INSTRUMENTS / GENERATORS

FPC

FPC (Fruity Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC™ unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B. ( FPC video tutorials can be viewed here.)

Sounds and patterns: Two easy to use drop-down menus are the Content Library to download new sound banks (sounds), and the Pattern Manager to select MIDI loops/patterns and dump them to the Piano roll.

The FPC interface consists of three main zones - Main Pad Properties (1), Layer Properties (2) and the Pad Matrix (3), as described below. The interface can be resized by Right-clicking the right edge of the plugin and dragging to hide/show the layer controls.

Content Library & Pattern Manager

1. Main Pad Properties

These parameters affect the currently selected pad. To select a pad Left-click on the pad button in the Pad View section (3). Note that you can play pads without changing the selected pad by using the right-mouse button.

• Pad selector - (Showing Pad 2/32) The arrows allow you to change the selected pad.
• Options - Left-click the down arrow to open the following menu:

Pads

• Bank A / Bank B - Quick access to all pads (sounds) from Banks A and B.

Presets

• Change name - Changes the name of the FPC preset.
• Load preset - Loads an FPC preset.
• Save preset - Saves an FPC preset.

Import

• Import DirectWave program - FPC can only import .dwp files (DirectWave programs), not banks. The root note is used to map DW zones to FPC pads. Only the first 32 zones/pads will load, root notes in excess of 32 are ignored. FPC only imports zone pan and tune along with the wave file.

Export

• Save entire kit as pad presets - Saves each pad as a separate FPC pad preset, allowing you to share pads between kits.
• Save all wav files - Exports all the wave files used in the preset.
• Export kit as SFZ file - Exports kit in rgcAudio's SFZ format.
• Export kit as FL Mobile instrument - Exports kit in .instr format as used by FL Studio Mobile.

Notes

• Layouts - Opens a menu of preset layouts:
  • default - Matches the Akai MPC™ series unless it has been overwritten with your own layout. Note that if you want a particular layout to load each time FPC is opened, you will need to 'Use current layout when changing presets' first (see below).
  • padKontrol - PadKontrol preset (custom controller).
  • trigger finger - Trigger Finger preset (custom controller).
  • (none) - FPC will use the note layout saved in the song/preset opened.
  • Use current layout when changing presets - Prevents the current note layout changing when you select a new preset.
• Save note layout - Saves the pad to MIDI note relationships (layout).
• Load note layout - Loads the pad to MIDI note layout presets.
• Map notes for entire bank - Starting from Pad 1 (lower left) each MIDI note that is played on your controller will be automatically linked to the next FPC pad (Pad 1-16 or 17-32 in sequence). Clicking on the option selects the first pad in the bank. There are three ways to cancel the auto-link process: 1. Change the note value for a pad, 2. Change the pad or 3. Select "Cancel Map notes..." in the pad menu.
• Pad name box - Shows the pad name, which you can change by Right-clicking the box and entering new name in the window that pops up.
• Volume and Pan - Sets the pad volume (left), and stereo panning (right).
• Mute button - Mutes the current pad (active when green).
• Solo button - Mutes all other pads except the current pad (and any other solo pads) (active when red).
• Scale volume button - This option should usually be enabled, unless you want to handle velocity changes entirely with multiple velocity-sensitive layers (see Layer Properties below).
• Bank A/B - There are two banks X16 pads available per patch.
• Play Key/Octave - Left-click to select the base/root note for the pad, that is the MIDI key number/pitch that will play the pads sounds. The first box sets the key that is assigned to the pad. The right box sets the octave in which that key will play. The names shown in brackets beside some notes are the General MIDI standard. In other words, to build a FPC kit that is GM compliant, you need to have the sounds listed loaded on pads that are mapped to those keys. Other options are:
  • Last hit - Assigns the last triggered MIDI controller key to the current pad.
  • Learn - Assigns the next triggered MIDI controller key to the current pad.
  • Map notes for entire bank - A 'Learn mode' that steps through all the pads in the bank. Assigns the bottom left pad first and works its way to the top right pad. You will need to trigger 16 MIDI keys to assign all pads.
  • Show GM note names - Shows/hides the General MIDI note names.
• CUT Group / Cut BY - Use CUT and BY to use one pad to cut (stop) notes playing on another pad. The CUT box sets the cut group the selected pad is in. The second box BY sets which group will cut the current pad. Use these controls to make more realistic drum kits, where an open hi-hat is cut by a closed hi-hat, for example. To make a pad cut itself, set the CUT and BY values to the same number. To change values, Left-click in the box, hold and move the mouse up and down.
• Output - The Output Offset adds a Mixer Track offset value to the selected pad, this allows independent or grouped mixer tracks to be used by the FPC pads. The offset is relative to the Mixer Track number the plugin is assigned to at the Channel Settings. For example, if FPC is sent to mixer track 1 and the offset for a given pad is 2, then the sound from that pad will appear on mixer track 3. If the plugin wrapper is set to track 5 then the pad will appear on Mixer Track 7. To disable the offset set the display so that it shows '--'.

2. Layer Properties

3. Pads

Making & Saving FPC Kits

Plugin Credits: Frederic Vanmol (Development programming & VST), Robert Conde (Original design).