SM Pro Audio V-Machines User Manual
Page 56
V-‐Machine Operating Manual
Page 56 of 88
SM Pro Audio
5.5 Importing Plugins to the Active VFX Library
5.5.1 Important Preparation & Concepts
Before you start building Presets for the V-‐Machine, it’s important to understand a few key
concepts.
When
you
import
a
plugin
into
the
VFX
Application,
several
things
happen.
First,
the
software
code
of
the
.dll
itself
(the
code
that
allows
the
plugin
to
run)
is
copied
into
the
active
Library’s
folder
on
your
hard
drive.
For
this
reason,
before
importing
plugins,
you
should
check
in
the
Options/Preferences
box
to
make
sure
that
the
currently
active
Library
is
the
one
you
want
to
import
the
plugin
into.
Any
sample
libraries
required
by
the
plugin
are
also
copied
into
the
active
Library.
With
large
sample
libraries,
this
process
can
take
a
few
minutes.
If the plugin is copy-‐protected, after the files are copied, the VFX Application will attempt to
authorize
the
plugin
to
operate
on
the
V-‐Machine.
Because
of
this,
the
V-‐Machine
will
need
to
be
connected
to
the
computer.
The
details
of
how
authorization
is
handled
are
discussed
in
section
5.5.5
on
page
60.
We
recommend
that
Windows
users
always
install
plugins
on
their
computer
according
to
the
plugin
developer’s
installation
instructions
before
importing
the
plugin
to
a
VFX
Library.
Typically
this
will
mean
using
a
setup
program
provided
by
the
plugin
developer.
This
process
ensures
everything
required
by
the
plugin
is
correctly
installed
and
is
able
to
be
played/auditioned
when
the
plugin
is
imported
to
the
VFX
Application.
Note:
Some
plugins
do
not
have
an
installation
process.
If
a
plugin
is
downloaded
as
a
.dll
file
rather
than
as
an
.exe,
it
does
not
have
an
installer;
the
way
to
use
it
in
a
Windows
computer
is
simply
to
drag
the
.dll
into
your
VSTplugins
folder
(wherever
that
happens
to
be).
Plugins
that
lack
installers
can
be
imported
into
the
current
Library
directly
and
may
not
have
to
be
installed
on
the
PC
prior
to
import.
This
is
often
true
of
freeware
plugins.
After
downloading
such
a
plugin,
you
can
use
the
VFX
Application’s
import
command
to
direct
the
VFX
Application
to
the
.dll
file,
even
if
it’s
still
in
the
folder
to
which
you
downloaded
it.
You
can
download
a
freeware
.dll
to
a
Macintosh
and
then
import
it
into
the
VFX
Application
in
the
same
way.
It
is
also
possible
to
import
a
plugin
to
the
active
VFX
Library
by
importing
or
merging
Banks,
Presets,
and
associated
plugins
from
another
VFX
Library
(possibly
a
VFX
Library
your
friend
set
up
and
gave
to
you
on
thumb
drive).
To
do
this,
use
the
Import
from
VFX
Library
command
in
the
File
area
of
the
main
menu.
When
you
do
it,
there
are
a
few
benefits
and
limitations
you
should be aware of.
Benefits
●
Importing
this
way
allows
the
use
of
plugins
that
you
have
previously
installed
on
the
PC
as
per
the
developer’s
instructions
and
imported
to
the
VFX
Application
to
appear
more quickly in your new Library.
●
You can combine portions of your existing Libraries at will. For example, you can import
a favorite Bank from one Library to another.
Limitations
●
If you import a Bank, Preset, and associated plugin from another VFX Library to your
active
Library
without
the
plugin’s
having
been
previously
installed
to
your
PC
as
per
the
developer’s
instructions
at
an
earlier
stage,
you
may
not
be
able
to
audition
the
plugin
via
the
VFX
Application.