It would be very interesting to develop a version of Cantabile also for ARM64 processors. We all know the benefits of this RISC architecture: much lower power consumption and much higher performance than X86 / X64 processors.
Microsoft is now focusing a lot on this type of processor and had already previously developed something in this sense. Following Apple’s unveiling of the M1 processors, which have proven their superiority over Intel and AMD, much in the PC market has attracted attention.
Major PC manufacturers and even Microsoft itself are developing alternatives for products with ARM processors. Windows 11 for ARM already exists. New laptop and Surface PCs are about to go to market with ARM.
We all know how important it is for our laptop battery to last much longer during a live concert while we’re using Cantabile.
I also add that a few days ago the Bandlab software house also made an update of Cakewalk available to be able to work on the Windows 11 ARM processor and operating system.
I say my idea. Wouldn’t it be interesting to start thinking about a fully functional version of Cantabile also on ARM?
This reply isn’t a response to your idea but rather some anecdotes from the field regarding the Surface Pro X which is powered by the Qualcomm SQ1 chip. We’ve encountered enough compatibility problems with current versions of Microsoft Office, Teams and device drivers (HP printers for example) that we are now prohibiting purchase of ARM based Windows machines for the time being. Things have improved the past year, Windows 11 runs better than 10 on these devices and it seems like there are less device driver issues but even Microsoft software won’t run right in some cases. It seems (I don’t actually know) that Apple is years ahead with the M1 chip and Monterey.
This is something I’m definitely keeping an eye on particularly since I’ve been recently looking for a new laptop and the MacBooks are out of contention for me atm. When windows gets more stable on arm then I’ll be considering it more seriously.
Most of Cantabile should port to Windows arm fairly seamlessly but there are some big question marks.
Also i wonder how long it’ll be before there’s a good selection of Windows:Arm plugins. Chicken and egg problem. Host need plug-ins - plugins need host.
The problems I’m mentioning are because Microsoft first offered a very compatible but battery draining 32 bit Windows emulation. Then they started releasing Windows ARM 64 bit versions which aren’t fully compatible even between their own software products (Teams and Outlook for example). The HP printers drivers have been a complete nightmare - Windows updates cause issues on a regular basis.
If everything was specifically compiled for Windows ARM 64 (ASIO drivers, plugins and Cantabile) it would probably work.
Sorry if I raised this question but I see that something is increasingly moving by reading the internet about ARM64 technology and the benefits.
Today I found a very interesting Microsoft official page (Windows MIDI and Music dev) that talks about how to load normal VST plugins from ARM code using ARM64EC. An official Microsoft developer, Pete Brown, demonstrates how he managed to load a VST3 “Valhalla Vintage Verb” plugins on a Surface Pro X device with the latest SDK and Visual Studio 2022 Preview. I’m not a programmer but reading what solution he found I think something is really moving on ARM64. In the meantime, developing a version of Cantabile for ARM processors could also be useful for those who do not necessarily use VST plugins and would already have a software ready to use for when the other plugins developers begin to consider this thing. Again, this is my idea but it would be interesting.
Here is the official Microsoft page that I told you about Pete Brown:
In the Livestream Pete Brown mentioned that most hardware makers will probably still write ASIO drivers which might bring enhanced performance or capability but the devices will work well without installing a driver.
