FL Studio 21 officially released

[miguelc0000]

true.. yet... i have been waiting almost 20 year for (legally) change my fl studio skin...
lets see if they really allow to add images so we can costumize fully fl studio..
actually they allow colour change, but not set images.. so it is limited.. but.. for the first time... legal themes.

i know you all have your own costumized skin for years!!! xD now its.. half legit

[Igro]

It's same old pattern based FL.

Honestly, I don't even use this pattern window on the left. If you want to make a midi clip different from the other midi clips on the same track, then you just right click on the clip and choose "make this clip unique" and add additional drawings there without affecting other clips. I know it is not exactly how others DAW work, but it is very close. I myself new to this workflow, but I was tired from Studio One's half baked paid upgrades. For me it seemed that S1 developers were lacking some passion to their own DAW, unlike FL studio guys. Just look at the implementation of the patcher in FL studio comparing to S1's splitter.

[Trancit]

...and choose "make this clip unique" and add additional drawings there without affecting other clips. I know it is not exactly how others DAW work, but it is very close. ...

No, sadly it´s absolutely not and it stands in the way of many things...
For people not really using the advantages of real patterns (not something purely name abusing like Presonus did) it´s nothing but annoying, cumbersome and just makes everything more difficult!

[MirkoVanHauten]

In the end it doesn't matter if other DAWs work like that. It's a selling point of FL, it works great. That's the point of different DAWs existing at all. No need to turn FL into something that's not meant to be, something that can be replaced with any other DAW.

[Igro]

...and choose "make this clip unique" and add additional drawings there without affecting other clips. I know it is not exactly how others DAW work, but it is very close. ...

No, sadly it´s absolutely not and it stands in the way of many things...
For people not really using the advantages of real patterns (not something purely name abusing like Presonus did) it´s nothing but annoying, cumbersome and just makes everything more difficult!

I agree, it is not user friendly for the users that came to FL from the other DAWs (myself included). And I hope that at some point FL would bring that change. For the users that switched to FL from a standard workflow DAW, the whole pattern paradigm is an additional burden they have to live with.

[MadDogE134]

hype never matches up to reality hence why people are always disappointed. i am content with the improvements... far better than the 18 years i have had it. it is still bassackwards to everything but i reckon that is some of it's allure... it's the nerd's DAW lol but with the additions it is not such an eye sore anymore and the new verb is sweet imo. as for the version upgrade... like it or not... you can't beat the price with a stick.

[Trancit]

In the end it doesn't matter if other DAWs work like that. It's a selling point of FL, it works great. That's the point of different DAWs existing at all. No need to turn FL into something that's not meant to be, something that can be replaced with any other DAW.

Is it really???

Or is it just something most people who love just the general features have to deal with because this decision was made back in the days...

I can just tell you I am doing online 1:1 courses for quite some time now and NOT ANYBODY ... not a single user did use patterns in just the slightest way... they just abuse them (or at least try to) as normal midi clips and have to live with the restrictions they dictate...

I can not remember having seen any YT tutorial on FLS using patterns as patterns apart from initially perhaps laying some drums down and then split them by channel...
...after this initial drum sequencing I never have seen anybody using patterns in just the slightest way...

From my experience there is a hardcore "FLS pattern gang" (supported of course by IL as they are caught in this trap) wanting to make everybody believe that would be the most used and most wanted feature... but as I said... in reality I rarely to never see people touching it the slightest bit but struggling a lot with it´s limitations and fussiness...

Just go through the demo tracks IL provide themselves and have a look how many actually are making use of real patterns... at max for the drums but this could be solved differently...
What people like using is the linked copy feature Patterns automatically provide but this isn´t actually something you need patterns for like Cubase and others already have shown...

I would really like to investigate in the real numbers how many users of FL Studio are really using patterns as patterns and not just as a midi clip ...
I bet: perhaps 5-10% (if not much less) are really the "pattern guys" while the rest is just suffering under this (bad) decision...

Another good hint: How many pattern based DAWs which were on the market in the last 20 years have survived apart from FL Studio (and Tracker apart)??

Not a single one!!

Quite a good proof that patterns cannot really be popular and a good proof that people do like other stuff in FLS but not necessarily patterns...

So I state the oppsite: Image Line have survived despite being Pattern based but I am very sure not because of them!

[Trancit]

I agree, it is not user friendly for the users that came to FL from the other DAWs (myself included). And I hope that at some point FL would bring that change. For the users that switched to FL from a standard workflow DAW, the whole pattern paradigm is an additional burden they have to live with.

From what I have seen it´s not really related to people who come from other DAWs...

I have worked with many who never used something else than FL Studio but never using patterns as patterns but as midi clips...

The biggest difference is just that people who just used FLS do not know what they miss... they just take it as it is because of having no idea what´s possible without and how easy life could be!

Don´t get me wrong... I am a hardcore FLS user but I would pay even a thousand Euros without liftetime free upgrades if I would get a "Make unique - madness free" version!

[careyletendre]

Few people ever seem too impressed with DAW updates.

Because most people are on an endless treadmill of 'what-about-ism'; doomed to be forever disappointed with everything in life.

[memrise]

Wait, you're right, I've never used patterns as actual patterns either. Sure, I would start off in the channel rack and build, but eventually I would always split by channel and then go from there. And I started on FL Studio, too.

Anyway I've switched to Logic a long time ago, I may check out what's happening with FL every now and then, but you wont catch me routing channels to the mixer no more.

[apoclypse]

...and choose "make this clip unique" and add additional drawings there without affecting other clips. I know it is not exactly how others DAW work, but it is very close. ...

No, sadly it´s absolutely not and it stands in the way of many things...
For people not really using the advantages of real patterns (not something purely name abusing like Presonus did) it´s nothing but annoying, cumbersome and just makes everything more difficult!

I agree, it is not user friendly for the users that came to FL from the other DAWs (myself included). And I hope that at some point FL would bring that change. For the users that switched to FL from a standard workflow DAW, the whole pattern paradigm is an additional burden they have to live with.

I mean why switch to FL Studio then? It's not like people don't know what the program is about. It makes absolutely no sense to me to move to/buy FL Studio if you don't like/want to the workflow. I don't think it makes sense for FLStudio to give up their whole identity just to attract other DAW users. Especially when their current workflow is as popular as it is. I say this as someone who doesn't really jive with FL Studio (I'm a Logic/S1 user). But I understand that a lot of other people do and if Image Line change the very core of how the application works that could potentially alienate people who depend on it working a very specific way. Like if Logic completely changed overnight I'd be pissed (I was pissed when LPX first came out as it moved/changed a few things from LP9).

I can never understand why some people want everything to be like everything else.

[SantaClaus]

Interesting how different the perception of this update is...

I mean realtime fades/crossfades and a new browser are already huge parts and many companies would already have stopped here (hello Presonus and Steinberg.. )

Compare Studio One 4 (which came out in 2018) with Studio One 6.
Then do the same with FL Studio 20 versus FL Studio 21 and you'll see that Presonus provided way more features, which is understandable considering the price though.

[MadDogE134]

I can never understand why some people want everything to be like everything else.

they high nail gets the hammer lol

cheers

[Trancit]

Interesting how different the perception of this update is...

I mean realtime fades/crossfades and a new browser are already huge parts and many companies would already have stopped here (hello Presonus and Steinberg.. )

Compare Studio One 4 (which came out in 2018) with Studio One 6.
Then do the same with FL Studio 20 versus FL Studio 21 and you'll see that Presonus provided way more features, which is understandable considering the price though.

Sorry, but this is not true!!

If you compare 2 versions of S1 you have to take into account what IL updated in between with their point updates as IL doesn´t differentiate so much between major and point updates like Presonus...

So if you compare from FLS 20.1 to now V21 I wouldn´t be surprised if they are 2-3 times more changes that from S1 4.1 till V6...

Alone the upates from V20 up to V20.1 contained 60 changes to the programm and whopping 349 bugfixes!!
Splitted over 13 updates in a time span of 7 month counted from the release date of 20.0...
This is probably more than all S1 4.xx updates together... and on Studio One you would be lucky to get an update once in half a year
And to be honest V5 and V6 updates of S1 weren´t the most beloved ones by S1 users themselves!

[Trancit]

I mean why switch to FL Studio then? It's not like people don't know what the program is about. It makes absolutely no sense to me to move to/buy FL Studio if you don't like/want to the workflow. I don't think it makes sense for FLStudio to give up their whole identity just to attract other DAW users. Especially when their current workflow is as popular as it is. I say this as someone who doesn't really jive with FL Studio (I'm a Logic/S1 user). But I understand that a lot of other people do and if Image Line change the very core of how the application works that could potentially alienate people who depend on it working a very specific way. Like if Logic completely changed overnight I'd be pissed (I was pissed when LPX first came out as it moved/changed a few things from LP9).

I can never understand why some people want everything to be like everything else.

And this is the magic this programm has... It is and feels so great apart this pattern thingie that the people switch to it despite knowing having to squeeze a square pig through a round hole...

Nontheless they are not happy with the "Make unique" orgy and claiming about it...

And to be honest I cannot understand why so many people wanting to FLS not changing...

Despite to your Logic example IL never did absolute changes when it wasn´t absolutely necessary like getting rid of the silly old pattern blocks or the vectorial GUI changes of V12...

...i.e. the implementation of Instrument and Audio tracks was completely optional...
If you don´t want to use it... no problem... go the old way...
I like to add: But then stop whining that you cannot use all the other goodies linear workflow brings with it!

Next comes the double moral standard... blocking development for some silly color changes of the GUI so called "Theming" is completely fine and so much wished by the community...

"I need it so badly to get into the right mood... this is so great... I waited 20 years for that!!!
FLS was all the time so ugly... I never could stand this "greenish" colors..."

Seriously??
You did know the colors before... how can you switch to a DAW or choose a DAW if you cannot stand it´s GUI??

But most likely optional changes to this pattern workflow...

"Oh noooo... this turns FLS into any other DAW!!! It loses it´s soul!!! It´s completely fine how it is now!!! We don´t want another linear DAW clone...
If you don´t want to use patterns go and use something else!!"