BM2 iPad Memory Optimization Tips for new and old iPads
I posted this in another thread but thought it might be worthwhile to post this in its own discussion so others can find it if they need to search for it.
Spent the night doing some calculations and some tests and have calculated how BM2 uses RAM and how it can effect your compositions. I originally thought this would only be pertinent to iPad 2 owners but since picking up an iPad Air last week I know this may impact even users with the latest gear if you find yourself pushing the envelope (which I've already done with an Air). Hope I don't make this too complicated to follow...
Baseline for reference - iPad 2 has 512MB RAM; iPad 4 and iPad Air have 1GB RAM
Loading BM2 itself will use up between 45-60MB RAM at start up for the app.
Once you get into composing, most of the instruments in BM2 load with about 1-2MB of samples behind them into memory when the song is loaded, plus about 1MB for the track itself. Most effects don't make much of a difference but meatier ones like Delays will use up to 2MB. So with say 20 tracks of the default instruments with an effect or two on each you'll end up using up about 110MB of memory. Not a problem for any iPad.
Where it really starts to become a problem is with custom instruments with custom samples. I've loaded about 40GB of samples out of Kontakt, Bluezone and other places into BM2 (not a problem as long as you have the storage capacity). Some of these samples are up to 4MB each so these custom instruments are a little bigger than the defaults. These won't impact memory when you assign them to an instrument, but they will when you load the instrument onto a track in a song.
The BIG culprit of the memory issue is custom strings and choirs pulled in from a real sampler. Because the Kontakt library is fully articulated, and BM2 is really flexible for mapping samples to individual keys, I can load up a fully articulated Viola ensemble into BM2 that sounds like the real thing and is truly outstanding to hear. Unfortunately because these are real instrument samples, the big strings are 3-4MB per sample...per key! With 20 samples across a single keyboard I've suddenly got a 90MB instrument loading into memory when I add it to a track. Add some cellos, tenor and bass choirs and I've got 250-300MB going into memory at one time.
This was never an issue before, but since iOS7 is so much hungrier than iOS6 (it now uses up to 240MB just for the OS and associated services) this only leaves about 250MB for BM2 on an iPad 2 so if you want to use real articulated instruments from a real sampler in BM2 you can, but there's a limit on the little iPad2 which only has 502MB RAM.
****** IMPORTANT ********
I thought that upgrading to an iPad Air I would have an extra 500MB available (i.e. giving BM2 a total of 750MB to play with) but WRONG - BIG NOTE HERE - the iPad Air with iOS7 uses up a massive amount of memory just to run the OS services supporting the software and other features like the camera, retina display etc. what it actually will give you is approx 100MB extra compared to an iPad 2. Expect an iPad 2 to give you ~250MB for BM2 and an Air to give you ~350MB (vs the 750MB I was expecting).
********************************
I can run a lot (30+) of articulated instruments on the iPad Air and have a full Kontakt library loaded into BM2 which is awesome compared to an iPad 2, but beware that the RAM still has a limit if you're loading up too many custom instruments with 80+MB of Wav samples behind them. BM2 is not the limitation here. I'm going slightly off topic now, but once you've got real samples in BM2 it suddenly becomes an awesome tool that's getting serious. I'm now composing material on my iPad better than I've produced in studios in the past. BM2 has become a true medium for composing on a tablet that's a sh1tload better than anything else out there. I'm sure there are purists out there who'll say it'll never be as good as ProTools or Cubase on a PC etc but I'm willing to argue that anyone who's loaded up true instrument samples from Halion or Kontakt into BM2 is suddenly questioning using any other product again. For better or worse, I've found myself dumping every other product out there.
Spent the night doing some calculations and some tests and have calculated how BM2 uses RAM and how it can effect your compositions. I originally thought this would only be pertinent to iPad 2 owners but since picking up an iPad Air last week I know this may impact even users with the latest gear if you find yourself pushing the envelope (which I've already done with an Air). Hope I don't make this too complicated to follow...
Baseline for reference - iPad 2 has 512MB RAM; iPad 4 and iPad Air have 1GB RAM
Loading BM2 itself will use up between 45-60MB RAM at start up for the app.
Once you get into composing, most of the instruments in BM2 load with about 1-2MB of samples behind them into memory when the song is loaded, plus about 1MB for the track itself. Most effects don't make much of a difference but meatier ones like Delays will use up to 2MB. So with say 20 tracks of the default instruments with an effect or two on each you'll end up using up about 110MB of memory. Not a problem for any iPad.
Where it really starts to become a problem is with custom instruments with custom samples. I've loaded about 40GB of samples out of Kontakt, Bluezone and other places into BM2 (not a problem as long as you have the storage capacity). Some of these samples are up to 4MB each so these custom instruments are a little bigger than the defaults. These won't impact memory when you assign them to an instrument, but they will when you load the instrument onto a track in a song.
The BIG culprit of the memory issue is custom strings and choirs pulled in from a real sampler. Because the Kontakt library is fully articulated, and BM2 is really flexible for mapping samples to individual keys, I can load up a fully articulated Viola ensemble into BM2 that sounds like the real thing and is truly outstanding to hear. Unfortunately because these are real instrument samples, the big strings are 3-4MB per sample...per key! With 20 samples across a single keyboard I've suddenly got a 90MB instrument loading into memory when I add it to a track. Add some cellos, tenor and bass choirs and I've got 250-300MB going into memory at one time.
This was never an issue before, but since iOS7 is so much hungrier than iOS6 (it now uses up to 240MB just for the OS and associated services) this only leaves about 250MB for BM2 on an iPad 2 so if you want to use real articulated instruments from a real sampler in BM2 you can, but there's a limit on the little iPad2 which only has 502MB RAM.
****** IMPORTANT ********
I thought that upgrading to an iPad Air I would have an extra 500MB available (i.e. giving BM2 a total of 750MB to play with) but WRONG - BIG NOTE HERE - the iPad Air with iOS7 uses up a massive amount of memory just to run the OS services supporting the software and other features like the camera, retina display etc. what it actually will give you is approx 100MB extra compared to an iPad 2. Expect an iPad 2 to give you ~250MB for BM2 and an Air to give you ~350MB (vs the 750MB I was expecting).
********************************
I can run a lot (30+) of articulated instruments on the iPad Air and have a full Kontakt library loaded into BM2 which is awesome compared to an iPad 2, but beware that the RAM still has a limit if you're loading up too many custom instruments with 80+MB of Wav samples behind them. BM2 is not the limitation here. I'm going slightly off topic now, but once you've got real samples in BM2 it suddenly becomes an awesome tool that's getting serious. I'm now composing material on my iPad better than I've produced in studios in the past. BM2 has become a true medium for composing on a tablet that's a sh1tload better than anything else out there. I'm sure there are purists out there who'll say it'll never be as good as ProTools or Cubase on a PC etc but I'm willing to argue that anyone who's loaded up true instrument samples from Halion or Kontakt into BM2 is suddenly questioning using any other product again. For better or worse, I've found myself dumping every other product out there.
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