Image Line has released FL Studio 8, a complete music production environment. 
 
Representing the culmination of more than 10 years of sustained development, FL Studio 8 is set to become the most flexible virtual music studio tool in the industry. 
 
Chief Software Architect, Didier Dambrin has realized his vision of creating an open-architecture virtual studio environment where the only constraint on the users is their own imagination. This philosophy is reflected in FL Studio 8’s flexible audio and control data routing, free-form Playlist design and interoperability with industry standards (VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, Buzz, ReWire, MIDI, MP3, WAV, OGG). Didier notes ”We don't try to protect our data & come up with new formats only for marketing reasons. We use existing standards as much as possible, and allow FL Studio to be used as a plugin in other hosts“. In version 8, particular emphasis has been given to improved workflow through enhanced interface design, so that ideas can be crystallized and creativity captured. 
 
What is FL8? 
 
FL Studio is a fully featured, open-architecture music creation and production environment for PC. No extra software is required* to produce any style of music, as the complete set of instrument and studio tools is included in the cost of the package. With the included plugins, sounds and tools the user can create complete songs, as well as backing tracks, loops and sizzling beats. Completed songs can be saved to WAV, MP3 or MIDI or .ZIP or native project formats (.FLP). 
 
 
Instruments 
 
Make virtually any sound. FL8 includes 13 virtual synthesizers covering acoustic/synthetic bass, electric guitar and plucked string simulation, sampler tools including piano, general sample playback, and beat-slicing, and a range of synthesis techniques (subtractive, modelling, FM, granular and additive). 
 
With its newest addition, FL Synthmaker - a fully modular environment, you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code. 
 
 
Audio Recording & Editing 
 
Capture audio from a single vocalist right through to a full symphony orchestra. FL8 can record up to 64 simultaneous tracks of audio#. The Playlist workspace can contain an unlimited number of audio tracks and allows you to arrange discrete audio events in any order, and position the creative process dictates with complete flexibility. Audio tools allow the ability to time-stretch, pitch-shift, beat-slice, chop, edit and creatively destruct audio. FL8 has further enhanced its Edison Wave Editor, a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording and more… 
FL Studio supports WAV, MP3 and OGG formats. 
 
 
Sequencing 
 
Record musical performances and ideas in the most logical way. FL8 functions as both a pattern and track based sequencer depending on user preferences. Tools include an unlimited track Step-sequencer, an industry-leading Piano Roll and Automation Clips. FL Studio supports MIDI and input from all standard Controllers. 
 
FL8 is probably the fastest way from your brain to your speakers. 
 
 
Arranging 
 
Determine your own project design. In FL8, you decide how your project will be laid out. Unlike the competition, FL8's Playlist is a totally flexible and virtually unbounded space where Note Pattern, Audio and Automation data can be arranged, and edited to suit your creative ideas and workflow. 
 
 
Mixing/Mastering 
 
The most powerful mixer in its class. FL8 includes an industry-leading 64 stereo track mixer. Each track can include up to 8 effects and can also be routed to any of the other 64 tracks or one of 4 dedicated 'send' channels. The 44 included effects plugins span Maximizer, Limiter, Compression, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Filtering, Phasing, Flanging, Chorus, Vocoding and Reverb. These will take you from the creative broad-brush effects like reverb, through to the minutia of the mastering process with multiband compression/limiting and parametric EQ. 
 
 
Lifetime free updates 
 
Registered FL Studio users who purchase the download edition of the program receive lifetime free updates to the level of the program they buy (Express, Fruity, Producer or XXL edition). For example, all FL Studio 7 customers will be able to download FL Studio 8, 9, 10 ... for free. Boxed edition users can purchase lifetime free updates for a nominal fee. 
 
 
 
Key new features and changes 
 
 
First of all, FL Studio 8 is everything which is included in FL Studio 7 plus many, many more. 
Let's have a look at its key new features ... 
 
 
* FL Synthmaker is a fully modular environment where you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code. 
 
* One-click-recording using the built-in Edison Wave Editor, a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording and more…: 
 
* Slicex, the power horse drumloop slicer & re-arranging tool. 
 
* Soundgooodizer is a stereo 'maximizer-enhancer' plugin based on the Maximus sound processing engine. 
Soundgoodizer is shiny it’s good! 
 
* Included Fruity Limiter/Maximizer for maximizing & compressing final mixes or individual tracks 
 
* FL Studio can permanently learn and remember links to external controllers with the new ‘multilink’ function + 'Override generic links' option. 
 
* Wave Candy is a flexible audio analysis and visualization tool with Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyser and Peak Meter. 
 
* Sinc interpolation now faster (64point sinc now usable real-time depending on CPU) 
 
* Rendering with latency compensation 
 
* Score logger, records all MIDI & note activity for instant recall. 
 
* Directwave Player, broaden your musical palette with downloadable sound banks and multi-sample sets. 
 
* Recording filter, to select Audio, Automation or Note data recording independently or in any combination. 
 
* New slip editing and resizing tool for Playlist clips 
 
* Multi-core safe plugins are threaded for performance gain on multi-core CPUs. 
 
* Introducing 'Selected mixer track' in Mixer, to which the selected mixer track is routed, and where to place visual effects or a recording Edison. 
 
* FL8 now supports Track-based sequencing, Pattern Clips present sequence data as Audio and/or Automation Clips 
 
* A 'News Panel', to keep users updated with content and patches. 
 
 
Demo Limitations 
 
All FL Studio demo versions are fully featured. You can compose new songs and export them to WAV or MP3. The only limitation is that the ability to save the project is disabled. 
 
 
Formats 
 
FL8 will fit easily within your current workflow supporting VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, MP3, WAV, OGG, MIDI, ASIO, ASIO 2. 
Additionally supported through DirectWave Editor – AKAI AKP (S5/6K,Z4,Z8), Battery (version 1), MPC, Reason, Kurzweil, EXS24, Kontakt (version 1 & 2), Recycle, SFZ+ and SoundFont2.