Navigate FL Studio Playlist EASY

Navigate FL Studio Playlist EASY - FL Studio Tutorial
How to move around the FL Studio Playlist FAST (Video).

In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate the FL Studio Playlist like a pro 🙂 (P.S. – These tips also apply to the Piano Roll, too!)


What You Will Learn:

  • CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK [HOLD] (Zoom to Area QUICK)
  • CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK (Go Back to 100% Zoom)
  • Middle Scroll Wheel Button (Helpful Hand)
  • CTRL + Scroll (Horizontal) .. ALT + Scroll (Vertical)

ZOOMING-IN (CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK [HOLD])

Inside the Playlist, if you hold CTRL and hold RIGHT-CLICK (and don’t let go), you will be presented with a magnify glass that has a blue outline border. This has been one of the BEST WAYS to navigate the FL Studio Playlist!

Hold CTRL + Right-Click (Hold) in the Playlist to Show the Magnifier with a Blue Outline to Zoom into Your Desired Area on the Playlist!
Hold CTRL + Right-Click (Hold) in the Playlist to Show the Magnifier with a Blue Outline to Zoom into Your Desired Area on the Playlist!

You can easily focus into SECTIONS of a song, or REALLY zoom-in on a certain area. You’ll find yourself moving FAST within the Playlist.

If you only use one computer screen with FL Studio, this zooming method allows you to use the Playlist in its small version without have to expand it with ENTER to make the Playlist full screen as often (like I teach you in my FL Studio Courses!)

📽 Here’s a video showing this Playlist Zoom technique:

Example from main video above for how to zoom into FL Studio’s Playlist with CTRL + Right-Click (HOLD).

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ZOOMING-OUT to 100%.. After ZOOM-IN

In order for this workflow to be useful, you actually need to be able to ZOOM-OUT 100% after you ZOOM-IN..

To ZOOM-OUT, simply press CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK (don’t hold it, just press it quickly).

After ZOOMING-IN with CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK (HOLD), you can then ZOOM-OUT with by quickly pressing CTRL + RIGHT-CLICK (NO HOLD). It puts you back to 100% Playlist zoom for the FAST WORKFLOW!

Here’s picture examples of a ZOOMED-IN and ZOOMED-OUT Playlist:

FL Studio Playlist Zoomed-IN
FL Studio Playlist Zoomed-IN
FL Studio Playlist Zoomed-OUT
FL Studio Playlist Zoomed-OUT

Panning Around the Playlist (Middle Scroll Wheel)

FL Studio (and many other programs) offer a very powerful “panning” of the Playlist feature where you press and hold MIDDLE SCROL WHEEL, and a helpful hand appears! Use this to fine-tune your Playlist navigation AFTER you ZOOM-IN!:

Hold MIDDLE SCROLL WHEEL to “Pan” around the Playlist with no strings attached in terms of horizontal and vertical movement!

Here’s an image showing FL Studio’s Helpful Hand a bit clearer:

middle-click-pan-flstudio-playlist (helpful hand movement)
Holding down the MIDDLE SCROLL WHEEL “grabs” the Playlist and creates a hand icon. You can move left and right freely without restriction.. it’s so powerful, try it out!

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ZOOM (FL Studio Playlist)

There’s two final things to complete this easy navigation of FL Studio’s Playlist for you to understand the fast workflow..

That is:

  • CTRL + SCROLL WHEEL (Up/Down) – This zooms in/out horizontal on the Playlist
  • ALT + SCROLL WHEEL (Up/Down) – This stretches/shrinks the height of the Playlist tracks

When your mouse is hovered on the Playlist, try each of these out to get the Playlist zoomed in and set-up exactly how you want.

Big Track Height in FL Studio Playlist
Small Track Height in FL Studio Playlist
Small Track Height in FL Studio Playlist
Big Track Height in FL Studio Playlist

Significantly Improve Your FL Studio Workflow!

So there’s some powerful tips to improve your FL Studio Playlist workflow.

Want to learn many more tips? Try my FL Studio Courses! There’s been many happy students learning powerful tricks like this that are simple and to the point.

I also offer 1-on-1 FL Studio Lessons, and have Beatmaking Books, too!

If you want to start slow.. try listening to my beatmaking podcast on the go!

Contact me directly any time!

P.S. – This “zooming in” is actually called “Zoom to selection”.. it’s the magnifier icon in the Playlist Toolbar.

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GratuiTous (Riley Weller) is a Recognized FL Studio Trainer with over 30 Beatmaking Courses. He writes Beatmaking Books, hosts the Music Production Made Simple Podcast, and helps students with FL Studio Lessons. He also makes lots of his own music!
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