FL Studio 20 audio editor overview from Alan's blog

What's New in FL Studio 20 Audio Editor

More than 6 years ago, the  FL Studio 20  program did not differ much from similar programs and did not stand out from the general background. But in recent years, the studio has significantly expanded its functionality, which allowed it to become a leader and gain worldwide popularity. First of all, the audio editor has a unique interface design and a non-standard approach in the workflow scheme.

In addition, Image Line made an unprecedented move in terms of the use of its licensed product. Any person who just once bought a licensed FL Studio subsequently got access to all subsequent versions of the program for free. If you want todownload FL Studio for Windows, let's take a look at its features. 

FL Studio operating system requirements

Over the past years, the program has undergone numerous radical changes, but the result is a great studio that allows you to edit or create new music. The studio is unpretentious and it is possible to work with it even on Windows XP. The program is adapted for all Windows operating systems, including the latest version 10. When using Windows 10, a person opens up new possibilities for the studio, which include such a feature as support for touch displays. And yet the program has fairly low system requirements and works without "brakes" on most devices.

FL Studio audio editor interface

The most noticeable and significant change in the studio was the redesigned interface. At the moment, many graphic chips have disappeared in it, which did not help before, but, on the contrary, only confused the user. Like most audio editors, FL Studio's manufacturers have focused on minimalism and settled on a standard set of home screen buttons. But this decision is somewhat belated with the FL 20, where multifunctionality was at the forefront. Sometimes the solution of a simple task turned into a cascade of drop-down and pop-up windows, and a huge number of keys on the working panels only complicated everything.

At the moment, working with the audio editor is very simplified. Now you can separate, dock or move pop-up windows to a convenient place on the desktop. They can also be compressed or enlarged as desired. It became available to change the scale of a particular window, which made working with the application the easiest and most comfortable.

Touch display support

By introducing touch panel support into the studio, the manufacturers managed to bring their product to a new level. To use this tool, you will need a PC or laptop with a touch screen, or an external touch pad that can be connected to your computer. The built-in multi-touch technology is more efficient than conventional touches and allows you to change the levels in the mixer on several required faders at once. In the application, it is easy to switch from normal to touch mode and vice versa. Thus, when working with one mode, the disabled one does not interfere in any way, which makes the process of creating music as comfortable as possible. Built-in multi-touch gives FL Studio 20 the unique ability to sync with the Microsoft Surface Pro platform and use the studio in a live performance. To evaluate the performance of the new tool from Image Line, it is not necessary to have a multi-touch screen. You can just watch a video presentation from the company and understand how much more interesting the music editor has become.

Browser Changes

Not only the interface has been changed by the developers. The browser has also been modified and a lot has changed in it. The channel options have been merged into a poster plugin. The template menu has been moved to another location. New category tabs became available. Simplified installation and configuration of VST plugins. Adding new files to playlists is now done by simply dragging an object with the mouse. Adding parameters for hardware controllers just got a whole lot easier. Certain active plugins allow downloading updates and general interface customization. It is worth recalling that more detailed information on all the changes in FL Studio can be found in the video review of this application.

Why innovations were needed in FL Studio

Thanks to innovations, the program interface now looks more aesthetically pleasing and is minimally cluttered with unnecessary elements. The general look of FL Studio has become professional and serious, while working with the application has been greatly simplified. It is very difficult to create a comfortable control with the most advanced functionality. All manufacturers of music editors are working on this problem. And at the moment, only Image Line managed to solve this issue using the example of FL Studio. Each company should pay more attention to interface upgrades and take their time adding content. In this regard, FL Studio is at least one step ahead of its competitors. And when the developers introduced the multi-touch feature, they left everyone two steps behind. At the moment, not all owners of the FL 20 use the touch mode, but life does not stand still,

Update to  version 20 

All users who have a previous version of the application can upgrade their FL Studio to the 20th completely free of charge. For those who want to first just see what kind of audio editor it is and how to work with it, there is an opportunity to download a demo version. The most economical option would be to install the basic application, but it does not have a recording function and audio clips. To purchase an extended version of the editor, it is worth spending money on Producer or Signature, where the latter includes several plugins at once.

Pros and cons of FL Studio

Although the developers have simplified most of the workflows in FL Studio, the application still uses its own distinctive technologies and methods for programming, arranging and processing. Many users are happy with this approach, but for people who are just starting to work with the studio, it is difficult at first to adapt to the new method. The main advantages of the program are:

• aesthetic and user-friendly interface;

• the ability to move windows;

• advanced multi-touch function;

• minimum system requirements;

• completely free upgrade to the latest version;

• low price.

The cons, or rather to one, include:

• too big a difference from similar applications in managing workflows.

Summarizing all of the above, we can agree that FL Studio currently remains the flagship among competitors. For all the upgrades and changes, it becomes clear the vigorous activity of the company's engineers. And all the changes are aimed at improving both the studio itself and simplifying work with it.