VST plugin folder recommendations and experience

mudsmith wrote on 5/19/2012, 4:20 PM
After my earlier thread about some specific audio plug-in malfunctions, I have looked at my file folder setup on my C drive and found out that my new Izotope plugs are all in a VST folder in the Steinberg (!)(haven't installed any Steinberg products on this computer yet, I don't think, though I own many, but VST is a Steinberg invention to be sure) folder, while my newly installed WavesV9 package is sitting by itself in another folder on the top level simply labelled "VST".

What is the recommended organization for all the VST plugs in the experience of veteran Vegas users out there? Should I have them all in one folder? Do I need to establish any other organizational things outside of Vegas?

Do I then need to indicate this folder in some preferences menu or other?

I am guessing that this could, at the very least, have been causing the Waves problem when a Waves plug was linked in a chain with an Izotope plug on the same clip.

I want to express appreciation for any advice in advance. In the past, my VST folders have all been united on my old systems, and I did not have as many going at once......I was also using Waves as Direct X on at least one of my computers, so....

I will probably call Waves eventually for more advice when I get a chance on Mon. or so.....

Comments

Geoff_Wood wrote on 5/19/2012, 8:16 PM
Nearest thing to a standard seems to be:
C:\Program Files\Vstplugins\ and
C:\Program Files (x86)\VstpluginsI also keep a C:\vstplugins folder.

Polite applications often prompt for a preferred location !

geoff
mudsmith wrote on 5/20/2012, 11:45 AM
I have been doing so much installing on this machine in the last 2 weeks that I have not been paying as much attention as I should, or usually do, to every install destination.

The question, I guess, is: Are you functioning okay while maintaining these 3 different folders?......Or are you suggesting that any one of these 3 would be normal?

Will be doing some internal maintenance on the computer today, so maybe I will come up with a little more info.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/20/2012, 12:09 PM
> "The question, I guess, is: Are you functioning okay while maintaining these 3 different folders?......Or are you suggesting that any one of these 3 would be normal?"

The way it's supposed to work is that the first installer for a VST plug-in is supposed to establish the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VST\VSTPluginsPath

This becomes the default path that all subsequent installers should look for and use. Unfortunately, many installers simply ignore this and "do their own thing" making VST's a bit of the "wild, wild west"

This was all before 32-bit/64-bit came into being. The "recommended" locations are to place all 32-bit VST's under:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Vstplugins

and all 64-bit VST's under:

C:\Program Files\Vstplugins

This allows you to have 32-bit application point to one while 64-bit applications can point to the other (or both)

Vegas Pro will correctly check the Windows Registry when installing and use the VST folder that is set in the VSTPluginsPath which is why I recommend adhering to that standard. This is how I had my computers set up.

~jr
Geoff_Wood wrote on 5/20/2012, 7:19 PM
Yes, works in mine.

geoff
SuperG wrote on 5/20/2012, 8:27 PM
It is possible to create per-plugin directories under vstplugins - expecially if you are manually installing a plugin by simply copying it.. It sometimes helps in organization, especially if you want to remove something. Vegas has no problems with this arrangement.
mudsmith wrote on 5/21/2012, 5:12 PM
A small detail for Waves users: Waves informed me that their actual plugs always live in the x86 area subfolder, while their Waveshell file lives in the C:/ProgramFiles/VSTPlugin folder.....directing everything to the 64bit iterations that live in the x86 subfolder!......They also told me to delete a specific dll in that same folder to make it impossible for Vegas to get confused about the 32bit/64bit conflict.

I am waiting for some response from Izotope now.......and there does seem to have been a possible error in the install with that package.

Will report back more when I know more.
Geoff_Wood wrote on 5/21/2012, 5:26 PM
They also told me to delete a specific dll

Pray tell which DLL ?!!!

geoff
mudsmith wrote on 5/21/2012, 5:50 PM
Inside ProgramFiles(x86)/Waves/Waveshells they said I could delete JUST the
Waveshell-VST 9.0.dll

I should add that their initial email instructions seemed to point to the wrong folder, and that there are a bunch of similarly named dlls in that folder......but this did leave the one named WaveShell-VST 9.0_x64.dll.....which is presumably what is used as the pointer.

But the guy on the phone verified everything, and I still seem to be getting Waves plugs into my project.
mudsmith wrote on 5/21/2012, 9:02 PM
But wait, there is more serious conflicting communication from Waves. I am not dealing with it anymore until tomorrow morning. Will report in at that time.

Sorry, for you and me both.