Logic/MPC and FL Studio/Cubase use opposite swing scales — 0% in FL Studio equals 50% in Logic

Two incompatible conventions exist for expressing swing percentages. In the Linn-derived convention (Logic, Reason, Akai MPC, Korg Electribe), 50% = straight timing and higher values add swing. In the inverted convention (Cubase, FL Studio), 0% = straight timing and 100% equals triplet swing. The same physical amount of swing reads as a different number in each system: 0% FL/Cubase = 50% Logic/MPC; 100% FL/Cubase = 66.6% Logic/MPC (the triplet point). Ableton Live complicates this further by offering both conventions depending on which groove folder is active (MPC folder = Linn 50% convention; Swing folder = inverted 0% convention). A producer moving projects between DAWs must recalibrate their intuition for swing amounts or risk over- or under-swinging.

Examples

Logic 16th-note settings: 16A=50%, 16C=58%, 16F=71%. FL Studio/Cubase run 0%–100%. A producer used to a mild groove at a Logic value who types the same number into FL Studio’s scale will get a dramatically different, heavier swing.

Assessment

Convert a Logic 16A straight setting to its FL Studio equivalent; then explain why Ableton Live users need to know which groove folder they are using before comparing swing amounts with other DAWs.