From A Small Seed…

I first downloaded FruityLoops (before Image Line was… encouraged to change its name by a certain breakfast cereal maker) in 1998, but finally paid for it in 2001. For over 20 years now, I’ve received every single update free, gratis and for nothing. Granted, I’ve paid for some plugins, and I upgraded from the basic Fruity edition to the Producer edition when that came out, but the core updates have always been free. Image Line isn’t alone in providing free lifetime updates, but must be in a very small list indeed, when it comes to offering this and being commercially viable for a quarter century and counting.

No Lemon!

FL Studio is often perceived as amateur by those who don’t know any better. The fact of the matter is that the software has been used to write countless hits, and the expanding stable of “power users” (Avici, Mike Oldfield, Deadmau5, Basshunter, etc.) is proof that the software is a hugely capable studio engine.

Looking at the profiles of the power users, you’ll notice that beatmakers, rappers, EDM artists make up the lion’s share. This is due in part to FL Studio’s genesis as a MIDI only beat pattern sequencer. 4 sample channels of sequencer (kick, snare, clap, hat) still greet you when you fire up the software today with the default project template. This gives backwards compatibility to projects created decades ago, but it also makes people dismiss the software as a toy.

The fact is that you can create entire songs in the pattern sequencer, but most people work with piano rolls, the part arranger, the mixer, etc. – just like they do in other DAWs. I’ve recorded and mixed 4 piece rock bands with the software, although admittedly it wouldn’t be my DAW of choice for this purpose. The software comes with a comprehensive set of effects and instruments (which vary depending on the version you own). If you opt for the producer edition, you have pretty much everything you could want. Of course 3rd party plugins in the popular formats are all supported.

Fresh Fruit

Key New Features:

  • Audio Clips – Integrated envelopes with fade in/out, precise level control and automated crossfades.
  • Themes – Hue, Contrast, Brightness, highlights, metering & step color control.
  • Browser – Upgraded browser with tagging, lightning fast search and online content discovery with download management.
  • Luxeverb (All Plugins Edition)- The most advanced reverb made exclusively for FL Studio.
  • Vintage phaser (Signature Bundle and up) – Meticulously modeled on the 80’s classic used on Oxygene by Jean-Michelle Jarre.
  • Multiband Delay (Producer Edition and up) – 16 frequency band delay with independent control. A truly unique sound design tool.  
  • VFX Sequencer (All Editions) – An advanced step sequencer to transform chords into melodic phrases.
  • Multi-language support – Spanish, German and French in addition to English and Chinese. 
  • And much more – See here for the full list. 

Orange You Gonna Grab A Deal?

Release Discount Offers (Ends 1st Jan 2023) – Start here

  • Existing Customers – It’s free! 
  • Upgrade customers – EOY Sale. Up to $100 off. Inc. Free bonus plugin and sample packs.
  • New Customers – EOY Sale. $50 off Producer Edition. $100 off All Plugins Edition. Inc. Free bonus plugins and sample packs.