Save All User Settings in User's Document Folder

More and more DAWs do this these days. Initially, I hated software that cluttered up my documents folder, but now I think it’s the right way to go.

Current Situation
On Mac, all the settings Nuendo saves about shortcuts, menu presets, plugin presets and channel strips is saved in the Application Support in the User’s Library. That’s where traditionally many programs “hid” it.

I say “hid” because the User’s Library folder is hidden by default and I’m of the opinion that programs can save some config data there. But stuff the user produces, like Nuendo projects as well as settings the user comes up with and saves, should be in the User Document folder as well!

Solution
Logic Pro X and PreSonus Studio one both create a folder inside /Users//Music. There, they store all key commands, plugin presets, channel strip configurations, window layouts, screensets and more. So the default stuff stays in the Library Application Support folder, but all the stuff a user actually creates goes into the document folder.

Why is this better?
This way it’s MUCH more transparent what you actually have. It’s easier to backup and it’s easier to move from system to system. When I do a clean install of my machine, I don’t lose any presets and workspaces when I copy everything from my documents folder. Nuendo automatically finds everything there. Currently, when I look into the Application Support folder, I have no idea what I have to copy and take over so I have all my stuff. There are also settings in the Preferences folder.

But I want to clean install my machine, not set everyting up in NUendo from scratch and lose all my presets.

Also, since I’m working on an iMac in the office and also have a laptop I sometimes use, I could just sync my document folder and have all settings, presets, screen layouts and such with me. Syncing the Application Support folder is a complex thing.

In short, it would be much easier moving and backing up valuable configurations from Nuendo if these things were just saved in the User’s Music folder, as other DAWs do too.

And I think this is a great idea.

That is a known issue; a “cleanup” of user preferences -which are now all over the place- is long overdue.
There is a battleplan for that, but it is done step by step.
Maybe you have noticed that some of the preferences already have moved to another place and/or that they have been split up in multiple xml files.
So they are working on it, but I think it will be done gradually.

Fredo

OK I see. I guess it’s quite complicated as multiple areas in the software are writing and reading from these files. It’s a complex task. I can imagine. But I think an important one for keeping things tidy and safe. And clean up some code while at it :slight_smile: