Questions about upgrading to 64-bit Creation Station

[jmit01]

I could use advice and perhaps a sanity-check before I start spending...

I want to upgrade from my current 32-bit Creation Station to a 64-bit Rack XT. That part, the hardware, seems straightforward enough, but then I wonder if there might be any software compatibility issues going with:
1. Sonar (upgrading from Producer 7 to X1)
2. WaveLab (upgrading from 6.0 to 7.0), and
3. will my current Waves plugins transfer over and perform optimally in the 64-bit environment ?

Any guidance or recommendations here would be greatly appreciated.

[Justin]

SONAR X1 is 64-bit compatible.
Wavelab is not
Waves plugins are not.

You can run 32-bit applications and plugins on a 64-bit OS. Your best bet would probably be to install the 32-bit DAW software and 32-bit plugins onto the 64-bit OS.

Some programs have a plugin bridge or wrapper that handles 32 to 64-bit compatibility, but they tend to be a bit unstable, so it's usually better to just run all 32 or all 64.

[jmit01]

... so it's usually better to just run all 32 or all 64.

Thanks for your quick reply, Justin.

Then would it make more sense, in your opinion, to wait on this upgrade until WaveLab & Waves release 64-bit versions ? (I really like working with WaveLab especially, and would rather not switch to another editing/mastering application)

Otherwise, if you did use 32-bit versions on 64-bit hardware, does it take any advantage of the double precision processing ?

[Justin]

I'm not sure on the double precision processing question. I think that's something that's built into the DAW engine directly and is in effect whether you are running on a 64-bit OS or not.

The only really downside to running 32-bit on a 64-bit OS is that each application is going to be limited to 3 or 4GB of RAM depending on how it was compiled. Most will see 4GB.

Unless you're already using up more than that, it shouldn't be an issue.

Your 64-bit OS will still be able to use more than 4GB of RAM. For example you could run two large programs that use 4GB each.

[jmit01]

[QUOTE=Justin;109292]I'm not sure on the double precision processing question. I think that's something that's built into the DAW engine directly and is in effect whether you are running on a 64-bit OS or not. [QUOTE]

My understanding is that 64-bit DAWs like Sonar are able to perform double-precision processing on computers running 64-bit OS AND with 64-bit processors (CPUs), but that Sonar's 64-bit mix engine is accessible and backward compatible with 32-bit OS and CPU.

If I'm right about that, then my question becomes whether you're able to take full advantage of the increased dynamic range and sonic clarity of double-precision processing when using a secondary application (like 32-bit WaveLab, in my case) on an otherwise fully 64-bit workstation/DAW combination ?