How to Use / Add Samples and Sample Packs in FL Studio

FL studio ships with a great array of sample packs and stock plugins but there comes a time when you need to let your imagination run wild and explore more sounds. For certain sections of their tracks, music producers employ audio samples. Drums, sound effects, vocals, and other instruments can all be part of this. You may want to add that small recording you made at the park to your track or maybe you’ve just downloaded the greatest sample pack ever and you’re wondering, what next? Well, it all comes down to using samples to enhance your audio. This article looks into the different ways you can add and use samples in FL studio.

Adding Samples in FL studio

Adding samples and sample packs to FL is very easy and there are two main ways to do it.

Method 1: Drag and Drop

When I open FL to use samples, there are a few different ways I can add them. The easiest route is to drag and drop the sample from my browser onto the FL studio playlist or channel rack. I usually drop it in the playlist if I’m going to chop the sample or I need to see and control the length of the sample. Knowing the length of a sample is especially important when you want to sidechain your sample.

drag and drop samples fl studio

To add the ‘FL Pack Zips’ folder to the FL studio browser, drag and drop the folder from your file explorer to Fl studio’s browser. Your samples will automatically be loaded into FL.

Method 2: Adding Samples through FL Studio Settings

Another way would be to click options in the top menu.

fl studio settings

Click on File settings.

file settings fl studio

Click on the folder icon next to an empty field in the Browse extra search folder sections.

Browse to your folder location from the File explorer that pops up and click ok.

file explorer fl studio

Method 3: Adding Samples to the Channel Rack

To add an audio sample to the channel rack, click on the plus icon at the bottom of the channel rack.

channel rack fl studio

Select audio clip from the Misc section.

audio clip fl studio misc section

Click on the Audio Clip channel to open Channel settings.

channel settings

Click on the folder icon in the File section, browse to your samples’ location and click open.

samples location

Adding Sample Packs in FL Studio (Bulk Import)

A sample is an audio file that can be played on a computer. The most common formats are WAV, Mp3  and AIFF. A sample pack is a collection of samples. 

Most sample packs are downloaded as zipped files. To extract the samples, right click on the file and select extract all.

sample packs 1

A pop up box will appear and you can choose where to copy the extracted files by clicking on browse. Click extract to export the samples from the zipped file to your desired location.

sample packs 2
sample packs 3

There are two ways to bulk import samples in FL studio. you can use method 1 and drag and drop the sample pack folder into the FL studio browser or manually add the sample pack folder to the browser using the FL studio settings as described in method 2 above.

I keep all my sample packs in one folder. I find that it makes it easier for me to locate samples when I’m making beats. It’s always a good idea to save time during production and record that great idea as soon as you have it. 

I have a folder in my file explorer titled ‘FL Pack Zips’. This is where I save all my samples, old and new. Whenever I download a new pack, I extract and paste it into the ‘’FL Pack Zips” folder. This means that when I add the ‘FL Pack Zips’ folder to FL, I don’t have to update or add new folders to the fl studio browser when I get a new sample pack.

Conclusion

If you’ve followed all the above steps, all that’s left to do is look through the samples, select the ones you like, and add them to the playlist or channel rack. Samples are a great way to add spice to your sound. As you grow your skills, you can create your own samples and sample packs. Having your own samples allows you to create your own sound, stand out from the pack. Adding and using samples in FL studio is a piece of cake.

Alexander O.