.dll only thing necessary for vst?

astoebe

New member
weird question, but with vst plugins, i only need the .dll file for them to function correct? i ask because i get misc. files also such as .txt files when i download free vst plugins....so can i go through and delete everything except for the .dll files in my plugin folder? figured this best went under the newbie section.....thanks
 
Depends entirely on the vst and the programmer behind it.

Best bet: Copy everything you want to delete over to a different folder and TEST it before deleting. (As the old saying goes, Never ASSUME or you...)
 
Im not positive, but I think the .dll is all you need. However, to be sure you could just leave all of them in there. Those txt files and whatnot are so small that it really doesn't make a difference.
 
peopleperson said:
Im not positive, but I think the .dll is all you need. However, to be sure you could just leave all of them in there. Those txt files and whatnot are so small that it really doesn't make a difference.


haha i know, i'm just really weird and obsessive compulsive about my files being organized :)
 
The only VST plug I know of that has any extra file requrements is the Slim Slow Slider multiband compressor that needs a secondary file placed in a Windows system folder. Other than that, I believe the .dll file is all that's needed for plugs to work.

I keep all my plugins organized in a separate file system with folders for each plugin that includes the original .dll and readme or pdf files, in addition to the VST folder that contains the .dll files used by the host audio application. That lets me more easily update new computers or software. Good to have a backup too for the times when a plugin repeatedly crashes the host app, I get pissed, go in and delete the .dll file, then realize I deleted the wrong one. :D

Tim
 
Some of the files are presets.
They are so small in size. There not going to eat up disc space.
 
astoebe said:
weird question, but with vst plugins, i only need the .dll file for them to function correct?
Here's the good answer - leave the files as they come off the web. If you insist on a neat VST folder you can put each one in a separate folder with the name of the plugin. Or use categories like reverb, delay, chorus, compression and so on.

Each developer has a slightly different way of presenting, for example, fxp (single preset) and fxb (preset bank) files, not to mention graphic elements and other peeks and pokes to make the plugin do what it's supposed to.

If you go thru your hard disk and delete everything but the .dll files you risk losing presets that will be impossible to recover without downloading the VST file again or handcapping the GUI (which means 'graphic user interface') severly so that the plugin may not even run the next time you try it.

In the case of files that are entitled 'readme.txt' I say 'yes' when asked if I want to overwrite the existing file with that same name. That means I will have the current 'readme' file for my new plugin and next time it comes up I will say 'yes' again...
 
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