mudgel
I had a few 32 bit plugins that worked OK in Sonar x64. Eventually found replacements though.

I think (anecdotally) that the further we get from the start of the x64 era the less stable a system will be running 32 bit plugins. Cakewalk introduced 64 bit Sonar in 2005 with Sonar 5, 10 years ago. Windows 10 seems to be most frequently loaded on new PCs as 64bit.

As an example. Pro Tools was the last major DAW to come to 64 bit and is only available as 64 bit program now.

I think the trend is for software to be written to use more and more resources making 64 bit software more and more necessary.

 It seems now 32 bit is frowned upon for very little reasons.  64 bit makes for using more memory but you would be surprised how many 32 bit apps are on your system. Do they need to make 64 bit AV software? No. Surprisingly audio editing software like Soundforge is still 32 bit.

kitekrazy1

mudgel
I had a few 32 bit plugins that worked OK in Sonar x64. Eventually found replacements though.

I think (anecdotally) that the further we get from the start of the x64 era the less stable a system will be running 32 bit plugins. Cakewalk introduced 64 bit Sonar in 2005 with Sonar 5, 10 years ago. Windows 10 seems to be most frequently loaded on new PCs as 64bit.

As an example. Pro Tools was the last major DAW to come to 64 bit and is only available as 64 bit program now.

I think the trend is for software to be written to use more and more resources making 64 bit software more and more necessary.

 It seems now 32 bit is frowned upon for very little reasons.  64 bit makes for using more memory but you would be surprised how many 32 bit apps are on your system. Do they need to make 64 bit AV software? No. Surprisingly audio editing software like Soundforge is still 32 bit.

But Vega is 64 bit. Also Paint Shop Pro X8 is 64 bit. Any program that uses lots of memory will run better under 64 bits. Also the OS is more secure. There are a ton of advantages running 64 bits. 

kitekrazy1
[t seems now 32 bit is frowned upon for very little reasons.  64 bit makes for using more memory but you would be surprised how many 32 bit apps are on your system. Do they need to make 64 bit AV software? No. Surprisingly audio editing software like Soundforge is still 32 bit.

The real point here is that 32 bit plugins in 64 bit environments need to use a wrapper (an abstracted environment) which is often unreliable and certainly not optimal when it comes to performance. It is certainly not the most efficient way (at all) of using plugins in a 64 bit DAW. If you want reliable and efficient 32 bit plugins use them in a 32 bit DAW, bottom line.

32 works for me, but I don't have many left.

Good discussion, thanks guys. I also have left nearly all my 32 bit stuff behind but this one is just [hugs self at the thought] ... special.
 
I would imagine that bitbridge, having been developed by CW, would be the better one to try first, before j-bridge, sounds sensible? Anyone seen any noticeable difference between one or the other?

I use some 32 bit vsts in 64 bit Sonar. A handful of old synths that have no newer replacements, and the Bootsie effects too, EpicDLA and Density being the big ones that I can't find free or cheap alternatives to.

I run them under Bitbridge with Sonar's default settings, and don't have any problems, except one synth that often starts silent when I load the project. I have to change the preset to get it to emit audio. I am not sure whether that's caused by the specific synth, the environment it was made in (SynthEdit?), Bitbridge, or Sonar, but watch out for similar behaviour.

Having said that I did attempt to remove every other 32 bit plug in from my projects, and replaced them where practical, and I did see some stability improvements. Again, where the fault for that lies, I couldn't say.

As for bridging 32 bit plugins, my experience is that there is no hard and fast rule. Some worked fine with Sonars own Bitbridge while others wouldn't but would work with jBridge. Some cause instability and don't work well at all while others work fine no matter which bridge is used.

It's a bit of a lottery. As others have said try them out and see. If they work with a particular bridge, well and good, if not try the other.

You won't hurt your system as VST plugins are easy to install and uninstall.

Cheers, guys!