Helpful Reply64 bit can be done but to what advantage?

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wmb
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2013/02/02 22:00:38 (permalink)

64 bit can be done but to what advantage?

I've been building a new system and my OS is 64bit but I've been planning on continuing to work in the 32 bit versions of X1/X2 for at least another year or so. If I'm doing 99% acoustic recording is there really any great advantage to 64 bit that makes tolerating bridging software and all the problems that I see posted in here. I know someone is going to say they never have any problems and I'm glad it's working out for them but does a 64 bit version of a plugin eq have any reason that it could sound better? Reverbs? If UAD offers 64 bit versions of all their plugins I doubt they actually sound better than the 32 bit versions, right? They don't write a different algorithm, they just do some technical stuff to make it play nicely with the 64 bit computing environment.

In short, if I'm not using samplers and softsynths do I need to worry about 64 bit for the time being? I figure another year or two will get everything playing much better together and the hassles will be fewer. I do have an install of 64 bit X1 for doing huge Audiosnap projects because I find it more stable when I've split 12 tracks of drums into a zillion little clips. 32 bit would get pretty bogged down with that much stuff to manage. I just open the 64 bit version, do my audiosnap work, bounce to clips and re-import them back into the project.
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Splat
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/02 22:09:42 (permalink)
32 bit Sonar can only access 4gb of memory.  Reliability and performance will be improved provided you have the hardware to match. Unless you are restricted by memory I would go 64 bit. Or do both and see what works for you. We would have to go through your hardware and software setup one by one to give you a definitive answer which would take some research.

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wmb
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/02 23:18:57 (permalink)
The computer is plenty 64 bit ready. My last system was 32 bit XP with 4 gigs of ram and I was not RAM challenged with Sonar as much as I was CPU challenged in that system.

Win7 64, i7 3770k, 16 gigs of ram, SSD system drive, RAID 5 Audio drive and standard HDD for regular data. I also do video work which is where the 64 bit pays off. I guess I'll just dabble with 64 bit as time goes by but I see no need to leap into it. I just don't see any workflow payoff that requires me to head off that way. Seems like it's the samplers and synths that get ram hungry.


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noynekker
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/02 23:34:26 (permalink)
Are you recording this acoustic music at a bit depth of 24 or 16 ?
24 bit gives much better headroom for the recordings, and more flexibility in final mastering, but can require more RAM.
Even if you use no plugins or softsynths, the 64 bit OS with Sonar 64 bit makes your system able to do more.
post edited by noynekker - 2013/02/02 23:41:39

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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/02 23:46:32 (permalink)
Note the sample rate of the recording bares no relation to 64 bit or 32 bit. See post #2. There are plenty of resource hogs of course that can have an improvement. Cheers.

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wmb
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 01:51:23 (permalink)
I always work at 24 bit mostly at 88k but sometimes 48k or 96k depending on the client. I have been doing the high sample rate most of last year with a 5 year old, 32 bit machine and ran out of CPU long before anything else was getting pushed to the max. 

By acoustic I mean music produced with sounds captured with microphones on instruments and amps. I don't do much in the way of music where the sounds are produced from software synths and samplers.

My question relates to the necessity of using the 64 bit version of the application (which necessitates bridging some plugins) when there isn't necessarily any benefit (that I can see) in my situation.
noynekker


Are you recording this acoustic music at a bit depth of 24 or 16 ?
24 bit gives much better headroom for the recordings, and more flexibility in final mastering, but can require more RAM.
Even if you use no plugins or softsynths, the 64 bit OS with Sonar 64 bit makes your system able to do more.



post edited by wmb - 2013/02/03 01:59:52
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wmb
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 02:05:16 (permalink)
I am aware of the differences between sample rates, audio bit depth and a 64 bit OS. I guess I'll just see how it goes at 32 bits and If things begin to bog down then I guess it will be time to consider the 64 bit version and the hoops that go along with it.
CakeAlexS


Note the sample rate of the recording bares no relation to 64 bit or 32 bit. See post #2. There are plenty of resource hogs of course that can have an improvement. Cheers.


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Freddie H
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 05:30:36 (permalink)
wmb


The computer is plenty 64 bit ready. My last system was 32 bit XP with 4 gigs of ram and I was not RAM challenged with Sonar as much as I was CPU challenged in that system.

Win7 64, i7 3770k, 16 gigs of ram, SSD system drive, RAID 5 Audio drive and standard HDD for regular data. I also do video work which is where the 64 bit pays off. I guess I'll just dabble with 64 bit as time goes by but I see no need to leap into it. I just don't see any workflow payoff that requires me to head off that way. Seems like it's the samplers and synths that get ram hungry.

I will not go into why x64bit is much better. Its just 1000000 times better on everything. I can tell you there are more benefits then just memory aspect! That you consider only use x32bit software then there are fully functional, "up to date" x64bit versions out there working 100x times better doesn't make any sense. Actually its just ridiculous!
 
Let me ask you; when you drive a car do you only use the first two gears, not all the five too?


-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
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John
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 07:18:59 (permalink)
By running a 64 bit OS you loose nothing and gain the ability to use more memory plus  64 bits offers better security and a smoother, faster over all system. The only reason not to go 64 bits is if you have hardware that does have 64 bit drivers. 

You can run 32 bit programs in a 64 bit environment but with the OS being 64 bits you can also run 64 bit programs. If you run X2 64 bit most plugins should be 64 bits now. Those that are not can be bitbridged. Or a newer substitute can be used. It just a small problem now. Its no longer the problem it once was. 

I went 64 bit with Sonar 8. I wouldn't go back to 32 bits.  

The thing to think about is that few people that moved to 64 bits have gone back to 32 bits. 

Best
John
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 09:16:16 (permalink)
I second John's comment. When I bought Sonar 8, I installed both the 64 bit version, and also the 32 bit "just in case". I started working on both old and new songs in the 64 bit version, and never looked back. I don't know that I've ever fired up the 32 bit version. (Then again, I don't use tons of non-Sonar plugs, and I don't own any aftermarket soft synths, so I don't have the need to "bridge" like some have - in that way, I am very much like the OP. My stuff is "band instruments mic'ed up", so Sonar is a glorified tape recorder & mixing board to me.)

Registered Cakewalk user since 1995
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SteveStrummerUK
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 09:23:51 (permalink)
I started to test the water with 8.5 and gradually moved completely over to 64bit with X1.

I found that the biggest pain in trying to run both 32bit and 64bit versions of SONAR was VST management. However, as others have mentioned, more and more 64bit versions are now available, and not having to 'worry' about hitting the 4GB RAM maximum is a great advantage.

When I finally reached the point where I decided to run 64bit 'exclusively', I spent a weekend performing the transition in a relatively well-organised manner (after taking some great advice from this forum).
 
I started off by checking which 64bit plugs I already had, and then went trawling through all my VST accounts and downloading and installing all the 64bit versions of their plug-ins I hadn't already got.
 
Then I started organising my plugin folders. There are two ways of doing this, depending on whether or not you want to use BitBridge (or J-Bridge) or not. Firstly, you need to organise your plug-ins in a way similar to how I did:
  • I uninstalled and/or deleted every 32bit plug-in that I now had the 64bit version of installed
  • I placed all my 64bit plug-ins inside my Program Files (x64) > Cakewalk > VST Plugins folder
  • The remaining plug-ins that were only available in 32bit, I placed inside my Program Files (x86) > Cakewalk > VST Plugins folder
If you are happy to work with BitBridge, you then set 64bit SONAR VST scan to scan both folders. Consequently, in future, whenever you insert a plug-in into a project you'll only ever insert the 32bit version if you don't have a corresponding 64bit version.
 
As I use X-Ray quite a lot, I'm not a big fan of BitBridge (plus some plug-ins and VSTi's simply don't work with it), the method I use is slightly different. I set 64bit SONAR to only scan the x64 VST folder and 32bit SONAR to only scan the 32bit VST folder. On the (extremely) rare occasion I want to use a 32bit plug-in or synth (usually the Proteus XV), I open the project in 32bit SONAR, add the VST and either print the effect or freeze the synth to bounce down to audio. Then I remove the VST and reopen the project in 64bit SONAR. A bit fiddly I'll agree, but it works for me!
 
Once I'd done all this, I made certain that every new project I started was in 64bit SONAR. With any projects I was still working on (and I made sure there weren't many), I simply swapped the 32bit plugs they had inserted for the 64bit versions when I opened them. Again, it's a bit messy to start with, but you only have to do it once for each project.
 
 
 
 
 

 Music:     The Coffee House BandVeRy MeTaL

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SteveStrummerUK
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 09:26:51 (permalink)
.. Double post ..

 Music:     The Coffee House BandVeRy MeTaL

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Bristol_Jonesey
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 09:35:40 (permalink)
Agreed - 64 bit all the way here, the few 32 bit plugs that don't play well with Sonar/Bitbridge have been deleted from the system.

I don't miss them.......

CbB, Platinum, 64 bit throughout
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garrigus
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 09:43:26 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
Here's some info on the Cakewalk site that you might find useful...
https://www.cakewalk.com/...reader.aspx/2007013187

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X2 Power! - http://garrigus.com/?SonarX2Power
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
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* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

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Jeff M.
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 10:24:32 (permalink)
SteveStrummerUK

I set 64bit SONAR to only scan the x64 VST folder and 32bit SONAR to only scan the 32bit VST folder. 
On the (extremely) rare occasion I want to use a 32bit plug-in or synth (usually the Proteus XV), I open the project in 32bit SONAR, add the VST and either print the effect or freeze the synth to bounce down to audio.
Then I remove the VST and reopen the project in 64bit SONAR. A bit fiddly I'll agree, but it works for me! 
I do this as well.

Record the MIDI track in 64bit Sonar, open up 32bit Sonar, change the VST synth, bounce, delete VST synth, go back to 64bit Sonar.

I name both the MIDI and Audio tracks as synth:patch (the:whole:tree:structure).
Add a quick blurb in the notes for any adjustments (filter res, ADSR envelope or LFO changes, etc).
I can recall that exact patch easily if I need to go back and redo something later on.


   


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#15
daveny5
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 10:25:32 (permalink)
Win7 64, i7 3770k, 16 gigs of ram, SSD system drive, RAID 5 Audio drive and standard HDD for regular data. I also do video work which is where the 64 bit pays off. I guess I'll just dabble with 64 bit as time goes by but I see no need to leap into it.


The reason is that in 32-bit, your computer can only use 3GB of the 16GB that you have so the rest is sitting there doing nothing. 

Also, RAID can be problematic. Search the Forum for other posts on this subject. 

Dave
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don4777
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 11:24:36 (permalink)
I have been running 64-bit (OS and Sonar) for a little over a year. I delayed for a long time thinking that I didn't need it. I use very little MIDI and the system was very stable. With the exception of Melodyne. That program (stand-alone or plugin) was very "jerky" and didn't behave at all like I saw in the Video Tutorials. And the system would often become unresponsive. I poked around on the Celemony forums and found that they strongly recommended Melodyne be run in 64-bit mode. I made the change and for Melodyne the difference was night and day. Not so much for other programs and plugins but for Melodyne it was an amazing difference. It now behaved just like in the videos and my crashes stopped. I have found that my system overall is more responsive and more stable running in 64-bit mode even though I don't use soft synths or large sample libraries. I fully expected that running 32-bit programs would be a little slower and possibly a little less stable. I haven't done any performance testing to determine just how much slower a 32-bit program runs under a 64-bit OS but it hasn't been a noticeable impact.
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Splat
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 12:05:48 (permalink)
Opps you're right . I wrote 4gb of addressable memory with 32 bit when it should have been 3. Time to get EMM386 out ;)

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@48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38.

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konradh
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 14:08:43 (permalink)
I use a lot of virtual instruments so I need more than 4 GB of memory.  I have 12 installed.  I seldom see more than 6 in use, but 6 would already be 50% more than 32-bit can address.

Konrad
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Freddie H
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 15:54:47 (permalink)
CakeAlexS


Opps you're right . I wrote 4gb of addressable memory with 32 bit when it should have been 3. Time to get EMM386 out ;)


+1000000000000000000000000000000


-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
#20
wmb
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:18:33 (permalink)

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. My computer is already running Win7/64 and I'm totally cool with why this is better when considering the overall picture of the system topography. I've got that. I'm specifically talking going to the trouble to run Sonar 64 bit versions vs the benefits of the effort. The exact nature of my question is why " x64bit is much better. Its just 1000000 times better on everything". I have some plugins that are still 32 bit and from that perspective I would have to use  wrappers on them and they apparently don't always work/play well with all other plugs or some such.  I don't think your auto gear comparison is even in the ball park.
Freddie H


wmb


The computer is plenty 64 bit ready. My last system was 32 bit XP with 4 gigs of ram and I was not RAM challenged with Sonar as much as I was CPU challenged in that system.

Win7 64, i7 3770k, 16 gigs of ram, SSD system drive, RAID 5 Audio drive and standard HDD for regular data. I also do video work which is where the 64 bit pays off. I guess I'll just dabble with 64 bit as time goes by but I see no need to leap into it. I just don't see any workflow payoff that requires me to head off that way. Seems like it's the samplers and synths that get ram hungry.

I will not go into why x64bit is much better. Its just 1000000 times better on everything. I can tell you there are more benefits then just memory aspect! That you consider only use x32bit software then there are fully functional, "up to date" x64bit versions out there working 100x times better doesn't make any sense. Actually its just ridiculous!
 
Let me ask you; when you drive a car do you only use the first two gears, not all the five too?


#21
Freddie H
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:34:43 (permalink)
wmb


Maybe I wasn't clear enough. My computer is already running Win7/64 and I'm totally cool with why this is better when considering the overall picture of the system topography. I've got that. I'm specifically talking going to the trouble to run Sonar 64 bit versions vs the benefits of the effort. The exact nature of my question is why " x64bit is much better. Its just 1000000 times better on everything". I have some plugins that are still 32 bit and from that perspective I would have to use  wrappers on them and they apparently don't always work/play well with all other plugs or some such.  I don't think your auto gear comparison is even in the ball park.
Freddie H


wmb


The computer is plenty 64 bit ready. My last system was 32 bit XP with 4 gigs of ram and I was not RAM challenged with Sonar as much as I was CPU challenged in that system.

Win7 64, i7 3770k, 16 gigs of ram, SSD system drive, RAID 5 Audio drive and standard HDD for regular data. I also do video work which is where the 64 bit pays off. I guess I'll just dabble with 64 bit as time goes by but I see no need to leap into it. I just don't see any workflow payoff that requires me to head off that way. Seems like it's the samplers and synths that get ram hungry.

I will not go into why x64bit is much better. Its just 1000000 times better on everything. I can tell you there are more benefits then just memory aspect! That you consider only use x32bit software then there are fully functional, "up to date" x64bit versions out there working 100x times better doesn't make any sense. Actually its just ridiculous!

Let me ask you; when you drive a car do you only use the first two gears, not all the five too?


99% of all professional plugins are in full x64bit so what plugins are you using that isn't x64?
And about bitbridge. what is the problem? You will not even notice them running in bitbridge. Open and work as any regular plugin.


-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
#22
John
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:36:44 (permalink)
I must say it was not clear that you were running a 64 bit OS. That being the case all you need to do is install the 64 bit version and see for yourself if it is good for you or not. 

Asking as if you were not sure about the benefits of a 64 bit OS skewed the answers.   

Best
John
#23
konradh
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:42:21 (permalink)
I leave it to a wise Geek to correct me, but I believe I understood from my Sweetwater tech that if Sonar is not running in 64-bit, your plug-ins cannot take advantage of all the memory, even if the PC is 64-bit. 

A couple of my instruments were initially only available in 32-bit so for a while I ran in 64-bit and used a bit-bridge for the 32-bit instruments; but now everything has been converted to 64-bit.

As far as audio quality goes, I am not sure 64-bit v 32-bit makes a difference you can hear, although it is mathematically and theoretically superior.  Perhaps one of our mastering engineer guys like CJ can answer that point.

Konrad
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#24
Jeff Evans
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:47:19 (permalink)
Lets us get back to basics and start talking about the final sound quality of a project at the end of the day. If you start thinking about this then the answer is that 64 bit is not going to sound any better more than likely in the long run. 

Sure the advantages mentioned here are all good and although I am on a 32 bit system when I build a new one I too will be going 64 bit but for other reasons not quality. If you are running a great stable 32 bit system then leave it alone. If you are building a new setup or upgrading then I think 64 bit is the better option for sure.

Most DAW's offer double precision operations in the area you need it the most such as on the final mix buss.

Great engineer= great mix even on 32 bit system
Average engineer = average mix even at 64 bit.

You have to get things back into perspective. In terms of stability one could argue that an all 32 bit system with its tendency to not fall over or have problems with any plugins could be classed as more stable. 32 bit is still 16 bits higher than the final playback medium and that is pretty darn good.

I could match or probably better any mix Freddie (or any other 64 bit operators out there) is doing in 64 bit in a 32 bit system. Do you think the listener is going to say after hearing a great mix  ....Hmmm that must have been done on a 64 bit system. I doubt it!

64 bit is good but for other reasons not so much in the final outcome in terms of real sound quality. That is in the hands of something else entirely.



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#25
Freddie H
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:57:10 (permalink)
Jeff Evans



I could match or probably better any mix Freddie (or any other 64 bit operators out there) is doing in 64 bit in a 32 bit system. Do you think the listener is going to say after hearing a great mix  ....Hmmm that must have been done on a 64 bit system. I doubt it!

64 bit is good but for other reasons not so much in the final outcome in terms of real sound quality. That is in the hands of something else entirely.
 
Jeff, I doubt that you mix better than me.
You are correct regarding system mixing on x32 but not on production.  x64bit is essential for me and the production I do.
Still you can mix on x32 bit system too but you run out of power quickly like in Pro Tools and you need dump all to audio and make many things destructive.


-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
#26
wmb
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 16:57:53 (permalink)
I see lots of "I just deleted everything that wasn't 32 bit and moved on" and "it's just better" types of answers and that's where I'm kind like "why"? How is moving to 64 bit Sonar now better if it narrows my tools? We are working in a results based field and if the move doesn't necessarily improve output or productivity (dealing with wrapped vst plugs) then is it an advantage. 

I use UAD plugins so I've accepted that by using those I will only ever be able to render mixes at realtime speeds regardless of CPU power. I see that as an acceptable cost/benefit decision. Moving to higher sampling rates presents more load on the CPU and takes up more disk space but it sounds better to me. That is an acceptable cost/benefit decision. I don't have many occasions to use software based synths or samplers (if I do use them it's only ever been just one instance per mix). When I work with people who are doing things with synths and keyboards it's almost always an actual synth or I'm connecting to their audio interface connected to their laptop. I don't avoid using plugin instruments, I just don't encounter the need with the types of groups I work with. 

So if I move to 64 bit and start using Jbridge or something then I'm introducing something into my workflow that might lead to stability issues or just extra steps for adding plugins (I don't actually know how this works). What are the benefits when I see the costs as: 1. limiting my tools by possibly getting rid of non-64bit plugins, 2. Potentially adding more steps to putting a plugin on a track, 3. Opening up the possibility of instability by choice.

For those of you doing EDM and scoring with tons of virtual instruments I can totally understand why 64bit sonar is a great choice, it's not koolaid. I don't really care about RAM gigs 3.6 through 16 on my mixes if I don't need them. They are there for rendering videos that I work on and I would never look back on 32 bit versions of those applications because the x64 version workflow is identical (for that matter I know I've used 32 bit audio plugins without doing anything in x64 sony vegas). For video editing I understand the cost/benefit and the weight is clearly in the benefit side of things.

When using Jbridge do you have to deal with it every time you install a plugin or is it a once per project type of thing?

Thanks for tolerating my slightly Luddite attitude about this. I'm not being obstinate, I'm just really questioning the worth of going 64bit for my situation when I cannot see an advantage that supersedes the cost. I have it installed and use it in the very specific situations where I see the advantage (audiosnapping a full drum take with tons of 16th note fills) but for mixing it's not attractive. Heck, I guess I could use it for tracking and then move back to 32 for mixing in my comfort zone and maybe over time I might naturally migrate through gradual necessity rather than burdening myself with a self imposed limitation. I think I might have discovered my x64 route.

Cheers
#27
John
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 17:01:11 (permalink)
Maybe I missed it Jeff but I don't believe anyone said a 64 bit OS is going to make any ones mix sound better.

As to a 64 bit audio engine everyone should keep in mind no one has ever heard 64 bit audio.  The very best one can hear is 24 bit audio because that is the limit of D to A converters.  

Best
John
#28
Jeff Evans
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 17:10:56 (permalink)
Maybe I missed it Jeff but I don't believe anyone said a 64 bit OS is going to make any ones mix sound better.....Freddie did, he said it is a million times better at everything so I just included sound quality in that. 

As to a 64 bit audio engine everyone should keep in mind no one has ever heard 64 bit audio.  The very best one can hear is 24 bit audio because that is the limit of D to A converters..... Thanks John for bringing that up and a very good point. And they say you only need to be 8 bits higher than that to be able to process things well and keep things sounding rather excellent.

As far as processing goes who cares, there are usually ways around it, freezing tracks etc. It is still the end result that counts and that is what people hear. Remember if the music is great and the performance is great, the engineer is great and the emotional effect is great to the listener then 64 bit does not really matter does it. It is actually pretty low down in the scheme of things.

What does Ethan Winer have to say about 64 bit processing? Any ideas.
post edited by Jeff Evans - 2013/02/03 17:17:00

Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz - 8 Gb RAM - Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME PCI HDSP9632 - Steinberg Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 8- Studio One V4 - iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - Sierra 10.12.6 - Focusrite Clarett thunderbolt interface 
 
Poor minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas -Eleanor Roosevelt
#29
John
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Re:64 bit can be done but to what advantage? 2013/02/03 17:26:08 (permalink)
I'm with you Jeff. I like 64 bits in all its forms but I am not so brainwashed that I don't understand the truth.(this is not a smear on anyone) Its nice but it is not essential. I do recommend it for the reasons I already posted. That is all I have to say about it.  

Best
John
#30
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