Installing on a second computer

tashley · 2023-07-06T12:14:19+00:00

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Hi All,

I have installed the Collectors Edition with literally everything (all libraries and instruments and effects) on my primary computer - with all the libraries and expansions on an external drive - and now want to replicate the install on a second machine which I use in another location, then just shuttle the external drive from place to place..

The Contact Libraries were my first port of call and frankly that process was very annoying because each one had to be located individually - because NI hadn't thought to allow relative folder paths. That meant that I had to make in excess of 1,500 mouse clicks.

Now I find that there seems no way of merely telling the second computer where on the external drive the Expansions or Effects are - so I will have to set them all to interminably download.

Am I getting this wrong? Is there a simpler way? Because ever since I entered the NI Universe I have spent WAY more time fiddling with the installs and debugging issues than I have writing music. Am I naive in thinking that a one man band can use this stuff viably, or is it really intended only for studios with a full time technician?

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Accepted answers

Jeremy_NI

@tashley We know it's a common feature request and will happen eventually. In the meantime, since you're on mac there is a workaround and we shared it in the tips & tricks of Native Access: Tips: Transfer all your Komplete products to a new Mac without reinstalling (not only Kontakt libs)

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Ed M

When I do a fresh install, the first thing I do is change the Content Location in the preferences of Native Access. Everything else I leave unchanged. Then I start downloading and installing, and all the plugins will be installed on your computer's main drive but all libraries and expansions will be put on the external drive. Besides that it takes forever to download and install everything, things should be ok.

Now for the second computer, I would install everything on the computer and not change anything, and when it's all done change the content location in Native Access to the external drive, and delete the libraries and expansions from your second computer's drive. I have never done this, and there might be an easier way, but I reckon it should work. As far as I know there is no way to install just the VST files without installing the libraries, which would be the solution to your problem.

tashley

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/82975#Comment_82975

Actually you can install all the instruments without the libraries and then use 'relocate' in Access to point the applications to where their libraries are, and this saves a massive amount of download time. But Extensions and Effects have to be fully downloaded again.

This is truly stupid on the part of NI. And it wrecks the planet for people to be downloading terabytes of date they already have on their drives.

Unless there's a better solution (and I have googled it enough to be fairly sure there isn't) this is a massive failure on the part of NI. It is inconvenient, time-wasting, brand destroying, planet spoiling nonsense.

Jeremy_NI

tashley

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/84790#Comment_84790

Thank you Jeremy, but nonetheless what NI is implicitly saying to saying to users is this:

"Our products are really intended only for use in a professional studio environment with full time technicians and enormous internet bandwidth"

Not sure you're going to grow your market much like that.... sorry!

Jon Watte

enormous internet bandwidth

Honestly, 90% of the market has 50 Mbps or more of internet bandwidth these days.

It sucks to be in the 10%, of course!

tashley

It so does!

douglaswidick

This is absolutely wild. I'm not sure i would've bought this product if I knew I'd have to install it twice

tashley

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/130450#Comment_130450

Me too. NI are forever trying to sell me more instrument libraries and they really need to understand that that ain’t gonna happen until they give me reasonable access to the ones I already own. I am not a fan.

Crunnels

It You're on stage and ni decides to do some sort of an update or an access that requires internet and you don't have it or have the time to find it

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