Problems downloading to ssd external drive
Having filled up my hard drive, I have started using a 1Tb SSD Hard Drive. I successfully installed Fracture Sounds Spotlight Piano and it works fine. But I then tried to install Icon Bass, but it doesn't appear in the library panel.
I created a directory on the Hard Drive, then separate location files for Download, Application, Content and VST 64. As far as I can see the VST 64 folder is still empty. I am obviously doing something that Native Access doesn't like, but don't know what! Does anyone have any suggestions?
Best Answers
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You can download your stuff and you can install libraries to an external drive, but not the plugins (.exe .dll .vst3 etc). Those, has to be on your main drive, preferably together with the rest of your plugins.
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"Technically" speaking, yes, you can, but practically and especially for NI, no, you can not!
If you are, for example, a Cubase user, you can add multiple VST folders where ever you like. This is possible with some other DAWs too.
But if you work only with Native Instrument (or few other programs), they offers just ONE location for VST. That's it. And it is most probably that you will also have some other VSTs already installed too, anyway.
Consider now, that many critical parts of the programs are installed in Program Data, or Common Files, or User App Data, no matter if you choose an external drive as installation path! So, to separate critical parts of a program, in 2 drives is really a very bad, even stupid practice and it can cause you a lot of unnecessary troubles in the future, that's why i didn't mention it.
For me, such option is one of the very-very few things that i tag as "forbidden". It never works well.
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Answers
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You can download your stuff and you can install libraries to an external drive, but not the plugins (.exe .dll .vst3 etc). Those, has to be on your main drive, preferably together with the rest of your plugins.
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Many thanks, Sunborn. Sorry if it seemeds a bit of a simple question - I had wondered if that was the case, but couldn't find any instruction to that effect.
This level of music tech is relatively new to me . I developed RSI from computer keyboards when I worked at British Telecom which kept me away from music for nearly 30 years, so I missed most of the development of MIDI, for example. So it is all relatively new to me, although I must admit that I'm loving it!
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You didn’t find any instruction because it is not the case.
You CAN install applications (.exe) and plugins (.dll vst64) to your external disk.
Maybe not the best solution, but if you want/need, you can
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"Technically" speaking, yes, you can, but practically and especially for NI, no, you can not!
If you are, for example, a Cubase user, you can add multiple VST folders where ever you like. This is possible with some other DAWs too.
But if you work only with Native Instrument (or few other programs), they offers just ONE location for VST. That's it. And it is most probably that you will also have some other VSTs already installed too, anyway.
Consider now, that many critical parts of the programs are installed in Program Data, or Common Files, or User App Data, no matter if you choose an external drive as installation path! So, to separate critical parts of a program, in 2 drives is really a very bad, even stupid practice and it can cause you a lot of unnecessary troubles in the future, that's why i didn't mention it.
For me, such option is one of the very-very few things that i tag as "forbidden". It never works well.
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Sorry but it’s not true.
You can add multiple vst folders also with NI.
You can also install applications on external drives.
And it’s not about being stupid or not. Sometimes you are forced to do it. This is how I have it set up on my Surface Pro, because it has only a 128 Gb disk and I can’t do otherwise. And it’s working good anyway and not causing unnecessary troubles from 5 years. Or better…not causing ANY troubles at all. I would even dare to say that since my external drive is newer/better than the one in the Surface, they even work better/load faster.
As I said, maybe not the best solution, but definetly they don’t “have to be on your main drive”
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Sure yes, you have a point, but i also do have a point.
For example:
- VST3 goes by definition to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
- Very important parts of NI software goes by definition to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Native Instruments
- Maschine 2 database goes by definition to C:\Users\_user_name_\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Maschine 2
- Komplete Kontrol database goes by definition to C:\Users\_user_name_\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Komplete Kontrol
etc. etc... You can not change those paths. So, what is the point of adding few megabytes from VSTs on a different drive?
The real problem are Libraries who are huge, and this, you can do it. :-)
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Funny side is that one of the things you accused me is that I’m unable to admit when I’m wrong…
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It was just one time. As we know, "three times as bad", right? 😉
Plus that, now i have a more clear psychological profile of you, you are not that bad, i admit... ^_^
EDIT: Last sentence is supposed to be a joke. If you are not ok with this, i will edit and delete it. :-)
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Thanks everyone for your contributions!
I have a problem in that I have loaded "Spotlight Piano" by Fracture Sounds onto the external drive nd it works fine. But loading Session Bassist - Icon Bass in exactly the same way doesn't work.
What I did was create a folder on the external drive called Native Instruments Outboard, then subfolders as follows: Native Instruments Applications, NI Downloads, NI VST 64 and Sample Libraries, and put links to them in the Native Access Downloads, Applications, Content and VST 64 locations.
All of ese folders are empty except for Sample Libraries, which have the "Session Bassist -
Icon Bass and Spotlight Piano folders in them. But when I open Native Access, the folder locations have reverted to default. So what should I do to get Icon Bass to work?
Perhaps my only other option would be to shift a whole load of files from my Documents folder in the C: drive (tons of Word, Powerpoint, MP3 recordings and so on) onto the external drive to free up space on my c: drive, and then install the two VSTs properly?
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In facts, all these folders being empty is normal. Icon bass is a library, so you won’t see anything in the applications and VST folders (the VST is Kontakt, not the library). The download folder gets emptied as soon as the libraries/applications get installed. So, the only folder containing something being the one you set up for content is normal.
Maybe the problem we have to focus on is why icon bass is not working.
Where are you trying to load it?
Directly in Kontakt? (are you sure you have Kontakt (player or full) 7.1.8 or newer installed?)
In Komplete Kontrol (even in this case you need Kontakt 7.1.8 or newer installed)
In one of those 2 hosted as plugins inside a DAW?
How is it not working? Is it listed in the libraries tabs and not loading or not even appearing?
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I said it a dozen more times on this forum.
The right way to do things is:
Programs on your main drive (C:) - Anything else can go to external drives.
Libraries, documents, music, photos etc etc, tons of things, whatever you like!
But applications and system files has to be on the main drive. It is how things was made to be. End of story, no matter if many people said that you can.
And, YES, technically you can. But it won't worth the trouble! Unless you are a Master of Windows and you have extensive knowledge of the system, the registry and all the rest, and you know how to manipulate them, you will always have troubles every while and then.
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Thanks again, guys! I am beginning to get a picture building up.
LostInFoundation - Most f my playing at the moment is live, so I use Cantabile as my VST Host, loading Kontaket Player into Cantabile, then loading the various libraries as required. Spotlight Piano appears in the Library window, and works fine, but Icon Bass doesn't appear at all. The same is true if I work in Kontakt Player as a Standalone as well.
I shall now go away and do a load of housekeeping, deciding which files I can move over from my Documents folder to create the space I need on my internal hard drive.
I shall report back in due course.
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It's time to report back!
I cleared a load of files from the hard drive, and re-installed Session Bassist to all the default locations, only to be met with the message "insufficient hard drive space", with the install presumably failing.
I have now reinstalled the vst to the default locations, but sent the samples/content to my SSD external hard drive. This time the samples have been installed, but nothing else has - no application, no vsts. Also I had to re-add the serial number before I could attempt the install.
Session Bassist now appears in the list of installed products on Native Access, but still doesn't appear in the libraries list in Kontakt. So now what?
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