Are you looking to add lush, evolving, and unique ambient textures to your tracks? Sometimes the most incredible sounds are born from creative manipulation of simple sources. In this guide, we’ll uncover a hidden trick within FL Studio that uses a powerful combination of native plugins to transform any audio sample into a beautiful, atmospheric soundscape.
The Power Duo: Granulizer and Convolver
This technique revolves around two potent tools: Fruity Granulizer and Fruity Convolver. By first deconstructing a sound with the Granulizer and then washing it out with the Convolver, you can create ambient pads and textures that are entirely your own.
Step 1: Find Your Sound Source
To begin, you need a source sound. While this technique works wonders on almost anything, vocal samples are a fantastic starting point as they contain rich harmonic and textural information. Find an interesting vocal loop or any other audio clip you’d like to experiment with.
Step 2: Deconstruct with Fruity Granulizer
Now for the fun part. Let’s mangle the sound into something new.
- Add Fruity Granulizer to the mixer track containing your sample.
- Drag and drop your audio file directly into the Granulizer’s interface.
- Set the Wave Spacing knob all the way down to 0%.
- Turn the Rand (Random) knob in the “Effects” section all the way up to 100%. This randomizes the playback of the audio grains, which is key to creating a chaotic, textured cloud of sound.
- Increase the Pan knob to add stereo width for a more spacious feel.
- Experiment with the Hold and Gr. Spacing (Grain Spacing) knobs to find a texture that you like. Small adjustments here can dramatically change the character of the sound.
Step 3: Smear the Sound with Fruity Convolver
You should now have a glitchy, textural, and wide sound. The final step is to smooth it out into a beautiful ambient wash.
- On the same mixer track, add an instance of Fruity Convolver after the Granulizer.
- Click on the preset menu and select “Blur.”
Instantly, the Convolver’s unique reverb algorithm will smear the granular texture, transforming it into a smooth, evolving ambient pad. You can adjust the “Wet” knob on the Convolver to blend the effect to your liking.
This powerful combination gives you a sound that is both complex and beautiful, perfect for adding depth and emotion to any production.
To see exactly how this technique is done and hear the incredible results for yourself, be sure to watch the full video!
