Sound Forge Pro 12 Suite plugins folder

KeithAdv wrote on 5/8/2018, 4:27 PM

I went all in with Sound Forge Pro 12 and got the Suite. I was surprised to see that it installed the included VSTs (essentialFX Suite, Analogue Modelling Suite, etc.) into a Magix plugins folder inside the Sound Forge folder.

For VST2, files, they should be installed in the user's VST folder. In addition, you are almost always given the option to specify the folder. I don't believe the Sound Forge installer gives those options. I have already committed to two other directories for VSTs and Sound Forge only allows for two directories in its preferences?!

So, ironically, the only place I can use the Magix plugins are my other audio apps (if I'm willing to add the Magix plugins directory to their list of scanned directories). I can't access them with Sound Forge unless I'm willing to do something ugly like copy the entire Magix plugins directory to my VST folder.

Uggh...any better workarounds?

Comments

rraud wrote on 5/9/2018, 9:26 AM

I do not have the 'Suite' package installed (just Pro 12), but the Magix and iZotope VST plug-ins by default are put in the Program files, Steinberg folder. I recall an option to put them elsewhere in the install process. Some or VST <.dll> files can be copied or moved though.

In my 64 bit Pro 12 install (Build 21), the 'MAGIX Plugins' folder is in "Program files> SOUND FORGE> SOUND FORGE Pro 12.0> MAGIX Plugins", but the only file in there is "MagixDspDispatcher,dll".

There are Direct X plug-ins as well, but they cannot be copied or moved, except in a Favorites directory.

KeithAdv wrote on 5/10/2018, 9:36 PM

Yes, you are right that about the location of the Magix plugin folder (Program files> SOUND FORGE> SOUND FORGE Pro 12.0> MAGIX Plugins). When you buy the Suite, the installer dumps all of the additional plugins in there along with "MagixDspDispatcher.dll." You are given no option for any other location!

It looks like Magix simply included the Izotope installers for RX and Ozone (thank goodness), so installing those were a snap--right into my already-existing Izotope folder in my default VST directory.

I love having an updated 64-bit Sound Forge, but it looks like the installer was rushed and some frankly unforgivable mistakes were made. It's either incredibly lazy or arrogant programming for Magix to mandate a unique plugins folder, ESPECIALLY when the program for which they were specifically designed can only specify two VST directories!!! I already have those slots taken.

Don't get me wrong--big Magix fan. I have Vegas, Acid, Samplitude, etc. But their installers, especially for Sound Forge, are a near disaster. Want to see what I mean? Uninstall Sound Forge or Acid. See how many folders and files it leaves behind. They can do better.

browj2 wrote on 5/11/2018, 7:42 AM

@KeithAdv

Magix' other programs, like MusicMaker, Movie Edit Pro and Samplitude, which you have, only show one VST plugin path. To get more, you click on the add plugin button and navigate to the plugin folder. The plugins will now show up. Ideally, all plugins should be under the VSTPlugins folder in subfolders. That way, the programs scan the top level and all subfolders.

Did you try adding more?

Does this not work with SF Pro 12?

SF Pro 11 seemed to find all of my plugins with no problem. I don't have 12.

John CB

rraud wrote on 5/11/2018, 9:05 AM

SF Pro 11 seemed to find all of my plugins with no problem.

Same w/ Pro 12. The 'suite' may complicate it some with an additional location. In any case most <.dll> files can be moved without to much trouble.

KeithAdv wrote on 5/11/2018, 1:50 PM

@KeithAdv

Magix' other programs, like MusicMaker, Movie Edit Pro and Samplitude, which you have, only show one VST plugin path. To get more, you click on the add plugin button and navigate to the plugin folder. The plugins will now show up. Ideally, all plugins should be under the VSTPlugins folder in subfolders. That way, the programs scan the top level and all subfolders.

Did you try adding more?

Does this not work with SF Pro 12?

SF Pro 11 seemed to find all of my plugins with no problem. I don't have 12.

John CB

Okay, starting with my disclaimer again that I love having updated 64-bit SF and Acid and I am a happy owner of: Vegas Pro 15 Suite, Acid Pro 8, Sound Forge Pro 12 Suite, Samplitude Pro X3 Suite, and SpectraLayers Pro 5. I'm grateful to Magix for rescuing and rejuvenating these excellent apps. I use them and love them!

Now, here are my bitches:

> Did you try adding more?
>
> Does this not work with SF Pro 12?

No. In fact, SF Pro 12 is a step backward. Take a look at SF Pro 11, and you'll see it is hardcoded to permit only three VST2 directories. SF Pro 12 is hardcoded to permit only two! I didn't need all three directories in SF Pro 11, since my machine is purely 64-bit, so the only plugins it could actually "see" were the few legacy ones it installed.

Not by my own choice, but I already have two different locations where VST2 plugins are stored. I have hundreds of VSTs in my default VST2 folder, the location for which I declared in the Win 10 registry. Nearly all of my VSTs installed correctly there and nearly all of them gave me the option to select a different folder during installation. So, as you say, I have all of them in their own folders under that default directory.

A very few of them refused to look at the registry default and were hardcoded to install in C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins, among them my Waves files. That's the second location.

I have great VSTs I want to access in my default folder as well as the Waves files in their folder. That's two slots. Fini.

I know that I can just copy the MAGIX plugins folder into my default VST directory, but that is one ugly, ugly solution and its weirdly ironic that the most compelling reason to do that is so the one program for which they were designed can access them (because you can only specify two searchable directories). As you point out, EVERY OTHER VST-using application I have allows you to specify multiple VST directories to search.

My feeling is that these versions of Sound Forge Pro and Acid Pro were rushed into the market. The installer for SF Pro 12 is way sub-par and the options for VST2 search locations is actually a step backward!

I can guarantee that not a single person at Magix will say they are happy with the way that turned out. It's unacceptable for a professional audio application in 2018. I look foward to the fixes.

browj2 wrote on 5/11/2018, 3:04 PM

@KeithAdv

Did you try just clicking on the button and going to a new path like I said?

Samplitude has a hard-coded VST2 and another VST3 folder. But there is a user VST. You click on the button and navigate to the first one and accept it. Then go back and navigate to a second one, then a third one. All you see in the Program settings is the last one but the search paths were added to an ini file, AFAICS. This happens in MusicMaker and Movie Edit Pro and Video Pro X.

Could you please try this to see if it works?

John CB

KeithAdv wrote on 5/11/2018, 8:24 PM

@KeithAdv

Did you try just clicking on the button and going to a new path like I said?

...Could you please try this to see if it works?

John CB

Gladly. Unfortunately, it didn't. It only remembers the current selected path. Thank you for the suggestion, though.

I have discovered a few things since my first post. First, I was wrong that you needed to select the MAGIX plugins folder in order for Sound Forge to search it. I didn't see the plugins in Sound Forge at first but they are there. Apparently Sound Forge internally links to them during the install.

Again, this isn't necessarily a good thing. The plugins are also visible/available in Samplitude Pro X3 Suite. And why is that? Because Magix installs EXACTLY the same plugins in both program folders. Instead of properly installing the plugins in the default VST2 folder to be shared by ALL apps, Magix purposely planned to make the plugins available only to their respective apps.

So, they install the Sound Forge Suite plugins in the Sound Forge program folder and the exact same plugins in the Samplitude Suite program folder with each app independently linking to its respective plugins. Ugh. Another unforgivable move and a waste of drive space.

So, good news to an extent--I don't need to worry about SF finding the Magix plugins. And I can make do with the two VST2 directory slots it gives me for now. They still need to fix this, though.

I don't know if I'm actually going to put the Magix plugins folder in the searchable VST list in Cubase, etc. I haven't even tested them to know if they're any good! I'm happier knowing that I'll be able to figure out how to get my iZotope, Waves, T-Racks etc., plugins into Sound Forge.

For now, it's case closed for me. I look forward to some smarter updates.