Pro Tools 9 and RAM

[MarkinTheSharkin]

Sorry to bring this one up if it's an old chestnut... I've done a bit of trawling around the net but couldn't find any satisfying answers.

I'm upgrading my current system to a new i7 with Windows 7 64-bit and Pro Tools 9 in the next few months (...bout damn time! See my specs for the current setup). I am planning on getting at least 8GB RAM for my new system.

Now, I am aware that Pro Tools 9 is still a 32-bit app and as such will only use 4GB of RAM, but my question is, will plugins such as Kontakt or Battery inside of Pro Tools use some of my extra left over RAM -- as both Kontakt and Battery are 64-bit apps -- or will they be included in using that 4GB that Pro Tools can max out on?

I know it's a good idea to have more than 4GB anyway for the OS and other background apps, but was wondering if having more than 4GB will benefit me in that RAM hungry plugins will also take use of it?

Sorry if this is a bit of a lame brain question... I know computers pretty well, but not really well....!

Cheers guys :)

[The Bagwhan]

That's a bloody good question and the more I think about it, the more I can't figure it out. YOu might be better off asking on one of the Native Instruments forums if (for example) the amount of RAM accessed by Kontakt is determined by Kontakt or the host DAW.

[miketeachesclass]

Sorry to bring this one up if it's an old chestnut... I've done a bit of trawling around the net but couldn't find any satisfying answers.

I'm upgrading my current system to a new i7 with Windows 7 64-bit and Pro Tools 9 in the next few months (...bout damn time! See my specs for the current setup). I am planning on getting at least 8GB RAM for my new system.

Now, I am aware that Pro Tools 9 is still a 32-bit app and as such will only use 4GB of RAM, but my question is, will plugins such as Kontakt or Battery inside of Pro Tools use some of my extra left over RAM -- as both Kontakt and Battery are 64-bit apps -- or will they be included in using that 4GB that Pro Tools can max out on?

I know it's a good idea to have more than 4GB anyway for the OS and other background apps, but was wondering if having more than 4GB will benefit me in that RAM hungry plugins will also take use of it?

Sorry if this is a bit of a lame brain question... I know computers pretty well, but not really well....!

Cheers guys :)

I'm pretty sure Kontakt has an option to use its own memory server, and thus will use more than the 4Gb allotted to pro tools, so the 8 gigs of ram would benefit you.

[lennieh]

I think the Kontact Memory server thing is a MAC only feature at the moment.

If you call a plugin directly from Protools it will run in the Protools application space, i.e. it will share the 4GB memory space that a single 32-bit app can use.

However if you host your plugins externally via some sort of server arrangement ( Vienna Ensemble and Reason are two ways you can host VST plugins remotely in Windows) then they will exist in a seperate application space. If the remote app is 64-bit then the memory available to it is practically limited to what is available, even if its a 32-bit app this will allow you to use another 4GB of memory.

[YoRugMan]

If you call a plugin directly from Protools it will run in the Protools application space, i.e. it will share the 4GB memory space that a single 32-bit app can use..


+1.


However if you host your plugins externally via some sort of server arrangement ( Vienna Ensemble and Reason are two ways you can host VST plugins remotely in Windows) then they will exist in a seperate application space. If the remote app is 64-bit then the memory available to it is practically limited to what is available, even if its a 32-bit app this will allow you to use another 4GB of memory.


+1 again.
Hosting VI's in Ensemble or Reaper will allow the use of another 4Gb - which is why it's best to have 12Gb total: 4 for PT, 4 for VI hosting, and the remaining 4 for Windows.
.

[mblanton66]

Unrelated to your question, but just fyi...If your memory is either 4 gigs or 8 gigs, you're talking about dual channel. With your new i7, consider a system that supports triple channel, which obviously is in multiples of 3.

[albee1952]

I don't have the definitive answer, but I can tell you I got a serious performance boost between XP and Win7 x64 on the exact same hardware(with 6 gb of RAM in triple-channel mode).

[MarkinTheSharkin]

Thanks for the replies guys. Hmm, interesting stuff about the Kontakt Memory Server. I'll head on over to the Native Instruments site and see what I can find out.

I had been thinking about 12GB but then thought "who needs that?", so reckoned it would be more budget conscious to go for 8GB... But now you remind me about i7 and triple channel... Screw it I'm going for 12!

[DontLetMeDrown]

Got 12g i7 965 here. I haven't even come close to 2 gig in a project yet though. The playback engine (RTAS) will crap out long before the RAM at low latency.

[MarkinTheSharkin]

Asked on the Native Instruments site and it seems Kontakt won't use any extra RAM, and is tied to the 4GB allotted for Pro Tools. Ah well.

Also, been reading up on dual channel and triple channel comparisons, and people seem to say there's not much difference in performance. Is there a noticeable difference in performance between dual and triple in Pro Tools?

I only ask as I've heard the new Sandy Bridge processors are FAST, but use dual channel rather than triple. And as DontLetMeDrown says the RTAS engine will bite the dust before RAM. Would it be more worth my money getting one of these new Sandy's (I know they are not much more expensive...), or going for something like an i7 950 which is clocked slightly slower and can support triple channel RAM?

Thanks again lads.

[YoRugMan]

Would it be more worth my money getting one of these new Sandy's (I know they are not much more expensive...), or going for something like an i7 950 which is clocked slightly slower and can support triple channel RAM?


SandyBridge is just getting started.
To quote Tomshardware.com:

"And now we have a new architecture from Intel, called Sandy Bridge. The last time Intel launched a processor design, it started with high-end Core i7-900-series chips and let the technology trickle down to the mainstream and entry-level derivatives. This time is different. Sandy Bridge is going to have to swim its way upstream, surfacing on the flagship LGA 2011 interface in the second half of this year for the real workstation-oriented aficionados."

Full article here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833.html

[spenner]

Got 12g i7 965 here. I haven't even come close to 2 gig in a project yet though. The playback engine (RTAS) will crap out long before the RAM at low latency.

+1. Same for me on my i7 930. OC gives me a slight RTAS boost with NI but nothing worth noting. Not sure how some who say they get good results out of NI RTAS compose. However, RTAS craps out for me on the Contemporary Jazz, Funk, and Easy Ballads I compose. I guess if you're drawing two and four note chords, you're fine. But when you're playing two hand piano chords, with Rhodes, B3 Organ, a String arrangement, Abbey Road full drumkit arrangement, Trilian Electric or Acoustic bass, and whatever else inspiration brings... good luck on getting to 3 gigs RAM (on an acceptable 256 buffer for a keyboard based performer/programmer) before RTAS craps out and totally kills the vibe. Nothing against PT9 as it still gets good use, but VST lets me get to 6 G's of RAM and sometimes more on 128 buffer without crapping out. NI even used Reaper on a promo video. Go figure :rolleyes: