FL STUDIO BASICS

New Features in FL Studio 9

This is a list of prominent new features in FL Studio 9. For the complete, much longer, list of new features (and bug fixes) please check the 'WhatsNew.doc' in the FL Studio installation folder: '..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio\WhatsNew.doc'.

FL Engine / Interface

• Sidechaining - The FL Studio Mixer 'Track Send' switches now have an additional 'Sidechain' function.
• Multi-Core CPU (Hyperthreading) - Improved multithreaded generator & added multithreaded effects processing.
• Global 'Smart disable' checkbox, both effects and plugins. Reduces CPU load by disabling inactive plugins.
• Can now drop effect presets onto mixer tracks & channels, mixer track presets onto effect slots and channels, channel & generator presets onto mixer tracks & effect slots.
• Bigger hints - New (optional) large floating Extended Hint Panel, shows hints & progress more clearly.
• Loop recording - Recorded Audio clips in loop recording mode are now muted, instead of the associated channel.
• Icons - Channel Buttons and Clip Tracks can now be embellished with icons.
• Audio editing - Dropping an audio file onto the 'Open audio editor' shortcut button now opens it in a new audio editor.
• Audio analysis envelopes - Can now drop audio files onto most envelope editors, the volume envelope will be approximated.
• Multiple controllers - Can now control multiple independent instrument channels, assigned by MIDI number.

New Plugins

• Autogun - Sonic adventure (free).
• Gross Beat - Real-time, audio-stream playback, pitch, position and volume manipulation effect (demo).
• Ogun - Additive metal simulation synthesizer (demo).
• Sakura - String modeling instrument (demo).
• Stereo Shaper - Mid / Side stereo processing (free).
• Vocodex - The last word in vocoders (free with Producer Edition).

Revised Plugins

• FL Simsynth Live, FL Drumsynth Live, Fruity DX10 Wasp & Wasp XT are now included free with FL Studio 'Fruity', 'Producer' & 'Signature Bundle'.
• Direct Wave - Added sample layer (Zone) randomization.
• Edison & Slicex - Wave editor & slice-player plugins (Producer edition). New 'Export regions > For sampler use...' that exports with marker middle notes, and improved export.
• Edison - Wave editor & recorder plugin (Producer edition).
  • New Noise Removal tool.
  • Edison can now be maximized (double-click Titlebar or press enter).
• FPC - Added Pad layer randomization and Import DirectWave program (.dwp) function.
• Fruity Envelope Controller - Controller plugin (free). New scrollbar for zooming Fruity Envelope Controller in Key & Vel mapping modes.
• Fruity Limiter - Compressor section now has sidechaining (free).
• Fruity Reeverb 2 - Added Mid vs Side input signal processing.
• Fruity Wrapper - Now supports multiple inputs/outputs (free).
• Maximus - Multiband Compressor / Limiter (demo). Improved Maximus CPU usage, now significantly faster.
• Wave Candy - Visualization & analysis tools (free).
  • New Vectorscope stereo analysis visualization.
  • Additional metering modes.
  • Added rounded corners size selector.
  • Improved Vista blur appearance.

Piano roll

• Riff machine automatic sequence generator tool.
• New Note Grouping switch (works on selecting, moving, resizing, deletion, muting, shifting using mouse-wheel).

Playlist

• Playlist track naming & icon tools for better song organization.
• Playlist track mute controls.
• New Clip Grouping switch (works on selecting, moving, resizing, deletion, muting, shifting using mouse-wheel).
• Edit->Insert / Delete space - Now cuts through Playlist clips spanning the insert point.
• Mouse - 4th mouse button opens clip source selection popup.

Mixer

• More tracks - Now has 99 Insert tracks (up from 64).
• Multi-core CPU support - Added 'multithreaded mixer' tracks processing for improved multi-core performance.

Browser

• File-name helper - Placing the mouse cursor over file names, obscured by the right edge of the Browser, will show a pop-out filename view.
• Presets - Drop effect presets onto mixer tracks & channels, mixer track presets onto effect slots and channels, channel & generator presets onto mixer tracks & effect slots.
• Plugin database, thumbnail array now shows plugins by category.
• Shift+F8 now opens the plugin database. Can now double-click on effects in the database to load them into the selected Mixer track.
• New access to Windows file shell menu from Browser (right-click) item menu.
• New Browser folder icons & new 'Recent files' Browser folder.
• Sort by Group - The 'Sort by -> Group' option will sort important folders & files based on XYZ.nfo file information in the FL Studio installation directory ..\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio #\Data\Patches\XYZ.nfo. Where XYZ = any folder or file name to be Group sorted. Inside the .nfo file put the command SortGroup=1 to N. 1 will appear at the top while N is the last file to be sorted toward the top of the Browser. Unsorted files will appear below these as usual.
• Quick zoom - Shift+mouse-wheel on Browser scroll-bar for quick zoom.
• Folders - Automation and Humanizing presets folders relocated to the Scores folder.

MIDI

• Improved native support for controllers.
• MIDI input messages are now logged, when the Debug log window is open.

Changes and Additions

• Project save folder - New optional project data folder setting (F10 > Project > General).
• New volatile linking feature.
• Auto scrolling state is now saved & restored (yay!).
• Added Janko layout to typing-to-piano keyboard option.
• Moved multithread CPU settings to the audio panel.
• New debug log in settings window to help techsupport resolve issues.
• Wrapper - Aligned tick lengths checkbox for greater plugin compatibility.
• Browser - Automation and Humanizing presets folders relocated to the Scores folder.
• Time Log - New starting date & (approximate) working time log in (F10) project info window.

The Manual

• Many screenshots (of more complex plugins and areas) now have pop-up hints and live links to the appropriate section of the manual, e.g. Try mousing around the Playlist screenshot.