BIAS Plug-ins with Logic in 64-bit mode

With Apple's announcement that Logic is going 64 bit, many Logic users are wondering if their BIAS plug-ins will continue to work, the answer is YES!

The only issue that may arise is when you install or update your BIAS plug-ins after upgrading to Logic 9.1, the plug-in might not show up in the 32 bit plug-in menu. This is easily fixed, just open Logic Pro 9.1 in 32-bit mode to scan the 32-bit Audio Unit plug-ins. After they have been scanned, they will be available in either 32-bit or 64-bit mode.

more information from Apple:

Does Logic Pro perform better in 64-bit mode?

Logic's processing has always been highly optimized, so in most cases there are only nominal performance improvements when running in 64-bit mode, other than the ability to run more instances of third-party memory intensive plug-ins such as samplers

Can I use my existing Audio Unit (AU) plug-ins in 64-bit mode?

To make the transition to 64-bit easier, both Logic Pro is still able to access 32-bit-only Audio Unit plug-ins while in 64-bit mode by using a utility application called 32-bit Audio Unit Bridge. This application opens automatically whenever a 32-bit-only Audio Unit plug-in is accessed.* The 32-bit Audio Unit Bridge hosts all currently used 32-bit-only Audio Unit plug-ins and runs alongside Logic Pro or MainStage to provide access to the plug-ins being used.

The 32-bit Audio Unit Bridge has the same 4GB memory address limit as any other 32-bit application. Also, it is only possible to display and edit one 32-bit plug-in at a time.

Audio Unit plug-ins which are 32-bit only will appear in the channel strip plug-in insert menu under "Audio Units (32-bit)". Audio Unit plug-ins which are 64-bit will appear in the normal location in the menu. Check with your favorite third-party plug-in developers for updated information on the availability of 64-bit versions of their plug-ins.

Is there a performance penalty when using the 32-Bit Audio Unit Bridge?

32-bit Audio Bridge does use some of your computer's resources, but it is designed to operate extremely efficiently. In most cases, you should not notice any performance difference as compared to running the same plug-ins directly with Logic in 32-bit mode.

To run Logic in 32 Bit mode, follow the steps below.

  1. Quit Logic Pro, if it is running.
  2. Navigate to and select the Logic Pro application in the Applications folder.
  3. Choose Get Info from the Finder File menu.
  4. Enable the "Open in 32-bit mode" checkbox to run Logic Pro in 32-bit mode.

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