Flowstone vs FL Synthmaker...what's the difference?

[chuck death]

Image-Line FL Synthmaker (FLowstone) included in producer & signature editions

I got FL Signature edition, have just upgraded to FL11.

However, when I am logged into my Image Line account, and go to the shop, I'm told that I can upgrade to FlowStone for $199

This upgrade will turn your FL Studio Synthmaker/Flowstone into a full version of FlowStone which will allow you to create VSTs and EXE's of your FL Studio Flowstone plugin projects.
This purchase comes with 12 months update support from DSP Robotics (creators of this Flowstone software) included too.

Only available for owners of FL Studio Producer Edition.
Downloadable Version Only.

So I doesn't look like it is included in FL11, if you are not prepared to pay for it?

It is included and as far as I'm aware, the only major limitation of FL Flowstone is that it only creates plugins in the Fruity plugin format. You can freely share them amongst other FL users but they can't be used in other software. The upgrade price is for the normal standalone version that exports VSTs and EXEs.

[Numanoid]

It is included and as far as I'm aware, the only major limitation of FL Flowstone is that it only creates plugins in the Fruity plugin format. You can freely share them amongst other FL users but they can't be used in other software. The upgrade price is for the normal standalone version that exports VSTs and EXEs.

The online library of Image Line, seems to include rather old creations, which now nevertheless has been set free in VST format by Angular Momentum: http://www.amvst.com/

Any tips for sites which has instruments that can load in Synthmaker, other than those found in the IL download manager?

[paulbreeze]

Lots of great stuff:
http://www.synthmaker.co.uk/forum/

Maybe some usable stuff also here:
http://www.dsprobotics.com/support/

[chuck death]

It is included and as far as I'm aware, the only major limitation of FL Flowstone is that it only creates plugins in the Fruity plugin format. You can freely share them amongst other FL users but they can't be used in other software. The upgrade price is for the normal standalone version that exports VSTs and EXEs.

The online library of Image Line, seems to include rather old creations, which now nevertheless has been set free in VST format by Angular Momentum: http://www.amvst.com/

Any tips for sites which has instruments that can load in Synthmaker, other than those found in the IL download manager?

Don't be put off by the age of the Angular Momentum examples, most of the concepts used within the AM stuff are still relevant in Flowstone. When Synthmaker became Flowstone most of the changes were the addition of the robotics stuff and Ruby coding, the audio side barely changed at all. That's also why you won't find a huge amount of Flowstone specific examples out there but there are a growing number of examples in the Flowstone forum. For tons of Synthmaker examples go to the Synthmaker forum. In case you weren't aware, files created in the full versions of Synthmaker/Flowstone will also load into the FL version.

[xalama qo]

Thanks for all the great responses here! Let's keep it going
@paulbreeze, thanks for the OP-X Reaktor ensemble link.

[Numanoid]

Don't be put off by the age of the Angular Momentum examples, most of the concepts used within the AM stuff are still relevant in Flowstone.

+1 I love Angular Momentum synths

But it's just that I get a feeling from the Image Line page that the Synthmaker downloadable content is exclusive, when most of the synths can be downloaded for free anyhow from AM.

Thanks for the info about the Synthmaker forum. Very much info there, any tips to which synhts most def one should check?

[chuck death]

Don't be put off by the age of the Angular Momentum examples, most of the concepts used within the AM stuff are still relevant in Flowstone.

+1 I love Angular Momentum synths

But it's just that I get a feeling from the Image Line page that the Synthmaker downloadable content is exclusive, when most of the synths can be downloaded for free anyhow from AM.

Thanks for the info about the Synthmaker forum. Very much info there, any tips to which synhts most def one should check?

I think you are misunderstanding what makes the Angular Momentum stuff exclusive. The VSTs that are available are compiled versions, what you get with FL Studio are the Source files. Image Line licensed the Synthmaker projects so you can see how they are made, learn from them, edit them and mash them together! You could replace the oscillators in KickLab with the ones from WaveDraw for example. That's something you definitely can't do with the VSTs and that just the beginning!

I can't really help with tips on what to look at on the forums. I bought the full version of Synthmaker way back when it was in beta testing (crikey, that was 2005!) and the projects I found useful back then will be almost certainly too out of date to be useful now.

I recommend setting aside a good few hours and just looking for projects that interest you and having a dig "under the hood" to see how they do stuff. That's what I tend to do... I could easily lose days in that forum!

To be honest I haven't actually used Synthmaker/Flowstone in a while. When I'm making a plugin I find that I can get results quicker in Synthedit but that's just because I've been a Synthedit user even longer than a Synthmaker user!

The inclusion of Flowstone in FL Studio has really got me thinking I need to get back into it though. I love the idea of thinking I need a effect or synth and being able to create it, test it and use it without ever leaving FL Studio. I have some days off coming up so I might spend few of the days re-aquainting myself and try to put together a few bits and bobs. I'll post anything I create in the Flowstone section of the Image-Line forum (I have the same username over there too).

[Zoned]

Synthmaker forever! None of this proprietary here today / gone tomorrow FL / Outsim nonsense... Just use the Computer Music version off the old discs... Exports as Vst /.exe with no disabling, just tiny SM.CM logo (secret tip: logo shrinks to almost nothing if you max your gui size at export!). SM program itself only limited by 3000 module limit (=not a limit) & no forwards compatibility (focuses the mind marvelously).
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They tried to pull the plug on the SM forum too, but that much shared energy / creativity / love aint so easy to silence... http://www.naiant.com/SM/index.php
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE !!!