Hi guys, i'm going to get Win 8.1 . First on my old laptop and then if everything is ok, on my desktop. Is all warez material working with 8.1 or some plugins doesn't work?? i read something on Sylenth1 but can't be sure. I'm coming from Win7, there are big differences between them?? thanks guys

 

No problems so far from my side.
Running Win8.1 since it's published (also Sylenth1 is working).
I'm using it with "Classic Shell" so it feels similar to Win7.
I still have Win7 on my laptop (no music). I switch from Win8.1 (music-PC) to Win7 (internet-PC-Laptop) without any handling problems.

All in all I like Win8.1 more.

What I also did on my Win8.1: Turned off "windows 8.1 fast boot". It made some troubles when I had both Win7+Win8 on my music-PC (turned off/deleted 'hiberfil.sys').

Good luck!

 

@ Mostwest,

More than properly 'warez material' not working, you'll certainly face some troubles with some 'old' KeyGens as I done. Most of the time, that error is the so 'unfamous' : '0x000007b' (or similar), and despite I updated '.NET.Framework', as well as most of the 'Visual C++' Libraries and similar, some of these 'KeyGens' still don't work for me, even with the option of the 'Compatibility' Mode.
About this 'Compatibility' Mode, maybe you'll be forced to use it with some of your (old) 'warez material' (?). Anyway, you'll see... *yes*

Concerning 'Sylenth 1', I don't have any trouble when using it under 'Windows 8.1', and this with both the '32bit' & '64bit' Versions, as well as with some Versions which are (were) available with their own 'custom' Skins (hence with slightly different names than the original 'Sylenth1.dll').

 

Here is a vid that shows how win 8 handles Audio from Rain Audio Computers. I think it will answer all your questions about how it handles Audio. Now as far as certain plugs go etc etc... I only once or twice had to use the compatibility tool and run under win 7. Other than that it's great but as au38wzh pointed out above. You will want to use something like Classic Shell to get the win 7 style start menu again


Win 8 - testing Audio

 

Good point from Studio 555 about old warez!
But for me: I just dont use 'old' warez - wait.. I sometimes use good old Emagic Logic (the 5.5.1 is not running, but the 5.3 is
(I mostly work with studio one now, which I like very much and so are you, right Mostwest? btw: thanks for your vids
and lately a nice guy made it possible to run ReBirth RB-338 on Win8.1 x64.
I also have Steinberg Wizoo Virtual Guitarist and the Electric Edition installed (from 2002?). For those I have jBridge installed and its working with studio one x64 without any problems.

 

for sure, can't live without classic menu.


Thanks guys for all the replays i'm going to test it for 1-2 months on my lap and see how is going

 

Pretty much backs up everything I've been saying for years: Windows 8 is better than 7 for audio production and has a completely rewritten audio stack. Too bad they didn't include OSX in this test so we could dispel the myth that it's better for audio production and get a good laugh while it got left in the dust.

 

AAAAARRGGGGGGGGH!

TAKE COVER! Incoming Mac attack!

 

If you're on Windows 7 (specially on Win 7 64 bit) you will not find much or even any compatibility issues with Win 8.1. Mind you, Win 8.0 might be different (there are actually quite some under the hood changes between 7 and 8.0. But Windows 8.1 is technically very similar to Windows 7. Now if you were coming from XP I might be more careful.

 

Absolutely. Actually I should testify myself that I have had a very positive experience moving to Windows 8 specifically in terms of audio production. No complaints.

I might add I actually was coming from XP so even more so.

 

this is the first time i had to download and install manually drivers for my graphic card, this is annoying.

crashed 3 times now, wow this is probably the worst Windows os i've ever used. rolling back to 7

 

I have a GeForce GTX and haven't had a single issue with my graphics card and 1 crash (because of idiotic software) in about a year and a half. Are you sure you got the Win 8 compatible one? What graphics card are you using?

 

Just to keep in mind and a somewhat cool head when changing your audio OS, as it is used for audio, is it? Not Internet, porn, writing and printing office documents?

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/762183-my-windows-7-vs-windows-8-dawbench-results.html

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/693456-windows-7s-midi-out-jitter-disaster.html

My own benchmarks have confirmed that XP still rules for audio, be it x86 or x64 version. It always came a bit better than Windows 7 and much better than Windows 8 in those tests. These tests also depend on the ASIO driver, and it seems that when you're using a USB interface, it might impede the audio performance across the OSes. I am using a RME HDSP 9652 card as my reference and getting more plugins working flawlessly and at low latencies [64 samples, 128 samples] than this guy gets in this Rain Computers video with this Steinberg USB audio interface I've never heard of [sponsored?].

Also, if you have an old studio [10 years+], like I do, with several pieces of outboard hardware and have to sync your hardware MIDI synths, make sure to read the thread that my second links points to.

Also, if you're using older hardware you might find that it won't work with it. Like my E-MU IV. Transferring samples across SCSI works only with XP. And as previously mentioned MIDI out is only stable from XP for me and a couple of dozen hundred other people. I do use Windows 7 on my laptop, but it doesn't have any critical function. It just controls my firewire interface's mixer. Sometimes it's used for additional DSP with Reaper, and yes - I use it for Internet, porn, and writing and printing documents! and watching films, docos, Youtube, too, but I dual boot with Linux Debian for that. Windows and Internet don't go well together IMO.

If you use your computer for fun, and only use audio software for doodling, then forget everything I wrote here and jump on the Windows 10 ship tomorrow, because why bother with 8 when 10 is almost already out? It's better, faster, more productive and whatnot, as always. <-- Imagine some smiling kids, grandpa and grandma smiling, mother holding a child etc. here.

Cheers !

 

moving up to win8 will also depend on how old your cpu/motherboard is, double check here first http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

download and run this compatibility tester

Code:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=321548

 

Your right, i love my mbp but i seem to have worst latency using it then i did with my i3 windows 8 computer. I use the same audio interface but on mac you are forced to use core audio witch gives you worst latency so.. it is nice how OSX has Logic though .

 

SineWave
Windows XP can be slightly better for audio in certain areas but you're forgetting that many developers are moving away from the OS now so you lose out on a lot of the new stuff coming out. Look how many times are you seeing Win 7 & 8 as minimum system requirements.

Windows 10 is looking pretty sweet, I'm going to get that once a little time passes after release so it can be tried and tested.

 

No, I'm not missing anything or losing out, Cat. That's actually my point, as I'd be missing a lot with using anything else but XP for audio and I don't use any software that doesn't work in XP. I'm always just trying to point out that it isn't all just so simple when you live in a pro-audio world. Some guys I know still use Windows 98 for the same reason, and a huge majority use XP or XPx64, and about the same number use Windows 7x64. It's not about the OS, it's all about what this OS provides you with. It doesn't matter how old it is, what matters is that I can work with E-MU IV with it, or that some guy can work with some older unsupported, but good, audio card or any other audio equipment with it. Also, only Windows XP and Windows 7 work properly and easily with Firewire devices, and I have everything based on Firewire and real MIDI. No USB, except for flash drives and a mouse.

*You have to choose the OS according to your needs, not because it's new.*

Some people I know still work with Pro Tools 6.5 or 7.6, in Windows XP. It works for them. I know guys with professional $XXXX SSL, Ensoniq Paris, Soundscape systems, multiple MIDI interfaces from the 90s, that are just not supported in anything later than XP or W7. Stuff like that, that regular/hobbyist people don't have any idea about. Most of the people in the forums like this live in a totally different world where everything is just about getting the newest and latest OS, having problems like "will my XXXX freeware or $50 plugin work in this new OS". But professionals who work with this expensive shit every day appreciate systems that work 24/7 without a hiccup, no matter the OS, with the equipment they bought 10 or more years ago, and once you get one like that you don't want to lose it. As a support guy, and PC assembling guy, I've encountered situations like this countless times. When people finally decide to upgrade their system, a multitude of problems usually arise in a professional studio. Sometimes it takes months to make the upgrade and still not get a system as reliable as it was before. I'm talking specifically about the upgrades from XP x86 to Windows 7 x64. I think most of the people here just can't comprehend that, and neither can MS programmers who care about the 1% of the musicians using their OS for music as much as I care about the dog shit on the pavement.

So purely from my experience, I just can't help myself not being a sceptic to anything new or newer, and to a point irrelevant, as what's relevant is that all your equipment works and that you can work reliably 24/7. Fuck OS. I'd work with W95 if I must, but fortunately I don't have to. I chose the last MS OS that works for me and my situation. Everybody should be able to do that. In my book W8 is nothing but trouble. Until it is also 5 years old and all the drivers for the new equipment have been written and *polished* for it at least. Everything else is a gamble, and I hate to gamble. It leads nowhere.

You'll be talking about Windows 11 in about 3 years and then I'll say "I'm using W7 and in some cases Windows 8.1... they work the best." Well, maybe. I actually think the history of OSes will take a sharp turn slowly. The turn is already here, has been here for a few years, actually. Since W8 came out...

In the mean time I'm having *loads* of fun with Linux for everyday work, NAS and all kinds of servers, media players etc., installing different distros and desktop environments, and *new versions*. Something Windows cannot brag about - you get what the MS programmers think is a nice GUI and that's it. You have no choice. Not to mention that if you want a reliable NAS I will call you crazy for using anything but Linux for that as MS file systems are atrocious and unreliable crap. Linux is also much more fun than Windows, and it's much easier to reinstall without losing anything, especially when you keep your /home [like "users" and "my documents" in Windows] on a different partition.

And to sum it up: I wish you good luck, lots of great tunes and mixes, and utter stability without any problems, with whatever you choose, ! All of you. Also... Isn't it great that someone has a different opinion and experience? I also presented very relevant arguments, didn't I? *yes* It's not all just so black and white - old=crap / new=great. That logic is total rubbish.

Cheers!

 

Thanks guys anyway. Probably there is something wrong with latest Windows releases (also Phone) and me. They are probably good releases but i can't get the best out of it. Experienced blue screen of death 3 times in 10 minutes. the last time i saw them was in 2008 with widows xp. Even Windows Vista works better than this. Had also to roll back my Windows Phone few times. As SineWave pointed everyone has 1-2 os where he can get the best. For me is Win7 never crashed since i bought it, super fast. Thw best Windows OS ever (atleast for me). Also the new GUI doesn't help with or without Classic Shell, seems like a toy to my eyes too much tabletish. New features doesn't impressed me. Bad graphic and problems killed my mood instantly. But thank you guys anyway for the feedbacks really appreciated, i'll probably avoid 8.1/10 and wait for 11


PS: i runned the compatibly thing before install and everything was ok

 

I'm also liking Windows 7 more and more despite it being a bit less efficient for audio than XP. I've been testing a "lite" version of it for a year now on my laptop and it works properly with everything but SCSI... I even got stable MIDI from it with a bit of tweaking. I am actually considering changing my setup and do away with less hardware, so if I get rid of E-MU IV [not really a solution ] , or work with it differently, I might even install Windows 7 x64 as my main OS when I feel like it. But the problem is that I haven't had any problems with XP, for years and years, and years, so I cannot really justify the update, unless I was using it for Internet.

When you get blue screens it's usually some hardware fault, or some dodgy driver to blame. Could be memory, or a faulty hard drive, be it HDD or SDD. If a dodgy driver is the problem then it's the problem of the manufacturer of this hardware, not MS' problem. I had blue screens with my TC Electronic StudioKonnekt 48 at first, until they got the driver right. It fucking took them quite some time to get it right... I almost sold it and bought RME Fireface 800 instead. All because of the bloody drivers! I cannot stress enough how important good drivers are, and not many people think about that when buying equipment. All they [we!] look for are hardware features...

Cheers!

 

BTW, Microsoft still yet to implement USB Audio Class 2 into Windows. ALL versions including 10 do not support it, while OSX and Linux do, since 1999.

Sinewave - I agree 100% on your part (but you already know that ). Still, didn't you ran into troubles with Firewire under XP64? I read some reports of it not being implemented well in XP64/Server 2003 kernel. *yes*