KVR Audio

Meloday · Post by **Meloday** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:58 pm

Well, I'm really not having to choose between one or the other. I've been a Fruity user for years. I love it. I surely won't be leaving FL behind. I'm just looking to broaden my inspirational palette. I've downloaded and have been demoing eXT. So far so good. It seems to be a very intuitive and 'elegant' program, especially for the price

Not to mention the support and the constant forum activity. Very cool.

Of course on the surface the two are completely different programs. But after playing with eXT for a while I wasn't sure if I could do anything with it that I can't already do with FL.

To my question:

What can eXT do that FL can't (besides the PDC and Freeze, which I'm not all that concerned with)? For those of you who use/used both FL and eXT, what would you miss most about eXT if you had to go without?

thanks everyone!

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:06 pm

eXT works well in FL TBH...the chord and arp are great in eXT....

Meloday · Post by **Meloday** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:24 pm

Hink wrote:eXT works well in FL TBH...the chord and arp are great in eXT....

thanks hink.....that's what i've heard. i'll have to check it out. fl has an arp on every channel....with the option to insert a chord into the arp sequence! there is also free utilites like chordspace that are free.

I'm sure I'll eventually buy eXT anyway. Simply because I'd like to rotate my work flow.

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:58 pm

I own both FL Studio Producer's edition and eXT. They both complement each other very well. Sometimes I load up fruity inside eXT and sometimes vice versa. What eXT has over fruity is the modular approach. You can do some pretty wicked stuff within this. One can also set up all kinds of weird sidechain and m/s processing using energy xt as an effects chainer within fruity.

I highly recommend it. It's one of my best investments ever.

- bManic

sdv · Post by **sdv** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:31 pm

I use eXT alot in FLS for several reasons;
1) for it's arpegiator and MIDI parts (which I can also use in my eXT projects),
2) to save/play MIDI files (you can do it in FLS but they are kinda buggy to save compare to native Score files),
3)multi-out instruments routed to their own FX )again you can do it in FLS but it's easier in eXT).

Jigo · Post by **Jigo** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:42 pm

I encounter the same situation here but there's one more host in competition -- Tracktion 2

Well, I've been using FL for a few months now and I must admit I'm getting bored with it even if the v6 is about to be released. Then, I'm digging eXT and T2 and wow, they are both what I'm searching for (no playlist, better for audio recording, no annoying PC freezing especially when using the arturia softsynths ... as yet at least). Considering I haven't got enough money to have both right now, I think I'm gonna go for eXT for a while first

It's sad Image line doesn't allow any license transfer cause my FL XXL will soon be covered out with virtual dust

fabi · Post by **fabi** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:56 pm

imo eXT is far superior when it comes to midi plug-ins/midi routing etc.

Rellik · Post by **Rellik** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:22 pm

Well, eXT has linear sequencing and modular routing.

I'd honestly rather use eXT, and I've been trying to switch away from FL, but every time I've been trying to just start a project in eXT, I realize I'm so used to FL that I might as well just keep using it for now. FL is a truly great app, when you get right down to it - I don't know why, but I find I mix better in it, I work faster in it, and everything is generally more manageable for me in it.

FL has time-stretching and is great from drum programming, but overall I would still give eXT a big advantage in features and concept - workflow I'm too biased at this point to say which is more intuitive. I'll keep trying to start something in eXT

thockin · Post by **thockin** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:33 am

Agree so much with Rellik. FL has many niceties that eXT doesn't, but I really *want* to use eXT. I prefer the eXT model, it's just not as polished as FL

dopet · Post by **dopet** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:10 pm

i think ext is great. like most of you, im very attached to my main app, which happens to be sonar. i use ext IN every project now as a vst plug and love it. i like the whole 'connect the dots' idea of routing synths, fx, etc. the whole 'visual' routing scheme works for me better than tryin to figure out everything from drop down menus in sonar.

i havent used FL stuff in quite awhile, so i cant speak of any enhancements they have made, but for the relatively small cash outlay for ext, im sure you will find it worth having around.

even if i never use ext as my main host, it was money well spent. and i love that arp!

Radek · Post by **Radek** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:25 pm

The greatest feauture of eXT is its speed of midi editing for me. Not only that but also rearranging even whole song is piece of cake in this program. Now when alternate time signatures are supported the eXT is fully capable of writing any idea imaginable. For sure there are some buggers in the eXT (the mixer's faders, not working right master midi out, vst automation to "manually") but its quickness...

thockin · Post by **thockin** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:01 pm

eXT's automation is one that kills me.

Xiaoth · Post by **Xiaoth** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:16 am

Sorry for the stupid ignorant post but what is the link to eXT?

Xiaoth · Post by **Xiaoth** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:17 am

Xiaoth wrote:Sorry for the stupid ignorant post but what is the link to eXT?

Nevermind, found it. http://www.xt-hq.com/

Xiaoth · Post by **Xiaoth** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:43 am

Just bought eXT before even trying it, after reading everything everyone has been saying in this thread.

eXT doesn't seem very approachable. I think it's possible I made a mistake buying it, but I'm not sure. I will say I think the main patch window and all its features (ASIO drag-and-drop I/O, multi-MIDI I/O, etc) should be minimum standard for all apps. However, the app doesn't even have a runtime icon. I'm a software developer by day, and I think they cut a lot of corners, particularly by using an OS-agnostic design such as the missing menubar when you load it up. After an hour or two of dinking around, I still don't know how to record audio (just getting a blank track, and yes I did map the ASIO mic in for the primary audio in) or how to synchronize a sequencer instance and FL Studio. There's no obvious documentation built into the product, so I'm at a loss and I'll have to peruse the web site quite a bit more.

Overall, I'm placing my bets that this will be useful, someday, when I learn how to use it. I do have FL Studio Pro and I have Sonar 5 Professional, but Sonar feels slow and bloated, as well as lacking in skin aesthetics department (icons still looking like Windows 3.1).

Another complaint: no DirectX plug-in support (apparently), and no ReWire.

Jon

FL Studio or eXT.....