Why is FL Studio so popular?

[Trancit]

I demoed recently ableton some hours and wow what a beast! I really love the fast workflow with samples and automations. This outshines fl studio a lot, the event editor in fl studio sucks. So i need more time with ableton cause i cannot say rhis or that finally. But the overall look is just ugly and you are making music yeah i know but something nicer to the eyes would be fine... also the chain of effects link is really great in ableton.
But for a piano roll user i just dont cot inspired by ableton.... i dunno why nothing comes close to fl studio in there.

I will test ableton more, it has such great automations, modulations and sample/sampling functioms which i miss in fl studio but yeah sadly the piano roll and its workflow didnt click.

I don´t want to stop your euphoria but once you used it a bit more intense and realised that the first emotions were perhaps a bit overdriven as something new is always more interesting at the beginning you´ll see that Ableton has got at least the good stuff/ bad stuff relationship than any other DAW out there...

- the plugin management does more than just sucking
- same for having to everything with just one browser...
- stupidness of not being able to select non-consecutive clips
- not being able to consolidate multiple clips into a single one...
- stupid autowarp behaviour for audio files where it doesn´t make any sense just because the algorhythm have identified some "transient" inside and have calculated an imginary tempo out of them... and million things more...

[Caine123]

I demoed recently ableton some hours and wow what a beast! I really love the fast workflow with samples and automations. This outshines fl studio a lot, the event editor in fl studio sucks. So i need more time with ableton cause i cannot say rhis or that finally. But the overall look is just ugly and you are making music yeah i know but something nicer to the eyes would be fine... also the chain of effects link is really great in ableton.
But for a piano roll user i just dont cot inspired by ableton.... i dunno why nothing comes close to fl studio in there.

I will test ableton more, it has such great automations, modulations and sample/sampling functioms which i miss in fl studio but yeah sadly the piano roll and its workflow didnt click.

I don´t want to stop your euphoria but once you used it a bit more intense and realised that the first emotions were perhaps a bit overdriven as something new is always more interesting at the beginning you´ll see that Ableton has got at least the good stuff/ bad stuff relationship than any other DAW out there...

- the plugin management does more than just sucking
- same for having to everything with just one browser...
- stupidness of not being able to select non-consecutive clips
- not being able to consolidate multiple clips into a single one...
- stupid autowarp behaviour for audio files where it doesn´t make any sense just because the algorhythm have identified some "transient" inside and have calculated an imginary tempo out of them... and million things more...

Thx a lot! Yeah im cautious with new purchases cause i got studio one 3 years ago and dont use it really... it was more stable but i just cannot get into it yet... it was just much faster and stable but fl studio upped it up.
After some youtube tutorials of sampling etc i just was again rethinking ableton
I might never change from fl studio. It just clicked and still clicks but yeah there is no one and only daw. I hope image line will improve some things and i would be more than happy. Especially still crash protection. But i recently saw the bitwig update which can open flp files... might be interesting! If bitwig can sample like ableton

[Trancit]

Then include all the people who have owned/used Live at one time. Live would be bigger.

This is not what I was talking about and that´s not possible and doesn´t make sense either

In actual use, Ableton Live is much bigger...

I would be very careful with this statement...
Don´t forget... this whole HipHop scene is really really huge ...and I mean huge... perhaps 10 times bigger than any other with all these hobbiest making beats...
Amongst them FL Studio was always the most popular DAW...

Probably we will never know the real numbers... but the biggest mistake one can make would be to underrate FLS...

[Trancit]

...But i recently saw the bitwig update which can open flp files... might be interesting! If bitwig can sample like ableton

If I would have a look around for a new DAW... my choice between those 2 would be definetely in favour of Bitwig... not at least for proper latency compensation which will most likely never improve further in Ableton and a more fresh concept including the ability not having to repeat errors Ableton as they know how it played out...

Ableton has still better stock plugins but in terms of sampling I cannot imagine a lot what Bitwig couldn´t do compared to Ableton...

[apoclypse]

Then include all the people who have owned/used Live at one time. Live would be bigger.

This is not what I was talking about and that´s not possible and doesn´t make sense either

In actual use, Ableton Live is much bigger...

I would be very careful with this statement...
Don´t forget... this whole HipHop scene is really really huge ...and I mean huge... perhaps 10 times bigger than any other with all these hobbiest making beats...
Amongst them FL Studio was always the most popular DAW...

Probably we will never know the real numbers... but the biggest mistake one can make would be to underrate FLS...

I don't know looking at Google trends and searches based on FLStudio and Ableton, Ableton has far more search requests than FLStudio by a significant margin. That doesn't necessarily mean more Ableton users but it does show that people are more interested in Ableton than FLStudio in general. I looked at the trend going over 5 years by region and world wide. Interestingly Logic Pro completely overshadowed both applications by a significant margin.

I think the biggest mistake one can make is to overestimate FLStudio's popularity based on very little data and making up stats and using conjecture to make up reasons (like because hip hop. What?!) why it's supposedly so popular.

[pdxindy]

Probably we will never know the real numbers... but the biggest mistake one can make would be to underrate FLS...

Accidentally blowing up my house would be a big mistake

[pdxindy]

I don't know looking at Google trends and searches based on FLStudio and Ableton, Ableton has far more search requests than FLStudio by a significant margin. That doesn't necessarily mean more Ableton users but it does show that people are more interested in Ableton than FLStudio in general. I looked at the trend going over 5 years. Interestingly Logic Pro completely overshadowed both applications by a significant margin.

I think the biggest mistake one can make is to overestimate FLStudio's popularity based on very little data and making up stats and using conjecture to make up reasons (like because hip hop. What?!) why it's supposedly so popular.

I think FL Studio popularity is something of an urban myth...

Google trends is one indicator. Also go look at midi controllers and various synth hardware. Basically every midi controller advertisement mentions working with Ableton Live. Many of them have specific Live integration. Even Presonus, with their own controllers for their DAW, add Live integration. Almost none of the marketing info for all the different controllers ever even mention FL Studio... let alone provide integration.

Same with various hardware manufacturers. For example Elektron and Overbridge. First DAW supported was Live, then IIRC, Logic.

[apoclypse]

I don't know looking at Google trends and searches based on FLStudio and Ableton, Ableton has far more search requests than FLStudio by a significant margin. That doesn't necessarily mean more Ableton users but it does show that people are more interested in Ableton than FLStudio in general. I looked at the trend going over 5 years. Interestingly Logic Pro completely overshadowed both applications by a significant margin.

I think the biggest mistake one can make is to overestimate FLStudio's popularity based on very little data and making up stats and using conjecture to make up reasons (like because hip hop. What?!) why it's supposedly so popular.

I think FL Studio popularity is something of an urban myth...

Google trends is one indicator. Also go look at midi controllers and various synth hardware. Basically every midi controller advertisement mentions working with Ableton Live. Many of them have specific Live integration. Even Presonus, with their own controllers for their DAW, add Live integration. Almost none of the marketing info for all the different controllers ever even mention FL Studio... let alone provide integration.

Same with various hardware manufacturers. For example Elektron and Overbridge. First DAW supported was Live, then IIRC, Logic.

The thing is when people are in it they are in it. What I mean by that is that if you are on a forum primarily about a niche (like KVR) and you get a whole bunch of people falling all over themselves over a specific piece of gear or software, then you assume that it must be popular (when in-fact it could just be a vocal few speaking LOUDLY).

[sjm]

When I search in Google trends, I get "FL Studio" outperforming both "Ableton Live" and "Logic Pro" by a factor of ~4:1 over the past 12 months. I get your results only if I misspell "FLStudio" like you did (without the space), so maybe that's the explanation?

[apoclypse]

When I search in Google trends, I get "FL Studio" outperforming both "Ableton Live" and "Logic Pro" by a factor of ~4:1 over the past 12 months. I get your results only if I misspell "FLStudio" like you did (without the space), so maybe that's the explanation?

Yep. I see the results you are seeing. So my bad on that one. It does seem there is a lot of interest for FL Studio overall. I stand corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.

[antic604]

When I search in Google trends, I get "FL Studio" outperforming both "Ableton Live" and "Logic Pro" by a factor of ~4:1 over the past 12 months. I get your results only if I misspell "FLStudio" like you did (without the space), so maybe that's the explanation?

I'm surprised people interested in FL know how to spell

[MrJubbly]

because lots of people use it.

not nearly as many as those who own it... since you own it for life whether you want to or not.

But even this rest makes perhaps still the biggest user base of any DAW out there...

Then include all the people who have owned/used Live at one time. Live would be bigger.

In actual use, Ableton Live is much bigger...

I seriously doubt that. From all available evidence: online search trends, social media activity, general word-of-mouth, percentage amount of YouTube content created for (and also the view counts) for each respective DAW's videos, etc, Ableton Live seems to be substantially less popular than FL Studio. A far distant second, perhaps? But more used than FL Studio? Highly doubtful.

[Trancit]

Glad to see I am not alone...

When I search in Google trends, I get "FL Studio" outperforming both "Ableton Live" and "Logic Pro" by a factor of ~4:1 over the past 12 months. I get your results only if I misspell "FLStudio" like you did (without the space), so maybe that's the explanation?

I'm surprised people interested in FL know how to spell

And dissing us doesn´t serve you either...

[xbitz]

...But i recently saw the bitwig update which can open flp files... might be interesting! If bitwig can sample like ableton

If I would have a look around for a new DAW... my choice between those 2 would be definetely in favour of Bitwig... not at least for proper latency compensation which will most likely never improve further in Ableton and a more fresh concept including the ability not having to repeat errors Ableton as they know how it played out...

Ableton has still better stock plugins but in terms of sampling I cannot imagine a lot what Bitwig couldn´t do compared to Ableton...

instrument and preset morphing can be handled in Bitwig very nicely with XY Instrument/fx wrappers and modulators

Bitwig is very strong in this area, there are many topics that compare the diff systems I wouldn't start it, just mention these wrappers because they are powerful and unique ones and fun

[syntonica]

because lots of people use it.

not nearly as many as those who own it... since you own it for life whether you want to or not.

But... but... Piracy! I'm sure more people use it than actually own it.

And you make it sound like It Follows...