The ERA Bundle installer for Windows includes 2 executable files.
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The 32-bit & 64-bit terms are used in computer architecture and refer to the way a computer's CPU handles information. Since hardware and software are combined, those 2 terms are used to describe software applications, too. More specifically,
- Operating Systems can be based on 32-bit or 64-bit architectures.
- Host Applications can also be based on 32-bit or 64-bit architectures. (For example, Audacity is a 32-bit host, while Adobe Premiere Pro is a host based on a 64-bit architecture. On the other hand, Cockos Reaper supports both architectures.)
- Audio Plug-ins can be based on 32-bit or 64-bit architectures as well.
Ok! Good to know, but which one do I have to install?
The table below includes all the possible combos.
**64-bit Operating Systems can support both 32 & 64-bit applications and plug-ins, so nothing stops you from installing both versions in case you are going to use both. However, make sure that Host Application and Audio Plug-in are based on the same architecture.
Done! Is there any major difference between the 2 versions? Which sounds better?
In terms of quality, no. Both versions sound identical and have the same performance.
However, looking at this from a higher point of view, running 64-bit software has lots of benefits. One of the most important things is access to greater amounts of memory. While, 32-bit applications are limited to 2-4 GB of RAM, 64-bit applications can access amounts greater than 4GB.
In a real world scenario, running a 64-bit host application and 64-bit plug-ins in a 64-bit operating system can allow a session to run without experiencing any performance issues (or potential crashes).
Last question, how do I know if I have 32-bit or 64-bit Windows?
Here you can find a very useful article from Microsoft, which includes all the steps for the latest Windows versions.