The Art of Creating Expressive Swells in FL Studio CC with a MIDI Controller: A Beginner's Guide 'swam engine fl studio cc controller 11'

When it comes to crafting truly captivating electronic soundscapes, one crucial element often overlooked is the subtlety and expressiveness that can be achieved through the use of continuous control (CC) parameters. In this article, we'll delve into the world of CC controllers in FL Studio CC, focusing specifically on how to harness them within the realm of Serum's Swam engine.

For those new to CCs or unsure what they are, let's start with a quick primer:

What is Continuous Control?

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Continuous control refers to any parameter that can be adjusted by continuous movement rather than being limited to discrete steps (like turning an knob versus pressing a button). In the context of music production and synthesizers specifically, this usually means anything related to envelopes, LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators), filters, etc. - essentially all those things you want to bend or modulate in real-time.

How Do I Set Up My CC Controller?

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Before diving into actual sound design, let's cover the basics of setting up your MIDI controller within FL Studio:

1. First and foremost, ensure that both your computer and MIDI interface are properly connected via USB (or any other supported connection method). If using an external audio interface or sequencer such as Ableton Live or Logic Pro X instead of FL Studio CC itself for reasons beyond the scope here please refer to their respective user manuals.

2. Next up - inside FL-Studio head over into Preferences > MIDI I/O and make sure that both 'MIDI In' and out are enabled if needed depending upon whether you're using a external interface or not; this will allow incoming CC messages from your controller(s) reach Serum's Swam engine without any hiccups.

3. Now it’s time to map our physical controls onto their corresponding parameters within the Serum UI! To do so press 'Ctrl + Shift + /' (Windows/Linux) or Command + Option + '/' on Mac then navigate through all available CC assignment slots until you see something like 'CC11' next to whatever parameter(s) you wish control via mouseover text - double-clicking here will open up an additional window where you can assign any of these values directly using a MIDI CC number range between 0-127 inclusive depending upon how many discrete steps your controller offers for that particular knob/ slider etcetera...

Once You've Got Your Controller Set Up...

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Now that we have our hardware and software talking to each other in terms of continuous control, let's dive into the fun part - actually using these features within Serum!

Within FL Studio CC itself:

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1. First things first: ensure you're working on a track with both an instance of Serum loaded as well as its corresponding Swam engine plugin routed through it (if necessary). If not already done so, go ahead and create a new empty project then add these plugins accordingly.

2. Next up - within the Browser panel inside FL Studio navigate to your desired preset folder; right-click anywhere within that view area then choose 'Insert > New User Preset'. Name this whatever you like (e.g., 'My Swelling Sounds') and click OK when prompted.

3. Now it's time to map our CC controller parameters onto their corresponding destinations within Serum! To do so press 'Ctrl + Shift + /' again (Windows/Linux) or Command + Option + '/' on Mac then navigate through all available CC assignment slots until you see something like 'CC11' next to whatever parameter(s) you wish control via mouseover text - double-clicking here will open up an additional window where you can assign any of these values directly using a MIDI CC number range between 0-127 inclusive depending upon how many discrete steps your controller offers for that particular knob/slideer etcetera...

Within Serum's UI:

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Once you've assigned the correct CC numbers to their corresponding destinations within FL Studio, it's time to actually map those controls onto specific parameters inside Serum itself:

1. Within the Browser panel in Serum navigate to 'User Presets' and double-click on your previously created preset (e e.g., 'My Swelling Sounds').

2. Now you should see a list of all available parameter slots across both the main interface as well as any currently open sidechain windows; scroll down until you reach the section labeled 'Swam Engine > Envelope 1' for our purposes here since we want to control envelope shape via CCs primarily at first glance anyway...

3. Double-click on either 'Envelope Amount' or 'Envelope Shape' depending upon whether you'd rather modulate overall volume/amplitude versus more subtle shaping of the wave itself; this will bring up an additional window whereupon you can assign a MIDI CC number range between 0-127 to control each respective parameter's value - again, refer back above for general info on how these mappings work if needed.

Tips & Tricks:

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* To fine-tune your envelope shapes even further within Serum, consider using multiple instances of the same envelope generator plugin (e.g., one per Octave range) and then routing their outputs together via an 'adder' or similar topology - this allows for some really interesting timbral explorations when combined with CC modulation!

That concludes our basic primer on setting up continuous control in FL Studio CC with a MIDI controller, specifically focusing on using Serum's Swam engine to create lush, sweeping soundscapes. Remember: practice makes perfect! Experimenting with different mapping strategies and routings will unlock new sonic possibilities beyond your wildest dreams - so go forth and start swirling those envelopes like a pro!

References:

- FL Studio CC User Manual

- Serum Synthesizer Manual

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