64-Bit Computing—Key Benefits for Musicians
Windows XP x64 Edition combined with 64-bit capable Intel or AMD
processor-based workstations provide significant advantages to
musicians when running native 64-bit music applications like Cakewalk's
SONAR 6.
- Native x64 applications experience a significant processing
performance increase which varies from application to application.
- The increase in processing performance can result in more simultaneous
tracks, realtime effects, and virtual instruments, along with
closer to real-time latency for mixing and performance.
- The
x64 platform allows for access to up to 128 GB of RAM, an exponential
increase from the 4 GB of RAM afforded by yesterday’s
32-bit computing platform.
- The increase in system memory can result
in the loading of larger,
higher-quality sample content into RAM, increasing the amount
of content capable of being used in any given project, while
also
reducing the latency introduced by disc streaming.
x64 News
Videomaker: Welcome new 64-Bit Overlords
Videomaker magazine discusses the migration to 64-bit computing and the benefits it will provide.
Microsoft Case Study - Father & Son
SONAR x64 Users
Microsoft recently profiled Rory
and Chrystian Kaplan’s experience running SONAR on Window’s XP Professional X64 Edition. Chrystian’s band Jagged Aberration ran into the limits of the 32-bit PC they were using. They then brought their SONAR project into Rory’s studio to finish it using SONAR on Windows X64. Rory Kaplan is a producer who
has worked with numerous artists including Queen, The Eagles, Sheryl
Crow, and many others. Visit Microsoft.com to read the case study and hear before and after examples of the song.
Video Feature: Revolutionizing Audio Production
Intel and Microsoft have created a special video hosted by
Cakewalk's Brandon Ryan that explains the
benefits of 64-bit computing for musicians. A highlight of the
video is SONAR 5 running an enormous project by
film composer
Shawn
Clement,
that utilizes 17 virtual instruments, 42 effects,
150 tracks, and full screen digital video—all running simultaneously
on an Intel multicore workstation. Watch
the video on the Microsoft
site.
Father & Son SONAR x64 Users Featured by Microsoft
Microsoft
recently profiled Rory and Chrystian Kaplan’s
experience running SONAR on Window’s XP Professional X64
Edition. Chrystian hit the limits of a 32-bit PC and then brought
his SONAR
project into his father, Rory’s
studio, to successfully finish it on Windows
X64. Rory Kaplan is a producer and musician who has worked with
Queen,
The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, Michael Jackson, and many others. Read
the case study and hear examples of Chrystian’s
song.
Mix Special
Report: The State of 64-bit computing
Mix magazine has posted an online special report entitled The State of 64-Bit
computing in the Music Products Industry. This article tracks
the history of support that Cakewalk, Intel, and Microsoft have
provided the music products industry in supporting x64 In addition,
the article features news on 16 companies who currently support
or who have
announced support for the x64 platform. Sound on Sound: Are PC Musicians ready for Windows x64?
The May 2006 issue of Sound on Sound has an extensive
article on 64-bit computing for PC-based musicians. Topics include
installing
Windows XP x64, selecting hardware, available software, and more.
The article is available
online, but requires subscription for access.
SONAR 5.2 Supports VST 2.4
Cakewalk has released a free 5.2
update for
registered owners of SONAR 5 Producer Edition and SONAR
5 Studio Edition. Among the many new features and updates
is support for the VST 2.4 specification, which allows
for native x64 VST effects and instruments.
Rain Recording: What Specs, Intel Chips, and Vista
Mean for Music
Peter Kirn asks custom audio PC maker Rain Recording for their thoughts on the
new
Intel
Core architecture, and the release of Micrsoft Vista.
Remix: The Future of DAW Computing
2006
In the evolutionary
cycle of computing technology, the music industry is
right on the cusp of something
huge. 2006 promises to be a pivotal year in the computer-upgrade
arena as it ushers in several next-big-thing technologies,
including 64-bit CPU architectures, dual-core processors,
dual dual-cores, support for ludicrous amounts of physical
RAM, new OS and applications to take advantage of all
these goodies and more.
MusicTech: The
Future is Here
Excerpt from the the November 2005 cover story
of MusicTech magazine: "The 64-bit
computing revolution is among us. While computer chip
manufacturers
have
been banging on about
their new 64-bit architectures for a while now, and
Microsoft’s Windows XP64 ushered in the possibility
of taking advantage of this architecture, the true
64-bit audio workstation hadn’t been forthcoming.
Until now, that is."
Mix Online article "When
I'm 64 (Bit)"
Mix Magazine explores what 64-bit
computing means for creative freedom and the
eternal quest for more tracks, more processing plug-ins
and unlimited numbers of mixer channels, asking some
of the companies that are pioneering the latest revolution
in computing.
Cakewalk SONAR 5: Making
Beautiful Music with x64 Intel Processors
The Intel Software Network has posted an article on SONAR
5 and its use with x64 Intel Processors.
Digital Pro Sound: SONAR's 64-Bit Reality
Frank Moldstadt interviews Cakewalk
CTO Ron Kuper on 64-bit computing for musicians.
Technology Spotlight: SONAR 5's BitBridge
Concerned about the lack of plug-ins available with native x64
versions? Don't be. SONAR 5's BitBridge™ enables the use
of 32-bit VST effects and instruments in SONAR's 64-bit environment.
BitBridge
technology
extends the
viability and use of your favorite VST plug-ins; ensures future
compatibility of freeware, even for the most obscure, independently
developed shareware plug-ins. Learn more about SONAR
5.
Developer Resources AES Seminar on Benefits of
64-bit Computing for Digital Audio Applications
Cakewalk CTO Ron Kuper's, Intel sponsored seminar on the Benefits of Modern
CPU Architectures was delivered to a standing room only audience at this
year's AES convention in New York. In his talk, Ron discussed the benefits
of the x64 platform for audio applications, the superior nature of mixing with
SONAR's 64-bit double precision audio engine (on 32-bt or 64-bit machines),
and the process of porting applications to the x64 platform.
Ron's seminar in
total was over 45 minutes in length. We have divided the video into three
parts, and also excerpted the section specifically on the benefits
of
SONAR's
double precision mix engine.
In some sections particularly in the lower bandwidth video,
it is difficult to read the Power Point slides from the presentation.
For your convenience, we have also posted the Power
Point presentation for download.
In the talk, Ron also mentions a test
program he created for
benchmarking which we have available for download.
Part 1: Introduction, Multiprocessing, Dataflow in SONAR,
Benchmarking x86 vs. x64
Low
Bandwidth [7 MB] | High
Bandwidth [18 MB]
Part 2: 64-Bit Double
Precision Processing, Plug-ins, and Mixing
Low
Bandwidth [6.65 MB] | High
Bandwidth [12 MB]
Part 3: Porting to
x64, Call to Action, Q&A Low
Bandwidth [17.7 MB] | High
Bandwidth [28.7 MB]
White Paper: Benefits
of Modern CPU Architectures for Digital Audio Applications In addition to the seminar, Cakewalk
also delivered a white paper on the benefits of modern CPU architectures
for digital audio applications at AES.
Many modern PC processors now provide
multiple cores, deeper and wider CPU registers, and the ability address
a full terabyte of RAM. Each of these new features has benefits all
of its own. But for digital audio applications the whole is greater
than the sum of parts, opening up new possibilities for performance,
quality and precision in audio applications.
Download the White
Paper.
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