How to Add Swing in FL Studio for Drums With Groove

Do your drums sound stiff, like a robot is playing them? Then you're often missing swing. With swing, some notes land a little later, so your rhythm starts to move. Here's how to do that in FL Studio.

What is swing?

With swing, part of your notes stays on the grid and the rest moves a little. According to Image-Line, swing in the step sequencer changes the length of the odd and even steps: the odd sixteenth notes get longer and the even sixteenth notes get shorter. So every second sixteenth note lands a little later. That gives you the loose, slightly limping feel you hear a lot in boom bap and lo-fi.

Step 1: turn the Swing knob

Program your drums in the Channel rack and slowly turn the Swing knob to the right. Listen to your beat while you do it. According to Image-Line, this is the Global Swing, which applies to all channels.

Step 2: don't give every channel the same swing

You can choose how much swing each channel gets. According to Image-Line, you do that in the Channel settings, under Miscellaneous, Time, Swing. A channel only swings when both the Global Swing and that channel's swing are above 0%.

That way you can let your hi-hats swing and keep your kick tight on the beat, for example. That often gives more groove than moving everything equally.

Step 3: working in the Piano roll? Move notes yourself

Image-Line describes the Swing knob for the steps in the step sequencer. If you draw your drums in the Piano roll, you can also move notes a little yourself. Set the Snap to a smaller value or to (none) for that. According to Image-Line, (none) lets you place notes without a grid.

Step 4: move single steps with Shift

In the Channel rack's Graph editor you can adjust things like the velocity and the Shift per step. With Shift you move one step a little later without moving the rest. Handy for a snare that needs to land just behind the beat.

Step 5: vary your velocity

Swing isn't only about timing. If every hi-hat hits equally hard, it still sounds stiff. Make the hats on the beat a bit louder and the ones in between a bit softer, for example. More on hats in how to make hi-hat rolls in FL Studio.

How much swing?

There's no fixed value. Start low and slowly turn it up until the rhythm starts to move. Too much swing quickly sounds sloppy. Compare your beat with a track in the same style, at the same volume.

Common mistakes

• Equal swing on everything. A tight kick under swinging hats often works better.
• Global Swing at 0%. Then no channel swings, even if you set swing per channel.
• Too much swing. Then your beat doesn't sound loose, it sounds messy.

Want to hear swing in a full beat? Read how to make a boom bap beat in FL Studio or how to make a lo-fi beat in FL Studio. Rather start rapping right away? Browse all beats.

FAQ

Where is swing in FL Studio?

The Channel rack has a Swing knob for all channels. Per channel you set swing in the Channel settings, under Miscellaneous, Time, Swing.

Why can't I hear any swing?

According to Image-Line, both the Global Swing and the channel's swing need to be above 0%. If you draw your drums in the Piano roll, move notes a little yourself.

Which genres use a lot of swing?

You hear it a lot in boom bap and lo-fi. In other styles, a little swing can also make your drums feel more human.

Source: Image-Line's FL Studio manual.