Image Line Software has announced the release of its complete music production environment, FL Studio 7.

According to the company, 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 7’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 be used as a plugin in other hosts”.

In version 7, particular emphasis has been given to improved workflow through enhanced interface design, so that ideas can be crystallized and creativity captured.

What is FL7?

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

FL7 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).

Audio Recording & Editing

Capture audio from a single vocalist right through to a full symphony orchestra. FL7 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. FL7 also introduces Edison, a fully featured mastering wave editor and recorder. FL Studio supports WAV, MP3 and OGG formats.

Sequencing

Record musical performances and ideas in the most logical way. FL7 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.

Arranging

Determine your own project design. In FL7, you decide how your project will be laid out. Unlike the competition, FL7’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. FL7 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 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 Loops or Producer edition). For example, all FL Studio 6 customers will be able to download FL Studio 7 free, FL Studio 8 free and so on. Boxed edition users can purchase lifetime free updates for a nominal fee.

Key new features and changes

• FL now supports track-based sequencing. Pattern Clips present sequence data in the method as Audio and Automation Clips.
• Edison replaces the Wave Editor – Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool complete with spectral analysis, convolution reverb + more.
• FL Studio 7 – Edison: fully integrated audio editing and recording tool
• Love Philter – is a bank of 8 ganged filter units for total flexibility and creative filtering mayhem.
• FL Studio 7 – Love Philter: Powerful Love Philter zipped screenshot
• Parametric EQ2 – introduces a mastering parametric EQ with spectral analysis.
• FL Studio 7 – Equalizer: 2 parametric EQ with spectral analysis zipped screenshot
• Event Automation can now be converted to Automation clips.
• Updated audio stretching engine for FL Studio & FL plugins (where applicable).
• Multi-core safe generators can now be threaded for performance gain on multi-core CPUs.
• Smoother audio ‘record to disk’ performance with high track-counts.
• Note OFF velocity support for the Piano roll, MIDI files, MIDI out & Sytrus.
• ‘Smart Disable’ mode for generator plugins, previously was effects only.
• A ‘News Panel’, to keep users updated with content and patches.
• Plugin windows can now be detached from the FL Studio desktop.
• DirectWave sampler now loads AIFF samples & includes a VST preset loader in auto sampler function.
• Sytrus gains multi-level ‘Undo’ a ‘Cherry’ phaser filter, 256 unit Harmonics editor (up from 128), automatable unison panning, volume and pitch.
• FPC acquires wave start/end point selection. SFZ export and loads AIFF, MP3 and REX files.
• Mono source recording. Mono ASIO inputs now handled by the mixer IN list.
• New user-definable keyboard velocity curve mapping in MIDI setup.
• Support for Apple Loops AIFF extensions.

Timing

FL Studio will be officially released at upcoming NAMM, 18-21 January 2007 at the Anaheim Convention Centre, Anaheim, CA , USA.

FL Studio will be shipping around mid-February 2007.