Ableton Forum

So 64 bit is tied to how much RAM a program can access? Interesting.

32bit - 4GB RAM, 64bit - 16 billion gigabytes, or 16 exabytes RAM...

The thing about Logic though is that the EXS can already access more ram than 4gb. That's the limit that any 32bit app can access. But Logic, by some apple voodoo, let the EXS access ram outside of what the program can access. So it's really about plug-in sampled instruments.

glitchrock-buddha wrote:The thing about Logic though is that the EXS can already access more ram than 4gb. That's the limit that any 32bit app can access. But Logic, by some apple voodoo, let the EXS access ram outside of what the program can access...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1041

steko wrote:

glitchrock-buddha wrote:The thing about Logic though is that the EXS can already access more ram than 4gb. That's the limit that any 32bit app can access. But Logic, by some apple voodoo, let the EXS access ram outside of what the program can access...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1041

Steve Jobs wrote:As a result, for most users, the benefit of 64-bit mode is realized when using third-party 64-bit native plug-ins that are memory intensive.

I would wait to see how it beds down before jumping all over it.

64 bit versions of other DAWS have had some horrible issues, especially with compatibility with 3rd party plugins and drivers, leading many to continue using the 32 bit version of the application, because that just works and in a 64 bit o/s allows you nearly 4GB of addressable ram.

This is a lot even if you do use a bunch of streaming samples like East West libraries etc. Notice Jobs said '64 bit NATIVE plugins can address more RAM'. This is currently very much a MINORITY of plugins.

Eventually when plugin writers' start coding everything natively in 64 bit without relying on bitbridging, this will become a minor issue affecting only older plugins which were not updated.

I was very much surprised that Logic 9 wasn't 64 bit from the start, Apple are doing some really strange stuff. But Logic 9 has been very buggy and this release update clears up a lot of those issues too.

I'll probably start to care about a 64 bit Host around the same time as I have a quadcore macbook pro with 16gb ram and a 1TB Solid State hard drive.

Opening a current project I'm working on in 32 and 64 bit just for kicks on my MBP with 4gb RAM.

64 bit is much slower and uses muchos more CPU than the 32bit. Synth squad also crashes the 32bit bridge under 64 bit.