Is it worth it to bridge plugins?

1st subject:
I have spent days configuring and reading in this forum on successful and unsuccessful ways to bridge 32bit plugins to function in a 64bit host and even when i got Cubase to actually run and not crash it seemed like it used just as much, if not more system resources to do it…kinda disappointing. (this is with NO Waves plugins…even though I use them immensely- please read below)

Im using Cubase 6.0.5 64bit, windows 7 64bit (completely updated), quad core processing & 16GB RAM, three separate hard drives (OS, Audio & sample)

2nd issue:
If it were possible to bridge successfully and actually use the 16GB of RAM efficiently then I need some help with the following:
I am attempting to use jbridge with waves…I’ve read that it can be done properly both here and on J’s site however, I can get jbridger to run all the way through my set of Waves7 complete and at the very end the jbridge “auxhost” stops running because packet.dll is missing. I have searched my entire computer for this file and it’s nowhere to be found…please forgive me if this is something stupid and I’m being an idiot.

I then attempted to open a project that i have used mutiple Waves plugs on and ALL the waves plugins showed up! BUT…as soon as I hit play it crashed…immediately.

I’m about to just bail 64bit altogether and go back to 32bit Cubase - It just bugs the crap out of me that I can’t even use all my RAM when I start mixing/building tracks and bogging down in 32bit.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Why not use J bridge to bridge 64 bit plugins to the 32 bit host, that way you can use more of your ram.

Hippo

but my plugins are 32 bit…would this still allow more ram to be used? and…if the problem is bridging and not cubase then wouldnt i have the same issues?

This is the way I use my system, large libraries jbridged and full compatibility with 32 bit plugins. Check my specs, I use full RAM all the time.

Cheers.

Aloha guys,
I’ve seen the JBridge in action (on my buddy’s PC) and I really
wish there was a ‘J Bridge’ on the Mac side.
{‘-’}

Hi,

I had exactly the same issues, same specs etc, waves 7 complete. Done the jbridge thing, but every time I rebooted, It crashed and had to do a system restore, I got all the latest windows updates and all seems fine now.

Took hours to sort it, but got it all running smooth (touch wood).

I hope you get it sorted!!

Dave.

Hi,
I use nearly the same environment like you (all 64 bit, jBridging 32bit plugins) and have no problem with jBridging Waves. One point might be that you use Waves 7, but the actual version is V8r11. I am not sure if Waves 7 runs smoothly with jBridge. Maybe you should update your Waves?
Best,
Hermann

Thanks Dave, yeah I tried updating windows with no avail, but “J” just responded to an email i sent to him regarding the same issue…he responded within a few hours with some suggestions and a new “beta” version of jbridge that he asked me to test out.

i’ll post back with results…thank for all the feedback guys! I could definitely use all the help I can get.

-mike

Cean…so if you are using Cubase 32bit in a 64 bit environment then wouldn’t Cubase (plugins included) still only be able to access 3-4GB of memory? So the few 64bit plugins I actually use would be the only ones accessing more RAM?

IMO, it’s not worth it. I j-bridged all my plugins (including the entire waves series, yes) and still had a fair amount of bugs. Some plugs couldn’t afford you multiple instances of it in the same project, others would open without a visible GUI, others would crash Cubase. And like you, I experienced higher CPU loads as jbridge itself uses processing power to reroute plugins. Not a huge amount of additional resources, but a noticeable amount. I nixed the whole operation and am very happy with 32-bit C6 in Windows 7 64-bit.

Personally, I have a TON of plugs, and I like it that way. I’m the type to accumulate plenty of 3rd party freebies. For me to micromanage/babysit 100-150 plugs wasn’t worth the time. Plus, I don’t tend to use VSTi’s that would necessitate large amounts of RAM, so I wouldn’t benefit too much from the additional RAM.

I think that if you have a controllable amount of 64-bit plugs that need to be bridged, AND you are a composer who would clearly benefit from utilizing the additional RAM, then jbridge is for you. If not, IMO it’s not worth the aggrivation. I’ll revisit it in a few years.

Man…honestly I think Im with you, just not worth the headache at this point. Thanks a lot for the post!

The point is: do you need it or not? I need, for I have projects that use 10-12 GB of RAM. I tried to go Cubase 64 bits, but after much testing, I ended up bridging 64 plugins with large libraries. If you want to use VST only (not instruments), then I see no reason to go 64 and you might end up having unnecessary trouble…

So I prefer C6 x86 with jbridge 64 VSTi plugins over C6 X64 with jbridge 32 VST plugins, and jbridge’s CPU is so small I don’t even consider this. Steinberg’s VSTBridge is another story, huge CPU hog in my experience.

Cean…so if you are using Cubase 32bit in a 64 bit environment then wouldn’t Cubase (plugins included) still only be able to access 3-4GB of memory? So the few 64bit plugins I actually use would be the only ones accessing more RAM?

3 to 4 GB of RAM is usually more than enough to accommodate your VSTs (I mean tenths of them), VSTis like Kontakt, Omnisphere, Superior Drummer,etc. are RAM demanding (and Amplitube 3, if you use many instances), so use these jbridged (they’ll use a separate portion of RAM), and you’ll hardly have problems this route, I think.

Cheers