Anyone who produces music using a digital audio workstations (DAWs) has ever used or heard of Avid Pro Tools and Fruity Loops. It’s inevitable, given how old they are in the world of audio and usefulness of their features.
Depending on the orientation of your professional career, it is very likely that you will one day need to know how to use one or the other. If you work in the studio recording bands, you’ll most likely come across Pro Tools, as it’s the recording industry standard. If you work with beat makers, amateur musicians, hip-hop producers, and electronic musicians, you’ll most likely come across FL, due to its affordable price and user-friendly features.
While they’ve each found their way into certain areas of the digital audio workstations- DAWs continuum, you could technically swap them around and get similar results with each one. You can record with FL and make beats with Avid Pro Tools. The approach and features might be a bit different, but it’s totally possible.
Avid Pro Tools
Pro Tools is one of the digital audio workstations (DAWs) software developed by Avid Technology that is widely used in the music, film, and television industries for recording, editing, and mixing audio. It is known for its powerful and professional features, making it a popular choice for audio production and post-production.
Pro Tools offers a wide range of functionalities, including multi-track recording, MIDI sequencing, virtual instrument support, audio editing, mixing, and mastering. It supports various audio file formats, sample rates, and bit depths, making it compatible with different types of audio hardware and software.
One of the key features of Pro Tools is its non-linear editing capabilities, which allow for precise editing and manipulation of audio recordings. Users can edit audio waveforms, apply real-time audio effects and plugins, and automate various parameters to create complex audio productions.
Pro Tools also has a collaborative workflow, allowing multiple users to work on a project simultaneously, making it ideal for professional studios and team-based audio production environments. It also offers comprehensive session management tools, such as track comping, track playlists, and session templates, which help streamline the recording and editing process.
Pro Tools also supports a wide range of plugins, both from Avid and third-party developers, allowing users to expand their creative possibilities with virtual instruments, effects processors, and audio processing tools. Additionally, Pro Tools has an extensive ecosystem of hardware.
Pro Tools Payment Model
Avid uses a subscription model for Pro Tools, after version 12.9.x. With the latest version, you can choose a 3-tier perpetual license: Pro Tools Artist for $99 per year, Pro Tools Studio for $299 per year, and Pro Tools Flex for $999 per year.
For the Pro Tools Artist level, Avid provides a large number of plugins. Filters, EQs and dynamics processing, 9 different software instruments, including the new Pro Tools | GrooveCell and SynthCell, guitar pedal effects and many time processors: reverbs, delays, flangers, chorus, etc.
The Pro Tools Studio level increases the number of tracks, number of plug-ins, Dolby Atmos and Celemony Melodyne mixing capabilities.
Pro Tools Flex is actually what replaced Pro Tools Ultimate. This is the version you will need if you are an HD hardware user (HDX/HD Native) and use some of the advanced features of Pro Tools. Avid has also added a special feature to Flex called SoundFlow Cloud Avid Edition.
This is a pretty amazing feature in the DAWs that lets you assign complex workflows and keystrokes to macros. If you’re an experienced Pro Tools user, you’ll appreciate this enhanced feature.
Learning Curve of FL Studio vs. Pro Tools
Pro Tools has a steep learning curve for beginners. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. The UI alone can scare even the bravest audio souls. It takes a semi-deep level of understanding of digital signal processing, knowing how to build sessions, using busses, auxes, inserts, and becoming familiar with a multitude of editing commands and workflows.
If you’re not ready to learn all of this, it might not be worth embarking on the journey that is Pro Tools. The I/O configuration alone will scare you away. Most early adopters of Pro Tools seem to use it out of sheer necessity, because they’re working in a studio and it’s the centerpiece.
FL Studio
FL Studio team has done an amazing job of making FL Studio as complex or simple as you want it to be. The UI and UI are appealing to people of all skill levels, while still being a professional audio app. When the new UI appeared for the very first version, there was an outcry from users who were unhappy that it lost a lot of functionality.
It didn’t take long for the industry to catch on and stick with it, realizing that it was still all there, just more customizable. VS’ is very intuitive if your goal is to create beats and it can help you further your music career if that’s what you do. Whether it’s a bedroom producer or an artist selling multiple platinum top 40 records, FL Studio can stay in the repertoire of audio tools.
Recording Features of Pro Tools
Pro Tools Daws software that offers a wide range of recording features for professional audio production. Some of the key recording features of Pro Tools include:
- Multi-track recording: Pro Tools allows for simultaneous recording of multiple audio tracks, making it easy to record and edit multiple audio sources at the same time.
- Audio recording: Pro Tools supports recording of audio from various sources, such as microphones, musical instruments, and external audio interfaces, providing high-quality audio recording capabilities.
- MIDI recording: Pro Tools allows for recording and editing of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data, which is used to control virtual instruments, synthesizers, and other MIDI-enabled devices.
- Punch-in and punch-out recording: Pro Tools allows for precise recording using the punch-in and punch-out recording feature, which allows for seamless recording over specific sections of a track without affecting the rest of the recording.
- QuickPunch: Pro Tools’ QuickPunch feature allows for on-the-fly recording, enabling users to quickly enable or disable recording on selected tracks during playback for spontaneous recording or fixing mistakes.
- Loop recording: Pro Tools offers loop recording capabilities, which allows users to record multiple takes of a section of audio in a loop, making it easy to capture the perfect take.
- Track comping: Pro Tools allows for track comping, which is the process of selecting the best parts of multiple takes and creating a composite track, allowing for precise editing and arrangement of recorded audio.
- Pre-roll and post-roll recording: Pro Tools allows users to set pre-roll and post-roll recording times, enabling them to capture audio before and after the actual recording session, useful for setting up cues or capturing ambient sound.
- Playlist recording: Pro Tools supports playlist recording, which allows for multiple takes of the same track to be recorded and stored in separate playlists, providing flexibility for choosing the best take during editing.
- Low-latency monitoring: Pro Tools provides low-latency monitoring, allowing users to monitor their recordings in real-time without noticeable delays, which is crucial for recording performances with live monitoring.
- Track input monitoring: Pro Tools like other DAWs offers track input monitoring, which allows users to monitor the input signal of a track before it’s recorded, useful for checking the quality of the recording source.
- Automatic delay compensation (ADC): Pro Tools automatically compensates for the delays introduced by plug-ins and external hardware, ensuring that all recorded tracks are properly aligned, making it easier to achieve precise synchronization.
Music creation often begins with recording and striving for excellent sound quality. Both Pro Tools and Logic can accomplish this goal, but Pro Tools takes its audio recording capabilities a step further. Being the original recording software has its advantages. For example, Pro Tools contains 5 recording modes: normal, loop, destructive, quick punch, track punch, and destructive punch.
Pro Tools can record up to 256 mono audio tracks at a time (128 stereo audio channels). Engineers will have no problem recording larger groups with multiple mic setups. It’s certainly a nuanced workflow, and meant for creating music in large-format studios with orchestras, marching bands, and maybe some prog-rock and jam-band types.
These are just some of the recording features offered by Pro Tools DAWs, which make it a powerful and versatile tool for professional audio recording and production.
Pro Tools has also become more flexible and supports any audio interface, including the revolutionary HD system (PCIe HDX / HD Native cards), which features some of the most acclaimed AD/DA converters on the market. They are also very practical for large DSP loads.
Recording Features of FL Studio
FL Studio comes with a wide range of recording features that allow users to capture audio, MIDI, and other types of data for creating music. Some of the recording features of FL Studio include:
- Multi-track recording: FL Studio allows users to record multiple audio and MIDI tracks simultaneously. This allows for recording different instruments or vocals on separate tracks, making it easy to edit and mix them later.
- Audio recording: FL Studio allows users to record audio from external sources such as microphones, instruments, or other audio devices. It supports recording in different audio formats and resolutions, including WAV, MP3, and FLAC.
- MIDI recording: FL Studio has extensive MIDI recording capabilities, allowing users to record MIDI data from MIDI controllers, keyboards, and other devices. MIDI data can be recorded as notes, velocities, and other MIDI events, which can be edited and manipulated later.
- Automation recording: FL Studio allows users to record automation data for controlling various parameters such as volume, panning, and effects in real-time during recording. This allows for dynamic changes in the mix during recording, adding expressiveness to the music.
- Loop recording: FL Studio DAWs has a loop recording feature that allows users to record multiple takes of a section or phrase of a performance. These takes can be later comped or edited to create the desired performance.
- Punch recording: FL Studio supports punch recording, which allows users to punch in and out of a recording at specific points. This is useful for fixing mistakes or adding parts to an existing recording without re-recording the entire performance.
- Time stretching and pitch shifting: FL Studio has built-in time stretching and pitch shifting capabilities, allowing users to adjust the timing and pitch of recorded audio or MIDI data. This is useful for fixing timing issues or creating unique musical effects.
- Audio editing: FL Studio provides a range of audio editing tools, including trimming, cutting, fading, and crossfading, which can be used to edit recorded audio data. This allows for precise editing and manipulation of audio recordings to achieve the desired sound.
- Mixer and effects: FL Studio includes a powerful mixer and a wide range of built-in audio effects, such as EQ, compression, reverb, delay, chorus, and more. These can be used during recording to apply effects in real-time or later during the mixing process.
- Take management: FL Studio DAWs has a take management system that allows users to easily manage and organize multiple takes of a recording. Users can audition, select, and comp the best parts from different takes to create a final polished performance.
These are some of the recording features of FL Studio, which make it a powerful DAW for recording and producing music. FL Studio provides a comprehensive set of tools for recording, editing, and mixing audio and MIDI data, allowing musicians and producers to create professional-quality music productions.
Mixing Features
Avid Pro Tools
When it comes to audio mixing, the main differences between Pro Tools and Logic are few. Over the years they have become quite similar in their traditional UI approach to SSL channel strips, grouping, use of VCA tracks, etc. Pro Tools excels in post-production workflows, however.
Avid Pro Tools Ultimate is a powerful tool for dub scenes. The workflow used on dubbing scenes usually involves linking multiple machines together via LTC or, in the case of Pro Tools, a special network-based synchronization called a “satellite”. One machine deals with the sound library and effects, another with dialogues, music, sound effects, etc. All of these are then recorded in the “doubler” so that the final soundtrack can be composed for the program being worked on. This system can support up to 12 machines playing simultaneously. No many DAWs offers such a solution.
Pro Tools DAW supports all third-party plugins made in AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) format. Most plugin makers do this since Pro Tools is actually the industry standard for most mixers and producers.
FL Studio
FL Studio provides a wide range of features for creating, editing, and mixing music. Here are some of the key features of FL Studio for mixing:
- Mixer: FL Studio has a powerful mixer with a large number of channels, each with its own volume, panning, and effects controls. You can route different tracks or channels to the mixer and adjust their levels to create a balanced mix.
- Effects: FL Studio comes with a variety of built-in audio effects such as equalizers, compressors, limiters, reverbs, delays, chorus, flanger, and more. These effects can be applied to individual tracks or channels to shape the sound and add depth to your mix.
- Automation: FL Studio DAWs allows you to automate various parameters such as volume, panning, and effects settings. This allows you to create dynamic changes in your mix over time, such as fading in/out, adjusting filter cutoff, or automating the modulation of an effect.
- Sends and Returns: FL Studio supports sends and returns, also known as auxiliary channels, which allow you to send audio from multiple tracks to a common effects channel. This can help you apply effects to multiple tracks simultaneously, and control the blend of wet and dry signals.
- Mixing Tools: FL Studio provides a range of mixing tools, such as a spectrum analyzer, level meters, and phase scope, to help you visually analyze and monitor your mix. These tools can assist in identifying and addressing frequency imbalances, phase issues, and overall mix clarity.
- Channel Routing: FL Studio allows you to route audio channels in various ways, including parallel processing and sidechain compression. This enables you to create complex routing configurations for advanced mixing techniques, such as parallel compression, parallel EQ, or sidechain ducking.
- Multi-band Processing: FL Studio supports multi-band processing, which allows you to apply different processing settings to different frequency bands of a track. This can be helpful in treating specific frequency ranges separately to achieve a more precise mix.
- Mixer Presets: FL Studio DAWs has built-in mixer presets that provide pre-configured settings for different genres of music, which can serve as starting points for your mix. These presets can save time and help you achieve a more polished sound.
- Third-party Plugins: FL Studio supports third-party plugins, including VST and AU plugins, which extend the mixing capabilities of the software. You can use external plugins for additional EQ, compression, saturation, or other processing to enhance your mix.
- Mastering Tools: FL Studio includes mastering tools, such as a master EQ, limiter, and metering, which can be used to finalize your mix and prepare it for distribution.
Mixing in FL Studio involves a combination of these features to achieve a professional and polished sound. Experimenting with different settings, using automation, applying effects strategically, and utilizing advanced routing techniques can help you achieve a well-balanced mix that sounds good on various playback systems.
Post production
Post-production usability is usually measured by the digital recorder’s ability to organize a large library of sounds and sessions, the speed of different editing techniques, and the ability to work with video files.
As we described earlier, Pro Tools outperforms most DAWs with its ability to link up to 12 systems together for a “dub stage” style satellite workflow. This capability, along with its comprehensive Workspace window, makes it the industry standard for organizing audio files in post-production. It makes working on video projects much easier, as you can have multiple video tracks in a single session, in case you are required to work on several different cuts for a movie.
Pro Tools DAWs also has a very useful marker feature. You can drop markers wherever you want, label them, then navigate between them with a simple keyboard command.
Conclusion
Music production is DAW-centric. Whether it’s audio recording, mixing, mastering, sound design, sound effects, voiceovers, post-production work, or any other audio-related task, you need to so that the DAWs works for you. We’ve compared each of these DAWs to help you make your decision based on your ultimate goal of getting your job done as efficiently as possible.
Working in audio and music should be fun. There’s no need to reluctantly spend the day with hectic workflows that drag you through your projects. The tools you need are there, although sometimes it takes trial and error. If you do this job, it is because you are passionate about it, and this passion will allow you to concentrate and refine your skills. The better you understand what you need, the faster you will achieve your goals. Good luck!