Here are some easy ways to improve your computer performance in FL Studio!
1. Use ASIO drivers: Install and use ASIO Drivers for your audio interface. ASIO drivers provide better performance and lower latency compared to standard Windows drivers. ASIO is usually installed with FL Studio so it should just be a matter of selecting it in your Audio Driver Settings
2. Optimize your audio settings: Adjust the buffer length in the audio settings to find the best balance between low latency and stable playback. Click the 'Show ASIO Panel' button and then increase the buffer length if you're experiencing audio dropouts or glitches.
3. Freeze / Bounce / Consolidate tracks: If you have CPU-intensive plugins or virtual instruments, consider freezing or bouncing them to audio. This process renders the track as audio, reducing the strain on your CPU. This can easily be done by right-clicking a track in the song playlist and choosing Consolidate track(s).
4. Smart Disable: You can automatically disable plugins while they are not in use (which makes a huge difference!) by going to:
Tools -> Macros -> Switch smart disable for all plugins
5. Remove unnecessary plugins and samples: Remove any plugins or samples that you're not using in your project. This helps reduce CPU and RAM load and improves overall performance.
To quickly remove all unused Audio Clips:
Tools -> Macros -> Purge unused audio clips
To quickly remove all unused Channels (Samples and VSTs):
Tools -> Macros -> Select unused channels, then Alt + Delete on your keyboard (or dropdown arrow at the top left of channel rack and 'delete selected')
6. Optimize plugin usage: Use efficient plugins that consume less CPU resources, and avoid using multiple instances of CPU-intensive plugins in one project. To check which plugins are using the most CPU you can go to
View -> Plugin performance monitor
If you are using multiple layers for one sound (like 3 layers for your melody) you could route all of these to a bus / group mixer track and apply 1 instance of Reverb and Delay to them all in one go instead of using the VST's built in reverb and delay on every layer.
7. Use sample-based instruments: Consider using sample-based instruments instead of CPU-intensive synthesizers. You can use 'one-shot' samples for sounds that you won't be pitching much like drums and effects. For pitched instruments like melodies and synths that are better created through synthesis, you can create them in VST / Synths and then render your pattern to wav (see Tip 3 above).
8. Close unnecessary background applications: Close any unnecessary applications running in the background to free up system resources. This includes web browsers, chat applications, and other resource-heavy software.
Implementing these tips should help improve computer performance in FL Studio and allow for smoother music production.
Let us know in the comments which tips helped you!