I encountered exactly the same problem.
Strange thing is - actually I have two fx-chains stored inside of Vegas 4 but I can't find a folder where they are placed in.

Plugin Chains is what I can't figure out. BillyBoy said the only way to retrieve them is to save them in a veg file. This sounds rediculous to me, why can't they be stored in a file folder that can be transferred easily from one version to another.
Same applies to effect settings, when I modify an effect, for example; say I tweaked the color correcting effect and named it, then saved it...where is this setting being saved to ? what file folder, within Windows. It saves to a file folder within Vegas, but these folders do not appear in windows??? ) Stange... thanks.

I think one reason is that some effects do not work in other versions of VV. The color correction filters would not work in VV 2 for example. I believe you do have an option of saving a project as a template so conceptually you could set up your plug-in chain in the track fx settings and than save it as a template...dunno if that would help you or not.

As for settings overall - If you log out of windows and log on as another user, load up VV - the settings will not be there. The user settings are stored normally under that users profile. So I the answer to what you ask is the saved settings, templates, are in the users profile. For XP it would be something like: "C:\Documents and Settings\*USER NAME*\Application Data\Sonic Foundry\File Templates\" and for things like plug-in chains and the plug-in settings look here: "C:\Vegas 4.0\Presets" ("C" being whatever drive or loaction you installed VV to)

If I said that, I must have been asleep at the time. <wink>

Last part of your question first. Its easy to save a custom 'preset' which is how some FX is currently set. For example say you discovered this great color curves setting which can be trickly to duplicate.

Here's all you need to do to make a custom preset that will get added to the menu of other presets:

1. drag the color curves fitler to the timline adjust as you want
2. give it a name, like my super-duper color curve
3. click on the little floppy disk icon that's to the right in the FX work window.

Your new preset will get added to the preset list for color curves. AFAIK, there's no way to sort the presets, so your newest is added to the bottom of the list regardless what name you give it.

To save a plug-in chain (a group of FX filters).

1. drag and drop whatever FX filters you want to use a a group on some event.
2. In the FX work area upper right, click on plug-in (green square like icon)
3. Above step should open plug-in chooser window.
4. click save as and give your plug-in chain a name, click OK.

The 'chain' is now added to the default list. This way you can have a whole series of plug-in you can drop in new events or projects.

Well, but I remember former there was a way to locate a file on the system which could be stored to floppy or transfered by email and installed on another system to share FX-Chains. I'm sure I already managed sharing of fx-chains this way (but this was in version 3 of VegasVideo).
But unfortunately I can't remember what the processes was to do this and I can't remember in which folder that file is located or what's its name (I think it was NOT the name given in the FX-Chain dialog box inside of Vegas.

Marco

BillyBoy, I've gotten this far, but here is the problem... say now I reinstall windows and then reinstall Vegas, how do I backup those plugin chains to a floppy or to another hard drive to be able to load back into my list again?? These files are nowhere to be found in windows. I realize I could save them within a veg file, but is there not any other way of doing this. Thanks in advance.

On my system the fx chains are stored here - C:\Program Files\Sonic Foundry\Vegas 4.0\Presets\FX Packages\{31BF667C-F528-4314-B225-DB542407BE00} as *.sfv files. Maybe you just need to copy these to your other PC?

Cheers,

Scott

I don't know if this is will work or not so use caution.

You can locate .sfv files (on any type for that matter) using Windows Search.

Start/all files and folders/ enter: '.sfv' no quotes then press enter. That should locate the files regardless where they get stuck on your PC. Should be under FX Packages under Vegas' folder under Sonic Foundry if you installed at the default location. Now what if anything happens if you copy them to a floppy then install on on another PC I haven't tired. Off the top of my head I don't think anything will happen, but if someone wants to try.

I said in my post where the files were - now like any other file if you want to back it up go to the locations I told you and just drag the contents over to a floppy or a zip drive or a CD-R - wherever.

I am useing VV 4b and the locations I gave before are where the files are located. For example I have an FX preset called "DVfilm1" and it is located in the VV 4 install directory under "\Presets\{D74190DC-109B-11D3-BC43-00C04F6B803E}\dvfilm1.dxp". My plug-in chain presets are located in the VV 4 directory under "\Presets\FX Packages" and there are a bunch of folders, each one containing an *PRESETNAME*.sfv file. For the template files, in Windows XP, as I said the location is "C:\Documents and Settings\*USERS NAME*\Application Data\Sonic Foundry" and there is one folder called "Vegas" and another called "File Templates". For example in that folder I have a sub folder called "{EA9D287B-C85A-11D3-BB3A-0050DA1A5B06}" and it contains my render templates such as "dvfilm widescreen.sft"

I've tried this already, I copied those files ( C:\Program Files\Sonic Foundry\Vegas 4.0\Presets\FX Packages\{31BF667C-F528-4314-B225-DB542407BE00}) from version 3 to a new install of version 3 after a new windows install, put them in the exact folder to where they were on the old istall, and they still don't even show up in Vegas????
I'm completely in AHHHHHHH. With Vegas 4 , this folder doesn't even exist, I do like that? Does anyone at SF have any suggestions? Thanks.

It looks you also need some registry settings. Do a search for .sfv in the registry and export as a .reg file just the section you need. Make a backup .reg of the equivalent section on the target machine before overwriting it.

For V4 I found an entry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\DirectShow\Presets\FX Packages. There may be other entries. I haven't tried this myself.

Thanks filmy, I never looked in the "user name" directory, things might look different there. I'll try it! Thanks again everyone for your feedback. Later.

Yeah, the "Presets"-folder! That's what it WAS! But nowaday there is no such a folder no more on my system ...!???

Marco

Strange is - I don't have this folder "Presets" no more.
I know it's been there with VegasVideo 3, but it's no more existent on my system now. How comes?

Marco