Hi,
 
Hoping you guys can help me understand this better....
 
If I were to rename my DXi plugs, is it likely to cause any havok with Sonar?   I use a VST to DXi adapter and can therefore use that adapter to rename the resulting DXi that is exposed to host applications like Sonar.  I'd like to remove any developer/mfr name from the front end of the name so the plugs reflect better in the Sonar FX bins as the number of characters are limited.   For example - let's use Variety of Sound's FerricTDS:  Rather than see "Variety of ..."  in the FX bin I would prefer instead to see "FerricTDS"   Because, not only is it easier to distinguish, but when having the mfr name first and also having more than one Variety of Sound plugin installed they can no longer be distinguished by glancing at the FX bin.  You get the idea.
 
Anyway, to recap, just wondering if it is generally considered safe to rename plugs after the fact. Any impacts to previous projects, Sonar in general, etc?  Possible Windows implications? 
 
Sonic

Renaming VST's in most cases will be ok, assuming of course it's a simple DLL and not part of a larger install.
 
Renaming DXi's is a completely different thing altogether. DXi's are COM objects, which means they're registered via a unique ID called a GUID. This is stored in the Windows registry. When DXi compatible hosts look for DXi's, they look in the registry for GUID's of a particular "class" (i.e. DX & DXi), not the file system. 
 
Renaming a DXi won't change the GUID, but it will break the "link" between the GUID and the DLL you've renamed.
 
You might be able to get away with the following:
 
1. BEFORE you rename, first unregister the DLL to remove it from the registry by executing the following:
 
regsvr32 -u <yourplugin>.dll   
 
 
2. Rename your DLL
 
3. Re-register your DLL using it's new name by executing:
 
regsvr32 <yournewpluginname>.dll
 
There's no guarantees this will work though, as parts of a VSTi may still refer to other parts by name.

Thanks Mark.  However, looks like I need to further clarify:  We are not talking about renaming the DLL.  Just the NAME OF THE DXi that is portrayed to the host.  This is possible with the VST to DXi adapter I'm using (DirectiXer) which allows for editing the name of the DXi that is portrayed to the host.  I think the Cakewalk Plugin Manager even allows for this kind of thing to some extent.  Anyway, the underlying VST file name (DLL) is not changed.  I've performed DXi naming alterations within DirectiXer few times before just to get Sonar to group plugins together and noticed no side effects.  But before doing anything on a much larger scale I wanted to first better understand what the dependencies might be within Sonar and anything else.
 
Sonic
 
 

I've not tried this myself, but I think this will be fine.
 
Once DirectiXer is in play, Sonar/CbB will only see the DXi and won't be aware it's actually a VST under the hood.
 
 

msmcleod
I've not tried this myself, but I think this will be fine.
 
Once DirectiXer is in play, Sonar/CbB will only see the DXi and won't be aware it's actually a VST under the hood.
 

Correct, but Sonar will still see the change of name/description of the plugin, as then reflected in the Sonar FX bins.   If bindings are done by connecting file names with COM/CLSID's then I agree that aspect won't likely be a problem.  But, it still leaves the question of any other side effects in Sonar or the registry.

If I have Sonar set to scan for plugs at startup, maybe that is why it always seems to pick up name changes?  And I wonder if the names displayed in the FX bins are stored within a project or always populated upon being loaded?

I just want to avoid a situation that leaves a bunch of chaos inside the registry or Sonar.  Even if renaming "appears" to work Ok, that doesn't mean it might not leave internal chaos that could cause other/future issues.   So the thinking is, before I do anything large scale it would be good to try and understand the implications better.
 
Sonic

Ok, after a good deal of testing and inspecting the impacts to the DAW (registry, the VST adapter, Sonar and other factors) it seems entirely safe to change the name/description of plugins.   Everything seems to clean itself up and be aware of the changes, with no garbage, confusion or side-effects within the system.  

Have I mentioned lately I how much I hate computers?   
 
Sonic