TROUBLESHOOTING

Compatibility with older projects

In order to improve FL Studio, for better usability and feature set, some changes have been introduced that may be incompatible with projects created in earlier versions of FL Studio & FruityLoops.

NOTE: The name "FruityLoops" was changed to FL Studio.

Compatibility with Projects Before FL Studio 5

Corrected tempo calculation

In earlier releases the tempo was improperly computed based on the number of steps per beat (4 steps would always make a beat for the timer). This was fixed in FL Studio 5, by preserving the beats-per-minute value regardless of the number of steps the beat has.

This may affect older projects with number of steps different than 4 per beat, and may result in slower or faster tempo than expected. FL Studio will not attempt to correct the tempo of old projects so manual correction is needed.

The new tempo that should be set can be computed using this simple formula:

4 * (old project tempo) / (number of steps per beat) = (new tempo)

For example if you have an FL Studio 4.5 project with tempo 150 and 6 steps per beat, the proper FL Studio 5 tempo to achieve the same effect is:

4steps * 150bpm / 6steps = 100bpm

Compatibility with FL Studio 4.5 and Earlier

Altered Mono Mode Behavior

In earlier release the mono mode worked in this way:

1. If a key is pressed and second is pressed the synth glides (portamento) to the second tone.

2. If the second key is released, the sound stops.

 

In the current release this behavior changes to:

1. If a key is pressed and second is pressed the synth glides (portamento) to the second tone.

2. If the second key is released, the synth pitch glides back to the previous key.

 

This can result in some changes to the behavior of synths in mono mode authored in older releases.

Compatibility with FL Studio 4.1 and Earlier

Different Pitch Bend Range

In earlier releases, the range of the pitch bend control was +-72 semitones (12 octaves). This overly wide range was rarely used and was causing problems with automation. In FL Studio 4.12 and later, the range is decreased to +-48 semitones (8 octaves). Older projects will import properly into FL Studio 4.12 and their pitch bend events and settings will be remapped properly to the new range. The only exceptions are:

  1. Pitch bend using a wider range than the now supported +-48 semitones.
  2. Using internal controllers to automate the pitch bend control. In this case, the internal controllers have no knowledge of the altered property range, so the effect of the controller automation is "scaled down". To fix this issue, you can increase the controller strength, range, or use the following mapping formula for the pitch bend: 1.5*(Input-0.1666666667).

Cut/Reso Filter Samplerate Independence

The cutoff/resonance filter available in all Sampler channels and Sampler (hybrid) plugins (such as Beepmap, 3xOSC, etc.) produced different results when used in different sample rates. FL Studio 4.12 fixes this problem, however this means that older projects might sound different due to the fix.

Note that none of the projects authored in 44100Hz samplerate will experience a difference in their sound, but only some projects authored in other sample rates - 22050Hz, 48000Hz, 96000Hz, etc.

Adjusting the cutoff/resonance settings in such projects can restore the original sound.

Compatibility with FruityLoops 3.56 and Earlier

Empty Playlist Functionality

In earlier releases, the lack of sequence in the Playlist caused FruityLoops to play all patterns in the song in sequential order. FL Studio doesn't have that feature anymore. You need to order the patterns manually in the Playlist window to achieve the same effect.

Legacy Precomputed Effects

Some of the precomputed effects in the Sampler Channel Settings tab are deprecated in FL Studio and were hidden or replaced by better alternatives. However, for compatibility reasons, FL Studio still supports those legacy effects. To see them, turn on Show Legacy Precomputed Effects in your General Settings window.

Non-standard time Signature

In earlier releases, the project's time signature was defined as a number of steps per bar and number of steps per beat. This allowed for wrong time signatures, for example, ending a bar with half the steps from a new beat.

The current release defines time signature as a number of steps per beat and number of beats per bar. For compatibility with older projects that use non-standard time signatures, the beat steps are set to 1 to preserve the song structure.

Linear/Logarithmic Volume

Earlier releases had an option to turn off the logarithmic volume mapping and use linear mapping instead. The current release has logarithmic levels as a hard coded characteristic of the mixing engine.

Older projects that use linear volume mapping switch to logarithmic levels when opened in the new version of FL Studio.

Compatibility with FruityLoops 3.1 and Earlier

Gate Knob Behavior Changed

  • The values of the generic gate knob for all channels was remapped for better usability (now it's easier to fine tune short lengths for the gate). FL Studio will remap the gate values in older projects to the proper value.
  • Automation in older projects is also translated to sound properly with the changed gate knob behavior.
  • Possible differences might occur for older projects that use internal controller to automate the gate setting for a channel.

Channel Name Colors Removed

FL Studio no longer supports custom channel name color. Channel name colors in older projects are ignored. However, you can change the color of a channel button from the Channel Settings window.

 

NOTE: FL Studio will load and play older projects without problems no matter if they include or not incompatible features.

Running FL Studio with an Older FruityLoops Release

You can upgrade to the latest FL Studio and still work with an older release to finish old projects, to avoid any compatibility issues. The registration information of FL Studio will not overwrite registration information of older releases.

To do that, before upgrading to FL Studio, ensure you have your earlier release installed properly with all plugins you need to have (don't install the plugins released with FL Studio on earlier FruityLoops release, because they might not be compatible). Then install FL Studio and its plugins in another folder. Your earlier FruityLoops release will retain its own registration and settings independently of FL Studio.