Proper searching in Ableton?

[Bodega.]

Hi all,

Apologies if this has come up before - it's a tough one to search.

When I click Plugins at the left, then type something in the Live 10.0.2 search bar the search results show every folder that contains something with what I'm searching for, but NOT the thing itself.

For example, typing "saturn" shows the Fabfilter folder that contains the Saturn plugin, but NOT the plugin itself, so I still have to click to open the folder. That is SUPER annoying.

Does anyone have thoughts on that? It's been bugging me for, literally, years.

thanks!
Matthew

[pottering]

From my experience, plugin search takes the whole path and the plugin filename into account.

It can find words in the middle of filenames, but only if there is something to mark the beginning of a new word, like a space, hyphen, underscore, etc.

So, if you search "saturn", it will find: "ff_saturn", "ffSaturn" (uppercase following a undercase works), "ff-saturn", "ff saturn", "ff.saturn", etc. (invented filenames, I don't own Saturn)

It WON'T find: "ffsaturn", "FFSATURN", "fabfiltersaturn", "FFSaturn", etc. (note "ffs" would find all those except "fabfiltersaturn")

Same for folder names inside your VST folder (the name of the VST folder too, the whole path). If you installed your FabFilter plugins under a "FabFilter" folder, just typing "fabf" may find them easily.

[Bodega.]

Thanks for the reply, pottering. Is there a way, using the right search string, to get the folders to automatically open so you can see the plugins without any further clicking?

[pottering]

But AFAIK the search doesn't show folders in All Results.

You can press "down" arrow key to move to the search results.

After that you can use the arrow keys to move up/down, left arrow will move to the Categories and Places, where you can go up/down to Plug-Ins, then right arrow moves back to the results, unfold folders, etc.

"Esc" exits the search.

[Bodega.]

Interesting about using the arrow keys to navigate - I wasn't aware of that.

So I guess there's no option to have all folders in Plug-Ins default to being open after a search?

[pottering]

No option to show the folders in All Results that I know of.

Using "vst" with other search words usually finds plugins pretty fast here, for example, "vst kor" finds all my Korg VSTs. Only the Korg VSTs, no other files.

[Ed Zeppeli]

My problem with this is when searching for more generic terms inside folder stacks. Eg. Search for "Snare" inside a pack that has sometimes several layers of sub folders:

Folder
- Sub folder
- - Sub folder
- - -Sub folder
- - - - Sub folder
- - - - - "Snare"
Folder
- Sub folder
- - Sub folder
- - -Sub folder
- - - - Sub folder
- - - - - "Snare"
x 100


I don't want to search using "All results" as a) I'd have too may results to scroll through and b) I'm after sound only from a new pack I've installed.

Where Ableton falls over drastically (unless there is a solution I'm unaware of) I have to work my way down through every folder stack to see the results. Which may end up being 100 clicks to listen to 20 samples. Totally creativity buzz kill. I'm aware you can navigate using keys but still...

I've previously taken all samples out of a pack and moved them all to the root but the folder structures are useful for alternative methods.

Please do save my buzz if you have a solution though

[[jur]]

Check this.

[johane]

This is an old thread but if someone is looking. You can use boolean search operators e.g., snare +mySnare or for plugins: kontakt +au