How to disable VST scan at startup? - Page 4

richie43 · 01-20-2017, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g8torcliff

I don't quite understand what you are saying. Do you mean I could copy all of the dll files from my various plug-ins and put them in one folder called "vst dll's" and have Reaper scan only that folder?

cliff

You could for any vst that allows you to move the dll (some plugins have additional files installed that are location-specific)

g8torcliff · 01-20-2017, 10:59 AM

Probably EZDrummer & EZKeys DLL's ....they seem to take up most of my scanning time.

thanks

cliff

richie43 · 01-20-2017, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g8torcliff

Probably EZDrummer & EZKeys DLL's ....they seem to take up most of my scanning time.

thanks

cliff

Using the xln online installer thingy, you can change where the dll's are (don't just manually move them, use the installer).

karbomusic · 01-20-2017, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richie43

Using the xln online installer thingy, you can change where the dll's are (don't just manually move them, use the installer).

You are exactly right but.... XLN = AD not EZ just an FYI.

richie43 · 01-20-2017, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

You are exactly right but.... XLN = AD not EZ just an FYI.

Ha ha....It's not my fault that the OP uses the wrong drum and key software.....lol

karbomusic · 01-20-2017, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richie43

Ha ha....It's not my fault that the OP uses the wrong drum and key software.....lol

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Goldreap · 01-20-2017, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g8torcliff

I don't quite understand what you are saying. Do you mean I could copy all of the dll files from my various plug-ins and put them in one folder called "vst dll's" and have Reaper scan only that folder?

cliff

No, I would not do that.
A lot (if not most) dlls would indeed work as expected...but for some I suspect not...I'm no expert but I think it would depend on whether the dll needs to point to meta data using an absolute or relative path. Eg, VSTi with adjacent samples..it might look for the samples relative to it's location. But dlls that have their presets elsewhere (eg My Docs or App data) can prob find these absolute paths no matter. I guess safest thing is to leave then where you put them initially.

What I was getting at was that if your reaper startup (to an empty new project) seems slow it is likely that there is a lot of meta data being scanned which doesn't need to be there, and that should not have been there in the first place.

Hope this makes sense, I'm feeling a bit tired and clumsy!

MRMJP · 03-27-2017, 05:27 AM

+1 for a simple way to temporarily launch REAPRE without a plugin scan.

This can save time (sometimes a lot of time if you haven't opened REAPER since doing a lot of plugin updates) because if you have a lot of plugins authorized on an iLok that isn't available, you have to say "Quit" or "No" to dozens and dozens of plugins.

Sometimes you are without iLok and just need to open REAPER real quick and don't care about plugins.

matthewjumpsoffbuildings · 03-27-2017, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

Sometimes you are without iLok and just need to open REAPER real quick and don't care about plugins.

damn i thought reapers forced plugin scan on start was annoying for me, and i dont even have any iLok plugins - that just adds a whole new level of annoying for you :/

it kinda blows my mind that this basic behaviour is STILL un-customisable in what is usually one of the most customisable DAWs out there

karbomusic · 03-27-2017, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthewjumpsoffbuildings

that just adds a whole new level of annoying for you :/

He should try the option to load all plugins offline because the VST scan this thread is about has nothing to do with actually loading plugins and only to do with enumerating which files (as a list of names) exist in the plugin directory - it is NOT the same clear cache/rescan that exists in VST options that invokes initializing the VST unless it is a new VST that didn't previously exist and as far as I know that isn't the case here.

Quote:

it kinda blows my mind that this basic behaviour is STILL un-customisable in what is usually one of the most customisable DAWs out there

You literally can't have this issue unless you install VSTs incorrectly. I'm not opposed to the option per se but in every instance I've seen, Reaper is dealing with users installing thousands of NON VST files in the directory - they shouldn't do that - even without this scan they shouldn't live there. As an aside, I doubt much attention gets paid to this 'issue' since there are so few (as in count on one hand) who actually understand what this 'scan' during startup actually does.

matthewjumpsoffbuildings · 03-27-2017, 01:29 PM

perhaps i do have VSTs installed incorrectly, in which case the majority of plugin developers make 'incorrect' installers since I almost always am presented with a directory selection that asks where to put the 32/64 bit plugins and I give it the path to my VST folder. if the VST doesnt have an installer i will extract the zip into a folder in the plugins directory. Yes sometimes it will contain some non dll files, perhaps a pdf, maybe a folder of fxbs etc.

but i dont think its much of a stretch to imagine that a significant percentage of users do exactly the same with their VSTs, regardless of whether that is technically correct or not.

what i dont understand is your resistance to the idea of having an option in the preferences to just disable this 'feature' if we dont need or want it?

MRMJP · 03-27-2017, 01:59 PM

I mostly see this deeper scan after installing an update of the plugin. Because my laptop is a secondary machine, sometime I go a long time without opening REAPER so nearly each time I launch it, it does the deeper scan that asks for the iLok which when not inserted results in a lot of cancelling.

It seems that once I get past it once, REAPER doesn't ask me for the iLok again until I update plugins.

I think everything is installed in the correct place, I just wish there was a way to "abort scan" like Logic Pro can do.

karbomusic · 03-27-2017, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

I mostly see this deeper scan after installing an update of the plugin. Because my laptop is a secondary machine, sometime I go a long time without opening REAPER so nearly each time I launch it, it does the deeper scan that asks for the iLok which when not inserted results in a lot of cancelling.

I think everything is installed in the correct place, I just wish there was a way to "abort scan" like Logic Pro can do.

I don't know of Reaper doing anything (regardless of time without using it) that results in anything other than "Tell me what files exist so I can see if any of them are new vs the cache." which can't invoke iLok unless one of them is new. I could be wrong but haven't seen evidence it works otherwise so far but is possible.

Quote:

It seems that once I get past it once, REAPER doesn't ask me for the iLok again until I update plugins.

It shouldn't ever ask until you update...

If you are on mac this may behave differently so I have to play the I don't know card for that but I know the general idea is "give me a list of files, if they all already exist in the VST cache, don't do anything, if there is a new one, formally load it to get the internal meta data" <-- that last part, if true, will cause iLok to come to life and check the license.

MRMJP · 03-27-2017, 06:00 PM

The answers and workarounds are getting pretty convoluted. I think all we're asking for here is a way to abort a plugin scan if for whatever reason REAPER is rescanning the plugin folder(s), or better yet, I want to hold down a key when launching REAPER to tell REAPER not to scan the plugin folder(s) at this launch because maybe for this moment, you don't care about plugins, you just need to open REAPER to check something quick that doesn't involve VST or AU plugins.

cfillion · 03-27-2017, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

I want to hold down a key when launching REAPER to tell REAPER not to scan the plugin folder(s) at this launch

+1! This would be useful.

matthewjumpsoffbuildings · 03-27-2017, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

The answers and workarounds are getting pretty convoluted. I think all we're asking for here is a way to abort a plugin scan if for whatever reason REAPER is rescanning the plugin folder(s), or better yet, I want to hold down a key when launching REAPER to tell REAPER not to scan the plugin folder(s) at this launch because maybe for this moment, you don't care about plugins, you just need to open REAPER to check something quick that doesn't involve VST or AU plugins.

amen. at the very least just a simple checkbox in the VST preferences to turn this startup scan on and off

karbomusic · 03-27-2017, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

The answers and workarounds are getting pretty convoluted.

It's always been one simple thing, get a list of VST filenames, if there are new ones cache them, and there is no deep scan unless there are updated or new ones. Regardless of the option, it's important other users understand how it works because disabling it ignorantly, which is inevitable, will cause as much confusion (and calls for help) as the goodness it provides.

MRMJP · 03-27-2017, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

It's always been one simple thing, get a list of VST filenames, if there are new ones cache them, and there is no deep scan unless there are updated or new ones. Regardless of the option, it's important other users understand how it works because disabling it ignorantly will cause as much confusion (and calls for help) as the goodness it provides.

I agree that it could cause problems which is why I think a 1 time temporary scan bypass by holding a key at launch would be great.

If the key isn't held down, REAPER will proceed as normal and scan as needed. If the key is held down, it tells REAPER that the user is aware of what they are doing for this particular launch of REAPER but it's not a permanent thing. Kind of like launching a computer in Safe Mode. You have to go out of your way to make it happen.

karbomusic · 03-27-2017, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRMJP

I agree that it could cause problems which is why I think a 1 time temporary scan bypass by holding a key at launch would be great.

If the key isn't held down, REAPER will proceed as normal and scan as needed. If the key is held down, it tells REAPER that the user is aware of what they are doing for this particular launch of REAPER but it's not a permanent thing. Kind of like launching a computer in Safe Mode. You have to go out of your way to make it happen.

That's not a bad idea.

But yea, my concern was fixing it for one set of users in need while in reality just moving a problem to some other set of users but I do like the go out of your way idea; that would probably work because if they completely forget, it reverts next launch.

Tim Rideout · 08-31-2017, 04:34 PM

Has anyone put in a feature request for this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

That's not a bad idea.

But yea, my concern was fixing it for one set of users in need while in reality just moving a problem to some other set of users but I do like the go out of your way idea; that would probably work because if they completely forget, it reverts next launch.

ivansc · 09-01-2017, 12:02 AM

A thought: Studio One AND Sonar both do the same thing. And as far as I know you cant disable that initial scan on them either. Could be this is a necessary part of keeping any DAW aware of the current state of its plugin arsenal if and when a change is made, so the scan invocation is actually triggered by actual changes, as previously mentioned in this thread, rather than any random coding by the developers - ANY of them.
In which case of course we are all sort of stuck with it.
Moral is dont add new plugins or change existing ones.

Yeah, right!

karbomusic · 09-01-2017, 08:09 AM

It's really just "caching 101" DAW or otherwise. I like MRMJPs suggestion but everything else is just asking for trouble and threads with calls for help like "My farking new plugins don't show up any more and the ones I removed still show up!" There is one perspective of coding many forget about which is as valid as any other... "How many support calls will this generate" or conversely "how many will it eliminate".

Lastly, most plugin installations explicitly ask you where you want the meta data vs the plugin for a very good reason.

nikolalkc · 09-10-2017, 01:34 AM

+1 for this.
FL Studio manages this very elegantly.

nappies · 12-18-2017, 07:28 AM

+1 It is very necessary!

ivansc · 12-18-2017, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

That's exactly what I was thinking.

FWIW I have all my Toontrack samples on my E:samples drive. Dead easy to move everything now we have the Toontrack Product Manager etc.
Not sure if you can do it internally with EZD1 though.

andy63 · 01-11-2018, 10:03 AM

+1 for me

Philbo King · 01-11-2018, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyfilms

There could be a setting that often gets overlooked, and that's the DX(i) scan on startup, which can be disabled in preferences.
Steve

Thanks - I was having trouble with Win7s buggy built in DX (Sink/Tee to Tee or something) last night and has to restore my C: drive to get things working again.

I finally traced it to a USB current overload which was farking up one of my USB hard drives... But at least that will no longer keep Reaper from starting.

Zerosurf · 01-19-2018, 07:45 AM

+1 For a simple way to temporarily launch REAPER without a plugin scan!

hopi · 01-20-2018, 12:58 PM

I hope I'm not giving bad info here... but this is what I have done sometimes with a portable install on windows:

Create a new empty folder, like so: C:\@VST FAKE

Launch reaper, and when it starts to scan plugins, kill it with task manager

then open the reaper.ini file that will be in the root reaper install folder [if a portable install]

use notepad++ [go get that free text editor if you don't have it]

use the find in that to search for "vst"

eventually you'll get to a line for vstpath=
that will have some location after the =
change that to the location that you have created:
C:\@VST FAKE

save the reaper.ini

start up reaper again and it will search for vst's in that empty folder and since there are none it will start right up.

Then later you can go into reaper pref's and set where you really want it to look for vst's...

ivansc · 01-20-2018, 02:44 PM

...at which point you then have to sit and wait while reaper scans all those newly-discovered plugins in?

Once again, guys - we are not alone.. Wondering 1) If FL really doesnt scan plugins on startup at all and 2) If it really doesnt, how they do it AND keep FL's plugin data up to date.

None of this seems very logical. What does Cubase do regarding scanning VSTs?

hopi · 01-21-2018, 02:59 PM

as I recall they both do a scan but have an options window where you can activate or deactivate any plugins found... and also IF I recall correctly, you start out with them all non active...

but as with everything, each method has its pro's and con's

karbomusic · 01-21-2018, 03:16 PM

Don't forget, much of the problem is when users install not just VSTs but all the metadata and presets in the VST folder itself, which can result in tens of thousands of files being enumerated unnecessarily. That's the primary delay.

All reaper is doing (which often only occurs post reboot), is comparing the list of VSTs in the folder the list in it's cache, that's it (it isn't actually loading them, just name-checking). But if there are 1 million non-VSTs too, that's an extra 1 million times reaper has to say "oops, not that one, it isn't a vst". Hopi's idea is fine but if the VST directory truly only contains VSTs, this should almost never be a problem.

ivansc · 01-21-2018, 03:59 PM

What Karbo said. Plus of course the number of people we see on here who accidentally add "C:" to their plugin scan paths....
PLEASE do not try this at home.

flipotto · 03-16-2018, 08:21 AM

Old thread -

My situation - portable install - running on two different computers
I use OneDrive to backup/sync the reaper folder.

Launch Reaper on computer A - it scans the vst plugins. Next time I run reaper on computer a it loads fast. One drive syncs anything I change or do, including the vstplugins.ini (not sure if that is the file name)

One drive syncs changes from computer A to computer B
Launch Reaper on computer B - it scans vst plugins... next time I run B it loads fast. OneDrive syncs changes to computer A.

Launch reaper on computer A...
The whole process starts again - with scanning entire vst.
Scanning on my machine gets particularly slow on Arturia Classic 5 collection... appears to hang... takes several minutes to scan each classic 5 synth... it sucks!

Advice or thoughts on this?

atza · 05-06-2018, 07:14 AM

Just hold "shift" key when launching Reaper

Tim Rideout · 10-08-2018, 03:37 PM

This is *EXACTLY* the same issue I have.

Still no work-arounds or feature requests?

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipotto

Old thread -

My situation - portable install - running on two different computers
I use OneDrive to backup/sync the reaper folder.

Launch Reaper on computer A - it scans the vst plugins. Next time I run reaper on computer a it loads fast. One drive syncs anything I change or do, including the vstplugins.ini (not sure if that is the file name)

One drive syncs changes from computer A to computer B
Launch Reaper on computer B - it scans vst plugins... next time I run B it loads fast. OneDrive syncs changes to computer A.

Launch reaper on computer A...
The whole process starts again - with scanning entire vst.
Scanning on my machine gets particularly slow on Arturia Classic 5 collection... appears to hang... takes several minutes to scan each classic 5 synth... it sucks!

Advice or thoughts on this?

Tim Rideout · 10-08-2018, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atza

Just hold "shift" key when launching Reaper

What does starting Reaper while holding down SHIFT do? IF it's SAFE MODE, then that's probably not a good idea. If so, can you provide a link to documentation on SAFE MODE? I couldn't find any...

Buy One · 03-14-2020, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atza

Just hold "shift" key when launching Reaper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Rideout

What does starting Reaper while holding down SHIFT do? IF it's SAFE MODE, then that's probably not a good idea. If so, can you provide a link to documentation on SAFE MODE? I couldn't find any...

Not exactly SAFE MODE, because plugins scan still goes on

Open REAPER without loading last project

Page 17 of the manual https://dlz.reaper.fm/userguide/Reap...5c.pdf#page=17

but for my portable install it doesn't work

juliuskrakow · 08-22-2020, 04:23 PM

flipotto/Tim Rideout, any luck with this? I'm in the same boat as you although with Resilio Sync.

Tim Rideout · 08-23-2020, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juliuskrakow

flipotto/Tim Rideout, any luck with this? I'm in the same boat as you although with Resilio Sync.

Nope. I opted for completely separate Reaper plugin folder installations for each laptop. Done