This is kind of an extension of a question I asked recently on here.
 
I was wondering, since all my VSTs over the years have installed in multiple different folders... what would happen if I moved them all into one VSTs folder under C:\Program Files\Vstplugins OR 2, one under the x86 program files folder for 32bit vsts and the 64bit ones in the regular Program Files...
 
Would existing projects fail to load the proper plugin because of the move? Would updates for plugins fail to install because of the move?
 
I'm trying to feel it out... It's something I'm definitely curious about... Maybe I'll leave it for my next format and reinstall whenever that may be... But it seems like it would be something worth doing...
 
Thanks

 what would happen if I moved them all into one VSTs folder under C:\Program Files\Vstplugins OR 2, one under the x86 program files folder for 32bit vsts and the 64bit ones in the regular Program Files...
 
Would existing projects fail to load the proper plugin because of the move? Would updates for plugins fail to install because of the move?

No, all you need to do is make sure the VST scan scans the new folder locations for the dll's
 
CJ

Not entirely true...
 
Some plug-ins have a path stored somewhere and moving them will require a registry/config file change (eg. Rapture).
 
I'd strongly advise against putting any 32 bit VSTs in Program Files (x86) because of UAC and permissions: create a root directory (say) called VST (x86).

I have not ran into any issues moving VST's dll's around and i've moved them around since Sonar 2 to keep everything neat. (10years)
 
Cj

Projects are not sensitive to plug-in locations. The only preconditions for a project, is the plug-in be properly installed and scanned.
 
The issue with updates is the same as moving the plug-in in the first place. Updates fall into two categories, those that ask for the plug-in location (sometimes they will pick up a default from the registry) and those which read the previous install location from the registry. If the previous installation location is written in the registry, there are usually dependencies which will cause the relocation to fail anyway.
 
All the existing plug-in locations can be stitched together using mklink with the /d or /j switch into a single directory tree if that is the goal of the exercise.

It'll certainly make for an interesting project... For now I don't really have time to dig into it yet, but I'm kinda feeling it out to see if it's something that could potentially work and make it easier to manage. My first post was about Kontakt 5 seemingly having 6 different dlls (as well as others having multiples) and it just seems like if there were only 1 or 2 folders it would be easier to keep track of and delete old, unused stragglers.
 
Thanks for your suggestions.

Well, many plugins don't have an install, and are simply copied into a folder or sub-folder, and these can be moved anytime to anywhere, as long as you maintain their current location in the search paths for Sonar.  
 
It seems to generally be stand-alone versions of synths/effects that get the actual Windows installation, with Registry entries and all of that, and then the accompanying 32-bit and 64-bit plugins routinely just end up copied into a common path, such as VST Plugins, or wherever.
 
From Sonar's perspective, as long as it finds it, through search-path inclusion, it will attempt to load it.
 
The other aspect is when there is associated CONTENT for a given plugin, such as a sample library for Kontakt 5, or Dimension Pro, or a preset library - and such.  These generally EITHER are fixed, for some products, in which case you may have to reinstall to move, or might not be able to move at all, OR they may have an internal parameter that you can adjust to point the product to wherever its associated content lives.  In that case, this is usually an install option, and if you change it later, you would change the path in the software and then typically do some sort of 'refresh' function to reconnect it to its associated content at the new location.
 
So, the bottom line is that you should be able to move many/most things around, but you will certainly have to look at the nature of what any particular plugin's processing requirements are designed, and then you would react accordingly.
 
When I install things, I usually install into the appropriate program files folder (x32/x64) per a given program's installation process defaults, and for dll placement, if given a choice, I specify either the Cakewalk plugins folder, or to one I created - VST Plugins (a sub-folder within the x32 and x64 program folders).  
 
Plugins that are just downloaded dll's from places such as KVR, or wherever, usually get placed by me into one of the 2 VST Plugins folders.
 
You can also group the display of things in many ways - here are a couple of Sonar documentation links that talk about this:
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X3&language=3&help=Browser.07.html
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X3&language=3&help=Mixing.36.html
 
I hope that helps, 
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 

I just saw you comments about the multiple dll's for Kontakt.  There are different versions of the Kontakt dll, for differing numbers of outputs associated with each one of 3 of those.
 
Kontakt 5 has a version for 8 outputs, 16 outputs, and one for 64 outputs.  These all display as simply 3 entries in the x64 display of VST instruments (Kontakt 5, Kontakt 5, and Kontakt 5), so you don't know which one is which.
 
Sooo, what I chose to do was to pull each one of those up in the Cakewalk Plug-In Manager, then open the Properties of each one, then look at the Details of each one, which will then tell you which one is which (it will tell you how many outputs a given Kontakt dll is set to use).
 
I then RENAMED each of those Kontakt dll versions, in the Properties section of the Cakewalk Plug-In Manager, to include the number of outputs each one has, so now my 3 Kontakt dll versions are named: Kontakt 5 - 8 Outputs, Kontakt 5 - 16 Outputs, and Kontakt 5 - 64 Outputs.  This makes it SUPER easy to choose the appropriate one for loading into whatever project I am working on.
 
I hope the above helps - it certainly helps me, every day.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

A quick-and-dirty thing to try is to leave your existing configuration exactly as it is and do the following:
 
1. Create a new folder called VST_plugins (or whatever you want), and then copy (not move!) all the VST dll-files there. 
 
2. Start Sonar and delete all the folders locations listed in the plugin manager search path except the one you just created (you might want to take a screenshot before you delete them).
 
3. Rescan your VSTs in the new folder.
 
4. Load each VST in turn and see if it works properly.  After confirming that it does, remove the old copy.
 
If it turns out that only a few don't work in the new folder, you could uninstall just those and reinstall them (and any new ones going forward) in the new folder.
 
Cheers...

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