Question about Zebra 2 library folder

[manducator]

Hello,

First of all, I'm not the most technical-savvy guy around, I always get sweaty when having to install new software, so bear with me.

I had Zebra 2.5.2 installed and the presets where inside a subfolder of C:\program files. Now I installed 2.6 over the 2.5.2 and the 2.6 couldn't find any presets.

I found the old presets folder and copied them into the new folder (a subfolder of C:\Documents and Settings).

Was it on purpose that the presets folder is different for 2.6? I tried to reinstall 2.6 and get the presets folder in C:\program files but I wasn't allowed to install it there. Although it would be nice to have everything in 1 folder.

Anyway, thanks for the great manual, I managed to get everything working anyway.

[Urs]

C:\Program Files\ has become a no-go for plug-in data. Microsoft has made it incredibly difficult to save files there ever since Vista… which has caused users a lot of grief and us up to 10 support emails a day.

The "proper" location Microsoft wants us to put such data in is in "Application Data", which is an invisible (!) directory. Because it's invisible we think this isn't good enough. Users want to install presets and they want to be able to find them.

Hence we decided to let users choose where the stuff goes, but we forbid Program Files and encourage Documents.

- Urs

[EvilDragon]

My suggestion is have your VST folders outside of any other system folder, including Program Files. This is how I have it on my C: drive:

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
Users
VST
VST (x86)
Windows


I have a folder named "u-he" within VST folder, and all u-he stuff goes there. Including the data folders that contain presets. No hassle!

[manducator]

Ok, that's totally clear to me. Thanks!

[aMUSEd]

Mine is slightly different - on my Windows laptop I have a single folder on the root of the C: drive called "Audio" In that I have separate subfolders "VST" (which is further divided into separate 32 bit and 64 bit subfolders), "Samples", "Presets". I prefer to keep presets separate (where the plugin allows this) as I find some hosts scan every single file in the VST folder when they load and having potentially tens of thousands of presets slows this down, so I just keep VST dlls and essential support files (eg skins if necessary) in the VST folder.

[manducator]

My internet pc is still on winXP. That' allows to install everything in the program files directory.

My production pc is on win7 but I haven't installed zebra on it yet.

But thanks to this explanation, I problably don't gonna encounter problems.

[Urs]

Well, we had a lot of people who upgraded from XP and couldn't use our software anymore. This is why we posted this:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=306890

I guess about half of those 14000 visits were from people we directed towards it after they ran into trouble...

... which is why we didn't make an exception for XP... even though most of the time it would work there.

[SJ_Digriz]

The "proper" location Microsoft wants us to put such data in is in "Application Data", which is an invisible (!) directory. Because it's invisible we think this isn't good enough. Users want to install presets and they want to be able to find them.

Configuration data goes in Application Data. Content used or created by the program goes in a folder under x:/users/.../documents/u-he/Zebra/... either all users or individual. I've never understood why you jump through all the install hoops.

[NadirToZenith]

hello, Manducator,

although it would be nice to have everything in 1 folder

your preset folders can be anywhere as long as you make one symbolic link or shortcut pointing to the folder then copied to the installed (program) directory...

for example, make one u-he directory, then inside it will be seen (at the moment being under windows)

..\ace.data\
..\bazille.data\
..\diva.data\
..\zebra2.data\
..\zebrahz.data\
ace.dll
bazille.dll
diva.dll
zebra2.dll
zebrahz.dll
zebralette.dll
zebrify.dll
zrev.dll
ace.data.lnk
bazille.data.lnk
diva.data.lnk
zebra2.data.lnk
zebrahz.data.lnk

so, even if you chose to install something into somewhere else, after the installation you can move the presets folder where most convenient is, then do as mentioned above...

hope this may be of some help, keep up the good work...

[unguitar]

Sorry for the question,
Is there any performance reduction if I put my Vsts in a drive different from C Like D, where D is a partition of C ?

[bmrzycki]

Sorry for the question,
Is there any performance reduction if I put my Vsts in a drive different from C Like D, where D is a partition of C ?

No performance impact. A partition is merely a software construct on top of physical media.

It's like drawing a grid on a piece of paper and asking if the top left corner accepts ink better than the lower right.

If you had said different physical drives then that's another matter...