I was thinking that but how do I install plugins/files separate from samples/content? Though most if not all allow for separate locations for samples, they’re all installed simultaneously. My samples are on an external drive.
I do have some NI instruments I don’t use and need to uninstall on my MBP, and of course won’t install on the iMac.
I was the first to report ordering my 2019 iMac i9, and as with each new Mac I always do a methodical clean install (and a periodic clean install if I feel the new OS warrants it).
Depending on what you use, you should only have to install and reauthorize the software, and not samples on external drives. For example, you would reinstall Kontakt via Native Access, after logging in to your account.
Then, Kontakt player (library tab) libraries (which are the bulk of my third-party orchestral libraries), are also reconnected to the external samples via Native Access, using the “repair” function.
Kontakt libraries that were not licensed in the library browser (which you load by navigating to the nki files), behave as before by browsing to each (you may have to tell Kontakt where to look for these in older projects brought over to the new iMac).
I use Komplete Kontrol for about 1/3 of my tracks, so rescanned everything there as well after getting Kontakt libraries sorted out. Komplete Kontrol requires running in stand-alone the first time in order to cache the database and meta tags; as a throwback to when Kontakt used to require this, I will still run it in stand-alone the very first time, though I don’t think this is needed.
FWIW, I have a method for both moving and splitting up all/any Komplete package software, which is simply to move these wherever I want, then use Native Access to repair as I am prompted to manually navigate to each.
VSL has its own utilities to scan and locate installed libraries, but of course the software and utilities have to be reinstalled, after first getting the elicenser authorized. Similarly, East West requires ilok reauthorization (as will any plugins similarly registered). East West has its own utility for getting registered products back, then in PLAY, I simply browsed to those sample locations.
Other things, like Best Service Engine, involved another response authorization request, done online, and navigation to the sample locations was done through the browser preferences in engine to reconnect to the sample locations. I suspect other non-Kontakt libraries work similarly.
The very first things I do is make a master list with links to all sites and registered products not handled in Kontakt/native Access, then before doing anything i install these first;
Audio driver
Dongle software and cpu reauthorization (elicenser, ilok).
DAWs (I always export key custom command preferences in Logic and templates from my old setup)