matters more than numbers.

Basic EQ: The Bare Minimum You Must Do

EQ makes beats sound cleaner and harder.

Cutting Low Frequencies

For instruments and samples:

  • Use Fruity Parametric EQ 2
  • Cut around 200 Hz

This:

  • Clears space
  • Makes the 808 hit harder
  • Prevents muddiness

Controlling Brightness

Bright sounds can be softened by:

  • Reducing high frequencies
  • Making the sound darker and smoother

This small adjustment can completely change how polished a beat feels.

Everything here forms a complete workflow—from opening FL Studio to laying out a finished beat. Each step builds on the last, and skipping any part makes the process harder than it needs to be.