Are you still using 32-bit plugins on PC?

[wagtunes]

Some people are just unbelievable.

Remember the time when 32bit was the norm and 64bit was little more than a novelty?

Please make us a 64bit version, PLEASE.

Did they care one bit about the extra work that meant for the developer?

Of course not. Gimme da 64bit, no matter what it takes.

And now that 64bit is more established, look at some of the crap that one has to listen to only because they say that there is room for both. Nobody ever said that devs should go back to 32bit. Nobody ever said that there shouldnt be 64bit versions too. And yet some people are like they would be losing something if a developer is considerate enough to give users of both architectures what they need. In my opinion thats pathetic and only goes to show what egotists some people are. Not that im surprised, of course, its just another expression of the world of today.

Carry on.

You have this all wrong. I don't care if a developer still makes 32 bit versions. If he does, God bless him. However, we as consumers have to consider the developers time and expense if it's WORTH it for HIM to make 32 bit versions. He is the only one who can determine that.

As I said, because of my need for 64 bit, I had to make the choice to do without some 32 bit plugs that I miss very much. That's life. We don't all get what we want all the time.

If the market is not there, you can't expect a developer to maintain 32 bit versions.

That is the actual definition of being selfish.

Oh, and for the record, I didn't go beg developers to go 64 bit. When I started doing this stuff back in 2014, we were already 64 bit. I wanted certain software that only ran on 64 bit so that's what I got. I made a choice and I now have to live with it. If one chooses to stay on a 32 bit system and developers decide it's not worth their time to main 32 bit, they won't. Look at the poll numbers. Do you really think, if this is representative of the world in general, that developers are going to spend time on 32 bit.

Again, THAT is the definition of being selfish.

And I find that quite ironic.

[chk071]

Well, I just started up my Mixcraft Pro 64-bit and loaded some of the HGFortune synths.
Everything works
I don't really know, why Steinberg (and some other big names too) can't write a decent 32-bit bridge

They had a 32-bit bridge. They removed it though. I'm sure there was so much demand for it that they had a hard time deciding whether to give it up or not.

[wagtunes]

Well, I just started up my Mixcraft Pro 64-bit and loaded some of the HGFortune synths.
Everything works
I don't really know, why Steinberg (and some other big names too) can't write a decent 32-bit bridge

Because Steinberg sucks. But that's another story altogether.

[Kumi_27]

They had a 32-bit bridge

Afaik they had, but mostly for they own 32b VSTi's before they changed all Cubase instruments to 64b versions

Cubase comes with a VST Bridge meant to make the transition to 64-bit systems easier, but the internal bridge cannot cope with some 3rd party 32-bit plug-ins and although Steinberg plug-ins are mostly bridged correctly, the outcome of bridging is pretty much system-dependent. [...]

https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-u ... it-systems

"cannot cope with some", "mostly bridged correctly", "Use jBridge" - yes, very good product from big S

[BONES]

Are there still any 32-bit hosts?

Maybe you can't buy a brand new one today but there are plenty of people who've been doing this for more than 5 minutes who might still appreciate 32 bit support. Personally, we moved on more than two years ago and I still don't really know why. Honestly, it has provided only downsides, no upside whatsoever. We did because we kind of felt forced into it, not because there were actual reasons to abandon 32 bit. So whilst I no longer need 32 bit support, I am envious of those who do and fully support them in their quest to do what makes sense, not just to follow the herd.

Of course there will always be people still using an ancient 32-bit only OS

The OS is irrelevant, 32 bit applications run perfectly well in a 64 bit OS. There are definite advantages in having a 64 bit OS but none of any value to us in having a 64 bit host. There is absolutely no difference in the way a project runs in the 32 or 64 bit versions of Orion that I can see, except that a 32 bit project opens in about one-tenth the time it takes a 64 bit project to load, which makes the 32 bit host superior on stage.

Question is: are these old timers a relevant customer group spending enough on new software to justify the cost of development and maintenance?

I've been doing this for 39 years and I spend $1000-$2000 a year on software. How much do you spend?

You mean "being left standing in the rain" by the advancement of technology?

What "advancement"? Where are the advances? I don't mind change when it helps me but the move to 64 bit has been the exact opposite.

It's kinda silly to not update your DAW to 64 bit because of a few plugins.

Why? Because you say so? What the f**k do you know? If I sat down and made two lists - advantages and disadvantages in moving to 64 bit - the disadvantages list would be twice as long as the advantages list. At least.

That way they can run all current 64 bit plugins and still keep using the few 32 bit plugins they can't do without.

How many 64 bit only plugins do you think there are? I have a few, maybe 5 or 6 out of more than 50, the rest offer both. So if I made a list of all the 32 bit plugins I wish I could still use and all the 64 bit only plugins I have, again the list of 32 bit plugins would be at least twice as long. More importantly to me, the 32 bit plugins are all things I made myself, that I know better than I will ever know any other plugin and that work exactly how I want them to, so some of the are worth two of any 64 bit only plugin.

I can't switch to another DAW without going through a massive learning curve that I am just not willing to go through at my age./quote]
How old are you? I was 60 last year when I made the switch from Orion to Cubase. Like you, I was filled with trepidation but it turned out to be an overwhelmingly positive experience. If there are good reasons to do it, I wouldn't hesitate.

[GaryG]

I watch car restoration programs sometimes, they often have to go to a shop and have a bracket or whatever fabricated because the manufacturer doesn't make them anymore, not worth their while economically. I'd argue, at the moment, creating a 32bit version is little extra work. But, as soon as that changes and actual work has to be done (maybe porting to VST3, using a new installer, just newer versions of the dev tool or OS etc) then devs are in the same boat. Maybe even more so if you factor in extra support, another download on the site to maintain etc. If they only have limited time/resources then that should be dedicated to current versions imo. Sad but progress marches on...

[chk071]

Developing/porting is only half the story. You have to test, and fix platform specific bugs too. Just like Linux, with such a small userbase, I can understand that it's not worth the effort any longer.

TBH, it always surprises me again that we still have to discuss about that in 2020. Especially in reagrds of audio software, the development seems to be going in snail speed very often... in other areas, 64-bit only is already the norm for a loooong time.

[felis]

64 bit VST3

I do keep an old version of Cubase around that can run 32 bit stuff,
but only to use for a couple of editing programs for hardware synths - not for vsti's.

[robotmonkey]

we definitely appreciate not being left standing in the rain only because other people prefer 64bit.

You mean "being left standing in the rain" by the advancement of technology?

Indeed. 64-bit is definitely worth it. Being able to run 64 plugins simultaneously instead of 32 is a big advancement, imho.

[chk071]

No matter how many plugins you can run simultaneously, there'll always be 32 people who complain.

[ThomasHelzle]

I still have many 32 Bit plugins, they run flawless in Bitwig Studios sandbox.
But I only use them when there isn't a 64 Bit version available.

[GaryG]

I still have many 32 Bit plugins, they run flawless in Bitwig Studios sandbox.
But I only use them when there isn't a 64 Bit version available.

Same here in Reaper. Though now down to a couple of old curios I haven't been able to replace (NastyDLA mkII etc).

[ENV1]

You have this all wrong.

Of course i do.

However, we as consumers have to consider the developers time and expense if it's WORTH it for HIM to make 32 bit versions. He is the only one who can determine that.

Have i said anything to the contrary? I said that i could understand not providing a 32bit if there are any technical reasons, (whatever they may be), so isnt that as fair as it gets?

At any rate, the point was that this didnt seem to matter a lot when people were asking for 64bit at a time where 64bit was little more than a novelty. In fact it didnt stop tons of people from begging for 64bit anyway, and now that the situation is sorta reversed all of this suddenly changed? I dont think so.

That is the actual definition of being selfish.

And I find that quite ironic.

So now it is 'selfish' to advocate for everyone to get what they need?

This is crazy...i cant believe what im reading here.

[EvilDragon]

The OS is irrelevant, 32 bit applications run perfectly well in a 64 bit OS.

Except Catalina which kills 32-bit for good.

There are definite advantages in having a 64 bit OS but none of any value to us in having a 64 bit host.

There's a very clear advantage in being able to load many more plugin instances (this is RAM-bound and not just CPU-bound), and also of course supporting large sample libraries (which is fine if you don't use them personally, but there are literally a few million people who do).

[Freaqpeak]

Seriously, this is a non-issue!
Don't waste developers time with legacy stuff.

jBridge works both ways. If you have a 32bit host, you can run 64bit plugins. Works great. I can open old hosts and open old projects and add 64bit plugins.

Why is this a real issue for some? There are fully working and stable workarounds if you wish to stay with an old school computer and legacy OS and run new 64bit plugins.

Yes, and I still use about 4-5 32bit only plugins in Win10 with latest Cubase. No problem.