Helpful ReplyRegedit to change default folder location?

Can someone please point me to the registry value that has to be changed to set a new default folder location? (Cakewalk Content). Thanks

I think you would need to assign that from "preferences" not Regedit.

+1

Just hit 'P' and scroll down to Folder Locations

Gentlemen, there is a very well documented bug that means that to change your default location for the Cakewalk Content folder, you have to edit the registry. Thanks

i'm surprised they haven't provided a tool to do this (cvhanging the reg entries), it would only take a day to knock one up

I'd just leave it where it is unless you want problems. 

"Plazma"
Can someone please point me to the registry value that has to be changed to set a new default folder location?

HKEY_CURRENT_USER :: Software :: Cakewalk Music Software :: Sonar Producer :: X1 :: UserPaths

Unfortunately it is not just one reg key.

My X1 browser does not respect the change of location for track templates. Annoying.

It would be preferable to have ALL folder locations determined by the install, and changeable by preferences.

All multisamples for all instruments should be put into one folder location, that is not hidden and buried.

Installing the 32 bit, and the 64 bit, versions of sonar results in 2 copies of rapture le samples, and programs.

I think NO sonar stuff should be put into buried, hidden folders. Especially user saved presets, programs, vsts, samples,....

Been using the registry search and replace tool from this site for learning about what is where and changing the location of samples:
http://www.resplendence.com/main


Obviously, create registry backups, and system restore points, before playing with the registry.

"jm24
Unfortunately it is not just one reg key.

It is in my environment where only 1 instance of Sonar X1 Expanded (64 bit) is installed. And exporting the folder containing the keys you want to modify before said modifications is a full proof safeguard against potential user messes. Not that I'm disagreeing with the main theme of your post btw. ;)

Thanks Alegria, much appreciated.

 Thanks Daveny5, but leaving my content folder where it is now is already a massive problem, and so it has to move to where I say it will be.

"Plazma"
so it has to move to where I say it will be

Completely agree..., and you're welcome! 

Why are you asking for someone to broadcast registry hacks. If that someone should know how to accomplish this deed. Then that person should be also held accountable for when Sonar is updated or upgraded. The installer will most likely be looking for certain pathways and values and bomb as a result.
 
Anyone looking to hack the registry ought to know full well what they are doing.
 
My question is; what is the big problem of this Cakewalk Contents Folder being where it is. Moving it to another hard drive? Because changing it to another location on the default drive is for nought.

Duplicate

"simpleman"
Why are you asking for someone to broadcast registry hacks.

What registry hacks are you talking about?

Simpleman, do yourself a favor and search this forum for "default folder". You will see that nobody less than Seth Perlstein tells us to regedit to move the default content folder location. This is not a hack. It is the ONLY way to tell Sonar that your content folder has been moved. You wrongly assume that I am moving this folder to elsewhere on the same drive - I am in fact moving it to a new drive purchased especially to store my sample collection.

Alegria, let's ignore him.

well, it's fair, they are "registry hacks" and they are being broadcast as a possible solution - although i really think cakewalk should sort this out -  a regedit "workaround" even if from seth is no real "solution"... you may have to "contact cakewalk directly" to achieve this, good luck, hth

Every one of us are offering what we think or thought were helpful to your request.  Don't bring that "let's ignore him" crap here!  What is Alegria anyway?

"BretB"
What is Alegria anyway?

"pwal"
well, it's fair, they are "registry hacks" and they are being broadcast as a possible solution

I ask again. What registry hacks are you referring to? The path I mentioned in my post #7?

I agree using the word 'hack' is subjective and is left up to interpretation. regedit as Microsoft coins it, has been referred too in both good and bad ways, as hacking the registry.
 
This is a good hack, it is not meant to be a virus or the like, but as well known,changing registry values can hose a program or system if not done precisely.
 
The concern I was addressing, is, if this value is changed it can cause a failure in some future update or quickfix. If Seth acknowledges it, then it ought to be listed in the Knowledge Base section of this site, detailing how to employ and how to work around in case it affects an update.
 
Being cynical though, I guess if one wants to futz around in the registry then you should know how futz around in the registry.
 
I looked at the Cakewalk Content folder and I see that some of the contents location and path can be changed in the Preferences Menu.
Does this not work?  Not at my DAW now.

"simpleman"
I agree using the word 'hack' is subjective and is left up to interpretation.

Yes it is. An overeaction in this case even though I understand your concern.

"simpleman"
The concern I was addressing, is, if this value is changed it can cause a failure in some future update or quickfix.

That's not going to happen and here's why. It's a user preference, a feature the "bakers" coded in enabling users to specify the default folder location for different types of Sonar files (eg. default/user templates). It was meant to be changed as this allows users greater flexibility in organizing/managing their audio related filing system. At worst, an update or quickfix could reset these values to the original default location (as proposed by Sonar), but usually and understandably, user preferences are not overwritten when dealing with these (updates/quickfixes). If for reason x, this was not the case, I simply specify my preferred default folder locations again.

"simpleman"
I looked at the Cakewalk Content folder and I see that some of the contents location and path can be changed in the Preferences Menu. Does this not work?

This is the right question to ask. It works for all folder locations... except the top one (Project Files), hence the need to manually edit the registry. I agree that this needs to be corrected. So..., the editable content you see when displaying the "Preferences / Folder Location" dialog box is to be found in the registry at the path I specified in my post #7. And this is what the OP was inquiring about.

You are making much more work out of this than necessary.

The Cakewalk Content folder is an arbitrary location set by Cakewalk to ensure that after instalation all the content files are in a locatiion that is not effected by UAC as its outside of the Program files folder trees.

As for any folders within the Cakewalk Content folder; these can all be redirected through Preferences should you want them somewhere else.

I have always had these files in other locations and never had a problem. Once you redirect the folders close SONAR down and the registry details for the folder locations shoudl be updated when SONAR next opens. If this is not the case for you then there is likely some aspect of your installation that is corrupt. Of course UAC settings and general permissions can also impact folders being allowed to be moved to other locations.

I'd suggest folks do a reinstalltion if they have some inexplicable events and or glitches. As per my recent experience.

Even though SONAR has been more stable since X1C I have had my share of little glitches that were difficult to reproduce inlcuding of recent, the inability to load any track tempates despite their existence in all the right places.

I've done a complete uninstallation and reinstalled everything to be greeted with a SONAR X1D Expanded that actually opens quickly and runs beautifully including returning me the use of track folders.

One point. Don't RUN SONAR in between installing any of the patches. Just close the installer by unchecking the Open readme file and Start SONAR boxes.

Also beware the fact that your original installation version of X1 and X1 Expanded have different Serial Numbers and these have to be entered at the appropriate times.

To all you girls that are having hissy fits about moving the default Content folder to a cutome location, and HOW to do it: Please read this post by Seth Perlstein: Re:Why "C:\Cakewalk Content" for the content folder? - March 30, 12 10:51 PM ( #16 ) Right, you need to change the locations of the folders in the registry after manually moving the Content folder post-install in order for the new locations to show up in the Content Locations Presets list in the Browser. Or you could delete all of those and re-save them using the new locations manually. Or you could re-install SONAR and choose Advanced Install and choose where to store the Cakewalk Content from there, which will write the correct registry locations when it installs. SP So, girls, this is NOT a "hack". It is the ONLY way of setting a new location in Sonar. But mostly: wtf is it to you, if I want to move my samples to another location??

blimey... "hack" just means "change"

To many people, any direct editing of the registry is a "registry hack". They've been told time and time again how you're not supposed to do it, even in Microsoft's own instructions. So naturally, folks have come to view registry edits as dangerous. And it is, even for advanced users who "know what they're doing".

However, there is a reason why regedit has been included in every Windows version since 1.0: sometimes it's the only way to get something configured. As long as you remember what you did and restrict yourself to application settings, there is actually little danger of an unrecoverable mistake. Learn how to backup and restore the registry and you reduce the risk factor to near zero.

As long as we're picking nits, "hack" does not mean "change". "Hack" implies an unsupported, undocumented or otherwise off-label tweak. This particular workaround does not qualify as a "hack", especially given that Cakewalk has documented both the problem and the solution. However, I completely understand simpleman's raising of concerns about sharing registry edits in a public forum.

"kludge" it is then

The judges accept "kludge".

"bitflipper"
As long as we're picking nits...

<cough>Windows 95 was when THE HIVES came to be</cough>

Plazma


To all you girls that are having hissy fits

is this attitude really necessary?.. (and yes, the answer is NO)..
 
FYI in the time taken to get irate at folks trying to help you coud simply have reinstalled sonar and its content to the locations of your choice.

Plazma


To all you girls that are having hissy fits about moving the default Content folder to a cutome location, and HOW to do it: Please read this post by Seth Perlstein: Re:Why "C:\Cakewalk Content" for the content folder? - March 30, 12 10:51 PM ( #16 ) Right, you need to change the locations of the folders in the registry after manually moving the Content folder post-install in order for the new locations to show up in the Content Locations Presets list in the Browser. Or you could delete all of those and re-save them using the new locations manually. Or you could re-install SONAR and choose Advanced Install and choose where to store the Cakewalk Content from there, which will write the correct registry locations when it installs. SP So, girls, this is NOT a "hack". It is the ONLY way of setting a new location in Sonar. But mostly: wtf is it to you, if I want to move my samples to another location??

this is one of the main reasons i refuse to answer any of your questions,for the most part the only time i see you on this forum you are asking a question but when someone raises a concern for others to follow further down line reading this thread you call them girls.
not to mention you cant even post a link to the thread where seth mentions this?
 
i have seen you ask questions on this forum and see those questions go unanswered for lenths of time.
hmmm, i wonder why?

I prefer to ignore folks who seem incapable of polite and reasonable discussion.
 
But there is a major failing within Preferences>Files>Folder Locations dialog
 
With the Browser update of X1 Expanded (I don't think SONAR 8.5.3 behaved like this) we now seem to have the unsatisfactory situation where - redirecting for example the Cakewalk Projects Folder to a new location via the SONAR Preferences>Folder Locations only results in half of the expected outcome.

After making said Preference change when you then open up the New Project dialog from the
Files >New menu, you default to the New Location for your New Project, but, SONAR's Browser is not updated until you perform an edit of the registry - just another inconsistency for SONAR X1 users.

You expect one outcome from one action but in fact have to perform 2 seperate actions, ie 
1. editing the Registry and
2. Change Preferences>Folder Location (for Cakewalk Projects in this case) change before getting a unified result.

Of course that's only if I want to use any or all of the default locations specified within the Browser quick find dialog. I am free to endlessly click within the Browser and use it just like Windows explorer. Why Offer the Preference and not deliver on the expectation that you are infact in control of some preference you have.

Everytime I think I have this sucker licked another weird thing gets uncovered.

.

"mudgel"
Of course that's only if I want to use any or all of the default locations specified within the Browser quick find dialog. I am free to endlessly click within the Browser and use it just like Windows explorer. Why Offer the Preference and not deliver on the expectation that you are infact in control of some preference you have.

It's nice to see you took the time to check things out. And on the other hand it's understandable that from a support POV, even a simple registry edit can turn out to be a nightmare (some users will inadvertently/unwillingly mess it up). If Cakewalk prefers not to have members broadcast Sonar related registry "adjustments", then I suggest that they let it be known. I don't have a problem with this either way. 

Yeh.
I'm not a big browser user apart from plugins. Being that samples I use are via the host plugin eg Kontakt or Play or Superior drummer etc. so it wasn't tuntil this thread prompted me to explore it further.

I'm happy enough to edit the registry all day but I find the current Preferences>Files>Folder Location situation with X1 completely unsatisfactory to say the least.

For an exotic function not easily got at maybe a rev edit is appropriate but for standard preferences to only perform half of the expected result is pretty poor programming.

My retirement from commercial audio production coincided pretty much with the release of X1C so my last 6 months of professional life were with SONAR 8.5 and other DAWs because of X1 not working on my system.

Once I did retire as X1C seemed to be pretty stable I moved over to it but haven't had a studio to work in and really dig in as much as I had with previous versions of SONAR.

I must admit I'm still taken aback with the things I uncover about X1, either from my own experiences or those I read about here. Just like this one 

It is not just one sub-key/data setting that will affect "Shared Content."

Depending upon which stuff you want to move, there are some more path bits here that you may need to change:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE :: Software :: Cakewalk Music Software :

=======================
Just finished a new full install of Sonar Producer Expanded. Crap is put everywhere:
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk
C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk
C:\ProgramData\Cakewalk                                 (hidden folder)
C:\Users\Jesse\AppData\Roaming\Cakewalk     (hidden folder)

I am always guessing about where my presets and programs are actually saved.
(Last time I saved a Dimension pro program the dialog opened to the last folder I had open in the windows explorer. So I had to navigate to the DP folder (hidden) to place the prog file in a spot DP would then list correctly.  This is silly.)

================

I had opened one of the included project files last night (C:\Cakewalk Projects\Cori Yarckin) with no problem.

And just now: I attempt to open Sonar and get this dialog:

Browse for folder: locate wavedata directory. 
And it shows this list:
desktop
libraries
jesse
computer
network

Why am I being asked for such.   Good thing I have disabled HIDE FOLDERs so I can browse into the area it probably resides.

No reason to use these silly locations.  NO user data should ever be saved in a location that is not, by default, easy to backup.
===========================
Just now I loaded a DP program, and then attempted to SAVE AS, and this folder was displayed:
C:\Cakewalk Content\SONAR X1 Producer\ProChannel Presets. Go figger.

Please. "Hack" at will!
 
The registry is simply the instruction set your system uses to operate the software.
 
It is yours to do with as you please.
 
However, you should know what you're doing in there. If you mess it up, you pay the price.
 
ALWAYS set a restore point BEFORE making changes. Then when you do mess it up you can revert back easily.
 
 
Steve