New to N5-64: Considerations

Nuendo
#1

As I’m about to install and start using N5-64 I’m concerned about a few things.

  1. VST 32 vs 64 bit plugins. I used 4.3 in 32-bit mode and on my system root HDD I set up 2 folders, one for 32-bit plugins and one for 64-bit plugins. N 4.3 was pointed to the 32-bit folder, and any host handling 64-bit was pointed to that. Now that N5 is 64-bit, what will happen when I point N5 to both folders? Will it be smart enough to pick and chose the 64-bit versions from their 32-bit counterparts? OR will I have to go through the VST plugin list and manually enable/disable each plugin as it makes sense? What strategy makes sense for this?

  2. Given the extra memory real-estate we get with 64-bit N5, do orchestral users find that they no longer need to use secondary machines for their additional sound libraries? In principle, with enough memory and enough HD (or SDD) speed and volumes, a single workstation could in principle handle very large orchestral arrangements. Is this a practical reality, or are there still physical limitations that prevent a one-workstation solution from being practical?

  3. Video: is video playback working properly and reliably on the monitor (without external hardware)? And do I need QT Pro to get working video playback within N5? I’m not doing much spotting to video these days, but they do pop up and I have to be able to work accurately frame by frame.

  4. Show stopping bugs. When I read that someone leaves a mix and comes back to find that assignments and processing has changed without user intervention… that simply scares me! Are there many of these serious operational issues left in N5?

TIA for any clarifications.

Steve

#2

Hey, why don’t you just try it on a laptop or secondary machine…
I have Nuendo 4.3, 5.0 and 5.5 (+ WL6/WL7 with its Plugs)* in 32 and 64 bit versions on my production rigs and they all work great. Video ist behaving fine with Intensity pro card. At the moment I don’t have any machine w/o it. So I can’t say, how well video from N5.5 alone works. QT is necessary.

UAD/PoCo w/o any bit bridges work reliably. Waves I don’t use…
Spectrasonics, East/West, Native Instruments, Lawo, Vyrsin, Brainworx, Sonnox, Melodyne … All work well
in 64 (if available ) and in 32 bits w/o bridge. ( except Sonnox Wavelab plugs need Bridge in N5 64bit, but this could be fixed, already, in the latest WL 64bit version…haven’t checked, yet. Waves seem to need bit bridge, though. ).

Don’t be scared… LOL…
Harddrives can always be formatted… low level…:wink:

Big K


* Next PC will have only the latest Versions, of course… I just don’t want to erase old Versions.

#3

Thanks for the overview, Big K. I guess it’s “Put on the goggles” and “Once more into the breach…”

Wish me luck…

:smiley:

#4

Thumbs up and fingers crossed…
But this operation is now safer and much easier than it used to be only a year ago.
It ain’t open-heart-surgery, anymore, if you don’t do something unwise.
But that you know for sure, already…
Good Luck!

Cheers, Big K

#5

OK. Does the QT license include the MPEG-2 addin, or do you have to buy both?

Quicktime + MPEG2 = $50 for QT ?!!.

#6
  1. Given the extra memory real-estate we get with 64-bit N5, do orchestral users find that they no longer need to use secondary machines for their additional sound libraries? In principle, with enough memory and enough HD (or SDD) speed and volumes, a single workstation could in principle handle very large orchestral arrangements. Is this a practical reality, or are there still physical limitations that prevent a one-workstation solution from being practical?

I’ve got a large project right now on N5.5.1 64bit. I’m on an Octocore Mac with 14 gigs of RAM and three internal hard disks with are RAID striped together for production, so your mileage may vary.

Currently, I’m sitting at 932 tracks, 2 hours long, over 17 thousand audio files in the pool and used, with a memory load of 6.45 gigs. I only have one virtual instrument open, however. This is mostly audio-file only. Nuendo is keeping up with everything I’m asking it to do. The only thing I’ve noticed is that when you select a bunch of files, Nuendo will hang while it does some kind of thinking. Also, switching in and out of the range tool takes a VERY long time. Don’t know why, it just has to do a lot of thinking. Other than that, N5 is ticking along nicely. I’ve got everything in one project - all orc takes, FX tracks, dialogue, three marker tracks, SATB takes, solo takes and a SMPTE stripe. I’m using a ton of folders, sub busses, automation, etc. and N5 is working smoothly. I even have it hooked up to TouchOSC on my iPad2 with around 167 MIDI ins and outs and N5 works very well with it.

#7

Fantastic, Darren! I appreciate your taking the time. I was debating going VE Pro 5 or rebuilding my main DAW. Might just go with one machine to rule them all :wink: Thanks!

#8

If you need to work in mpeg2 and not render to .mov or H264, there is an mpeg2 option for 20 $.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/D2189Z/A
Other files supported : MOV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2,1 MPEG-4, 3GPP, 3GPP2, JPEG, DV, Motion JPEG, AVI, MQV, H.264
Do some googling…

We mainly work with .mov and H264 which gives us satisfying, good perfomance.
As to mpeg2 … I found it unreliable and inaccurate to work with. At least till N4 it showed its disadvantages
being an interlaced format. After N4 we did not work with it, anymore. H264 looks and feels much better, even if
the file size is much smaller.

With a powerful machine, PC or Mac, Nuendo is a true workhorse. But with huge projects like Darren’s, I can somehow understand that handlich becomes a little sluggisch. Mind you, it is all realtime calculating. Btw, I would split the project into several reels. Faster and safer to handle and to backup… imho…

Big K