14 DAY TRIAL // Belgian software development house Image Line has revealed plans to take development of FL Studio for OS X to the next level, attempting to create a native experience for Mac owners who prefer the Windows-only digital audio workstation and sequencer.
Easily one of the most popular and accessible music-making apps today, FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) was #1 last year. Almost two decades old, FL Studio is now closing in on its 12th release.
FL Studio 12 for OS X
“A while back we started by testing a FL Studio Mac OS X BETA (Crossover Wrapped) version, with direct installation on Mac OS X. This was promising but it was still just a Windows program, wrapped by CrossOver, running on OS X,” Image Line writes in a support document on its web site.
The studio explains all the technical hurdles they’ve overcome, as well as the ones that are yet to be ironed out. However, substantial progress has been made, and now there are less bumps in the road to the native FL Studio for OS X.
According to the team, if they do make it to the finish line, they won’t be porting FL Studio 11. Instead, they’ll be releasing the 12th version (which they’re already working on for Windows customers).
“...the team has turned their attention to FL Studio 12 itself. It's a long and slow process and we can't make any promises yet, since we may come across unexpected and or unsolvable technical problems. But work is indeed under way,” the team confirms.
Delphi and the Windows API
Two of the biggest problems involving FL Studio 12 for OS X are Delphi, the language used to write the program since its humble beginnings, and the Windows API, which handles window management, cursor movement, drag & drop, dialogs (errors, warnings, pop-ups), clipboard functions, and even decoding MP3 files.
Image Line clarifies that a port of all this will require replacing the specifics of the Windows API with bi-platform dependent functions. In other words, still a long road ahead.
For those asking if the development of FL Studio 12 for OS X will impact the work being done on the Windows counterpart (i.e. delay its proposed launch date), Image Line says don’t worry, the Mac team is a separate one altogether and while the teams do communicate to share knowledge, they don’t pose impediments to one another.
A beta of a CrossOver-wrapped FL Studio 11 is available for OS X computers right now.
