Remove Redundant Plugins Keep VST3

Posted by: @robosax

Since VST2 is pretty much phased out & VST3 is the new standard, wouldn't it be better to remove the VST2 plugins and keep the VST3 plugins?

Inside Unify, VST3 does not provide any advantage whatsoever over VST2. We favor the VST2 format whenever available, because

1. It tends to have fewer compatibility issues, and
2. It usually results in slightly smaller (sometimes MUCH smaller) saved patches.

Also, it would be nice to have a Scan all AU, VST, & VST3 plugins.

I'll add that to the to-do list, but since scanning is so slow, we recommend only doing it once, and thereafter, adding plug-ins to Unify's Known Plug-Ins list manually.

I have quite a few plugins that are AU only and it takes me sometime to go through them to figure out which ones they are.  It would save so much time to scan every plugin on my computer and then remove the redundant ones while keeping the VST3s.

That is pretty much what the "remove redundant plug-ins" function does. For every plug-in in the Known Plug-Ins list:

• If only AU is present, it will be kept.
• If VST3 and AU are present, the VST3 will be kept, and the AU removed from the list.
• If VST, VST3, and AU are present, only the VST will be kept.

If you insist on using only VST3-format third-party plug-ins, you're free to do so; just don't bother scanning for new VST2s. The only cases where you must use a VST2 plug-in are:

1. Where there is no VST3 version, and
2. To use a "Unified" patch library which has been prepared using the VST version of the plug-in.

Thanks for your explanation Shane!

I wasn't aware that VST3 is so different.  I use VST2 right now, which works great.  In the near future there won't be anymore VST2.  I just thought it would be prudent to start converting over to VST3, so I wouldn't have to re-build all my Unify patches with VST3s.

I guess I'm always adding a lot of new plugins, because my standard procedure is to scan all AUs, VSTs, & VST3s, and then trim out the redundant plugins.  I usually start the scan and go do something else while it's scanning, which is faster than me remembering which new plugins I added. lol!  As it is now, I have to manually start it 3 times for each format, so a "scan all plugins" would be very handy.

I also wasn't aware how the "remove redundant plugins" command worked.  I did search for it in the manual, btw. 

It all makes much more sense now.  👍 Thanks for your time !!! 😀 

All the best,

robosax

Posted by: @robosax

In the near future there won't be anymore VST2.

It's a bit more complicated than that. Anyone who signed a license for the VST SDK with Steinberg prior to October 2018 can continue to create and distribute VST2 plug-ins and hosts forever, and will do so for as long as there is demand. Anyone who signed after that is limited to VST3 only, and that's why you are seeing a lot of newer companies and open-source projects providing new plug-ins in VST3, AU, and AAX formats only.

Steinberg has been trying to force it down the industry's throat since 2008, and the industry's response has been less than enthusiastic. The VST3 spec has changes that are significant enough to require substantial re-design of DAWs and other plug-in hosts. Steinberg redesigned their hosts (of course), and even removed VST2 support this year, but honestly, no one else cares.

I also wasn't aware how the "remove redundant plugins" command worked.  I did search for it in the manual, btw. 

A search for "redundant" in the manual finds this, which is perhaps a bit terse, but says the same thing:

• Remove “redundant” plug-ins: Attempts to remove extra versions of plug-ins as follows:
  • Remove VST3 versions of every plug-in for which a plain VST version exists.
  • On a Mac, first remove Audio-Unit versions of any plug-in for which a VST or VST3 version exists.