KVR Audio

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 4:08 am

This may be a silly question, but, is it safe to move VSTs and their folders/contents around after you've installed them?

I ask because, for example, I just downloaded a VST and it installed to my VST folder as normal, but it added an extra folder so that when I want to use it in Ableton, I have to click through an extra folder to get to it. So, I moved the VST, preset banks, manual, etc. to my desktop, deleted the extra folder, and then moved it all back to my VST folder.

I have since used the VST and it seems to be working just fine, but I'm just wondering in general - is it safe to move VST stuff around your hard drive or can that cause damage to the VST somehow?

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Sat May 25, 2013 4:13 am

If you only have the DLL in a folder, you can relocate them without harm, but if they're having entries in the registry, you might get problems if you displace them.

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 4:22 am

Tricky-Loops wrote:If you only have the DLL in a folder, you can relocate them without harm, but if they're having entries in the registry, you might get problems if you displace them.

It's the demo of Sylenth1 and it comes with more than just the .DLL, but it looks like the .DLL is the only important file there. Except maybe the uninstall thing?

I checked my registry and I don't see anything regarding Sylenth1 so I should be good, right?

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sat May 25, 2013 5:40 am

there is no 'in general', it depends on the plugin. There are plugins that have directories that are systematic and moving shit around breaks it.

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 5:55 am

jancivil wrote:there is no 'in general', it depends on the plugin. There are plugins that have directories that are systematic and moving shit around breaks it.

Now I know for the future. Thanks.

I'm assuming it will be easy to tell if I "break" a plugin by moving it? So at least I would know that it needs to be reinstalled rather than me keep on using a half-broken plugin?

scook · Post by **scook** » Sat May 25, 2013 5:59 am

Yup, that is a dead simple tell. Most plug-ins can be moved around at will. The ones than cannot will fail.

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 6:19 am

scook wrote:Yup, that is a dead simple tell. Most plug-ins can be moved around at will. The ones than cannot will fail.

Good to know. Thanks.

Well, this was probably a noobie question, but I'm new to installing plugins.

Xenobt · Post by **Xenobt** » Sat May 25, 2013 6:41 am

I've been moving plugs around for 15 years now, so it's not a noob question! Actually, a really good troubleshooting concept. I've had a few soft synths "go bad" and that may be the culprit. I assumed as long as you told a plug where to look on ANY hd, you were done. +1 on the good to know!

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

cosmosis · Post by **cosmosis** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:05 am

I run RegShot when installing pretty much anything and it has tought me a lot about what all these rascals like doing. As already said, there's no 'in general'.

Some are a single .dll, others are a group of files/dirs that have relative paths coded into them. With those, you are good to move them.

Some others like to have things in the vst folder and other things in 'program files' or appdata or whatever. Some of those have the paths hardcoded so you can't do much there. Many others will have those paths in the registry, usually under 'local machine/software/-company name-/-plugin name-' or 'current user/software/-company name-/-plugin name-'. Those usually you can just change the paths in the registry.

I'm generally not afraid of breaking things. Worst case scenario is having to uninstall and clean up, then installing again. But backing up the key before doing any changes is good enough to roll back any mistakes.

Not that I'm judging or anything, but I think it's fear of breaking things that keeps most people from really learning how operating systems and different programs work. I remember learning how to install Windows with those floppies and commands and all that. I had no fear after that

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:24 am

[DELETED]

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:35 am

cosmosis wrote:Not that I'm judging or anything, but I think it's fear of breaking things that keeps most people from really learning how operating systems and different programs work. I remember learning how to install Windows with those floppies and commands and all that. I had no fear after that

Yeah, I don't like to dabble too much with my OS.

TheoM wrote:on windows? i wouldn't,i've heard of this causing registry issues. Just leave the install where it installs.. and *copy* the contents you need in the folder your daw is pointed to. Works perfectly. UNless you are using like a 20gb hard drive lol and have no room. Seriously, copy and paste. That's the safest answer.

Yes, I'm using windows 7.

Yeah, copy & paste seems like a good idea. I just hate having extra files around. Lol.

TheoM wrote:Oh, in the case of both mac and pc, if we are talking dlls and zip files and no installers, place them wherever you want! I personally still put them al in the main folder to simply have a base where *everything* is so i know if anything goes wrong or i delete something accidentally i will always find it in that main folder. Yet i never ever use it as the place for the host to actually scan.

Well, I downloaded the Sylenth1 demo and it went through an installer, but I couldn't find anything for it in my registry, appdata, program data, etc. so Idk what's up with that.

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Sat May 25, 2013 11:11 am

The annoying thing with Ableton I find is that it allows for only one directory for plugins. The easiest and most space-effective way around this is to set up a folder with shortcuts to your scattered plugins.

Then again I'm also in doubt about organising my different VST's. At this moment my instruments and effects are all scattered on my HD whilst showing up in one giant list in my DAW and I'd like that to be more organised.

I think the only way to sort out this mess is trial and error moving things around or use some 3rd party plugin for organising. I keep postponing anyway and guess I will address this doing a clear install sometime in the near future.

It is annoying that installers aren't generic in that way amd while most give you the choice of pointing out the directory for your VSTs some just don't and you can never tell if they create a parent name directory or not so you end up with a sub/sub folder..

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 12:15 pm

Spiritos wrote:It is annoying that installers aren't generic in that way amd while most give you the choice of pointing out the directory for your VSTs some just don't and you can never tell if they create a parent name directory or not so you end up with a sub/sub folder..

Yes, exactly. That is what Sylenth1 did to me. I told it to install to c:/program files/VSTPlugins, instead it installed to c:/program files/VSTPlugins/Sylenth1.

Not a huge deal, but annoying nonetheless.

eidenk · Post by **eidenk** » Sat May 25, 2013 12:53 pm

Each plugin its own folder, that's good, this way everything that concerns a plugin can stay with it and with nothing else. Put all plugins in the same folder, save a few banks/presets from a plugin or another every now and then and soon it's an ugly mess of stuff you don't know anymore what belongs to what.

kvruzer666 · Post by **kvruzer666** » Sat May 25, 2013 1:13 pm

eidenk wrote:Each plugin its own folder, that's good, this way everything that concerns a plugin can stay with it and with nothing else. Put all plugins in the same folder, save a few banks/presets from a plugin or another every now and then and soon it's an ugly mess of stuff you don't know anymore what belongs to what.

True, but the fact it created the sub-folder without me telling it to is the problem. Again, it's not a big deal that it did that, it's just annoying to click through folders in Live's browser, IMO.

Safe to move VSTs around hard drive?