FL Studio 2024 (nee FL Studio 21.3)

[lobanov]

Plus I-L release new plugins from time to time, which are separate purchases (even the "All Plugins" version of FL only includes the plugins available at the time of purchase).

Really? I've got all new plugins. I own "FLS All plugins" edition for more than 2 years. Or 3 years? I can't recall.

[Teksonik]

And how many customers does in fact need more than 125 strips?

I don't know but they've been very vocal over the years. It's not important to you or me because we don't need more than 125. But if we did we'd think it was a pretty important feature.

That's just a tiny fraction. And so the devs had simply other priorities first. And this is not different with other DAW's.

How many existing users asked for a bog standard synth with a postage stamp sized GUI? (Kepler Exo). But they added one because it's designed to attract new users while existing users are ignored because one brings in new money and the others don't. That's just business but it can not be defended on any other level than business.

IL will do what they want. If it just happens to please some existing users then that's a bonus but not a priority.

The good news is, they are in fact now at the new mixer. But development takes its time. And so we might want to wait yet another few years. For me that's fine.

All development takes time, even features you don't want. That's fine for you or me because we don't need more mixer strips but for those who do it will remain a frustration and a limitation not found in other DAWs.

In the end you have a job to do, i understand completely your point. So i cross my fingers for you that the grass is really greener at the other side

I take no pleasure in having to look for another DAW but really I've just had enough of the MIDI flaw in FL and yes so far the grass is much greener on the other side in regards to the MIDI issue.

[Dionysos]

How many existing users asked for a bog standard synth with a postage stamp sized GUI? (Kepler Exo). But they added one because it's designed to attract new users while existing users are ignored because one brings in new money and the others don't.

All I'm hearing you say is "I think that my feature requests are representative of all other existing users, so if they don't address them first, it can only be because they don't care about existing users."

The logical fallacy should be fairly obvious.

IL will do what they want. If it just happens to please some existing users then that's a bonus but not a priority.

That's just an outsider's interpretation, you don't know what happens for what reasons. But since you were an alpha tester you should know that IL has developers who only work on plugins, while others only work on the core DAW. Apply a bit of Occam's Razor and you'll arrive at more likely reasons why new effects and synths are developed in addition to core changes.

And this is not exclusive to IL by far. Paid-for updates for many other DAWs regularly include new effects and instruments that "no one asked for", because they know that they strengthen the product's value proposition for everyone.

The limited number of mixer tracks is a weird example because it is being addressed right now. It's taking time, because it's complicated.

I get that you're not happy with IL's priorities, but the assumption that any of your pet feature requests would have been implemented sooner or at all, if only IL charged for updates, is pure speculation.

I've moved on from FL myself because I don't like the direction it's heading. But I don't blame their business model.

[Teksonik]

All I'm hearing you say is.....

All I'm hearing you say is exactly the point I've been trying to make:

I've moved on from FL myself because I don't like the direction it's heading.

I don't like the direction it's heading either and yes I do blame their business model for that because they have no financial incentive to serve existing customers, only to attract new users to keep a cash flow going. What other DAWs do or don't do is totally irrelevant to the discussion.

I'd be more than happy to pay for updates if they contained something I want or need but again free updates that contain nothing that a user wants or needs have no value. We're just on an Uber ride where we are forced to go where the driver wants rather than where we would like to end up.

At any rate we've both moved on from FL Studio so no point discussing it any further. I hope you find an alternative to FLS that pleases you as much as the alternative I have found pleases me.

Have a nice day......

[Tiles]

Well, all i can say is that i am happy with all the changes over the years. So for me it heads into the right direction. A bit slow here and there, no question. But the price versus the features that i get is unbeatable. I cannot afford a Cubase or Ableton update every one or two years. And i get my job done. And this is what counts

Just imagine where FL came from. It was for many years a toy, not this far away from a tracker ...