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How to Use Slicex to Cut Beats

Cutting or slicing a drum beat involves separating it into its component parts, then rearranging these parts to create a new beat. This production technique is especially useful when producing breakbeat or drum 'n' bass tracks. The FL Studio digital audio workstation includes a built-in beat slicer called "Slicex," which can cut a drum sample into separate sounds, then translate them to MIDI signals which you can rearrange. Slicex uses customizable markers to separate a drum beat into different regions.

Instructions

    • 1

      Launch FL Studio. Click "Channels" and hover the mouse over "Add One." Select "Audio Clip" to create a new audio channel.

    • 2

      Click "Plugin Database" in the left-hand sidebar. Click "Generators," "Drum" and "Drumloop slicer." Drag and drop the Slicex plug-in onto the audio channel.

    • 3

      Click the disk icon in the Slicex plug-in. Click "Load Sample." Navigate to the drum beat you want to cut up and double-click it. Slicex loads the drum beat and automatically slices it into its component drum sounds.

    • 4

      Click and drag the markers in the Slicex waveform display to fine-tune the slices so that each marked region contains only one drum sound. To add a new marker, click and drag a portion of the waveform to select it, click the "Region" icon and select "Add Marker." To delete a marker, right-click it and select "Delete."

    • 5

      Click the "Dump Score to Piano Roll" button, which looks like a series of squares arranged in a diagonal line. Click "View," then "Piano Roll" to open the MIDI piano roll sequencer.

    • 6

      Click and drag the drum slices in the piano roll editor to rearrange them. Click and drag the right-hand edge of a slice to lengthen or shorten it. To add a slice, click inside an empty square in the piano roll editor. Click "Play" to listen to the sliced drum beat.

Digital Music

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