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For almost as long as I’ve been alive, FL Studio has been a mainstay of music production, but as a Logic Pro user, I’ve always thought of ‘Fruity Loops’ as the scrappy cousin of the DAW family. With the arrival of the 2025 update, now seems like the perfect time to switch over and check out what’s on offer.

With headphones on and coffee in hand, I dive in to find out why this venerable DAW has stood the test of time.

Opening up a new project, I’m greeted by a sleek, sophisticated, and decidedly ‘pro-level’ looking UI. In the spirit of the software, I start with some looping sequences to get a sense of what FL Studio can do. Right away, I’m impressed by how easy I can get up and running with a basic groove.

The piano roll is frictionless to use, with a brush tool that lets me simply ‘paint’ patterns into song arrangements. The automation features are equally well designed and make it quick to draw velocity and other parameters. There’s a powerful bank of stock plugins and samples too, most of which have easily accessible controls if you want to shape your sounds.

What is FL Studio Gopher?

Getting the hang of those essential features is a breeze, but I must admit, I did have some help. Accompanying me on my journey was Gopher, Image-Line’s brand-new AI chatbot. This is my first big surprise, and a pleasant one at that. Gopher isn’t just a marketing gimmick; it’s a genuinely useful tool that teaches me the fundamentals of FL Studio faster than any DAW I’ve ever used.

Dozens of annoying questions are met with helpful answers. ‘Where did my window disappear to?’, ‘How can I copy one plugin to another?’ and plenty of queries that begin with ‘What’s the shortcut for…’

To be clear, you shouldn’t expect ChatGPT levels of performance here. The lag time between question and response is noticeably slow, but even with that limitation, Gopher saves me precious time that I might previously spend trawling SEO-stuffed blog posts or sifting through YouTube tutorials.

Recording in FL Studio 2025 is…meh

However, even with a chatbot at my side, getting to grips with how FL Studio handles audio recording almost broke my brain.

On any other DAW I’ve used, setting up a basic recording usually involves a couple of easy steps. In FL Studio, it’s a manual process that requires a fair bit of work just to create a recording channel in the first place.

It’s not just audio either, even recording MIDI is a chore. During a recording, nothing appears in the Playlist arrangement, giving you no visual indication that you actually hit record. Clips of finished recordings can also sometimes appear in random places on the timeline, with no clear reason for their destination.

In practice, this makes capturing a performance on a MIDI keyboard, or even using the computer keyboard as a live input, seem like much more trouble than it’s worth. Rather than lose the creative flow, I find myself regularly resorting to the mouse input to draw MIDI notes and program drum beats rather than using my MIDI keyboard.

In 2025, this workflow feels less like a quirk and more like a limitation. By not updating this aspect of FL Studio (which many producers online have pointed out could be done better), Image-Line is reinforcing the programming and sequencing aspects of making music while placing unnecessary barriers to recording music with a microphone or MIDI keyboard.

But that sequencer is still iconic

Since its release in 1998, the beating heart of FL Studio has always been its sequencer. Even in the current version, it’s hard to tell exactly where the sequencer ends and the DAW begins. On the one hand, this gives everything a strong rhythmic bent that is exceptionally well suited to electronic production styles like trap, hip-hop and EDM.

However, this also means that FL Studio tends to steer you in these directions even when you don’t want it to. Technically, it has all the features you’ll find in any of the major competing DAWs, but the workflow is so oriented around gridlines, sequencing, and programming that my attempts to make some ambient music or bring in live audio feel uninspiring at best.

Should you get FL Studio 2025?

All that aside, FL Studio is still a very accessible DAW. Price-wise, there are four tiers, with the Producer Edition hitting the sweet spot at a very affordable price of £199.

What makes this deal even sweeter is that for over 25 years, Image-Line has stood by its oft-quoted tagline: “Free updates since 1998”.

It’s true — once you purchase FL Studio, you own it for life with free access to any future versions. Having lost my copy of Pro Tools when Avid shifted to a subscription-only plan and felt the sting of a macOS update robbing me of my old copy of Ableton Live, I love that FL Studio has stuck to this commitment.

By comparison, Ableton Live 12 Standard is priced at £259, but you will eventually have to pay to upgrade to the next edition. Logic Pro comes in at a similar price of £199 and does have free updates, but the hidden premium lies in the cost of buying a Mac computer to run it in the first place.

The FL Cloud subscription — worth it?

While the DAW itself may come with a permanent licence, FL Studio hasn’t sidestepped the subscription craze entirely.

FL Cloud is an optional add-on at £8.99 or £12.50 per month for the Plus/Pro tiers, and gives you access to over a million royalty-free samples, third-party plugins, integrated music distribution with DistroKid, and AI mastering tools — all of which are built directly into the DAW.

Even if you don’t subscribe, there are plenty of free samples in the catalogue you can rummage through.

My verdict

Overall, FL Studio goes deep but not necessarily wide.

Its strong sequencing and programming capabilities are a lot of fun and feel creatively satisfying, but its unique workflow means that rhythmically focused production is still the best kind of music to make with it.

As long as you’re on board with that there is plenty here to love: FL Cloud feels like good value for money, turning it into a one-stop creation and distribution platform, the utility of Gopher helps you learn the interface lightening fast, and FL Studios well-furnished catalogue of instruments, plugins, effects and samples is a great foundation for any new producer.

Having gotten my first bite of FL Studio, I can’t wait to see what another 25 years of free updates will bring.

Key features

• Gopher: an integrated AI chatbot for answering FL Studio and music production questions
• FL Cloud subscription includes additional sounds, plugins, effects, music distribution and AI mastering
• Comes with 94 instruments and effects (Producer Edition)
• Support for up to 500 tracks
• Inbuilt stem separation tool
• Lifetime free updates
• Runs on Windows and MacOS

Garling is a composer, sound artist, and contributing writer for MusicTech, with over a decade of experience making music. Endlessly fascinated by the possibilities of sound, she grabs whatever tech suits the moment, switching between hardwiring electronics, programming audio in Max and digging into plugins and synths.

Paris, July 17, 2025 – Microids and Microids Studio Lyon are thrilled to unveil the Limited Edition of Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile, set for release on September 25, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

This modern adaptation of the Queen of Crime’s classic novel introduces a fresh narrative twist with two playable protagonists: the legendary Hercule Poirot and a brand-new character created for the game, detective Jane Royce.

Players will alternate between the two characters, each offering a unique perspective on the unfolding investigation. Poirot’s razor-sharp logic combined with Royce’s intuition brings depth to the gameplay, as players cross-reference testimonies, interrogate suspects, and piece together every clue to uncover the truth.

While remaining true to the spirit of the original novel, Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile presents a contemporary reimagining of the iconic story. Following in the footsteps of Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express, the team at Microids Studio Lyon has crafted a one-of-a-kind adventure full of new surprises—even die-hard Christie fans won’t see them coming.

Social-media firm Buffer has plenty of data on what posts work (and don’t) across the big platforms. Now it has shared tips for the best content formats across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn and X.

You can read the full post here, but highlights include the news that we may need to stop calling TikTok a ‘short video’ app, as carousel photo-posts and text posts are “proving surprisingly competitive” in how many views they get.

This is based on an analysis of 1m TikTok posts sent through Buffer’s social-media management tools.

As for Instagram, reels continue to generate the most reach on average , but carousels also perform strongly – and when Buffer measured engagement rather than just reach, carousels actually came out on top.

(For more on how Instagram’s different formats work, read our report on a talk last November by Meta exec Dan Biddle, in which he broke everything down.)

Other findings from Buffer’s study include photos outperforming videos on Threads; images still reigning supreme on Facebook too; and text still seeing more engagement by some distance than other formats on X.

The Douglas DC-8, often referred to as the McDonnell Douglas DC-8, is an early long-range commercial aircraft. The narrowbody aircraft was one of the first jet-powered aircraft to be used for commercial service. Originally, it was designed to be used as an aerial refueling tanker aircraft by the United States Air Force. However, after it lost the competition to the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Douglas decided to market the aircraft for civil use.

The aircraft saw significant success in the industry, as it was used heavily by a wide variety of airlines around the world. Since the aircraft was introduced in the late 1950s, it makes sense that the majority of these aircraft have been retired and scrapped. However, there are still quite a few Douglas DC-8s left that are currently flying. Let’s take a closer look at this legendary aircraft, as well as the three remaining aircraft that are currently in service.

A Brief History Of The Douglas DC-8

As previously mentioned, the Douglas DC-8 was Douglas’s first jet-powered commercial airliner. The company first began designing the DC-8 for the USAF’s requirement for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker in the early 1950s. However, the USAF picked the rival Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker for the role in May 1954. The following year, in June 1955, Douglas decided to realign the aircraft and market it to civil operators.

The company made several design changes to the DC-8 that would improve its operating ability in the commercial industry. Douglas believed the aircraft could compete with Boeing’s commercial jet entry, the Boeing 707. This was found to be true when Pan American World Airways placed an order for 25 DC-8s in October 1955. Other airlines around the world, such as National Airlines, KLM, Eastern Air Lines, United Airlines, and Japan Air Lines, among others, followed Pan Am and ordered the DC-8 instead of the Boeing 707.

Douglas was slower to introduce the DC-8 than Boeing was with the Boeing 707. However, the aircraft was eventually certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in August 1959. The aircraft officially entered commercial service with both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on September 18, 1959. Since then, over 550 DC-8s have been built and introduced, with production ranging from 1958 through 1972. As these aircraft have aged, the majority of the DC-8 fleet has been moved from commercial airline service into cargo operations. Eventually, even cargo operators, such as UPS Airlines, began to retire the aircraft from service.

Design Features And Performance Specifications Of The Douglas DC-8

The early DC-8 design was focused on winning the USAF contract for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker. After losing the contract, Douglas made several design improvements and upgrades to the DC-8 to make it more viable for commercial airline operations. The De Havilland Comet, which was the first jet airliner, struggled in the industry in the 1950s, mostly due to rapid metal fatigue failure caused by cabin pressurization. Because of this, Douglas paid significant attention to the design of the DC-8’s pressurized cabin.

The original DC-8 design featured a low-wing configuration with a 30-degree wing sweep. Douglas also decided to power the aircraft with four Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines. These engines each provided the aircraft with up to 13,500 pounds of thrust. Overall, this helped the first aircraft variant, the Series 10, achieve the following performance specifications:

The DC-8 fuselage also featured a double-bubble cross-section that was later widened to allow six-abreast seating inside the aircraft. The wider fuselage allowed the first Series 10 DC-8 to accommodate up to 177 passengers. Later variants would be able to seat up to 260 passengers, depending on the configuration. Douglas also added engine thrust reversers, leading edge slots, and larger wingtips to help improve its aerodynamic performance as a commercial airliner.

Related

Throwback: When A Douglas DC-8 Broke The Sound Barrier In 1961

The DC-8 performed a dive at altitude to achieve the feat, accompanied by the original record breaker, Chuck Yeager.

Previous Operators Of The Douglas DC-8

Several prominent airlines around the world utilized the Douglas DC-8 when it was first introduced. The DC-8 competed heavily with the Boeing 707, as airlines would typically choose one or the other when expanding their fleets. The long fuselage of later DC-8 variants, such as the Series 61 and Series 63, had a capacity of up to 269 passengers. This was the largest passenger-carrying capacity at the time and made it one of the most popular choices for airlines.

The first airline to order the DC-8 was Pan American World Airways, placing an order for 25 aircraft. Many airlines around the world followed suit, eventually placing orders for hundreds of aircraft and directly rivaling the Boeing 707. Even so, the DC-8 was launched simultaneously with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Douglas also received an order for nearly 20 DC-8s from another popular US airline, Eastern Air Lines. Some of the most popular operators of the DC-8 include:

The Douglas DC-8 also saw significant success outside the US. Air Canada, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), and Japan Airlines were prominent early users. Eventually, many other international operators, such as Aerolíneas Argentinas, Alia Royal Jordanian, and South African Airways, would later incorporate the DC-8 into their fleets. The DC-8 was later converted from commercial use into cargo operations. FedEx, UPS Airlines, and DHL all operated large fleets of aging DC-8s into the 1990s and early 2000s.

The First Trans Air Cargo Service Douglas DC-8

According to ATDB.aero, as of June 2025, there are only three Douglas DC-8s left in operation. The majority of the existing aircraft have been retired and replaced with newer jet airliners or other cargo aircraft. Two of these aircraft are currently flown by Trans Air Cargo Service. This company is a freight forwarding service that is located in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Trans Air Cargo Service was first founded in 1992, over thirty years ago, by Jacques “Kiki” Lemaire. It first began operating under the name Transair Cargo, and it was initially based at N’Djili Airport (FIH) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The older Douglas DC-8 that is flown by Trans Air Cargo Service is registered as 9S-AJG. According to ch-aviation, this aircraft has a manufacturing serial number of 46110. It was originally built in 1969, giving it an age of just under 56 years. Trans Air Cargo Service has been operating this specific DC-8 since July 2008. Interestingly enough, this DC-8 also operates with its original Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines.

This DC-8 was first delivered to United Airlines in September 1969. The airline operated this DC-8 until 1982, when it was transferred to Arrow Air, a defunct cargo carrier. The aircraft has been transferred between several different operators since the late 1980s. This includes stints flying with Air Transport International, Antillana de Navegación Aerea, Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas, Rich International, Fine Air, and, most recently, African International Airways, which flew the aircraft from July 2005 to July 2007.

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The DC-8: The 1st Douglas Jetpowered Passenger Plane

The design of the Douglas DC-8 was a masterpiece of early jet-age engineering, blending functionality with elegance.

The Second Trans Air Cargo Service Douglas DC-8

Trans Air Cargo Service also operates the second Douglas DC-8 that is left operating today. Trans Air Cargo Service has been flying this aircraft since November 2011. This was one of the first aircraft that Trans Air Cargo Service acquired after it moved back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company was briefly forced to cease operations in 1998 after the outbreak of the Second Congo War. The company briefly operated as TAC Air Services in South America before returning as Trans Air Cargo Service in 2004 under Max Lemaire, the son of its founder, Kiki Lemaire.

Currently, Trans Air Cargo Service only operates two aircraft, both of which are Douglas DC-8s. According to ch-aviation, the second aircraft it operates is registered as 9S-AJO. This aircraft has a manufacturing serial number of 46133 and was first delivered in March 1971. This makes the aircraft just over 54 years old.

This specific Douglas DC-8 was first delivered to World Airways in March 1971, which operated the aircraft until January 1983. Since then, the aircraft has changed hands between several different operators. This includes Capitol International Airways, Viasa, and Emery Worldwide. Most recently, Gestair Cargo flew the aircraft from July 2002 to November 2011, before it was transferred to Trans Air Cargo Service.

The Samaritan’s Purse Douglas DC-8

The operator of the final Douglas DC-8 still in service is Samaritan’s Purse. This company is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization. The Boone, North Carolina-based organization flies several aircraft to provide aid to people in physical need around the world. Samaritan’s Purse was originally founded by Baptist pastor Bob Pierce in 1970. Since then, the company has grown to provide support for several ongoing ministries around the world, including providing safe drinking water in the developing world and responding to emergencies around the world.

The company operates the third and final DC-8 in operation alongside its Boeing 767, Dassault Falcon 900EX, two Gulfstream G550s, and a Cessna Skycourier. According to ch-aviation, the Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 is currently listed as inactive, as it undergoes maintenance. This aircraft is registered as N782SP and has a manufacturing serial number of 46013. The aircraft was first delivered in early 1969, making the DC-8 56.5 years old.

This specific DC-8 was first delivered to Finnair in January 1969. The airline flew the aircraft until November 1981. It was later flown by several other operators, including Armée de l’Air, Air Transport International, SkyBus Jet Cargo, and, most recently, Heavylift Cargo Airlines. Samaritan’s Purse took delivery of the DC-8 in March 2015 and has been flying the aircraft ever since.