How to Repeat Patterns in FL Studio [Quick Tip]

If you’ve programmed a melody or a drum pattern, you’ll probably want to repeat it at some point. You may even want to extend it to the end of your project. Thankfully, it’s easy to do. The instructions below are for both Windows and macOS, so you should have no issue using that command to repeat the pattern.

To repeat a pattern in FL Studio
1) Use the shortcut (F5) or (fn + F5 in macOS) to open the Playlist
2) Hold Command/Control and click on the pattern so it turns red
3) Then, use (Control/Command + B) to duplicate the pattern
4) Hold the (Control/Command + B) to duplicate the pattern repeatedly

How to Repeat Patterns in FL Studio (Piano Roll, Playlist, and More)

In my view, the most important thing to know about FL Studio is that the main interface is the Playlist. This is the area where you can organize the patterns you’ve created, whether they’re MIDI, audio recordings, or drum tracks.

FL Studio’s Playlist is the equivalent of the workspace in GarageBand. But rather than bringing up the Piano Roll in the Smart Controls underneath the workspace, FL Studio has it so you can have the Playlist as the main window.

Simply put, the Playlist is where you repeat, duplicate, delete, extend, and retract patterns.

1) Use the Shortcut, (F5) or (fn + F5 in macOS) to Bring Up the Playlist

The (fn + F5) command in FL Studio – macOS will toggle the Playlist. You could extend or change your Loop in the Piano Roll as well, but I find it’s more intuitive and easier to manipulate in the Playlist region.

2) Hold Command/Control and Click on the Pattern so it Turns Red

You’ll know that your pattern is selected by the red color. If you’ve highlighted the wrong pattern by accident, you can click on another pattern without holding command.

When the pattern is red, this is also how you can copy and paste the region to different tracks. Highlight the track and then click anywhere else in the Playlist to paste the pattern to where you’ve clicked.

3) Use (Control/Command + B) to Duplicate the Pattern

Use (Command/Control + B) to duplicate the pattern. If you click it once, it’ll duplicate once.

4) Hold the (Control/Command + B) to Duplicate the Pattern Repeatedly

But if you hold (Command/Control + B), you’ll duplicate the pattern as many times as you need to. And this is essentially how you duplicate or copy patterns in FL Studio. As you can see, it’s not terribly challenging.

The GarageBand equivalent to (Command/Control + B) is to press the ‘L’ on your keyboard with the region selected. But what if you wanted to extend one Pattern, rather than duplicate it? This isn’t difficult either. Let’s get into that now.

How to Make Patterns Longer in FL Studio

1) Use the Shortcut, (F5) or (fn + F5 in macOS) to Bring Up the Playlist

You have to bring up the Playlist as you did before. Use the (F5) or (fn + F5) command – the former for Windows and the latter for macOS. Once you’re there, you can just grab on to it and drag the pattern as far as it needs to go.

2) With Your Pointer, Click on the End of the Pattern and Drag it Forward

But what if you want to delete your patterns? This is even easier. As a matter of fact, FL Studio probably has the greatest ‘delete’ function out of any DAW that I’ve tried thus far.

How to Remove A Loop Bar in FL Studio

1) Use the Shortcut, (F5) or (fn + F5 in macOS) to Bring Up the Playlist

Do the same thing as before. Bring up the Playlist with (F5) so we can start eliminating patterns.

2) Right-Click on the Pattern You Want to Delete and It’ll Disappear

After you can see everything, you just have to right-click on the pattern and it’ll disappear instantaneously. The nice thing about FL Studio is this very same thing can be done in the Piano Roll as well.

For instance, if you have dozens of notes that you’ve decided to erase, you can just hold down the right-click and wipe the whole interface clean as if you’re using a brush on a chalkboard. The video at the start of the article has a short demonstration at the end.

Important Things to Note About Repeating Patterns in FL Studio

1) You Can Delete Patterns in the Piano Roll as Well

As I said earlier, you can get rid of your patterns, MIDI notes, and audio recordings in the piano roll as well. However, it’s much easier and more efficient to eliminate them in the Playlist.

You could probably delete sections in the Channel Rack too if you really wanted to. I talked about this in my other guide on adding drum kits, but if you want to delete a specific instrument in the track, you can right-click on the plugin slot and press “Delete..”

Gear Mentioned

1) FL Studio Fruity Edition