If you keep the button pressed down, the value continues to change in that direction, ramping up in speed the longer you press it. Many values can be adjusted using a button on either side of a counter, showing the number you are changing. There is one specific choice that the devs made which I wish could be made mandatory in all similar cases. So, a learning curve is present, and you should expect it, but you should also trust that the developers have actually created a very useable canvas for music creation. However, having played with the sequencer for a weekend, I realized that I was very quickly doing exactly what I wanted, without having to think about it anymore. If you hit ‘Done’ before ‘Draw’ your note is lost forever. Pressing the edit button in step sequencer mode will give you a new note to play with, but it doesn’t actually remain on your score until you hit the ‘Draw’ button which not only sticks that note but also provides you with a new one. This was not the only time I found myself somewhat at odds with the workflow and certain parts really seemed counter-intuitive.
The finished masterpiece can be exported as a wav or m4a file, or even a midi file, ready to be imported to your computer. You can alter the volume of each instrument and each note, and apply reverb, delay, EQ, overdrive and filter effects. You can ‘play’ directly onto a virtual piano keyboard or enter your composition step by step in a sequencer, where a colored bar of your chosen length will play a note depending on where you place it. I’ve spent more than my fair share of hours working with Reason, Cubase, and Cakewalk on my PC, so the idea of high quality music production on a tablet was instantly attractive.įor those unfamiliar with Fruityloops, or digital audio creation at all, FL Studio is a Digital Audio Workstation which allows you to create music using a combination of different instruments and drum machines. The tablet I use is the Acer Iconia A700 and, judging by the specs, this slate should be more than capable of empowering me to actually create some kind of content instead of simply facilitating content consumption. I love my phone and I love my tablet, but I often find myself wishing I could do something more productive with them. When I saw that Fruityloops Studio had been released for Android, I don’t mind admitting I was pretty excited.