strungdown's 64-bit FAQ
Sonar x64 unofficial FAQ - find offical FAQ at
http://www.cakewalk.com/support/kb/kb2005282.asp ----------------------
Q. What is the advantage of 64-bit operating systems over 32-bit? A. In 64-bit mode, your processor has additional and longer registers that can improve performance. For example, running the 64-bit audio rendering engine has no performance hit when run in 64-bit Sonar. Also, your processor can address more than 4 GB of memory. This is useful when working with many tracks or samples.
Q. Do I need a 64-bit operating system to use Sonar's 64-bit audio rendering engine? A. No; they are different notions.
Q. How do I know if my audio interface have good drivers under Windows x64? A. If the x64 driver hasn't been updated in months or years, chances are it is being neglected. You can assume that beta drivers are badly broken.
Q. Can I run the 32-bit version of Sonar in a 64-bit operating system? A. Yes, and this may be the optimal solution (right now) if you use 32-bit plugins. The 32 Bit version in XP64 bit works very nicely.
Q. Should I run XP Professional x64 or Vista x64? A. You might want to start with XP x64 edition as chances are it will work with your existing software better. If you are unsure if XP x64 will work on your hardware, there is a free 4 month XP 64 trial from Microsoft you can download or order from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/facts/trial.mspx Q. Should I dual-boot Windows XP 32-bit? A. Probably. You may run into driver or software issues, and by booting into XP 32-bit you can help figure out if something is a hardware failure or a software issue. Also, if your DAW is your main machine, certain applications may only work in Windows XP 32-bit.
Q. What applications do not work in Windows XP x64 edition? A. Anything that relys on DRM, as there is no DRM component in Windows XP x64. In my experience, Motorola phone syncing software and Rhapsody do not work due to relying on DRM components or drivers that are not 64-bit compatible. However, you can usually run these applications in VMWare. If your sequencer workstation is your only computer, you may want to stay with Windows XP 32-bit for now.
Q. What plug-ins do not work in Windows XP x64 edition? A. The Waves plugins
Q. Why doesn't my M-Audio interface does not work with more than 4GB of RAM? A. This is a bug in the M-Audio drivers.
Q. Should I get 8 GB of RAM? A. If you are going to run Sonar and exclusively 64-bit plugins, you may want to consider it. If the price difference between 4 and 8 GB is a lot for you, then stick with 4 GB of RAM. If you are running 32-bit plugins, probably stick with 4 or 6 GB* of RAM as chances are you will not want to use bit bridge if you use 32-bit plugins. In this case, having 6 GB of RAM means Sonar can get up to 4 GB, and the rest is available to other programs (explorer.exe, web browsers, mail readers, etc.).
Q. What is bit bridge? A. Bit bridge lets you use 32-bit plugins in 64-bit Sonar.
Q. Why is bit bridge necessary? A. Because it is not technically possible to load a 32-bit DLL in a 64-bit process.
Q. How will my 32-bit plugins run under bit bridge? A. Bit bridge runs out-of-process and introduces one buffer of latency. This is actually much like how ReWire works. You may have issues with automation. VST preset saving and loading is not available in bit bridge. You will need to use LaaTiDo to be able to use up to 4GB of memory for VSTs; otherwise they will be limited to 2GB.
Q. How many instances of bit bridge can I run? A. One. As soon as you load a 32-bit plugin, bit bridge starts. Additional 32-bit plugins are loaded into the same bit bridge process.
Q. Can I use 64-bit and 32-bit plugins together? A. Yes, the 32-bit plugins will just run in bit bridge.
Q. Can I use ReWire in Sonar x64? A. No, ReWare is 32-bit only. (ReWire is Propellerhead's technology, so Cakewalk does not have the ability to make a 64-bit ReWire.)
Q. Will there be a 64-bit version of Reason and/or ReWire? A. At this time, probably not.
Q. So can I use ReWire in Sonar x86, on Windows x64? A. Yes.
Q. Will 32-bit DirectX plugins be availabe in Sonar x64? A. No, but you most likely have VST versions of them. Revalver is one notable exception.
Q. What is "LargeAddressAware" (LAA)? A. In Windows, a process running in 32-bit mode normally has access to at most 2GB of memory, no matter how much memory there is in the machine. There is a bit in the .exe file itself determines this. LaaTiDo lets you change the bit, pushing the limit to 4 GB.
Q. Where can I get LaaTiDo? A.
http://www.musikbanken.se/TechLaaTiDo.aspx Q. What should I use LaaTiDo on? A. Your host's main exe file, any DLLs (e.g. your VSTs), and bitbridge.exe.
Q. Is anything already LAA (large address aware)? A. I know that Reaper is and the BFD All dll. The 64 bit version of Sonar is LAA but NOT the 32 bit version (this goes for both S5 and S6 by the way). So if you use S5 and/or S6 (32 bit) in a 64 bit OS you might want to use LaaTiDo to make it LAA.
post edited by strungdown - 2007/08/01 22:53:14