Vstplugins folder

[With an E]

Hello all,

Is it safe to put ANYTHING into a Vstplugins folder read by REAPER, or any other app for that matter?

I have user info in all sorts of formats, and my own patches for plugins, spread around all over the place. If there wasn't a danger of corrupting anything, I'd like to save everything pertaining to the plugins I use in the one (easily backed up) place.

Why is it SOME plugins have a mother folder in the main Applications folder, while others have everything bunged right in with them in the Vstplugins folder?

Do apps and plugins have a more robust ability to recognize each other (in among a range of other file types) than I am giving them credit for?

[With an E]

Nobody knows nuthin???

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by With an E

Is it safe to put ANYTHING into a Vstplugins folder read by REAPER, or any other app for that matter?

Yes, I would think so. Reaper only looks for *.dll files when scanning the plugin dir. However, it also recurses directories, I don't know how deep but at least one level, so having lots of dirs with non-dlls would seem to increase the scanning time.

I have user info in all sorts of formats, and my own patches for plugins, spread around all over the place. If there wasn't a danger of corrupting anything, I'd like to save everything pertaining to the plugins I use in the one (easily backed up) place.

Why not have one dir with two subdirs. In one subdir you have all teh vsts that you want Reaper to scan, and you set Reapers plugin path to this dir. The other subdir includes all your other stuff. Now you simply backup the "mother" dir with the two sub dirs. That's the way I'd do it.

Why is it SOME plugins have a mother folder in the main Applications folder, while others have everything bunged right in with them in the Vstplugins folder?

Some are simply better behaved than others. Personally I think that vst's should install themselves into their own dir. I too often have to fiddle with this manually.

Do apps and plugins have a more robust ability to recognize each other (in among a range of other file types) than I am giving them credit for?

I think so, yes.

[With an E]

Thanks for your reply Fabian; exactly what I was looking for.

I do have a 'UAD-1 still available demos' folder inside the Steinberg folder but outside the Vstplugins folder.

I guess the Steinberg folder should be the 'mother'.

With people using more than one VST capable app these days, I guess there SHOULD be a master VST folder, with surrogate VST folders attached to each app.

Reaper could have ALIASES to the VSTs is actually wants in IT'S VST folder.

No doubt, as the whole 'in the box' experience evolves, plugins and file management will evolve too.

Thanks again for the info

[TimOBrien]

I keep my plugs in a folder on the root level of my drive:

C:/VST

I then add that path to the vst scan options of all my audio software.
That way:

A) Programs like Cubase that have their own vsts that won't work in any other sequencer have their plugs in their own subfolders and I don't get the "You can only run this plugin in Cubase" alerts...

B) Setting and maintaining other computers on my home network as Reaper ReaMote vst processors is easy; just copy the entire C:/VST folder to each machine (or keep it synchronized with PathSync)

C) Backup is easy. I just drag the entire VST folder over to a USB drive I store in a firesafe or burn the entire folder to a DVD.

[With an E]

Originally Posted by TimOBrien

I keep my plugs in a folder on the root level of my drive:

C:/VST

I then add that path to the vst scan options of all my audio software.
That way:

A) Programs like Cubase that have their own vsts that won't work in any other sequencer have their plugs in their own subfolders and I don't get the "You can only run this plugin in Cubase" alerts...

B) Setting and maintaining other computers on my home network as Reaper ReaMote vst processors is easy; just copy the entire C:/VST folder to each machine (or keep it synchronized with PathSync)

C) Backup is easy. I just drag the entire VST folder over to a USB drive I store in a firesafe or burn the entire folder to a DVD.

Thanks for this extra info (and tips) Tim; I wondered about the safety of a root level Vstplugins folder.