Plug-in Browser organization

SONAR provides several plug-in layouts that allow you to sort the Plug-in Browser in different ways. To select a plug-in layout, click the PlugIns menu button in the Browser and select the desired layout:

Sort by Category. The default layout, which organizes plug-ins into category subfolders such as EQ, Dynamics, Reverb, etc. If a plug-in has more than one category, it will be listed in each category subfolder.

You can assign plug-ins to any of the default categories, or create your own custom categories. You can even combine VST3, VST2, and DirectX plug-ins in the same category.

Sort by Manufacturer. Sort plug-ins alphabetically by manufacturer name.

Sort by Type. Sort plug-ins by their native format (VST3, VST2, and DirectX) and manufacturer.

Click Manage Layouts if you want to modify an existing layout or create a new layout.

 

Note: If you clear the selected factory plug-in layout, SONAR will sort VST plug-ins by the folder in which they are installed, and DirectX plug-ins will be sorted by manufacturer.

VST3 plug-ins can have a default category assigned, and the Plug-in Browser will use this category, if found. The Plug-in Browser extends this capability to all plug-in formats, so you can also assign a category to VST2 and DirectX plug-ins, allowing for better organization of your plug-in collection.

To assign a plug-in to an existing category

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, right-click the plug-in you want to assign to a category.

2.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the small down arrow to open the drop-down list and select a category.

3.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

To assign a plug-in to multiple categories

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, right-click the plug-in you want to assign to multiple categories.

2.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the small down arrow to open the drop-down list and select a category.

3.	Click the button to add another category drop-down list, then select the next category. To remove the plug-in from an assigned category, click the button next to the category drop-down list. To remove the first category, clear the name from the drop-down list.

You can assign a plug-in to up to 5 different categories. For example, if your favorite equalizer plug-in has a spectrum analyzer, you could assign it to categories named EQ, Analyzer, and Favorites.

4.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

To assign multiple plug-ins to the same category

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, select the plug-ins you want to assign to the same category. To select a range of adjacent plug-ins, click the first plug-in, then hold down the SHIFT key and click the last plug-in.

2.	Right-click any of the selected plug-ins.

3.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the small down arrow to open the drop-down list and select a category.

4.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

To create a new custom plug-in category

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, right-click the plug-in you want to assign to a new custom category.

2.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the left side of the list control, then type a name for the new custom category.

3.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

To delete a plug-in category

A category exists as long as at least one plug-in is assigned to the category.

To delete a category, re-assign its plug-ins to another category. Empty categories are automatically removed.

To revert a plug-in to its original stored category

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, right-click the plug-in you want to revert to its original category.

2.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the small down arrow to open the drop-down list and select Reset Category.

3.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

To rename a plug-in

1.	In the Plug-in Browser, right-click the plug-in you want to rename.

2.	In the Set Properties dialog box, click the plug-in name, then type the new name.

3.	Click OK to close the Set Properties dialog box.

 

See:

Using the Plug-in Browser

New features