Besides exporting your song to be played as an audio file in any type of media device or streaming it online, there are export options that allow you to back up your project work. The export files that help back up your project are Project bones, Project data files, and Zipped loop package.
To get started with exporting your project bones, you will simply need to have a music project started or completed in FL Studio.
- Browse to the FILE menu, hover your mouse over Export, and select Project bones….
- The Export project bones window will then appear, where you can specify the location you want to save your project bones to. You can also create a new folder (using Make New Folder) on the Project bones window, as shown in Fig 8.15. Click on OK once you have your location.
Fig 8.15
- Your folder will then incorporate all of your project bones. In Fig 8.16, we have created a folder called
Export the Horse, which is located on our desktop. FL Studio automatically gives your project bones the same name as your FL Studio project. In this example, theProject bonesfolder is calledChapter 8 exporting rendering your project(inside of theExport the Horsefolder), as shown in the following screenshot:
Fig 8.16
- FL Studio will also automatically create a folder in the browser if you have saved your project bones on your desktop. This works similarly to your patches folder for FL Studio, but this method opens up your desktop folders in the FL Studio Browser, as shown in the following screenshot:
Fig 8.17
- In the preceding screenshot, we opened up the
Desktopfolder directly from the FL Studio Browser, and we can see that ourExport the Horsefolder includes the exact same data and settings as seen in Fig 8.16.
Exporting your project bones exports all of your Automation clips, Channels, Effects, Mixer settings, and Scores in one consolidated folder. This is handy for merging your components from one project into another. You can drag these directly into existing projects from your Desktop folder. You can also load the mixer track states, as reviewed in Chapter 6, Using the FL Studio Mixer and Recording Audio.
After hovering your mouse on Export, you also have an option to export Project data files…. This option will export all your samples inside of the step sequencer as well as your TS404 shapes, SimSynth/DrumSynth presets, and other plugin data used in your current project. This is handy for a backup or to use in other projects.
There is an option to export as a zipped loop package. This will create a ZIP file whose contents include your .flp (FL Studio project file) and the audio files used in your channels. This can be thought of as a consolidation of your .flp file and your project data files.
There are also options on the FILE menu to Import or Export a MIDI file. You also have the option to import or export files in MIDI format on every Piano roll in FL Studio. Importing MIDI data will automatically populate your channel with note data. Once your MIDI data is inside the Piano roll, you can change the sound or edit the note data to anything you want! This is a great way to learn a tremendous deal on how popular songs are structured. You can also use MIDI files for remixing or karaoke. A great source for MIDI files is www.mididb.com. Remember, MIDI is not audio; it is the location, length, and velocity of your notes. Exporting MIDI will allow you to have a backup of your Piano roll score data, collaborate with other musicians, or use it in live shows.
- The Exporting your audio stems recipe
- The Getting new sounds in the Browser recipe in Chapter 2, Using Browser
- The Introducing the step sequencer recipe in Chapter 3, Working with Step Sequencer and Channels
- The Using the Piano roll recipe in Chapter 4, Building Your Song
- The Getting the best out of your mixer recipe in Chapter 6, Using the FL Studio Mixer and Recording Audio