Review - Fruity Loops 8

My view is a little bias on Fruity Loops because I have been making music with it for years. I don't remember what version I picked up first, but it is what I learned to make beats on.

First of all let me say, Fruity Loops is a great all around program for the low price. It has everything from a sequencer, piano roll, recording capabilities and many other aspects I could spend a hour and a half describing each one. But I digress, on to the review.

When you first open FL, it opens with a demo song to show you the range of abilities this software covers. Once you are done listening to it (if you even did) you can open up a new project and start.

The menu on the left side is easy to navigate through, and easy to customize. If you have a sample folder all you have to do is drag the folder into the list and it will automatically link the folder to the list. All you have to do then is click the folder and search for the right sounds. To audition a sound you just click it. If you go through it with the arrow keys on the keyboard like I do sometimes you push up and down to pick a file, and to open a folder or play a sound push the right arrow while the left closes a folder.

The piano roll is very straight forward, and has its own list of options such as quantize. This is helpful because I never play my melodies perfect.

The drum sequencer is also straight forward. Within 5 min you before aware of the basic in and outs of it.

What I really like about FL is you can load VST FX and instrument plug-ins. This makes it a much better weapon in your music making arsenal as opposed to Reason that does not support VSTs.

The patter sequencer is easy also. You just draw out each bar of each pattern and create the sequence. Not much more to say about that.

All in all, this is a great overall production machine. Recording vocals is even clean, but I think the record function is more for live instruments rather than vocals.

You can pick up a version of FL 8 for pretty cheap, just shop around and don't be afraid to download the demo to test it out.

Here is Image-Line's Fruity Loops Web Site : http://flstudio.image-line.com/

Breakdown-

Interface : 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Ease of Use: 8/10
Value: 9.5/10

Overall: 8.625/10

Check back for more and don't forget to give me feedback and subscribe!!