Rename VST Instruments

I’ve done a search on the forum and found very little information about renaming VST Instruments. I may have looked in the wrong place. The only thing I saw was that in Cubase 5 this was not possible. Hast this changed for Cubase 6? If so, how would I go about changing the names of the VST Instruments?

Thanks!

JB

I’m not sure folks are understanding your question? Do you mean renaming the instrument track names? Or the instruments themselves? Can you give an example of what you want to do?

I’m sure he wants to rename the instance of the VST Instrument. Open my VST rack and you will see 8 slots with “Kontakt4” and 5 with “Vienna Instruments”–and in assigning tracks, I basically have to keep a scratch pad with what’s loaded into each. I’ve long wanted that ability. To load the Vienna Instrument in Slot1, say, and name it VSL Cello…load one in slot 2 and name it “VSL Violin”…Load Kontakt 4 and call it “Alicia’s Keys”…so that when I go to assign MIDI tracks I know what I"m assigning it to.

I don’t think there’s a way to do this. You can name the mixer channel of the VI so it shows something intelligent on the mixer. If you don’t use the rack, you can obviously name an instrument (type) track anything you want. But, there’s no way to nme the instance in the rack…that I’m aware of…PLEASE someone correct me if I"m wrong. I would LOVE to be able to do that.

Steinberg have made no provisions whatsoever to change the name of vst plugins.

you change the name of a vst 2 instrument by changing the name of the .dll file that relates to the plugin. This is not mentioned in the literature from Steinberg, of course, and is an “unofficial” method.

you change the name of a vst3 instrument by nagging Steinberg to allow us to do this and hope that they eventually change things so that we can. They “put a stop” to anyone trying to be clever with the .dll filename by embedding the vst plugin name into the depths of the actual code inside the plugin file for vst3. And then giving us no way to modify it. Thanks Steinberg!

Cheers,
Blackout

Couldn’t get back to the forum to clarify, but yes, it’s the naming of the VST instruments in the rack that I am after.

While a workaround, I don’t think I want to mess with the naming of the plug-ins on a file level. I am sure Steinberg has a reason why this has been kept this way, but it would be so easy programming wise to keep a separate reference list in code, as this would need to be done for the rack anyhow. Cubase does not keep track of the individual VST instruments by their names, otherwise it would confuse itself as well. So, there has to be a way to fairly easily implement a VST instrument naming scheme in the rack.

Just my thoughts…

JB

+1 on this subject. It gets pretty confusing when your VST rack looks like this, and you have to route midi channels to a specific VST.

Resurrecting an old thread here. :blush:

I really would like to be able to rename the VSTi’s loaded in the instrument rack myself. When I have many instances of EW Play, I would have something like this in the MIDI out destination dropdown menu :

1 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
2 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
3 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
4 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
5 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
6 - play_VST_x64 - MIDI in
…and so on.

Obviously, I would have different stuff loaded in each one, but I can’t keep track of which one is which. Being able to rename these would make my life so much easier.

I have a solution for you.

On each Ve Pro instance, you can save that instance as a preset. Once you have done this, you will see the preset name in the VST Instruments window. The preset name is in smaller text below the Instance label.

By the way, if you save in instance of VE Pro VST3 version, it will not show up as an available preset in the VST2 version and vice versa. But this works well. What’s great is that you can save a preset that will load up a Kontakt as you need it.

See the attached image.

It does not solve the problem of picking the right output when assigning MIDI tracks to the plugins, but you can glance at the vst instruments window and see which is which.

B

Thanks, that saving preset idea works with EW Play multi as well. While it doesn’t solve the problem of the names in the menu, it does help to have a note that I can bring up with F11. It is quite handy to have the multi setup saved as presets also.

It is handy, the presets.

Now I’m trying to get even more grown up, by saving the MIDI channels as Multi track presets, already pointing at the templates I know I will load into the VST Instrument rack. As long as load the VSTi preset is in the right “slot” on the VST Rack then I can in effect load “chunks” of tracks, ready named and pointing where I want.

(You see, VST Multi track presets are made by selecting a bunch of MIDI tracks, and then saving the preset (see inspector or right click). It remembers which slot in the VST rack they are pointing to, and which MIDI port of multi port VST3 instruments, eg VE Pro4.)

Sadly n one of the audio assignments are included in this, as it is only a MIDI track preset. We still need a way to merge MIDI tracks and the Instrument tracks on the mixer that come back from the instruments. Yes, we have Instrument tracks, but these are mono timbre only.

It would be great if Steinberg would recognise the amount of wasted time going on “hunting” for MIDI channels and sounds etc. They are in a dream if they think we can load up mono-timbral VST Instrument tracks and do any professional work.

People have been going on about multi channel VST Instrument tracks, but I can see the problem for Steinberg, that it raises logical questions that are hard to resolve. (EG who decides which output rom Kontakt, say belongs to which VST Instrument TRACK on the mixer.)

But a refinement (by Steinberg) of the track presets concept would be great. If we could have a multi preset that loaded up midi tracks AND inserted a VST Instrument on the VSTi rack, AND enabled a pre-determined number of audio outputs on the instrument, we would have real control.

Anyway, in the mean time I still have a physical note book on my desk.

B

I would LOVE this feature. As someone who’s rack almost always has 5+ instances of Vienna Instruments…a few Kontakts…a couple Plays…none of which tells me crap. You can keep it noted in the session notes, or on a pad next to the computer, but either is a huge workflow oversight, IMO.

That’s why I use Instrument Tracks. I can name them and move them around as much as I like to, without losing track of them. I only use VST Tracks for Drums. But I feel your pain and I hope that Steinberg follows through with a solution to this HUGE limitation.

Good Luck!

I was using instrument tracks for some time, but I find the VST Instrument Rack to be more flexible. In EWQL SO, I have the each multi (different articulations, same instrument) going out to the same 3 outs, close mic, stage mic, hall mic - this way I can balance the 3 mics with 3 faders in Cubase mixer, rather than going into each instances of Play loaded in separate instrument tracks and changing the balance within the plugin (with those small faders and no numerical readouts :frowning: ).

I hope Steinberg guys will catch this one. Maybe a small detail, but I think it is something that makes our life easier.

Yeah…have to use the the rack–multiple midi tracks to a single instrument. Otherwise various Kontakt scripting or vsl polyphonic legato doesn’t work correctly.

People have different workflows and thus we end up using the same tools differently. Believe me though, I understand your needs and I really wish Steinberg would get on this soon. I myself would use the VST rack more often if it wasn’t for the shortcomings mentioned in this thread. This is something that needs immediate attention, for sure. I hope they’re listening :slight_smile:

Take care!

I’ve been using Instrument tracks now for every vsti that doesn’t need multiple outputs…and have found this to be slightly more CPU efficient anyway. That said, I do think it is absolutely ludicrous that Steiny has not addressed the VST instrument rack naming issue by now…especially considering the amount of users that have been asking for this for many years now. :unamused:

rename your dll’s, organize them in folders, just make a copy of the original.
For example, make 5 copies of Kontakt.dll, put them in a VSL sub folder and rename them Strings, Brass, Woodwinds whatever… no?

Hmmm…interesting idea. Have you actually tried that with success?