I’ve just downloaded a guitar amp plugin, I put it where my other plugins are and went to VST connections as usual to scan for it but cubase won’t detect it. I can’t find any answers on google. It doesn’t have a DLL file so I suspect there may be a different process to using it with Cubase, but I’ve been unable to find any answers as to how.
This forum says I can’t include links for some reason, but the plugin is called:
Amped Stevie T Free DJENT GOD
It’s the first result on google if you search that. It’s by ML Sound Lab.
Your other VST3 plugins? The common path for VST3 (I’m speaking Windows here since that’s what I use and you don’t mention your OS) is Local Disk (C:) → Program Files → Common Files → VST3. These would be of the Type “VST3 Plug-in File”.
Does it have an actual installer? Maybe you put it in the wrong location.
It’s because you’re a “noob” here. You have to earn the right to certain functions.
It is also a good idea to say which version of Cubase you are using.
I have made my own folder where I put all my plugins. When I go to Studio > VST plug-in manager I can tell Cubase what exact folder to scan for plugins, and this usually works as it scans for DLL files but it won’t detect this one. It doesn’t have a DLL tho.
Yes is came with an installer. I can use the program by itself, but I can’t get cubase to acknowledge its existence.
I just tried putting all the folders that were installed into the VST3 folder you were talking about, and it made no difference. However I think when I do the process I said, it says it looks for VST2 files in those folders. I don’t know how to tell Cubase to scan for VST3 files instead, in that case.
A quick google search tells us that this is a VST3 plugin, so it belongs into the standard VST3 folder (as mentioned above). Check if the plugin is in there. If not, it hasn’t been installed correctly. If yes, check in the plugin manager whether it is disabled for some reason.
Cubase should automatically scan the default VST3 folder. If the file is there, it’s possible it has been 'Blacklisted". Check that if you haven’t already done so.
I would advise against moving files manually which have been placed by an installer.
Are you sure the VST3 was actually installed? Usually when running an installer, you are given certain options. Maybe you missed something.
Wait so are you saying Cubase won’t let me put VST3’s on my other drive? Because my C: drive has only about 10GB free space despite the fact that I never download anything on it ever unless I ABSOLUTELY have to. Meanwhile my D: has about 300GB free. If Cubase forces me to put every VST3 on C: then I don’t know if I can affort to get any plugins…
I just got the Spitfire launcher and it lets me change the default destination folder for VST2 downloads, but NOT VST3, so it seems consistet with what you’ve said at the very least. And that concerns me… Poor C: drive.
VST files have the file extension .vst3. VST 2.x files are .dll files. You should always install your VST3 plugins in the designated folder: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.
If you have big sample libraries, the samples themselves can be installed on a different drive to conserve space on your system drive, but the actual plugin file, the .vst3 file, should always be installed in the above location.
I can’t say in what category it will show up, that is up to the plugin developer. Open the Plugin Manager and find the plugin in the top, left list. There it will tell you what category it belongs to.
Also, if you are using custom plugin collections you would have to manually add any new plugins to that collection. Only in the default collection plugins get added automatically.
Okay I got it working. I downloaded the files on my D: drive, extracted again to D:, and then ran the installer which defaulted it to VST3, and I found it in one of the tabs where the effects like reverb and guitar amps and stuff is. Thank you for your help.
On that note, I was wondering, what’s your favorite free plugin?
“C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3” is the default folder specified by the VST3 standard. All plugins and DAWs must comply with that. This is in general a good thing, as VST2 didn’t specify any folders, and the result was chaos.
It is of course a problem with too small C: drives, but you could solve this with symlinks. Move the VST3 folder from Common Files to D:\VST3, then open a cmd window, navigate to "C:\Program Files\Common Files" and do “mklink /D VST3 D:\VST3”.
Windows symlinks are explained here:
