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Best Recording Settings in FL Studio

Updated: May 16, 2024
FL Studio Recording Settings - Panel Recording Filter and Options

In this article, I will share how to record in FL Studio.. specifically how to record microphones in FL Studio for low latency.

The first time you try to record in FL Studio, a pop-up appears which will say what would you like to record. This is quite confusing!

Personally I recommend you select Everything, and also make sure to select “don’t show this again”. This way when you press record in FL Studio, this pop-up won’t appear anymore, and FL Studio will record with normal operation.. whether you’re trying to record vocals in FL Studio, or trying to record a MIDI Keyboard in FL Studio.

FL Studio Recording Dialog Popup
If you pressed Don’t ask this in the future when selecting Everything, you can re-open this recording dialog pop-up window by holding ALT + LEFT CLICK on the Recording button!

Right-Clicking the Record Button

Here’s how you can access the FL Studio recording pop-up that asked you questions about what would you like to record (which I said you should select Everything).

First, you can hold ALT and LEFT CLICK on the Recording button.. that will give you the big pop-up back.

Another way to access your recording options in FL Studio is the RIGHT-CLICK the record button in the top of FL Studio’s top menu bar. See the image:

FL Studio Recording Settings - Panel Recording Filter and Options
Right-Click the Recording Button in FL Studio to access FL Studio Recording Options.

Just follow what I have set in the image for the best FL Studio recording settings, for both recording microphones in FL Studio and recording MIDI Controllers.

I’ll list the settings here, too:

  • Automation = Checked
  • Notes = Checked
  • Audio = Checked
  • Clips = Checked
  • Recording starts playback = Not checked
  • Disarm on stop = Not checked
  • Enable recording markers = Checked
  • Note start time = Checked
  • Note end time = Checked
  • Leave note duration = Not checked
  • Record to step sequencer = Not checked
  • Automations = Not checked

To repeat, simply RIGHT-CLICK recording button in FL Studio to access all these options!

ASIO Driver for Lowest Recording Latency

Here’s how to fix audio latency in FL Studio when recording.

Audio latency is when you hear a delay in your voice. If you say a word, a quick echo of your voice comes back, and it makes recording really hard.

The secret to reduce audio latency is to set a low buffer size, but it has to be done strategically, because low-powered computers can’t set their buffer size too low!

You may like how to record vocals with no latency in FL Studio.

Let’s first look at how to set buffer size in FL Studio. We do this with our ASIO Driver’s Buffer Length option.

Select ASIO Driver in FL Studio Audio Tab Settings

In FL Studio’s Settings, click the Audio Tab.

You need to make sure you’re ALWAYS using an ASIO Driver (if you use Windows). If you don’t use an ASIO Driver FL Studio’s performance suffers tremendously. You can either select your audio interface’s ASIO driver, ASIO4ALLv2, or the FL Studio ASIO (but your audio interface’s ASIO Driver will typically give the lowest latency).

On the FL Studio Audio settings page, select Buffer Length, and drag it the lowest your computer can handle without UNDERRUNS. Underruns cause clicks and pops, and you’ll see your computer is struggling to run FL Studio.

This is why setting ASIO Buffer Length is a strategy.. but thankfully computers are becoming really powerful today, so it’s not as big of an issue.

But back in the day what you wanted to do was create a beat, export the beat into a file, and open a new project and drag the song in. This way the computer is not having to process all the Virtual Instruments and effects plugins, meaning you can set your ASIO Buffer size REALLY low for almost no latency.

Once you’re done your recording, you can then go back to your main project, and drag the vocals in so you can get back to mixing vocals in FL Studio after recording vocals.

Another alternative is to have an audio interface with a Direct Monitoring Knob, or record with an Audio Mixer.

You can learn How to Record Vocals with No Latency in FL Studio (Course).

Good FL Studio Recording Settings

So let’s quickly recap the best FL Studio recording settings.

When you hit record, the pop-up window that says what would you like to record, just select Everything (and make sure to hit “do not show again”). If you need to access the recording pop-up again, hold left ALT and LEFT-CLICK recording button.. or you can RIGHT-CLICK the record button to manually select FL Studio recording options.

The most important point of having the best FL Studio vocals recording settings is ensuring you select an ASIO Driver with low buffer size (buffer length). But depending on your computer’s CPU speed, it may not be able to handle low buffer size on a big project.. so just use my trick of exporting the beat and opening a new project to record.. then bring the vocals back to the main project.

I hope this article helps you understand the best recording settings in FL Studio for both vocals and MIDI Controllers.

You may like my FL Studio Courses or FL Studio Books.

Feel free to contact me directly any time as well!

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About Author: GratuiTous

GratuiTous (Riley Weller) Music Producer

GratuiTous discovered FL Studio around 2009 when a friend introduced him to the DAW.. he then began making FL Studio tutorials in 2011 which lead to creating his Beatmaker Training Platform. He also authors music production books, and hosts the "Music Production Made Simple Podcast". Fun Fact: He was an electrician in Canada for 10 Years!

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