Living 32-Bit in a 64-Bit World (Part One)

Lately I've had the unpleasant experience of dealing with changing technology.

It started because I've been working, slowly and persistently, to improve the sound quality of the work I produce for sale to stock music buyers and media producers. I'm almost entirely software-based, so I'm always looking for any software that can help me achieve that goal. I started out with Acoustica Mixcraft 6, which is very good for music (and basic video) production at a really low cost. As time has passed, I've looked for options to improve the quality and variety of my sound palette. Because I'm not made of money, I tend to look for things on sale. That's how I originally acquired IK Multimedia's Miroslav Philharmonik. That purchase paid off double because it gave me an opportunity to get IK's new SampleTank 3 for a low introductory price.

That's the good news. The bad news followed shortly after I finished downloading and installing ST3. (The weekend spent doing that could fit in it's own blog post, but I digress.) To make a long story short, ST3 is a 64-bit virtual instrument. Mixcraft is a 32-bit workstation/host. This is the digital equivalent of oil and water; they just don't mix. Since they don't mix, I can't use ST3 with Mixcraft. First, I looked around IK's website in my user area to see if there was a 32-bit VST plugin. Couldn't find one. I tried the support forums at both Acoustica and IK and couldn't find anything there to help. I may have simply overlooked something. As I've noted elsewhere on the blog, my attention has been diverted toward taking care of my ailing father. In any event, I let the matter go for awhile.

In the last couple of days I came back to this problem, and tried to look at it from a different angle. On one of the websites that feature software for music (kvraudio.com), I found a piece of software called jBridge. This product claims to be able to host 64-bit virtual instruments in 32-bit environments. So yesterday, I plunked down 14.99 euros (just under US$20), and got the software. I installed it (incorrectly). After fixing my folly, which involved a system restore, I looked a little more closely at the documentation and got it right. (I'm a typical legend in my own mind when it comes to tech stuff: "Yeah, I got this . . . D'oh!!")

JBridge appears to have a couple of quirks, at least with respect to my setup. First, I've only been able to export work into 48k wav files. I'm used to working with and submitting 44.1k. That's not a show stopper, since I can always downconvert the files if needed. The nagging problem, though, is that when I listen to the files I hear lots of clicks and pops. (No, vinyl simulation is NOT turned on.) That, friends, IS a show stopper. This brings another dilemma. Which piece of the puzzle doesn't fit? Is it JBridge? Is it ST3? Is it Mixcraft? ST3 sounds great when I monitor its output directly; only when I mix down do I hear the grunge. It may well require time, that I can't or don't want to spend, to figure out who's naughty and nice.

All I really want is a solution to "bridge" me until I can upgrade to Mixcraft 7, which is supposed to offer native 64-bit support. Another alternative I've considered is to plunk down some money to buy Image-Line's FL Studio 11. I worked a lot with FL Studio in the 00's, and that would give me more tools, more instruments, AND I can host ST3 with it as a plug-in inside Mixcraft 6. Time will tell.