Do you still use 32 bit plugins?

[SampleScience]

Do you still use 32-bit plugins on OS X? The poll doesn't say that.
Personally I'm using 32-bit only VST on Windows.

Is it even possible? I thought Apple dropped 32 bit years ago. I might be wrong, any Mac head here who could comment on this?

It's a 64 bit OS but like Windows that doesn't stop you using 32 bit apps (or apps with 32 bit bridges).

As I posted above though, the main problem with 32 bit plugins on Mac is most of them are very old and use outdated graphics libraries which can render them unusable in some hosts.

Thanks! I had the impression that Apple left 32 bit just to make things more modern and efficient.

[Michael L]

Logic Pro went 64-bit AU only in 2013, so you may be thinking of that.

[SampleScience]

Logic Pro went 64-bit AU only in 2013, so you may be thinking of that.

Yeah, that must be it.

I wonder how long Microsoft will support 32 bit software. I know that there's still a lot of software that aren't necessarily 32 bit which are developed today because 64 bit isn't needed. More basic stuff, but for how long? I haven't found any official announcement on the subject from Microsoft.

[chk071]

Logic Pro went 64-bit AU only in 2013, so you may be thinking of that.

Yeah, that must be it.

I wonder how long Microsoft will support 32 bit software. I know that there's still a lot of software that aren't necessarily 32 bit which are developed today because 64 bit isn't needed. More basic stuff, but for how long? I haven't found any official announcement on the subject from Microsoft.

If i had to guess, then i would say another 20 years. There's just too many programs and libraries which still have, or rely on 32-bit components, so, as backwards compatibility is always a thing, there's no end in sight for me.

[aMUSEd]

Just did a comparison chart of the 32 bit only plugins I still use to show the variation in their functionality on Mac (El Cap). Seems NI Kore 2 (in 32 bit mode) supports the most - almost all play except Hartman Neuron which is a VST 2.3 plugin so is only supported by Plogue Bidule. Imageline plugins tend to have rather laggy guis - change a preset and it takes a few ms for the gui to catch up, but they are alphas and seem to do this in several hosts. Tracktion 7 in 32 bit mode also does pretty well, and so does Bidule except for inexplicably ignoring several ImageLine plugins. Bitwig's bridge also fares well but struggles with NI Vokator (graphics glitches) and it completely ignores iZotope Spectron (this is also buggy in several other hosts but the VST seems buggier than the AU which probably accounts for it not showing up at all in Bitwig).

Energy XT 3 and Audiomulch both do the worst (ironically considering they are the only ones that just support 32 bit). For Audiomulch one could put this down to not having been developed for a long time (eXT is also pretty neglected) but then the same is true of Kore 2 (in fact longer) but it still does brilliantly. Better built in the first place perhaps?

Chart is here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/564 ... hosts.xlsx

[tibah]

3 months ago, I wasted some time to revisit some plug-ins again, as I was only on Reason back then. Mostly noodled with EnergyXT, which only supports 32bit plugins. Some weeks later and I was running Bitwig, which has a, at least in my experience, great way of bridging/hosting plugins. After some more testing, buying and comparing I'm now left with 2 32bit plugins, both from VoS - ThrillseekerVBL and NastyVCS. I always liked what they did and still love what they do and Bitwig makes it easy to not feel any disadvantages or difference in their behavior or whatever.

[Jace-BeOS]

I haven't voted because I'm using 32-bit for only as long as I'm still on Snow Leopard. I don't even need to use 32-bit now, except for maybe one or two plugins that'll never be 64-bit. When I upgrade to Logic X, I'll just render those tracks to audio and move on. I just haven't bothered to deal with it yet because I already did a lot of work porting projects to Logic/Mac from Sonar/Windows. I don't care about 32-bit support itself.

[themagicalkamja]

Exclusively 32 bit here. The selection is larger, and my system is a bit creaky.

Regardless, my understanding is that 32 bit is more than sufficient for everything except sample-based plugins with large libraries that require insane amounts of RAM. I never use samples, so I never saw the need to upgrade my plugins.

[chk071]

nevermind

[layzer]

Exclusively 32 bit here. The selection is larger, and my system is a bit creaky.

Regardless, my understanding is that 32 bit is more than sufficient for everything except sample-based plugins with large libraries that require insane amounts of RAM. I never use samples, so I never saw the need to upgrade my plugins.

finally, someone else gets it. more ram = more crap = more hassles = more fustration = more baldness no thank you.

less ram = less crap = less searching = less loading = less waiting = less fustration = more hair = more happy.

[realmarco]

on a Mac we have Sound-Radix's 32bit Lives

the wrapped plugins are as stable as they ever were before 64bit

except CM-505(drum synth) cannot be loaded

[incubus]

The lozes in this thread are vast indeed!

Ironically, it was issues trying to squeeze what useless life was left from the barbaric x86 stuff that got my hair gone

Also, everyone knows that "real" hard drives are more analog.

[incubus]

Oh, and you forgot the "f**k no, I got over that nonsense prior to 2010" question

[Aleatoriac]

Yeah, for one plug in. And I rarely use it. Some limiter. I like it on drums, sometimes. Can't remember which one right now.

[e@rs]

Exclusively 32 bit here. The selection is larger, and my system is a bit creaky.

Regardless, my understanding is that 32 bit is more than sufficient for everything except sample-based plugins with large libraries that require insane amounts of RAM. I never use samples, so I never saw the need to upgrade my plugins.

+1