Toontrack Solo (EZDrummer): User Folders Don’t Open

[jduber]

Greetings all,

New user here. Trying to learn my way around EZDrummer. For now, I’ve installed and am using Toontrack Solo (v. 1.2.2) directly on a MacBook Pro (intel) with OS 10.6.4 with 3GB ram.

A few things have me confused:

1) Selecting the “User Midi folder” from the help popup does nothing. The documentation leads me to believe it should open up a directory on my harddrive. Is that normal? What is the correct path to this folder on a Mac?

2) Same goes for the “User mixer preset folder”–selecting it does nothing. Is that normal? What is the correct path to this folder on a Mac?

3) Where is the “SoundMover” application? I have run the installer (twice). Both times it reported a successful install, but I can’t find the application anywhere.

Lastly, the “Preferences” menu option is greyed-out. Google leads me to believe that is to be expected. OK, but why include it then? This last one is a rhetorical question, no need to answer.

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

Jim

Topic

[John]

Hi,

1) by Default this is located at ‘Mac HD/Library/Application Support/EZdrummer/Midi/MY MIDIFILES/’

2) the User Mixer Preset folder depends on which EZX you are using and it wouldn’t open if empty. Create one, save it and then open to try.

3) You really should read the included instructions. The SoundMover utility isn’t an application that gets installed, it’s a utility you run to move your EZHOME (the directory where EZdrummer EZX MIDI and Sounds gets installed) and I’m a bit worried that you have run it twice with the possibility that you have moved the EZHOME folder to somewhere it really shouldn’t be.
To ‘Repair’ the Default installation, please run SoundMover and point to ‘Mac HD/Library/Application Support/’.

Are you running the latest version, btw? EZdrummer 1.2.1?

Best Regards,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[jduber]

Thanks for the reply. My responses to your comments follow:

1) The “MY MIDIFILES” directory doesn’t exist in the location you indicate. Other relevant directories do exist. Should I manually create “MY MIDIFILES” in that location? I suspect not and will wait for your advice.

2) I’m using the stock “POP/ROCK” EZX. I’ve created and saved Mixer presets. The directory still doesn’t open. After rebooting TT Solo, my custom presets still show up in its menu and work when I select them. However, selecting “User mixer preset folder” from the “?” dropdown menu still does nothing. I am unable to locate the mixer preset folder on my Mac HD even when searching my drive for the preset by name (or partial name) or by browsing to where I would expect it to be located. Very odd indeed.

3) I read the documentation carefully before, during and after installation. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that I purchased a download only version? The installation was not exactly straight-forward and the documentation didn’t help with the specific issues that I faced. I don’t believe I really ran SoundMover, but can’t be sure. It seems that the installer tried to do something with SoundMover and likely failed. I say this because during installation of EZDrummer, I saw an error message saying something like I needed to point SoundMover at a directory on my drive. However I don’t believe I was ever given the option to choose a location and after dismissing the error message, the installer seemed to indicate that “SoundMover” was installed.

Furthermore, I can’t find SoundMover anywhere on my HD so don’t know how I would run it again. I have the SoundMover installer package on my drive and could run that again, but I don’t think that is how it is meant to be launched. So, again, I will await your advice.

FYI, EZdrummer does seem to be installed in the default location, though, as I say certain commands don’t work. I have EZdrummer v. 1.2.1, but again all my tests have been under Toontrack Solo (v. 1.2.2).

4) One additional problem I’m seeing is that choosing “EZplayer” from the View menu or from the toolbar leads to an error message saying to make sure it’s installed and I’ve set the right path. How can I do that? I see how to set paths to my VST-plugins. That currently is:

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST

Thanks again for your help.

Best wishes,

Jim

[Rogue]

You need to own EZplayer (and install it of course) for that function to work.

If you did get Soundmover to prompt you for a target location then it indeed confirms that you had not read the instructions properly when you ran it… it may be in your /Applications/Toontrack/ folder but if I would have to question whether you actually need it (are you trying to relocate your libraries, or did you run it ‘out of curiosity’)?

Last I’m not sure why the mixer presets folder would not open but in case that helps they are located in your Home folder in:
Users/<yourname>/Library/Caches/com.toontrack.superior.auezdrummer/MixerPresets/

Rogue Marechal - Toontrack
Configuration Manager

[jduber]

I now understand, EZplayer in this case means “EZplayer pro”. OK.

Back to Soundmover (SM), again to clarify–SM never asked me to choose a target location and I don’t believe I ever ran it. I believe that I saw a related SM error message during installation (probably when I tried to manually install SM with the downloaded SM installer app). However, SM does not seem to be installed on my drive. It’s clearly not in the default location and the Mac OS Finder cannot locate it.

ISSUES FOR WHICH I NEED HELP:

A) In a previous message, John Rammelt asked me to run SM to repair the default installation (see above). So, I ask again, how can I run Soundmover? I can’t find it on my HD. Should I uninstall and then reinstall EZDrummer, or what? Please give me your advice. Perhaps it’s not necessary since the program is mostly working correctly.

B) The “MY MIDIFILES” directory doesn’t exist in the location you indicate. Other relevant directories do exist. Should I manually create “MY MIDIFILES” in that location or not? I would like to drop in my own loops for use in EZDrummer and assume that is where they would go. Please advise.

C) I have found the MixerPresets directory (where RM told me to look). I think I can safely ignore the fact that the folder doesn’t open from the menu selection, right? I mean is there any reason why I might need to open that folder?

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE KNOWN-ISSUES LIST:

Kindly consider adding the following 2 items to the EZDrummer http://www.toontrack.com/helpdesk/issue_view_portal.asp?ID=39. These would have saved you and me and possibly others a bit of time and effort:

NOTE: For Mac OS and possibly others:

1) The “Preferences” menu option is disabled at all times.
2) The links to “EZplayer” from the View menu or from the toolbar require purchase and installation of EZplayer Pro.

Thanks again for your help and support.

Best wishes,
Jim

[John]

Hi Jim,

A)

how can I run Soundmover?

in the latest EZdrummer update, you find it included in the disk image, right next to the update installer.
When you double-click the SoundMover, you don’t install an application, the folder you point to is where you want your current and future EZdrummer expansions and Toontrack MIDI to be installed.
However, if you do not get any complaints from the plugin when running it, the paths are correct so you don’t need to run it.

B)

Should I manually create “MY MIDIFILES” in that location or not?

Well, I can not answer to why the folder wasn’t created but please do create it yourself. It should work as intended.
Have you searched your hard drive if it exists anywhere else?

C)

I think I can safely ignore the fact that the folder doesn’t open from the menu selection, right? I mean is there any reason why I might need to open that folder?

If you need to manually manage something; creating a subfolder, copying a preset to send to someone you’re collaborating with, etc. you might want to open it.
I’m wondering if B and C could be related to some kind of disk permission error?
Have you repaired disk permissions lately? You are the Administrator of the computer?

Best Regards,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[jduber]

Hi John (and RM),

Thanks very much for your responses. I believe I now understand what was causing the minor issues I faced (i.e., EZdrummer user folders not opening from their menu commands) and I have now solved those problems. Here’s a summary of my conclusions:

During my original attempts to install EZdrummer, I rushed through the process and did not pay careful enough attention to the instructions for “installing” SoundMover. I ran it (probably 3 times) without ever choosing a user folder and just assumed it was installing itself in the default location (which it mostly did). However, as a result, it seems the “User midi folder” and the “User mixer preset folder” were not created at install time. I created a “MY MIDIFILES” folder in the default location as per your advice and then the menu command was able to find and open it. Of course, when I subsequently ran SM again, it deleted that folder and so I had to create it again.

So, I now have re-run SoundMover and was careful to choose the default folder as a target location for the installation. I then created a “MixerPresets” folder in the default location and put my custom presets (organized with sub-folders) inside.

And, now, I am happy to say that EZdrummer is now installed correctly on my system. Selecting “User Midi folder” or “User mixer preset folder” from the help popup menu works as expected. And with that, all the issues I’ve faced so far are handled to my satisfaction.

Thanks again for your help and sorry to trouble you with these newbie issues.

Best wishes,

Jim

PS At your suggestion, I repaired disk permissions. There were a few files that required repairing, but they were all related to my Flash Player and Java install. I am the admin and installed as such. I don’t believe these issues were the cause of the problems I faced.

[Author]

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