MuLab Portable 6.4.18 Dev Test 1

Ok I'm willing to try it out

With regard to beta updates, there's always the same link for these. It.s the cedar location on mutools site which loses the cedar extension when the beta becomes official. It's not something I want to happen but what does happen. Hope that's clear enough.

Thanks

Scott

When I asked why the Launcher moves the files instead of installing around the existing install, I meant it as a possible suggestion as much as a question. Can it work that way? Is it better that way? It seems to me to be safer for your files/apps to perform as I suggest rather than moving folders that could potentially be lost in the process. Obviously stuff like registry and AppData etc, will have to be moved, but moving settings and other stuff doesn't seem good practice to me! If I were to design PA's Launcher, not that I could mind you, I'd make it move the least amount of files necessary and have all the user stuff backed up in another folder. Sorry hope you don't mind the criticism, just my humble opinion

Ok, regarding the MuLabPortable setup. I'm confused what you're referring to. Are you asking or suggesting that only the Library folder be moved? Currently the whole User folder moves but you said you can't do that??? I've just double checked and that is exactly what's happening. Isn't that what you meant to happen? The last thing I want is for things to start getting messy. It's a shame the whole User folder can't be given a specified location.

I'm quite happy to leave it as is personally, but I can't see this becoming an official release in light of the potential hazard. I really don't know what the best way to proceed is to be honest. Could you give a detailed description of how files will be managed if just Library is moved? How exactly it would work. What this would mean for MuLab as an app and the user. Just so I now what's going on beforehand. That would help.

Thanks

Scott

The problem wasn't with me finding the Library folder but MuLab. While editing a synth in the Mux I wanted to add a User Preset, but I couldn't find it. I then realised that the whole User section and the Factory parent directory wasn't listed. All the stuff included in the Factory folder was listed just not the actual 'Factory' parent folder if that makes sense.

For example:
+ Factory
- + Effects
- + Instruments

The Factory or User wasn't there just the Effects and Instruments subfolders of the Factory folder.

Not happy! Lost load of stuff again managed to recover main Mux files so not too bad. I think this needs sorting before it can be used. It's part of using the app to need access to the apps folders and it's just too risky and easy to lose a whole load of work you spent hours on only to lose because you forget to back up straight away or forget to close the open file/folder. I'd like to use this though so let's hope kAlug finds a solution

If a directory can't be moved, back out any other changes/moves that were made and then show an error that a directory can't be moved due to a file or directory locking it. Please close an open files within XDirectory and try again.

I only use these apps on my internal drive. Occasionally use some on USB but rare. So, no not tried that. 64bit version is also something I don't use as most of my VST's are 32bit. I have performed the same tests though and had no problems.

MuLab.ID file is, I think, for registration. I realise now that it will indeed need moving also.

Regarding updates, do you mean that this launcher will install and keep up to date with the very latest beta release? If so then you need to know that Jo, the dev, does not want this. He would like the latest official release only. Though there's rarely much of a reason to think the beta as unstable in any way from my experience. There obviously are issues that appear but nothing major, at least, not yet!

I suppose the reason is that if newcomers d/l the launcher which installs latest beta and it coincides with a 'dodgy' update, it could put off potential customers. Understandable.

Personally I'd like it to update to latest beta, but expect you'll have to change that now? Up to you...

One thing though, as I said, my VST's are 32bit but now I've installed the 64bit 'plugin' I can't start the 32bit version from the menu as the launcher doesn't give a choice. In this instance I'd say that it'd be best to have both appear as seperate entries? Preferably in the same MuLabPortable folder something like LibreOffice perhaps?

For most computing tasks, there's not really a ton of difference between the two. On Windows, the biggest benefits of 64-bit are at the OS level since you get access to more RAM (4GB for 32-bit vs 192GB for 64-bit on Windows Pro 7 or up), the virtualization extensions (better VM performance) in the newer CPUs, and No eXecute bits (mark areas of RAM as not able to execute for better protection). None of these apply directly to apps, though.

What they can get apps is access to more than 2GB of RAM and/or better performance. The thing is, most apps don't need 2GB of RAM or even close to it. The exceptions being video editing, editing very large image files, or working with large sets of data for processing and similar endeavors.

On the performance side, the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit isn't much in most cases. You'd think it would be. It's double the bits so it must be double the performance, right? Well, no. It does improve some CPU-limited operations of applications when working with the wider bit-path can help. But, even with an app that is totally CPU-limited, the performance gains are modest.

7-Zip, for example, which is doing lots of intensive compression algorithms is CPU-limited. But the 64-bit version only yields a performance gain of up to ~7% in testing. And then even only on some files. But, since some people compress GBs of data with 7-Zip, we thought we'd dual mode the app (32-bit and 64-bit in one package). The fact that it's a small app also factored in.

Realistically, you won't even notice the difference in normal operation of regular apps. You're likely looking at no performance gain in most of them. Or, at least, no noticeable one. Even 7-Zip's "large" difference between the two is only noticeable when working with very large compressed filed.

Honestly, I would install and try it to see how it works. All the theory in the world means almost nothing when it comes to a specific app. A ton of 64-bit apps lag their 32-bit counterparts because they aren't taking advantage of what 64-bit offers. A ton of others offer a 32-bit and 64-bit version even though the 64-bit version offers nothing that users actually need. And then others make proper use of 64-bit.

So, install and try both. See if there is any difference when doing the exact same things.