A Real Free Alternative to FL Studio

[gutturalpiss]

I'm not aware of any Windows open-source software or freeware that has the feel of Fruity Loops (now FL Studio), so this is the one and only I highly recommend since it has been my primary VSTi host and sequencer on Linux. It can integrate with your FL Studio installation somehow, though I'm unsure how exactly.

The win32 port has just been released for Alpha testing thanks to enormous amount of work done during the past few months for the new version 4, so I'm doing a few runs here and there to check Windows integration and everything. There are tons of other software around that does pattern-based sequencing (plugin-based like VSTi with a compatible host) but there are people who love the Fruity Loops feel and a dedicated software for purely pattern-based music. Do one task and do it well, that's a Unix philosophy

It's currently got a few hiccups given that it's in Alpha, so feel free to file bug reports if you like it. Enjoy!

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/lmms/lmms-0.4.0-alpha-bin-win32.zip?modtime=1214878479&big_mirror=0

Extract, double-click "lmms". Ignore any virus reports involving files in that folder. If you want a Windows-like installation then rename the folder to "LMMS", move it to Program Files, and create a shortcut on the Desktop.



P.S: Can someone advise me on a free screenshot utility for Windows? This one sucks especially wrt image quality.

 

[dir]

hmm i might give it a try, but then again it's only in alpha. FL studio has what, nine, ten years of development? but hell it's free anyway.

anyone has any experience running it in a live performance/situation?

 

[gutturalpiss]

Yep, of course. It's not an FL Studio copy per se but it does take a concept or two from it, notably the UI. There's another app for Linux to do MIDI/VST work but it lacks a nice and understandable UI that's fitting for a pattern-based sequencer like this.

No live experience here but it's got the LiveTool and I - damn - forgot what it does :lol: And boom - no VST support yet. I actually spent an hour trying to debug the segmentation fault when clicking on the VST preset 'cause I thought the very first thing a Windows port would have is..well, VST support. I foresee it very soon since the Linux version has been with VST for quite some time already, so it won't be hard to do some Windows-specific VST coding either. Anyway the default instruments are fun and can be tuned (with the LADSPA effects) to sound good.