Which Edition of Fl Studio Should I Get?

[Sonarch]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but i'm thinking i'd like to get FL Studio, but i'm not certain of the edition. I think i'd like either the Producer or the Signature Bundle, but I don't know if the Signature one is really worth the extra money. Also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of the boxed version vs the download? It looks like all the boxed version has that the download doesn't is a physical manual and a "Generic Sample CD," which doesn't seem like it would be worth an extra 100 bucks. I'm going to break out the Demo and play around with it, of course, but I would love some input from you all.

[the4thImpulse]

If I were to buy FL today I would get the producer edition and put the money I saved into 3rd party vst's. If you like the sytrus synth or the maximus dynamics processor then there's no question about it go for the signature as you will save money but otherwise I think there are better third party plugins out there you should be putting your money towards.

[Rainbow_Rage]

Sytrus alone is worth it for getting signature. The other additions are neat as well, but it really comes down to if you want Sytrus. It is easily my favorite and most used soft synth so it was a no brainer for me. A big advantage of sytrus (and the other included plugins) is that because it is an FL plug-in it integrates very well with FL and you get much more control more easily than you would using a 3rd-party plugin. VST versions of the included plugins are also included with the bundle so if you ever switch DAWs you still have those plugins available.

So try out Sytrus, see if you like it and that should help you decide if you want the signature bundle or not.

[Motivfs]

Sytrus alone is worth it for getting signature. The other additions are neat as well, but it really comes down to if you want Sytrus. It is easily my favorite and most used soft synth so it was a no brainer for me. A big advantage of sytrus (and the other included plugins) is that because it is an FL plug-in it integrates very well with FL and you get much more control more easily than you would using a 3rd-party plugin. VST versions of the included plugins are also included with the bundle so if you ever switch DAWs you still have those plugins available.

So try out Sytrus, see if you like it and that should help you decide if you want the signature bundle or not.

Absolutely the reason to get signature, Sytrus is an amazing soft synth.

[Thyrai]

Get the Ableton version!

No, but seriously it's up to how you want to allocate your money. FL definitely has some nifty native plugins and synths, but are you going to use them? Personally, I would get the stripped down version (Producer) and use the extra hundred or so dollars on 3rd party VSTs - As far as Sytrus goes, I'd rather use Sylenth or Massive pretty much 100% of the time.

[Raddons]

Get the Ableton version!

No, but seriously it's up to how you want to allocate your money. FL definitely has some nifty native plugins and synths, but are you going to use them? Personally, I would get the stripped down version (Producer) and use the extra hundred or so dollars on 3rd party VSTs - As far as Sytrus goes, I'd rather use Sylenth or Massive pretty much 100% of the time.

Apples and oranges. Sytrus is the only FM synth out of the ones you mentioned.

I do think it boils down to if you really want Sytrus and Maximus or not (and also Harmless is a great synth too!).

[Sonarch]

A fair point. Though I already happen to have Massive...

What exactly does FM synth mean?

Also I may be able to afford to be a little more greedy just because it's possible I could get it for christmas. But I wouldn't want my parents spending a bunch of extra money just for things that I won't use. I really need to open up the demo...

[Raddons]

FM synthesis stands for "Frequency Modulation", where essentially you are modulating waves and feeding them into each other. Look up some tutorials (and FM8 tutorials, they are the same thing).

And yeah, open up the demo version before hand! The FL demo is the same thing as the full version with the exception of the save function!

[the4thImpulse]

A fair point. Though I already happen to have Massive...

What exactly does FM synth mean?

Also I may be able to afford to be a little more greedy just because it's possible I could get it for christmas. But I wouldn't want my parents spending a bunch of extra money just for things that I won't use. I really need to open up the demo...

I have a bias against massive so if I were you I would get the signature bundle for sytrus, variety is always good and it sounds like you can afford it.

FM stands for 'Frequency Modulation', its a type of synthesis. It essentially means the timbre of a simple waveform is modulated by another simple waveforms frequency. This may go over your head but here's knowledge - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr00/a ... ecrets.htm

[ChromaticChaosPony]

A fair point. Though I already happen to have Massive...

What exactly does FM synth mean?

Also I may be able to afford to be a little more greedy just because it's possible I could get it for christmas. But I wouldn't want my parents spending a bunch of extra money just for things that I won't use. I really need to open up the demo...

An FM synth is a frequency modulation synth. Basically, you can modulate one oscilator (or operator) with another. This is very useful for bass growls, bells, and other sounds that are built starting on something as basic as a sine wave into far more complex sounds.

If you plan on making dubstep, Sytrus is definitely worth it for growls and stuff like that.

Sytrus and Massive are very different synths. Massive is subtractive and wavetable, so don't expect Massive to sound the same as Sytrus, or vice-versa. Both can be used to get those agressive growl basses and wobble basses that people often use them for. However, the sound will not be exactly the same, and you will need to learn different synthesis techniques for both.

Sytrus is a great synth if you take the time to learn how it works. So is Massive. Over time, you may decide that you prefer one synth to the other. That's perfectly normal. Just give the demo a try before you go out and buy the whole thing.

Edit: Massive is my waifu <3. Don't hate Massive just because other people do. Massive is a very powerful synth capable of just as many different sounds as Sytrus.

Alternatively, you could try FM8 instead of Sytrus. Both are FM synths, but Skrillex uses FM8. I've never tried FM8 myself, but it has great reviews. Go ahead and see it for yourself.

Lastly, regardless of the synth you use, you should be using external effects to enhance the sound. Don't rely entirely on the effects built into a synth.

[cloudshovit]

I'd get the Producer edition so you could Edison for editing and recording and SliceX for messing up loops.

[Sonarch]

oh my god there are so many things in this program what do i even do

[Sonarch]

Really though I have no idea what most of this stuff does, is the pdf manual they include a good place to start?

[Raddons]

Really though I have no idea what most of this stuff does, is the pdf manual they include a good place to start?

Sure, if you want to be boring.

haha just kidding. Although, it's much more fun to play around first. I always do that before I read the manuals.

[cloudshovit]

Really though I have no idea what most of this stuff does, is the pdf manual they include a good place to start?

watch tutorials and hanground the forums. press F1 for the manual. Honestly I have been using it since it was Frutiy Loops 4 along with ACID when it was owned by sonic foundry but it was only a year ago that I got serious on learning my way around FL. still learning new stuff everyday. FL devs are quite helpful and down to earth.

[Captain Ironhelm]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I think Image-Line slashes off the price of upgrades dependent on what you've already bought. Meaning if I own Producer I can upgrade to Signature for $110 or whatever the price difference is.

As I understand you already own Massive, so I don't know if you'd need to worry about buying another synth yet as you can upgrade FL later if you think you need it. (Also it'll give you time to learn different synth stuff so you know what you're looking for.)

[the4thImpulse]

Really though I have no idea what most of this stuff does, is the pdf manual they include a good place to start?

Manual's are always a great place to start, I also strongly checking out this guys tutorials on FL studio. They taught me everything I needed to know about the program to make complete tracks before switching to Ableton.

[cloudshovit]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I think Image-Line slashes off the price of upgrades dependent on what you've already bought. Meaning if I own Producer I can upgrade to Signature for $110 or whatever the price difference is.

As I understand you already own Massive, so I don't know if you'd need to worry about buying another synth yet as you can upgrade FL later if you think you need it. (Also it'll give you time to learn different synth stuff so you know what you're looking for.)

yep plus FREE lifetime upgrades

[XXDarkShadow79XX]

WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS. The products are 50% off and you can nab the signature bundle for an epic $150! It's what I did and it will be your best purchase ever. Also, if you need help with what all the stuff does, feel free to ask.

[itroitnyah]

To sum it all up, get producer edition if you only really plan on using 3rd party synths. Get the signature bundle (which is what I got) if you want to get Sytrus, Hardcore, Edison, Maximus, and whatever else comes with it. The real advantage is that the synths that come with signature bundle come at a discount from their original price. If they were original price, signature bundle would be close to $700.

Personally I don't use the bonus synths that came with the signature bundle very often, but they are good. Hardcore can be used to make grunge basses, sytrus is good for some interesting leads, edison is the equivalent of Audacity, but a bit more complex. In return, you can do better audio editing. I've never used maximus, although I think that Soundgoodizer is part of maximus? Correct me if I'm wrong. I used to use soundgoodizer a bunch, but it's only 50/50.

[cloudshovit]

WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS. The products are 50% off and you can nab the signature bundle for an epic $150! It's what I did and it will be your best purchase ever. Also, if you need help with what all the stuff does, feel free to ask.

thats what I'm doing now... man can't wait for their Christmas sale. then FL 11s coming

[itroitnyah]

thats what I'm doing now... man can't wait for their Christmas sale. then FL 11s coming

But not until July 1st 2013 D: I can't wait that long! Super excited to see what new features they come out with, and what updates they make.

[Sonarch]

Thanks to all of you! I really appreciate all this input. If it weren't for you all I would probably never end up making a decision.

[cloudshovit]

thats what I'm doing now... man can't wait for their Christmas sale. then FL 11s coming

But not until July 1st 2013 D: I can't wait that long! Super excited to see what new features they come out with, and what updates they make.

Fyeaah. Shit should be awesome. I'm wishing that it'll have a better track recording feature and a more convenient track freezing function, thats all I ask. And SampleX! (supposed to be a better version of the sampler, but I don't if theyre really working on this).

I don't mean to knock Ableton users, but I kinda feel sorry for those guys for still not having dual monitor support and an automation curve that FL already had a long time ago. And all this for an expensive upgrade?

I don't have a need for performance features as of the moment and hopefully FL devs can finish working on it when the time comes that I have to play my tunes live.

[Thyrai]

thats what I'm doing now... man can't wait for their Christmas sale. then FL 11s coming

But not until July 1st 2013 D: I can't wait that long! Super excited to see what new features they come out with, and what updates they make.

Fyeaah. Shit should be awesome. I'm wishing that it'll have a better track recording feature and a more convenient track freezing function, thats all I ask. And SampleX! (supposed to be a better version of the sampler, but I don't if theyre really working on this).

I don't mean to knock Ableton users, but I kinda feel sorry for those guys for still not having dual monitor support and an automation curve that FL already had a long time ago. And all this for an expensive upgrade?

I don't have a need for performance features as of the moment and hopefully FL devs can finish working on it when the time comes that I have to play my tunes live.

Well, with the way that Ableton's designed, it doesn't really need dual monitor support like FL does. FL, to me, is incredibly messy. The detached and windowed mixers, patterns, effects, and what have you all tend to get in the way. With Ableton, everything's consolidated into a simple interface.

Also, curved automation is not important. If really required, you can just spend the 5-10 seconds and add more breakpoints. At any rate, Ableton 9 will have curved automation

The lifetime free updates are pretty cool, though. Consumer-wise, FL dominates Ableton's prices.

Apples and oranges. Sytrus is the only FM synth out of the ones you mentioned.

I do think it boils down to if you really want Sytrus and Maximus or not (and also Harmless is a great synth too!).

Oh, I agree. I just meant that if I was going to synthesize a sound in general, I'd almost always prefer Sylenth or Massive. If I really wanted to use FM I would use FM8. I'm not denying that Sytrus is a great little synth, I just think there's better options out there.