a plugin is a collection of modules of a brand, for instance, Vult, Vult Free and Vult mysteries, if you subscribes to one of them you are not subscribing to all the plugins of the brand
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Sorry I meant “module” not plugin. But not to worry - it looks like the updated library instructions specify that adding individual modules is disabled for now until Rack V2 is released.
Some of the existing official documentation is indeed incomplete or not up to date.
That’s something the community could work on… but I’m personally not inclined to help fixing this, since it’s an effort that may be nullified by the supposedly upcoming release of Rack2 v2.
Btw…welcome to the forum @SilentSleep 
It’s not uncommon for new Rack users to get confused by the terminology and the difference between plugins and modules.
The Library layout was updated in March 2020, but it hasn’t changed recently.
FYI I’m editing the title of your post to reflect the contents of the discussion, and moving it to #Rack since it’s actually about Rack, rather than specific Rack plugins.
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And two things to mention. First, it’s always been this way, it’s not due to a redesign of the lib. Second, the vast majority of devs do put all their modules in one plugin. So subscribe to brand is very close to correct in reality. I suspect most devs are like me; we have a single plugin because it’s much easier.
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Ah thanks! I thought it was due to change in the library because manage plugins from Rack redirects straight there and didn’t seem to match what I was seeing in most tutorials/guides on adding new modules. Thanks anyway I think I’ve got it figured out!
Hey @SilentSleep, could you please point me to the tutorials you found which carry different/wrong/out-of-date instructions?
Sorry I think I got confused between the library page and the plugins/module distinction. Thanks so much for the help though!
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I don’t know if this was ever answered to satisfaction but after finding my way here from being confused about the subscribe feature I figured I’d post how this works currently (11/22) for anyone following.
- Go to VCV Rack > Library page.
- Log in
- Click the ‘Plugins’ link to the right of the Library header, next to ‘Reset Filters’
- All subscribe options are listed out per maker and plugin.
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And whats new in 2.2.0 is when unsubscribing in the library, your modules automagically disappear from the browser in VCV. They are still there but you can not find them in the browser. I don’t know if I like this.
Was this always the case ?
I just found out because in order to remove the red dot, I just unsubscribed Stoermelder, because I use his Nightlies, and although it loads the project with his modules in it, I could no longer find them in the browser.
I’ve lost count of the amount of people I’ve had to reply to today on Facebook, Reddit and Youtube who wondered why the new PatchMaster modules did not show up when they downloaded our beta. I’ve wasted hours doing it.
The reason is of course because they subscribed to individual MindMeld modules in the library rather than the entire plugin. That means the new modules won’t show up, because they haven’t subscribed to them… To fix it, they need to go back to the library, unsubscribe from MindMeld entirely then resubscribe to the plugin (NOT individual modules).
It’s hard to exaggerate how much this system Suuuuucks… from a usability and user experience perspective. Endless (understandably) confused and disappointed users and hours of developers’ time wasted explaining.
Surely an opt OUT system would work better than an opt IN system. Let users choose the modules they DON’T want from a plugin. Then, by default, new stuff would show up at least.
/RANT
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Echo this, @Squinky also does not like the opt-in if I remembre correctly, and I think VCV should consider re-evaluating it.
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I can only imagine the pain this issue causes - it does sound awful.
A month or two after the launch of Rack 2, I adopted the policy of always subscribing to a plugin rather than adding individual modules because of the issue of new modules not showing up. The add system definitely does not work for me.
I think the “opt out” suggestion is perfect, and probably only needs to be in the rack browser, not the web library. It can be a corollary to the Favorite option. I would simply call it “Hide”
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In V1 these was a plugin by “off-course” Stoermelder that could do this it’s also in the new V2 version but it crashes my rack on reloading.
I find it confusing. Have to say I’m used to it now.
Yup, couldn’t agree more. That feature was bad from the beginning. For now, keep it simple and only subscribe to plugins. In the future, if an opt-out system appears to replace the opt-in, then you can re-evaluate.
By the way that’s a great argument supporting my little rant today about a missing Rack wiki.
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I’m not sure that “opt in” is so bad. It might address the original complaints better. My confusion come from everything not being on the same screen/page. I have to remember to go to the plugin pages to subscribe. But for sure it’s a user learning issue. I just gave up on subscribing until I read how to do it.
The main problem with opt-ins for most users is that if a developer releases a new module, then unless the user hangs out on Rack social media, then they will have no idea. It won’t appear in their browser when the plugin updates.
Having made an initial selection on the library, if a user wants to get anything new, they need to regularly go back to the library, check though all the ‘partial’ plugins they have selected, see if there is anything new there and opt-in to that. Ain’t gonna happen.
From my discussions with users over the last couple of days, they had no idea that was the case. Some of them didn’t even realise that they could subscribe to entire plugins because of the way the library defaults to individual module subscriptions. Some users entire libraries are based on module subscriptions only. They will never see anything new in their module browser.
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Even I, who should know my way around, have given up on trying to understand opt in and opt out. I’m paying for all of my past sins of choices that I no longer remember and no way to figure out what I may have done and how in the past.
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that’s the core of the problem. The current system is difficult to understand, and relies a lot on semi-opaque state.