move Logic content to external drive using Symbolic Link

1) Apple isn't here....

Why doesn't Apple answer the questions that we ask about Logic Pro?

2) Symlinks and Logic Pro....

Make sure you have a full working backup of your system drive before doing anything, so if you go wrong you can quickly and easily roll back and restore from that backup...

Thanks to Fernand....

I had trouble with the symlinker app. It's much better to create symbolic links from the command line. A symbolic Link is like an "alias" or a "shortcut" except that it works at a deeper level in the OS, so it totally fools applications into thinking it's a folder.

There are GarageBand and Logic folders in /Library/Application Support on your boot drive that you will want be redirected to your desired target drive. You do this by creating symbolic links that redirect any read or write by apps to more spacious locations on what we'll call your target drive. Logic will thus go to your target drive to use loops etc, and when it downloads loops etc from Apple it will store them there. A symbolic link can make your target drive look like part of your boot drive.

In my case I have a big spacious drive called BIG where I have a top level folder called /Library, where I've built an Application Support folder into which I've copied the Logic and the GarageBand folders from the boot drive's /Library/Application Support folder. So let's look at how we make this location on BIG replace the one on the overly crowded boot drive.

Start by finding these folders in /Library/Application Support on your boot drive.

After copying them to your target drive, rename the original folders on the boot drive to GarageBand.NOT and Logic.NOT. This is temporary. That way if something goes wrong you can delete any symlinks and name the folder back by removing the .NOT at the end of the name, and it will be like before. Ok so far? Later we'll delete these extras.

Then the symlinks will be built on the boot drive using these two command lines (you will be asked your password). Note that the syntax lists the "target" of the symlink followed by its location, i.e. the "source".

sudo ln -s "/Volumes/BIG/Library/Application Support/Logic” “/Library/Application Support/Logic"

sudo ln -s "/Volumes/BIG/Library/Application Support/GarageBand” “/Library/Application Support/GarageBand"

In /Library/Application Support you will now see the 2 symlinks. They look like folders with a little arrow, and if you navigate through them with the finder you will land in the content on the BIG drive.

So far so good? In /Library/Audio you will find an Apple Loops folder. Make an Apple Loops folder in your target drive's /Library/Audio folder and copy the Apple Loops folder there. Then repeat the symlinking by using the following command:

sudo ln -s "/Volumes/BIG/Library/Audio/Apple Loops” “/Library/Audio/Apple Loops”

If you are tight on space, and why else would you do this, delete the original folders on the boot drive after backing them up and checking that everything works.

Once you set up the symbolic links, additional downloads will go to the target drive automatically. You can pick when to set up the symlinks, and when to delete the files off the boot drive.

Greetings, I used SymbolicLinker to create the symbolic links. Seemed fine, as the boot drive Logic folder is about 4k and the external drive Logic folder is 13G. But when I download new content it goes to the boot drive. Should it go to the external drive? Thanks

Sorry I don't get this...

Can you please provide more details?

For everyone who wants to store samples/loops and additional content on external drive, I think the instructions posted by Art of Sound above are the way to go.

I store all of these files on a fast SD card to able to use the USB3 ports for my interface and other devices. Works fine, fast enough, updates and indexing fine. You can of course use a drive instead, but this occupies a USB or TB port.

Use Symlinks. Do not use Alias, you will have issues!

If you want to use the app SymbolicLinker instead of Terminal, be advised the old version 2.0.3 does not work properly for Yosemite and newer. I just found out that there is a new just released version available on Github, version 2.1. I have not tried it, nor have I downloaded it to examine the code, so I do not endorse it. Use at your own risk.

Here is link… https://github.com/nickzman/symboliclinker/releases

This is supposed to work for all latest OS's including the soon to be released Sierra.

Please do not use MacUpdate or any of the other download conglomerate sites for any software downloads as most of these install some nasty adware onto your computers. Only download from App Store or trusted Developer's site.

Please be sure to "Send Feedback to Apple" to request that Apple makes it easy to install this content externally in LPX. All the code they need to do this as a preference is available in the underlying OS frameworks. If enough requests come in, then hopefully they will add the code in a future update.

Hope this helps, Greg

Hello,

Were you ever able to figure out why it kept downloading the essential sounds? I set up my symbolic links pointing to an SD card and it is still attempting to download every time I open Logic.

Thank you for your time

Chris

HI Chris

First question. Prior to launching Logic, you have inserted and mounted your SD card, YES?

If at any time you attempt to launch Logic without the card mounted, then Logic will automatically download the Essential content.

All of your essential content is downloaded and installed on your SD card?

You are not updating Logic as you go along are you? If you have "Install updates automatically in background" turned on in System Preferences>App Store, then whenever Apple updates any samples, then downloading will occur. Having said this, as long as you created the symlinks properly and the SD card is mounted, then any additional downloads and updates should go to that "Target" card and not to your boot drive.

Make sure you created Symlinks not Alias, they are different altogether. An Alias will always attempt to redownload and updates will always go to boot drive.

What OS and version of Logic are you using?

Hope this Helps, Greg

Greg,

This was helpful, thank you for your time.

Symlinks, SD card mounted, all were good. It appears the part I was missing was that Logic will initiate the download to keep things current. I allowed the download to proceed and it appears that it all downloaded to the target SD card (I deduce this because the directories appear the same, it did not create another "Logic" folder under Application Support.) Now it is opening without initiating download.

Thank you again for your time and your help.

Chris