This review of FL Studio 21 active studio monitors first appeared in Recording Magazine. I reprint it here with permission, and I encourage you to subscribe to that publication, as they are a stand up bunch of folk! PS: you may find affiliate links in this post and I may get a commission if you buy something. 🙂
A Fresh Perspective on Composing Tracks
The latest release of FL Studio, 21.2 from Belgian-based Image-Line Software, combines a beatmaker’s workstation, tape machine simplicity and a mixing platform. If you’re already familiar with FL Studio, you’ll find an enhanced experience with more resources than ever. If you’re coming to it from elsewhere, you’ll find a new paradigm that will cause new results.
First Time With FL
I was excited to give this review a whirl because I had never used FL Studio. I’m a sucker for a new DAW because new workflows lead to new ideas. Since I’ve known many recordists working with FL Studio throughout the years, this was an adventure I’d been waiting for.
Yes, there was a learning curve, but unlike many DAWs, it didn’t stop music from being made.
FL Studio 21 in a Nutshell
Since its introduction as Fruity Loops, FL Studio began life as a loop-based/beatmakers platform, arriving on the scene around the same time as MAGIX (then Sonic Foundry) ACID and three years before Ableton Live. Eventually, it evolved into the full-fledged DAW it is today.
One thing was always clear: its dedicated workflow could yield musical results often faster than a traditional linear sequencer. The latest version of FL Studio holds to that foundational paradigm. It is designed to be a pattern-based platform where you build musical and rhythmic patterns and arrange them on the timeline rather than hitting record and playing through (you can do that; it’s just that everything is recorded onto “patterns,” whether audio or MIDI).
Four Levels for Life
FL Studio has four price tiers, ranging from $99 to $499: Fruity, Producer, Signature and All Plugins Edition. Every purchase comes with free updates for life.
All versions come with FL Cloud “free user access” (more on FL Cloud below) and a one-month trial of FL Cloud Full Access.
Features gradually increase, and most involve capacity—the number of effects, audio editors, instruments and effects, and so on. Even the Fruity version comes with many native VST instruments, samples and plugins, enough to make full-fledged songs without wishing you had more. The main thing to know is that the Fruity level won’t let you record audio. That’s important if you want to sing, play an instrument, etc.
Latest and Greatest
The latest version of FL Studio comes with a barrage of new features, including new audio clip features, themes to change the look, an upgraded browser with faster access to sounds and samples, new effects plugins and multi-language support.
Some new plugins/updates include Kepler, an authentic Juno-6 emulation (Producer Edition and up). In Slicex, markers are added at the playback position. The volume of new Layer Channels is now set to 100%. Vintage Phaser gets new Engine, Drive, and Inv FB controls, and in ZGE Visualizer, the ImageMashup effect can now support up to 20 image sources.
The two most significant new features are FL Cloud and Stem Separation, both released with version 21.2.
FL Cloud
FL Cloud gives you access to an extensive sample library integrated directly into the DAW via the browser on the left—and it’s big. You get tons of royalty-free samples, exclusive artist sample packs for emulating some of the hottest names, AI mastering and distribution through DistroKid.
At $7.99/month or $79.99/year, it’s a pretty sweet deal for the value it adds, and once you download a sample, it’s yours to have and use forever, even if you don’t continue your membership.
Stem Separation
Possibly one of the most game-changing features to appear in a DAW in recent memory, stem separation is an AI tool that automagically separates 4 tracks (drums, bass, instruments, and vocals). Being a bit of a Luddite when it comes to AI, I almost didn’t even try this feature. Boy am I glad I did.
In one click, you can create those basic stems from any music track. The possible uses are endless: more control in mastering, removing vocals from mixes for sync licensing or karaoke, and separating tracks so you can improve old mixes or create new works are just a few. The tool isn’t perfect – occasionally it can leave something out or put bass on both instrument and bass tracks. This is far more likely if the mix is either weird or not well done. In almost all cases, though, it’s phenomenal at extracting vocals.
It also quickly occurred to me that I’d love it if it would do more than four tracks (after all, “instruments” means everything but drums and bass, and drums are really 4 to 8 elements), and maybe learn to separate effects. But the exciting thing is those kinds of improvements are inevitable. And any quirks that the tool has now will undoubtedly be taken advantage of as a creative tool. In fact, in 10 years, I bet version 1 of FL Studio Stem Separation will be a coveted vintage rarity. As it stands now, it’s a tool I plan on using a ton going forward.
21 In Action
As an old-school recordist, FL Studio wasn’t as intuitive to me at first as some other DAWs. Some DAWs emphasize old-school analog console/tape machine workflows, but FL Studio eschews that model. It always did, and that’s part of what’s so revolutionary—after all, it was a sequencer platform when computer-based digital audio was in its infancy.
I thought this would slow me down, and it did when it came to the mixer. It took me a while to figure out how to route audio properly, move mixer channels around and insert audio plugins. However, it should be noted that I eventually figured almost everything out without using a manual or tutorial videos.
Ok, it took one 10-minute intro video to get familiar with some of the basics to get up and running. Still, this says a lot about the usability of a piece of DAW software.
Where it didn’t slow me down was writing. I plan on using FL Studio to arrange and write beats and tracks from here forward. Here’s why: the pattern-based workflow lends itself perfectly to writing modularly—AKA out of order.
That’s one of the best songwriting and production hacks I know. Instead of slogging through, completing verse one before you can get to a chorus, doing another verse and another chorus before you can get a bridge, then deciding maybe things should go in reverse order, and so on, writing modularly means you can play a riff that sounds like a bridge and store that in a pattern. Then, build several different drum patterns and store them in patterns. Then…you get the drift.
When you’re ready to lay out the song, the interface is chock full of speedy ways to lay down patterns in the timeline. My favorite is the paintbrush. Hold down the left mouse button and drag, and you can copy a pattern for as many repetitions as you want lickety-split. Another convenient feature: simply right-click to remove a pattern from the timeline.
Editing patterns and fixing notes is also a breeze. I didn’t think it would be—I’m a diehard hater of piano rolls—but the FL Studio piano roll is convenient and easy to work with once you know the basic controls.
The Final Verdict
For me, FL Studio shines because it yields a creative modern sound and workflow with a great selection of samples and instruments.
If you’re struggling with sounding dated, adding FL Studio to your toolkit could be a smart move. Even if you still use another DAW for more traditional tracking and mixing, FL Studio is a great playmate. If you’ve always been with FL Studio, you’ll dig the additions you get free in 21.2, and if you still need to try FL Cloud, it’s well worth a look.
Overall, I found the platform is a joy to work with. FL Studio doesn’t work like any other DAW. It’s loop-based, but it’s not a live performance tool. It’s got a playlist, but it’s not a straightforward tape-style DAW. FL Studio is its own thing, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Price: $99-$499 for FL Studio 21, $7.99/month or $79.99 annually for FL Cloud
I’m a singer, songwriter, and producer who has made some songs on some software. Talk to me @RecordingLikeMacgyver and while you’re at it, grab your 10x My Tracks eBook to make your tracks better right now!