FL Studio 
Gross Beat is FL Studio's Time and Volume effect: it stores the last two bars of audio in a rolling buffer and reshapes them with 36 Time slots and 36 Volume slots. Time slots give half-speed, reverse, stutter and scratch moves; Volume slots give gates and pumping. Load it on the sound's Mixer insert and pick a slot. My rule is to switch slots for single bars and fills, then return to a neutral slot, because the effect lands hardest when the groove around it stays untouched.
Time and Volume are separate jobs, and keeping them apart is the whole workflow. Decide whether the sound needs a timing move, a level move or both, build the smallest envelope that does it, choose how the slot starts and automate the slot instead of drawing a new effect across the song.
What Gross Beat does with your audio
Gross Beat keeps recording the incoming signal into a two-bar rolling buffer. A Time envelope tells the plugin which part of that recent audio to read and how fast to move through it. A Volume envelope changes the output level over the same musical grid.
That explains two behaviors that look like bugs. First, the Time section can't pull audio from a buffer that hasn't filled yet, so starting playback right before a reverse or repeat leaves the plugin with little history to read. Second, the Volume envelope never creates a reverse, half-speed or scratch effect; it only changes level.
The plugin holds 36 Time slots and 36 Volume slots, and each slot stores one mapping envelope. Before you treat Slot 1 as the clean state, check that its Time envelope runs flat along the top of the mapping panel and its Volume envelope sits along the top, which means real-time playback at full level. The Image-Line Gross Beat manual covers the buffer, mapping controls and slot behavior in detail.
Read the Time envelope before drawing it
The Time graph is not a normal volume curve or an absolute read-position graph. Its horizontal axis is time; its vertical axis is an offset from real-time audio. Image-Line's Time Mapping documentation puts real-time audio at the top and earlier buffered audio farther down. A flat offset still moves forward at normal speed because real time keeps advancing.
| Envelope shape | Result | Useful starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal segment | Normal-speed playback | Keep a phrase moving without a speed change |
| Downward slope shallower than the Safety line | Slower playback with lower pitch | Half-speed or tape-stop style movement |
| Line sloping up from left to right | Faster playback with higher pitch | Quick catches and accelerated fills |
| Step downward | Jump backward in the buffer | Repeats and stutters |
| Step upward | Jump forward in the buffer | Skipping past part of the buffered phrase |
| Downward slope matching the Reverse guides | Normal-speed reverse playback | Reversed fills and pickups |
Each pair of control points has its own curve type: right-click the right-most point of the pair to pick one. Hold draws single steps, which suits repeats, jumps and rhythmic stutters, while Single curve draws a straight or bent slope for speed changes. My default for repeats is Hold, because every step lands on the grid point you drew and nothing slides in between.
| Curve type | What it draws | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Single curve | Straight or curved segment, set by the tension | Constant-speed slopes, pauses and bends |
| Double curve | Smooth S curve | Scratching |
| Alt single curve | Asymmetrical smooth S curve | Scratching |
| Alt double curve | Asymmetrical linear, accelerating or decelerating curve | Speed-ups and slow-downs |
| Hold | Single step between points | Jumps in position and repeats |
| Stairs | Multiple steps; the tension handle sets the step frequency | Glitch and decimation |
| Smooth stairs | Multiple smooth steps | Pitch changes and granular effects |
| Pulse | Square-wave pulse; the tension handle sets the frequency | Hard gates on a Volume slot |
| Wave | Sine-wave pulse; the tension handle sets the frequency | Tremolo on a Volume slot |
| Half sine | One half of a sine wave | Starts, stops and scratches |
To add a point, right-click the mapping area and keep holding to drag it into place; hold Shift while dragging to lock its vertical position, Ctrl to lock its horizontal position or Alt to override snapping. To remove one, right-click it and choose Delete, or Alt+click it. The snap buttons run from X (no snapping) through 1/16 to 1/3 beat, and Step editing adds a point at every snap interval as you drag.
Build half-speed, tape stop, reverse and stutter
Half-speed
For exact half speed, draw a straight Single curve that falls 2 beats across the 4-beat width of the mapping panel. The Safety line falls 1 beat per beat and pauses playback, the Reverse guides fall 2 beats per beat and play normal-speed reverse, and slopes between half speed and the Safety line play slower still. Keep the slot short: a one-beat or two-beat half-speed fill is much easier to place than a pattern that swallows a section.
Pitch follows speed, so half speed plays an octave lower. To set a slope by musical interval instead, select the right-most point of the slope and use the 1 semitone up or down function in the Mapping Options menu. If the pitched-down top end turns rough, turn on HQ resampling in the Main Options menu below the Time mix knob: its adaptive sinc interpolation improves pitch-shifted audio at a higher CPU load. I'd leave it off while writing and switch it on before the final render, because the CPU cost matters while the project grows and the quality shows in the export.
Tape stop
A tape stop is a slope that starts flat and bends down until it matches the Safety-line angle, where playback halts. Draw it with a Single curve and pull the tension handle so the bend comes late, or use Half sine, the curve type Image-Line lists for start, stop and scratch effects. Turn on Remove DC offset in the Main Options menu as well: it removes output offset while playback is stopped, which is the state a tape stop ends in.
Reverse
A reverse pattern needs audio sitting behind the playhead. Let the source play long enough to fill the rolling buffer before the slot triggers. If the reverse should lead into a downbeat, place the trigger so the effect has material to read and its end lands on the beat you intended.
Stutter
Use short repeated steps in Hold mode. Each downward step jumps back into the buffer, and regular spacing turns those jumps into a repeat. The grid is where the musical value comes from: eighth-note and sixteenth-note patterns sound like deliberate rhythm, while random spacing tends to sound like a broken transport.
Keep one neutral slot handy while you edit: a flat Time envelope along the top and a full-level Volume envelope. Switch between the effect slot and that neutral slot to hear whether Gross Beat is causing the change or whether the source, routing or another insert is involved.
Hold a bar and scratch by hand
The HOLD button to the right of the Main Options menu repeats a bar for as long as you hold it while the song plays on. The Hold setting along the bottom of the mapping area decides which bar: Off disables it, Last replays the last stored bar and Next buffers the next bar and replays it while HOLD stays active. I'd set Hold to Next for live use, because you can press the button ahead of the bar you want to loop.
For hand scratching, open the Main Options menu and select View scratching clock. The dial appears to the right of the Time knob: click it and move the mouse up or down to scratch, or right-click it to link an internal or external controller.
Use the Volume envelope for gates, not time travel
The Volume section shapes level on its own, separate from the Time section. It can create tremolo, rhythmic mutes, pumping patterns and sharp gates without changing where the buffer is read. A basic gate flips between full level and silence on the chosen grid.
Four controls determine how hard that pattern feels:
| Control | Documented range | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| ATT | 0–500 ms | How quickly a gate opens |
| REL | 0–1000 ms | How quickly it closes |
| TNS | −100% to 100% | The curve tension between points |
| Volume | 0–100% | The output level of the Volume effect |
A zero or very short attack and release gives you a hard gate. That can suit drums, but sudden level changes can click when they cut through a waveform away from a zero crossing. Add a touch of attack or release when the edge sounds too harsh.
For a pumping effect, draw a Volume envelope that dips on every beat and comes back up before the next one. ATT and REL soften the edges and TNS bends the curve between points. Analyze audio file, in the Mapping Options menu behind the down-arrow at the top-left of the mapping area, turns an audio file's volume into a mapping envelope, so a drum loop's level can become the gate shape. I'd use a real sidechain compressor when the kick pattern changes from bar to bar, because a drawn dip repeats the same shape whatever the kick does; the FL Studio sidechain guide covers that setup.
Reduce clicks around Time jumps
Turn on Click reduction in the Main Options menu first; it reduces clicks from level jumps between the jump-from and jump-to points. For a cleaner edit, ramp the Volume envelope down to zero where the Time envelope relocates playback, then step it back at or a fraction after the jump. Smoothing attack compensation moves the Time envelope forward slightly, so the attack of the next hit survives that dip.
Choose how slots work together
The slot controls decide whether the Time and Volume patterns act as a pair, how long they stay active and where they start.
- Link slots ties each slot to its numbered partner in the other section, so selecting Time slot 5 also selects Volume slot 5.
- Key-held keeps a slot active only while its linked MIDI key is held.
- One-shot plays the slot once, then Gross Beat jumps back to Slot 1. This suits fills that should fire and clear themselves.
Leave Link off when one Volume gate should keep running while several Time patterns change, or when a Time effect needs no gating at all. Turn it on when the two halves always have to be recalled together. That small decision keeps your automation readable.
Trigger Sync and Position Sync solve different problems
Trigger Sync controls when a newly selected slot is allowed to start. With Trigger Sync off, the change begins immediately. With a value from 1/4 through 4 beats, the switch aligns to the global song position. At 4 beats, the change waits for the bar boundary.
Position Sync sets where inside the envelope the slot starts when Trigger Sync is off, so slots start at once. Off starts at the beginning of the envelope; 1/4 to 4 beats start 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 or 4 beats in, depending on the global song position.
If an automated slot sounds late, check Trigger Sync before you move the automation point: the point can be right while the plugin waits for the next division. If the slot starts right away but enters halfway through its pattern, check Position Sync.
I'd keep Trigger Sync at 4 beats for slots that change with song sections, because every switch then lands on a bar line even when the automation point sits a little early. For fills inside a bar, 1 beat or Off gives the quicker response.
Set Time mix and Volume mix inside Gross Beat
Both sections have mix controls from 0 to 100%. If the Time effect sounds weaker than you expected, make sure Time mix hasn’t been turned down. The same goes for Volume mix when a gate feels shallow.
Image-Line recommends the Time mix control over an external wet/dry control, because parallel dry and time-shifted signals can cause phasing. Use the plugin’s own mix to blend the Time effect. For arrangement control, automate the slot or the relevant internal mix instead of adding a second parallel path out of habit.
Automate Gross Beat without diagonal transitions
Right-click a Time or Volume slot and choose Create automation clip; the automation value selects the slot. Set the clip's control points to Hold so the value jumps straight from one slot to the next, because a diagonal line sweeps through the slots in between. To aim a point at a slot, right-click that slot, choose Copy value, then paste it onto the automation point with Paste value.
Keep the automation clip simple:
- Start on Slot 1, then verify its Time and Volume envelopes are neutral before treating it as unprocessed.
- Jump to the effect slot at the intended musical boundary.
- Return to the verified neutral slot after the fill.
- Check Trigger Sync so the audible switch lands where the automation suggests.
MIDI notes can select slots too. With Trigger slots from MIDI notes selected in the Main Options menu, select Gross Beat and play your controller keyboard; turn the option off when notes should stop switching slots. For slot changes written in the Piano roll, add a Fruity Keyboard Controller, right-click a slot, choose Link to controller, pick Kb Ctl (Fruity Keyboard Controller) - Note from the Internal controller menu and press Accept. I prefer the automation clip for finished arrangements, because every slot change stays visible in the Playlist. The FL Studio automation guide covers clip editing and control links.
Why Gross Beat seems not to work
| Symptom | Cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse or repeat is silent or incomplete | The buffer hasn't collected enough audio | Start playback earlier and trigger after the source has entered the plugin |
| Silence or a stall in the first two bars | The buffer is empty when the song starts | Add two pre-song bars with audio and start with the Volume envelope along the bottom |
| The previous section replays after a change | The buffer still holds the two bars before the change | Trigger Time effects two bars in, or cover those bars with a Volume slot |
| The sound only gets quieter | A Volume slot is selected where a Time effect was intended | Select the Time slot and check Link slots |
| The effect is faint | Time mix or Volume mix is turned down | Check the mix knobs inside Gross Beat |
| The wrong pattern plays | Another slot is active | Find the solid green slot; white marks the one you're editing |
| The switch happens late | Trigger Sync is waiting for the next division | Compare Off with the beat value you set |
| Slots change without Playlist automation | MIDI notes or a linked controller select them | Turn off Trigger slots from MIDI notes or check controller links |
| The plugin opens in demo mode | Your edition includes Gross Beat only as a demo | Signature Bundle and All Plugins Edition include it; it is also sold separately |
Editions and other DAWs
Gross Beat ships with Signature Bundle and All Plugins Edition; the FL Studio editions comparison lists it under Signature Bundle and up. Fruity Edition and Producer Edition get it as a demo, because the demo installer comes with FL Studio, and Image-Line sells it separately to remove the demo limits.
Gross Beat is an FL-format plugin. Image-Line's support answer on plugins in other DAWs says most of its plugins work only in FL Studio and are no longer sold as VST or AU, and it points to running FL Studio itself as a plugin instead. FL Studio's plugin mode loads it as a VST instrument on Windows and macOS or as an AU on macOS, sends its output to the host and syncs play/stop and tempo, so Gross Beat works inside that FL Studio instance on FL Studio's own sounds. In Ableton Live I'd reach for a native time-and-volume effect for audio already on a Live track, because the plugin mode Image-Line describes is an instrument that sends its own output to the host.
A clean workflow for using Gross Beat in a beat
Route the target sound to a Mixer insert and add Gross Beat where the effect belongs. On a drum bus it can produce a coordinated fill, while a single instrument insert keeps the rest of the beat steady. The FL Studio Mixer guide explains the routing model if the effect keeps landing on the wrong sounds.
Then work in this order:
- Decide whether the idea is a Time move, a Volume move or both.
- Choose one slot and keep a verified neutral slot as the clean state.
- Draw the smallest envelope that performs the musical job.
- Set Trigger Sync and Position Sync before moving arrangement automation.
- Use Hold points in the automation clip.
- Listen for clicks around Time jumps and shape the Volume envelope if needed.
- Enable HQ resampling only when the pitch-shifted result benefits from it.
For a first beat, treat Gross Beat as a transition tool instead of leaving it switched on everywhere. One half-speed bar before a drop, a short reverse pickup or a gated final beat is enough to learn the slot system without letting the effect take over the groove. The beat-making guide puts that decision into a full arrangement, and the stock plugins guide helps you place Gross Beat alongside other native tools.
The mental model that holds up is simple: Time reads the last two bars differently, Volume shapes level, and slots recall the result. Once you keep those three pieces apart, Gross Beat stops feeling random and turns into a precise arrangement instrument.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gross Beat free in FL Studio?
No. Gross Beat comes with Signature Bundle and All Plugins Edition. Fruity Edition and Producer Edition install it as a demo with FL Studio, and Image-Line sells it separately to remove the demo limits.
Can I use Gross Beat in Ableton Live or another DAW?
Not as a separate plugin. Gross Beat is in FL plugin format, which works only inside FL Studio, and Image-Line no longer sells its plugins as VST or AU. Load FL Studio as a VST instrument, or as an AU on macOS, in the other DAW and Gross Beat runs inside that instance on FL Studio's own sounds.
How many slots does Gross Beat have?
36 Time slots and 36 Volume slots. Each slot stores one mapping envelope, and Link slots pairs each Time slot with the Volume slot of the same number.
Why is Gross Beat silent at the start of my song?
The 2-bar buffer is empty when playback starts, so Time effects have nothing to read. Add two pre-song bars with audio and start with a Volume envelope along the bottom of the mapping area so those bars stay silent.
How do I make a half-speed effect with Gross Beat?
Draw a straight Single curve in a Time slot that falls 2 beats across the 4-beat width of the mapping panel. Playback runs at half speed and an octave lower. A slope that matches the Safety line pauses playback instead.
What is the difference between Trig Sync and Pos Sync?
Trig Sync sets when a newly selected slot starts: Off starts it at once, 1 beat waits for the next global beat and 4 beats waits for the next bar. Pos Sync sets where in the envelope the slot starts when Trig Sync is off.
Why does Gross Beat play the old section after a change?
The buffer still holds the two bars before the change, such as the end of the verse when the chorus starts. Trigger Time effects two bars into the new section, or cover those bars with a Volume slot.
How do I stop clicks in Gross Beat?
Turn on Click reduction in the Main Options menu below the Time mix knob. For a cleaner jump, dip the Volume envelope to zero where the Time envelope jumps, then step it back at or a fraction after the jump.
