How do you organize and manage your plugin collection?

Saving space on your computer is important, so think about which plugin types you want to use the most. I have committed myself to using VST3 for CPU heavy plugins, as I will never use them with Logic Pro because of its CPU limits compared to Reaper. With Reaper you can rename plugins, so to make it easier to navigate the plugin library I have set about to automate renaming plugins with the flag of the manufacturer, i.e. 🇮🇹 for companies like Acusitca, Overloud, and IK Multimedia. I also have 🏃 to signify a zero latency plugin from Acoustica normally spelt ZL, which I have deleted, as it doesn't look good compared to the other plugins. If I want to make a plugin invisible I add 🛑, and I have set Reaper to ignore plugins with this sign.

Firstly create a folder structure like for example, INS and FX. inside the INS(instruments) folder u can create subfolders for each synths and instruments of your choice. Inside FX goes all your your 3rd party effects such as Equalizers, filters, compressors, delay, reverb etc. Installing VSTs or Copying dll/vst3 into the correct sub folders is also a vital step in this process. otherwise you wont be able to see them in the directories you created. Happy music making all.. :)

1. I do monthly checks to remove unessential plugins (I adopt a "quality over quantity + less is more" approach). 2. I create folders with personalized short keywords to organize each group/category of plugins. 3. I select these folders in my DAW to be able to access my plugin collection.

Start by assessing your plugin needs. Create a list of all your plugins and categorize them based on type, frequency of use, and purpose. This helps you identify the essential plugins and those you can uninstall or archive.

I have a lot of folders of plugin chains, and navigating them quickly is important. I use emojis for colour coding, and also use abbreviations to shorten the words so I can fit more on the screen.

In my case, there are no options to categorize the instruments from the GUI. So i have to physically load all of them. This may differ from DAW to DAW. So I have to create a Good organized folder structure to pick and load each instruments. you can create a folder structure of your own to avoid searching for plugins. Effects you can access from GUI from the DAW, you just need to configure the folder path in the settings.

Organização é a chave de tudo, ajuda o foco na hora de armazear, poupa tempo quando você vai buscar algum material específico, e também te ajuda na hora de criar ou buscar referências pois tem mais clareza onde estão os materiais.

In FL Studio, I organize my plugins using folders and subfolders. Here's my folder structure: Path: Documents > Image-Line > FL Studio > Presets > Plugin Database > Effects Main Folder: Third Party Subfolders: AutoTune Clipper Compressor DeEsser Distortion Delay EQ FX Limiter Low End Meters Multi Effect Reverb Saturation Stereo Shaping Each subfolder contains the respective plugins as .fst (FL Studio state) files.

I’ll speak for my FL Studio workflow. In FL Studio, organizing and tagging plugins involves creating customized plugin database folders in the browser. I like to start by categorizing plugins based on their functions, such as EQ, compression, or synthesizers. Then use subfolders to further categorize specific types of plugins, and assign relevant tags and keywords to each plugin name, enabling quick and intuitive search functionality. This meticulous organization streamlines the plugin selection process and enhances workflow efficiency, if you stick too it (a bit off weekly/monthly housekeeping) things stay tidy 😀

I suggest you perform a bi-annual review of all your plugins to evaluate their relevance and usage. If you haven't used a plugin for three months or more, uninstall it, you won't be using it soon. Also, you start maintaining a record of all uninstalled plugins. List comes handy to install them again when needed. It also serves as an inventory checklist before buying new ones. Also, utilize free cloud storage to store installation packages and their settings, ensuring easy access and installation whenever required. Today, plugins are like photos. Just as you need to prune your photos regularly to keep them organized and relevant, you need to regularly review and archive plugins to ensure optimal performance.

I use a free and open source DAW called LMMS. So in my case there is no option to tag the VST files. So I rename the Folders or VST files according to my need and Create a Folder structure that includes firstly the function of the VST. Then I search for them :) You can see my way of folder creation in my previous contributions.

Eu utilizo bastante isso quando vou gravar meus materiais em vídeos. As palavras-chave, ordem alfabética, separadas das pastas em tags facilitam a vida e faz ganhar tempo.

While FL Studio doesn’t have a built-in tagging system, I rename my plugin files to include keywords and abbreviations that help me quickly identify their function. This makes searching for specific plugins much easier.

Having a hard drive backup with installers of your plugins, plus the plugins themselves, and the very precious Nebula library, is essential. If something goes wrong and you lose this precious and highly curated plugin library it takes years to build it up again, as I have done a few times. Then again, updating plugins is important, especially with ARM64 versions coming out all the time. Take time to regularly update them using plugin installer software, such as the installers from Slate Digital, Softube, Acustica Audio's Aquarius, Waves Central, and Plugin Alliance's PA Installer. Regularly check other manufacturers' websites for updates, and KMR for news.

Have a look through your plugin folders for especially old plugins, or plugins you very rarely use. Having a lot of plugins can slow down the system when scanning through them. I bought an especially large hard drive specially because I have so many, but even that has been filled up, and I have had to delete AU, VST, and AAX plugins just to focus on VST3s. At one point I used symlinks for Acustica Aqua plugins to just the VST3 folder, as the amount of space they take up is hundreds of GBs.

To keep my collection efficient, I periodically review my plugins and delete or archive those I no longer use. This frees up space and improves FL Studio’s performance.

I have multiple computers, and having licences for multiple machines helps, but you can run out of licences. Speak to the manufacturer if this is the case, I was sent extra licences by Slate Digital for VCC, as when it was released and when I purchased it the licence was only for one machine. Since Fl;ux Audio had given their customers and extra machine licence I told Slate Digital that they should do the same rather than me having to pay for another one just because I use their plugins on more than one computer, and they agreed and sent me extra licences.

I've got folders set up for different categories like synths, effects, and instruments. I try to only keep the plugins I actually use installed to avoid clutter. For my go-to plugins, I'll save presets and add them to my favorites list for quick access. I also make sure to update plugins regularly and do some spring cleaning every few months to remove any I'm not using anymore. It's all about having a system that lets me find what I need quickly when I'm in the creative flow.

I find this to be an interesting question, in that I don't really organize my plug ins at all. Whereas everything else about my studio is quite organized, I've found having access to all my plugins has allowed me to "try something new" by using one I rarely use, and in many cases discovered a new sound that I wouldn't have found otherwise. As a mix engineer I have very few VI's so my system does not get slow accessing all those libraries.