In a series of beat breakdowns and tutorials, I will be teaching you, with this article, how to re-compose the drumbeat of Snoop Dogg’s “Serial Killa” with FL Studio 12.

There will be a melody tutorial following this one. For now, just focus on the drumbeat.

1 Silencing Fruity Limiter

Before composing anything with FL Studio 12, I recommend silencing Fruity Limiter, the default effect on the Master Channel in your Mixing Board.

Select that Master Channel. In its “Slot” menu, on the right of the Mixing Board, “Fruity Limiter” is there. Left-click the green dot to its right. This should turn it dark gray and mute its effect.

2 Change Tempo

On top of your FL Studio 12 screen, your default tempo will most likely read 130. Left-click and drag it down to 99 beats per minute.

3 Adding Hi-Hat

The hi-hat of your drumbeat can be found in “Packs > Legacy > Drums > HipHop > HIP_Hat_5.” Look for it on the “left window” of your FL Studio 12 screen. Once you find that “HIP_Hat_5,” left-click and drag it to the Channel Rack.

Now insert this to the Channel Rack for “HIP_Hat_5.”

4 Adding Snare 1

For “Snare 1,” go to the “left window” and find “Packs > Legacy > Drums > HipHop > HIP_Snare_4.” Drag that to the Channel Rack. Once it’s there, insert this… at the bottom, below “HIP_Hat_5.”

5 Adding Snare 2

For “Snare 2,” which is softer than “Snare 1,” go to the “left window” once again to find “Packs > Legacy > Drums > HipHop > HIP_Snare_9.” Drag it to the Channel Rack. Now insert what you see below for “HIP_Snare_9,” pictured at the bottom.

Before doing anything else, we need to make some adjustments to “HIP_Snare_9.” Left-click on its “rectangle” in the Channel Rack. A window should open. Click the “tiny triangle” on the upper-left corner of that window and select “Piano Roll.”

Once you’re in this “Piano Roll,” move the placement of the second and fourth repetitions of “HIP_Snare_9” to where you see circled below.

(Second repetition?)

(Fourth repetition?)

6 Adding Kick

The kick drum can be found in “Packs > Legacy > Drums > HipHop > HIP_Kick_9.” Drag it to the Channel Rack and insert what you see (on “HIP_Kick_9,” below the other three drums).

7 Adding Ride Cymbal

This song is heavy on its “ride cymbals.” I’m sure there’s a sample in the background being looped, but when you compose these “ride cymbals,” you’ll be sure to recreate the “filling effect” of that “sample.”

Find this “ride” in “Packs > Legacy > Drums > FPC > Cymbals > FPC_Ride_GLite_004.” Drag it to the Channel Rack and insert what you see below. Once again, it’s shown way at the bottom.

8 Adding Snare 3

I’ll have you use a third snare to fill in the lack of “loudness” those two snares have. It’s found in “Packs > Drums > Snares > FPC Snare 1.” Drag it to the Channel Rack and insert the two snares below.

Now your drumbeat is DONE!!! Let’s add it to the Playlist.

9 Adding Drumbeat to Playlist

This is too easy. To open the Playlist, left-click the first option to the right of the Pattern display. (It should say “Pattern 1,” or “Pattern 2,” or whatever Pattern you’re using.) Your paint brush tool should be selected. If it is, just left-click over the Playlist to add the Pattern. Let’s add it 16 times, stopping when the bar marker reaches 17.

10 Mixing

Add each track to the Mixing Board. To do this, there are many ways, but my favorite way is this… Left-click on each “rectangle” in your Channel Rack to open its window. In that window, drag its “TRACK” option, on the upper-right corner, to any number. That’s the track to which your inserting your instrument in the Mixing Board.

Do that for all six of your “instruments.”

Once they’re in the Mixing Board, adjust the volumes like so. (Also, pan the “HIP_Hat_5” to what you see circled below.)

(Left to right: FPC_Ride_GLite_004, HIP_Kick_9, HIP_Snare_9, HIP_Snare_4, HIP_Hat_5, FPC Snare 1.)

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