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Additional Generators

As expected, several new Generators have been added. Slicex is a new sample/loop manipulation tool, like a super-advanced Fruity Slicer. It can load in two loops at once, and will automatically detect beats and slice them accordingly, for triggering by separate MIDI notes.

The amplitude, filter cutoff, playback speed and sample start position of every slice can each be assigned one of eight articulators, each of which offers a range of modulation options for manipulating said parameters.

A comprehensive wave editor section rounds things off, sharing much of FL's powerful Edison audio editor functionality. For non-XXL users, there's a new DirectWave Player plug-in that lacks in-depth editing capabilities but provides access to the DirectWave sample library.

There are three new effects, too. Wave Candy is a slick visual analyser, while Soundgoodizer is a very simple maximiser/enhancer and Fruity Limiter is, well, a limiter. The latter two are based on the significantly more complex Maximus plug-in, which is available separately.

The FL engine

The core application has been improved in virtually every area. For instance, the mouse wheel can now be used to select menu items and rearrange effects in a mixer channel. On an audio tip, sync interpolation can now be used in real-time, if the host system is fast enough.

The process of exporting individual tracks as WAVs for use in other production environments is still quite laborious, so we'd welcome improvements there. And while there is now the option to render with latency compensation, setting up plug-in delay compensation remains a manual affair.

Likewise, there's no freeze function, although the manual explains how to render one track to another to achieve the same result.

Summary

FL Studio will probably appeal most to those taking their first steps in computer music, although it's certainly flexible and powerful enough to be used by music producers at any level. It remains a PC-only product and, as such, it's still one of the best reasons to use Boot Camp on an Intel Mac.

Version 8 takes FL Studio from strength to strength. We're already wondering what Image-Line will come up with next.

Hear Slicex doing some filtering and crossfading:

slicex - filtering and crossfading.mp3

Soundgoodizer goes to work:

soundgoodizer-demo-A.mp3