How to Make Drum and Bass in FL Studio: Complete Production Guide

Why FL Studio Works Great for DnB

FL Studio has a long history with drum and bass production. Its pattern-based workflow, powerful piano roll, and flexible mixer make it an excellent choice for the genre. Producers like Netsky, Camo and Krooked, and many other DnB artists have used FL Studio to create tracks that have topped charts and filled dance floors worldwide.

The pattern system in FL Studio is particularly well-suited to DnB because you can create multiple drum patterns and switch between them easily. The piano roll offers some of the most precise MIDI editing available in any DAW. And the mixer, with its flexible routing and insert effects, gives you all the processing power you need for professional-quality mixes.

This guide takes you through making a drum and bass track from scratch in FL Studio, covering everything from drums to bass to mixing.

Setting Up Your Project

Tempo and Initial Setup

Set your tempo to 174 BPM, which is the most common DnB tempo. Create a new project and set up your channel rack with slots for kick, snare, hi-hats, percussion, and any additional drum elements. Open the mixer and assign each channel to its own mixer track for independent processing.

Create mixer tracks for Sub Bass, Mid Bass, Lead, Pads, FX, and Vocals if needed. Set up send tracks for reverb and delay. Colour code everything in the channel rack and mixer so you can navigate your project quickly as it grows.

Programming DnB Drums in FL Studio

The Two-Step Pattern

DnB drums are built on variations of the two-step pattern. In FL Studio’s step sequencer, place your kick on step 1 and your snare on step 5 (or step 13 in a 16-step pattern, depending on your grid resolution). This creates the basic bounce of drum and bass. From here, add ghost kicks, ghost snares, and syncopated hits to create more complex patterns.

Switch to the piano roll for more detailed programming. FL Studio’s piano roll lets you place hits with precise timing and velocity control. Use humanization by slightly shifting hits off the grid and varying velocities. This creates a more natural, groovy feel that pure quantized patterns lack.

Breakbeats and Chopping

Many DnB tracks use chopped breakbeat samples as the foundation of their drum sound. In FL Studio, load a break into Slicex or the built-in slicer to chop it into individual hits. Rearrange the slices in the piano roll to create new patterns. Layer additional samples on top for punch and clarity.

The Amen break, Think break, and Apache break are classic starting points. Process them with EQ, compression, and saturation to fit your mix. High-pass filter your breaks around 200Hz if you are layering them on top of programmed kick and snare hits.

Bass Design in FL Studio

Sub Bass

For sub bass, use Serum, Sytrus, or even 3x Osc with a sine wave. Keep it clean and mono. In FL Studio’s mixer, add a Fruity Limiter on the sub bass track for consistent levels. Use sidechain compression triggered by the kick to prevent frequency clashing. The sub should be felt more than heard, providing the low-end weight that makes DnB hit hard on big systems.

Mid-Range Bass

Your mid-range bass carries the melodic and textural content of your bass line. Load Serum as a generator plugin in FL Studio and design or load presets for your mid bass sounds. Route the output to a dedicated mixer track for processing. Add EQ to remove low-end content below 80-100Hz (your sub handles that range) and shape the mid-range to sit cleanly in the mix.

Automate parameters in the piano roll or automation clips for evolving bass lines. FL Studio’s automation clips are incredibly flexible. Right-click any parameter, select “Create automation clip,” and draw your automation curves directly in the playlist.

Arrangement in FL Studio

FL Studio’s playlist is where you arrange your patterns into a full track. Create separate patterns for each section of your track: intro drums, drop drums, breakdown elements, and so on. Arrange these patterns in the playlist, layering them to build your full arrangement.

A typical DnB arrangement runs about 5-6 minutes for a full mix. Structure it with a 32-bar intro, 32-bar first drop, 16-bar breakdown, 32-bar second drop, and a 16-bar outro. Add fills and transitions between sections to keep the energy flowing.

Mixing in FL Studio

FL Studio’s mixer is powerful enough for professional-quality DnB mixes. Use Parametric EQ 2 on every channel for frequency sculpting. Apply Fruity Compressor or Maximus for dynamics control. Use the stereo separation knob on bass elements to keep them mono below 200Hz.

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Make DnB that slaps in FL Studio. Head to the Preset Drive shop for bass music Serum presets that integrate seamlessly with your FL Studio workflow. Download, load, and start producing.