Cakewalk is “dead”?

[Jace-BeOS]

Can you install the VSTi instruments that come with Cakewalk, then uninstall Cakewalk and keep the instruments active?

I believe so. I think you just need to make a copy of them in your usual vst folder or drag them there. They work fine from other folders in other DAWs so I don't see any reason for them not to work if you uninstall Cakewalk.

The VST plugins might work if all of their assets are still installed where they expect to find them. You might not be able to just “copy the VST DLL” to where you like it. The DirectX plugins will only work with the few DAWs and such that explicitly support them.

You can move the VST instruments wherever you want them and they work fine. I have copies of them in my usual VST folder where VST Host can read them. It doesn't read Cakewalk's VST folder.

I’m not talking about the VST dll itself. The Cakewalk plugins tended to use much more than just the VST. Check your Program Files folders for more Cakewalk stuff. I don’t know if they all do but I know for sure that some of them require assets the installers put in other places; and maybe in the registry. Stuff the uninstaller will remove. The installers often do a lot more than just put a dll in the VSTplugins folder.

[Erisian]

Can you install the VSTi instruments that come with Cakewalk, then uninstall Cakewalk and keep the instruments active?

I believe so. I think you just need to make a copy of them in your usual vst folder or drag them there. They work fine from other folders in other DAWs so I don't see any reason for them not to work if you uninstall Cakewalk.

The VST plugins might work if all of their assets are still installed where they expect to find them. You might not be able to just “copy the VST DLL” to where you like it. The DirectX plugins will only work with the few DAWs and such that explicitly support them.

You can move the VST instruments wherever you want them and they work fine. I have copies of them in my usual VST folder where VST Host can read them. It doesn't read Cakewalk's VST folder.

I’m not talking about the VST dll itself. The Cakewalk plugins tended to use much more than just the VST. Check your Program Files folders for more Cakewalk stuff. I don’t know if they all do but I know for sure that some of them require assets the installers put in other places; and maybe in the registry. Stuff the uninstaller will remove. The installers often do a lot more than just put a dll in the VSTplugins folder.

But if I have moved the .dll, will it still find stuff it needs if it isn't embedded?

[Jace-BeOS]

Can you install the VSTi instruments that come with Cakewalk, then uninstall Cakewalk and keep the instruments active?

I believe so. I think you just need to make a copy of them in your usual vst folder or drag them there. They work fine from other folders in other DAWs so I don't see any reason for them not to work if you uninstall Cakewalk.

The VST plugins might work if all of their assets are still installed where they expect to find them. You might not be able to just “copy the VST DLL” to where you like it. The DirectX plugins will only work with the few DAWs and such that explicitly support them.

You can move the VST instruments wherever you want them and they work fine. I have copies of them in my usual VST folder where VST Host can read them. It doesn't read Cakewalk's VST folder.

I’m not talking about the VST dll itself. The Cakewalk plugins tended to use much more than just the VST. Check your Program Files folders for more Cakewalk stuff. I don’t know if they all do but I know for sure that some of them require assets the installers put in other places; and maybe in the registry. Stuff the uninstaller will remove. The installers often do a lot more than just put a dll in the VSTplugins folder.

But if I have moved the .dll, will it still find stuff it needs if it isn't embedded?

The DLL itself isn’t the issue, if there are associated resources elsewhere. The VST DLL is called by the host. The rest of the resources, if there are any, are called by the VST DLL, and their location might be referenced by hard-coded paths, OR might be located via registry entries created during installation.

If you run the UNinstaller, these potential resources and registry entries would likely be removed. That’s the caution I’m giving.

I’ve noticed this is the case for various VSTs over the years and it’s frustrating when a VST isn’t all self-contained. It makes it hard to move or restore existing installations when installers are lost or incompatible with the OS (Receptor, for example). It’s even worse when the designer of the software dumps settings in the registry and puts external resources in various and inconsistent locations elsewhere on the user’s system (user data folders, user configuration/settings folders, program files folders, etc). The rules on where software resources are to be placed in Windows systems hasn’t ever been rigidly enforced. I’ve even found various items deposited in the Windows folder by some software!

Edit:

The only sure thing is to do tests (and keep your installers).

Copy the DLLs to where you want. Do an uninstall, test the plugins you want to use in the host you prefer. Take notes on whatever error messages come up, if any do. If none, then congratulations, the plugins are likely self-contained (or the uninstaller failed to remove all the things it installed!).

[Erisian]

The only sure thing is to do tests (and keep your installers).

That is impossible as both Cakewalk and the VSTs can only be installed via the Bandlab assistant which means a large download that I cannot afford. (I am on a dongle) Still, your advice is good for those who want to try it.