FL Studio is undoubtedly one of the top-rated DAWs in the music recording industry. For that reason, in this article, I want to discuss some of the pros and cons of using this software.
Here you will learn what are some of its benefits and limitations so that you can know its strengths and weaknesses in order to make a smart purchase decision and go according to your needs.
See also: 15 Reasons Why FL Studio Is The Best DAW For Music Production
Table of Contents
Pros And Cons Of Using FL Studio 20
The following analysis is based on my experience as a producer and it is important that if you want to use Fruity Loops as a professional tool you know what are its advantages and disadvantages.
I guarantee that knowing this DAW in more depth will help you to be better prepared and thus mitigate the setbacks to get the best quality results possible.
Advantages
FL Studio is one of the best DAWs for its simplicity of use and powerful features. It is the favorite choice of renowned artists for offering 4 different editions with technical support included, to suit every musical taste.
I invite you to take a closer look at its pros.
1) Virtual Effects and Tools
FL Studio has synthesizers, drum machines, equalizers, and sequencers. It gives you full control to create your tracks, organizing them in a playlist and basing them on patterns.
See also: FL Studio: 10 Best Stock Plugins Every Producer Must Use
In addition, in the Mixer, you have access to different types of effects, equipped with virtual knobs to automate them.
Its most used effects are chorus, reverb, flanger, delay, among others, which I recommend you try one by one.
It includes a new plug-in called Flex, which is equipped with powerful sounds. It is also free and in my opinion, it is one of the best utilities of this DAW that makes it stand out from its competitors.
2) Has A Mobile Version
Known as FL Studio Mobile, it is a DAW available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone so you can run it on Smartphones and Tablets.
I tell you, with this App, you can create complete and multi-track music projects, with the option to export them to MP3, MIDI, WAV formats and synchronize them with other projects.
See also: FL Studio Mobile: 14 Tips and Tricks Will Blow Your Mind
In addition, its audio engine is optimized for low-capacity equipment. It has 133 instruments, beats, drum kits, track sequencer, piano roll editor, metronome, drums, and functions to render songs.
Also, it integrates sound effects such as chorus, flanger, auto ducker, delay, reverb, and phaser, definitely worth getting, so you can produce songs wherever you are.
Another interesting feature of this app is that it can be used and synchronized with the PC version.
3) Video Editor Included
If you like to compose with style, I recommend you explore this FL Studio feature. Known as Fruity Video Player, it is ideal for playing videos synchronized with FL Studio’s timeline and playlist.
In addition, it comes with the option to export them with different audio spectrums and animations included.
I suggest you use it to make musical soundtracks with effects. Also, you can use it to combine audio from videos.
See also: 10 Best Plugins That Come With FL Studio Producer Edition
Moreover, if you want better results, I recommend you to use the ZGame Editor plugin, located at the end of the FL Studio native plugins library.
This plugin works with 2 convenient windows to use when editing videos, one to insert effects or layers, and the other to preview what you are doing.
If you want to make original videos in the program, I suggest you explore its features, there you will find fonts, presets, images, and more unique effects.
4) Powerful Audio Editor
FL Studio integrates the Edison audio editor, an editing and recording tool. It can be loaded in the Mixer or any other location you wish, recording or playing from that position all the input audio.
It stands out for eliminating background noises, normalizing sounds, and transforming the way the waves are displayed when recording.
In my opinion, this is one of its best functions since you can create music without limits, with a reduced margin of error.
See also: 24 Insane Famous Music Producers That Use FL Studio
In addition, another of its benefits is that it has different recording modes, which are quite useful and practical when it comes to obtaining the best possible results.
You can adjust the stretch time, change the pitch and insert blur, reverb, and equalization effects.
5) Newtone And Pitcher
These are 2 plug-ins for pitch and time manipulation in music creation, integrated into the program.
In the case of Newtone, it allows you to edit note by note, until you achieve the ideal sound, manually or automatically.
In addition, you can change volume levels, pitch timing, and pitch correction.
The Pitcher is a synthesizer for harmonization, manipulation, pitch, and voice correction via MIDI, with simultaneous live effects.
I recommend that you use it for automatic vocal tuning, on the scale of your choice.
Disadvantages
Despite being one of the best DAWs in the music world, it has some limitations, which affect the workflow a bit when producing any project.
So it is very important that you are aware of these cons so that you are always prepared with an alternative tool to help you optimize your time and speed up your work.
1) Handling Automation Clips
When recording, it is a bit difficult to insert specific points in the clips, being somewhat complicated to control them.
Also, if you don’t scroll the bar that shows the clips, you won’t be able to see where you should add a point.
If you want to avoid this, I suggest you turn off the “STEP” button, so that you can place new points more easily.
2) Tricky Recording Process
With FL Studio, you can record whatever you want, but you have to perform a series of actions that are difficult to understand at first if you don’t have much knowledge of its interface.
See also: Is FL Studio Good For Recording Music? Ultimate Guide
For example, you have to take into account that to record you have to choose a channel, press the respective button located in the menu to start the sound capture process.
When you get the audio, you have to move it to a channel and adjust it.
Another limitation when recording is that sometimes you will only hear your voice and some noise.
If this happens to you, I recommend that you enable the “POST TO PRE” button and you will be ready to record without background echoes.
If you use an old version, the program is likely to become slow and close abruptly, with the risk of losing the progress.
To avoid this, I recommend that you use a renewed and original edition.
Avoid pirated versions of the program on the Internet, they will limit your productions and may damage the final result of your beat.
3) Limitations In The Trial Version
The demo version lacks the functionality to reopen your saved music projects, you can only export them.
However, sometimes the program becomes a bit cumbersome when performing this procedure.
Besides, another disadvantage of the trial is that if you have any saved work from a licensed edition or that a friend shared with you, it will not be accessible for editing purposes.
Also, this version does not allow you to use clips neither does it have an advanced audio editor like Edison, limiting you to voice recordings.
See also: How To Allocate More RAM Memory To FL Studio 20 (Easy Guide)
4) Location Of Controls
Controls such as bass, mid, and highs are hidden, which makes you waste a bit of time when composing, as you have to manually search for them one by one in the toolbar.
Moreover, if you are a beginner with FL Studio, you might be overwhelmed by seeing so many buttons in the interface.
It happened to me at the beginning, but after a few days, the adaptation was quite good.