Future Producers, should I get FL Studio 11?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ProducerJC
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ProducerJC

ProducerJC

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Please don't make this a "Best DAW in the Streets Post!" This isn't a debate, I simply need to know your thoughts on using FL Studio 11 professionally.

Because Image-Line is outside of the United States, official certified training doesn't exist for me. So for now, I'm relying on their website, youtube channel and you guys for information until I can decide if its worth owning. Please post your videos or sound examples here as references if you can and don't mind doing so.

I'm thinking of getting FL Studio 11 after a discussion in another thread on FP, and here's why. I'm rebuilding my DAW and have access to a ton of gear, special pricing and access to music business services. It's become apparent that FL Studio users are die hard fans of the software. I know this because of a literally basic comment I made that left FL gangstas ready to pull my card.

:berzerk: It's real out here in the DAW...

IMG_2263[2].webp

Some Future Producers believe it's the the only program needed for a Digital Audio Workstation. They believe it's the end all be all of making beats. Now I'm more curious than ever about FL Studio 11 and how it's used today.

  • How well does FL Studio 11 work with programs like Ableton Live 9?
  • What specific plugins do you like most about FL Studio?
  • If you have any other software already, would you still get FL Studio at some point?
  • How does it work with gear like the MOOG SLIMPHATTY or workstations like Yamaha's Motif?
  • Can I record an entire drum kit with it or would I need something else?
  • What do you like most and least about FL Studio, what's it like?
  • Should I know anything specific about producing with FL Studio?
I currently own other programs and only need ways to expand what I already have. I'm not looking to replace software or anything like that. I just want to continue the build up of my DAW and produce music. Wasting time and money aren't options for me, it takes too long time to save up for gear. I'd be disappointed if either were wasted on an unused programs.

I've never seen anyone use FL Studio in a professional multitrack recording session, yet FL enthusiasts swear it's possible, are there any examples of this using FL Studio? I've seen one tracks recorded at a time and FL loop recording capabilities. I'd Like to see multiple inputs recorded at the same time though. Some friends have told me this doesn't work well in FL Studio, which is why I'd like to see an example of this myself. They don't know everything about everything. Ableton Live 9 and Push have dramatically changes the way I make beats and I'm open to FL Studio's influence as well.

Sorry for the long list of explanations and questions, but they're necessary in this case. For what it's worth, your credibility could be noted with a link in my next article.
 
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any daw can be rewired to any other daw

as for the rest only go for it if you think fl 11 has the feature set that you want to use

already wrote this once this morning: choosing and using a daw is about how it matches the way your brain thinks about music; it is about enhancing work-flow not retarding it

anything is proselytising for one over another
 
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Shoot over to the Image-Line forum Looptalk section and you can have the software developers, mods, and 10+ year FL Studio veterans explain everything to you. There's nothing better than getting your questions answered by Image-Line staff themselves, those people are down to earth, helpful, and they're active every single day.
 
Demo?
Google?
Manual?

You are asking vague, and basic questions.
 
bandcoach said:
any daw can be rewired to any other daw
Click to expand...

BTW, thanks for your help this thread. It's nice to know there's still a lot to learn. Rewire works well for me, and some of the pluggins are interesting. I'll get FL Studio + All Bundles if I can justify the cost, you know? I just don't know if I can.

FidelityMusic said:
Shoot over to the Image-Line forum Looptalk section and you can have the software developers, mods, and 10+ year FL Studio veterans explain everything to you. There's nothing better than getting your questions answered by Image-Line staff themselves, those people are down to earth, helpful, and they're active every single day.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response, I'll be sure to check out forum along with the other page visits. How long have you used FL Studio?

highkoo said:
What does that even mean?
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It means I'm looking for unbiased insight and recommendations regarding FL Studio 11. I've already stated that I'm gathering information from a few different places. I need to have the most up-to-date information from FL Studio users I can get, not just the insight from the company itself. I'd like to know Future Producers experience with FL Studio; if you have any, share it here.
 
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ProducerJC said:
BTW, thanks for your help this thread. It's nice to know there's still a lot to learn. Rewire works well for me, and some of the pluggins are interesting. I'll get FL Studio + All Bundles if I can justify the cost, you know? I just don't know if I can.



Thanks for your response, I'll be sure to check out forum along with the other page visits. How long have you used FL Studio?
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The cost is only justified if you're going to put all of those synths and effects to use, that's where most of your money's worth is. Most of them should come in VST format so you can use them in Ableton as well. Image-Line gives you free upgrades for life, so you'll get every version of FL Studio after 11, 12 should be out later this year. I personally have the Signature Bundle, the All Plugins bundle is pretty pricey for me. I've been using FL Studio for 3-4 years, but it's only been a year or so since I've gotten into it religiously reading the manual, studying and learning the advanced features.

If you're used to other DAWs FL Studio might be a little confusing at first. Channels, Mixer Inserts, Playlist Tracks, and Patterns are all separate entities within FL Studio. It gives you freedom to create and organize however you feel comfortable as there really isn't much structure, but it might frustrate you. There also isn't any structure to the GUI, you place windows wherever you want.

A heads up, you'll need to run FL Studio in bootcamp if you're going to use it on a Mac, until they release the native Mac version which is in beta right now. You have technical questions, ask me. If you decide you're going to dish out the money for it ask me for my affiliate code for 10% off your entire first order.
 
FidelityMusic said:
The cost is only justified if you're going to put all of those synths and effects to use, that's where most of your money's worth is. Most of them should come in VST format so you can use them in Ableton as well. Image-Line gives you free upgrades for life, so you'll get every version of FL Studio after 11, 12 should be out later this year. I personally have the Signature Bundle, the All Plugins bundle is pretty pricey for me. I've been using FL Studio for 3-4 years, but it's only been a year or so since I've gotten into it religiously reading the manual, studying and learning the advanced features.

If you're used to other DAWs FL Studio might be a little confusing at first. Channels, Mixer Inserts, Playlist Tracks, and Patterns are all separate entities within FL Studio. It gives you freedom to create and organize however you feel comfortable as there really isn't much structure, but it might frustrate you. There also isn't any structure to the GUI, you place windows wherever you want.

A heads up, you'll need to run FL Studio in bootcamp if you're going to use it on a Mac, until they release the native Mac version which is in beta right now. You have technical questions, ask me. If you decide you're going to dish out the money for it ask me for my affiliate code for 10% off your entire first order.
Click to expand...

Do you mean that some of the plugins don't require FL Studio in order to be used? Do you use bootcamp on your Mac, or are you on PC? I'm using PC currently, I'm wondering if I'll be able to download a Mac version when I get one. This may cause me to wait a while.

Also, I'd like to know if you have an official website I can send referrals to. Since you're an affiliate, you may want to consider placing your links on a website for added visibility with search engines. People come to me with technical questions all the time, some I can answer and others I cannot. If you have an official website, I can refer traffic your way through my website and other interactions. Seriously, you and a few others are the reason I'm even curious about FL Studio right now. The information you're providing here is useful and has shown me a few things I didn't know about FL. For real, think about what you could do with an official website, a blog, email and social media combined.

Most companies want me to have some of their products because I sell a bunch of gear, a few hundred bucks worth daily. I also receive unusually large discounts because my budget just doesn't allow me to own most of the stuff I sell. This may or may not be the case with Image-Line, I'll find out once I've contacted someone at one of their corporate offices. I'm not sure they'll even respond, manufactures are usually too busy for guys like me; although, it would be great to have a download and certification details for the company.

Any other highlights I should know about FL Studio 11, or 12?
 
Exactly, about all of their highlighted Synths and Plugins come in VST format, and they even sell a VST effects bundle for all of the basic effects. No, I just figured you used Mac because of the image you posted above, I'm on Windows.

No, I actually started working on one last week, just been holding off for a bit until I get a rough idea on how I'm going to set it up. I've made about $300 so far in affiliate sales, anyone registered with Image-Line for at least 6 months becomes an affiliate.

I made a quick video for you regarding multi-track recording in FL Studio, I don't have a drum kit or a full set of microphones, so I used one input on all the tracks just to give you an idea. It's a little choppy and you can tell where I messed up, but it's whatever. When it processes I'll post it in the other thread.
 
I would say download the demo and FL Studio is worth the money (lifetime free updates) make sure you get at least the Producer Editon!!!!!!!!!!
the FL Studio Soundfont player is excellent as well as biohazard,Harmless,and good ol' trusty Sytrus
the thing about FL Studio there is so much presets,tutorials,FLP(FL Studio project files) out there is can get crazy so if you got internet you got all you need to learn and advance in FL Studio

I found that I enjoy using Kontakt 5 in FL Studio I invested in Kontakt libraries and the MIDI/piano roll makes for great workflow and with Producer Editon you can just drag and drop audio loops easily cut them down or slice them up in Edison
great tools for sample based producers...or re-sampling your own music
yeah I'm a true FL Studio fanboy....
 
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FidelityMusic said:
Exactly, about all of their highlighted Synths and Plugins come in VST format, and they even sell a VST effects bundle for all of the basic effects. No, I just figured you used Mac because of the image you posted above, I'm on Windows.

No, I actually started working on one last week, just been holding off for a bit until I get a rough idea on how I'm going to set it up. I've made about $300 so far in affiliate sales, anyone registered with Image-Line for at least 6 months becomes an affiliate.

I made a quick video for you regarding multi-track recording in FL Studio, I don't have a drum kit or a full set of microphones, so I used one input on all the tracks just to give you an idea. It's a little choppy and you can tell where I messed up, but it's whatever. When it processes I'll post it in the other thread.
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Awesome, Thanks!
 
fataltone said:
I would say download the demo and FL Studio is worth the money (lifetime free updates) make sure you get at least the Producer Editon!!!!!!!!!!
the FL Studio Soundfont player is excellent as well as biohazard,Harmless,and good ol' trusty Sytrus
the thing about FL Studio there is so much presets,tutorials,FLP(FL Studio project files) out there is can get crazy so if you got internet you got all you need to learn and advance in FL Studio

I found that I enjoy using Kontakt 5 in FL Studio I invested in Kontakt libraries and the MIDI/piano roll makes for great workflow and with Producer Editon you can just drag and drop audio loops easily cut them down or slice them up in Edison
great tools for sample based producers...or re-sampling your own music
yeah I'm a true FL Studio fanboy....
Click to expand...

I have a copy of Komplete Elements that will not install on my computer, looks like NI needs to be contacted as well. Kontakts seems cool, and looks to be included with Komplete 9 Ultimate; currently on my wishlist for now.
 
You can do anything, but if the drummer only needs a DAW for multitrack recording I'd suggest going elsewhere. FL isn't so friendly in that department for a beginner, I know my way around FL so I organize and do everything on the fly. You can handle multitrack recording in Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, etc. much easier than in FL. So if you're recommending a DAW for that one purpose only, they're better off going with something else. If they're legitimately going to use everything else FL has to offer and want multitrack recording on top of that, then it would be okay to recommend.

I just remembered, another cool FL Studio feature to mention is Image-Line Remote, if you have a smartphone or tablet you can simply download the app for Android or iOS: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imageline.ILRemote The name is pretty straightforward and should give you an idea of what you can do with it.
 
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ProducerJC said:
I have a copy of Komplete Elements that will not install on my computer, looks like NI needs to be contacted as well. Kontakts seems cool, and looks to be included with Komplete 9 Ultimate; currently on my wishlist for now.
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I have Komplete Elements myself, installed fine on my computer. Good luck contacting NI support, they take at least 2 weeks to reply.
 
ProducerJC said:

  • What specific plugins do you like most about FL Studio?
  • What do you like most and least about FL Studio, what's it like?
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1. a) "Patcher", a routing plugin where you can insert plugins inside it and route everything manually.
You can do all kinds of crazy things, experiment with advanced parallel techniques, etc.
Since you can do manual parallel processing inside Patcher, you can use it as virtual parallel tracks, and therefore save a lot of mixertracks.
You can also save a lot of effectslots since you can stack a bunch of plugins inside the patcher.
The con? It can end up being quite CPU-heavy.
b) The Fruity Limiter, a compressor (with sidechain input available), a gate, and a limiter in one plugin, with visual representation of the amplitude.
Instead of using 3 different plugins, you use just 1. And you can adjust it so there's 0 latency, and therefore make for example a quick parallel compression in a serial effectchain.
The con? There's no sidechain input for the gate, and in the end it can start consuming a lot of CPU if you have dozens of it.
c) Harmor, one of the synths. It has very, very detailed additive capabilities, as well as additive resampling capabilities.

2. What I like: for pure producing, it feels like there's a lot of stuff you can experiment with, and it covers a lot of the different techniques in synthesis.
What I dislike: sometimes it feels like it could be better in for example the "Playlist"-section where you build the song.
Especially when dealing with automations, you just stack up more and more automations in the Playlist, while softwares have developed a fine automationsystem enhancing the navigation and the workflow.
And as far as I've read, FL has a flaw with some of the MIDI-capabilites.

Note that I haven't used any other software (more than had a quick look into them), so I don't know if other softwares have their versions of the things I mentioned about FL.

Hope this helps you out.
 
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FidelityMusic said:
I have Komplete Elements myself, installed fine on my computer. Good luck contacting NI support, they take at least 2 weeks to reply.
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Great, I love when manufacture take forever to help the people that use their products.
 
do people who criticize any daw know what they're talking about beforehand?most daws back then were inferior literally but that isnt the case anymore.

fl didn't become full till 8.
cubase got full at 5.
reason got full at 5.

yes, fruity loops was a simple drummachine for sony's daw at one point.fl studio used to be a vst :/
 
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