Ableton Forum

NipplesAndBass wrote:so ableton definitely doesnt support 64-bit no?

i've just upgraded my computer to an absolute quad-core 4mb beast and i need to know whether to put xp x64 on it.

i've done alot of reading and i really want to do it, cause i can use the whole ram. also just found this video about it too:

http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0602/271 ... lk_MBR.asx

f it, i'll just try it anyway. i think the main issue is getting you drivers sorted for 64 bit.. then we'll see how ableton performs...

but if anyone has any experiences, advice, it would be much apppreciated.

lemme know how you got - i'm contemplating the v64 jump with a new machine. the ONLY driver i cna't get for now is the one for my old firewire soundcard... DOH! maybe it's time to get an echo or rme unit anyway...

As long as you have all of the 64-bit drivers installed and working correctly you shouldn't have any problems. Also don't expect any performance improvements as Live is a 32-bit application.

My experiences have been pretty poor. It's really hard to say how much of this boils down to Ableton, and how much of it boils down to the Presonus drivers, as the Firepod is the only device I've been able to test. But if I had to guess, I would say that some or all of the blame (well, blame is a harsh word as Ableton doesn't claim 64-bit support in the first place) falls to Live. The Firepod seems functional and sounds good with "reasonably" low latency (it's better under XP for whatever reason) but Live is very unstable during launch, quitting, changing of audio settings, etc.

I usually associate these behaviors with application instability vs. driver issues. But of course it could be the timing of one impacting on the other...

If you do find a combination that plays nicely in Vista x64, PLEASE post with the details. My desktop has become the world's fastest paperweight since I installed this OS. Well, it will run Half Life 2, so there's that...

I run Live 4.1 (yeah, never upgraded) on Vista64, and performance/stability are also incredibly poor. Cubase SX3.1 has no issues even though that's a pure 32-bit app too. I have an RME Hammerfall / MultiFace combo and that soundcard works brilliantly in Vista64, so it's not the drivers.

IMO this is Abe's biggest challenge with regards to coming out with a version 8 any time soon. It would be a joke to try to release a major (ie. paid) revision without offering proper 64-bit support, and that's a pretty big undertaking in itself. They've got their work cut out for them...

I just installed my new laptop with dual boot:

- XP 32-bit SP3
- Vista 64-bit SP1

And to be honest, 'til now: VISTA ROCKS!

I've also done some performance tests: used the generative .alps to create a high load in Ableton with 6ms latency I have a load peaking at 48% max. In Windows XP I had a lot of glitches, peaks around 60% with the same settings on the same laptop.

For me, the most important thing was getting rid of the glitches which Vista does very well!

I'm using a Focusrite Firewire and they have good 64bit drivers for Vista.

Now in the process of installing all my plugins. I'm very happy, supprised, but I'm totally into Vista 64 now.

Please continue to post your thoughts, bouke. Especially - whether you continue to see stability, which plugins you are using (32-bit versions vs. 64-bit versions) etc. Meanwhile, I'm off to check on the price and specs of this Focusrite you mentioned.

bouke, which Focusrite Firewire are you using, specifically? Specs for the Saffire (just the first one I checked) state "Windows XP (All versions) & Vista (All versions except 64bit)".

Thanks.

Scratch that, I see on their website that they now support x64. Must have been a driver and/or firmware update.

I recently purchased a Laptop w/ Vista 64 bit (sp1) and so far so good as far as Ableton is concerned.



It was a tough call - I thought about sticking with XP and at first I regretted it. I spent the first week tweaking Vista and dealing with issues installing my software but I think I've got everything sorted now.

Nice to hear. What sound card are you using? Any other tips? Are you running a special compatility mode or anything? Live and 64 are still unusable for me.

Well, it looks like I may have answered my own question with mention of "compatibility mode" above. I set this to Windows XP SP2 and so far everything's been smooth as silk (knock on wood!) I'd be feeling like a total fool right now (might have considered something called "compatibilty" mode a bit sooner...) but I'm too busy feeling thrilled. SO glad to be back to using Live. Sonar was annoying the crap out of me.

Good to have you back

As far as my plugins go (sorry for the late reply):

- NI KOMPLETE 4&5, KORE 2
- Sylenth1
- uTonic
- All from Audiodamage effects
- PSP Vintagewarmer
They are only 32bit version, hence Live is running in 32bit mode...

Running very smooth. I'm using the Focusrite Saffire. I'm not running Live in compatability mode.

Good to be back.

I have seen occasional issues when launching and closing Live since I last posted, typically resolved by powering my Firepod down and back up - so I'm fairly convinced those are interface driver issues, not application issues.

The only outstanding problem I see with Live and Vista is this: when I try to drag .alp files (ie. session drummer Live Packs, etc) from another window into the Live UI, nothing happens. I had to resort to using File->Import Live Pack and installing these one at a time, which is NOT fun. No way I'll get through all of them this way.

I'm guessing it's some kind of permissions error happening behind the scenes. Has anyone else had this problem, or better yet, found a solution?

Otherwise, very happy to be working again! Thanks!