Hello,
i try to find out the best way to install NI - Application, Content, VST via Native Access after
a new Windows 10 installment. In order to get a clean, stable running system while working with Ableton and Maschine I want to avoid mistakes installing the whole stuff (VSTs, DAWs, etc) new.
My question is if it is a good choice to install NI Application, Content, VST-paths in an other directory/SSD than SSD_C:/ eg SSD_D:/ were I have a 2 tb intern ssd to save space on the System SSD with 1 tb?
Change in VST-Paths from the default eg C:/Program Files/Native Instruments/VST-Plugins 64bit to C:/Program Files/VSTx64 - good idea?
Or better to set just a symbolic-link to the new folder!?
I also have Maschine Hardware running on the system and want avoid system crashs or problems with the NI Sync for Soundfiles, VST-Synths by changing the default paths, thus I am tending to do this when only for the Content-location and putting the mentioned symbolic links for VST-plugins!
In general, is there a difference in speed of workflow recognizable (eg 2 different ssds - one for the applocation on C, 2nd for Content on D?)
Other ideas for best practice?
Thx & Cheers
Native Instruments - New Installation (Access)
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- KVRAF
- 1991 posts since 12 Mar, 2004
Native access is terrible on Win 10, it will crash during installs and just not bother telling you, so don't use the install all option, just install a few at a time and you will be golden.
Personally I create a Komplete folder at root on my second internal drive, I also have all my VST folders at root on the same drive.
D://Komplete
D://VST
D://VST64
D://VST3
Inside my VST64 folder I create sub folders with the developer name
D://VST64/Native Instruments
My D://VST folder is all X32 stuff, and I only use it as a temp folder for deletion, so if an installer doesn't allow me to turn off installing x32 versions of plugins (Native Instruments for example) I can just install them all in the VST folder and then select them all and delete them, note here that that will show your plugins in NI access as broken and allow you to repair, ignore it, it just cant find the X32 installs, it makes zero difference.
My VST3 folder is actually a relocation, so the original folder location remains (Its a default system folder) but it is pointed at the relocation on root of my second drive (FYI I also do that for all the My documents folders etc too)
Personally I create a Komplete folder at root on my second internal drive, I also have all my VST folders at root on the same drive.
D://Komplete
D://VST
D://VST64
D://VST3
Inside my VST64 folder I create sub folders with the developer name
D://VST64/Native Instruments
My D://VST folder is all X32 stuff, and I only use it as a temp folder for deletion, so if an installer doesn't allow me to turn off installing x32 versions of plugins (Native Instruments for example) I can just install them all in the VST folder and then select them all and delete them, note here that that will show your plugins in NI access as broken and allow you to repair, ignore it, it just cant find the X32 installs, it makes zero difference.
My VST3 folder is actually a relocation, so the original folder location remains (Its a default system folder) but it is pointed at the relocation on root of my second drive (FYI I also do that for all the My documents folders etc too)
Duh
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- KVRAF
- 35684 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
O...k... ?...bungle wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:00 pm Native access is terrible on Win 10, it will crash during installs and just not bother telling you, so don't use the install all option, just install a few at a time and you will be golden.
It didn't do that here, but, whatever.
@Citrixx: Don't install into C:/ProgramFiles. It will be like asking for trouble, in terms of user account access rights. Either install to C:, or any other directory.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 16 posts since 26 Sep, 2018
Hi, thx for advices so far - so good, I'll
avoid to install the application as default and change this to C:/NI for example
I interpret to avoid the install-all button and install at first eg maschine daw, step by step.
What's with VST location - change it in the folder for the other vst plugs in spe like D:/Vst/Vst64 and Vst32? System runs on C - Vst and Application folder eg on D:/NI?
Thx so far!
avoid to install the application as default and change this to C:/NI for example
I interpret to avoid the install-all button and install at first eg maschine daw, step by step.
What's with VST location - change it in the folder for the other vst plugs in spe like D:/Vst/Vst64 and Vst32? System runs on C - Vst and Application folder eg on D:/NI?
Thx so far!
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- KVRAF
- 4589 posts since 7 Jun, 2012 from Warsaw
Locations below work for me on Windows 10 with no issues at all.
For standalone apps & drivers:
C://Program Files/Native Insturments
For VST:
E://VST/Native Instruments
For Content:
E://Native Instruments Content
Yep, I've got separate partition for plugins.
For standalone apps & drivers:
C://Program Files/Native Insturments
For VST:
E://VST/Native Instruments
For Content:
E://Native Instruments Content
Yep, I've got separate partition for plugins.
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Tricky-Loops wrote: (...)someone like Armin van Buuren who claims to make a track in half an hour and all his songs sound somewhat boring(...)
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- KVRAF
- 1766 posts since 1 Aug, 2006 from Italy
I installed the plugins on their default path on the system drive and all the libraries into a second internal ssd. Unfortunately on my computer the ssd is slower than the system drive (which is a M2), but it's more than enough for my use of sample libraries (and I've plenty of ram, anyway).
For me, one of the biggest benefit of keeping the sample libraries on a separate drive (or a least a separate partition) is that they safe in case you need to restore/reinstall your operating system. I experienced it a few weeks ago (on a new machine!) and this saved me hours of downloading, I only had to set the path for the various libraries on Native Access (one by one... I wish there was a sort of "batch scan", where you can set a root folder and let Native Access do the hard work of looking for all the "missing libraries" into that folder).
I quite like the idea of a separate partition / drive for plugins, but they often write additional files (preferences, resources, etc) on additional folders, so I need to do a fresh install anyway... I back up all the installers (when possible!) sorted by brand and with version number, though!
Speaking of performances, you should look at how much you access your drives when making music. If you use just a bunch of samples and a few audio tracks, a separate drive for the libraries will not make a huge difference (or a difference at all), given the speed of current solid state drives... if you use a lot of big sample libraries or sample based synths, which are streaming from disk, then a dedicated drive for libraries could make sense for performances.
I would use a dedicated drive for another reason, anyway: the space required by sample libraries. I think I have at least 300 GB worth of samples on my computer (once you have Kontakt, Halion, The Grand and a few others and then some sample packs...) and, when you add that space to the amount required by the music software and the operating system, you're easily around of 700-800 GB of data... If your system drive is 1TB, you don't have that much space left (and you need to leave some free space on your system drive in order to keep the pc working), so an additional drive for sample libraries becomes a requirement in my opinion...
For me, one of the biggest benefit of keeping the sample libraries on a separate drive (or a least a separate partition) is that they safe in case you need to restore/reinstall your operating system. I experienced it a few weeks ago (on a new machine!) and this saved me hours of downloading, I only had to set the path for the various libraries on Native Access (one by one... I wish there was a sort of "batch scan", where you can set a root folder and let Native Access do the hard work of looking for all the "missing libraries" into that folder).
I quite like the idea of a separate partition / drive for plugins, but they often write additional files (preferences, resources, etc) on additional folders, so I need to do a fresh install anyway... I back up all the installers (when possible!) sorted by brand and with version number, though!
Speaking of performances, you should look at how much you access your drives when making music. If you use just a bunch of samples and a few audio tracks, a separate drive for the libraries will not make a huge difference (or a difference at all), given the speed of current solid state drives... if you use a lot of big sample libraries or sample based synths, which are streaming from disk, then a dedicated drive for libraries could make sense for performances.
I would use a dedicated drive for another reason, anyway: the space required by sample libraries. I think I have at least 300 GB worth of samples on my computer (once you have Kontakt, Halion, The Grand and a few others and then some sample packs...) and, when you add that space to the amount required by the music software and the operating system, you're easily around of 700-800 GB of data... If your system drive is 1TB, you don't have that much space left (and you need to leave some free space on your system drive in order to keep the pc working), so an additional drive for sample libraries becomes a requirement in my opinion...
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
When I set up a new computer about two years ago, NA would only allow me to download Kontakt factory lib on the system drive, and all of it. Fortunately NA as worked perfectly for me then and does now, but I didn't have enough room for that [1 TB] and had to copy many things over to an external (backup, spinning) drive I was never going to stream samples from. So I paid to have 2TB this time and considered more but Apple gouges the crap out of us for this kind of thing. I so do not need all of that KFL (not sure I need any of it today) but I needed a couple of things at the moment (I liked the VSL lite choir, not terribly realistic but has a certain appeal, kind of mellotronish).
I don't think it's necessary to go to the extent of a drive just for samples if your hardware is current, not behind the belief 'system drive' is a bottleneck like it is with a spinning drive. To a near certainty. So I would keep it simple and not create unnecessary problems for myself.
So: "question is if it is a good choice to install NI Application, Content, VST-paths in another directory" - if it's an NVME SSD the need for a drive for samples isn't, not really. I do have preferences to install these where they're going to end up anyway, but the plugin and application paths are default.
Backing my whole system up, now around 1.25 TB, I'll need to be strategic, though.
Nah, Time Machine did 1.21TB in a couple hours. I left the things alone I can easily access from somebody else's server.
I don't think it's necessary to go to the extent of a drive just for samples if your hardware is current, not behind the belief 'system drive' is a bottleneck like it is with a spinning drive. To a near certainty. So I would keep it simple and not create unnecessary problems for myself.
So: "question is if it is a good choice to install NI Application, Content, VST-paths in another directory" - if it's an NVME SSD the need for a drive for samples isn't, not really. I do have preferences to install these where they're going to end up anyway, but the plugin and application paths are default.
Backing my whole system up, now around 1.25 TB, I'll need to be strategic, though.
Nah, Time Machine did 1.21TB in a couple hours. I left the things alone I can easily access from somebody else's server.
Last edited by jancivil on Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Banned
- 1779 posts since 26 Aug, 2012
At least you're able to get it going, I cant even access native access (they really need to change that name) all because I changed network providers. The instructions to resolve this issue of course doesn't fix. So now I dont buy NI products and I cant even update the ones I own. Oh well.bungle wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:00 pm Native access is terrible on Win 10, it will crash during installs and just not bother telling you, so don't use the install all option, just install a few at a time and you will be golden.
Personally I create a Komplete folder at root on my second internal drive, I also have all my VST folders at root on the same drive.
D://Komplete
D://VST
D://VST64
D://VST3
Inside my VST64 folder I create sub folders with the developer name
D://VST64/Native Instruments
My D://VST folder is all X32 stuff, and I only use it as a temp folder for deletion, so if an installer doesn't allow me to turn off installing x32 versions of plugins (Native Instruments for example) I can just install them all in the VST folder and then select them all and delete them, note here that that will show your plugins in NI access as broken and allow you to repair, ignore it, it just cant find the X32 installs, it makes zero difference.
My VST3 folder is actually a relocation, so the original folder location remains (Its a default system folder) but it is pointed at the relocation on root of my second drive (FYI I also do that for all the My documents folders etc too)
Their products are just recycles from old ones anyway.