FL Studio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
FL Studio  |
|
 FL Studio 7 |
|
| Developer: | Image-Line Software |
|---|---|
| Latest release: | 7.0.2 BETA / 23rd February 2007 |
| OS: | Microsoft Windows |
| Use: | Digital music workstation |
| License: | Proprietary |
| Website: | http://www.flstudio.com |
FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) is a digital audio workstation, programmed by Didier Dambrin (also known as 'Gol'), the creator of Image-Line Software. Music is created by recording and mixing audio and/or MIDI data together to create a song, which can then be saved to the program's native .FLP (Fruity Loops Project) format. Songs can be exported to a Microsoft WAV or MP3 file compatible with most media players.
FL Studio is a pattern-based music sequencer, which allows the artist to create songs in pieces (patterns) using the Step Sequencer and the Piano Roll view, then merge those pieces together using the Playlist window. The Effects Panel provides access to a wide range of software effects that can be automated for dynamic sweeps, rolling bass lines and texture changes.
The program is especially well known within the hobbyist music community as a relatively low-cost, user-friendly platform for the creation of hip hop, electronica and dance music, although the complete version contains a sufficient amount of features for handling the production of songs in many different genres.
Contents |
[edit] User Interface
The FL Studio user interface comprises 5 main screens:
- Step Sequencer - enables quick assembly of drum patterns and short melodic parts.
- Piano Roll - a two dimensional grid for composing purposes. The vertical axis represents pitch, and the horizontal axis represents time.
- Playlist - allows the arrangement of sets of patterns and audio files for assembling a complete song.
- Mixer - used for balancing audio levels, adding effects processors (VST plugins, etc.), and recording audio input.
- Sample Browser - allows for quick access of audio samples, plugins, presets, and other FL Studio song files (FLPs).
[edit] Features
FL Studio has become widely used by both amateur and professional musicians alike, because of its easy-to-use step sequencer and powerful piano roll editor, good monetary value, wide support of industry standards, extensive automation capabilities, and high-quality effects. One particularly alluring feature of (the online version of) FL Studio is the lifetime free update policy.
As of version 6.0, all of the mixer tracks can be used as Send tracks; multiple MIDI devices can be used.
Instrumental effects include reverb, chorus, flanger and the like. It uses internal 32 bit floating point audio mixing at sampling frequencies of up to 192kHz.
Due to widely variable Piano Roll techniques, drum sequences can be "sliced" and re-arranged to create breakbeat-style rhythms, as well as complex IDM and DnB patterns.
The standard version of FL Studio includes quite a number of generators (software synthesizers). Some of these must be purchased separately. Generally, these additional plugins are inexpensive. The "Producer Edition" includes a mixer and multi-track audio recording capabilities for sound hardware with ASIO drivers. The "FL Studio XXL" offer includes all optional components with a 40% price reduction. FL Studio uses its own extended internal plugin API but it can use VST, Buzz, ReWire and DirectX plugins via special adapter plugins, making it compatible with the vast majority of software synthesizers and effects processors. The demo version is fully functional, with the restriction of not being able to save projects for later work; it does, however allow projects to be exported to WAV or MP3 format. Also, not being able to access full versions of some plug-ins in the program is another restriction when using the demo product.
As of version 7, FL Studio now supports multithreading and multiple-core processors.
[edit] Included generators
- 3x OSC - a flexible 3 oscillator virtual analog synth with custom wave shapes, a tempo-synced AHDSR envelope and LFO for Volume, Filter, Resonance and Pitch, an LFO for panning and a pitched MIDI delay for unison effects.
- BeepMap - generates unusual sounds from Bitmap image files (.bmp files).
- BooBass - a realistic bass guitar simulation.
- Buzz Generator Adapter - used to run most Buzz plugins.
- Dashboard - customizable interface for controlling external MIDI hardware as well as controlling specific internal parameters.
- FL Slayer - an electric guitar simulator.
- FL Keys - a multi-sampled synth for various piano sounds.
- Keyboard controller - internal controller for pattern-based filter applications, trance gates, etc.
- Fruit Kick - for generating synthesized kick drum/bass sounds.
- Fruity Granulizer - for applying granular synthesis effects to a sample.
- Fruity Slicer - A tool which slices and enables the rearrangement of audio files with well-defined transients (akin to ReCycle).
- FPC - Software drum machine modeled after the Akai MPC series.
- WaveTraveller - spline-based playback of samples, useful for record-scratch effects.
- MIDI Out - provides MIDI control of external hardware.
- Plucked - a Karplus-Strong plucked string generator.
- Sampler - a simple but flexible sampler that has the same envelopes, LFOs, and MIDI delay as the 3x OSC described above.
[edit] Optional generators (require additional purchase)
- Sytrus - a powerful FM synthesizer featuring 6 customizable operators for FM, RM, VA and plucked-string synthesis, numerous multi-point, tempo-syncable envelopes and LFOs, 12 filter types & 3 waveshapers, a unique programmable unison mode, and an effects module consisting of chorus, 3 delay lines, and reverb.
- Toxic III - a powerful synthesizer that combines additive and subtractive synthesis, producing a "softer" or more ambient sound than Sytrus. Includes more than the standard number of waveforms, low, high and band-pass filters, and numerous programmable modulation windows.
- PoiZone - an easy to program synthesizer capable of producing a wide variety of trancy sounds
- Slayer II - a guitar simulation that improves upon the included FL Slayer (VSTi plugin by reFX)
- SimSynth Live - 3 oscillator MiniMoog simulation combined with Oberheim style SVF filters
- Wasp - a broad analog emulation synth with an aggressive distortion effect (after the EDP Wasp)
- Wasp XT - an updated version of Wasp
- DX10 - FM sound with a simple, intuitive interface
- Soundfont Player - gives the ability to load, play and render soundfonts (.sf2 files)
- DrumSynth Live - a complex drum synthesizer
- BeatSlicer - easily 'slice' any wav file (not only loops) into its specific parts and edit those slices
- EZ-Editor - An audio editing program (not needed if one has the Producer Edition)
- SimSynth Standalone - A free-standing program that is used to generate synth sounds in WAV or SYN (SymSynth native file format) format.
- DirectWave - A multisampler that can sample VSTi instruments directly
- Deckadance - A powerful DJing tool similar to Traktor DJ
[edit] FL Studio supported standards
[edit] Driver support
- ASIO driver (a generic driver ASIO4ALL is also included for cards without native ASIO support)
- DirectSound driver
[edit] Effects Plugins
- Buzz Effect Adapter - is a wrapper for Buzz effect machines. You can find a huge collection of Buzz machines at BuzzMachines.com
- EQUO - Equalizer that can be automated to morph different aspects sound
- Fruity 7 Band EQ - 7 band equalizer
- Fruity Big Clock - Displays songtime in various formats
- Fruity Balance - A stereo balance plugin to create a panning effect
- Fruity dB Meter - Shows the decibel level of sound sent to the dB Meters' specific FX track
- Fruity Bass Boost - Bass enhancing effect
- Fruity Center - Removes DC offset in real-time
- Fruity Delay - Adds delay (echo)
- Fruity Delay 2 - An enhanced version of Fruity Delay
- Fruity Delay Bank - Allows complex delay effects by having 8 identical banks in parallel where each bank can be fed to another
- Fruity Fast Dist - A simple distortion effect
- Fruity Blood Overdrive - A distortion effect suitable for guitar sounds
- Fruity Flangus - Allows you to enrich the stereo panorama of your mix, add complex flange effects and simulate unison mode synthesis via a set of controllable "stacked" flangers
- Fruity Formula Controller - Allows you to write a formula returning a value which is then used to control an internal parameter.
- Fruity HTML NoteBook - The same as the Fruity Notebook but with the ability to use HTML.
- Fruity LSD - Wraps the functionality of the DirectMusic software synthesizer to FL Studio and provides 16 MIDI instruments with an option to import DLS level 1 banks.
- Fruity Love Philter - A multi-mode, multilevel all-encompassing filter.
- Fruity NoteBook - An internal sctratchpad.
- Fruity PanOMatic - Pans and controls volume of sounds sent to its FX track.
- Fruity Parametric EQ - A parametric equalizer for sounds traveling through its FX track. Each band can act as high shelf, low shelf, peaking, band pass, notch, high pass or low pass filter. The plugin also contains global gain wheel to adjust the overall volume.
- Fruity Parametric EQ 2 - An expanded parametric equalizer with realtime visual spectrum feedback, as well as oversampling and a quick state recall function.
- Fruity Peak Controller - An internal controller which returns a value based on the peak level of sound sent to the controllers specific FX track. By default, it mutes the sound being sent to it. The returned value is used to control any internal parameter.
- Fruity Fast LP - A Low-pass filter
- Fruity Filter - A filter plugin with knobs to adjust the level of the cutoff frequency and resonance, with low pass, band pass, and high pass modes.
- Fruity Free Filter - A simple filter plugin
- Fruity Flanger - Applies flanging effect to audio
- Fruity Chorus - Creates chorus effect
- Fruity Scratcher - Simulates a turntable. Load a .wav file and play with it like it's a record.
- Fruity Send - Sends its input to one of the 4 send Mixer tracks. This allows you to include effects in the insert track after the signal is sent to a sent track
- Fruity Soft Clipper - Very similar to the compressor, except it is more CPU friendly.
- Fruity Spectroman - Monitors the spectrum of its specific FX track
- Fruity Stereo Enhancer - A filter and processor for sound being sent to the FX track
- Fruity Vocoder - Takes left and right channels of sound being sent to its specific FX track and combines them in such a way where one channel modulates the other.
- Fruity Wrapper - Brings compatibility with Steinberg's VST2/VSTi plugins and DXi2 plugins
- Fruity X-Y Controller - An internal controller using a coordinate plane to return an X value and Y value which can both be used to control any internal parameter.
- Fruity Mute - Automates mute
- Fruity Compressor - Scales the output volume, making quiet parts louder without causing loud parts to clip
- Fruity Multiband Compressor - A 3 band stereo compressor
- Fruity Phase Inverter - A simple legacy channel phase inverter
- Fruity Phaser - Creates effect similar to flanging, but with a wider 'sweep' effect
- Fruity Reverb - Simulates sound reflecting in enclosed space, creating a 'live' feel
- Fruity Reverb 2 - A more sophisticated version of Fruity Reverb
- Fruity Wave Shaper - A wave distortion effect which maps input to output values in a graph
- Fruity Squeeze - A distortion effect that adds a gritty feel to sounds such as drumloops
[edit] Editions of FL Studio
FL Studio is available in three editions, each one having a different set and amount of features.
- Express Edition - This is the smallest version, and with the most limited selection of features. It is meant to be used more as a drum machine rather than a full-fledged audio production program. This edition of FL Studio is available only for online download.
- Fruityloops Edition - This is the second version, and is meant to be an "entry level virtual studio", according to the Image-Line store. It is more or less a stripped down version of the Producer Edition. It is included with more plug-ins than Express, but not as many as the Producer Edition. This edition of FL Studio is available for online download or box-set purchase.
- Producer Edition - The highest, and fully-featured version. It includes the following features, Automation Clips, and an integrated wave editor (that has been replaced by Edison in version 7). This edition of FL Studio is available for online download or box-set purchase.
[edit] See also
- Image-Line
- Linux MultiMedia Studio - an open-source Linux alternative to FL Studio
- Steinberg Cubase - another popular Digital Audio Workstation
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
- FL Studio home page
- [http://http://www.fruityloopers.co.uk/ Fruityloopers home
- Feature Comparison of the different FL Studio editions available
- KVR User Reviews of FL Studio
- FLipside - FL Studio users forum
- SectionZ - FL users community founded in 1997 currently home to over 4000 FL Studio projects
- WarBeats.com - Free video tutorials instruction on FL Studio usage and general music production. Over 100 free FL Studio project files for study.
- FL Studio Tutorials - Providing community-driven tutorials and live online help for new artists.
- Fruity Loops Resource
- FL Studio Video Tutorials - Home of the alternative video tutorials for FL Studio.
