If you produced a track in 2005 using Cubase SX or Logic 7 with FM7, that project will look for FM7, not FM8. While FM8 can read FM7 presets, automation parameters and MIDI controllers often get mismapped.
On Windows, the gold standard for running old 32-bit plugins is a utility called jBridge. It acts as a wrapper, creating a 64-bit shell around your 32-bit FM7.dll file. It costs a few dollars and is highly effective for breathing life into legacy plugins.
Despite the constant forum posts titled "NI please release FM7 64-bit", Native Instruments has shown zero interest in revisiting the product. Their strategy focuses on Komplete, Maschine, and newer synths like Massive X and Play Series. native instruments fm7 64 bit
In 2021, NI updated FM8 to run natively on Apple Silicon (M1). This proves they are committed to FM8, not FM7.
The hard truth: If you are waiting for an official Native Instruments FM7 64-bit release, you will be waiting forever. If you produced a track in 2005 using
On macOS, this is tragically difficult.
The only macOS solution is to use 32 Lives (by Sound Radix). This is a paid tool that converts 32-bit Audio Units (AU) into 64-bit. However, 32 Lives is no longer updated, and it fails on macOS Ventura or later. The only macOS solution is to use 32
Verdict: For macOS users, FM7 is effectively dead. You must use FM8.