How to install Portable VST's is there a proper way

Discussion in 'Software' started by Pure Energy, Sep 23, 2020.

  1. Pure Energy

    Pure Energy Producer

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    I find these folders on my desktop distracting is there a way they can have a folder on any drive or on the c: drive for tidiness is there a tutorial
    with NI Kontakt there are all these executables and they go every where :(
     
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  3. DoubleTake

    DoubleTake Audiosexual

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    I am not sure what you mean when you say "all these executables" and "they go everywhere".
    I assume you have many icons on your desktop, and they seem to be executables.
    If you do not see "extensions" (".exe" is one kind of executable extension) on the files on your desktop, you need to change an option in Windows Explorer "VIEW" menu.
    - In Windows 10 that is in the VIEW menu: VIEW -> "Change folder and search options."
    - To see the file extension UNcheck the box "HIDE extensions for known file types".
    Now you can see the extensions which helps to know what file types they are.
    By default Windows may have it set to NOT show the file extensions, so you have to guess what kind of file it is by the name and look of the icon.
    In that same options window is the option to show "hidden files and folders", among many other options.
    There are times you may need to see those hidden files, so just remember where those settings are.
    :wink:
    ==========================================
    YOUR KONTAKT ISSUE
    ----------------------------
    Tell us what version you are using.
    ------------------------------------------

    Normally you just place the Kontakt Portable folder and then run the "Install.exe".
    That install.exe creates shortcuts to the chosen executable(s) and creates file associations, and places the DLLs in selected folders.

    So, I just ran the installer to see what it creates on my desktop, and it just puts the "Kontakt 6 Portable" shortcut.

    You can put that Kontakt Portable folder anywhere you want, but will need to run the "installer.exe" again if you want it to create shortcut to the new location.
    OR you could just look in either the "...\Kontakt\x86\" or "...\Kontakt\x64\" folder and create your own shortcut to whichever you want to use.
    I usually only open the standalone "Kontakt.exe" when adding libraries - most of the time I am opening it from within a DAW)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Inside the "Kontakt Portable" folder there are usually only 4 executables.
    The portable installer in the main "Kontakt Portable" folder:
    ("Kontakt Portable/Install.exe")
    Two main executables (Kontakt.exe).
    ("Kontakt Portable\Kontakt\x64\Kontakt.exe")
    ("Kontakt Portable\Kontakt\x86\Kontakt.exe")

    One Library Manager executable (Library Manager.exe)
    ("Kontakt Portable\Helper\Library Manager\Library Manager.exe")
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Many VST instruments have "Stand-Alone" executables included, which is nice to run them without even having (or opening) a DAW..
    and those are nice to have in a portable version.
    I have Pianoteq in a portable, and that is cool to have a nice piano i can run on any computer.
    I also have Reaper in portable, Kontakt, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Goldwave, Melodyne Studio,Samplitude, and a few others.
    I use the portable version or Kontakt mainly because it gives me a place to put my "Quickload" directory, and ... I COULD take that SSD in my portable USB3 enclosure, and my whole Kontakt library, too (mostly on 7200 RPM HDD)
    (There is a folder inside Kontakt Portable to place some libraries so i could add a few in there, and they will load FAST too :)

    But MOST VSTs have no "Stand-Alone" included so are useless without a DAW or program to run them.
    There is no real way to make those "portable". (NOT TRUE,really --see Ad Heesive's post below)
    (Some only need to be placed in a VST folder to be found by DAWs, and do not create other folders on your computer, or registry entries or anything, so they are "portable" in that way anyway. But many more complex VSTs, especially instruments, create various other folders on your computer and settings in registry.)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Getting your computer organized and set up properly for easier use can take some time.
    I see you consider it part of the learning, and I hope some people have some good tutorial links.
    I don't know of many video type tutorials, but there are a couple of websites that pop up frequently when you searching about Windows issues.
    One is Windows Help Forums (sister sites for Win7, Win 10, etc) :
    https://www.tenforums.com/ , https://www.sevenforums.com/
    Another is https://www.windowscentral.com/
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Windows defaults are often IDIOTIC.
    They seem very scared the user will accidentally rename the extension of a file....
    ... but they don't seem to give a FUC* if you delete half of your hard drive, because BY DEFAULT, when you hit the "Delete" key,
    there is NO confirmation box to confirm that the user wants to delete the file.
    (At least every time I have installed several different versions of Windows 10).
    To correct the lack of confirmation, right-click on the Recycle bin and choose "Properties".
    Select "Display delete confirmation dialog".
    ------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2020
  4. Pinkman

    Pinkman Audiosexual

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    You know, I don't even run the cmd file that creates symlinks and "installs" portables. If you look at the folders that are provided in the download, you can follow the directory hierarchy and just place the folder/file you downloaded where it needs to go.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2020
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  5. Ad Heesive

    Ad Heesive Audiosexual

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    I'm definitely NOT trying to contradict the huge amount of useful info you provided above.
    But the line about "There is no real way to make those "portable". could be updated.

    In another thread discussing flexibility with regard to moving dlls around, I posted this comment...
    https://audiosex.pro/posts/492677/
    and the bit of that I'd like to repeat here is...
    With almost every VST instrument (not FX) that I install, if it doesn't already have a stand-alone version, I make a copy of the dll in some other folder, then add the ultra tiny SaviHost to the same folder and that lets me use it as a standalone instrument. I've done that with hundreds of VSTi dlls and I can't remember the last time it failed.
    So, for me, that approach, using Savihost, does achieve having portable stand-alone instruments.
     
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