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FL Studio 8
FL Studio is the most complete virtual studio currently available. It wil play any sample file (wav), generator (softsynth), VSTi & DXi) or midi instrument you feed it, it also comes with it's own generators (softsynths) and Effect (Filters). You will be creating wav, mp3 or midi songs or loops only minutes after launching it.
Image Line has released FL Studio 8, a complete music production environment.
Representing the culmination of more than 10 years of sustained development, FL Studio 8 is set to become the most flexible virtual music studio tool in the industry.
Chief Software Architect, Didier Dambrin has realized his vision of creating an open-architecture virtual studio environment where the only constraint on the users is their own imagination. This philosophy is reflected in FL Studio 8’s flexible audio and control data routing, free-form Playlist design and interoperability with industry standards (VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, Buzz, ReWire, MIDI, MP3, WAV, OGG). Didier notes ”We don't try to protect our data & come up with new formats only for marketing reasons. We use existing standards as much as possible, and allow FL Studio to be used as a plugin in other hosts“. In version 8, particular emphasis has been given to improved workflow through enhanced interface design, so that ideas can be crystallized and creativity captured.
FL Studio comes in multiple flavours :
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What is FL8?
FL Studio is a fully featured, open-architecture music creation and production environment for PC. No extra software is required* to produce any style of music, as the complete set of instrument and studio tools is included in the cost of the package. With the included plugins, sounds and tools the user can create complete songs, as well as backing tracks, loops and sizzling beats. Completed songs can be saved to WAV, MP3 or MIDI or .ZIP or native project formats (.FLP).
Instruments
Make virtually any sound. FL8 includes 13 virtual synthesizers covering acoustic/synthetic bass, electric guitar and plucked string simulation, sampler tools including piano, general sample playback, and beat-slicing, and a range of synthesis techniques (subtractive, modelling, FM, granular and additive).
With its newest addition, FL Synthmaker - a fully modular environment, you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code.
Audio Recording & Editing
Capture audio from a single vocalist right through to a full symphony orchestra. FL8 can record up to 64 simultaneous tracks of audio#. The Playlist workspace can contain an unlimited number of audio tracks and allows you to arrange discrete audio events in any order, and position the creative process dictates with complete flexibility. Audio tools allow the ability to time-stretch, pitch-shift, beat-slice, chop, edit and creatively destruct audio. FL8 has further enhanced its Edison Wave Editor, a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording and more…
FL Studio supports WAV, MP3 and OGG formats.
Sequencing
Record musical performances and ideas in the most logical way. FL8 functions as both a pattern and track based sequencer depending on user preferences. Tools include an unlimited track Step-sequencer, an industry-leading Piano Roll and Automation Clips. FL Studio supports MIDI and input from all standard Controllers.
FL8 is probably the fastest way from your brain to your speakers.
Arranging
Determine your own project design. In FL8, you decide how your project will be laid out. Unlike the competition, FL8's Playlist is a totally flexible and virtually unbounded space where Note Pattern, Audio and Automation data can be arranged, and edited to suit your creative ideas and workflow.
Mixing/Mastering
The most powerful mixer in its class. FL8 includes an industry-leading 64 stereo track mixer. Each track can include up to 8 effects and can also be routed to any of the other 64 tracks or one of 4 dedicated 'send' channels. The 44 included effects plugins span Maximizer, Limiter, Compression, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Filtering, Phasing, Flanging, Chorus, Vocoding and Reverb. These will take you from the creative broad-brush effects like reverb, through to the minutia of the mastering process with multiband compression/limiting and parametric EQ.
Key new features and changes
- First of all, FL Studio 8 is everything which is included in FL Studio 7 plus many, many more. Let's have a look at its key new features ...
- FL Synthmaker is a fully modular environment where you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code.
- One-click-recording using the built-in Edison Wave Editor, a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording and more…:
- Slicex, the power horse drumloop slicer & re-arranging tool.
- Soundgooodizer is a stereo 'maximizer-enhancer' plugin based on the Maximus sound processing engine. Soundgoodizer is shiny it’s good!
- Included Fruity Limiter/Maximizer for maximizing & compressing final mixes or individual tracks
- FL Studio can permanently learn and remember links to external controllers with the new ‘multilink’ function + 'Override generic links' option.
- Wave Candy is a flexible audio analysis and visualization tool with Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyser and Peak Meter.
- Sinc interpolation now faster (64point sinc now usable real-time depending on CPU)
- Rendering with latency compensation
- Score logger, records all MIDI & note activity for instant recall.
- Directwave Player, broaden your musical palette with downloadable sound banks and multi-sample sets.
- Recording filter, to select Audio, Automation or Note data recording independently or in any combination.
- New slip editing and resizing tool for Playlist clips
- Multi-core safe plugins are threaded for performance gain on multi-core CPUs.
- Introducing 'Selected mixer track' in Mixer, to which the selected mixer track is routed, and where to place visual effects or a recording Edison.
- FL8 now supports Track-based sequencing, Pattern Clips present sequence data as Audio and/or Automation Clips
- A 'News Panel', to keep users updated with content and patches.
Formats
FL8 will fit easily within your current workflow supporting VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, MP3, WAV, OGG, MIDI, ASIO, ASIO 2.
Additionally supported through DirectWave Editor – AKAI AKP (S5/6K,Z4,Z8), Battery (version 1), MPC, Reason, Kurzweil, EXS24, Kontakt (version 1 & 2), Recycle, SFZ+ and SoundFont2.
Feature Comparison
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FL Studio comes in multiple flavours : FL Studio XXL, FL Studio Producer Edition,FL Studio Fruityloops Edition. To see which features are included in each edition, refer to the table below.
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Instrument/Generator Plugins
Channels and Instruments/Generators: Each channel in FL Studio contains one instrument (generator). The generator is a sound generating sub-program such as a synthesizer or sampler, used to create the melody or percussion. FL Studio supports 3rd party plugin generators in VSTi and DXi format, and FL Studio’s own generator plugin format. FL Studio native generators are generally better integrated with the host, as ‘per note’ slides are possible.
3rd Party Instruments: FL Studio comes with a number of high-quality instruments so there is no need to purchase anything else in order to make professional quality tracks. However the internet is bursting with 3rd party plugins. FL studio supports a wide range of plugin standards so you will have no trouble finding compatible software.
BeepMap
BeepMap generates sound based on an image. Imagine a vertical line scanning an image from left to right translating (mapping) colors and brightness to frequencies, tone and volume. There you have BeepMap. BeepMap is especially good at producing atmospheric and eerie sounds, particularly when given generous amounts of ping-pong delay and reverb.
BeepMap, translates the red color into the amplitude of a sine wave on the left channel and green colors into a sine wave on the right channel. Yellow, a mixture of red and green will therefore sound equally on both channels.
The frequency of each sine wave depends on its vertical position in the bitmap. Optionally, the blue component is used to define the frequency range per pixel.
BooBass
BooBass is a monophonic, realistic bass generator with adjustable frequency response and supports portamento slides. If you are reading this section because you are having trouble understanding this plugin, we suspect your video recorder is flashing ‘12:00’; and you stop your alarm clock ringing in the morning by shutting it in a drawer!
Buzz Generator Adapter
Buzz Generator Adapter is a wrapper for Buzz generator machines. You can find a huge collection of Buzz machines at www.BuzzMachines.com. Be aware, however, that there are some buggy ones around, and the stability of your project may be compromised.
Chrome
Chrome Chrome is a visualisation plugin that allows you to trigger graphical events using the pianoroll, midi controller or automation clips. Before using chrome you may need to run the Programs > FL Studio > Advanced > Graphics tester, to see if your graphics card is Chrome compatible and unlock the plugin. This is done to avoid unexpected system instability.
Dashboard
Dashboard allows you to create software interfaces to your external MIDI hardware, such as keyboards, mixers, samplers, etc. Further, you can use the integrated automation system to record the changes as your song progresses, or set up interfaces that act as internal controllers to bring together the range of commonly tweaked knobs in one place. Dashboard includes several pre-made panels (presets) for popular MIDI devices you can use directly in your projects. You can customize the existing panels for your own use or create new ones from scratch. This way, you can adapt Dashboard for any MIDI device you own without using plugins dedicated to a specific hardware.
Direct Wave Sampler
DEMO ONLY: Direct Wave comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Direct Wave channels.
Direct Wave is a powerful and versatile sampler featuring a fully programmable synthesis section and features such as inbuilt FX, velocity-layering, looping, automatic sampling of VSTi plugins and the ability to 'sample' (record sound) when loaded into a mixer track on an effect slot.
FL Keys
FL Keys is a realistic piano simulator with optimized CPU and memory usage. This plugin plays back multi-samples and is in effect a specialized sampler designed for ‘keyboard’ instruments. With the help of several additional modules included in FL Studio, FL Keys can also operate as Rhodes & Roto Organ (Note: additional modules might be available from www.flstudio.com).
FL Slayer
FL Slayer is a realistic electric guitar simulation originally developed by reFX. It uses a hybrid synthesis similar to physical modelling. The simulator is equipped with a high quality amp section and effects rack enabling you to recreate the complete electric guitar sound without additional plugins.
FL Synthmaker
FL Synthmaker is a fully modular environment where you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code.
FPC
FPC (FL Pad Controller) is a software plugin similar to the hardware Akai MPC unit, coded & optimized for the FL Studio platform. FPC is a self-contained multi-layer/velocity drum machine that makes it easy to create, edit and swap drum kits on the fly. FPC supports 16 multi-layered patches for banks A and B.
Fruit Kick
Fruit Kick Fruit Kick is a simple kick drum synthesizer. A kick drum sound is synthesized by taking a simple waveform, sine wave, with a fast opening volume envelope and a quickly falling initial pitch. This generator allows you to tweak these parameters.
Fruity DrumSynth Live
DEMO ONLY: DrumSynth Live comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you could save projects containing DrumSynth Live channels.
Fruity DrumSynth Live is the FL Studio plugin version of the popular DrumSynth standalone created by Maxim Digital Audio. DrumSynth Live features simultaneous support for 120 real-time programmable drum patches, each assigned to a separate key (C0 to B9). You can morph dynamically from one drum patch to another - just select the patch to morph to and tweak the morph amount knob.
The sound is created by two noise generators, filtered by bandpass filters with an incredible range - you can set anything from single frequency (sine wave) to full white noise. The first oscillator can also act as swept frequency sine wave generator for creating kick drums and tom sounds. The second oscillator has more advanced envelope: adjustable attack length and envelope mapping shape (from logarithmic to linear), useful for snare drums and hi-hats. The envelope re-trigger controls allow for quick creation of clap sounds and can be also used for harder attack in the drum sounds.
Fruity DX10
DEMO ONLY: Fruity DX10 comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Fruity DX10 channels.
Fruity DX10 is 8-voice polyphonic FM synth (Frequency Modulation) and is designed for high quality (low aliasing) sound and low processor usage. This plugin is an enhanced version of Paul Kellett's DX10 FM synth.
FM synthesis involves modulating the pitch of one oscillator (waveform) with the pitch of another. If this is done quickly enough, rather than hearing a rising and falling pitch, you hear a new ‘tone’.
FM created a sensation in the mid 80’s when it enabled sounds like realistic bells, piano and acoustic bass to be synthesized for the first time.
Fruity Envelope Controller
The Envelope Controller allows you to trigger envelopes that may be linked to parameters in FL Studio.
Fruity Granulizer
Fruity Granulizer is a generator plugin that utilizes the granular synthesis technology. The source material for the Granulizer is a wave sample loaded by the user. Granular synths split a wave sample into many small pieces (‘grains’), which are then played back according to the settings of the generator. The length and spacing of the grains can also be altered to achieve different effects.
Granular synthesis can be used to stretch a wave without altering its pitch and vice versa. It can be used to create lots of complex special effects. Since all of the parameters are automatable, you can even start with normal playback and then ‘morph’ to some kind of effect.
Fruity Keyboard Controller
Fruity Keyboard Controller The Fruity Keyboard Controller is an automation control and makes no sound of its own. You can use this plugin to control knob and sliders through out FL Studio. This is achieved by mapping note pitch and velocity fed to the keyboard controller from the Piano roll or Step sequencer to any automatable parameter within FL Studio and 3rd party plugins.
For example, this plugin allows you to quickly implement Pattern Controlled Filtering (PCF), or accurate semitone-to-semitone slides for plugins which do not support natively such features (VSTi and DXi plugins).
Fruity Slicer
Fruity Slicer uses beat detection algorithms to slice up a wave file into pieces and make the slices accessible via the Piano Roll. If the loaded loop contains slices/regions these will be recognized and used rather than be autodetected.
Fruity Slicer offers playback and reordering of the individual slices and time-stretching capabilities optimized for drum loops. A video tutorial is also available on the FL Studio website.
Fruity Soundfont Player
DEMO ONLY: Fruity Soundfont Player comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Fruity Soundfont Player channels.
Fruity SoundFont Player is an advanced sampler which can load SoundFont2 instruments, drumkits, or collections. This plugin uses the LiveSynth SF2 rendering engine. SoundFonts are an excellent way of replicating acoustic instruments such as string or brass sections.
Fruity Vibrator
Fruity Vibrator adds vibes to your songs using any force feedback device present on your PC. The plugin loads & maps .ffe effect files across the keyboard, & plays them back (with velocity).Such .ffe effect files can be created using the Microsoft Force Editor tool (fedit.exe) that can be found in the latest DirectX Developer SDK.
Fruity Video Player
DEMO ONLY: The Fruity Video Player comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can view extended video clips.
Fruity Video Player allows you to open and play video files synchronized with your song. This is a very useful tool for those who are working on music soundtracks that need to be scored in time with video events.
Keep in mind that FL Studio is not a video rendering package so it will not export the video footage, the Fruity Video Player plugin can only be used to view videos and to rip audio from videos into FL. The audio is streamed into FL Studio like any other audio plugin, however to achieve best synchronization and quality for exported audio tracks, it is highly recommended to export the audio as wave file and use it like a regular audio track inside FL Studio.
Fruity Wrapper
Fruity Wrapper - All instruments (including FX), native and 3rd party, are ‘interfaced’ to FL Studio through the Fruity Wrapper. The wrapper brings compatibility with the VST and DX standards for plugins (the screenshot above demonstrates the Fruity Wrapper hosting a somewhat truncated reFX Vanguard VSTi plugin). For more information on plugins formats, click here. For more information on installing and using 3rd party VST/DX plugins, click here.
Layer
The Layer channel does not produce any sound by itself - it is instead used to control a set of other layers.
Playing a note on a Layer channel results in playing the same note on all children of that channel. This allows you to create complex instruments with different samples and envelopes assigned to key regions, or mix the sound of several generators in one instrument controlled by a single Layer channel.
Child of a Layer channel can be any sampler channel, as well any Fruity Plugin generator, or VSTi/DXi generator, except another Layer channel.
MIDI Out
MIDI Out allows you to control MIDI hardware and or VST plugins with eight pages x nine freely assignable controllers. The MIDI out plugin acts as a MIDI controller sending standard MIDI messages to plugins/instruments on the same MIDI Port number as shown in the top right corner of the MIDI Out plugin and the target plugin (if inside FL) or in the settings of the external hardware.
To link the MIDI Out plugin to target software/hardware, simply match the MIDI port numbers in the MIDI Out and the target device. The ‘Channel’ setting allows independent (multitimbral) data to be transferred. For example, an external multitimbral instrument may be set to connect on port 2, play drum sounds on channel 10 (driven from the Piano roll) and strings on channel 2 (driven from another Piano roll). Controllers on the target plugin/hardware, such as mod wheels etc, have MIDI CC (control change) numbers assigned to them that act as ‘addresses’ for knobs/controls on the target plugin/hardware. You will need to consult the third party documentation to learn these CC numbers.
Plucked!
Plucked! is an example of a physical modelling synth, where mathematical formula are used to simulate real sound producing objects, like a plucked string, for example. Plucked implements a ‘Karplus-Strong’ plucked string model. The curious are invited to search for Karplus-Strong modelling on Google - however, be prepared for some Math :)
ReWired
ReWired allows you to host any compatible ReWire device in FL Studio, including sample accurate streaming audio input, synchronized transport/playback controls and MIDI data receive/transmit.
Sampler
The Sampler uses a wave sample to generate its sound. It contains 4 real-time envelopes and 5 LFOs for controlling volume, panning, pitch, cutoff and resonance of the output.
SimSynth Live
DEMO ONLY: SimSynth Live comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing SimSynth Live channels.
SimSynth Live is the FL Studio plugin version of the widely popular SimSynth standalone created by David Billen.
SimSynth Live is modelled after the classic analogue synthesizers of the 80's and is capable of producing a wide range of instruments and effects: from strings and pads to deep bass lines.
The sound is created by three oscillators, filtered by a SVF section (State Variable Filter) and amplified by an ADSR envelope. The unit includes a programmable LFO section that can control some of the parameters in the oscillator and SVF sections. Finally you can filter the sound with a chorus effect to widen the stereo panorama of the patch.
Sytrus
DEMO ONLY: Sytrus comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately so you can save projects containing Sytrus channels.
Sytrus is a powerful and versatile synthesizer featuring six customizable operators for FM (Frequency Modulation) and RM (Ring Modulation) synthesis, plucked string synthesis, 3 filter modules, an effects module with chorus, three delay lines and unique programmable unison mode.
The rich implementation characteristics of Sytrus allow for an extremely wide range of sounds, including bass lines, bells, pads, drums, pianos, strings, organs and even entire drum and synth loops (in a single patch/note), made possible by the completely customizable envelopes supported by each module.
TS404
TS404 is unique bass-line synthesizer that can resemble the sound of many classic synthesizers, such as TB-303, but can also create many distinctive, TS404-specific sounds as well. Contains two oscillators, cut/res filter, envelope, LFO and a distortion unit.
Wasp
DEMO ONLY: Wasp comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately in order to save projects containing Wasp channels.
Wasp is a 3-oscillator synth with 2 LFO's and 2 ADSR envelopes, a ring modulator, FM, PWM and a distortion unit. There is an updated version of the Wasp plugin Wasp XT with more modulation parameters.
Wasp XT
DEMO ONLY: Wasp XT comes as a demo version in FL Studio and needs to be purchased separately in order to save projects containing Wasp XT channels.
Wasp XT is a 3-oscillator synth with two LFOs, two ADSR envelopes, a ring modulator, FM, PWM and a distortion unit. Wasp XT is an update of the Wasp plugin.
Wave Traveller
Wave Traveller is an accurate vinyl scratch simulator and sample-playback manipulator.
Instead of trying to recreate the effect by operating in realtime on a virtual turntable, like with the Scratcher plugin, here you can assign a scratch "phrase" to each note by drawing and fine tuning special "path" splines the generator follows to recreate the effect.You have a complete freedom on the spline forms, wave range and speed.
Automation Clips
Automation clips are a type of Generator loaded into a Channel and displayed in the Lower Playlist window. Automation Clips are the perfect way to automate parameters using a visual graph interface.
Audio Clip
The Audio Clip channel is a special version of the Sampler channels. Some Sampler options are not available to Audio Clip channels (such as loop points, envelopes etc.).
Although you can play the sample in the Step Sequencer or the Piano Roll, the Audio Clip's main purpose is to feed the audio tracks in the Playlist window where you can perform advanced operations such as slicing the audio and rearranging the slices to your preferences.
Each time you drop a new sample in the audio tracks, a new Audio Clip channel is created, and each sample placed in an Audio Clip channel becomes available in the audio trac
3xOSC
3xOsc is a 3-oscillator, subtractive synthesizer feeding the FL Studio Sampler. Its purpose is to generate a bright sound to be filtered by the channel's instrument tools. It can also produce its own kind of stereo phasing.
To save CPU and memory, the oscillators are anti-aliased during rendering only. This means the rendered tracks may sound better, but rendering will be slower.
EFFECTS
EQUO - Morphing Graphic Equalizer
EQUO is an advanced morphing graphic equalizer plugin. EQUO is particularly suited to live or automated tweaking during a performance. The main display contains both the EQ (VOL) and EQ (PAN) controls so that sounds can not only be shaped according to frequency content, but panning can be applied on specific frequency basis. Further, One Master EQ shape and then a further 8 separate EQ/PAN shapes may be set and then these EQ shapes can be smoothly morphed using the Morph knob. An alternative to EQUO is Fruity Parametric EQ 2.
Buzz Effect Adapter
Buzz Effect Adapter is a wrapper for Buzz generator machines. You can find a huge collection of Buzz machines at www.BuzzMachines.com. However, be aware that there are quite a few buggy ones around, and the stability of your project may be compromised.
Fruity 7 Band EQ
Fruity 7 Band EQ is, as the names suggests, a seven-band (one low shelf, one high shelf and five peaking) equalizer plugin, optimized for low CPU use. It is a close cousin of Fruity Parametric EQ, which provides greater control. EQ is short for equalization, an industry term for ‘tone control’. Most Hi-Fi systems have at least ‘bass’ and ‘treble’ controls. Fruity 7 Band EQ has seven tone controls with slightly overlapping areas. If the knobs were sliders we would call this a seven-band ‘graphic equalizer’. It’s all the same thing, really.
Fruity Balance
Fruity Balance Fruity Balance is a stereo balance plugin, optimized for real-time level automation to avoid pops and clicks that can accompany changes in some parameters. This is a true panning effect, it works by mixing left and right channels so that the left and right stereo channel information are no longer independent when panned. It’s the audio equivalent of starting with two glasses with the same water level in each (balanced) and then pouring one glass into the other (the contents are mixed). The alternative approach is to vary the relative loudness of the left and right channels to create a panning effect while maintaining the independence of the channels.
Fruity Bass Boost
Fruity Bass Boost is a bass enhancing effect (specialized EQ). You may need to adjust the track volume to avoid clipping since this FX works by ‘boosting’ frequencies. Try it on bass and kick drum sounds. Yes it’s just a fancy ‘bass’ knob :)
Fruity Big Clock
Fruity Big Clock: Can’t see the menu bar clock? Too proud to wear glasses? Then the Fruity Big Clock plugin is for you. It shows the playing time in Bar:Beat:Tick format and Minute:Second:1/100 format. Optionally, it can also display the song time in Bar:Step:Tick format.
To use, just drop an instance of the plugin on any Mixer track (the position does not matter). If only everything in life was this simple :)
Fruity Blood Overdrive
Fruity Blood Overdrive is a distortion FX, specially designed for the needs of digital-audio musicians. It provides overdrive distortion using classic techniques that give compressed and soft sounds, as opposed to the harsh sound produced by many overdrive plugins. This FX works particularly well with Guitar sounds. The integrated bandpass filter gives the ability to overdrive non-guitar audio that would otherwise produce poor results.
Fruity Center
Fruity Center Fruity Center removes DC offset in real-time, and is useful for synthesizers which generate DC offset with certain settings, such as TS404. The term DC offset comes from electronic engineering, and refers to the situation where a Direct current exists, that is a constant positive or negative deflection in the output from a plugin, rather than being at rest (zero) when no sound is present.
Fruity Chorus
Fruity Chorus is an FL Studio exclusive plugin developed by Smart Electronix. Chorus is an effect created by the slight detuning of multiple copies of the same sound (similar to a choir of voices).The controls contain parameters that affect the rate, time offset, shape and depth of detune.
Fruity Compressor
Fruity Compressor: Compression is one of THE most important effects used in enhancing most modern. It gives kick drums more THUMP, makes bass sound FAT, and, perhaps, more importantly, maked a mix sound much louder than it really is. Compression is the process of scaling the output volume so that the quieter parts sound louder, without clipping. It’s like automatically adjusting a volume knob, keeping the volume level within a set min/max range.
Fruity Compressor is a variable-knee compressor with built-in peak limiting. The controls for this plugin relate to the relationship between input and output volume.
Fruity dB Meter
Fruity dB Meter: Similar to the 'Big clock', this is a plugin for those with tired eyes. Fruity dB Meter is a peak meter in a dB (decibel) format. Any signal above 0 dB is displayed in orange. Hold the mouse cursor over the display to see the decibel level. Right-click it to reset the peak holds. Fruity dB Meter can also be set at various points in the Fx chain, to check levels before and after different FX (e.g. compressors).
Fruity Delay
Fruity Delay is a delay line plugin, with inverted stereo / ping pong modes & a lowpass filter, optimized for automation (input and feedback values are ramped).
Fruity delay is closely related to the Fruity Delay 2 plugin.
Fruity Delay 2
Fruity Delay 2 is an enhanced version of the Fruity Delay VST plugin, with refined controls and some additional features, such as stereo offset and panning control for the input signal.
Fruity Delay Bank
Fruity Delay Bank is a powerful delay/filter plugin. This effect consists of a bank of 8 identical banks, each of which can be fed to the next bank in the chain, to create complex delay and filtering effects.
Fruity Fast Dist
Fruity Fast Dist Fruity Fast Dist is a CPU-friendly distortion effect. It is the same distortion effect used in the TS404 synth.
Try using this plugin on bass and kick drum sounds for a gritty and punchier effect.
Fruity Fast LP
Fruity Fast LP is a lowpass filter with very low processor usage, optimized for automation. This filter applies the algorithm used when you select 'Fast LP' filter the Instrument Channel Settings.
Fruity Filter
Fruity Filter is a variable state filter plugin, optimized for automation (level ramping, without clicks or pops).
Fruity Flanger
Fruity Flanger is an exclusive plugin developed by Smart Electronix. Flanging is a form of phase cancellation created by combining multiple, variously delayed copies of the same sound.
Fruity Flangus
Fruity Flangus allows you to enrich the stereo panorama of your mix, add complex flange effects and simulate unison mode synthesis via a set of controllable 'stacked' flangers.
If you wish to explore other flanging effects, a different plugin, Fruity Flanger, is also available in FL Studio.
Fruity Formula Controller
Fruity Formula Controller is a controller plugin that accepts user-defined formulas. It can be used to control/automate automatable controls in FL Studio. Fruity Formula Controller will appear as an internal controller option in the Link dialog. As with all internal controllers, the formula output can range from 0 to 1, and uses accurate floating point numbers.
Fruity Free Filter
Fruity Free Filter is a general purpose filter plugin.
Fruity HTML NoteBook
Fruity HTML NoteBook is an HTML viewer plugin, useful for adding information to a song, using the richness and power of HTML. Unlike the Fruity NoteBook, this plugin doesn't save the HTML document in the project file, so be sure to bundle the full HTML document with your project if you distribute it. A related plugin is the Fruity NoteBook.
Fruity LSD
Fruity LSD allows you to access the synthesizer built into your soundcard from within FL Studio and provides sixteen MIDI instruments with an option to import DLS level 1 banks. Since Fruity LSD is a software synthesizer, you can process its output with effects, just as you would with a normal generator. A combination of sixteen instruments (fifteen instrument channels and a drum channel /10/, as in a standard MIDI interface), Fruity LSD is a virtual software MIDI device that can also be attached as an effect in a mixer track.
With Fruity LSD, you can control the sixteen channels with MIDI Out generators added into the Step Sequencer, just as with a normal MIDI device. Set the same MIDI port in the LSD plugin and the MIDI Out channels you will use. You can set the patch name and bank number from the MIDI Out channels as well, but since this may be confusing when using custom DLS banks (the MIDI Out channels will display only standard MIDI instruments names), it is recommended that you set the patch from the Fruity LSD editor directly.
Fruity Mute
Fruity Multiband Compressor
Fruity Multiband Compressor is a three band stereo compressor using ButterWorth IIR or LinearPhase FIR filters to separate the incoming signal into three bands for processing. Limiter functionality is also included. Compression is the process of automatically scaling the output volume so that the quiet parts are louder and the loud parts don’t clip. It’s like automatically adjusting a volume knob, keeping the volume level within a set min/max range. Compression is one of the most important effects in modern music. It is used to give kick drums 'thump' and make bass 'fat'. Importantly, it can make a mix sound much louder than it is. In particular, multiband compression is a highly useful tool for mastering applications since the complex sound (wide frequency content) of a complete track can have varying amounts and types of compression applied to different parts of the frequency spectrum. The controls for the Fruity Multiband Compressor affect the relationship between input and output volume for (up to) 3 frequency ranges selected by the user. This plugin is a variable-knee compressor with built-in peak limiting.
Fruity NoteBook
Fruity NoteBook is a 100-page notepad, useful for song information, story, lyrics or personal notes. It supports RTF data.
You can paste different formats from rich text editors, such as WordPad, but not pictures. The page number selector (showing 1 in the bottom of the picture, left) is automatable, so you can synchronize the pages with a song. To automate the notebook in time with a song use an automation clip to turn the pages, do this by linking the number slider with the automation clip. You will need to create steps in the Automation clip where you want the pages to increment. If you would like to use HTML in your project use the Fruity HTML NoteBook.
Fruity PanOMatic
Fruity PanOMatic is a panning & volume plugin, especially useful for automation (the plugin uses level ramping to avoid clicks and pops).
The plugin includes a handy volume/pan grid (drag the cross with your mouse) and an adjustable LFO unit.
Fruity Parametric EQ
Fruity Parametric EQ is a CPU friendly 7 band parametric equalizer plugin. You can adjust the frequency and width of each band in the EQ. Also, each band can act as high shelf, low shelf, peaking, band pass, notch, high pass or low pass filter. The plugin also contains global gain wheel to adjust the overall volume.
Use this plugin wherever precise control over EQ is required and screen space is limited, otherwise use Fruity Parametric EQ 2. An alternative to Fruity Parametric EQ is EQUO.
Fruity Peak Controller
Fruity Peak Controller generates an automation signal on the basis of an input sound. It is similar to a noise gate, however this plugin has a built-in LFO, and greater flexibility.
For example you can place the Fruity Peak Controller in the FX channel of a percussion part and use the output signal to gate the volume control of a synthesizer playing chords. This will chop up the sound in time with the percussion, a classic trance effect.
Fruity Phase Inverter
Fruity Phase Inverter is a very simple plugin that inverts the phase of either the left or right channel, giving a surround-like effect. Be careful as inverted waves can cancel each other, especially if the output is converted to mono. This plugin is provided for backwards compatibility since the global surround effect from the earlier releases of FL Studio has been removed.
Fruity Phaser
Fruity Phaser is an FL Studio exclusive plugin based on SupaPhaser, developed by Smart Electronix.
Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal which are not spaced evenly. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both come from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. However, the Phasing effect is significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum.
Fruity Reeverb
Fruity Reeverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a ‘reverberant’ sound. Fruity Reeverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you want to give your acoustic and electronic instruments a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical. An alternative to Fruity Reeverb is Fruity Reeverb 2.
Fruity Reeverb 2
Fruity Reeverb 2, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom or concert hall, the sound is quite different. This is due to the fact that in enclosed spaces reflections build up and overlap to create the ‘reverberant’ sound. Fruity Reeverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces.
If you wish to give your acoustic and electronic instruments a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical.
Fruity Reeverb 2 can create lush and smooth reverberations of up to 20 seconds duration and is the most sophisticated reverb in the FL Studio stable. An alternative to Fruity Reeverb 2 is Fruity Reeverb.
Fruity Scratcher
Fruity Scratcher is a vinyl turntable simulator. You can load any sample that is supported by FL Studio into this plugin to record your performance in real time. You can also adjust the turntable's acceleration (mass) to suit your needs. A closely related, but more sophisticated plugin is the WaveTraveller. Note, however, that WaveTraveller is a generator rather than an effect and thus needs to be loaded into a Channel.
Fruity Send
The Fruity Send plugin allows you ‘siphon off’ a copy of the sound from any point in the mixer channel FX stack, to one of the four Send mixer tracks. This differs from the Send knob that takes the sound from the end of the FX stack. NOTE: This plugin can't be inserted in the master track or any of the send tracks.
Fruity Soft Clipper
Fruity Soft Clipper is a CPU friendly soft limiter filter. It allows you to avoid clipping and distortion by applying gentle (soft knee) compression to the input signal.
The graph on the plugin shows input (horizontal axis) vs output (vertical axis). You can see in the example on the left, that after the threshold level (brighter horizontal line toward the top of the graph) the output volume per unit of input decreases.
Fruity Spectroman
IL Spectroman is a spectrum analyser plugin. Insert Spectroman into the mixer track you wish to produce a a spectrograph or sonograph from. A spectrograph behaves like a row of peak meters, from low to high frequencies. The louder the frequency, the higher the bar will peak. A sonograph is a rolling display of the intensity plotted as a chart. Low frequencies are plotted on the left through to high frequencies on the right (Edison has a much larger and higher-resolution capability for this type of display on sampled data). The louder the particular frequency the brighter the trace on the screen. This plugin is useful (when mixing) for checking the frequency distribution of your mix. Be sure to have one running if anyone is watching, it makes you look like you know what you are doing :)
Fruity Squeeze
Fruity Squeeze is a bit reducing, distortion (called 'Puncher' that replaces audio sample data with a fixed, user controlled value) and filtering plugin. Fruity Squeeze will add a gritty tonal character to input sounds and is particularly effective when applied to drum loops.
Fruity Stereo Enhancer
Fruity Stereo Enhancer contains various filters and processors to alter and enrich the stereo image of the input sound.
Fruity Vocoder
Fruity Vocoder is an advanced real-time vocoder effect with a wide range of adjustable parameters and zero latency. Vocoding is the process of using the frequency spectrum of one sound to modulate the same in another. When a human voice is used to modulate a synthesized chord, for example, it can sound like the synthesizer is talking (a classic robot voice from sci-fi). The vocoded sound is referred to as a carrier. The sound used for vocoding is called a modulator. A classical example is having a voice as a modulator and a synth as a carrier, to create the effect of a ‘speaking synth’. The vocoder works by detecting the levels of certain frequency bands and then filtering the carrier. Thus the carrier takes on the characteristics of the modulator sound. In this vocoder plugin, the left channel is considered modulator by default, and the right channel is the carrier, (i.e. the vocoder can process only mono sounds). The channel assignment can be changed from the MIX section. There are many ways to create that combination, for e.g., using panning, single channel mute, Fruity Send effect, insert tracks chaining (FL Studio Producer Edition only), etc.
Fruity WaveShaper
Fruity WaveShaper is a wave distortion effect which maps input (horizontal axis) to output (vertical axis) values using flexible spline-based graph.
Fruity Wrapper
Fruity Wrapper - All instruments (including FX), native and 3rd party, are ‘interfaced’ to FL Studio through the Fruity Wrapper. The wrapper brings compatibility with the VST and DX standards for plugins (the screenshot above demonstrates the Fruity Wrapper hosting a somewhat truncated reFX Vanguard VSTi plugin). For more information on plugins formats, click here. For more information on installing and using 3rd party VST/DX plugins, click here.
Fruity X-Y Controller
Fruity X-Y Controller is an internal controller plugin which allows you to use your mouse (or joystick) to generate two smooth controller inputs. It has the following inputs:
X-Y Ctrl - X - The value of this controller depends on the X (horizontal) position of a target (small circle with a cross) in a 2D grid.
X-Y Ctrl - Y - The value of this controller depends on the Y (vertical) position of the target.
To use this plugin, place an instance of it in any effects track. Open the editor window. You will see the target in the middle of a 2D grid. Drag in the grid to change the goal position and the target will follow. The X and Y controller values also change according to the target movement, reaching minimum at the bottom left corner of the grid and maximum at the top right corner.