The FL Studio Problem 

We understand why people hear differences in "sound quality" between FL Studio 11 and newer versions. This stems from differences in the default settings, and is solely related to audio level. To demonstrate this, we have created a video where we phase cancel the audio from FL Studio 11 and FL Studio 20 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HrDNcI-SdEs.html . As you can see in the video, the audio cancels perfectly, showing there is no inherent difference in sound quality between FL Studio 11 and newer versions. But yes, louder is often perceived as better. Enjoy ;)

As an FL user i can confirm we’re not all like this 😂

It amazes me how so many industry producers can be so dumb at this point😂

That southside video is one of the biggest dumbest things I’ve ever seen in my life as a software engineer that is such bad business to release a different quality product on a different platform especially when you’re dealing with something like lossless audio in the form of a DAW. The fact that image line had to come out and debunk all of these myths. Should speak volumes. It’s, all superstition. And FL users don’t like change, even if it’s strictly graphical and super minor

I use FL. They just clip the sampler into a stock limiter 😭😂😂 You can achieve this in any DAW. Dumb statements like these are why people look down FL users.

lots of engineers and 'awarded' producers didn't realize such a simple reason for the overall loudness of what they were pumping out. It honestly worries me what defines 'professional'...

What entertains me is that the FL producers aren't good enough engineers to debunk this and the people that engineer their music don't understand the qualities of FL having barely used it

Is amazing how professional music producers inside the music industry knows so litle about sound.

Having that limiter on the FL 11 master was the worst thing Image-Line ever did for themselves 😭

We should adopt that “way too easy” saying, other daws make it “way to hard” to make music… we just get straight to the music. FL GANG🔥

It has nothing to do with being louder. People who are mixing on Fruity loops just dont know what they are doing 90% of the time and dont properly balance the mix to -6 or -12 DB. They just send everything out clipping cause uhh " its hitting hard bro" and they dont know any other way to achieve that same dynamic effect without CLIPPING everything.

I laugh every time I see producers I look up to this much lack this much knowledge of their own tools. But like bro said, he has EARS

For me the reason I like FL is the ease in which the workflow is to start a beat . Particularly the step sequencer to come up with drum patterns or chop up samples

that Dj Khaled part get me every time "too Easy"🤣

You would think the controversy would be over after Image Line’s statement 😂

It’s not the magic wand it’s the magician. A lot of hip hop producers know what they hear but early on didn’t know what was happening under the hood. The better things sound out the gate gave producers time to more focusing on creating music vs editing. Soft clipping and limiting settings changed in various releases definitely will impact the sound. It’s like having a goto dish at a restaurant and a new cook was light on an ingredient.

when I installed fl 20 after fl 11 in 19, I immediately noticed on old projects that the sound was more digital

The secret is really just gain and a good soft clipper. You can indeed make any daw sound like fl. Like they say, just turn the drums up.

People just need to learn how to use the software properly 🤦🏾‍♂️

The delay compensation certainly improved. Buts it’s the same. Also most ATL trap Prods don’t mix their beats.

They also added that there was a bug in the triangle panning law if selected added 3dB across all patterns.

I believe it's literally just because of the default limiter was at +5 or higher dB I believe where as with 20 and later the limiter is set for 0. So you had thousands of producers making beats in FL 10, FL 11.. that whether they realized it or not, were boosting their entire projects by 5 dB because of the default FL Limiter. Those that have been in the game for a long time probably just removed the limiter from the master channel, but I'd go as far as saying 80-90% of the producers out there just left it be and had no clue.

FL10/11 has a Limiter on the master that was already boosted. Putting a clipper before that will inevitably make it sound better. That is rhetorical only reason.

Daws don’t have a sound. Until you clip it, or pitch / time stretch.

We been waiting for this video fr!!

Hell yea dude video quality moving up! Loving the pacing

Metro comparing himself to a neuroscientist really brought this whole thing home lmao these mfs have no idea what they’re talking about

the real reason producers were stuck in the old version is because 20 wasn't cracked fast lmao

FL doesn’t have a sound that’s just a placebo, and even if it did have a sound you can make good music with any tools the tools don’t matter it’s about who’s using the tools

My only problem with FL Studio was constant "E" error. Literally after loading a project there was that dialog box saying just "E". People assumed that this is from pirated copy of FL Studio. I've been using FL Studio since version 5, and haven't got that until version 10... So I fed up with FL, started using other DAWs, and landed with Reaper.

That cat said he has "great ears" foh lol

6:35 Fl studio wasn't lying, there's a few reasons for the "knock" but mainly opening up with the limiter gave it a basement thump I call it, but I realized it myself when I started recording vocals in Fl studio and had to always put Limiter on default setting.

I'm pretty new to beat making and such, only been using FL Studio heavily since October of 2022, I've used 21 and I've dabbled in 12 back in 2017 but didn't get invested in to beat making back then. I have no idea if FL Studio 21 still has that same stigma, but it's definitely not loud. I always find after I've exported a track that it's still not as loud as the average song is. Once I master it that's when it's volume hits that level I want. It's worth noting I also EQ everything so that the mixer shows their gain in the yellow, I always avoid red as that's obviously when it's clipping hard, which clipping bass and sub bass also cause my Focal headphones to clip

how do you not see the active limiter on the master?

Imagine using an older version of software just because you don’t understand the limiter is just setup a different way 😂

This is good af bro this is gonna get crazy views

These dudes use FL 10 cause they’re pirated version can’t be updated

6:30 that makes sense. I wonder why and its because i have it on the template without the limiter

Hii george, could you do a video breaking down some of the cheaper speakers mix engineers have been using.

“It’s called too easy” 😂😂

Bro I just figured out the reason for this was that in FL sampled/imported sounds are at a higher default decible than Ableton. Ableton starts at -12 in sampler and simpler but change it to -6 in the bottom of the simpler/sampler and it eill sound like FL

Yo this videos are 12 years old. I used FL on cross, Projects sounded on Mac and Win exact the same! Also: When making beats just using classic clipper on master. After exporting stems and going to Logic with same clipper settings on beat bus everything sound 1:1 the same. Differences in sound enginge WAS tru but in 2011 lol.. And do not come around with any bs.. Im using Fruity loops since version 3.6 (2001).. And if you use FL Limiter on your master your lost af.. against FL clipper nothing bad to say, for many prods this VST limiter is 2nd best after classic clipper.

The Biggest problem in current FL is when you chop your audio in and out, if you don't zoom it It cuts the in and out a few millisecond earlier or farther, that souldn't be done so, even if you are in Line Mode, it fucks with the part where you meant to be sliced, it doesn't slice at the point where you clicked, try to zoom and look closely the fucked up part. everything is timing in music, if your chopped sample is not at exact time where you meant to slice it, it screws with the idea from your mind into your music actually, I never encountered this prob in older versions of FL, people mostly doesn't care about these important bits but it actually makes your music sound not the way you meant to sound.

I’ve read somewhere that it had to do with asio configuration in 11 not being available in 20.

❤1. From 2004 till 2010 I hated it. Was trash for me, coming from a rock and metal background it was to limiting for me. Was like basic af. I always used 3 or 4 Daws. Now its the same I use multiple Daws. I look at Daws for what each one is good at, some have a certain sound, some have certain arrangement tools, some have better standard VSTs, for me. But ive always had a hybrid workflow, using a daw for one synth or drum sound BOUNCING THAT INTO ProTools, then recording live instruments into Pro tools, 50% in the box, 50% real instruments

Y’all don’t know how to use the limiter

I have Reaper (mainly used), Ableton and Fl but didn't know how Fl makes "clear and loud" master without the bunch of 3rd party plugins.

Lmmfao that clip of Khaled "Its too easy" 😂😂😂

FL is louder out of the box than all of my other DAWs. I was making the same beat across different DAWs, same exact beat using the same sample (I actually used the default ones from FL) and FL just hit harder. Now I'm not an FL guy, I bought it to learn it and I can definitely get my other DAWs to the same level, but FL does it out of the box with no effort and it just sounds dope. Like the default 808 Snare has this stereo effect that just doesn't sound the same even if using the same sample in Logic, Ableton, Bitwig, or Reason (I have all of them). I haven't used FL on a PC in years so I can't comment on that. I'm convinced it's something FL's built in sampler is doing.

I use Reason and bought a sound pack from someone who made it on FL Studio, the claps and kicks where to harsh for My ear. You know when hear a dope beat but your eyes are flitting out at every kick and clap, makes you feel like chork down a black board? I don't like it, and had to compress that shxx heavy.

Never thought about this and for some time I thought I was going crazy but then I figured it was just that my mixes sucked. All that was fixed when I really started learning how to arrange and mix😂 Bruh I promise you if they pull out one of those "banging mixes" right now they be like...WTF is this shit💀

Thanks 🙏

Someone explain why I used the exact same stems from a beat and pushed them through the soft clipper in 11 and 21, phase reversed them and they didn’t cancel out? I’m believing metro

Image line addressed this already like two or three videos ago. My problem with fl is with switching out 808s samples in the same window. After 5 or 10 it turns to this faded out tin sound. Ive tried everything and even fl cant seem to figure out why. Anyone else notice this

This boils down to people not understanding how sound works. Not only can you null FL to other versions of FL, you can null FL to other daws if you understand what a limiter does. #shrugs Understanding how to produce is not the same as understanding how sound works. Thats why, in general, producers arent good engineers and vice versa.

Been using Fl 20 years and I've noticed screen captured audio from obs sometimes hits harder than the exported version

It just comes to me at night

i cant use a pro tools template with fl😕

its actually quite simple its just a nostalgia factor for producers. thats why some people hear a diffrent OG boot up sound even though its been the same.

i prefer 11 but not for this reason, mostly for pattern blocks and ui

Isn't the volume on FL so you can just push out songs without mastering?

I still miss the TS404 :(

3:45 so wild to me that producers that have made millions of dollars or made hit records cant even articulate very common concepts like soft clipping

Load up a base line of an 808 in both fl and any other daw of your choice, but you need fl studio because it’s the “problem”. Take off the limiter and any other stock plugins that load up with fl, make audio or midi track inside both daws with the bass line in a loop of 8. Put a db Meter on both tracks, the one in ableton and the one in fl studio and level match so there the exact same db or volume then press play and listen between both alternating. Why does the sound still sound different? In the ableton version the low end is a tad bit weaker while in fl it just knocks at what ever volume, now make the exact same song in both daws, same volume same plugins etc etc, why ableton end up sounding weaker? Remember you’re supposed to level match everything so no excuses things end up louder in fl studio by default, I also know about the fades ableton creates when using sounds even if you turn off the fades the sounds still lack. Someone prove me wrong I’ll be waiting, I trust my hearing I have good hearing, I own ableton,fl studio,cubase,protools,bigwig, I’ve tried other daws and they each do something to the sounds I don’t understand why but it’s there.

I never Heard a change in sound quality between fl11/12/20/21, am i the crazy one?

A bad workman will blame his tools... 😂😂😂

Get yourself a good audio interface. I have a Komplete Audio 6 one and everything sounds good, doesn't matter what DAW you use (for the record, I mainly use FL Studio 21 and Reason 12). It also helps that I have a good pair of headphones too, DT 770. My sound has gotten better ever since I've started to use that set up. I use an iMac too, but that shouldn't matter much either.

Bought FL Studio once, and they’ve never asked me for another penny. Upgrade after upgrade never tried to hustle me. They’ll always have my loyalty.

I'm not sure about it being that much of a difference, I've been using FL since FL7 but I'm stuck at FL12, I don't know I love it here

Just do your thing ..whatever works for you

A DAW won’t make your drums hit harder

metro boomin thinks he knows fl studio better than the fucking programmers of fl studio😂😂😂 why everybody gets so cocky after making it. Keep learning and stay humble

i don't see a problem i am using fl 12 and i like it better than 20 and 21 and it is never too loud for me. sometimes i have to even make it louder haha

Yet, not a single null test was conducted. Fucking incredible 😂

T-Rack Soft clipper is the loudest thing i’ve experienced on projects

its literally because their software doesn't remove clipped audio from the session, its louder cause its literally louder lol

Different software has different defaults, some are less sane than others. You can usually make anything sound like anything else with enough fiddling.

THESE EDITS ARE KILLING ME G LMAOO ITS CALLED... TOO EASY

need fl 11 on mac, or theme on 21

image line should just remove that default limiter from the main mix channel or set it to legacy gain settings. all these people never taking a look at their main channel is bothering me way too much.

These kids calling themselves "producers" and not even knowing wth are they doing blows my mind

In my experiences - people turned the stock limiter off anyway so it's nothing to do with that, also I have noticed exporting beats I have made on Mac vs Windows on the same version of FL not phase cancelling- they have very slight differences but they definately are not the same - even noticed this reexporting bounces from Intel Macs vs M1 Macs

Ive tried using FL since the very 1st version, but grew up on pro tools and use logic now. Will hop on FL here and there amd love the control over the 808s on FL since like 10 or 11 I think. I only got 20 now but always wished I was better at getting around on FL, just seems like every time I get on FL I cant do what Im trying to and get stuck trying to figure out how to do the same stuff I do in other DAWs in FL. Like some things still dont make sense to me routing wise and on a seq level but yeah

I feel like people not fully masters of their craft… people don’t know how to mix nor master and furthermore really don’t even have the ear for it! As and audiophile the love for it or the passion for it is deeper than what they saying even though all of what they’re saying is valid! Like some shit is deeper than just putting certain modules on a track, you don’t just throw an egg into some flour and call it cake…

Also you have to be using a windows 32bit os. Fl 11 wont sound the same on a newer os.

I know I used FL 4 for years before I even upgraded to 10, then stayed there for years

If the master has the same plugins and the gain is the same etc, the daws will null. Question answered…

I started using fruity loops on Mac and I have to admit he is right 😂😂😂 “devil fruity loops” is a wild term tho frfr

y'all really need to tap into the type 3 civilianization spacecraft that is ableton

it’s like an old mpc 2500 or 2000 vs a new mpc one. imo the work flow is slightly different with the way the looping works in the channel rack in fl11 and it just has its own texture. fl 21 is still valid but i can understand why people like metro, wheezy, turbo, atl jacob, and more still like to use fl 11

FL is dope overall, but 10-12 caught me... and 7 was a catcher too.

This is why the music/audio community looks down on FL users. 😅

Been using FL STUDIO for 22 Years. Anyone who says FL Studio 11 sounds different is trippin. FL Studio 11 sounds EXACTLY the same as FL Studio 21. I even tested the myth out myself making the exact same record. No change to LUFS whatsoever lol.

Man I use MPC along with FL but mostly MPC inside of studio One. You literally have to do nothing to your drums to get them to knock with a mpc...and i came from the FL generation but there's no comparison.

Its always up to the producer you can get someone like kaytronada who knows how to swing their drums and uses FL but you also get the whole played out 10 to 15 years to present of trap music with played out triplet hats because there so easy to paint in. Not gonna lie I blame fruity loops for it lol o just watched the video they forgot about the default limiter lol

the fact that all these producers don't understand how digital software works is beyond me lol fl 11 or fl 20 or pro tools or studio one, neither doesn't have a "sound" by itself.

Dudes who are not tech sound say stuff like that

If its not analog, it all has the same cold digital sound.

I was in a loudness war with fruity loops.

Nothing wrong with FL 20 or 21, 21s my go to because it has the 'improved sound' (if you want to put it like that). FL 12 was my go to for the longest time and still have a copy.