FL Studio 2024 as a taperecorder-like host app

[multree]

Not really a support request but a question nonetheless

I purchase FL Producer many years ago, then switched to mac and yesterday remembered that I bought it. I noticed that it's now mac compatible and has audio recording capabilities.

I mainly use the computer as a glorified tape machine. my songs are all live instruments and I record mostly linear... meaning from start to finish with little bits added here and there.

I'm thinking about trying this with FL 24 and it looks promising although still a little confusing at times. My question is, is anyone else using FL in a way like this, or are all FL users using the pattern way.

Screenshot 2024-07-04 at 11.37.45.png

so far it looks like multitrack recording is easily possible, not sure yet why there are like 500 insert tracks that I didn't create but I'm sure I'll get there....

[sjm]

It's a lot more viable with the audio tracks. Still a pain dealing with the consequences of how FL Studio treats audio recorded directly to the playlist though. Each take is its own channel in the rack, which has lots of downstream consequences if you ever want to make changes early in the chain (e.g. to change the volume of all your vocal takes that you've comped, you need to do it for each individual take). You can't simply extend a take to include the next bit of the following take, but need to deal with two separate audio clips. None of this is optimal from a workflow PoV.

There also have been lots of issues with dropped audio when loop recording to the playlist in the past - to the extent that it would be fixed, then break again, then be fixed. I don't know whether it's currently fixed or not. I record into Edison, which at least keeps everything in one file/channel/take but requires you to manually chop the audio and organise it in the playlist.

FL Studio is definitely not the DAW for traditional multitrack recording setups. If that were what I was doing, I would use another DAW.

Also, there aren't 500 inserts. The playlist lanes aren't inserts, those are in the mixer.

[donkey tugger]

Not really a support request but a question nonetheless

I purchase FL Producer many years ago, then switched to mac and yesterday remembered that I bought it. I noticed that it's now mac compatible and has audio recording capabilities.

I mainly use the computer as a glorified tape machine. my songs are all live instruments and I record mostly linear... meaning from start to finish with little bits added here and there.

I'm thinking about trying this with FL 24 and it looks promising although still a little confusing at times. My question is, is anyone else using FL in a way like this, or are all FL users using the pattern way.


Screenshot 2024-07-04 at 11.37.45.png

so far it looks like multitrack recording is easily possible, not sure yet why there are like 500 insert tracks that I didn't create but I'm sure I'll get there....

Now then!

I use a lot of guitars, bass, vocals, other audio etc, together with mostly sampled strings etc, and drums. It's perfectly capable in this regard these days as the audio handling has improved loads over the last few years (and is currently being improved further from the teaser updates on the forum..).

Never tried recording a lot of multitrack stuff at once (e.g a drumkit) but doing multi-miked/di acoustic guitar stuff, for example, is easy these days.

[donkey tugger]

It's a lot more viable with the audio tracks. Still a pain dealing with the consequences of how FL Studio treats audio recorded directly to the playlist though. Each take is its own channel in the rack, which has lots of downstream consequences if you ever want to make changes early in the chain (e.g. to change the volume of all your vocal takes that you've comped, you need to do it for each individual take). You can't simply extend a take to include the next bit of the following take, but need to deal with two separate audio clips. None of this is optimal from a workflow PoV.

Yeah, I think that could do with some work too!

[multree]

FL Studio is definitely not the DAW for traditional multitrack recording setups. If that were what I was doing, I would use another DAW.

my main DAW is Waveform free [formerly known as Tracktion] (which is great although I still think it deviated too much from the first version - which was almost perfect for my needs) but since I already own FL24 I thought I'd check it out to see if it's an alternative to be toying with

[multree]

Now then!

I use a lot of guitars, bass, vocals, other audio etc, together with mostly sampled strings etc, and drums. It's perfectly capable in this regard these days as the audio handling has improved loads over the last few years (and is currently being improved further from the teaser updates on the forum..).

Never tried recording a lot of multitrack stuff at once (e.g a drumkit) but doing multi-miked/di acoustic guitar stuff, for example, is easy these days.

cool.... well the multiest I'm capable of is four mics simultaneously anyway. but that sounds promising.

[multree]

It's a lot more viable with the audio tracks. Still a pain dealing with the consequences of how FL Studio treats audio recorded directly to the playlist though. Each take is its own channel in the rack, which has lots of downstream consequences if you ever want to make changes early in the chain (e.g. to change the volume of all your vocal takes that you've comped, you need to do it for each individual take). You can't simply extend a take to include the next bit of the following take, but need to deal with two separate audio clips. None of this is optimal from a workflow PoV.

see... I was hoping I could do away with the rack all together... I was planing on using it like I use waveform: mainly just the arrangement window and the mixer and be done with it.

There also have been lots of issues with dropped audio when loop recording to the playlist in the past - to the extent that it would be fixed, then break again, then be fixed. I don't know whether it's currently fixed or not. I record into Edison, which at least keeps everything in one file/channel/take but requires you to manually chop the audio and organise it in the playlist.

never used loop recording that often but it sure would be better without dropped audio I guess.

recording into Edison is something I tried when it first was released and never got my head around it. That's why I was delighted to see that I can record directly into the arrangement window.

[sjm]

If they could just make playlist recording record a single file that gets automatically chopped after you stop recording, it'd be a lot better. I've suggested this in the past - partly as a solution to the dropped audio which would always happen at the start of each new "take". But no luck. Being able to make the playlist lurid green and neon pink is more important than workflow improvements

If it were one file, you'd have one entry in the channel rack (that you can ignore), and you'd eliminate the need to use Edison and manually slice everything at the loop points in order to only have a single file. At the moment, you have to choose your compromises, because neither playlist recording nor recording into Edison are great workflows. It's very much a case of choosing the lesser evil - for me that's Edison, but I can absolutely understand why people don't like it. The idea that you need to use a separate plugin to do something so mundane as record audio into your DAW seems so bizarre, I really dunno why gol went this way. (Well I do, but let's keep this discussion civil )


The real benefit to me of using FL Studio is that the overheads of recording add a few seconds of unnecessary steps to each take, but the piano roll saves me hours when I'm programming drums or editing MIDI takes. So it's worth the trade-off for me. If you aren't using the piano roll, and are doing audio only, it's the wrong DAW for you.

[multree]

If you aren't using the piano roll, and are doing audio only, it's the wrong DAW for you.

I'm not using it much tbh, if at all. I have all my instruments outside of the computer. so maybe it's not for me... but... I already own it and am having fun right now.... I guess I'll try a project or two and then decide.

I just tried the AI mastering service.... and to be honest, it ain't that bad.

[multree]

Still a pain dealing with the consequences of how FL Studio treats audio recorded directly to the playlist though. Each take is its own channel in the rack, which has lots of downstream consequences if you ever want to make changes early in the chain (e.g. to change the volume of all your vocal takes that you've comped, you need to do it for each individual take). You can't simply extend a take to include the next bit of the following take, but need to deal with two separate audio clips.

not sure if I really understood this.... can't you just merge the audio clips (via Edit -> Merge Selected Clips)? this should result in a single rack entry (admittedly the originals will still be there as well, but you could delete them).

what I can't seem to work out is how to lock clips in place and how to use fades that aren't crossfades...

[sjm]

Still a pain dealing with the consequences of how FL Studio treats audio recorded directly to the playlist though. Each take is its own channel in the rack, which has lots of downstream consequences if you ever want to make changes early in the chain (e.g. to change the volume of all your vocal takes that you've comped, you need to do it for each individual take). You can't simply extend a take to include the next bit of the following take, but need to deal with two separate audio clips.

not sure if I really understood this.... can't you just merge the audio clips (via Edit -> Merge Selected Clips)? this should result in a single rack entry (admittedly the originals will still be there as well, but you could delete them).

You can, but then you're back to the aforementioned issue with Edison recording. Now you need to manually chop up the audio into the individual takes. In which case you might as well record into Edison in the first place, and save yourself the extra steps.

[Z3R0T0N1N]

[edit]I found the video -- hiding in plain sight, it was![/edit]


I do something similar using Edison.
You can put one on each input channel in the mixer, click the little clock symbol in the upper left, and arm all for record, with 'record on input' or 'play' or whatever. FL should be in song mode, and you should add some markers to the playlist at whatever spots you want. Put a blank pattern in as well, and drag it to the length you want to record.
It should record audio into all the edisons and you will get jump points in your audio whenever the playlist loops. So you could do 16 bars instead, or whatever.
Best of all, your audio recordings will be seamless, but you can jump to different sections.
Shit -- i am explaining this very badly, and I'm sure there's a video of how to do this, but I can't find it. I'll keep looking.
it's great though. I've used it as a multitrack looper in jam sessions (as long as you're jamming with people who don't mind using a MIDI sync haha)