Do what I did, and try it out first before commiting to it.

I set up a new system with WinXP x64, and installed all the critical hardware and software in it and made sure it worked (and made some changes as a result). But I didn't overwrite my existing 32-bit XP setup, so that was still available in the event that x64 didn't work out.

Perhaps the easiest way to do this, if you're reluctant to buy a whole new computer, is to get an additional hard drive for your main DAW, and install x64 on that.

There is a 120-day free trial of WinXP x64 that you can download from Microsoft, which is what I used.

Note that, unless they've updated the trial, you'll also want to install x64 Service Pack 2 (which is not the same as XP SP2, just to confuse you).

If you think you're going to be installing the trial version of x64 more than once, you might consider combining SP2 with it on one installation CD.

Note that, if you do decide to buy x64, you can't buy it as a retail package, but only as an OEM product, which means you might have to buy some random piece of hardware with it.

DG: I had to smile when I read your comments about the old Akai - brought back memories of my first sampler: a Roland S-50, followed by a S-770. Appallingly limited, but so exciting at the time...

If you're able to load 7 gigs with XP64, then I'm very interested to see how you go with VE. Please let us know.

I do pop productions, mainly strings and brass, so this would take care of all my ram needs.

fcw: thanks for the advice. I can buy a copy of XP64 here in New Zealand for NZ$ 250 (about 380 US$). But I'll shop around on the net.

The concensus seems to be: don't go near Vista.

Much appreciated,

Mike.

That should be approximately US$150 for XP64 - not US$350. Wrong exchange rate!

@vibrato said:

But I have run into another massive problem - I have just been in touch with Tascam and they said GVI 3 will not work in a 64-Bit OS even if its running under Cubase 32-bit.

Best,

Tanuj.

Actually that's really surprising. Are you sure they said GVI 3 and not GS3? I can't think of many plugs that don't work in XP64 as long as they are running in a 32bit DAW. I would suggest asking again.

DG

DG,
Just curious about the outcome for your earlier statement. How much are you able to load into VE with 8 gigs of memory and XP64?

I'm starting with about 7.1 gigs available in VE. I can load about 6.3, or so, gigs of samples, but I have to leave a safety margin, about .8 gigs, as VE contintues to chew some additional RAM (up to .6 or .7 gigs so far) as notes play back. This is normal, right?

Mahlon

GVI 4 was just released recently with full support for Vista and Mac and 64-bit systems.   I've seen it available at the Sweetwater website. 

@Mahlon said:

DG,
Just curious about the outcome for your earlier statement. How much are you able to load into VE with 8 gigs of memory and XP64?

I'm starting with about 7.1 gigs available in VE. I can load about 6.3, or so, gigs of samples, but I have to leave a safety margin, about .8 gigs, as VE contintues to chew some additional RAM (up to .6 or .7 gigs so far) as notes play back. This is normal, right?

Mahlon

@allen_27821 said:

GVI 4 was just released recently with full support for Vista and Mac and 64-bit systems.   I've seen it available at the Sweetwater website. 

Yet Tascam are only listing "Preliminary information" on their website.... sounds like the cart before the horse as usual, and if it goes anything like the releases of the first GVI and Gigastudio 3 before it, we'll be waiting 6-12 months before it actually finally ships.... and then another couple of months or so while they patch it so that it actually works!

Thanks DG. My TM has been pretty much synchronous with VE, although there's an offset of a couple hundred megabytes. It is normal behavior for the VE player to show more am more RAM used (evident in TM, too) the longer you have sounds loaded and are playing them, right? Is it my understanding that the total RAM which makes up a patch appears lower just after loading than it actually will appear later after playing?

Thanks,

Mahlon

p.s. to keep this somewhat on topic....manukastudios, I went with XP64 instead of Vista because I have slave machines and I thought, with XP64 stable and running well for many, many people, I could keep these slaves pretty much as is for a couple of years, even if XP64 is dropped across the board. I have 64 bit drivers for a couple of Frontier Design cards and things seem to work pretty well.