It’s a totally new workflow introduced with the FL Studio 10.5 beta that features playlist clip triggering with your mouse, keyboard or midi controller a la Ableton Live. As a matter of fact we believe it will be a solid contender for the live performance DAW throne once it’s fully developed and fine-tuned. Check out the video below.

The full rundown for FL Studio 10.5

• Performance Mode – Trigger Clips using your mouse, touch screen, typing keyboard or MIDI controller.
• New controllers supported – APC20/40, Launchpad, Block, MASCHINE / MASCHINE MIKRO, padKONTROL
• Unique controller MIDI input port – Controllers can now be assigned unique input & output ports for feedback.
• Linking includes MIDI input port – Links now use MIDI input ports to avoid conflict between controllers
• New Content Library – The content library has received a complete overhaul based on user input.
• Options > Project general settings > Play truncated notes in clips – Restores notes overlapping slice points in Pattern Clips.
• Horizontal/Vertical movement locking – Shift (horizontal lock) & Ctrl (vertical lock) when moving items.
• Piano roll click & hold functions – Glue notes, Mouse wheel velocity change, Mouse wheel tool select.
• Piano roll – Brush tool: Monophonic step mode (hold shift for old behavior). Chop chords: Strum & Articulate tools.
• Improved Tap Tempo & Fine control – Updated algorithm + nudge control for Performance Mode.
• Instrument Channels – Ctrl+mouse wheel on Channel button to change the mixer track.
• Stay open sub-menus – Right click to check several menu items without closing them.
• Plugin Picker – Start typing plugin names to highlight entries.
• Right-click data enter – Most controls now allow a Right-click option to type in values.

Check out more information about the Performance Mode in the official manual.

If you want to take the all new Performance Mode for a test-drive, you can download the beta version as a registered customer on the official FL Studio forum here.

And if you’re not a registered customer yet, click here to buy FL Studio for as low as $89.00 (with our 10% discount).

Ableton Live is currently ruling the live performance DAW market. Recently a new DAW named Bitwig was announced that seems to spawn from the Ableton idea and is looking very similar in the session clip launch performance view. It seems this department is now being taken on by other manufacturers including Image Line.

The improvements introduced with FL Studio 10 already make it easier to arrange your song in a live way, but with this alpha testing video we’ve seen Image Line seems to take it up another notch. Using the Novation Launchpad that currently is one of Ableton’s best companions for live arranging and performing we see a similar clip launch feature within the FL Studio environment resulting in a promising way of composing your FL Studio songs. It also feels somehow similar to the Monomo. Let’s hope we see this new feature implemented soon.

Check the video out below and let us know what you think!

Image Line has reached a milestone in the development of a Mac OSX version now that they are looking for experienced FL Studio users with a Mac computer that can beta-test the software from late September / October. The only requirement is that you are a customer for over 2 years and have access to a Mac.

The current beta-version doesn’t support AU (Audio Unit) files, only (PC) VST’s and FL Studio Native plugins. Third party VST’s need to be tested and reported on a case-by-case basis.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a release of FL Studio 10 on Mac OSX during the holidays or so. Also if you have been accepted as a beta-tester, share your experience with us!

• Load and extend projects in the FL Studio (10) desktop version
• Resizable, stackable piano keys & reconfigurable drum-pads
• Stuffed with FL Studio quality instruments, drum kits & loop files
• 99-track sequencer, Piano roll editor & Step sequencer
• WAV, MIDI & FLM (project) import/export
• iPad HD version, iPhone 4 Retina Display support
• Compatible with the Akai SynthStation 25

I’ve already got it up and running on my iPhone and will let you know how it interacts with FL Studio 10 soon!

Image Line offers a limited-time $5 dollar discount on both the iPhone and iPad version of FL Studio Mobile so be sure to not wait too long before buying it.

Click here for the iPhone version of FL Studio Mobile

Click here for the iPad version of FL Studio Mobile (HD)

Check out how to get started in this video from Image Line below:

• Go to Options
• Click on General Settings
• Under ‘Advanced’ tick ‘Enable legacy pattern blocks’
• Click OK

Your Playlist view is now divided between the future clip view and the classic pattern block view again. Now go get back to rocking out those beats!

R.I.P. our beloved pattern blocks

Bugfixes:

• Fixed minor bug in playlist clip preview.
• Fixed note properties not always selected when clicking on notes.
• Fixed filenames in DW presets in Patches\Packs
• DirectWave: fixed freeze when sliding notes for “bounce” looped layers
• Downloader: fixed bug finding installed path
• Downloader: use correct user folder for refreshed lists
• FPC: fixed unmuting pads in some cases
• Newtone: fixed undo crash
• Patcher: fixed Y knob automation for XY controller
• Patcher: fixed crash when pasting control/param values
• Patcher: fixed update problem when pasting value for activated param
• Patcher: fixed crash when clearing
• Patcher: removed Granulizer from plugin list
• Patcher: read thumbnails from plugin database in addition to plugin thumbnail list
• Patcher: fixed unlink velocity behaviour
• Patcher: fixed sending midi pitch to VST plugins
• Patcher: fixed midi out from some plugins
• Patcher: fixed freeze using Absynth 5 x64
• Patcher: fixed SF Player freeze
• Patcher: fixed lock request from plugin
• Patcher: fixed transpose implementation
• Patcher: fixed crash in effect version when not enough audio outputs are available
• Fixed possible hang in undo when using interfaceless VST1 plugins
• Fixed wrong tempo exported in rendered projects after messing with steps per beat setting.
• FL VSTi: fixed freeze on export in Cubase

Additions:

• Wrapper: added IAudioPresentationLatency support for VST 3 plugins
• Reversed behavior when left/right clicking on mixer arming button.

First right-click on the selection tool

Click on ‘Magic Lasso’

Move your mouse arrow around all the notes you want to select

Voila, the notes have now been selected!

FL Studio 10 is chuck-full of these little improvements which improve your workflow. Stay tuned for more!

Key new features include:

* 64 Bit plugin wrapper – FL Studio now hosts 64 Bit VST plugins for access to unlimited memory.
* Autosave / Autobackup – Don’t lose a project or data again.
* Revised Playlist – Individually resizable tracks. Lock tracks to Clips. Live performance time Marker options (Jump to, Loop, Pause & Skip)
* Revised Mixer – Fully Automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (A-PDC). New waveform meter view.
* Revised Piano roll – Export as sheet music option. Vertical zoom with not properties view. Magic lasso selection & note-handle stretch. Edit ghost notes by double Right-click. Waveform view.
* Pattern Picker – opens from the Playlist, Piano roll or Stepsequencer. Select Patterns & Channels.
* Patcher (free) – chain instruments & effects for easy saving of complete instrument & effect chains.
* ZGameEditor Visualizer (free) – visualization effect with movie render capability.
* Pitcher (demo) – real-time correction/harmonization plugin responds to Piano roll note control.
* Newtone (demo) – pitch correction editor for precise control, pristine quality stretching, re-pitching and correction.
* Keep on disk & 32 Bit Bridge – now give each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel / Plugin access to at least 2 GB memory and up to 4 for VST Plugins.
* Fruity Edition – gains access to Pattern Clips.
* Lifetime Free Updates – are extended to all FL Studio 10 box customers onward & as usual all download customers.
* …learn more by visiting the ‘FL Studio 10 What’s New?’ page.

Look out for a full review coming up on http://www.flstudio10.net soon!

Check out the original news message on http://www.image-line.com/documents/news.php?entry_id=1301017795&title=fl-studio-10

• #10 The Chainer Plugin
  For all the people who find using a software mixer higher math, Image Line has created a new graphical plugin to assist you in routing your devices and plugins together. Reason has its infamous rack and routing interface, but now users of FL Studio can also benefit from this easy to use routing plugin.

• #9 The Price
  With everything that’s included and will be included, now is the time to ensure yourself of lifetime updates before Image Line discovers they could charge much, much more for their product.

• #8 CPU-saving
  The latest beta updates have really made an improvement on better memory management. The keep-on-disk function saves your precious RAM from being overused and extra audio options allow you to fine-tune the software for maximum CPU preservation.

• #7 User Base
  Everyone up to your favorite producer’s momma uses FL Studio because of the reasons mentioned in this Top 10 and more.  With buying Fruity Loops you can enter and participate in a massive user forum over at Image Line and be heard by the developers themselves. Very different from DAW developers  that throw a new eyecandy-heavy version of their software over the fence once in while after which they’re never heard from again.

• #6 Newtone And Pitcher
  Even though Jay-Z has announced the death of autotune a while ago, pitch and harmonization correction and effects are still immensely popular. These native plugins allow for creative flexibility in tuning vocals and instruments.

• #5 64-bit Plugin Support
  64-bit plugins are now recognized and can be run in bridged mode.

• #4 Piano Roll
  Both the mixer and the piano roll + playlist have undergone lots of workflow improving changes. Selecting notes is easier with the lasso tool and special attention has gone to live performing with audio clips in the playlist.
• #3 Playlist Clips
  The latest FL Studio betas see a departure from the well-known playlist blocks to playlist clips that were already half integrated in the previous versions. The blocks are still available, but hidden. Don’t be sad though, cause you will not miss the block view at all with all the improvements that are made, making the clip overview very straightforward and a great addition to the step sequencer.

• #2 Step Sequencer
  FL Studio’s step sequencer remains one of the most innovative and fastest ways to lay down a rhythmic pattern. If you’re not yet familiar with its use or new to music production this is a must-try.
• #1 Ease-of-use
  Following up on #2 the overall learning curve for FL Studio is lower than the competition, you can go from an idea to getting results down very quick.  Let the massive userbase speak for itself. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the ease-of-use makes the software a mere toy though, many testimonials from chart-topping producers will disagree.