Do you keep a list of all your plugins?

[hhuang9611]

Just wondering if you guys keep track of all the plugins you own... I have a list myself, where I record all the plugins I have bought, with money I paid and authorization methods (and serial numbers if applicable). It's stored on onedrive cloud so I can edit it from any device whenever I buy something new.

I started this list a while ago when I was switching from desktop to my laptop because I had to travel. But then I think it's a good idea to keep such a list. It tells me where my money has gone, and also reminds me of some plugins I have but not use that much. I think without such a list some of my stuff might get lost in my plugin ocean (yep, I do have GAS, like many others do).

I now divide them into some basic categories: audio effect, midi effect, instrument and samples. But I am also trying to categories them further, especially for audio effect. I might try to separate them into EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, etc...

Anyway, I am wondering if you guys have something similar?

[mgw38]

I keep a GTD-style repository on an external drive. It‘s only organized by developer and I simply dump all installers, licence codes, etc in there.

[UncleAge]

Yes, I do. I keep that list locally (2 places digitally and one paper copy) and in the cloud (2 different services). But only the list and licenses/serials/keys. I don't store the installers unless the developer has gone belly up like Linplug.

[DJ Warmonger]

I just have a separate folder for all purchased plugin installers And a bunch of freebies.

Besides, I don't buy that much for it to be a concern. How could you even spend money on something you don't use?

[woggle]

not really and yes - when I am thinking of buying something I use Reaper's database of all my installed plugins to make sure I did not buy it ages ago and have since forgotten about it because I dont use it. I am also way more careful about buying things now and typically only buy on sale.
And I type the plugin name into my email to see if it comes up as purchased - email is where I keep receipts
And I am trimming down what I have quite a bit - selling some stuff now

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=508567

and will try and sell a lot more over the next 6 months or so

[jancivil]

No, I'm aware of what I have.
it looks like this:

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 11.45.24 PM.png

Pretty compact. This is bigger than normal as I found a couple of free ones that look like I'll really use them. I don't collect plugins. Cubase/Nuendo I set to organize by vendor as well.


I don't have tons of instruments, either. It's Kontakt, Vienna Instrument, Absynth, Reaktor, BFD 3 all the time. I'm pretty boring.

[Gamma-UT]

I use 1Password to keep serial numbers (as well as download page logins) and VoodooPad for a personal wiki that holds tips, tricks and notes for different plugins and instruments and their presets as well as mixing techniques. If something doesn't have notes associated with it, it's probably not getting used a lot.

But I don't keep something that is just an inventory of software.

[yellowmix]

I built a Google Spreadsheet to keep track of my Music GAS. Purchase amount, date, developer, vendor, type, category, and a column for notes. Note just software but hardware and everything down to cables. I only enter data for products that I purchased, or received free if the product is not always free (e.g., beta tester reward, free for limited time, free then became non-free, free through vendor purchase reward program).

There are several pages that use that data to build informational reports, such as which vendors I purchase from the most, how much I've spent per developer, type, category, pie charts, line charts that track how much I spend per year, how much I spend each month (no surprise, the most in November). There's one section that tracks how much my Plugin Alliance voucher is supposed to be and how much I need to spend by a certain time to maintain it.

I have another page the helps me break up discounted bundles into their individual products and figure out how much each one really costs relative to their MSRP individually. This was very useful for Komplete, because it's unfair to assign an average price to all products.

It's still in development since I'm pretty sure I'll need to add more features (this thread gave me lots of ideas, thanks!). But the fundamental purpose is satisfactory. It's certainly helped me say no to impulse purchases. I have similar spreadsheets for other GAS-possible things, like photography, cooking, gaming, etc..

[morelia]

I have a list categorized by the type of plugin. Makes life a bit easier when I can just see which compressors, reverb, delays, equalizers etc I have. Although the need for a list could probably be avoided by having a sensible number of plugins.

[hhuang9611]

Thanks guys. It's interesting to see how differently we handle our plugins. I do envy those of you who can keep your collection to the minimum. However, even though I have GAS, I don't buy plugin that I don't use, I bought them because I feel they are gonna be handy in some special situations. So if those special situations don't happen so often (that's why they are special), it's possible for me to forget that they are actually there. Also, different plugins can add different flavors to my track, which I enjoy playing around quite a lot.

[AsPeeXXXVIII]

Nope. REAPER does that well enough for me.

[Michael L]

No. If I can't remember what I have, I won't use it. That limits my stuff, along with the knowledge that I can never fully explore what I have.

[chaosWyrM]

nope. if i need a list i can just open my vst folder and see whats in it....or look at the list in fls...i dont have anything thats not installed.

i do keep 2 backups of everything, installers and such, in the form of drive images, just in case.

[chk071]

I keep a GTD-style repository on an external drive. It‘s only organized by developer and I simply dump all installers, licence codes, etc in there.

Same 'ere.

[bobhva]

Studio One keeps a nice list for me, organized by categorized folders. I have way to many plugins too keep a list of all that other information. I am trying to do more learning to produce and mix music than be a collector of plugins like I have in the past. I do keep all of my emails from purchased plugins and most companies keep your product keys in your account or will send them when asked.