Hello. So thanks to the help of the folks on this forum, I was able to successfully download and install Cakewalk by BandLab (CWbBL) yesterday (everything worked without any problems - yeah!). So now, my Win 7 studio computer has my old copy of CW Sonar X2 on it, and the most recent version of CWbBL.
When a plug-in allows it, I install it into a dedicated plug-in folder on my C: drive (C:/Music/VSTplugins on my computer). I do this to try and keep things organized and where I can easily find them. I have a copy of Z3TA+2 that I bought from CW. The Z3TA+2 installer does not allow the user to choose the install location, so my copy of Z3TA+2 is now located at C:/Program Files/Cakewalk/Z3TA+2. Within that folder are three Z3TA+2 sub-folders (Resources, Arpeggios, and Documentation). However, the Z3TA+2.dll file is located at C:/Program Files/Cakewalk/VstPlugins/Z3TA+2 - this folder contains two files: Z3TA+2_64.dll and Z3TA+2_64 application)
In addition, there is a folder named Z3TA+2 located at C:/Program Files/Common Files/VST3/ Within that folder is one file named Z3TA+2_64.vst3
If I open the CWbBL Plug-in Manager, under VST Instruments it points to C:/Program Files/Cakewalk/VstPlugins/Z3TA+2/Z3TA+2_64.dll; under VST3 Instrument, it points to C:/Program Files/Common Files/VST3/Z3TA+2_64.vst3.
So this is confusing, right? Where possible, I would like to remove unneeded and duplicate files and organize related files together in one place.
Can I move the files Z3TA+2_64.dll and Z3TA+2_64.vst3 to my dedicated plug-in folder at C:/Music/VSTplugins? Will CWbBL be able to find them there? Can I move the Z3TA+2 folder that contains the resources and arpeggio files to my dedicated Cakewalk folder (where I try and keep other CW-related files) and still have Z3TA+2 locate necessary resources and arpeggios?
Special Bonus Question: what is the difference between VST2 and VST3? Does that concern me the user or only people who code VST plug-ins?
Thanks for your help; sorry for the super-nerdy and boring question.