Organizing and keeping track plugins?

[Kirean]

Having been to the 'deals' section far too many times, I've come with the new issue of having more than a handful of plugins.

Instead of trying to invent the wheel from scratch, how do you all keep track of the plugins you've bought and maybe installed? Not only to have a general idea of what you have but also if you've found ways that might encourage you to use the less obvious ones more often? 

I've also noticed that a lot of developers are emulating the same hardware units but using various different names that might only hint at the original hardware (seeing the various 1176 plugins springs to mind). How do you keep away from having a ton of overlap?

Cheerios!

[treesha]

I keep a list of plugins in an office document with its name and brand because sometimes i want to use one but cant recall the brand to find it in my vst list.  So then i use find and search the name in the document and then can find the brand in my vst list in cakewalk that i have listed by manufacturers.  Then i keep a second document organized by  topics like reverb and list my reverbs with a phrase describing it like - plate. I use certain brands enough i dont need these but for other seldom used ones it is handy. Also fun to be reminded of one I don’t think of. And a quick look keeps me from getting something I already have. 

[Byron Dickens]

16 hours ago, Kirean said:

How do you keep away from having a ton of overlap?

By using what I already have instead of buying new stuff just because it's on sale.

[JarRay]

I use folders and a spreadsheet to organize my plugins. And for avoiding overlap, I stick with my favorite unless a new one offers something unique.

[Gswitz]

I just search for them... type in the name of what I'm looking for in the search window.

I really don't have a hard time finding plugins.

It can be trickier to know what all the plugins do and how they work.

To that end, I do have favorites I have used over time. I also focus on Melda Productions plugins generally. I learn how they work and practice working with them.

I have never needed to build custom layouts or anything.

I'm sure I'm not helping, but I'm trying.

G