KVR Audio

Adambomb337 · Post by **Adambomb337** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 6:54 am

I've heard a lot of people say that FL Studio makes songs that sound synthetic. I also know that a few pros use FL Studio and it sounds everything but synthetic or boring in nature...

I was wondering, what is it that people do in FL Studio to make their productions steer away from this "synthetic" sound.

Possibly massive tweeking on samples and VSTi's that came with FL?

Randomize the notes in the piano roll a little so they aren't exactly quantized?

Possibly use the more accurate piano roll for drum beats instead of the step sequencer?

What do you do?

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:11 am

I guess what I mean is "I" tend to make more synthetic sounding music. i.e. no audio tracks because i don't like the audio recording implementation. So I tend to do synth based music.

kovacs · Post by **kovacs** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:53 am

I don't agree that FL makes "synthetic sounds" any more than other studio software. But I tend to use other VSTi's than the included ones. But natively it doesn't sound more synthetic than others...and it has a massive range of effects which can be applied in the mixer, like reverb, flanger etc to avoid stale sounds.

Distorted_Mastermind · Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:56 am

yeah and if it sounds really cheesy they've been using the fruity synths too much. i use fruity loops and tracktion. they are the perfect pair for me. i have nothing against synths and with a few tweaks here and there it's easy to change sounds into something that fits the song better and sounds a bit more raw. the new sampler in fruity 6 will bill a much needed addition. bottomline is don't be so worried about what eveyone says. find what you like and what works best for you and use that. i like fruity loops and tracktion best because they are no-nonsense types of programs. one has really good midi features and one has really good audio features. best of both worlds, easy to use, and they both fit in my budget

Reverse Engineer · Post by **Reverse Engineer** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:58 am

It's a great app and no more "synthetic" than anything else. Even the included fruity machines can sound great if you avoid (most of) the presets.

Jbravo · Post by **Jbravo** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 8:42 am

I guess people make assumptions about fruity music, simply because it's so easy for people to knock together a track and as a result there's a lot of generic music about which has been made using standard fruity instruments or default samples. A lot of the synth presets (just about all the sytrus sounds for example) seem to use a wide detuned chorus effect which I hate and always sounds cheesy and nasty to my ear, and I guess the less accomplished user doesn't know how to create their own sound using the instruments or by the use of more advanced production techniques. Everything I've done has been in Fruity (though some people make the dubious claim that *anything* exported from fruity has a characteristic sound though I'm not sure I believe it)

No name · Post by **No name** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 8:50 am

What comes out of it depends upon two things. How well you know your production technique, and what you feed it (VST wise that is).

Carbonboy · Post by **Carbonboy** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 8:59 am

Adambomb337 wrote:I've heard a lot of people say that FL Studio makes songs that sound synthetic. I also know that a few pros use FL Studio and it sounds everything but synthetic or boring in nature...

This is an insane topic, it's a VST/DX host with piano-roll, step-sequencer, pattern sequencing and the most flexible automation on the planet. It has nothing that will impede any style of music. Who says it sounds synthetic???

Carb.

Jbravo · Post by **Jbravo** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:10 am

Carbonboy wrote: This is an insane topic, it's a VST/DX host with piano-roll, step-sequencer, pattern sequencing and the most flexible automation on the planet. It has nothing that will impede any style of music. Who says it sounds synthetic???

Carb.

well here's just one example:

"when i listen music made in Fruity loops, i don't know why (i don't use FL), it sounds very tiny and digitally. What about extract all separate tracks from FL and mix and master it for example in Cubase SX ? I think it will sound much bigger and more natural than mixdown from FL ...."

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 75#1039775

nuffink · Post by **nuffink** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:18 am

Haven't you found the embiggen switch and desyntheticize knob yet?

f**king amateurs.

Carbonboy · Post by **Carbonboy** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:18 am

Jbravo wrote:
Carbonboy wrote: This is an insane topic...
well here's just one example:

"when i listen music made in Fruity loops, i don't know why (i don't use FL), it sounds very tiny and digitally. What about extract all separate tracks from FL and mix and master it for example in Cubase SX ? I think it will sound much bigger and more natural than mixdown from FL ...."

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 75#1039775

Examples don't make things true, with thousands of people downloading the demo and trying it out every week (tens of thousands JMC?) you are going to get people saying everything from FL Studio is perfect to FL Studio sucks...so what

In the case above it's complete crock...there is nothing in Cubase that you can't do in FL on the mastering/mixing side. It's just VST's, 1's and 0's

Carb.

Dazza66 · Post by **Dazza66** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:22 am

No, I don't think it necessarily makes the final product sound any more synthetic than what might come out of any other sequencer. However, by its very nature and design (step-sequencer and pattern-based approach to song creation) it appeals to music makers who like synthetic music (like me!). Though I've never used older versions of FL, I believe it has come ahead in leaps and bounds in terms of what it offers for more audio-based songs. That coupled with the 'a whole studio in software' approach should broaden its appeal so we should end up hearing more organic sounding songs from it.

Still, its the musician that makes the songs, not the software

Carbonboy · Post by **Carbonboy** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:25 am

Dazza66 wrote:However, by its very nature and design (step-sequencer and pattern-based approach to song creation) it appeals to music makers who like synthetic music (like me!):

Actually FL is neither pattern based or track based. It's up to the user.

You are free to make track length patterns/piano-rolls and you have audio/automation clips.

So it can do either.

Carb.

origami · Post by **origami** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:28 am

since when does FL makes music? I mean, Ive been 2 years making music using FL and now, poor innocent me, I discover that FL makes the music for you???!!! and it makes synthetic music!, the one I like!!! definitely, I did a wise choice when I chose FL as my sequencer.

Dazza66 · Post by **Dazza66** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:30 am

Carbonboy wrote:
Dazza66 wrote:However, by its very nature and design (step-sequencer and pattern-based approach to song creation) it appeals to music makers who like synthetic music (like me!):
Actually FL is neither pattern based or track based. It's up to the user.

You are free to make track length patterns/piano-rolls and you have audio/automation clips.

So it can do either.

Carb.

Cool: FL Studio 1, All other sequencers 0

FL Studio makes synthetic music?