How to document plugins/programs/presets for yourself?

[tavasti]

At least I have problems remember all the software and presets that I have found useful. Reading music related stuff from this forum, irc or some other place, seeing link for interesting plugin. Download it, 'I will test when have time'. Or even test it quickly. So question is, how to document these things for myself? One possibility is to have it shared with others, but then data usability may be lost. Plugin that works great for metal maniac won't be that great for hip hop producer, and needs of Lo-Fi producer and progressive fusion are different. Another thing is that marking 'downloaded, not tested' is not meaningful for others

So what tools to use, what fields to have in data? My idea is to use google sheets, but any better ideas? Some local app or web-based solution (can install stuff onto own server) are also possible.

[Basslint]

I suggest a personal wiki such as Zim

[miroona]

This boils down to file management and organization for me. My focus isn't on documentation, it's on the creation of music. I want to simplify the process for myself, rather than adding work when there isn't a need for it. For your case, I might suggest just creating a directory for untested plug-ins and taking the appropriate action once you've gotten around to fucking around with it (e.g, uninstalling the plug-in if it's not to taste). What do you think?

[tavasti]

This boils down to file management and organization for me. My focus isn't on documentation, it's on the creation of music. I want to simplify the process for myself, rather than adding work when there isn't a need for it. For your case, I might suggest just creating a directory for untested plug-ins and taking the appropriate action once you've gotten around to fucking around with it (e.g, uninstalling the plug-in if it's not to taste). What do you think?

But plugins and softwares can have installer, and things aren't movable, so they can't be categorized with moving. And same thing with synth/other plugin presets, they are where they are.

[jonetsu]

Since a few years I'm using the file system. Plugins are either Linux native or Windows. Each category has a Test subdirectory where the installer of a plugin under test will be directed to install its things.

All plugins are on a distinct hard drive:
/dev/sdc3 /B3

All creations (Bitwig and Mixbus32C) are on another drive:
/dev/sdc5 /Compotes

For plugins the main subdirs are:

/B3/Plugins
/B3/Windows-Xubuntu

For illustration purposes, a sample of subdirs:

/B3/Plugins/

MOK/
Monoplugs/
OvertoneDSP/
pianoteq/
Redux/
Renoise/
SonicCharge/
Test/
Tracktion/
u-he/

/B3/Windows-Xubuntu/

IK Multimedia/
ImageLine/
Klanghelm/
KV331/
LaptopMusician/
LinPlug/
MeldaProduction/
MuTools/
PsychicModulation/
RobPapen/
Test/

All Windows installers are told to install in /B3/Windows-Xubuntu/Test/

Whatever they nevertheless install in ~/.wine/drive_c/ I do not care about. All I care is that the .dll are in /B3/Windows-Xubuntu/Test/


For u-he (Linux native) a symlink is used:

/home/user/

lrwxrwxrwx 1 user user 16 Feb 14 2019 .u-he -> /B3/Plugins/u-he/


Cheers.

[tavasti]

Since a few years I'm using the file system. Plugins are either Linux native or Windows. Each category has a Test subdirectory where the installer of a plugin under test will be directed to install its things.

How do you handle bad installers which don't have proper uninstaller?

[jonetsu]

How do you handle bad installers which don't have proper uninstaller?

First of all, I consider that with the plugins I have I still need several years to master their use. This said, why look for new plugins ? The last I bought was the excellent Panagement whose author dropped a word about it here on LM. And at the same time got the other two plugins made by Auburn Sounds.

So that would concern mostly only Windows plugins. I install so rarely Linux plugins for the simple fact that I must have them all. With Windows plugins, since I specify a location on hard drive B3 to the installer, a lot of its stuff is there. So I do:

cd [testing dir on drive B3 for this plugin]
rm *

The files that were put in the wine user directory drive_c/ I don't care much about. drive_c is in the home directory and my home directories since maybe 20 years are volatile. I never put important files in any home directory. Thus the OS can change, have a totally new home directory, and after install I mount back the important partitions for data that I care about. This means that there's ample space in home/ for silly Windows files that were put in there even though I specified B3 to a Windows installer.

I actually never ran a Windows uninstaller. Also, I tend not to try plugins often, and rather not at all since some time because of the first statement above and also because I find I currently have a wide palette of plugins that covers a wide range of uses. The 100+ Melda plugins by themselves for instance. But when I was into the testing phase I simply used 'rm' to delete the main files of tested plugins which were installed mainly in a location I specified at install time.

[ycollette]

For the Wiki solution, you can try https://tiddlywiki.com/
It's a one page wiki quite small and powerfull. No need for a server or a database.