Shifting from 8×8 to 16×4, though, makes a real difference in workflow. The difference: more triggers for software functions, and the grid is 16×4 instead of 8×8. It’s clearly descended from Akai’s own APC and Novation Launchpad (the latter still features in product images for FL software). What you get from the Fire is a big grid of buttons, four encoders, and then a whole bunch of triggers including transport and other functions.
But first-time users may want an integrated package, and dedicated hardware can be pre-mapped to do useful stuff. Okay, so the pitch here is easy: yes, you can use any number of controllers with FL Studio. So can it bring something new to the integrated controller world? It looks like the step sequencing grid you see when you open FL, and it was created in collaboration with Image-Line. As the Akai APC40 was to Ableton Live, so the Akai Fire hardware controller is to FL Studio.
