Win 10 Cracked ... at last!

[VikingBlues]

After 5 months I have finally got a DAW and my USB interface to work on the new Windows10 PC.
So at least if my ailing old Win7 PC gives up I can still record on to computer.

A 2020 version of Magix Samplitude Music Studio is recently out, and I tried the free test evaluation option.
Much to my surprise with the Magix ASIO driver option things were quickly up and running.
Reaper and Cakewalk are still no starters though.

I tested it out for audio recording with a quick blues. A blues ballad backing track in G# from Texas Blues Alley, and the PRS SE through the Magix software Vandal SE amplifier. The playing and tone might suffer from (1) a lack of blues electric guitar practice over the last few years, (2) horribly inaccurate bends, and (3) strings on the PRS that are at least 3 years old! Plus my usual flaws!

TestBalladBlues Win10.mp3 - (6.07 MiB)

The early part of the recording finds me struggling for feel!

Having got the audio working i wondered .... will MIDI and VSTs be working too? There's a lot of built in virtual instruments in the 2020 software, so I did a (thankfully) short test using these.

Think along the lines of a creepy scene in Dracula's old abandoned castle?
(May need to up the volume a bit compared to the blues recording).

VST Test1 W10.mp3 - (1.53 MiB)

Next question is can I get my Garritan Orchestral Software to function on the new machine, or even if I can manage to set it up in the way needed for licensing requirements. This nest stage may take some time!!!!

[12bar]

Good news!
Meanwhile Win10 has undergone a lot of bug-fixes especially on the sound side (ASIO etc).
My son uses samplitube and his quite happy with it, while I still use an older portable Reaper version.
I wish I had more time playing with all the nice vst's...

Oh, and nice playing btw

[VikingBlues]

Thank you kind sir!

I've managed to install one of the Garritan Orchestral programs - "Instant Orchestra" and that seems to be working OK.
I'll probably wait till next weekend to try out the "Personal Orchestra 5" - I don;t like to rush these things or be under a tight deadline.

But unfortunately all my old freebie VST ambient synth plug ins are 32 bit. It seems Samplitude 2020 under W10 doesn't support 32 bit and has no bridging for 32 to 64 bit in its programming. Very nearly all the free VST's out there seem to be 32 bit. Ho hum!

[12bar]

But unfortunately all my old freebie VST ambient synth plug ins are 32 bit. It seems Samplitude 2020 under W10 doesn't support 32 bit and has no bridging for 32 to 64 bit in its programming. Very nearly all the free VST's out there seem to be 32 bit. Ho hum!

That's
The never ending computer story...

I found a way to run 32bit under 64 using the vst bridge, unfortunately it's in German:
http://www.upnoise.de/32bit-plugins/
Maybe google helps to translate?

[VikingBlues]

Thanks for the suggestion.

Google tried to translate but the result wasn't very clear! From what I've seen it's quite a complex task to understand one of the win32 win64 bridges. I struggle a lot anyway when it comes to understanding anything to do with MIDI.
Not that it's a major issue while my Win7 PC manages to limp along. I can use that PC for the ambient stuff.

I've now tried recording acoustic guitar on the Win10 PC through the Avantone condenser microphones and the iO2 interface - results are fine.
Some of the layout and the way the music studio works are a bit different than my older version, but enough is the same to make it seem quite familiar. So that makes for a more relaxed time and no technical difficulties helps to keep creativity flowing.

[12bar]

Nice to hear! The iO2 is not the newest one...

[12bar]

https://jstuff.wordpress.com/jbridge/
should do it.

[VikingBlues]

Sorry - didn't spot this post until just now.

Many thanks for finding that for me.
It does make more sense than that google translated attempt did!

This is maybe one for retirement when I have a bit of time and spare mental energy to bring to it!
I 'd like to get a proper understanding first and get the installation and set up right first time if I try it.

You're right about the iO2 not being the newest one. This dates back to when i had a Windows Vista machine and it was the third interface I tried and the first i could actually get to work. It then worked first time on Win7.
With my increasing inability to cope with the stress and determination needed to wrestle with reluctant hardware / software I really don;t want to start trying other equipment if i can manage. An expensive business to get a new interface and have to give up on it. The support from most manufacturers is negligible, and as far as the equipment seller goes it's the buyers fault if he can't get the gear to work.

[12bar]

Never change a running system!
My Line6 worked with Win7 but I had to move to 10 and got problems over problems. I'm glad that I now have a hardware solution (Zoom pedal) that does not depend on the OS.

[VikingBlues]

Now that i have that extra time (well a little bit of extra time) in retirement i returned to this VST 32 bit to 64 bit question.

Thanks for the jBridge link Gerd.
I managed to make sense of it without having to read it through too many times, with a bit of help from a 3rd party YouTube video.
I then tried the demo version - it's great when you can try a demo for free to see if it works at all.
The demo version was fine.
Got the paid for version today (15 Euros!). Now I can use those old 32 bit VSTs, some of which were very good indeed - there's not that many good 64 bit ambient / atmospheric plug ins, and there's a lot of 32 bit ones.
The only issue was Avast flagged up the jBridge installation file as suspect, but I clicked the button that sent their lab the file and 3 minutes later I got a message on screen saying checked & OK. I could then install.

So eventually i seem to have got there - only took about 13 months.
However the old PC was showing signs of a decline, and it would have been a risk to keep it going.

[12bar]

Glad to hear it's working!