So I use FL studio mainly for sequencing and creating my music. I have recently got Pro Tools 12 and have decided to bounce my tracks from FL and mix them in Pro Tools.

I just wanted some opinions on whether it's better to apply effects in protools such as reverb and delay? Bearing in mind I, for the most of it, use effects such as reverb and delay on busses and no direct channels.

For instance, I have Valhalla Vintage Verb on a a track on FL studio, but was wondering is it better to keep everything completely dry (apart from creative FX in FL Studio) and then when I mix the track in PT add the reverb and such? Does it make a difference?

Thanks in advance!

*Edit* - The question should really be. Is there a difference in overall exporting to MP3 (and WAV?) in different DAWs?

 

Last edited: Aug 1, 2016

Don't forget that if you "add 'Reverb' and such" on PT when mixing (mastering) your track(s), the Effects added within PT will also processed these already added within FL Studio (as can be a 'FX Chain'). So, apart from some less drastic Effects, keep an eye, and better an ear (!) on the ratio (amount) 'Dry/Wet' of all these Effects... mainly on 'Reverbs' (and similar Effects), or you could end with a 'washing' Reverb that may 'drown' some part of your Track(s).

(e.g. In your case, your 'Valhalla Verb' will be reverberated once again with your PT used Reverb... ).

Bear also in mind, particularly in the case of 'Reverbs', 'Delays',... that you'll perhaps (in your case) blend/mix several different algorithms together (e.g. 'Reverb' Preset in FL Studio different from this of your 'Reverb' Preset in PT), then you'll end with a kind of very strange Ambience/Chamber/Room/Hall,... emulation.
If you goal is to create some esoteric or unusual spaces, it could be a good idea, but if you're rather 'traditionalist' in your use of 'Reverbs', 'Delays',... maybe it could be wise to avoid some kind of 'stacks' between similar Effects (or to finely blend each of these).

 

Last edited: Aug 1, 2016

I mixed my tracks in 2009-2011 in FL with old plugins a bit better, than now in Reaper with new higher quality plugins and with more knowledge and experience (maybe it's so because I want it louder, more overcompressed, oversaturated). It depends on quality of plug-ins, your monitoring, ears, knowledge and experience, not on FL or PT, their mixers are mathematically equal, not physical as analog mixers. If analog mixers vs another analog mixers vs digital and DAW mixers - question is worth thinking of. Not comparing just 2 mathematically equal same summing mixers from different DAWs. Maybe sound engines are not equal, but results are extremely close or equal. Plugins work the similar even if they are different formats,binaries, or different DAWs. Your daw is just a hosting audio-midi player-composer-editor system with virtual mixer and collection of tools,actions,options,features,effects,sample with 3rd party tools, instruments, dsps support. The question of difference between them - stability, quantity of options,tools, simplicity, flexibility,etc. Not in plugins quality and summing you want from daw. If you want difference go into analog.

 

Hi don't think I completely got that, or if my question was interpreted wrong. I meant I wouldn't add reverb on both, I use reverb most of the time on busses, so when tracking out stems from FL the reverb and delays will be on a seperate WAV file. So in PT I can either add the reverbs and such on busses and do it there, or just keep my stemmed busses from FL. Really the question is will the reverb sound any better coming from PT than FL, probably a silly question really, differences may be minimal, but rather have the communities opinions.

 

I get that. The main reason is about quality. Because I've always used FL studio for mixing and mastering, and just got PT after hearing many people say the export to MP3 (and WAV) have better encoding than FL. So the question I guess I wanted was will reverb and everything like that sound better on PT export than FL export, or is the difference really that minimal that it won't make a difference. Bearing in mind I will be sending these final mixed and mastered tracks to labels and showing them these tracks when having meetings etc...

Also I have the same plugins I've been using for probably 5 years now, a few new ones but same routine. I guess I just want to improve on clarity and I've heard many times FL exporting isn't on par with Logic or PT.

 

I think in FL encoding has been updated to latest versions, nowadays. Don't think it is different.. How wav from FL may differ from PT wav? If mp3 in FL and PT has latest lame version, they must be equal..

 

Print the reverb to a seperate track. Then you can mute it in protools and do an A/B

 

Cheers, this was a good answer. I've done a test, and to be honest... They sound the same. Shock, haha. On AKG k240 mkII headphones both sounded the same, or I couldn't tell any real differences. The flexibility is the real reason I made this question/post. Seemed like a hassle and I could forget settings or how I wanted something to sound when I went to mix it on PT when I could do it on FL. Thanks for that!

Yeah, WAV is just lossless and should be the same regardless what DAW. I guess the reason I've started using Pro Tools to mix was for the MP3 compression and encoding output. I've got the latest FL, so maybe it bats with the big boys now and I can just do my mixes on there. I'm doing my first mix on PT as we speak. Same processes and plugins I would use on FL. So If I can't hear anything truly special or different, I think I may just go back to FL since I'm more versed and prefer the work space compared to PT.

 

I guess the question should be.... Is there a difference between exporting to MP3s (and WAV?) in different DAWS?

 

I'm not sure why you would buy protools just for an encoding algorithm, which is most likely licensed straight from Fraunhofer Institute anyway.

There are advantages to protools when it comes to "Industry Standard", but even that is eroding away now. Many more studios are using Studio One and even Live. (Yes I have worked in a studio that used exclusively Ableton Live and stock live plugins except for reverb).

Hey I can be persuaded I'm wrong? God knows I am often.

 

IMO if you're gonna use a DAW strictly for bussing stuff together and mixing, I'd pick Studio One for the Console Shaper or whatever it's called.

Thing actually sounds really good...

 

Nah you're right. I've felt the same way for some time. Audio hasn't progressed in quality like other industries (visual). We can't got from 1080p to 4k to 8k. Audio felt like it was perfected a long time ago, and now just tiny differences appear. I didn't get PT purely for encoding. But more because of the mixing capabilities and such people kept telling me. Either way, I kind of like the fresh feel of it, but it's all rubbish. I usually aren't that easy to be persuaded into such stuff. I think after all of that, I may still mix in FL because I work on that better, and know the shortcuts more. Everything is being washed away, indeed. Maybe, negligence got the better of me on this. Never again, I feel PT will be a waste.