This article will apply differently depending on which DAW software you use.
If you have a lot of plugins, you know how much time is wasted scrolling through lists to find what you are looking for in that moment.
Here are a few ways in which you can speed things up!
Delete or hide what you don't use
This may be painful. Let's say you bought a bunch of plugins 5 years ago that you've used a handful of times. Every time you scroll past them is time wasted. Don't be a hoarder.
Change how things are sorted
In Pro Tools, you can set the way plugins are shown within the menu 4 different ways:
- Flat List - every plugin in alphabetical order, regardless of type
- Category - filtered by the type of plugin in alphabetical order: Compressor, Delay, EQ, Reverb etc.
- Manufacturer - who makes the plugin in alphabetical order: AIR, FabFilter, iZotope etc.
- Category and Manufacturer - this option splits the list in half, offering both of the previous options.
How you choose to set this is a personal choice, and depends on how your brain works.
In Cubase, the menu is laid out by category by default, but you can change this in the preferences. You can dive deeper using the Plugin Manager to restructure the folders to your liking. When you go to load an insert in Cubase, there is a search box, if you know your plugins by name you can use this to filter the menu quickly.