Hi there, I'm interested in creating music for games, but I'm not sure which version of FL studio to use. I know there are better programs to use but remember using a trial of FL Studio a few years ago and loved it.

So, should I buy Express, Fruity or Producer? I was really hoping Express would be good enough but if I have to buy a better version, I will.

I'd also like to say that I'm a complete beginner and I'm mainly interested in making music for 2D, indie games. Not the epic music you hear in games like WoW

Hope you guys can help, thanks.

- Mob

Hi Mob.

Since you are beginning I wouldn't spend any money. These days you just need a computer and internet connection to practice electronic composition and arranging (don't underestimate arranging, it's a full subject requiring just as much study as composition).
An example of this is Linux Multimedia Studio (LMMS for short), an open-source software purposed for sequencing and mixing (the same purpose of FLStudio), with somewhat of a "free alternative to FLStudio" fame.
If you do have a budget for FLStudio, you can get from 'Fruity' edition to above. Don't get the 'Express' because it's just the Step Sequencer - you won't have a Piano Roll to write complex phrases like with most music you hear in games. Whenever in doubt, aim for the high-end: their top-tier package is the 'Signature Bundle'. All of this I'm seeing in the product comparison page at Image-Line's website: http://flstudio.imag...s/editions.html

My point in 'not spending a lot at first' is based on the following principle:

It's mostly the musical skill, not tool, that produces good results.[/quote]
A good MIDI arrangement is still a good MIDI arrangement, even with crappy onboard sounds. If you can make good MIDI arrangements and you have good musical skill rest assured you can invest further in this field such that it won't be misspent.

See you around, good luck!

If you have the money, Producer for sure.


FL Studio has so much to offer once you learn all the tools it has to work with.

Good luck

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Since you are beginning I wouldn't spend any money. These days you just need a computer and internet connection to practice electronic composition and

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(don't underestimate arranging, it's a full subject requiring just as much study as composition).

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If you have little to nothing to spare then I agree, otherwise you go with what your comfortable with. You aren't going to catch a lot of people using paintbrush (or even GIMP) to design art just because it's free.

I started out that way and learned very little about software and improved very slowly. I say Try it, then Buy it (if it's good).

Hey,

I can understand being wary of spending a good deal of money when just starting out in audio production but I'd urge you to:

- avoid freeware as they're usually clunky and don't offer the best workflow. For better results buy a commercial program which usually has superior customer support, tech support, a larger community of users and more stability. The key word here is "usually" as there are always exceptions.

- avoid cracked programs as they often contain viruses and/or have broken/missing features. Besides if you ever release music/content commercially and are found to be using cracked programs it could be a very, very expensive mistake.

The great thing about FL Studio - as opposed to other programs out there - is that it offers lifetime upgrades. Why not download several trial versions of multiple programs (which usually gives you about 30 days or so to try it out) and see which one works best for your needs.

Thanks,

Nate

LMMS is a good alternative for FL Studio, but if you just want to buy it then I'd get the Signature Bundle. I have the Producer Edition and I wish I had just paid an extra $100 for the Signature Bundle because it's cheaper to get all the plugins that way. If you tried to buy all of those plugins (Sytrus, DrumSynth, etc.) at once it'd equal up to probably $500.

Fruity loops is a very powerful program with a surprising amount of depth, if your serious about creating music for games it is worth splashing out some cash also you'll find that once you start delving into the program there's a lot there for the price, as with anything the more time you put into FL the more you'll reap the rewards. eBay is worth having a look for cheap prices.

Just out of interest, is FL Studio up on the list of "industry standard" DAWs these days? I would've thought maybe you'd be better off getting something more "pro", such as Sonar, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Logic, Cubase, etc. Although I may just be hopelessly out of touch.

Hello,
FL Studio has evolved a lot during the last years. I'd consider it a professional tool (in the right hands).

Be sure to check out as many DAWs as possible: while the features of DAWs are pretty much the same nowadays, what they differ most in is their approach to workflow, i.e. their mixing and arrangement user interfaces.

For example, for me FL Studio is too cluttered. I prefer the simplistic and clear graphics of Ableton Live (and also its warping algorithms), and when I need 64-bit for RAM intensive producing, I use Logic Pro.

Cheers,
Moritz

Also, depending on your career aims, you might want to check out what games companies actually use. I would imagine you'd be more likely to find the bigger names like Logic and Pro Tools being bandied about rather than something like FL Studio which, regardless of how good it is now, has a legacy of being more of a hobbyist program.