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Q&A: FL Studio Express Vs. Demo Versions?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Question by Bogie: FL Studio Express Vs. Demo Versions?
I downloaded the demo to FL studio and really liked it. The main feature that you cannot access in the demo is saving projects. I then checked the FL studio express stats ( http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/features.html ) and read that some of the feature that are active in the demo, are not active in Express version (ie. Piano Roll, Slicex, etc.).

Are features actually taken away after paying $ 50 for Express?!

Best answer:

Answer by Joe J
Yes. Those features are not in express, which is why it is only 50 dollars. that version is meant to be used as a pure drum machine type of thing.

If you really want the most out of FL Studio, get Producer edition at least. If you want more bang for your buck, get XXL edition (which is basically producer+ extra instruments)..which massively discounts all the extra instruments it comes with.

Since you like the program, here’s a promotional 10% discount for new customers good towards your ENTIRE first order at image-line:

https://support.image-line.com/jshop/shop.php?offer=Default&promo=BFHEHAH486

have fun

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Q&A: What sound packs does FL Studio 8 Express include?

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Question by Snoop112: What sound packs does FL Studio 8 Express include?
What sound packs does FL Studio 8 Express include?

Does it include the Hip-Hop pack

Also, what are the disadvantages of Express, compared to the other versions?

Thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by audioloops
I have the producer version, and picked that because I wanted to have Asio in audio recording. It also comes with the Edison wave editor.

Anyway, check for the differences here: http://www.flstudio.com/documents/features.html

I’d never get express, you can’t even do chords and recording automation is limited etc…

I don’t use much of the sounds that comes with FL Studio, not sure what comes with the express version either, but you can just use tons of great free samples and plug-ins available online. Just email me if you need some pointers.

If you decide you’d like to buy a version of FL Studio that’s 99 USD or more, you can use this promo code to get 10% discount on the download version from the image-line online store: BACJBAA468

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Mixing and Audio Interface, in the $450 MOTU Audio Express

Friday, March 11th, 2011

The competition for your audio interface dollar is pretty heated these days, but MOTU’s latest – the Audio Express – packs a pretty impressive feature set for something costing US$ 459 list. It’s both a 6×6 audio interface and a mixer, with standalone mixer functionality so you can mix signals from the front-panel knobs without a computer attached. It also has connectivity features generally seen only in pricier, physically-larger boxes. MOTU tells CDM the quality is equal to their higher-end offerings, and other rivals in the $ 500-800 range.

MOTU winds up on my short list as far as hardware that makes happy audio interface owners. For now, we’ll just have to look at the Audio Express “on paper.” That looks like this:

6×6 interface, 6×8 independent input/output channels.
Use either FireWire (with bus power, generally only if you’re on a Mac) or USB2 (without bus power).
Some nice monitoring options. Each output pair – main, line, S/PDIF, and phones – can have its own independent mix of six inputs, with or without your computer tracks. And naturally, that also lends itself to use by DJs and live electronic performers.
Two mic/guitar combo jacks: Hi-Z 1/4″ guitar input or XLR mic input with phantom power, 20dB pad, etc. (Often only one is a guitar jack, especially at this price.)
Balanced stereo inputs, balanced stereo outputs, 24-bit/96kHz S/PDIF digital.
Trim on the volume inputs is digitally-controlled analog, for approximately 1dB adjustments.
Front-panel mixing with LEDs for metering and dedicated volume knobs on each input.
Time code support, low jitter.
Connect your MIDI gear: sample-accurate MIDI on 1 in x 1 out.
Connect your analog gear: DC-coupled TRS outputs for software like MOTU’s own Volta.
Operate as a standalone mixer, no computer – just connect power.
Plug-and-play USB2 operation, plus 32-bit and 64-bit native drivers for Mac and Windows.

You can also rack-mount it as a half-rack unit, although I like the ability to toss something this small into a backpack or messenger bag to head to the gig.

To me, just having dedicated front-panel input knobs, decent-enough I/O, and standalone mixing on a box with good timing and audio quality is pretty nice. I have to say, I think the Audio Express could fill an ideal niche as a mid-range audio interface – it’s a crowded field if you get cheaper or if you get more expensive, but there isn’t much in the $ 400-500 budget that competes well with this. And for that reason, I’ll try to get one in for review. As commenters suggest, the real question is whether you spend a little extra on the additional I/O on MOTU’s UltraLite. But the UltraLite doesn’t have those convenient front-panel mixing knobs, and I’m not sure everyone necessarily needs DSP effects. I think it depends on your needs, and we’ll have to see what street may be on the Audio Express.

MOTU Audio Express Product Page

Also, judging from those product shots, it’ll look great on my clean, white, mirrored lab table next to my MacBook Pro. Boy, am I glad I got that off the set of THX 1138.

AudioProFeeds-1

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Apple Refreshes MacBook Pro Line; Models Compared

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Apple today refreshed its MacBook Pro line in a long-awaited update, moving the Apple laptops in line with recent advancements in Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs. There are some caveats when you pull apart the line, however – the 13″ models miss out on the new CPUs in this lineup, at least – and you’ll pay to get some of the better improvements. Of course, a Mac is a Mac; for many readers, it’s the reliability of the combination with the Mac OS that is likely to be the deciding factor.

The best news is, the 15″ and 17″ models are getting new Core i5 and i7 processors, which boast significant performance boosts and improved battery life. That’s a plus both for number-crunching audio production power and for keeping your battery going while you’re running Ableton on the trans-continental coach flight. These aren’t huge changes, though – and, at the risk of igniting some flame wars, there are competitive PCs that use the same technologies. But if you were waiting for this refresh to get a new Mac (or pick up an almost-new Mac at a discount), today’s your lucky day.

You can read the full specs from Apple, and Engadget has even done an unboxing of the top-of-the-line i7 model, but here’s a quick overview of how the models compare.

13″
$1199-1499
Core 2 Duo (2.4-2.66) – not the newer Core i3/i5/i7 (yet)
Integrated graphics (NVIDIA 320M, similar to the 310M – think a new generation of the previous 9400M)
1280 by 800 graphics
Up to 10 hours battery life
Two USB 2.0, one FireWire 800, one SD card slot

15″
$1799-2199
Core i5/i7 (2.4-2.66) CPU
NVIDIA 330M discrete GPU switches with integrated graphics for better battery life
1440 by 900 graphics
9 hours battery life
Two USB 2.0, one FireWire 800, one SD card slot

17″
$2299-2499
2.53G Core i5 ($200 more gets you the 2.66 i7 as a custom option, not listed in the specs)
Three USB 2.0, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot

The good news: As always, Apple’s machines have some lovely standard features. All of the models have standard backlit keyboards – ideal for seeing your machine onstage. They all have MagSafe power ports, multi-touch trackpads, great-looking screens, 8x SuperDrives (for burning and reading), iSight cameras, and lovely aluminum bodies.

Sweet spots: the $1199 machine, if you can live without the fastest processor or GPU, is a pretty solid compromise, especially as a satellite to a desktop. (13″ in coach class and on buses is also a big, big win.) I also like the 15″ models, and as readers noted, you can upgrade to a high-density 1680-by-1050, and choose antiglare. Doing that on the cheaper 15″ could be a good way to go.

If you have the money, the 17″ is the one model that offers the biggest display (antiglare is available, though not listed on the “compare” specs page), and it’s the one with ExpressCard. It remains the best “pro” machine for people who want every option. Why would you want that ExpressCard slot? I expect it’ll appeal for those who want one main product, the UAD-2 from Universal Audio, for fantastic-sounding DSP effects. (The slot is also a way to add e-SATA support for more storage flexibility.)

Note that the standard drive is a stock 5400 rpm drive, but you can upgrade to a 7200 rpm model. RPM isn’t the only measure of disk performance, so I’d have to know more to give solid advice there. (I’m also very curious how the SSD option stacks up. Some – but not all – SSD drives are delivering great performance for audio.)

Hi, I’m a PC. There’s no question that you pay a price premium for Apple. Consider, for instance, that the ASUS U30 reviewed by Engadget today costs just $900, has a newer Core i3 CPU and more ports, and a form-factor and battery life that are competitive with a pricier 13″ MacBook. Or for a more luxurious price, you can get something like the Rain Recording laptops – one tested specifically with a range of audio apps – for the same price as a higher-end Mac, with more amenities in storage and I/O. I don’t expect that is going to sway anyone to switch from Mac to PC, but it means those who do like PC software – including exclusives like FL Studio, SONAR, and video editing app Vegas, or booting Linux – still have a good option.

The issues that I think may be more relevant to Mac users:

The bad news: The only machine that allows you to add an ExpressCard slot is the 17″ model. I/O remains limited: you get 2 USB ports on all but the 17″ model and 3 USB ports on that device. FireWire 800 can be used with FireWire 400 devices, but 800 is all you get, which I know still bothers some Mac customers. And there’s no eSATA port, a useful connection now commonly found on PCs.

Snap judgments: So, what do readers think? Already, a few gems from our Twitter friends:

[asked about PC options and cost] “skulpture: nope wud never swap back to Win. I’d rather buy an old MacBook pro.” Fair enough. And, of course, the very-nice previous-year MacBooks are about to get cheaper – look for open box or refurb models, especially. The same user, on FireWire: “well apple have not brought back fw400 so as far as I’m concerned they have shot themselves in the foot- again!” (You can use FW400-to-800 adapter cables. I have heard some users complain about compatibility problems, though I haven’t been able to verify them – anyone?)

“autoy: I think the pixel density for the 15” optional HD display and battery life are the killer features.”

“chaircrusher: new MBPs — faster than the old ones, and expensive.”

That’s not Apple.com’s headline, but I think it’s fair.

The biggest remaining question to me is really the details on the disks – if there’s an 8MB or 16MB cache, for instance, and how the SSDs perform. More on that soon.

Far be it from me to start a platform war, but I’m curious – is anyone considering a PC laptop? Are you committed to one platform or the other, or do you compare? How many people are running Windows in Boot Camp for music production, or Linux on the Mac? After all, at the end of the day, it’s all music. (Some of the feedback I’ve gotten again and again is that choosing a PC – given wildly variable quality and complex options – can be challenging for audio. I hope CDM would be informative whatever platform you choose, so I’m working on good ways of gathering more info on this. Stay tuned. And likewise, if there’s more you want to know about the new Macs, just ask.)

Updated: An early version of Apple’s comparison specs I believe listed the entry-level 13″ computer without an iSight. I don’t have a screenshot, so I can’t verify whether that was an Apple mistake or my mistake, but the current specs verify that the iSight is standard, which makes more sense.

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Apple Refreshes MacBook Pro Line; Models Compared

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Last-Minute Holiday Shopping: Mom Asks, Live or Logic for a Beginner Teen?

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

livelogic

What’s the best way to help get someone started on computer music making? From comments, we get this request from a mother looking to buy the first software on a budget for her teenage son. I’m, uh, hoping your son isn’t reading this (actually, he probably won’t mind – just remember, act surprised).

I am completely new to this kind of software, but my teenage son is requesting the likes for Christmas. I started out looking at Ableton Live 8, but am a bit wary of the price. I’ve also looked at Reason and Apple’s Logic Studio. The price is a bit of a deterent, (he’s not an only child) and I have also looked at the Live Intro and Logic Express. I would love some advice on what to get. He is wanting something that will let him play around with the existing song library on his iPod (mixing songs together, making remixes of individual songs etc), as well as something he can create his own music with. He’d like to be able to save or record what he does. Eventually he might want to be able to plug in a guitar or mic and add his own playing/singing to what he has done on the computer. Any suggestions?

Good question! I take she had also pulled up some of my reviews (presumably for Macworld) and hadn’t come to any definite conclusion, because I said nice things about both.

The challenge here, as always, is that any number of tools will be up to the job, including GarageBand. I quite like Logic Express as a bargain choice for Mac production. It’s got the amp and pedalboard options for guitar, and nice effects built in. Apple’s done a lot to make the interface friendly and attractive. And for someone just getting started, there’s almost nothing in Pro that’s missing from Express that you’ll really need. Logic Express is also an interesting choice for doing remixes, because of the new Flex Time feature.

That said, I’m going to go with Ableton Live Intro as my recommendation, based on the way she describes her son. It’s an ideal choice on the Mac for getting creative ideas flowing, thanks to Live’s non-linear Session View and approach to musical clips. Live offers a tough-to-beat toolkit for the beginning remixer, with the ability to slice and rework audio and apply various envelopes to musical materials. But it’s also a good place to begin experimenting with your own ideas; because you don’t have to look at a linear, left-to-right view of your music, the addictive process of imagining ideas is easy to employ.

Live Intro does just about everything you’d need to get going (though it’s too bad, for a guitarist/vocalist, that Looper is missing). Intro also bundles a lot of preset sounds. And it’s only $99. The best advice: give Live Intro a try, and then as your son’s work grows, he might add on Logic Express or upgrade Live to a higher-level version. By then, he’ll know more about his own tastes and needs.

Here’s a comparison of the two Live versions (I actually couldn’t find a chart this simple for Logic Pro versus Express, though I’m sure I’ve seen that somewhere):
Live Intro vs. Live 8 comparison chart

Anyway, that’s just my humble opinion. And yes, I use both tools myself. Live is a place where I’ve often started new ideas, even if I finish them off somewhere else. And Live will work with Logic, so if he decides he wants some of the features in Logic, he can use them together.

Readers, any different thoughts? Of course, there are many other software options not listed here available on the Mac.

On Windows, we’d have a different set of variables – there, I might be inclined to point to Cakewalk’s Music Creator 5 and Reaper, too. (I like FL Studio, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to someone with this particular set of tastes.)

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Last-Minute Holiday Shopping: Mom Asks, Live or Logic for a Beginner Teen?

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Q&A: FL Studio Express Vs. Demo Versions?

Q&A: What sound packs does FL Studio 8 Express include?

Mixing and Audio Interface, in the $450 MOTU Audio Express

Apple Refreshes MacBook Pro Line; Models Compared

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping: Mom Asks, Live or Logic for a Beginner Teen?