Want a new recording PC - is 64 bit safe yet?

BMU

I'm getting tired of my overheating laptop, thinking of getting something beefier. Intel i7, that kinda thing.

I remember Renesongs (I think) mentioning problems with Windows 7 64 bit for recording. Any horror stories? (Not that there's much choice if you want to go over 4Gb of RAM) Just wondering if I'm going to have all hell for 3 months troubleshooting drivers an' crud.

Reaper, SD 2.0. Various amp sim VSTs (Revalver, TSE-X30, Poulin LE456, etc.) Various Native Instruments things...iZotope Ozone 4...the usual stuff I guess.

I'm pretty sure Reaper won't be a problem, but not so sure about Superior Drummer.

Any other pitfalls? Motherboard brands/chipsets to avoid, that sorta thing?

Thanks

Warren

BMU wrote I'm getting tired of my overheating laptop, thinking of getting something beefier. Intel i7, that kinda thing.

I remember Renesongs (I think) mentioning problems with Windows 7 64 bit for recording. Any horror stories? (Not that there's much choice if you want to go over 4Gb of RAM) Just wondering if I'm going to have all hell for 3 months troubleshooting drivers an' crud.

Reaper, SD 2.0. Various amp sim VSTs (Revalver, TSE-X30, Poulin LE456, etc.) Various Native Instruments things...iZotope Ozone 4...the usual stuff I guess.

I'm pretty sure Reaper won't be a problem, but not so sure about Superior Drummer.

Any other pitfalls? Motherboard brands/chipsets to avoid, that sorta thing?

Thanks

I run EZDrummer and Reaper on a 64-bit i7 based laptop, and it works just fine. No problems so far. I use my GuitarPort plugin which I had to upgrade to the 64 bit version but it all works fine so far.

There were definitely problems originally, but they seem to have been ironed out for the most part.

Mo-Facta

BMU wrote I'm getting tired of my overheating laptop, thinking of getting something beefier. Intel i7, that kinda thing.

I remember Renesongs (I think) mentioning problems with Windows 7 64 bit for recording. Any horror stories? (Not that there's much choice if you want to go over 4Gb of RAM) Just wondering if I'm going to have all hell for 3 months troubleshooting drivers an' crud.

Reaper, SD 2.0. Various amp sim VSTs (Revalver, TSE-X30, Poulin LE456, etc.) Various Native Instruments things...iZotope Ozone 4...the usual stuff I guess.

I'm pretty sure Reaper won't be a problem, but not so sure about Superior Drummer.

Any other pitfalls? Motherboard brands/chipsets to avoid, that sorta thing?

Thanks

Hi BMU.

What I would do is get on the Reaper support forums and do some research before plunging over just to make sure that, despite it's compatibility with 64-bit machines, there aren't any particular and/or severe problems with Reaper and your particular set of plugins, hardware and drivers. I would also check out the support forums of your particular recording interface to see if there are any issues from their side. I may seem like I'm giving an anal-retentive suggestion but I can tell you from experience that system stability is inter-dependent on not just factors pertaining to the processor and software, but also to the particular drivers of your recording interface and it's subsequent compatibility with the machine's chipset. The specifics as to why this is are a bit nebulous but rest assured I have seen systems that flat out refused to work even though all components were supposedly 100% "compatible". Sometimes it even comes down to an updated driver (like a Windows 7 driver) being finicky about whether your firewire card has a Texas Instruments chipset or not. Computers can be a nightmare sometimes - even the all-revered Macs... :-\

Anyhoo, here's the Reaper Compatibility thread, and the 64-bit Sticky Thread:

http://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25
http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=34860

Hope that helps.

Cheers ?

BMU

system stability is inter-dependent on not just factors pertaining to the processor and software, but also to the particular drivers of your recording interface and it's subsequent compatibility with the machine's chipset.

That's the plain truth, nothing anal retentive about it. It's a potential nightmare and impossible to cover every possible combination of chipset/hardware/ software/driver etc.

Which makes it kind of a moot question on my part too...but you never know. Maybe someone knows something pertinent heh.

Yay technology. ?

BMU

Wow that didn't take long...i7 sandybridge chipset recall is all over Google. Lol. That's exactly what I was thinking of getting.

Maybe I'll just pour a bucket of water over the ole' overheating laptop every now and again. (Robust heat exchange technology you can trust. Or maybe liquid helium - a little less electrically conductive. A little cooler too. Har har.)

Is there anything like a specialist builder of recording PCs in SA? Someone who will swop out components if it doesn't work, until it does?

(Yes I also thought that was a hilariously stupid question. One can dream mm'kay.)

Mo-Facta

BMU wrote Is there anything like a specialist builder of recording PCs in SA? Someone who will swop out components if it doesn't work, until it does?

(Yes I also thought that was a hilariously stupid question. One can dream mm'kay.)

Yes, there is. And I know him. PM me for details.

Cheers ?

AlanRatcliffe

Speak to Jeremy Busby at Paul Bothner Plumstead... He builds and supplies audio machines for them. Especially with laptops, it's a good idea, as few work flawlessly for audio out the box and some never do (including many of the more expensive models).