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Image-Line FL Studio 7 XXL £240
FL Studio is one of the few music applications you can just fire up and be productive with straight away, with an impressive level of flexibility and a whole lot of fun.
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct 2007, 12:05 pm UTC
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FL Studio remains an ideal choice both for those taking their first steps in computer-based music production and for more advanced users who require a powerful scratchpad. Sadly, though, there’s still a lot of work involved if you want to export a project to one of the mainstream DAW packages (Sonar, Cubase or Logic Pro). Support for the OMF Interchange format would be most welcome. FL Studio is still a PC-only product, though it does run well under Windows on the new Intel-based Apple systems (either inside Parallels Desktop or via Boot Camp). A native port to OS X would still please a lot of Mac users, however.
Verdict
The version 7 update certainly keeps FL Studio moving forward, and thanks to Image-Line’s free update policy, existing users will lap it up (if you’re a new user, we’d recommend the Producer Edition as the best value for money option). That said, although additional plug-ins are always welcome, we’d like to have seen a few more improvements to the core application itself. We were really hoping to see a revamp of FL Studio’s control surface support, for example, which now looks almost embarrassing in comparison to what’s offered in Propellerhead’s Reason.
If you’re happy using just a mouse and a computer keyboard, however, FL Studio remains one of the few music applications you can just fire up and be productive with straight away. The impressive level of flexibility on offer means that users are unlikely to outgrow the program in a hurry, and it certainly gives you one of the least intimidating ‘blank canvases’ you’ll find anywhere on the software market. Most of all, making music with FL Studio 7 is downright fun, which is exactly as it should be.
Verdict
It might not be revolutionary, but FL Studio 7 is a solid update that will please the software’s existing users and deserves to draw in a few new ones.
MusicRadar rating:
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User comments (5)
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this DAW is what I can afford and it blew my mind.
easy to use and I don't even know how to use it all over. I am just starting to produce music on computers and this has helped me do what I wanted so far. -
I use this DAW to get ideas down and working. It is great to layer to ideas together and the utilities in FL is amazing. It is easy to get a good sound quality to your compositions and would recommend anyone to try the demo version of this to see.
The plugins available to buy are interesting and Edison is great to record, slice, splice loops.
This is a must buy for anyone starting in Computer Music. -
I have FL Studio 6 Fruity Edition but I've demoed this version extensively.
My favourite upgrade is by far Edison. The MIDI clips addition is welcome and seems like it has potential but at the moment it doesn't seem very well-implimented to me.
I have a nice MIDI controller but it spends most of its time off because it's such a hassle assing knobs to things in every single project. The least it could do is remember mappings for controlling the mixer! I'm not sure about other programs, but I know Sonar 7 and Reason (since version 2) are MUCH better in this respect.
It's definitely easy for beginners to use but has a lot of hidden depth that often goes unnoticed, and although getting used to it is easy it takes time to really get the most out of it.
It's well priced and highly recommended. I'd say one should go for the best version you can afford. -
i meant five stars
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This is the software i use for making all my tracks. I find it very easy to use, but like has been said, the exporting process could be better.
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
New pattern clips feature. Supports dual-core CPUs. New integrated Edison sample editor. Great new effects plug-in.
Cons
Control surface support isn’t great. Painful export process. Mac version would be nice.
Verdict
It might not be revolutionary, but FL Studio 7 is a solid update that will please the software’s existing users and deserves to draw in a few new ones.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
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Specification
FL Studio 7 XXL
- Price:
- £240
- Description:
- Popular DAW for Windows.
- OS Requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP
- Platform:
- Microsoft Windows
- Processor Type Required:
- Athlon, Pentium III
andreweon
Wed 28 May 2008, 1:19 am UTC
User rating 4 of 5