KVR Audio

bluedad · Post by **bluedad** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:03 pm

I tried the demo of an early version and thought, finally a sequencer that works like I think..but I ended up going to Orion and then Cubase. Got version 3 as a birthday present, and could not figure it out to save my life!

liquidsound · Post by **liquidsound** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:49 pm

bluedad wrote:I tried the demo of an early version and thought, finally a sequencer that works like I think..but I ended up going to Orion and then Cubase. Got version 3 as a birthday present, and could not figure it out to save my life!

KevWestBeats · Post by **KevWestBeats** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:03 pm

I've always thought it was weird that people would swear that FL Studio was the easiest DAW on the planet and if you disagreed then you were the problem. To me Reason, Sonar, Cubase Acid, and Live are a lot easier to wrap your head around.

VariKusBrainZ · Post by **VariKusBrainZ** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:06 pm

I always assumed FL is the way it is due to it being developed over such a chasm of time so some stuff is "hardbaked" eg this is the excuse for lack of full skinning.

deleted · Post by **deleted** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:06 pm

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lotus2035 · Post by **lotus2035** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:28 pm

VariKusBrainZ wrote:I always assumed FL is the way it is due to it being developed over such a chasm of time so some stuff is "hardbaked" eg this is the excuse for lack of full skinning.

You could say the same about Cubase too I suppose. Doesn't it have some design elements that go back to the early 90s? Hopefully Cubase 7 will be a rewrite but we all say that before every version.

Arglebargle · Post by **Arglebargle** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 3:26 pm

I dunno, I think my brain is just wired more along the lines of linear DAWs like Reaper, Sonar, etc. They make perfect sense to me. Having to deal with patterns annoys me. That's why I've never used my Korg Electribe.

experimental.crow · Post by **experimental.crow** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 3:41 pm

i enjoy the relatively open architecture of FLS ...
FLS works fine as a linear sequencer ...
i never use 'song' mode , and assemble all my work as one sequence , in 'pattern' mode ...

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 3:51 pm

Ahh... to wade in at page 6:

What was all of your first 'sequencer'? Mine was the sequencer built into Ensoniq's ESQ1 synth, which you would record patterns either through recording live performance and quantizing if you so chose, or you could step-edit beats on tracks. These chunks were referred to as 'sequences'. 'Songs' were chains of sequences. I never did the step edit thing, as I was more used to recording the snippets of songs as sequences and then chained them together.

Around the same time, people were using their Amigas and Ataris with tracker type things and some of the first 'linear' sequencing programs.

When I made the switch from the hardware sequencer to a full on audio/midi 'sequencer' program, it was hard for me to get my head around the linear timeline thing, but then my brain made the shift and then pattern based stuff became hard to understand.

I just bought a Casio XW-P1 which has a way cool step sequencer/pattern/phrase sampler engine underneath it, and I feel like I'm back in the late 1980's and my brain has to relearn the old ways again. I bought this on purpose and hope to get to the point of being well versed in pattern based composition again, but it never really felt completely natural to me.

Never tried FL, whether it was back in the Fruity Loops days or the present. Ableton Live was hard for me to understand and use as a mainly folk-rock type of composer, but I do understand it's purpose.

I just think that there's a reason that the pattern based composition tools have always had a strong following - it works for some people's brains and for others it's like trying to sign your name with the wrong hand. I bet you some of the best of the baroque composers; those that started toying with patterns in counterpoint; if they lived today would absolutely rock the box with pattern based programs like FL and Ableton. Me, I need a guitar in hand to compose with, or ivories under my fingers. But I fully respect those that can draw in and trigger patterns and explore on the fly. Guitarists that do this use loopers. Similar technique and just as valid as linear composition, but hard for my brain.

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:02 pm

lotus2035 wrote:
VariKusBrainZ wrote:I always assumed FL is the way it is due to it being developed over such a chasm of time so some stuff is "hardbaked" eg this is the excuse for lack of full skinning.
You could say the same about Cubase too I suppose. Doesn't it have some design elements that go back to the early 90s? Hopefully Cubase 7 will be a rewrite but we all say that before every version.

Yes, but cubase has some of the same, abstractly speaking, limitations. I'm not saying that they DAWs are similar, just that cubase has some workflow features that are hard-baked and unlikely to change. I doubt that it will get a modern windowing interface any time soon. I'm assuming here, that 6.5 is still a windowing nightmare as I haven't upgraded from 5.

Shane Sanders · Post by **Shane Sanders** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:28 pm

I love FL Studio. I had a thread asking for help when I first switched from Orion to FL Studio and remember there were some things I just didn't see right away--but you've just got to stick with it for a week or so and explore the interface and methods rather than trying to do actual work. I think that is what freaks people out: having to learn something new instead of just being fluent right away. Took me a while, too, as I'm not a big reader of manuals, but their manual is pretty good and has screen shots to help make things clearer. And now, with YouTube videos made by generous people, users have it so easy.

It's a great piece of software, imo. I always feel like a wise old bird when I think about the upgrade fees I've avoided since version 4 or 5. That's a lot of money still in my pocket!

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:33 pm

I have a special place in my heart for FL. I will not date her until she can deal with my multiple time signatures though.

JimmiG · Post by **JimmiG** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:12 am

With almost any DAW, I can fire it up, load a VST, paint in some notes and have it play them back, without refering to a manual or tutorial for instructions. For me, FL Studio miserably fails this test. I guess it's just too different, which is why people either hate it or love it.

osiris · Post by **osiris** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 1:14 pm

lotus2035 · Post by **lotus2035** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:01 pm

ghettosynth wrote:I'm assuming here, that 6.5 is still a windowing nightmare as I haven't upgraded from 5.

Yep it's the same old, same old. Still love Cubase though.

Halion 4 may be a sign of things to come though. Undockable, resizeable windows, a built in Mixer which may very well be a taste of what is next for Cubase 7's mixer.

Am I The ONLY Person Who Finds FL Studio EXCEEDINGLY HARD To Understand And Use?