Should Composers Care About 64-bit?

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Should Composers Care About 64-bit?

By Randy Knaub / July 16, 2009 / Comments

In my last Tame Technology column I briefly mentioned that I would talk about how we can use our soft samplers to get around the limitation of the 32-bit memory space. What is 32-bit memory space? What is 64-bit? Why do I care?

Well, the short answer is that for most of your work you shouldn’t care, but if you are using large sample libraries, stick around.

Editorial note: I won’t get into all the things needed to make your computer 64-bit ready. There are many great computer articles and discussions based on your type of computer. Suffice it to say, to completely take advantage of 64-bit architecture your machine needs to have 64-bit processors and architecture. You need a 64-bit OS and 64-bit applications, not to mention drivers, etc.

The Details- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit

I won’t make this too technical. In computers we deal with binary numbers and fixed memory (RAM) limitations based on the architecture of your computer. 32-bit architectures and memory space basically gives your computer the ability to use up to 4GB of RAM. Now 64-bit offers 2⁶⁴ addresses, equivalent to approximately 17.2 billion gigabytes, 16.8 million terabytes, or 16 exabytes of RAM. Now that’s a whole lot of memory… enough to score using every sample library in existence all loaded in RAM.

For everyday use, checking email and reading SCOREcastOnline.com, 32-bit memory is just fine. Only when we start using programs that access large amounts of data, (samples, photos, HD video and geographic type data) we want as much of this data in RAM as possible, so we don’t have to keep going back to the hard drive to get more. By having more RAM available, it’s faster to compose by allowing your whole or majority of your orchestral library loaded and ready to go in RAM for the fastest access possible. Don’t confuse this with disk streaming. (Another way to get large sample libraries to play with limited amounts of RAM.)

Even with these basics, there are always additional technical considerations and exceptions. For example: The Mac platform has touted a 64-bit architecture even though the 64-bit version of OSX “Snow Leopard” is not even released yet. The Mac has been able to address more than 4GB of physical RAM for a while now. The low level kernel and drivers use 32-bits and each process or application can address 4GB of RAM. This is why you can have many applications and large amounts of data open in excess of 4GB.

So your new computer has 8GB of physical RAM, you load up your wonderful template including your soft sampler that you learned from our last lesson. You are working on your score and you need to add another choir section. You load the samples, but now you’re out of memory. You may get a memory error or even an application crash. How is this possible?

I have 8 GB of RAM. Well this is the problem we all face when running 32 bit systems. Even though I physically have 8GB, my application or DAW can only use ~4GB of it.

At this point you may have to try and free up some memory or try to print/bounce some of your parts to audio. This is not a great workflow enhancer. We need a way to be able to load large amounts or samples into RAM to make our jobs composing more efficient and to better improve the workflow.

Enter 64-bit

If you had a 64-bit system and enough physical RAM, you could have enough RAM to load samples to your hearts content. “That’s great Randy, you say, but I don’t have a 64-bit system and I am running out of memory now, what can I do?”

Until you’re ready to move to 64-bit, there are a few solutions that can help you right now improve your sampler workflow, lets talk about one.

Currently, a few Soft Sampler companies have offered 64–bit stand alone versions, (Vienna, Kontakt 3.5 and EastWest Play) but most stand alone 32-bit versions can be used outside or in conjunction with your DAW application. Audio can be routed inter-application with programs like Soundflower or Jack on OSX. But my current favorite is Plouge’s Bidule.

Bidule is a stand-alone audio development platform. It’s available on both Mac and PC and gives you the ability to build DSP based effects, route and playback audio, and use plug-ins and instruments. Bidule also uses the REWIRE protocol to route data between your DAW and Bidule.

I am currently using Bidule to help better my workflow. Using Bidule is essentially allowing me to expand the limitations of my 32-bit (4GB) RAM limitation in my DAW. I have my DAW loaded with a few instances of soft samplers loaded with basic percussion, strings, drums, horns, and other keyboard effects. This allows me some CPU room for audio tracks and other plug-ins to use. I quickly can get close to the RAM limit just in my DAW, even though my computer physically has 14 GB of RAM. So I use Bidule via rewire in combination with my DAW. I’m using other instances of plugs, including Mach 5v2, Kontakt 3 and a few extra drum plugs. This allows Bidule to use its own 32-bit memory space (4GB). This essentially is giving me another ~4 GB of RAM to load my larger string libraries. The MIDI is being driven from my DAW, and the audio is being returned to my DAW all via rewire.

See a screen shot here: http://www.plogue.com/img/ReWireSet.png

Without this handy little application I would have to alter my workflow greatly, slowing me down and hindering the creative process.

There are many ways in which composers are using tools and computers today to get around these limitations of trying to create large sample based mock up scores. Mostly using additional computers. GigaSampler is still being used in these large composing environments, as these machines are used to playback each orchestral instrument. However, most of us do not have the budget to throw money at more hardware. Even though computers and RAM are cheap today, we also need the software and additional audio interfaces as well as mixers, to be able to blend all of these instruments together. Bidule can save you some money in the short term until you’re prepared to and the software companies are ready to move to 64-bit. Don’t let the technology stop you from creating and ultimately disrupting your workflow.

In a few short years we will look back and laugh at these current short term limitations, while you’re loading your latest template that holds 50GB of content all in RAM. Then we will be screaming for faster and larger HD’s and solid state HD’s, but I digress.

Let us know at SCOREcast how you’re dealing with this issue today… what you think of 64-bit technology and other methods of getting the best from your sampler. And as always, post any questions that you may have.