The Image Line FL Studio 21 Fruity Edition is a comprehensive MIDI music production environment. It delivers a suite of music creation features including MIDI piano-roll and step sequencing, live performance mode and multitouch support, as well as a suite of software synthesizers and effect plug-ins.
There are several significant updates with version 21, including full macOS support (OS X 10.11 or later), unlimited time signature changes, playlist arrangements, full plug-in delay compensation, and a redesigned tool bar. V21 has support for AU and VST 64-bit, DX, and FL Native plug-in formats and it can be hosted in other DAWs as a VST or connected through ReWire. Both Mac and Windows versions are cross-platform compatible, allowing for seamless sharing and collaboration.
FL Studio 21 offers a multitude of MIDI recording and sequencing functions that are centered around its piano roll and trademark step sequencer features. Use either of these powerful tools alone, or in combination with one another to record your musical performances in either pattern or track sequencing mode, depending on your personal workflow.
In addition, FL Studio 21 provides advanced mixing and routing options that allow you to create complex, polished productions. Allowing for up to 125 channels, the mixer can be used for leveling, panning, creating sub-mixes and adding effects to your instruments. Each channel of the mixer is equipped with parametric EQ and can hold up to 10 effects (AU, VST, DX, or FL's Native format). Choose from a selection of effects including Delay, Delay Bank, Equo, Flangus, Love Philter, Vocoder, and more. Furthermore, the mixer includes four dedicated send channels that provide the ability to sidechain inputs to multi-input effects plug-ins.
Time Signatures:
- Default time signature is set in the project
- General settings and time signature changes with time markers
- Use the on-pattern clip menu, Use current time signature to set a time signature based on playlist position
Playlist Arrangements: An arrangement is the layout of audio, automation, and pattern clips in the playlist as you added them. Use the drop-down arrangements menu to manage multiple playlist versions of the project (working ideas, sound design, versions etc.)
Plug-In Delay Compensation: Automatic PDC now works for all normal use cases including for mixer sends. Manual and auto-PDC can now coexist. Manual PDC is applied as an offset to auto PDC. Updates include:
- Audio Recording: New audio input delay control on the input menu fixes latency issues with individual audio inputs
- Icon Colors: Automatic (orange), manual (blue), or not set (gray)
- Mixer Menu: Plug-in Delay Compensation > Reset manual latency on all tracks. Option to reset all manually set latency values to zero
- Metronome: Latency compensated
- Mixer FX Slots: Latency compensated Wet/Dry mix knob. Processing delay is now compensated when mixing the Wet/Dry signals from an effect for each FX slot
Continuous Adjustment: Roll the mouse wheel over the time icon or latency display:
- Mouse Wheel: 10 ms steps
- Ctrl+Mouse Wheel: 1 ms steps
- Ctrl+Alt+Mouse Wheel: 1 sample steps
Mouse Wheel works in Three Places:
- Track input latency icon (FX panel)
- Track output latency selector (FX panel)
- Track output latency icon (mixer tracks)
- Wrapper Offset: Latency shown in the wrapper info can be set and saved per plug-in. Use to compensate plug-ins that consistently report an incorrect latency
Updated Toolbar: Updated toolbar design and editable layout
- Playlist Tracks: Increased from 199 to 500
- Audio Recording: Realtime display of audio data as it is captured. Multiple takes are grouped when recording
- Playlist Menu: Resize all tracks. Choose from 33 to 200%
- Time Markers: Punch in/out time markers so you can start/stop recording using time markers
- Hide Grouped Tracks: Hide collapsed grouped tracks. When used, a small arrow on the right-side of the Track header can be clicked to open and close the hidden tracks
- Playlist Preview: Mini playlist preview is selected by default
- Playlist: Right-Click Header Menu: Right-click options to mute all clips, to unmute all clips, or to undo consolidated tracks faster
- Playlist: Improved visibility of clip borders in solid view mode
- Fruity Compressor (Update): Added an option to report processing latency
- Fruity Reeverb 2 (Update): Modulate reverb using Modulation (amount) and Speed options to break up ringing or metallic sounds
- VFX Level Scaler (New): Scale Note Properties as received from the Piano roll. The graph shows input-output mapping for Note—Velocity, Release, Pitch (fine), Pan, Mod X, and Mod Y values
- Fruity Reeverb (Update): Is now a 64-bit FL plug-in
- ZGameEditor Visualizer (Update): Layers can be collapsed. Buffered layers are more obvious.
- Text position and size can now be specified in decimals
- Increased responsiveness to Linear peak effect
- Color button on HTML tab to paste color to test
- New effects, New Peaks, Blur, Motion blur, Bloom, and Color correction
- Improved quality for FFT based presets
- Playlist Features
- Automation clips (spline based automation)
- Pattern clips (MIDI notes and event automation)
- MIDI Support
- Import / Export MIDI files
- Keyboards and controller input
- MIDI SysEx and MMC functions
- Mixer and FX Rack
- 125 insert/send tracks
- 10 FX slots per track
- Patcher FX extension/rack
- Full intertrack audio routing and side-chaining
- Piano roll and sequencing
- Step sequencer
- Piano roll
- Event editor
- Inputs and Outputs / Connectivity
- Directsound support
- ASIO (includes ASIO4ALL)
- 103 external audio Inputs
- 103 external audio outputs
- Render to .WAV, .MP3, .OGG
- Export mixer stems
- ReWire Support (client and host)
- FL Studio can be used as a VST client
- Reads different file formats
- .AIFF, .DS, .DS, .DWP, .FLAC, .MID, .MP3, .OGG, .SF2, .Speech, .SYN, .XI, .WAV files
- Audio Tools
- Elastique time stretching
- Plug-In Support
- VST 1, 2, and 3 instruments/effects
- Automation
- Automation clip generator
- Envelope controller
- Keyboard controller
- Sample Playback / Manipulation
- BooBass
- Channel sampler
- DirectWave player
- FL keys
- Fruity Pad Controller (FPC)
- Granulizer
- Slicer
- Wave traveller
- Synthesizers
- 3x OSC
- Autogun
- BassDrum
- BeepMap
- Drumpad
- Fruity Kick
- Fruity DX10
- Groove Machine Synth
- MiniSynth
- Speech Synthesizer
- Wasp/WaspXT
- Tools / Generators
- Control Surface
- Patcher
- Dashboard
- Layer Channel
- MIDI Out
- ReWired
- FL Studio Mobile plug-in
- Automation
- Formula Controller
- Peak Controller
- X-Y Controller
- Compressors / Limiters
- Fruity Compressor
- Fruity Limiter
- Fruity Multiband Compressor
- Soft Clipper
- Soundgoodizer
- Delay / Echo
- Delay
- Delay 2
- Delay 3
- Delay Bank
- Distortion
- Blood Overdrive
- Fast Dist
- Fruity Squeeze
- WaveShaper
- Equalization (EQ)
- EQUO
- Fruity 7 Band EQ
- Fruity Parametric EQ
- Fruity Parametric EQ2
- Filtering
- Fast LP
- Filter
- Free Filter
- Love Philter
- Vocoder
- Phasing / Flanging / Chorus
- Chorus
- Phaser
- Flanger
- Flangus
- Reeverb
- Reeverb
- Reeverb 2
- Multi FX
- Effector (12 FX)
- Tools
- Control Surface
- Balance
- Big Clock
- Center
- Patcher
- dB Meter
- HTML NoteBook
- LSD
- Mute 2
- NoteBook
- PanOMatic
- Phase Inverter
- Scratcher
- Send
- Stereo Enhancer
- Stereo Shaper
- Visualization
- Fruity Dance
- Spectroman
- Wave Candy
- ZGameEditor Visualizer
- Copyright-free samples
- Drums, cymbals, hats, kicks, percussion, snares, toms
- Loops
- SFX
- Vocals