# Has anyone switched from FL Studio to Cubase Pro?



## Mattzart (Apr 16, 2018)

I've used FL Studio for 15 years, I can smash out a song in no time, but the deeper I dive into orchestral music the more it seems like the program fights.

Hardware integration (MIDI controllers) isn't too hot in FL Studio. It can take me out of the zone if I've forgotten to setup my modwheel. Forget trying to program the transport buttons.
With the Playlist's emphasis on patterns I feel myself carry over a loop-based mentality into my orchestral pieces. This one could be entirely on me, though.
Scoring to media can be a huge pain. I've had to purchase a 3rd party VST (VidplayVST) that handles video just to get video into the program.
Time signature changes are currently in beta testing and havent had a chance to test them out, but that's a huge negative for FL for me.

On the plus side, sound designing is a breeze. Integrating samples is almost too easy, I just love the sampler and how easily the Playlist handles samples. Not to mention, I know the program like the back of my hand.

Is this a case of the grass appearing greener? Any thoughts are appreciated!


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## KEM (Apr 16, 2018)

Yes, I went from FL, to Ableton, to Cubase. And I will never, EVER, go back. To be honest, I don’t even know how I got by with FL for as long as I did? Maybe it was because I didn’t know anything about music at the time haha, but at the point I’m out I need all the features Cubase has to offer, FL has so many limitations, it’s great if you’re making trap beats, but it’s terrible if you’re composing to any form of media.

Switch to Cubase, I didn’t have a hard time adjusting, and it’s just better for all this “media scoring” nonesense some of us like to do haha.


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## Mattzart (Apr 17, 2018)

KEM said:


> Yes, I went from FL, to Ableton, to Cubase. And I will never, EVER, go back. To be honest, I don’t even know how I got by with FL for as long as I did? Maybe it was because I didn’t know anything about music at the time haha, but at the point I’m out I need all the features Cubase has to offer, FL has so many limitations, it’s great if you’re making trap beats, but it’s terrible if you’re composing to any form of media.
> 
> Switch to Cubase, I didn’t have a hard time adjusting, and it’s just better for all this “media scoring” nonesense some of us like to do haha.



What features are available to you that aren't in FL Studio? And are you using Cubase Pro? I checked out the comparison on their site and it seems like I won't be able to get by without Pro. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for the reply by the way! I'm always interested in hearing from current and former FL Studio users. I think we all have/had a love-hate relationship with the program :]


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## KEM (Apr 17, 2018)

Mattzart said:


> What features are available to you that aren't in FL Studio? And are you using Cubase Pro? I checked out the comparison on their site and it seems like I won't be able to get by without Pro. What are your thoughts?
> 
> Thanks for the reply by the way! I'm always interested in hearing from current and former FL Studio users. I think we all have/had a love-hate relationship with the program :]



Definitely go with Pro. And as far as features go, it’s got a great system for tempo changes, time signature changes, marker tracks, video tracks, and tons of other things that FL can’t do very well or doesn’t even do at all. If you make the switch you’ll never in your life use FL again unless you get nostalgic I promise you that.


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## kitekrazy (Apr 17, 2018)

I love FL Studio because it is more for electronic genres. It's like apples and oranges. Since Cubase costs a lot more it should do more. For orchestra work FL would not be my cup of tea.


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## KEM (Apr 17, 2018)

kitekrazy said:


> I love FL Studio because it is more for electronic genres. It's like apples and oranges. Since Cubase costs a lot more it should do more. For orchestra work FL would not be my cup of tea.



It’s really just for hip hop, the sequencer is it’s main feature and that’s why it’s used by so many beat makers. For electronic genres Ableton is king.


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## gregh (Apr 17, 2018)

I think the next iteration of FL will add in more traditional linear functions and improve the audio side. I would not jump ship until it comes out. Cubase is obviously good but if you are not used to linear DAWs it is a lot of money to outlay to find you dont like that style of working. I would suggest either Reaper or the new free Cakewalk Sonar fro Bandlab - both are more than capable of working for media and Reaper has an unlimited trial perido so you can easily find out it if suits the way you work

Also you can rewire FL to Reaper and use Reaper for audio and FL for Midi if you want


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## Mattzart (Apr 17, 2018)

gregh said:


> I think the next iteration of FL will add in more traditional linear functions and improve the audio side. I would not jump ship until it comes out. Cubase is obviously good but if you are not used to linear DAWs it is a lot of money to outlay to find you dont like that style of working. I would suggest either Reaper or the new free Cakewalk Sonar fro Bandlab - both are more than capable of working for media and Reaper has an unlimited trial perido so you can easily find out it if suits the way you work
> 
> Also you can rewire FL to Reaper and use Reaper for audio and FL for Midi if you want



Sonar and Reaper are more than capable of scoring to picture? Downloading the free Sonar and checking out Reaper's site right now. Ya know, I checked out Reaper back when it released, it was big in the IDM community, I looked into it and I was just lost all around. Looks like they've really beefed it up over the years.

Thanks for the response, by the way!


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## Mattzart (Apr 17, 2018)

KEM said:


> Definitely go with Pro. And as far as features go, it’s got a great system for tempo changes, time signature changes, marker tracks, video tracks, and tons of other things that FL can’t do very well or doesn’t even do at all. If you make the switch you’ll never in your life use FL again unless you get nostalgic I promise you that.



Thanks for helping me out. I'm leaning towards purchasing their iLok to test out the trial!


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## aumordia (Apr 18, 2018)

I've tried repeatedly to switch away from FL without success. It's hard to put my finger on why. The super-fast startup and shutdown time. The bugginess of other DAWs. The vectorial interface and generally super smooth UI (especially the piano roll, great for clicking in). The included plugins, some of which are best-in-class (Harmor, Vocodex). The completely free-form mixer. The independent mom-n-pop shop vibe of the company and the high responsiveness, including the developers. The scriptability of Edison. Patcher! Automation clips. The list goes on, I'm sure. FL is really unique.

That said, it also frustrates the hell out of me. You can't select and manipulate notes across patterns/instruments. The non-linear workflow tends to disorder in larger linear projects. Lack of time signatures, awkward freezing. It has a very fast and fluid feel, but it's not the most efficient in resource use under the hood. Etc.

However! FL is constantly changing for the better, and they really listen. I had annoying MIDI timing issues when I messed around with Cubase 8, which I found really shocking given its rep, but it's apparently a known thing and a long standing issue. When 9 dropped and they revealed THE SAMPLER TRACK, I sold my license and moved on. FL has time signatures in beta, and is working on a proper linear workflow for a subsequent release, improved audio freezing, plus new innovative stuff like the multiple playlist arrangements...

In sum, I feel the FL is much more likely to incorporate the things I miss from other DAW's than other DAW's are to incorporate the things I'd miss from FL. On top of that, you have this incredibly comprehensive package in FL signature (look at the included spectral de-noising in Edison, that's incredibly generous), and lifetime free updates.

So there is no getting around the fact that Cubase, TODAY, beats FL for "faking a symphony orchestra in a box" type stuff. But I expect that gap to close significantly, and on the flipside, I don't see Cubase EVER getting anywhere near the sound the design capabilities of FL.


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## chimuelo (Apr 18, 2018)

I know more people using FL Studio than anything else.
Older guys using Logic PT and Cubendo.
Younger folks I work with are ALL FL Studio.


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## d.healey (Apr 18, 2018)

Get Reaper


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## kitekrazy (Apr 18, 2018)

KEM said:


> It’s really just for hip hop, the sequencer is it’s main feature and that’s why it’s used by so many beat makers. For electronic genres Ableton is king.



You probably don't know much about FL Studio. I'd say Hip Hop is is no where near the top genre in FL Studio. Go youtube the 3xOsc and it's almost all dance genres.


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## KEM (Apr 18, 2018)

kitekrazy said:


> You probably don't know much about FL Studio. I'd say Hip Hop is is no where near the top genre in FL Studio. Go youtube the 3xOsc and it's almost all dance genres.



I used it for almost 2 years haha I know FL pretty well, every hip hop producer I know uses it exclusively, the sequencer alone makes it the top daw for hip hop. I’m not saying you can’t make electronic music it in, I’m aware a lot of people do and to be fair you can make any kind of music in any daw. But FL mainly draws in beat makers, a lot of electronic producers that start in FL usually move to Ableton.

Every beat maker I’ve ever met uses FL, and every EDM producer I’ve ever met uses Ableton. But again, you can make any kind of music in any daw, so it really doesn’t matter.


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## kitekrazy (Apr 18, 2018)

gregh said:


> I think the next iteration of FL will add in more traditional linear functions and improve the audio side. I would not jump ship until it comes out. Cubase is obviously good but if you are not used to linear DAWs it is a lot of money to outlay to find you dont like that style of working. I would suggest either Reaper or the new free Cakewalk Sonar fro Bandlab - both are more than capable of working for media and Reaper has an unlimited trial perido so you can easily find out it if suits the way you work
> 
> *Also you can rewire FL to Reaper* and use Reaper for audio and FL for Midi if you want



FL can be used as a VST. I'd recommend Reaper since it's a small investment. It's constantly updated. There's always this "learning curve" nonsense but that's with any DAW the deeper you go into it. The only thing I don't like about Cubase is the licensing isn't as flexible as the others. I do believe they will also charge for updates.

BTW there are advanced user who use FL for commercials. Check the Image Line forum. There's a car commercial done in FL Studio. Very impressive.


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## kitekrazy (Apr 18, 2018)

KEM said:


> I used it for almost 2 years haha I know FL pretty well, every hip hop producer I know uses it exclusively, the sequencer alone makes it the top daw for hip hop. I’m not saying you can’t make electronic music it in, I’m aware a lot of people do and to be fair you can make any kind of music in any daw. But FL mainly draws in beat makers, a lot of electronic producers that start in FL usually move to Ableton.
> 
> Every beat maker I’ve ever met uses FL, and every EDM producer I’ve ever met uses Ableton. But again, you can make any kind of music in any daw, so it really doesn’t matter.



Check the FL power user forum. On a side note VSL Pro will not work in FL. Only the instrument player works.


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## KEM (Apr 18, 2018)

kitekrazy said:


> Check the FL power user forum. On a side note VSL Pro will not work in FL. Only the instrument player works.



Wait VE Pro or VSL Pro?


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## kitekrazy (Apr 18, 2018)

KEM said:


> Wait VE Pro or VSL Pro?



Only the instruments will work. You have to load those individually.


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## Mattzart (Apr 18, 2018)

Thanks for all your replies! I'm still leaning towards investing in Cubase as my main DAW, but based on the advice of @gregh I gave Reaper a shot. Spent all of last night customizing it, adding in Cubase hotkeys, using a custom theme and installing scripts and extensions and now it's tugging at me to make it my main DAW. 

I haven't even thought of Reaper as an option for over a decade, but man, it is insanely beefy now. Full featured DAW with features that rival Cubase it seems. Played in a little piano tune to familiarize myself with it's workflow and I was floored. Subprojects, tempo and time signature markers, the handling of CC and automation data is fantastic.

I'm torn now. I could obviously invest in Reaper for now and down the line pick up Cubase Pro. Can't hurt to be proficient at three DAWs, right?


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## chrisphan (Apr 18, 2018)

aumordia said:


> In sum, I feel the FL is much more likely to incorporate the things I miss from other DAW's than other DAW's are to incorporate the things I'd miss from FL


Can't agree with this more. I've moved to Cubase from FL for many years now but I'm still amazed everytime looking at FL development pace, especially given that they have completely free updates. It also has some of the best and unique stock synths in the market, many of which I bought later to use in Cubase.


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## aumordia (Apr 18, 2018)

Mattzart said:


> I'm torn now. I could obviously invest in Reaper for now and down the line pick up Cubase Pro. Can't hurt to be proficient at three DAWs, right?



If you have infinite time, sure, but you probably don't. Reaper is cheaper and more configurable, if that's your thing, go for it. But Cubase is definitely the turn-key solution. It's worth buying the dongle and giving it a proper trial, the difference is that significant.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, I'm seemingly stuck in the anime of DAW's for the long haul, but I have tried a bunch pretty extensively in my attempts to leave, and I really think you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't give Cubase a proper trial.


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## Rapollo (Apr 19, 2018)

Reaper is a perfect compliment to an FL user as it has most things FL is missing like the linear work-flow, time signature/marker tracks, being largely customisable, and of course the great CPU usage and efficiency. Which only becomes massively obvious after using Reaper..

I’ve trialed Cubase so many times and just always ended up not buying as I prefer the light and lean, non-bloated, hassle free power-house efficiency of Reaper. Then there’s the fun, fast and colourful music-maker FL for sequencing... modern daws are a joy! Haha

Just my 2 cents


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## ghandizilla (Apr 22, 2018)

I moved to Reaper for the linear workflow and to manage multiple CC lanes at the same time. I'm very happy, and it was pretty quick to learn (two days plus a morning to get the piano roll right). But I kept my FL install and templates, because it's a breeze when you do very iterative stuff, which happens sometimes. So I would recommend keeping FL and in the same time get Sonar or Reaper to improve your workflow on (horizontal)-development works


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