VERDICTFL Studio is a major DAW company. Although it had some initial difficulties, its new look and feel, updated suites of plugins and competitive pricing have allowed it to regain its permanent place in the top three most popular DAWs for professionals and beginners.

PROS

There are many packages to fit all budgets.

The workflow and arrangement are intuitive and quick.

This is one of the most beautiful piano rolls available.

CONS

The "All Plugins Bundle", which includes the most powerful plugins, is locked down

Although intuitive, the User Interface can be a bit overwhelming.

FL Studio Review - Is it worth the money?

FL Studio is the best-in class DAW. It features native plugins that are professional-grade and fully-featured. This DAW is great for both beginners and professionals. It offers all the same functionality as other DAWs, but has its own workflow.

The Features and Capabilities of the Xerox Corporation

This FL Studio review rates the DAW on six different criteria:

  1. Plugins
  2. Design
  3. Functionality
  4. Use it quickly
  5. Workflow
  6. Price

Stock Plugins & Sound Libraries (8.5/10)

FL Studio includes a variety of professional-grade synths. These synths include Harmor, PoiZone Sakura, Toxic Biohazard, Harmless, Sawer, Harmor and PoiZone. FL Studio's synths are unparalleled in quality and are widely regarded as the best synth VSTs on the market. They can create rich, immersive sounds right from the start.

The Hit Install Podcast

Sytrus is my personal favorite in the full-version synth bundle. It is a hybrid synthesizer that offers frequency modulation as well as ring modulation. Subtractive synthesis can also be used. It features 13 filters types, three independent filters and some presets and patches like the 'depth-charge preset.

FL Studio contains a variety of stock plugins that can be installed into any DAW.

It is a great option for beginners because of its intuitive workflow and native plugins.

This visual aspect can be seen in the plugin 'Fruity Reverb 2’. A glowing wire frame structure represents the room's shape and size. The user can also see the amount of reverb by seeing a dimming or strong glow surrounding the outer shape of the structure. You can also see the size and shape changes in the room as they are made by the sliders. Without having to think about numbers, you can add or remove walls and change the shape, height, width, dimension, and size of the reverb. It is intuitive, to put it mildly.

Design/Interface (8/10).

The step sequencer is probably the most important feature in FL Studio.

The step sequencer is a'staple tool' within DAWs. Most users will recognize it. The step sequencer acts as a beat-grid, which allows any sound or sample to be placed onto the grid and triggered as part of a sequence.

The grid length can be as short or long as 64 steps. Samples can also be double-clicked in the step sequencer window to access the ADSR functionality (attack, decay sustain, release) of each sample. This opens up the possibility of time-stretching and pitch shifting, as well as reversing and other effects.

It is very visual and intuitive. The app itself is very focused on how its native plugins interact with the DAW. There are many native plugins.

FL Studio's visual nature allows you to use both your eyes and ears. If you are unsure about the sound of something you can use FL Studio to help you make the correct audible adjustments.

Functionality (8.5/10).

After creating a few beat patterns, the user can copy the pattern to the next sequencer window (from Pattern 1 to 2) without losing any of the steps.

This feature can be used to create a fluid beat progression that is easy to follow. You can also paint patterns directly onto the playlist, making it super simple and customizable.

The software also includes a playlist window. Any sound or sample can also be dragged directly to the playlist (just like the step sequencer), and placed anywhere on the timeline.

You can use the list of tools at the top of your playlist window, such as the slice tool, to cut up patterns, sounds, or samples into smaller pieces that you can use for differentiation or arrangement.

February 2021 FL Studio Update Notification

Image-Line now supports Apple Silicon M1 processors. Image-Line also offers 64-bit native macOS support. Producers can now use Audio Units PLUS FL Studio 20 will now fully support and display AU plugins along with VST plugins.

Easy of Use/Learning Curve (8/10).

It is normal to feel overwhelmed when opening a FL Studio project file. There are many features available to you. The linear aspect of sound creation and sample searching really shines in this DAW. Additionally, the full version includes a fully-produced track within a project file. This allows you to pick up an unfinished song to understand how it works.

FL Studio makes it easy to record instruments. It's very easy to create channels and sync them up with FL Studio once you know the audio interface.

Workflow (7.5/10).

The "copy to next" function allows users to create an interesting and fluid beat progression in no time. These features, combined with the ability of painting these patterns directly onto the playlist, make it a very easy and customizable workflow. The software also includes a playlist window.

Literally, any sample or sound can be dragged directly onto the playlist (the exact same thing as the step sequencer) to be placed anywhere on the timeline.

You can use the list of tools at the top of your playlist window, such as the slice tool, to cut up patterns, sounds, or samples into smaller pieces that you can use for differentiation or arrangement.

In the way that they interact with the end-user and audio clips, the tools at the top of the playlist almost behave like image editing software tools.

You can right-click on a step sequencer sample and it will be converted into a piano roll format. This allows for heavier drum hits, pitching and playing of sounds on the keyboard.

FL Studio iOS app allows you to save FL projects and transfer them between your iOS device and your computer. This means you can work from anywhere you are. The app also allows you to work with touch screens.

February 2021 FL Studio Update Notification

FL Studio has also added the ability to freeze midi clips and convert them to audio.

Price (8.5/10).

FL Studio currently comes in 4 pricing options. Each one-time payment is followed by a lifetime of upgrades. You only have to pay once, and each time the core software is updated, the new version will be yours for free.

You can purchase individual plugins on the Image-Line website. If you only need a few things, you can create your own bundle and pick what you want.

Is FL Studio 20 Right For You?

FL Studio is a major DAW company and has been for many years. Although it had its initial struggles, FL Studio has since regained its permanent place in the top three most popular DAWs for professionals and beginners.

FL Studio is a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to dive into the worlds of music production and recording.

Are you still unsure? Check out our guide to choosing the best DAW.