Switch from x32 to x64 turns out to be a living hell

[NK Soundproductions]

Hi friends,

Due to problems with my old computer I've bought a new one with Windows 7 Ultimate (SP1) - 64 bit installed on it. I left a 32 bit Windows Vista 2x2,4 gHz with 2GB RAM computer, for a slightly better 2x3,6 gHz with 3GB RAM. I've read everything I could find about the problems that I had to expect with converting to x64. I've updated all the 3rd party plugins that are available in x64. Fortunately the more heavy plugins (Native Instruments Komplete, Rob Papen synths, etc) are all available in x64. I've got a load of smaller FX plugins still in x32, but I thought with a bunch of those bridged it wouldn't make a very big extra effort on my CPU. I couldn't be more wrong it seems, because even if I load in only a small project or a track where I just started out with, the CPU yanks to 50%-90% and the audio glitches immediately. With bigger projects / almost finished tracks the sound doesn't even play normally, only as through a stutter effect. The CPU itself might not even be the problem, because when I play the track it stays around 50%, which would be OK given the amount of plugins used, but the sound is stuttering with the line below the CPU meter going red. When I stop playback of the track the CPU goes to 90% or more. So the CPU load is higher when not playing, which leaves me confused.

I use ASIO4ALL that came with FL Studio 11.1.1 and this newest version also has the newest Wrapper included. I've tried all the tips to improve CPU performance in the options menu and in the ASIO4ALL menu, but this doesn't make much of a difference. My soundcard is an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 with the newest driver possible installed.

I've also encountered a few extra specific problems:

- Old projects always start in the FL x32 version, even if I manually open them (right mouse-click > browse) with FL64. I've also clicked on 'associate project files with the application' but the orange knob immediately is set to off after I leave the options pane. Only if I first start a fresh FL64 and open an old project from there it opens like I want it. So my system prefers the x32 version over the x64, even if I don't want that.

- The CPU problems are not caused by bridging plugins alone, because I've started a new FL64 project and loaded in NI Kontakt with an Abbey Road drum kit. I programmed a simple drum pattern, put a little bit of send reverb on it with the RP-Verb by Rob Papen, and only this gave a 45% CPU load! Both are not light plugins, but this is way worse than on my old and slower computer, so something else must be wrong.

- On bigger projects I see about 4 or 5 instances of IlBridge which take 2% CPU per unit, so not very substantial. The total amount of CPU usage is sometimes only 40%, but still the sound is very glitchy.

- Some plugins, like the ones from Camel Audio, open in a FL Studio GUI, see attached picture.

- Where the real 'hell' from the topic title comes in, is that with al my projects all the Native Instruments plugins start at default, instead of the saved preset! Imagine using Battery as your drum machine, and opening a track with a default Battery instead of slots with sample names and you own made tweaks! A message that Battery can't find the samples I expected of course, because the path of my sample library has changed. But as long as I'm using this VSTi the preset with all your own tweaks etc. was always saved along with the FLP. This is also the case with Kontakt, and even more strange, with Massive! Even for a regular synth which has nothing to do with samples my preset is not remembered in the FLP file. It just says 'untitled sound' at the preset screen in Massive. It's not that it can't find presets at all, because if I click on the arrow down it just scrolls to the first factory preset.

I've added some print screens of some of the problems. Language is Dutch, but I presume that won't be a problem being a Belgian firm?

[NK Soundproductions]

Hi there, Does anybody have some tips for me?

[gol]

Does anybody have some tips for me? I'd say st...

[reflex]

The problem is that the bridge overhead is more...

[Schallmann]

In your case i would stay to 32bit aswell. (bu...