Fl studio vs. Protools

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Officialjrawbeatz302

New member
I've been using fl studio extensively for my production , and have recently gained interest in Protools. I'm investing in the Akai EIE Pro interface which includes Protools Express. ..blah blah blah let's skip to the point . What is the difference between Protools Express , and Protools 11 HD ? How does Protools compare to FL studio? Thanks
 
Im from the opposite side of the fence. Ive been a Pro Tools user for several years and recently tried FL. As far as workflow, PT to me is far better in the sense everything is in the edit or mixer page and is easier to see, there isn't one track for midi and another for fx like FL (I found this annoying). There doesn't have to be 2 different windows for edit (arrange) view and midi and all effects and instruments are inserted in one row. Creating tracks is quicker in PT because you dont need to go through 2 drop down menus (for 3rd party), drag them in, then create a new track, name it, color it, etc ,etc, etc. You just create new track, drop down to select plugin then hit record and its easier to access tracks even when you've got a huge project.

You can also arrange clips in PT, you can mix better, stretch audio, quantize audio, extract grooves. I found the FL quantize features quite limiting. Its also quicker to assign automation in PT in my opinion and you dont need a new automation track, its automatically attached in edit view under the midi/audio data. There are far more pros than cons with PTs than FL, too numerous to mention but one of the biggest advantage is audio. Recoding vocals is easier, you dont even need a sampler to apply advanced features like reversing selections.

Pro tools express is entry level, I think it has less tracks. And btw, I tried cubase too and Pro tools wins over it as well as far as workflow goes. Yes FL and cubase midi edit is technically better but as a writer of electro, I find the slicing and curve tools and reversing, stretching very redundant. If you know what you're doing, why do you need to randomize? As far as cutting midi notes or stuttering audio signal, you can do it in Pro tools very easily.
I realize only now why Pro tools has the word Pro in it after using some of the other DAWs including Ableton. If you still want to use FL with PT you can rewire it, you cant do the same with FL. Also Pro tools is compatible with all Komplete 9 plugins and they work really well except Battery but you can still use its samples Transfuser 2 (from AIR).
 
Pro Tools HD is thousands of dollars and meant for studios, you don't need that one. There is a copy around 600-700 you want, Student edition is 300.

if you use cracked software, don't bother with pro tools. If you don't, good.

As far as comparing FL to Pro Tools, IMO you cant really. At first glance you may not see much of a difference but FL doesn't even compare to pro tools with the stuff you can do once you really get to know the daw. Odds are you will never FULLY figure out Pro Tools for yourself without taking a class or studying the the manual, not reading, studying it. Can do SO much in pro tools, I've used FL in the past and have been getting more into Pro Tools at school now.

Rewire into pro tools and you cant get it any better I think.

Now I'm never gonna look at this thread again because its just gonna turn into a DAW fight lol
 
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It really depends on what you are doing. I've been using FL Studio for years & I can do pretty much everything in it and I started using Pro Tools a couple months ago because it's all they use at my school.

Pro Tools is the way to go for recording and mixing, such a simple and easy workflow - Being able to record straight to the track instead of having to go to the mixer and open up edison on a track to record makes your workflow much better. Even the little things like the automation already being on the track without having to create an automation clip like Kinh said, make such a big difference.

But as far as making beats I say FL Studio is better, maybe its because I haven't really tried to make a beat with Pro Tools since I was a noob with it lol but basic things like all of your .wav files and drum samples etc. being right there on the side of the screen and the piano roll having features like scales and chords in it, along with being able to use the step sequencer if you just want to make a simple pattern makes FL Studio better for making beats in my opinion.
 
JRNova said:
I was a noob with it lol but basic things like all of your .wav files and drum samples etc. being right there on the side of the screen and the piano roll having features like scales and chords in it, along with being able to use the step sequencer if you just want to make a simple pattern makes FL Studio better for making beats in my opinion.
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I dunno about older versions but pro tools can do all that now too
 
But as far as making beats I say FL Studio is better, maybe its because I haven't really tried to make a beat with Pro Tools since I was a noob with it lol but basic things like all of your .wav files and drum samples etc. being right there on the side of the screen and the piano roll having features like scales and chords in it, along with being able to use the step sequencer if you just want to make a simple pattern makes FL Studio better for making beats in my opinion.
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I agree with Yumid, you can make beats just as easily in PT however if you want to make beats its best use a beat plugin anyway like Breaktweaker, Groove agent or in Protool's case, Transfuser2 that's what they're designed for, not a midi editor. Ive tried Breaktweeker and Cubase's Groove agent, to me Tranfuser2 is the best, you can do anything in that. It even looks better! There's a few reviews of it on youtube.
 
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Kinh said:
I agree with Yumid, you can make beats just as easily in PT however if you want to make beats its best use a beat plugin anyway like Breaktweaker, Groove agent or in Protool's case, Transfuser2 that's what they're designed for, not a midi editor. Ive tried Breaktweeker and Cubase's Groove agent, to me Tranfuser2 is the best, you can do anything in that. It even looks better! There's a few reviews of it on youtube.
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I've never used pads and have no interest in trying. I like being able to sit there and pencil in my drum notes on the midi roll. Takes longer but whatever.
Only negative thing about sequencing drums on pro tools is the lack of samples within BOOM that come with the software. I want superior drummer eventually.
 
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If you gonna work a lot on audio files and mixing audio, pro tools is really smart.
If you gonna make EDM with synths mostly, FL Studio is way up there among the most used ones, if not THE most used program for EDM.
Just ask AVICII :)

Also, the Pro Tools route is one of the more expensive ones in the industry.
 
Heyclown said:
if not THE most used program for EDM.
Just ask AVICII :)
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By beginners yah, not by professionals.

Avicii is one of the lucky ones.. Im pretty sure he still pencils in all his notes through trial and error. At least he used to.
 
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Pro Tools if you know how to use it.

FL Studio is easier to make good shit without being perfectly proficient.

I prefer Logic tho :)
 
I've a hybrid configuation (soft+synth), so maybe I can help too.
I've worked with Reason, Cubase, FL, Live and PT to make beats. And from my point of view, Pro Tools is the easiest.
Sure, you must learn the soft and not only read the manual. But if you know what you want to do, it's the best tool to accomplish your work. There are tons of tutorials and help on the web.
If you want the piano roll to build your drum sequence like FL, you can use Boom or Idrum, I prefer Idrum 'cause you can import your own samples. You can use the Midi map too, or even the grid mod. A lot of choice to fit your taste.
Then , you can have Structure or Transfuser to sample/build all your beats. I prefer Structure, 'cause I've PT 10 and the Drag&Drop feature from a PT track is soooo gooood!!!!
But you can work directly in grid mod too :)
In the version prior to PT11, you can wrap Vst's, so you can have rtas, vst and aax( PT10) plugins running in the same session without problems.
And the must, is that you can mix your beat in the same time you're building it. I do it all the time and it such a time saver, no need to bounce track, etc...
I can use PT like only like a sound module for my MPC or like the master sequencer. No limitation at all..... I can do all in the box or use my MPC and easily bounce in PT.
I like FL, but I think if you want to save time and work directly on your beats with or without MIDI, PT it's the way to go.

About Avicii, all his beats are mixed in PT ....so even if he rocks with FL, at the end he needs PT to polish his work. Just my 2 cents.
 
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eponim said:
About Avicii, all his beats are mixed in PT ....so even if he rocks with FL, at the end he needs PT to polish his work. Just my 2 cents.
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Does he get someone else to do his mixing? Didnt know that.
 
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actually there is no difference is any daw
how much u can do with a daw is ur best daw
dont try to change daw
try to make same sound with your daw
best of luck
 
protools sound engine is better, so for instance producers, eg avicii does this, composes in fl and runs it through protools, and the way protools processes sound is just better and makes the composition sound better. so i prefer protools.
 
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