Question about switching to Live 64-bit.

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If i transition to 64-bit, will any 32-bit projects open with it? Will it recognise my 32-bit plugins and replace them with the relevant 64-bit versions (or jBridged ones in some cases)?

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If you plan to go 64 bit and have some 32 bit plugins you absolutely love and can't do without, don't go 64 bit.

As good as J-Bridge is, it's not perfect.

I gave up on it and my 32 bit plugs moving to 64 bit Live. Had too many problems trying to keep Live running.

There was, for me, a lot of good reasons to go with 64 bit and I would do it again in a heartbeat though.

Now to answer your questions, basically, proceed with caution. Back up everything you don't want to lose.

Live 64 bit will open your 32 bit projects, with caveats.

Live 64 bit will not recognise 32 bit plugs unless they've been wrapped by j-Bridge or the like.

Live will make an effort to replace the 32 bit plugs if there is the 64 bit version in your folder; however, this will not be the 64 bit j-Bridge version. j-Bridge wrapped plugs are treated as a different plugin from the original.

For example, you have Omni on a track in the 32 bit version of Live. You open the project in Live 64 bit and have a j-Bridged 32 bit Omni in your folder. Live will not replace the plug and will give you an error notice that it can't find Omni. You will have to replace the plugin manually.

I would consider staying with 32 bit Live to finish any projects, or at least get them into audio files, and install 64 bit Live for separate and new projects only.

HTH

Happy Musiking!
dsan
My DAW System:
W7, i5, x64, 8Gb Ram, Edirol FA-101

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Thanks. I'm not sure that i will go 64-bit anytime too soon, its only in case I need more RAM if i start doing some more multi-layer sample based tracks in the future, i might even just use jBridge to bring those instruments into my 32-bit projects in such a case.

With a few exceptions, most of my commonly used plugins are both 32 and 64, its mainly the VOS stuff and a few old favourites that are keeping me from switching. I'd hate to open a half-finished track and find Live saying plugins are unavailable or replacing them but with all the parameter settings initialised though.

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You could use the 64 bit version for new projects and keep a 32 bit version on your PC for older projects... But I could understand that the hassle is not worth it to you.

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This is Ableton's current FAQ re: 32bit vs 64bit
https://www.ableton.com/en/articles/64bit-myths-facts/

gonna snip a few points made there for those unable to read the whole article :

What is the difference between the 32-bit version of Live and the 64-bit version?
". . . In contrast, the 64-bit version of Live can use a theoretical maximum of 16 exabytes of RAM - much more RAM than computers actually have. This means you can work with Live Sets (natively, with third-party plug-ins, and in ReWire configurations) that are much larger and more memory-intensive than in the 32-bit version. There are no further technical advantages of a 64-bit version of Live"

But a 64-bit version of Live has a better system integration and therefore performs better than a 32-bit version on my 64-bit operating system, right?
"There are no differences in the CPU handling between the 32-bit and the 64-bit version. The only advantage to be gained from the 64-bit version is the ability to address additional RAM"

Can Ableton Live 64-bit load 32-bit plug-ins?
"In short, no. A 64-bit host can only handle 64-bit plug-ins.
This said however, it's possible to "bridge" a 32-bit plug-in with a third party tool (such as jBridge). In this case the bridge runs as an application between the plug-in and the host as kind of a translator. This makes the plug-in compatible with 64-bit hosts.
It is to be expected that a plug-in translated in this manner will never run as dependably as a 32-bit plug-in in a 32-bit host or a true 64-bit plug-in in a 64-bit host"

Is Ableton developing their own 64-32-bit plug-in bridge?
"No. There are no plans to implement our own 64-32-bit plug-in bridge"

Will my old Live Sets, Live Clips, and device presets still work in the 64-bit version of Live?
"Live documents made in 32-bit versions of Live will work properly in the 64-bit version of Live, and vice versa. If the Live Sets use features which are not available in the 64-bit version, those features will be limited or disabled as described below:
· Max for Live - in a 64-bit version of Live 8, the Live document will load and play, but the Max devices will behave as if they were bypassed. In 64-bit versions of Live 9, Max for Live is fully supported.
· Plug-ins - Live documents that were created using 32-bit versions of plug-ins will work normally, but only if 64-bit versions of the same plug-ins are installed"

Finally: the most important point (to me)
Does the 64-bit version sound better or different than the 32-bit version?
"No. There's no difference in the resolution in Live's internal processing between the 32- and the 64-bit version"
expert only on what it feels like to be me
https://soundcloud.com/mrnatural-1/tracks

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A lot of 64 bit plugins have slightly different names to their 32 bit versions though, eg: Zebra2 and Zebra2(x64). Would that cause a problem?

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mutantdog wrote:A lot of 64 bit plugins have slightly different names to their 32 bit versions though, eg: Zebra2 and Zebra2(x64). Would that cause a problem?
No it shouldn't, it's the ID embedded in the plugin that is the same for both versions (or well, that's my understanding anyway).

I think the most conclusive answer you'll get is when you create a test project in Live 32bit, containing an instance of every plugin you have.
Install Live 64bit (with a different name or location) alongside the 32bit version, and load the project. You'll be prompted by Live for every issue it finds.

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I think you can have Live 32bit and 64bit co exist on your computer. Use the 64bit one for your next project and use that one to test running plugins through jbridge. Your plugin maker should of made 64bit versions by now.

It's only worth moving to Live 64bit when you are getting out of memory crashes due to Live 32bit only supporting up to 3.2GB of RAM.

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Personally I say "kill the beast". I went 64 bit and dropped all my 32 bit plugins that were never likely to become 64 bit. Haven't looked back since.
Sweet child in time...

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mutantdog wrote:With a few exceptions, most of my commonly used plugins are both 32 and 64, its mainly the VOS stuff and a few old favourites that are keeping me from switching. I'd hate to open a half-finished track and find Live saying plugins are unavailable or replacing them but with all the parameter settings initialised though.
+1
Some VOS plugs I use are still irreplaceable.
It's easy if you know how

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Well I actually started in Live on the 64-bit version.... until I realised I couldn't use s(m)exoscope. Then I bought Sylenth, tried to use it jBridged and hated it. Ok so it was the demo, but the usage of the thing is terrible: it opens a window behind the plugin, and you have to close it every damn time. Also on Mac, it's great to use the Full Screen thing... well jBridge doesn not open in Full screen, so it slides to the desktop, and you go back and forth... no thanks. Maybe it's also a demo limitation, but I doubt it.
32 Lives is supposed to be good but 99$... ouch!
In the end I decided it was not worth it and went 32-bit!

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