💬 🔥 Weekly Deals & Freebies Thread
Welcome to the BPB Community Weekly Freebie Thread for March 31-April 6, 2025! 😊 Read the Thread Guidelines 💬 This section of our community is where BPB readers can share links to the latest freeware news and deals with fellow music producers in the comments. Thank you for contributing! To keep the discussion helpful and relevant, [...]
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NEW MUSIC CRITIQUE: SLOW BUILDINGSContact: slowbuildingsmusic@gmail.comWeb: slowbuildings.bandcamp.comSeeking: ReviewsStyle: Indie-Pop-RockSlow Building’s seventh full-length album, Crash Landings, Coincidences, Chaos, delivers garage-rock. Songwriter Jason Legacy says that this album is “the culmination of two years of personal upheavals, making bad decisions, and unwisely trusting the wrong people.” The lyrics aren’t cheerful—“I left my spine on the firing line” Legacy sings on the album’s lead song “Red Flag Surrender.” The guitar on these tracks punches and the emotionally-charged vocals deliver honesty. It’s not winning Battle of the Bands, but we do think that the crowd would find unexpected pleasure in headbanging to Legacy’s sung trauma. The post NEW MUSIC CRITIQUE: SLOW BUILDINGS first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Hyperliquid DEX trading volumes cut into CEX market share: DataHyperliquid is one of the current bull market’s standout DeFi success stories. With daily trading volumes having reached $4 billion, the exchange has become the largest decentralized (DEX) derivatives platform, commanding nearly 60% of the market.Hyperliquid still lags far behind Binance Futures’ $50 billion daily average volume, but the trend suggests that it has started to encroach on centralized exchange (CEX) territory.What’s behind Hyperliquid’s parabolic rise?Launched in 2023, Hyperliquid gained popularity in April 2024 after launching spot trading. This, combined with its aggressive listing strategy and easy-to-use onchain user interface, helped to lure in a wave of new users.The platform’s real explosion, however, came in November 2024, following the launch of its HYPE (HYPE) token. Hyperliquid’s trading volume skyrocketed, and it now boasts over 400,000 users and more than 50 billion trades processed, according to data from Dune.Hyperliquid cumulative trades and users. Source: DuneWhile Hyperliquid started as a high-performance perpetual futures and spot DEX, its ambitions have since expanded. With the launch of HyperEVM on Feb. 18, the project has become a general-purpose layer-1 chain capable of supporting third-party DeFi apps built on top of its infrastructure. As one of Hyperliquid’s founders, Jeff Yan, put it, “Most L1s build infrastructure and hope that others will come build the killer apps. Hyperliquid takes the opposite approach: polish a native application and then grow into general-purpose infrastructure.”If this approach works, the liquidity driven by Hyperliquid’s core DEX could naturally feed into the broader ecosystem and vice versa, creating a flywheel effect.Related: Hyperliquid flips Solana in fees, but is the ‘HYPE’ justified?Will Hyperliquid become a sustainable CEX alternative?According to CoinGecko, Hyperliquid now ranks 14th among derivatives exchanges by open interest, sitting at $3.1 billion. That’s still behind Binance’s $22 billion but ahead of older names like Deribit or derivatives divisions of Crypto.com, BitMEX, or KuCoin. It’s the first time a DEX is competing so closely with established CEXs.Furthermore, as Hyperliquid deepens its focus on specialized trading pairs, it continues to chip away at the market share of major exchanges. The DEX accepts not only Arbitrum USDC as collateral but also native BTC. This makes it one of the few decentralized platforms that handle BTC wrapping and unwrapping natively, giving users the option to use BTC for Web3-wallet-based trading.X user Skewga.hl noted that Hyperliquid’s BTC perpetual futures volume share recently hit an all-time high, reaching almost 50% of Bybit’s and 21% of Binance’s. Skewga.hl wrote,“No DEX has ever come this close to matching Tier 1 CEX volume.” Daily volume ratios, Hyperliquid vs Other exchanges (BTC perp). Source: Skewga.hlSince 2024, perpetual swaps have seen a revival as a trading tool. During the 2021–2022 bull market, daily perps volume averaged around $5 billion. In early 2025, that number often exceeded $15 billion, with Hyperliquid accounting for nearly two-thirds of it.Data from DefiLlama illustrates the shift: while dYdX (green) dominated in 2023–2024, the landscape diversified significantly in 2024—and by 2025, Hyperliquid (pink) had taken the lead.Perps volume breakdown. Source: DefiLlamaDespite the recent JELLY token scandal, which involved the exchange halting trading and delisting a low-market-cap token that a whale had exploited, Hyperliquid remains a popular exchange among DeFi and DEX traders. It has yet to capture institutional investor flows or scale to the level of top-tier CEXs. However, if its layer 1 ecosystem gains traction with developers, Hyperliquid could evolve into more than just a leading DEX.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

ChatGPT’s new image generator is really good at faking receiptsChatGPT's new image generator is raising concerns for being really good at creating fake receipts.

Levitating Lego Generator Runs On Air[Jamie] decided to build a generator, and Lego is his medium of choice. Thus was created a fancy levitating generator that turns a stream of air into electricity. 
The basic concept is simple enough for a generator—magnets moving past coils to generate electricity. Of course, Lego doesn’t offer high-strength magnetic components or copper coils, so this generator is a hybrid build which includes a lot of [Jamie’s] non-Lego parts. Ultimately though, this is fun because of the weird way it’s built. Lego Technic parts make a very crude turbine, but it does the job. The levitation is a particularly nice touch—the build uses magnets to hover the rotor in mid-air to minimize friction to the point where it can free wheel for minutes once run up to speed. The source of power for this contraption is interesting, too. [Jamie] didn’t just go with an air compressor or a simple homebrew soda bottle tank. Instead, he decided to use a couple of gas duster cans to do the job. The demos are pretty fun, with [Jamie] using lots of LEDs and a radio to demonstrate the output.  The one thing we’d like to see more of is proper current/voltage instrumentation—and some measurement of the RPM of this thing!
While few of us will be rushing out to build Lego generators, the video nonetheless has educational value from a mechanical engineering standpoint. Fluids and gases really do make wonderful bearings, as we’ve discussed before. Video after the break.

Merlin sues TikTok rival Triller for breach of contract over allegedly unpaid music licensing feesThe digital music licensing org for indie record labels says short video platform Triller owes it $2.55 million
Source

Revealed Recordings Revealed Serum 2 Rolling Bass Vol. 1Revealed Serum 2 Rolling Bass Vol. 1 is a collection of 64 presets built to drive powerful basslines and dynamic rhythmic layers across Trance, Techno, and Psy. Just hold a note, and the programmed sequences will unleash rolling bass patterns instantly. Take full control - tweak the arpeggiator/clip patterns, macros, and modwheel to customize your own signature grooves. The pack also includes 59 MIDI files, giving you even more flexibility to create and customize your own bass rhythms. From uplifting trance basses to pulsating mid-bass sequences and deep modulating rhythms, Revealed Serum 2 Rolling Bass Vol. 1 gives you the source sounds to build low-end energy and movement in your tracks. Reveal Yourself. Read More

Two dance venues open in East London in quick succession – is the UK’s nightlife scene looking up?It’s no secret that clubs and live music venues are struggling. As the Music Venue Trust scrabbles to sustain grassroot venues, 2023 saw a sharp decline in venues, with 125 independent venues shutting shop. While last year only saw 25 venues closing, including Bath’s iconic Moles, The Guardian considered 2024 to be the year of the “precipitous decline of UK nightclubs”, with 17 clubs shutting within the first quarter of the year.
However, 2025 may be the year of the nightclub renaissance. East London clubbers will be treated to two new dance venues, with Unlocked and No90 Hideout set to open within the coming months. In fact, both venues are even kicking off celebrations before their official launch, with a slew of warm-up parties taking place this weekend.

READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins you need to know about this week

The pair of new venues will satisfy a wide range of dance lovers. Unlocked will be taking over a 1,500 capacity warehouse in Shoreditch. According to the launch video, the Unlocked will be occupying “a once illegal rave venue [that has been] abandoned for a decade” to revive the “fading culture” of East London and raving.
Unlocked has made every effort to retain the heart and soul of the venue. While it’s no longer an illegal rave hot-spot, the multi-level ravers paradise still wears its graffiti-spattered walls with pride. Only a few of the vast concrete rooms have been given a facelift, offering some fresh, quirky light displays.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UNLOCKED SHOREDITCH (@unlocked.ldn)

Unlocked’s first warm-up party took place last weekend, with Australian DJ Tobiahs hosting a set. More Unlocked Origins nights will take place this weekend, too; celebrations will be hosted by Jyoty, Nooriyah and Mason Collective and more.
On the other hand, No90 Hideout will offer a more intimate clubbing experience than Unlocked, with a 450 capacity. The venue is a newly renovated room in Hackney Wick’s No90. According to a MixMag, No90 Hideout has also had a facelift. No90 regulars will be able to enjoy brand new “bespoke lighting, a new DJ booth and 360 projection mapping”.
The renovations to No90 will also include new wooden panelling and “acoustic treatments” throughout. The new look will mark No90’s 11th birthday celebrations, which will take place over the weekend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Number 90 London (@number90london)

“We didn’t just renovate a venue, we built an experience,” No90’s co-founder Bruno Cabral told MixMag. “Every panel, every angle, every speaker was positioned for optimal sound. Whether you’re a DJ, a performer, or just here for the atmosphere, Hideout will change the way you hear music and experience events.”
MixMag also hosted an exclusive evening with Barry Can’t Swim in the No90 Hideout. The entire set is up on YouTube, if you want a peek at the club’s new look.
So… club, anyone? Grab tickets for Unlocked Origins and No90’s 11th birthday now.

The post Two dance venues open in East London in quick succession – is the UK’s nightlife scene looking up? appeared first on MusicTech.

Trinnov NOVA gains five-year warranty Trinnov Audio have announced that the latest addition to their range of room-correction hardware will now benefit from an extended five-year warranty period.

Instagram and Facebook changes good news for music marketingNew Instagram and Facebook changes are good news for musicians and music marketers working to sell tickets to a show, promote a new release and activate a fanbase.
The post Instagram and Facebook changes good news for music marketing appeared first on Hypebot.

How to Get Music Gigs to Boost Your CareerLearn how to get music gigs. We share strategies that will help you book more shows, build a strong fanbase, and make a lasting impression on promoters and venues.
The post How to Get Music Gigs to Boost Your Career appeared first on Hypebot.

“Cars don’t even have f**king CD players in ’em anymore. What are we gonna release a record for?”: Why Hollywood Undead aren’t planning on recording any more albums – for nowAccording to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), more than four fifths of music consumption is done through streaming. While some bands are trying to turn back the clock, with the likes of A Day To Remember recently releasing their latest record exclusively in physical form a month before putting it online, many have accepted that physical media isn’t the way to go.
Rap rock collective Hollywood Undead are one such band that are trying to change with the times. In a recent interview with Skratch N Sniff, Johnny 3 Tears reveals that the group approach music differently nowadays. “We’ve got new songs coming out real shortly, within the next couple of months,” he says. “As far as a new record-record? I don’t know, I don’t think we’re even planning on it – well, at least as of now. I think those days are numbered.”

READ MORE: Watch full-length pro-shot Ultra Music Festival sets from Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Hardwell and more

Considering how albums are such a staple of the music industry, it’s hard to a imagine a world without full-length album releases. However, could Johnny and the guys in Hollywood Undead be on to something? Streaming has put a huge focus on playlists and TikTok trending sounds – and, with an entire world of choice at everyone’s fingertips, attention spans are dwindling. If an entire 40 minute album bores you, you can always jump ship and listen to something else.
“The streaming era… it’s a bummer,” Johnny admits. “I used to love buying an album, reading the liner notes and the thank yous. It was like an event… [you] didn’t have access to the back catalogue of the world either. So [you] spent 20 bucks, [then thought] ‘I’m gonna go through this and listen to every word.’”
He adds: “Now, you’re lucky if people listen to the first 30 seconds of every song on your album. No one wants the physical product…. And, if you don’t adapt to that, it really is just wasteful.”

“Cars don’t even have CD players in them anymore,” he says. “What are we going to release a record for? No one buys them, except for people who like vinyl.”
To combat dwindling attention spans and the slow decline of physical records, Hollywood Undead are no longer crafting music with the classic “fifteen-song album” in mind. “It’s a different world, dude,” Johnny sighs. “Honestly, it’s hard to adapt to. I can’t stand the whole TikTok, ‘Hey, you’ve gotta have snippets. You need these 15-second videos.’ It’s not my world. I’m just living in it.”
“Now we just write songs, we send them in and [our label will say] ‘Yeah, let’s put it out in a couple weeks, what the hell?’” he explains.

The post “Cars don’t even have f**king CD players in ’em anymore. What are we gonna release a record for?”: Why Hollywood Undead aren’t planning on recording any more albums – for now appeared first on MusicTech.

Krotos launch Krotos Studio Max  Krotos have announced the launch of a new all-in-one subscription tier that combines their award-winning sound-design software with full access to their entire library collection. 

“FL Studio’s duty is to get more people to stick with music-making”: CEO Constantin Koehncke on FL Studio 2025 and beyondHow many DAWs are getting 30,000 downloads a month? Not many, right?
FL Studio is hitting that figure every single day, according to its maker Image-Line. Even CEO Constantin Koehncke admits that number is “pretty staggering” and “definitely insane”.
But it’s not downloads alone that put it among the world’s most popular DAWs. Myriad music fans with even a passing interest in music production have heard about it. That includes the millions of viewers who watch FL Studio users “speedrun” beatmaking on TikTok, plus fans of Grammy-winning producers like Mustard, Kaytranada, Hit-Boy, and the late Avicii, who’ve all expressed their reliance on the software. Known as FruityLoops before 2003, the DAW has long been the gateway to music-making for millions of beatmakers, producers and engineers.
But as Image-Line prepares to unleash the newest version, FL Studio 2025, it’s once again out to prove that FL Studio is more than just a toy for newcomers. Keen FL Studio users may have even noticed a few teasers of fresh innovations appearing on the Image-Line forums.

READ MORE: Best MIDI controllers to buy in 2025: 8 best FL Studio controllers to buy

“We have a pretty close engagement with the community,” says Koehncke in our video call. “Typically, in the teaser thread on our forum, we’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re building this; here’s an idea of what the UI could look like’. It gives us some feedback in the development process, which is helpful, and it’s a part of the DNA of the company to build FL Studio in this way.”
Image-Line CEO, Constantin Koehncke. Image: Image-Line
Koehncke joined as Image-Line’s CEO in October 2022. Over those 30 months, he’s overseen some pivotal launches in FL Studio: FL Cloud, the integration of software developer UVI, and the rollout of innovative AI features such as in-DAW stem separation and chord progression assistance.
The German-born CEO is used to such grandiose releases by now. Before his role at Image-Line, he was CEO at Native Instruments, having climbed the ranks from 2010 as a marketing manager. During that time, Native dropped products such as Maschine+ and hundreds of bleeding-edge plugins. And before he was coordinating major product releases, he wrote about them as a music tech journalist and publicist for a German magazine.
“50% of FL Studio trial users are under the age of 20, and many of them don’t end up choosing another DAW or music-making tool; they just stop making music altogether.”
Koehncke used to produce and DJ himself, but today, he doesn’t find the time to do so actively. “The next best thing to making music yourself is making it easier for many other people to do so”, he says. Having lived and worked in major music hubs — Los Angeles, London and Berlin — he’s found inspiration from various genres, cultures and artists around the world. That’s one reason he feels so well placed as CEO of Image-Line.
“Continuously speaking to producers around the world – big and small – is helping me to think about where we go next, and what some of the bigger problems are that we can solve for users.”
Image-Line CEO, Constantin Koehncke. Image: Image-Line
Of the 30,000 daily downloads of FL Studio (it even reached 71,000 daily downloads in 2018), Koehncke says that most are newcomers not just to Image-Line’s DAW, but to music production altogether. One problem that the team are trying to solve is how to keep people inspired to continue creating music — and ultimately staying on FL Studio.
“50% of FL Studio trial users are under the age of 20, and many of them don’t end up choosing another DAW or music-making tool; they just stop making music altogether,” continues Koehncke. He’s reluctant to directly agree with his competitor Niklas Agevik at Reason Studios, who told us that the DAW’s main competition is “Netflix and Steam.” Koehncke does say, however, that in music production, there is “an attention capital that we’re competing for, at this point.”
“Being the first touch point for many global music makers, it’s our duty as a company to try to get more people to stick with music-making,” he adds.
Image: Image-Line
In an era where all recorded music is instantly accessible, FL Studio’s goal seems to be ensuring that all music-making tools are as accessible, too. Koehncke’s tenure at Native was during a time where Berlin established itself as the ultimate hub for music production. Within walking distance from Koehncke’s office were his colleagues and competitors at Ableton, Beatport, LANDR, SoundCloud, Skoove and Orchestral Tools.
“These were companies that could essentially [let you] start making music, define your sound, and get yourself published and distributed,” Koehncke explains.
Can one company really provide for producers in a way that would once require multiple companies? Image-Line isn’t far off.
“We can all maybe relate to how painful multiple installers and multiple subscriptions can be at times. Our mission is to provide users with the fastest way from their brain to their speakers, so providing them with everything they need right at their fingertips is key to that.”
Since Koehncke joined, Image-Line has brought some impressive power to producers — it’s had to, given the competitive DAW market right now. FL Studio has introduced new AI-driven features like Stem Sepatator and the Chord Progression Tool for chord creation. FL Cloud, meanwhile, is a platform that gives producers millions of accessible samples and presets, AI mastering, a marketplace of plugins from different developers, and music distribution via DistroKid. And the company is still committed to its Lifetime Free Updates pledge.
In 2025, FL Studio is expanding this offering, collaborating with more music tech companies, and starting to consider how, and where, producers really want to make music.
“We’re going to continuously expand our offering in FL Cloud,” says Koehncke. “For example, we’ve tripled the size of our sound catalogue since we launched. The goal is to have access to the right set of tools, some free, some paid, but most importantly, all integrated directly with FL Studio to make it easy and fast for users to get creative.”
From a business perspective, it’s a no-brainer — but Koehncke jokes that “we can all maybe relate to how painful multiple installers and multiple subscriptions can be at times. Our mission is to provide users with the fastest way from their brain to their speakers, so providing them with everything they need right at their fingertips is key to that.”
FL Studio 2024. Image: Image-Line
Image-Line has recently partnered with Minimal Audio, Baby Audio, with Antares on AutoTune, and with Koehncke’s previous company, Native Instruments, among others. He promises that “There’s still more to come on a regular basis…My view is, if the customer and the user are getting something really valuable to them, then it’s a worthwhile partnership.”
Of course, Koehncke’s keeping the major unveilings a secret — despite our poking questions. But he does stress that switching FL Studio’s updating convention from version numbers to year of release (FL Studio 22 to FL Studio 2024 and this year FL Studio 2025) doesn’t change how the team improves the DAW. Image-Line still relies on collecting user feedback, improving on its backlog of ideas, and coming up with new ideas. If anything, the change in process relieves pressure for both Image-Line and its users.
“We’re a small team — Image-Line as a whole, but FL Studio in particular,” says Koehncke. “[The new update convention] just helps us focus on delivering the features and updates that people want, and doing that in regular, continuous fashion, rather than saying, ‘Here’s the big bang, and now we’re going to hide away for another two years and come up with something that might disappoint people, because times might might have changed.’”
FL Cloud. Image: Image-Line
FL Studio has kept pace with modern advancements. Its AI integration is commendable, for example, but how can it compete with the likes of generative AI platforms like Suno and Udio?
“These platforms are becoming an entry point for some users, says Koehncke. “Maybe they give you the [music-making] bug, then you can come and use FL Studio — or any other product — where you can shape your own sound and develop as a producer.”
“Why should music making, as a whole, be different from graphic design or word processing or gaming, where you pick up from where you left off on different devices?”
“Our users are really in it for the joy of making music and the creative process. We want to be a helping hand in that process, not take control of the wheel. We look at AI tools as an unlocker of creativity and as a way to make the hard tasks in music-making easier.”
Still, Koehncke adds, the topic of AI often leads to “ferocious” discussions at Image-Line HQ. The company, like many other audio brands, is still trying to solidify its role in the development of AI in music, and what it means to introduce such tech to music makers. The main topic, as always, is finding ways to lower the barriers for newcomers while empowering the most skilled producers in its userbase.
For Image Line, the goal is to lower the barriers for newcomers while empowering their most skilled producers, and ensuring that technology serves creativity, not the other way around.
Beyond AI, Image-Line is considering the ways that you take the music-making process with you. Most people are making music on laptops and mobile phones — but there’s still an element of friction between the two. Starting an idea on a mobile and switching to a desktop can be fiddly. What if DAWs performed like cloud platforms?
FL Cloud. Image: Image-Line
“Why should music making, as a whole, be different from graphic design or word processing or gaming, where you pick up from where you left off on different devices?” asks Koehncke. Although there are logistical barriers, such as file formats, third-party plugins and saving metadata, Koehncke believes the technology is there. “We should try to solve problems for the customer, and that would be a real benefit to any DAW user.”
Video games are also in Koehncke’s peripheral. FL Studio Mobile has seen notable success, he says. Perhaps that’s an indication that there is a market for more non-desktop DAWs?
“We think a lot about the commonalities between gaming and music making in terms of experience and the joyfulness of learning while you’re playing,” Koehncke continues. You get this dopamine rush when you complete something, and there are a lot of analogies in our community — words like “cheat code” are used a lot in relation to FL Studio. We see a lot of overlap and commonalities in how people interact with music-making software and specifically FL Studio.”
Does that mean that by FL Studio 2026, you could be making music on an FL Studio app on Xbox and PlayStation?
“We just want to be wherever somebody’s thinking about creating music; it’s about being wherever your users might be.”
The post “FL Studio’s duty is to get more people to stick with music-making”: CEO Constantin Koehncke on FL Studio 2025 and beyond appeared first on MusicTech.

“FL Studio’s duty is to get more people to stick with music-making”: CEO Constantin Koehncke on FL Studio 2025 and beyondHow many DAWs are getting 30,000 downloads a month? Not many, right?
FL Studio is hitting that figure every single day, according to its maker Image-Line. Even CEO Constantin Koehncke admits that number is “pretty staggering” and “definitely insane”.
But it’s not downloads alone that put it among the world’s most popular DAWs. Myriad music fans with even a passing interest in music production have heard about it. That includes the millions of viewers who watch FL Studio users “speedrun” beatmaking on TikTok, plus fans of Grammy-winning producers like Mustard, Kaytranada, Hit-Boy, and the late Avicii, who’ve all expressed their reliance on the software. Known as FruityLoops before 2003, the DAW has long been the gateway to music-making for millions of beatmakers, producers and engineers.
But as Image-Line prepares to unleash the newest version, FL Studio 2025, it’s once again out to prove that FL Studio is more than just a toy for newcomers. Keen FL Studio users may have even noticed a few teasers of fresh innovations appearing on the Image-Line forums.

READ MORE: Best MIDI controllers to buy in 2025: 8 best FL Studio controllers to buy

“We have a pretty close engagement with the community,” says Koehncke in our video call. “Typically, in the teaser thread on our forum, we’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re building this; here’s an idea of what the UI could look like’. It gives us some feedback in the development process, which is helpful, and it’s a part of the DNA of the company to build FL Studio in this way.”
Image-Line CEO, Constantin Koehncke. Image: Image-Line
Koehncke joined as Image-Line’s CEO in October 2022. Over those 30 months, he’s overseen some groundbreaking launches in FL Studio: FL Cloud, the integration of software developer UVI, and the rollout of innovative AI features such as in-DAW stem separation and chord progression assistance.
The German-born CEO is used to such grandiose releases by now. Before his role at Image-Line, he was CEO at Native Instruments, having climbed the ranks from 2010 as a marketing manager. During that time, Native dropped products such as Maschine+ and hundreds of bleeding-edge plugins. And before he was coordinating major product releases, he wrote about them as a music tech journalist and publicist for a German magazine.
“50% of FL Studio trial users are under the age of 20, and many of them don’t end up choosing another DAW or music-making tool; they just stop making music altogether.”
Koehncke used to produce and DJ himself, but today, he doesn’t find the time to do so actively. “The next best thing to making music yourself is making it easier for many other people to do so”, he says. Having lived and worked in major music hubs — Los Angeles, London and Berlin — he’s found inspiration from various genres, cultures and artists around the world. That’s one reason he feels so well placed as CEO of Image-Line.
“Continuously speaking to producers around the world – big and small – is helping me to think about where we go next, and what some of the bigger problems are that we can solve for users.”
Image-Line CEO, Constantin Koehncke. Image: Image-Line
Of the 30,000 daily downloads of FL Studio (it even reached 71,000 daily downloads in 2018) Koehncke says that most are newcomers not just to Image-Line’s DAW, but to music production altogether. One problem that the team are trying to solve is how to keep people inspired to continue creating music — and ultimately staying on FL Studio.
“50% of FL Studio trial users are under the age of 20, and many of them don’t end up choosing another DAW or music-making tool; they just stop making music altogether,” continues Koehncke. He’s reluctant to directly agree with his competitor Niklas Agevik at Reason Studios, who told us that the DAW’s main competition is “Netflix and Steam.” Koehncke does say, however, that in music production, there is “an attention capital that we’re competing for, at this point.”
“It’s our duty as a company to try to get more people to stick with music-making,” he adds. “Being the first touch point for many global music makers, it’s our duty as a company to try to get more people to stick with music-making.”
Image: Image-Line
In an era where all recorded music is instantly accessible, FL Studio’s goal seems to be ensuring that all music-making tools are as accessible, too. Koehncke’s tenure at Native was during a time where Berlin established itself as the ultimate hub for music production. Within walking distance from Koehncke’s office were his colleagues and competitors at Ableton, Beatport, LANDR, SoundCloud, Skoove and Orchestral Tools.
“These were companies that could essentially [let you] start making music, define your sound, and get yourself published and distributed,” Koehncke explains.
“We can all maybe relate to how painful multiple installers and multiple subscriptions can be at times. Our mission is to provide users with the fastest way from their brain to their speakers, so providing them with everything they need right at their fingertips is key to that.”
Can one company really provide for producers in a way that would once require multiple companies? Image-Line isn’t far off.
Since Koehncke joined, Image-Line has brought some serious power to producers — it’s had to, given the competitive DAW market right now. FL Studio has introduced new AI-driven features like Stem Sepatator and the Chord Progression Tool for chord creation. FL Cloud, meanwhile, is a platform that gives producers millions of accessible samples and presets, AI mastering, a marketplace of plugins from different developers, and music distribution via DistroKid. And the company is still committed to its Lifetime Free Updates pledge.
In 2025, FL Studio is expanding this offering, collaborating with more music tech companies, and starting to consider how, and where, producers really want to make music.
“We’re going to continuously expand our offering in FL Cloud,” says Koehncke. “For example, we’ve tripled the size of our sound catalogue since we launched. The goal is to have access to the right set of tools, some free, some paid, but most importantly, all integrated directly with FL Studio to make it easy and fast for users to get creative.” From a business perspective, it’s a no-brainer — but Koehncke jokes that “we can all maybe relate to how painful multiple installers and multiple subscriptions can be at times. Our mission is to provide users with the fastest way from their brain to their speakers, so providing them with everything they need right at their fingertips is key to that.”
FL Studio 2024. Image: Image-Line
Image-Line has recently partnered with Minimal Audio, Baby Audio, with Antares on AutoTune, and with Koehncke’s previous company, Native Instruments, among others. He promises that “There’s still more to come on a regular basis.”
“My view is, if the customer and the user are getting something really valuable to them, then it’s a worthwhile partnership.”
Of course, Koehncke’s keeping the major unveilings a secret — despite our nudging. But he does stress that switching FL Studio’s updating convention from version numbers to year of release (FL Studio 22 to FL Studio 2024 and this year FL Studio 2025) doesn’t change how the team improves the DAW. Image-Line still relies on collecting user feedback, improving on its backlog of ideas, and coming up with new ideas. If anything, the change in process relieves pressure for both Image-Line and its users.
“We’re a small team — Image-Line as a whole, but FL Studio in particular,” says Koehncke. “[The new update convention] just helps us focus on delivering the features and updates that people want, and doing that in regular, continuous fashion, rather than saying, ‘Here’s the big bang, and now we’re going to hide away for another two years and come up with something that might disappoint people, because times might might have changed.’”
FL Cloud. Image: Image-Line
FL Studio has kept apace with modern advancements. Its AI integration is commendable, for example, but how can it compete with the likes of generative AI platforms like Suno and Udio?
“These platforms are becoming an entry point for some users, says Koehncke. “Maybe they give you the [music-making] bug, then you can come and use FL Studio — or any other product — where you can shape your own sound and develop as a producer.”
“Why should music making, as a whole, be different from graphic design or word processing or gaming, where you pick up from where you left off on different devices?”
“Our users are really in it for the joy of making music and the creative process. We want to be a helping hand in that process, not take control of the wheel. We look at AI tools as an unlocker of creativity and as a way to make the hard tasks in music-making easier.”
Still, Koehncke adds, the topic of AI often leads to “ferocious” discussions at Image-Line HQ. The company, like many other audio brands, is still trying to solidify its role in the development of AI in music, and what it means to introduce such tech to music makers. The main topic, as always, is finding ways to lower the barriers for newcomers while empowering the most skilled producers in its userbase.
For Image Line, the goal is to lower the barriers for newcomers while empowering their most skilled producers, and ensuring that technology serves creativity, not the other way around.
Beyond AI, Image-Line is considering the ways that you take the music-making process with you. Most people are making music on laptops and mobile phones — but there’s still an element of friction between the two. Starting an idea on a mobile and switching to a desktop can be fiddly. What if DAWs performed like cloud platforms?
FL Cloud. Image: Image-Line
“Why should music making, as a whole, be different from graphic design or word processing or gaming, where you pick up from where you left off on different devices?” asks Koehncke. Although there are logistical barriers, such as file formats, third-party plugins and saving metadata, Koehncke believes the technology is there. “We should try to solve problems for the customer, and that would be a real benefit to any DAW user.”
Video games are also in Koehncke’s peripheral. FL Studio Mobile has seen notable success, he says. Perhaps that’s an indication that there is a market for more non-desktop DAWs?
“We think a lot about the commonalities between gaming and music making in terms of experience and the joyfulness of learning while you’re playing,” Koehncke continues. You get this dopamine rush when you complete something, and there are a lot of analogies in our community — words like “cheat code” are used a lot in relation to FL Studio. We see a lot of overlap and commonalities in how people interact with music-making software and specifically FL Studio.”
Does that mean that by FL Studio 2026, you could be making music on an FL Studio app on Xbox and PlayStation?
“We just want to be wherever somebody’s thinking about creating music; it’s about being wherever your users might be.”
The post “FL Studio’s duty is to get more people to stick with music-making”: CEO Constantin Koehncke on FL Studio 2025 and beyond appeared first on MusicTech.