FL Studio is a graphic workstation offering pattern-based music sequencing. Available for Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems in four editions, this DAW has been around since FruityLoops first made its debut back in the 90s.
This software has earned praise for its intuitive design and minimal learning curve, making it accessible to people of any age or skill level who wish to create music. Highly customizable features like its playlist window allow users to drag samples, sounds and patterns directly into it; and cut-up tools help users trim any audio clips they might be working with.
Other key features include the piano roll, which facilitates note writing and editing in an easy and powerful manner, with drag-in/drag-out tempo/pitch changes right into it. Furthermore, Channel Rack, an easily programmed drum sequencer which also supports simultaneous multitrack playback is another powerful element of DAWs that allow multiple tracks to be played at once while offering 100 mixer channels – an amazing feature indeed.
FL Studio has earned praise from numerous acclaimed artists for its intuitive interface and workflow, including Boi-1da who described FL Studio as being “the most intuitive DAW I’ve ever used”. Other famous users of FL Studio include MGMT and Yungblud.
Image-Line DAW boasts an excellent selection of plugins and is dual platform on both macOS and Windows, at an extremely cost-effective price point compared with others of its kind in terms of features available. In addition, lifetime free updates make Image-Line an attractive choice for anyone wanting to start producing music.
Although Image-Line DAW offers plenty of bells and whistles, it does have some drawbacks that might deter some users. Learning the software may be difficult due to a lack of keyboard shortcuts and tutorial videos on how to do things; there may also be minor bugs which cause irritation; these have since been quickly addressed through updates which prove the developer’s commitment and dedication in fixing any issues as quickly as possible. A demo version can be found on Image-Line’s website while full licenses can be purchased by visiting Register Boxes and Plugin Serials page followed by instructions.