Plugins organized by type in DP? is this available?

[kgdrum]

Hi Everyone,
Is there a way to organize plugins by type in DP? Like compressors,reverbs,delays etc…..?
For me it would be a better way to utilize the various plugin choices available in my rig instead of trying to remember what I have available organized by developer & manufacturer.
I have looked within DP and have never been able to figure out if this is possible.
Thanks
KG

[James Steele]

It absolutely IS possible. It just takes a little work because you have to do it yourself inside the Effects Chooser window using folders and categories. I prefer it that way because the DAWs that that do this automatically don’t always do it in a way that makes sense to me… especially with third party plugins.

I’m not at home now else I’d screen capture my plug in window but I’ve created a hierarchy with plug in type, then developer name, then the plug in. For example: Reverb > Universal Audio > Lexicon 480 L

Again, it takes time to do this initially, and from then on, anytime you install a new FX plug in you have to manually update it by dragging the plug in into your custom menu.

[bayswater]

In DP it’s called Categories. There are some already in the Effects Chooser. But you can create your own. Best to think it through before you start. It gets tricky to change, reorder, rearrange or edit the categories once you create them.

[James Steele]

In DP it’s called Categories. There are some already in the Effects Chooser. But you can create your own. Best to think it through before you start. It gets tricky to change, reorder, rearrange or edit the categories once you create them.

This is true. You can also use folders to nest things a little deeper, but plugs can’t go in folders… only categories. You cannot reorder categories inside a folder, but the way around this is to create another folder at the same “level” and and temporarily move categories in the other folder and then move them back one at a time in the correct order. Again, wish I was home in front of DP so I could explain better.

Essentially my top level folder is called “JS By Type” then next level down I’ll have for example a folder within that called “Reverb” and THEN inside that folder I will create categories named after manufacturer… like “Audioease” “BOZ Digital” etc. Then I’ll drag plug ins from the upper level of the Effects Chooser in the default MOTU manufacturer listing into the correct categories. So I ended up with a hierarchical menu. I click and choose “Reverb” then a submenu appears with manufacture names, and then from that I choose a specific reverb plug in. I’ll have to post a screen capture video sometime. Don’t know if I’ll stick with this system. Seeing how it works for me.

Also I have one folder “Dynamics” where I’ve nested it even deeper.

Main folder is “JS By Type” then inside that are all my main types folders. One of them, “Dynamics” has two folders inside it: “Compression” and “Limiting”. The inside those I add *Categories* named after manufacturers. Plugs themselves can only go inside “categories” that I think of categories as my last level “folder”.

Yep… wish I could post screenshot or video right now. Oh well.

[kgdrum]

Thank You both!
@James Steele
@Bayswater

I figured it was probably something painfully obvious I was overlooking.
I’m looking forward to trying this

[monkey man]

Been waiting since DP7 (or is that DP8, which I'm still on?) for MOTU to allow us to reorder cats / folders / plugins.

It's such a royal PITA to work around that I gave up. Figured that by the time I eventually update this'll be sorted, so I'm frankly quite-shocked by what I'm hearing. I mean, come on!

[bayswater]

Also I have one folder “Dynamics” where I’ve nested it even deeper.

Same here, and same with EQ. If you have 50 to 100 of each, putting them all in one category/folder is pointless — it’s still difficult to locate the one you want. So again, have a good plan before you start.

And, Nicky, I agree that this needs some enhancements. I haven’t come up with a better way of reordering than James described, dragging things in and out of temporary folders.

[James Steele]

Also I have one folder “Dynamics” where I’ve nested it even deeper.

Same here, and same with EQ. If you have 50 to 100 of each, putting them all in one category/folder is pointless — it’s still difficult to locate the one you want. So again, have a good plan before you start.

And, Nicky, I agree that this needs some enhancements. I haven’t come up with a better way of reordering than James described, dragging things in and out of temporary folders.

Indeed. Trust me, I looked in vain for some sort of modifier key perhaps, that if I held it down I could click and reorder the folders or categories, but to no avail. Being able to drag to reorder them would be a very welcome fix.

I'm home now so here's a couple of screen shots. First is how it looks navigating the hierarchal menu I made with folders, and I'm choosing a limiter plug in because it goes the most levels deep: <main menu>/Dynamics/Limiting/<Manufacturer>/<plug in>. In fact, in this system which I'm still seeing if I like, it's all folders, until you get to the categories which are only manufacturer names... so I'll navigate to EQ, and then within EQ are the manufacturers for whom I have EQ plugs, etc.

Screen Shot 2022-09-14 at 10.01.04 PM.png (465.96 KiB) Viewed 1023 times

The second screen shot is how it appears in the Effects Chooser where you have to organize all this. Notice I have an empty folder at the bottom which is for temporarily moving categories into it so I can put them back in alphabetical order if I buy a plug-in by a new company that's not in the list.

Screen Shot 2022-09-14 at 10.01.51 PM.png (44.43 KiB) Viewed 1023 times

[monkey man]

And, Nicky, I agree that this needs some enhancements. I haven’t come up with a better way of reordering than James described, dragging things in and out of temporary folders.

Yup, same here bro' and I'm sure thousands of hours would cumulatively have been wasted by many folks using our same workarounds.

All we need is click-and-drag to reorder. Simple!

Trust me, I looked in vain for some sort of modifier key perhaps, that if I held it down I could click and reorder the folders or categories, but to no avail.

So did I Jimbo.

Notice I have an empty folder at the bottom which is for temporarily moving categories into it so I can put them back in alphabetical order if I buy a plug-in by a new company that's not in the list.

Yup. We simply shouldn't have to do this. How many hours have we already wasted, with more to come? Uuhhgg...

[kgdrum]

@James
Thanks those screen shots are most helpful
I’m still not sure I will totally understand the limitations snd obstacles until I actually try doing this but this certainly looks much better than the usual pull down menu hierarchy structured by the company.

I guess you guys can teach monkeys and drummers new tricks!

[James Steele]

Yup. We simply shouldn't have to do this. How many hours have we already wasted, with more to come? Uuhhgg...

Honestly, with the system I have now, it's not too bad and until there's a better way, I look at as entirely worth it. All that is entailed now when I get a new plugin is to open a project and then open the Effects chooser, open the necessary folders in my hierarchy at the bottom, then find the new plug-in up at the top inside the default "by manufacturer" listing and drag to the manufacturer category in my hierarchy. At least the plug-ins sort themselves alphabetically. The only thing that slows me down now is if I get a plug-in by a new manufacturer and I haven't already added a category named for them inside the applicable "type" folder. Then I have to create a category and name it after that manufacturer, and then do the trick with the temp folder to sort them alphabetically.

It's not that bad though unless the manufacturer starts with an "A" or something... then it's down at the bottom of the list and I have to start moving the manufacturer categories above it to the temp folder until it's in the right spot, and then drag those categories BACK into that folder in proper alphabetical order. Yeah... it's a pain, but not too onerous and at least in the system I have going, it's not too bad. I just have to remember to add new plugs that I purchase into my custom menu... OR just use the Effect Chooser, but I don't really like the Effect Chooser. I wish my menu would actually come up with the normal left click like it used to some versions ago. I regularly have right click now on effects inserts.

[monkey man]

Yup, as I thought I made clear, that's my system too Jimbo, and I speculated that many would have come up with the same method via trial and error; that's how you and I found it after all.

On behalf of those who haven't yet devised a system, thank you for sharing the deets brother.

EDIT:
I think Steve does this as well?

[James Steele]

Yup, as I thought I made clear, that's my system too Jimbo, and I speculated that many would have come up with the same method via trial and error; that's how you and I found it after all.

On behalf of those who haven't yet devised a system, thank you for sharing the deets brother.

EDIT:
I think Steve does this as well?

I dunno. My main point is that whatever classification system you're going to use, once you spend the initial effort putting it in place, maintaining it isn't too burdensome. And yeah... the initial setup is a pain in the butt and if MOTU just gave us a way to reorder folders and categories it would be great. When you say "system," are you talking about moving categories to a temp folder and then putting them back to reorder them? Or do you do like I do and use folder for the type of plug ins and then create categories named after the manufacturer inside each of those "type" folders?

[Rick Cornish]

I just organize my plugs by type in User Categories and don't use sub-folders for manufacturer or whatever. I don't have that many plugs that its' unwieldy for me this way. I posted a screen shot of my biggest category below.

Now, if I could just figure out how to have my User Categories pop-up when I two-finger tap on a mixer insert with my trackpad, like it used to before I reinstalled. Now, I get a pop-up list by manufacturer. Can anyone help me figure out how to change this?

EDIT: Fixed! Matt at MOTU showed me that you have to open the Effect Chooser, Control-Click on my User Categories folder and select "Save as Menu Category." I never knew there were contextual menus inside the Effect Chooser, so that was a good thing to find out about.

[bayswater]

Yup, as I thought I made clear, that's my system too Jimbo, and I speculated that many would have come up with the same method via trial and error; that's how you and I found it after all.

On behalf of those who haven't yet devised a system, thank you for sharing the deets brother.

EDIT:
I think Steve does this as well?

Pretty much. It hadn’t occurred to me to use Manufacturer in the categorization. More about details of what the plugin does. The other secret weapon is to occasionally delete all the plugins you never use. Less to drag around temp folders.