e.g. Mine are Harmless because of how it handles harmonics (it's an additive synth disguised as a subtractive one) and 3x Osc (because despite how simple it looks, it's actually very powerful if you know what you're doing)
What about you guys?
This is a question for FL Studio users: what are your favourite stock plugins?
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- KVRist
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
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- KVRAF
- 2628 posts since 17 Apr, 2004
Favourites:
1) Harmor
2) Harmor
3) Harmor
Harmor is basically Harmless on steroids with all the bells and whistles and can do pretty much anything synth-wise except straight up FM. Crazy modulation options. The only other stock synth I use regularly is 3xOsc.
Most Used:
1) Harmor
2) Fruity Send
3) PanOMatic
I use PanOMatic for gain staging. It's otherwise pretty useless (you can do the same thing with automation in a few seconds).
Useful and fill a niche:
1) SliceX
2) Sakura
3) Patcher
All great at what they do, but hardly bread and butter stuff.
In general, the FX are decidedly meh/lacking in mojo. Fruity Limiter is great for sidechain but I rarely use it for anything else except a quick noise gate. There are far better options out there. No use for Newtone. Gross Beat isn't what I need in my arsenal. Much of the rest is bland/boring but mostly does a job. Some I've never, ever needed. The synths cover lots of ground, but also much of the same ground and that makes a lot of them pretty redundant. Sytrus is nice enough, I just don't like FM much and I suck at it (the two are of course related).
1) Harmor
2) Harmor
3) Harmor
Harmor is basically Harmless on steroids with all the bells and whistles and can do pretty much anything synth-wise except straight up FM. Crazy modulation options. The only other stock synth I use regularly is 3xOsc.
Most Used:
1) Harmor
2) Fruity Send
3) PanOMatic
I use PanOMatic for gain staging. It's otherwise pretty useless (you can do the same thing with automation in a few seconds).
Useful and fill a niche:
1) SliceX
2) Sakura
3) Patcher
All great at what they do, but hardly bread and butter stuff.
In general, the FX are decidedly meh/lacking in mojo. Fruity Limiter is great for sidechain but I rarely use it for anything else except a quick noise gate. There are far better options out there. No use for Newtone. Gross Beat isn't what I need in my arsenal. Much of the rest is bland/boring but mostly does a job. Some I've never, ever needed. The synths cover lots of ground, but also much of the same ground and that makes a lot of them pretty redundant. Sytrus is nice enough, I just don't like FM much and I suck at it (the two are of course related).
Voted KVR's resident drunk Robert Smith impersonator (thanks Frantz!)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Nice! (oh, steevm, I think I saw you on the FL forums, I'm joining soon!). anyway, yea Harmor is god (in FL Studio at least!)
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- KVRian
- 603 posts since 24 Feb, 2008 from Germany
Fruity Parametric EQ 2 
“The biggest crime of a musician is to play notes instead of making music.”
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Only the best EQ in FL!
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- KVRAF
- 2628 posts since 17 Apr, 2004
Indeed, though I've not been active there much recently. I'm online friends with a fair few of the oldtimers. Used to be a mod, but that was ages ago.Hipster Bales wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2026 3:14 pm Nice! (oh, steevm, I think I saw you on the FL forums, I'm joining soon!).
Voted KVR's resident drunk Robert Smith impersonator (thanks Frantz!)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Cool! I might leave the KVR forums (finding them a bit boring) and join the FL forums in a couple of months (need to prepare myself)sjm wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2026 4:39 pmIndeed, though I've not been active there much recently. I'm online friends with a fair few of the oldtimers. Used to be a mod, but that was ages ago.Hipster Bales wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2026 3:14 pm Nice! (oh, steevm, I think I saw you on the FL forums, I'm joining soon!).
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Nice! I haven't used those myself yet but I'll check them out when I have time
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- KVRist
- 75 posts since 28 Mar, 2025 from Coventry, England
As a guitarist I really like Plucked! Dead easy to use with no fuss. It can be cloned to create quirky stringed instruments and given a little time and patience elevated beyond its lofi scope.
My project plan for this month is to combine and merge acoustic guitar recordings with Plucked! (and Sakura). See what develops
My project plan for this month is to combine and merge acoustic guitar recordings with Plucked! (and Sakura). See what develops
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Nice! Good plugins if you want acoustic guitars.Ciderwell wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2026 9:50 am As a guitarist I really like Plucked! Dead easy to use with no fuss. It can be cloned to create quirky stringed instruments and given a little time and patience elevated beyond its lofi scope.
My project plan for this month is to combine and merge acoustic guitar recordings with Plucked! (and Sakura). See what develops
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- KVRist
- 75 posts since 28 Mar, 2025 from Coventry, England
Not really. Something graphical and electronic. A much better sounding guitar for synthwave, for example.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Oh, I thought Plucked! sounded acoustic? anyway I open it up and yea, it sounds more electronic.Ciderwell wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2026 4:38 pmNot really. Something graphical and electronic. A much better sounding guitar for synthwave, for example.
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- KVRist
- 75 posts since 28 Mar, 2025 from Coventry, England
Actually, if you're really clever at that sort of thing then yes, Plucked! could be made to sound just like an acoustic, maybe. Sukura on the other hand would be much easier as there are more parameters and controls.
I like the idea of taking an analogue sound like an acoustic guitar piece and processing it to sound more electronic. It preserves the recording performance (un-quantized) with all the nuances difficult to get with just a mouse in the Piano Roll.
Not the first time I've tried this either and never with much success. But was watching someone in their studio on youtube demonstrate something very similar. They spoke about drawing all the life from the analogue recording; the digital processing. Then giving it room to breathe thereby putting the life back into it.
This to me was like philosophy. I could understand the terminology, giving me the inspiration to try again.
Churchill once said that success is going from failure to failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm! That's Churchill the politician by the way, not Churchill the creepy cat from Pet Sematary
I like the idea of taking an analogue sound like an acoustic guitar piece and processing it to sound more electronic. It preserves the recording performance (un-quantized) with all the nuances difficult to get with just a mouse in the Piano Roll.
Not the first time I've tried this either and never with much success. But was watching someone in their studio on youtube demonstrate something very similar. They spoke about drawing all the life from the analogue recording; the digital processing. Then giving it room to breathe thereby putting the life back into it.
This to me was like philosophy. I could understand the terminology, giving me the inspiration to try again.
Churchill once said that success is going from failure to failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm! That's Churchill the politician by the way, not Churchill the creepy cat from Pet Sematary
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 430 posts since 14 Jan, 2026 from United Kingdom
Just put out a new song:
https://soundcloud.com/hipster-bales/hi ... s-heatwave
You can watch the video on YouTube as well.
https://soundcloud.com/hipster-bales/hi ... s-heatwave
You can watch the video on YouTube as well.