i honestly don't know.
when he built my PC he did give me a bunch of discs but a month or two ago I looked through that stack and didn't see Cakewalk.  i could have lost them as there are other things i have on my PC i don't have backup for either and well my office has been quite messy at times over the year :-/
 
aside from all of that....i just fear I would screw it up and don't want to potentially mess something up that IS working for me today.
 
i figure my next PC i'll have enough smarts to at least handle a new DAW setup.  so for now concern is just over any tweaks i can do to possible clean things up and even more important - how i go about adding new VSTs going forward?  namely - where does all of the program data go (i.e. all of the stuff that might come with the .dll file) 
 
and how can i get these rapture expansion packs to the right place?
 

"It's best to put the application files in the default locations in "Program Files" (or "Program Files x86") and just change the location of the VST to your custom VST folder"
 
so when you say "the VST" you mean simply the .dll file?
i'm sorry if i'm being confusing.  basically i just want to add new synths/plugins/apps etc.  they always have the .dll file and then many times "the other stuff".  you are saying put the .dll file into the vstplugins folder and then put everything else into Program Files?
 
 
with rapture (being the noob i am) i've only played with the programs so far.  i can see by looking at the expansion pack data that I should have extra programs to choose from and they just aren't there.
i would be tempted to just copy and paste this stuff into the rapture folder that IS being used but i gather i would mess things up there ;)

seed
"It's best to put the application files in the default locations in "Program Files" (or "Program Files x86") and just change the location of the VST to your custom VST folder"
 
so when you say "the VST" you mean simply the .dll file?
i'm sorry if i'm being confusing.  basically i just want to add new synths/plugins/apps etc.  they always have the .dll file and then many times "the other stuff".  you are saying put the .dll file into the vstplugins folder and then put everything else into Program Files?

 
When there is an installation package for a plug-in, changing the VST location usually just puts the .dll file in your custom location, although sometimes there are some additional files that get placed in the VST location as well. Then yes, everything else (like application files) gets installed in the usual Program Files location.
 
 

seedwith rapture (being the noob i am) i've only played with the programs so far.  i can see by looking at the expansion pack data that I should have extra programs to choose from and they just aren't there.
i would be tempted to just copy and paste this stuff into the rapture folder that IS being used but i gather i would mess things up there ;)

 
Actually, if you have the disk space, you could try copying (not moving) the expansion pack sample files to where the default Rapture sample files are located. It's not the best solution but considering your situation it may get you going.

seed
I apologize for the laundry list of questions...They are all somewhat related and I wanted to just put it all out here instead of creating a million threads.
 

Create as many threads as you need to. Separate questions in separate threads tends to make it easier to deal with. By including too many diverse issues in one single thread you might be missing out on some good answers and useful comments from those who find lengthy and complex threads off-putting.
 
By the way, which version of Sonar you are using?
 

Be clear too that VST and DX plugins are 2 different things.
 
VST plugins give you flexibility during installation but DX plugins usually don't and for the most part stay where the installer puts them
 
Most of your plugins however will be VST's with the caveat that now there are also VST3 plugins to go along with the VST2. A lot for you to learn.

seed
with rapture... i can see by looking at the expansion pack data that I should have extra programs to choose from and they just aren't there.
i would be tempted to just copy and paste this stuff into the rapture folder that IS being used but i gather i would mess things up there ;)

The expansion pack installers for Rapture (and for DimPro too) don't always install to the correct location and it is therefore often necessary to move the files manually in Windows Explorer.
 
Remember that these expansion packs include programs as well as multisamples, so that's two sets of things that you need to move.
 
And don't forget to press the F5 key the first time you browse the programs in Rapture.

When you install plugins, they not only place a .dll file in a VST folder, they often write several entries to your registry regarding the install. Therefore, it follows that moving the .dll breaks the registry entries and can make it hard (or indeed impossible) for the program to find, and interact, with the relevant files.
 
In this case it may be best to let sleeping dogs lie, and look towards creating a better install routine for your next computer. There are some very computer literate people in this forum that would be only too happy to help you with a new install if you require. I'm not sure this thread is the best one for this question, but others may chime in and help with that.

thanks much everyone my grasp is surely a little better here
 
kev999 - it's a good point for sure.  i often stress the balance between creating a thread w/ too many questions vs. being a pest that creates too many threads :)  i'm using producer 8.5 - I just posted the questions here because i know they are general blanket concepts and should get more attention
 
rapture expansion is just confusing the heck out of me.  after reading constant for the past 24 hours i'm seeing that these packs had issues with installation when first released and cakewalk tells us how to move the files.
not very specific though and i generally just don't know what i'm looking at. 
 
from my above post:
C>Program Data>Cakewalk Rapture (in there I have EG, MIDI, Programs, SG, Sample Pool folders).
E>Program Files>Cakewalk>Rapture (in there I have LFO waveforms, Multisamples, Programs, Resources, Tunings, a .dll and .exe file). 
 
My initial thought was that the stuff on my E drive was the expansion packs that rapture can't find.  though as my brain is swirling and I read more i feel like both of these paths are part of the original installation (it grabs programs etc. from the C path and multisample info from the E path).  I was up late last night but i'm pretty sure i saw in the E path programs folder......all of the expansion pack stuff.  SO......it appears that either my buddy or the initial cakewalk installer tried to put a programs folder on my E path when it should have went to C??
 
i'm kicking myself because amongst the million pages i read last night one of them someone posted a screenshot of their rapture file structure and i didn't realize how valuable that would be until i had long forgetten what site it was on
 

 
If anyone can give me an idea of the paths and folders that make up their rapture + expansion I think that would give me the info I need to know what truly belongs where.
 
either way i can't thank you all enough for your help and boost of confidence (which my paranoia and fear surely need!)
 
 

 
Your Rapture is looking pretty similar to mine. Mine was split out by the Installer so your locations are valid. I'll explain a bit more (from what I know).
 
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Rapture (for x64, x32 in "Program Files (x86))
- Documentaion
- LFO Waveforms
- Multisamples
- Resources
- Tunings
--- Rapture.dll (DXi or VSTi (?))
--- Rapture.exe (Standalone)
 
(I've got my VSTs (x64 and x32) out under a common VST location. Can't remember if I copied them or prompted during install).
 
C:\ProgramData\Cakewalk\Rapture
- EG
- MIDI
- Programs
--- Elements
--- Expansion Pack
--- programs.lst
- Sample Pool
- SG
 
Expansions will come as Installs or Unzip/Copies. They'll typically come with instructions but depending on what they have in them .prog are deployed under Programs, .wav and .sfz are deployed under Multisamples.
To make your new Expansions visible you've got to regenerate the programs.lst file by opening the Program Browser from within Rapture and pressing F5.
 
Do you have the Documentation folder? Better/more info in both the .chm and .pdf. They explain the File Organization and more ... briefly:
 
Documentation\
- Documentation folder. Release Notes, User Manual and Registration information.
LFO Waveforms\
- LFO Waveforms folder. All factory LFO waveforms. User-defined waverforms can be stored here as well.
MIDI\
- MIDI folder. All MIDI Learn data.
Multisamples\
- Multisamples folder. All factory wavetables, multisample definitions and sample collections.
Programs\
- Programs folder. All factory presets/programs. Rapture will point to this folder on Save...Program.
Programs\Elements\
- Elements folder. All factory elements. Rapture will point to this folder on Save...Element.
Sample Pool\
- Sample Pool folder. Project/Demo song specific samples.
Tunings\
- Tunings folder. All microtuning and alternate tuning files.

awesome, awesome post Shellsta!
 
i can't wait to get home and try matching this stuff up thanks so much :)