How's FL Studio 20?

[clipnotic]

I don't get your "problem" with the mixer. I used the FL Studio mixer many years with a huge hardware setup and had no problems with it. Meanwhile I'm only using VSTs and the mixer offers everything ...

EDIT:
Years ago, I delegated a mastering studio to master an album from me and that guy had a really big highend mastering studio and did a great job. Meanwhile I get the same result with some plugins in FL Studio!

[Passing Bye]

I don't get your "problem" with the mixer. I used the FL Studio mixer many years with a huge hardware setup and had no problems with it. Meanwhile I'm only using VSTs and the mixer offers everything ...

What are you on about, that was analogy, mixer as someone who is mixing an record, trying to make a mix that translate good everywhere, so he works mostly on devices that will show him flaws of his mix, same as developers, who will ensure their plugins work properly in most demanding DAW's.

[clipnotic]

What are you on about, that was analogy, mixer as someone who is mixing an record, trying to make a mix that translate good everywhere, so he works mostly on devices that will show him flaws of his mix, same as developers, who will ensure their plugins work properly in most demanding DAW's.

Yes, the problem of some VST developers is, that they don't test their stuff on different DAWs and if you tell them about problems especially with FL Studio, they give you arrogant answers, because they still are thinking that FL Studio is a beginner DAW, but it's not!

[Passing Bye]

Yeah, that's the issue with plenty of mixers too, their mixes are falling apart on most devices, but they are so oblivious about it, I know plenty of guys like that, so their clients who know how mixes sound on their mobile phone speakers tell them something is wrong, they just go on ego trip and tell them them it's sounding good in their studio, thinking how dare that untrained ear to question their work, believe it or not, there's plenty of guys like that, professionals, who get payed big bucks and can't deliver good mix if their life depend on it, have legacy of 30+ years of barely decent mixes that are falling apart on national FM stations.

Same goes for some developers, who can't get their heads out of their asses and get their job done properly, yes, FL and Logic are needy, macOS is needy too, buy it's not impossible, deal with it, others are doing it successfully too.

[clipnotic]

that's it

[Passing Bye]

About whole FL thing, saw some colleagues flying and making wonders in it, if one can get so used to it and get great results, go for it, it doesn't mater really, whatever DAW get's job done, most important thing is that you feel comfortable in it and you get job done!

Plenty of colleagues are so dismissive about everything, but that's just showing their insecurity, if someone can make a hit on laptop using cans and FL, than hats off to that legend, I'm amazed and inspired by those guys, that's some skills there!

[Passing Bye]

EDIT:
Years ago, I delegated a mastering studio to master an album from me and that guy had a really big highend mastering studio and did a great job. Meanwhile I get the same result with some plugins in FL Studio!

That's the thing, so my newest partner, he did a demo for a band, on his PC speakers in his room many moons ago, than that band get signed to a record label based on that demo and recorded and mixed in one of the best studios in the country, so we played both mixes and his demo mix killed that fancy official one, killed, it was so on point, official one was so dull, had swallowed mid's and all that hardware/analog noise couldn't save it, who cares, in the end of the day, it sounded like an demo.

[robotmonkey]

Still lacking pro DAW features.

[Reefius]

If you like:

• Endless menu diving
• Renaming every track 3 times (channel rack, mixer and arrangement)
• 20 Mouse clicks for actions that other DAWs do in 3 clicks
• Workarounds for almost everything

Then FL Studio is the DAW for you.

[tooneba]

• 20 Mouse clicks for actions that other DAWs do in 3 clicks

For me I actually do more clicks when using ableton. I'm busy with locating tracks and clips inside groups, and fiddling with stupid piano roll edge to adjust the area. But I keep using it as I prefer its locator behavior on audio track. (To the contrary it sucks on midi clip.)

[antic604]

If you like:

• Endless menu diving
• Renaming every track 3 times (channel rack, mixer and arrangement)
• 20 Mouse clicks for actions that other DAWs do in 3 clicks
• Workarounds for almost everything

Then FL Studio is the DAW for you.

I wouldn't go THAT far, because v20 indeed tried to make the workflow closer to "regular" DAWs with actual connection between pattern, playlist and mixer (which does take care of synchronised naming & colouring BTW). But I gave it a spin yesterday and still:

• don't really like the GUI - it's still a mix of new (very nice!) and old (childish)
• I don't like that I can't (easily, at least) have screen elements set in panels, instead of separate floating windows
• it's annoying to have 500 tracks & mixer channels open for an Empty project
• I can see the appeal of famous paint/brush tool, but it can't do nothing else - I have to change tools all the time to do other things and I draw notes or patterns all the time by accident; also, why can't I drag left edge of the note to extend or shorten it?
• I really, REALLY dislike the Pattern window with the 909 buttons; I wish it could be supressed to never have to see it... Same with most of the icons and graphs up top - they look like from 15 years ago
• menus, upon menus, upon menus - yes, I think FL even beats Cubase in that regard, which in itself is a feat!

But, I do realise that probably most of it is me not being familiar with shortcuts and general paradigm of FL and after few days I could probably feel at home. It does feel very snappy & light, just like Reaper or Studio One. And it seems very customisable. Not to mention the EUR399 price for the all-plugins edition seems like a much better deal than Live 10 Suite.

It's grown to be an awesome DAW I reckon, just not for me

[SneakyBeats]

It's more like a fun side quest rather than a main quest.

That's actually not a bad idea for a DAW for people who have problems finishing projects:
- you can only spend so much time on one track, before it gets locked for editing
- you get access to more devices you own (synths, FX) only after more tracks / track duration have been added
- you get points on a DAW leaderboard related to how fast you're progressing your track (adjusted for peer reviews, so that the quality matters, too),
- you get bonuses - e.g. unlocked new native devices or features - if you've improved significantly in one or more of metrices,
- you die (project is getting deleted) if it's not finished in given time

Actually if that kind of "game" would exist, it'd be a really good idea. Not for real work but honing your skills etc.

[xbitz]

If you like:

• Endless menu diving
• Renaming every track 3 times (channel rack, mixer and arrangement)
• 20 Mouse clicks for actions that other DAWs do in 3 clicks
• Workarounds for almost everything

Then FL Studio is the DAW for you.

I wouldn't go THAT far, because v20 indeed tried to make the workflow closer to "regular" DAWs with actual connection between pattern, playlist and mixer (which does take care of synchronised naming & colouring BTW). But I gave it a spin yesterday and still:

• don't really like the GUI - it's still a mix of new (very nice!) and old (childish)
• I don't like that I can't (easily, at least) have screen elements set in panels, instead of separate floating windows
• it's annoying to have 500 tracks & mixer channels open for an Empty project
• I can see the appeal of famous paint/brush tool, but it can't do nothing else - I have to change tools all the time to do other things and I draw notes or patterns all the time by accident; also, why can't I drag left edge of the note to extend or shorten it?
• I really, REALLY dislike the Pattern window with the 909 buttons; I wish it could be supressed to never have to see it... Same with most of the icons and graphs up top - they look like from 15 years ago
• menus, upon menus, upon menus - yes, I think FL even beats Cubase in that regard, which in itself is a feat!

But, I do realise that probably most of it is me not being familiar with shortcuts and general paradigm of FL and after few days I could probably feel at home. It does feel very snappy & light, just like Reaper or Studio One. And it seems very customisable. Not to mention the EUR399 price for the all-plugins edition seems like a much better deal than Live 10 Suite.

It's grown to be an awesome DAW I reckon, just not for me

then ... FL Studio workflow 101

- look of the GUI ... also don't like it
- the workaround is on one monitor leaving one-two pixel on the left side so the mixer so it can be reached with a simple mouse moving, there is no folding in its PR so it needs space anyway I wouldn't use it docked ... so the only issue is how can be the mixer is reached easiest
- 500 track, FL can use multiple arrangement view per project at the same time so it's more practical this way anyway
- tools/menus, shortkeys and context menus...it's not a problem
- 909 buttons, can be disabled
- left resizing can be enabled

basic workflow, all the instrument groups should use new channel filter (otherwise the channel rack will be completely messy) instruments go the Patcher fxes go to mixer(in Patcher there is no fx soloing, dry/wet balancing, fx plugins can't be disabled etc. so putting them into Patcher isn't practical) audios can be dropped directly to the arranger/track headers then gonna get dedicated mixer inserts



the biggest advantages of it compared to Bitwig the MIDI orchestration support through a third-party BRSO Articulate plugin (no mac edition)



ps. automation can't be demoed in 3 minutes it's too sophisticated in FL so

[starflakeprj]

Even though FL Studio has a terrible workflow, most of the DAW tutorials on YouTube are about FL Studio. I only, more or less, use FL Studio for the ZGameEditor Visualizer. Since I have a license I must use it for something, right?

[xbitz]

^^^ I use it for retrospective recording

from Bitwig