VC8 color tags missing in CS-80 V3, Piano V2 and Prophet V

[Aleque]

Hi

I noticed that the ability to color tag presets is missing in CS-80 V3, Piano V2 and Prophet V in my Arturia V Collection 8. Under Explore, on the left side, there are usually 3 colors (red, yellow and orange) to tag your favorite presets with, but this is missing in those 3 VSTs.

Everything is up to date in Arturia Software Center.

What is going on? Is this intended?

EDIT: When I opened Analog Lab V, I was able to find a particular preset from the CS-80 V3 plugin and I could color tag it. I did that just to see if it would enable the color tagging menu CS-80 V3 (as a standalone plugin). It didn’t.

[LBH]

Hi @Aleque ,

The instruments you mention are legacy instruments. They have not color tags. The newest upgraded versions have. (CS.80 V4, PianonV3, Prophet-5 V and Prophet VS V.)

Instruments that have the newest preset browser do have colors. They actually have 7 colors beside a heart and not only 3 colors beside the heart. If you hoower the mouse over the “MY FAVORITES” above the heart and colors at the left in the browsers, then click the “EDIT” button that appears to enable or disable colors.

[Aleque]

Thanks for the reply.

If I add certain color tags to some CS-80 V3 presets using Analog Lab V, and I later upgrade to the newest version of Arturia V Collection - will the color tags (of these preset) transfer to the upgraded version of the CS-80 standalone plugin?

That is, giving me the ability to see different presets being color coded, so I can sort my preset by different colors without the Analog Lab V.

I have considered upgrading before, but I think I’ve read somewhere that upgrading to the latest version created problem for some people, where they lost their likes presets (the presets lost hearts and colors).

Also, I am not sure what will happen to the previous version of a plugin. Whether I will end up having 2 separate versions (new and old), or whether they will “fuse” into the newest version.

And another confusion of mine is: What about the presets that I already went through?

I like to go through my presets chronologically (alphabetically) only once and tag / like those that I like. I imagine that upgrading CS-80 or Prophet to the latest version will add additional presets to the list?

I’m assuming there is a way to only browse through the newest presets only? And not start browsing everything from scratch…

[LBH]

Hi again @Aleque,

The presets from your legacy instruments are not compatible with the new versions. The new versions are rebuilds.
When the new upgrades are installed, then they will not remove your legacy instruments. Both will work.
Opening the new instrument only give access to new presets.
I’m not sure what happens with legacy presets markings through Analog Lab.
I’m not sure about the color markings. Perhaps ask Arturia support about that. I assume the color are stored like the heart.

All informations about presets can be found in your Arturia ressource folder and can be copied to another computer.
Allways create backups of all the informations, if you don’t want to loose them. For example just backup the whole ressource folder to make it easy. If you have your Arturia ressource folders on the standard location, then keep in mind to enable Windows show hidden files and folders, if you are on windows, as the ProgramData folder is hidden.
(I can’t remember which preset informations that will be exported if you export and import presets. I can suggest you try it out.)
I have already replied you here it look like. Do you need further informations or help? This is what i know:

Favorite Presets Backup

Hi @Aleque. Welcome back. In short i can give this info, but can’t tell if anything has changed, so check it yourself: All you need is located in your Arturia Ressource folder. Liked and Tags informations are stored in different ways. AFAIK: User presets have Liked informations stored within the presets. Factory presets and Arturia Soundpack presets have Liked informations stored in the FactoryEdit folder. Samples are stored in the Samples folder. Playlists can be found in the applicatio…

[LBH]

Color tags are listed in the J:son files inside the Presets/ Shared/ Tags folder.

EDIT: Just tested and it look like the legacy color tgas also are stored there, when tagged through Analog Lab PRO at least.

[Aleque]

@LBH

The presets from your legacy instruments are not compatible with the new versions. The new versions are rebuilds.

Thanks for the clarification. But I have to admit that it’s a shame that the presets of an older instrument are not compatible with the same instrument of a newer version. And I have seen several people complain about this, as well. Basically, the two instruments, which are: CS-80 V3 and CS-80 V4 might as well be called something completely different from each other.

@LBH

I’m not sure about the color markings.

I don’t know, for sure, either. It is a bit confusing. But I experimented with something which I explain further below, and I got some positive results.

@LBH

Perhaps ask Arturia support about that.

I tried. Still no reply for weeks. 1 year ago they replied rather quickly. Also, I assumed that you were a part of their support?

@LBH

I assume the color are stored like the heart.

Here is what I found after lots of digging and my own experementation (but I am still not 100% sure):

Colors tags, as you mention later, are stored here (on PC):
C:\ProgramData\Arturia\Presets\Shared

Hearts are stored here:
C:\ProgramData\Arturia\Presets\FactoryEdit

A preset can apparently have a color tag without the heart, a heart without any color tags, a heart with a color tag OR a heart with several color tags attached to it. It seems confusing to me, but whatever… if those are Arturia’s rules, so be it.

Finally, if you have a backup copy of those two directories and you want to restore them by copying files BACK to their original locations, then you have to navigate to:

C:\ProgramData\Arturia\Presets

…and delete this file: db.db3

Apparently, it’s some sort of database file that will get information from files in the aforementioned two folders.

When you launch any Arturia VST (at least I think it’s any VST), and a new db.db3 file will be created.

It will grab info from the two folders, rebuilding / updating presets with their corresponding tags (hearts and colors).

I did an experiment where I added and deleted a heart and a color tag of a specific preset. I then tried to restore my backed up folders just to see if 1). it “undid” the change and 2). the time of the file modification corresponds with when I made the change. It worked for me. But it’s a pretty inconvenient system, if you ask me. They should seriously just add a dropdown menu that let’s you export everything to a specific folder. It’s counter-intuitive having to copy paste folders manually, deleting the db file and hope that you don’t screw something up.

@LBH

All informations about presets can be found in your Arturia ressource folder and can be copied to another computer.

I don’t know what you mean by “ressource folder”. There is a ressources folder in every VST, as far as I know:

C:\ProgramData\Arturia\CS-80 V3\resources
C:\ProgramData\Arturia\Prophet V3\resources
and so on…

@LBH

Allways create backups of all the informations, if you don’t want to loose them.

That’s what I am trying to do. But I’d rather backup only the necessary folders and not the entire C:\ProgramData\Arturia folder, which is 41GB in size (on my PC) and has 337,306 Files and 21,494 Folders

@LBH

For example just backup the whole ressource folder to make it easy.

Again, what do you mean? A complete directory path would be nice.

@LBH

If you have your Arturia ressource folders on the standard location, then keep in mind to enable Windows show hidden files and folders, if you are on windows, as the ProgramData folder is hidden.

Already done it, obviously

@LBH

(I can’t remember which preset informations that will be exported if you export and import presets. I can suggest you try it out.)

That sounds pretty vague and not very reassuring, but as I already wrote earlier, after I did my “experiment”, that is as close to the truth that I have gotten. Plus, you already tested the colors yourself, as you mentioned in your latest reply.

@LBH

I have already replied you here it look like. Do you need further informations or help? This is what i know:

Yes, I saw your reply in my previous topic. I have to admit that I was pretty annoyed by the way you replied. I won’t go into too much detail about it here, since I want to keep this topic on point, as much as possible.

And speaking of “screwing up”, as I mentioned before. I found a Facebook post where someone wrote this:

" I ended up keeping them all installed.
Learnt the hard way by losing a whole set of patches I’d done for JP8 V2! When I’d upgraded to V3 I forgot to import them from the ‘user data’ folder I’d created…"

This is what worries me, honestly. It’s one thing if you, yourself, make a mistake and back up, restore or delete wrong files or folders.

But it’s another thing if you simply “upgrade” something and it ends up deleting many hours of work. Going through every preset, testing it out, saving it to your favorites (hearts and colors) and then it’s just GONE.

(and I haven’t even started making and tweaking my own custom / user presets, yet)

So, imagine starting from square 1, doing everything from scratch, just because you weren’t sure which files and folders to back up correctly.

This is why I create these topic. And yes, I have done my research (Google, Reddit, these forums). And no, I don’t expect the user manual or ChatGPT to come up with a convincing, 100% correct solution to these very special questions.

[LBH]

You overall verify the informations i have been given.

@Aleque

I have to admit that it’s a shame that the presets of an older instrument are not compatible with the same instrument of a newer version

Yes. But the sounds will not sound the same. And many things have changed.
To me the new instruments sound better.

@Aleque

I don’t know what you mean by “ressource folder”.

@Aleque

Again, what do you mean?

Main Arturia resource folder. It’s the folder located on the path you have specified in Arturia Software Center (ASC) Preferences/ Folders - and i don’t know if someone have changed that path. By default It’s the folder named Arturia. C/ ProgramData/ Arturia.

Arturia Software Center (ASC) - Customise your resource folder location

@Aleque

They should seriously just add a dropdown menu that let’s you export everything to a specific folder.

Yes it would be good to have an easier way to do all this. Backups and move files. I have mentioned that some times in my postings in the community for quite some time.

The easiest is to backup and move the Main Arturia Ressource folder as everything is in there. But there might be reasons not to do that or not wanting to do that.
But now you - afaik - know where you can find everything.
I think you got everything if you copy the Preset, the samples and perhaps the Shared folders in your Main Arturia Ressource folder. At least for all new. Perhaps not playlists from old instruments and old Analog Labs. You have to check that if needed.

The db.db3 file does’nt matter. It’s only used for browsing. And yes it’s a database file.

You have to ask Arturia support about more info about the Export/ Import.

I have suggested Arturia to create FAQ pages about all this too.

I hope you understand, that i try to help. Answering the same questions many times is’nt fun, if people does’nt try to find exicting replies by them self like the forum rules suggest or read the manuals and FAQ’s. Further questions can always be asked anyway.
As said i’m not an Artuia employee. I’m not paid doing this.

[Aleque]

Then they should do a much better job explaining how to back things up correctly. Or they should streamline the process of how to back things up. Everything else looks unprofessional.

[LBH]

Like i wrote:

@LBH

I have suggested Arturia to create FAQ pages about all this too.

And we agree it would be great to have an easier way to backup and move everything.
Presets, Samples, Favorites, Tags, Playlists, Midi Configs and whatever.
At least FAQ informations about this and about the info the Export and Import transfer would help a lot making things more clear and easier.
EDIT: I think it will help Arturia support too. EDIT END

I actually still don’t know where not exported midi configs are located. So be aware of that too. You know if you export your own to a specific location.