Logic Pro vs FL Studio Compared: Which DAW is Right For You? -

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Main Differences Between Logic Pro vs FL Studio

The Main Differences Between Logic Pro vs FL Studio are:

Logic Pro works exclusively on Macs computers, whereas FL Studio works on Windows and Mac.
Logic Pro costs $200 but there is no guarantee of lifetime free upgrades, whereas FL Studio buyers get the updates and revisions free forever. Depending on the flavor you choose, you can pay anywhere from $100 to $900 for this DAW.
Logic Pro is mostly set for 64-bit processing, whereas FL Studio can run on 32-bit or 64-bit.
Logic Pro allows you to work with more audio tracks than FL Studio.

Read on to delve deeper into what makes these DAWs tick and how different they are from each other. More importantly, which one of these two should you buy? To write this comparison, we will be looking at Logic Pro X and FL Studio 20, which are currently the latest versions of each DAW.

What Is Logic Pro?

Logic Pro is Apple’s entry into the digital audio workstation sphere, and it’s easy to use with a lot of features that help you create astounding music with ease.

The current version, Logic Pro X, has the following features:

Logic Pro Features

Live Loops2

This feature allows you to create and arrange music in real-time. You can spruce up your compositions by adding recorded audio, samples, and loops into different cells.

You can choose which cells to playback with your composition and then choose the combination that you like best. You can then move your preferred beats to the Tracks area and finish your compositions.

Step Sequencer

This editor will allow you to create drum beats, melodies, and bass lines with ease. You can also use your patterns and change these with creative playback effects.

The Step Sequencer will remind you of classic synthesizers and drum machines. But with a whole range of modern features such as being able to play a step in random, create rolling steps, or create longer notes by tying different steps.

Remix FX

Remix FX gives you a wide variety of filters, echoes, gating, and stutters that you can use with your compositions. These transitions and effects will sound like a DJ created them for you.

Logic Remote

You can now use your iPhone or iPad to control different features and functionalities of Logic Pro X. You can use multi-touch gestures to mix tracks, or play instruments. You can even swipe or tap to trigger Live Loops cells.

Easy to Use Plugins and Easy to Add Sounds

Logic Pro X allows you to work with different instruments, including vintage ones, as well as virtual instruments, effects, and samples to help you create music that’s unique and beautiful.

For instance, Sampler has been improved. The user favorite plugin now has a one-window design, with more synthesis tools to shape your sounds and a mapping editor that you can use to create complex and unique instruments.

You can also edit the start/end of a sample, crossfades, and loop ranges with the waveform editor. You no longer have to edit for hours and with a lot of effort with the new hot zones where you can just drag and drop elements.

You also have the Quick Sampler that allows you to manipulate single samples with ease. You can drag and drop any audio files from anywhere in the program and then create a playable instrument using one sample. You can also record your own clips, using a microphone, a turntable, or any instrument.

Another new plugin is the Drum Synth, which allows you to make your own synthesized drum beats. The Drum Machine Designer gives you the ability to create electronic drum kits of your own.

Other plugins, effects, and sounds you should try:

Alchemy
Arpeggiator and MIDI Plugins
ES2
Instruments
Retro Synth
Sculpture
Studio Brass
Studio Strings
Vintage Clav
Vintage Keyboards
Vintage Mellotron

Effects

Amp Designer
Bass Amp Designer
Channel EQ
ChromaVerb
compressor
Pedalboard
Phat FX
Ring Shifter
Space Designer
StepFX
Vintage EQ Collection

Sound Library

Acoustic Instruments
Cinematic
Loops
Modern Synths
Vintage Keys
Vintage Synths

What’s more, Logic Pro X has a new feature: Sound Packs. You can now add a variety of sound packs to your work. Each of these sound packs has its own Live Loops Grids, loops, patches, presets, and drum machine kits.

What You Would Like About Logic Pro X

There is a lot to be impressed about with Logic Pro X. It is simply the easiest way for you to record, manipulate, and compose your own music. The range of tools, effects, features, and functionalities that you get from this DAW is equally amazing.

In fact, you probably won’t have to pay for any studio time, because everything you need to do can be done on Logic Pro X. Imagine being able to create studio-quality music using your Mac.

And we are not kidding about saying that it does everything. With Logic Pro X, you can do seamless recordings, automate take management, and even create 24-bit music with resolutions of 192 kilohertz. You have the option to use up to 1,000 audio tracks and just about a similar number of instrument tracks. You can even run hundreds of plugins.

It also shines when you want to create MIDI tracks. Logic Pro X also gives you the tools that professionals use to perfect their music. Have your fill of EQs, dynamics processors, and a whole range of production effects.

What Can Be Better

According to NetMarketShare.org, there is only 9.4 percent of users who use a Mac. However, because Logic Pro X is only available for Mac, which means more than nine out of every ten users, are going to have to look elsewhere.

Pros and Cons: In a Nutshell

To make it easier for you to see what’s there to like and not with Logic Pro X, here’s a short list of its pros and cons.

Logic Pro Pros

An excellent collection of effects and instruments out of the box
Doesn’t employ a pesky copy protection dongle and other measures
Great value at only $200
Revised Live Loops and Sampler makes the Logic Pro X an excellent DAW that can hold its own against FL Studio, Kontakt, and Ableton Live

Logic Pro Cons

The mixer has small faders and meters
No easy way to do a clip-gain type of audio editing
Only available on Mac computers

Logic Pro X: The Bottom Line

As a DAW, there are a few things that Logic Pro X can’t do. With all of its features, you only have to pay $200 for a license. This can make even the most die-hard PC fan think about getting a Mac machine.

Logic Pro X currently has non-linear recording capabilities with new plugins that add more to its functionalities, which is already impressive in previous versions.

Logic Pro X 10.5 - Apple Pro Training Series | Amazon

$45.17

David Nahmani is the founder of LogicProHelp.com, the largest online community of Logic users. As an expert Logic Pro consultant and teacher, he has worked for Steve Porcaro, Toby Gad, Coco Morier, the Record Plant in Los Angeles, the Winter Music Conference in Miami, the Grammy foundation, ASCAP, Apple, and many more.

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03/07/2024 10:31 pm GMT

FL Studio: Everything You Need to Know

FL Studio is a favorite for those who create electronic dance music. It is come a long way from being just a loop sequencer known as Fruity Loops, to a full-fledged digital audio workstation.

FL Studio’s main draw is its free lifetime upgrades, easy to use software, its wide range of features, effects, and other elements, and beautiful vector-based interface. But with the latest edition, the FL Studio 20, Mac users can join in the fun.

FL Studio: Features You Should Know

What used to be a PC-only affair is not accessible on Mac computers. And here’s what everyone can expect from FL Studio 20:

Continuous Development

The FL Studio you see today is the product of constant improvement with the musician and end-user in mind. So you have useful features that are easy to use.

Mixer

At the core of FL Studio is the Mixer, which allows you to master and mix professional quality music. FL Studio gives you audio sends, effects chains, advanced automation, plugin delay compensation, side-chain control, and other things you need to create even the most complex songs.

Instruments and Effects

FL Studio comes with a wide range of effects and native instruments right out of the box. You also have the option to use VST 1, 2, and 3 plugins.

Playlist and Browser

FL Studio is known for its Playlist’s flexibility and it allows you to sequence different elements for your music. Tracks can hold automation, audio, or notes and you can place or overlay any element just about anywhere you want.

Meanwhile, the Browser gives you an easy way to organize all the elements you are working with, giving you a tidy workflow.

Piano Roll

If there is one thing that no other DAW can compare to, it’s the Piano Roll. It is used to send notes and automation to plug-in instruments. It also has a variety of tools to help you with even the most complicated score manipulation and editing.

What You Would Like About FL Studio 20

There is no question that FL Studio 20 is what you should use if you want to create killer beats. The free lifetime upgrade means that you’d always have the latest features released by Image-Line, the company behind FL Studio.

And there are regular updates to speak of: FL Studio 20 currently has 18 minor updates and patches in a little over two years. The company releases a major upgrade around two to four years, as well.

But even if Image-Line didn’t make the updates free, you will probably still choose FL Studio. The features, enhancements, effects, plug-ins, and everything else it offers will make making beats a whole lot easier. Professional quality audio that you create at home is what FL Studio gives you.

What You Won’t Like About FL Studio

FL Studio is not perfect, however. You might have all the tools you need to create beats, electronic dance music, and all the instruments and effects you can use.

However, live audio recording is not its strongest suit. There are workarounds, and it’s possible to get some excellent clips recorded live, but other DAWs do it better and faster.

Another thing that you might now love about FL Studio is that the user interface can seem overwhelming. With all the capabilities and the number of tracks you can work with using FL Studio, it is easy to understand why the interface can get cluttered.

FL Studio 20: The Bottom Line

Twenty years in the business have given Image-Line the knowledge of what musicians want and need. FL Studio 20 is a formidable, powerful, and useful DAW.

Pros

Free lifetime updates
Has all the effects, synths, and other elements you need to create excellent music
Now compatible with Mac machines

Cons

Expensive
UI can easily get cluttered
Some of the included sounds and clips are not the best, especially when compared to those provided by other DAWs

Comparing FL Studio 20 and Logic Pro X

Both FL Studio 20 and Logic Pro X give you the best tools and effects to create music. And here is where they differ.

Platform

It used to be that FL Studio was only for PC users while Logic Pro was for Mac users. Today, Mac users have the option to use FL Studio 20 with its native Mac support. However, Logic Pro X remains to be accessible to Mac users.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, there are four flavors of FL Studio 20 that you can get:

The $99 Fruity edition
The $199 Producer edition
The $299 Signature edition
The $899 All Plugins edition

Logic Pro X sticks to one price point: $200. And that comes with the full range of features, effects, synths, and plugins that you can use with the program. The only thing less expensive than the Logic Pro X is the Fruity edition that doesn’t allow you to record any audio.

Pricewise, Logic Pro X wins.

Maximum Audio Tracks

There’s a bit of confusion as to how many simultaneous tracks you can work with on FL Studio 20. Different sources put it at anywhere from 125, 250, and 500 tracks.

Not a problem with Logic Pro X where you can work with 2,000 tracks.

32-Bit Processing

FL Studio 20 can run either in 32-bit or 64-bit processing mode, but Logic Pro X only supports 64-bit without going through some workarounds. This might be a problem if you work with plugins that are 32-bit.

Upgrades

Image-Line has been quick to upgrade FL Studio with both major and point upgrades. What’s more, all upgrades come free if you already have a license.

Apple has been giving Logic Pro users free upgrades with their initial $200 investment. However, there are talks about paid upgrades and because free upgrades are not Apple’s official policy on Logic Pro, there is a possibility that you will be paying for an upgrade in the future.

What’s more, Apple has been quite slow and intermittent in releases revisions to their DAW. But most of the time, when they do drop an upgrade, it includes some major improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Audio Workstations

While we are talking about two of the best DAWs that you can find right now, there might be some things that you might have about DAWs in general.

1. What are the characteristics of a DAW that beginners should look for?

Beginners should know that any DAW can be overwhelming and that there are a lot of things to learn. The learning curve will be substantial, but it can be done.

A good DAW will be able to teach you the tricks of creating music. But choosing the best is entirely up to you.
For one, it should be within your budget and it should be compatible with whatever operating system your computer is currently running on.

To figure out which one is for you, try the different DAWs that offer free trials. This will give you a good idea of how intuitive they are, how complicated or simple the controls are, and if it fits your music-making style.

If you are impatient, some of the easy to learn DAWs that you can try right now are FL Studio, GarageBand, Acoustica Mixcraft, and Reaper.

What is a DAW, anyway?

If artists have their canvas, musicians and composers have their DAWs. Having an excellent DAW can help you create music at a fraction of the cost, time, effort, and manpower than it used to.

There are free DAWs, but some of the best can cost up to $1,000 or more. At its most basic, a DAW will allow you to bring together music from different sources. You can create music from a recorded clip, different sources such as drums, electronic keyboards, microphones, and others.

You can spice up your work with effect, synths, and electronic instruments, before exporting the final product into a playable file, such as WAV or MP3.

How do you learn any DAW?

The best way is to just do it and create music. Start small, maybe a short clip, and then punch or try every feature and click on every button to learn what each one of these does.

There are several essential effects that you can work with when it comes to tracks: EQ, compression, and reverb are great starting points.

If you get stuck, you can always rely on the company’s customer service or your chosen program’s community of users. There are also tutorials available online that you can consult.

Logic Pro X vs FL Studio 20: Which One Should You Choose?

If you have a PC, then there is really no choice but to go with FL Studio 20. But if you have a Mac computer, you can choose between these two.

Logic Pro X is an excellent choice if you want to do live recordings and acoustic music, while FL Studio 20 shines when it comes to electronic music production in the box.

If you are a beginner, FL Studio 20 is much easier to use the Logic Pro X. What’s more, you can actually see what each element does, so you have an idea of what works. But it does come with a downside: you do not have the best synths and instruments with FL Studio so you have to rely on plugins for third parties.

Not so with Logic Pro X. This DAW comes with great-sounding effects, synths, and instruments out of the box.

However, you might be partial towards one or the other. Both come with free trials, so give each one a whirl and see if you like one over the other. When it comes to DAWs, you simply must select the one that you are most comfortable with and those that think like you.

Further Reading on the Best DAW & Audio Production Tools: