Why do I have multiple listings for Kontakt, Kontakt7, Super8 and Massive in Komplete Kontrol menus.

Joe Cotter · 2023-06-26T13:04:26+00:00

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Why do I have multiple listings for Kontakt, Kontakt7, Super8 and Massive in Komplete Kontrol menus. Also, have listings for VST2 versions of plugins even though I removed them. I tried shutting down Komplete Kontrol and forcing rescan before and after shutting down but it does nothing.

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Sunborn

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/81890#Comment_81890

Ok i will make one last attempt to clarify some things, as much simpler as i can.

1- VST Location (32bit) and VST Location (64bit) mentioned in your image, are both, locations for the VST2 format (the old format). Those locations are for the .dll files (the old, VST2 format) only.

2- VST3 is the new format. VST3 Folders are always those paths: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 (for the 64bit versions) and C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 (for the 32bit versions). Those are "universal" folders for all VST3 plugins (but only for VST3 plugins, not VST2) so Native Instruments or any other developer, never include that paths as an option. There is no need for that, since they are standard folders, for every developer and they can not be changed.

3- In your setup (as seen in the image above), you are driving all the VST2 plugins (the old format) to install on the VST3 locations. -->As long as you continue to do that, you will not solve your problem.<-- Please, trust me on this and change those 2 paths in your image, to any other folder, except for the VST3 default folders.

Important note for understand the whole case: Assuming that you are using both versions (64bit and 32bit) and both formats (VST2 and VST3), you need to have at least 4 folders:

A) 2 folders for the 32bit versions:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 for your 32bit VST3 (new format)
Whatever folder you choose for the location "VST Location (32bit)" (in your image), for the 32bit VST2 (old format)

B) 2 folders for the 64bit versions:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 for your 64bit VST3 (new format)
Whatever folder you choose for the location "VST Location (64bit)" (in your image), for the 64bit VST2 (old format)

This article may provide you even more clarification:

https://itsgratuitous.com/difference-between-vst2-and-vst3-plugins/

I tried to explain the case in the most simple and logical way i could. I hope that this time it will help you!

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Joe Cotter

Link in previous comment was meant to be link to this image... don't know how it got mixed up but sorry for any confusion:

Sunborn

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/81890#Comment_81890

Ok i will make one last attempt to clarify some things, as much simpler as i can.

Important note for understand the whole case: Assuming that you are using both versions (64bit and 32bit) and both formats (VST2 and VST3), you need to have at least 4 folders:

A) 2 folders for the 32bit versions:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 for your 32bit VST3 (new format)
Whatever folder you choose for the location "VST Location (32bit)" (in your image), for the 32bit VST2 (old format)

B) 2 folders for the 64bit versions:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 for your 64bit VST3 (new format)
Whatever folder you choose for the location "VST Location (64bit)" (in your image), for the 64bit VST2 (old format)

This article may provide you even more clarification:

https://itsgratuitous.com/difference-between-vst2-and-vst3-plugins/

I tried to explain the case in the most simple and logical way i could. I hope that this time it will help you!

Joe Cotter

Ok, I understand what you are saying, re:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1- VST Location (32bit) and VST Location (64bit) mentioned in your image, are both, locations for the VST2 format (the old format). Those locations are for the .dll files (the old, VST2 format) only.

2- VST3 is the new format. VST3 Folders are always those paths: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 (for the 64bit versions) and C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 (for the 32bit versions). Those are "universal" folders for all VST3 plugins (but only for VST3 plugins, not VST2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The User interface for the NI Installer is not clear on that since they do not mention VST2 or VST3 but simply VST.

If you look at my "C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3" folder, I have moved all of my NI 64bit VST3 files into a NI subfolder (which works fine since the software will scan subfolders.) I have no other NI VST files on the computer so getting back to what I was saying, the files are not the issue. That leaves the registry as the most likely candidate for double listings in the software. There is a good chance that these registry entries got mixed due to the misunderstanding I had about the paths, where subsequent cleanout of the files did not remove erroneous registry entries. The problem now is that uninstalling the problem software and reinstalling does not remove the bad registry entries since uninstall for these do not show up in add/remove programs in windows. To clean them up would require manually scanning and removing entries, and there are a lot, especially for Komplete Kontrol, then reinstalling. I plan on doing a system rebuild at some point in the not too distant future so now that I understand what you were saying, it should prevent (hopefully) the issue from reappearing. Of course, it wouldn't be an issue if NI would simply allow checking only the file formats one wants to use like most modern audio software. That is what is at the heart of all of this, that and the fact the installer is not clear as to what it is asking.

Edit:

forgot to add image referenced above:

Joe Cotter

Btw, forgot to mention... VST3s do not have to be only in Common Files folder, the post you linked was for FL Studio, which is true for that software. It also happens to be true for NI. I looked up NI reference for VST3 files and it happens to say same so it appears to be pretty much convention. However, if you look at Ableton's preferences for VST3 folder location it offers 'system folder' and 'custom folder' for vst2 and vst3. It appears that if one sticks to that rule however, of the mentioned common folders path one should be ok and would therefore be the recommended option unless there was a very specific reason to do otherwise. It is what I was doing, I just didn't realize the NI Installer was asking for VST2 locations, and therefore was going to clean them out afterwards when they clashed. The interesting (if you want to call it that) thing is, there wasn't any problem until I upgraded to NI 14 from NI 13 for some reason even though I hadn't changed any settings. Furthermore, I hadn't cleaned up the vsts until after the upgrade to 14 and noticed a doubling in the menus for items.

In summary, I have gained some insight into what I believe is an overly complicated issue regarding the various combinations of vst file formats. Thank you to everyone who stuck with it to help, and thank you Sunborn for posting this last post even after all of the confusion and frustration, it was helpful in putting some of the final pieces into place.

Joe Cotter

If anyone from NI reads this, please send a request to the software development team to offer an option to select only the vst formats one would like to install. This is long overdue. (And a request for clarification on the NI installer preferences page regarding vst2 install paths rather than just vst paths.)

LostInFoundation

Strange how sometimes, after 3 pages of giving wrong answers, somebody gets the revelation of the folders paths and VST3…

I just guess from where this revelation came from…

Joe Cotter

Idiot, it wasn't wrong answers... the issue I had was with the doubling of listings which was not based on duplicate files. I was specifically looking to solve the issue with duplicate files. Wrong answer is saying you can't load vst3 files anywhere other than the common folder simply because your setup doesn't allow it. As I said, try looking at Ableton's preferences page for a simple example. I was thanking someone for information on something that was helpful even though it did not solve my issue. You contribute nothing and attempt to troll. Go climb back under your bridge.

LostInFoundation

The comment wasn’t intended for you.

But, since I’m an “idiot”, I’ll just simply quote my suggestion and your answer:

”Watching your screenshots, what immediately caught my attention is the VST Location (64 bit) being pointed to the VST3 folder. But…isn’t this choice for the location where VST2 64 bit are installed?” “Therefore my suggestion, being it very practical to test, is to change the “VST Location (64 Bit)” folder to somewhere else (not the VST3 folder) and see, reinstalling one of the plugins you get double listed, if something changes”

“No that is not the case”

Joe Cotter

I was saying "no that's not the case" that all software puts vst3 files in the "common files" folder since I've had software that put it other places. If you were sincerely trying to help and I misread it as sarcastic then what I said was totally out of line. If I misunderstood the intention of your post I apologize.

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/81998#Comment_81998

No problem

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