since we are on the topic of fl 5.0 ...are there any big differences between 4.1? like i dont' want to move my soundbank again...(it's a pain in the ass) but uhhh...ya CPU usage is horrible...and it sucks when it gets fizzy or something and you have ot save and restart and it'll return to normal (temporarily)

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5.0 is AWESOME! Automation clips, new audio editing options, much, much more. Here's a complete list of new features:

Sorry! Hang on

Here are those features (pasted from another site)

Time-Stretching in Audio Tracks and Sampler
FL Studio features the high quality ZPlane Elastique time-stretching technology. Tonal, drums, slices and resample time-stretching are available.
Sampler and Audio Clips support time-stretching (resizing audio clips stretches them in time).
Automation Clip & Improved Audio Clips
Brand new Automation Clips added to the Playlist. Each clip supports a spline-based envelope and an LFO unit.
Added option to trim audio clip parts outside playlist selection.
Improved Recording
Added loop recording/overdub ability.
Audio recording can now be undone.
Right-click arm a Mixer track for a quick default name.
Ability to leave tracks armed after recording.
Selecting an ASIO input arms the track automatically.


New Plugins:

FPC - FL Studio MPC, a new self-contained drum machine plugin.
WaveShaper - Graph based distortion with supersampling.
Video Player - Synchronized playback of video content inside FL Studio.
Improved Plugins
Granulizer is vastly improved (supports transients, new key-to modes).
Sytrus adds global envelopes, new curve types and more.
Fruity Slicer is improved to support the new slicing engine & time stretching capabilities; FL Studio and Slicer load ReCycle Loop Files.
DrumSynth Live now supports up to 120 patches at once.

New Tools

New powerful Arpeggiator tool in piano roll.
New Drum Flam tool in the Piano Roll.
Note legato and Articulation tool in the Piano Roll.
Brush tool added to the Event Editor.
Other New Features
New realtime interpolation options for high-quality realtime playback.
New option to render audio files with note slice markers.
Tempo tapping added to tempo's right-click menu
MP3 files can be loaded into sampler channels and audio clips.

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Our first Impressions on Beta Release
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A lot of the changes aren't obvious, it just works a hell of a lot better. This really is how I had envisaged FL working, so hats off to Imageline.

I've always had problems recording audio with FL, until now. I recorded 3 layers of vocals, in complete takes, and there was none of the latency problems I used to have.

The pitch shifting works really well once you get the hang of it, at first I was a bit confused when I was prompted for a YES/NO when I changed the song tempo. Guessed and said yes. All the loops were stretched to suit the new speed and it all worked. This was the only reason for me using Acid to build a song and that has now disappearred. I can produce from start to finish in FL Studio.

I love the new tools added into the piano roll like Arpeggiator, Flam and Legato. Getting some really good results with these.

FPC drum machine, this has been my biggest revelation. Once I actually worked out how it works. It uses multiple samples of the same drum and is triggered by the velocity of the hit. This makes it sound like a real drummer. You could even program in mis hits for a really authentic sound. I have started producing tracks with FL that I would have produced 20 years ago with a band. I feel there are no limits now to the styles of music that I could produce with this software and that's liberating.

Wav Shaper gives you some really impressive reuslts on wav files.

Loop overdub is a feature that I have always missed - not anymore. Ideal for ham fisted pianists like myself who like to add a few notes at a time.

I'll probably never use the video player but it is working well.

Undo seems to work a lot better now and you have a bigger history, essential when your a dabbler like me.

I'll keep adding to this as I try out the features but it's looking like a worthy upgrade already.

fahad, i have a p4 2.66 ghz 512mb ram setup using fl3.56 and im still using my SB soundcard as output.

when a song gets too much for the cpu (most of mine are around the 70-90% mark) just export the sounds as wave and reimport them, it's how you have to work with hardware anyways. its easier to do the stuff that doesnt need filters or anything special like subs or acid hits, etc. as some of the acid noises i use with synths like z3ta+ can take upto 80% cpu all on their own.

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