I switched to a new Windows user account (Windows 11) and installed Cubase 15 Pro.
In my previous user account, Cubase had several VST3 plugins installed and working. In the new user account, the plugin files still exist on the system and appear when I search for them, but inside Cubase they either appear without their logos or cannot be loaded.
At the moment I only see the Ice & Metal logo, while the other plugins don’t show their logos and can’t be used.
Could this be related to Cubase or the plugins being originally installed under the previous Windows user account? Do I need to reinstall them or update the VST3 plugin paths?
Welcome to the forum! First thing I would say is that 3rd party VSTs do not, by default, include an image thumbnail for the plugin instance shown in your Media browser.
When I installed Serum 2, it didn’t include its own thumbnail as shown above. For Cthulhu, I had to use the “Add VST Plug-in” feature to associate the plugin with it’s own UI image:
That function will replace the default “keyboard icon” thumbnail image.
It’s important to recognize that the absence of a custom image does not affect the operation of the plugin at all. You can still use it without issue. Just making sure you’re not conflating “greyed-out icon” with “can’t be used.”
If you actually can’t use the plug-in, that’s different, and will require more information and potentially screenshots, etc.
When I try to add an Instrument Track, Cubase shows “No VST Instrument” at the top of the list, even though several VST3 plugins are installed on the system. Only a few instruments appear in the list.
It seems like Cubase is not detecting most of the VST instruments in the new Windows 11 user account.
Well, you’ve just selected “No VST Instrument” from the lists of VST instruments displayed in the actual list (e.g. Odin2). This is just allowing you to create an Instrument track without specifying the VST Instrument on creation. Your available VST Instrument plugins are being listed for you under your selection.
This is a well known issue with switching users! Steinberg sometimes gives the uption to install for current or all users (choose all if you want to be able to switch). You might have to reinstall all missing instruments and plugins or go back to the old user.
Well, at least when you install Cubase with the download assistant, there is no option to install for current or all users. The basic Cubase VST plugin bundle is always installed into c:\Program files\Steinberg\Cubase xy\VST3, and additional plugins go into “c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3”, which is the standard folder for VST3 plugins. All third party plugins are installed there, too, and unless something really went wrong with permissions, all Users on the Computer have read access to that folder.
As I can see Halion Sonic and GrooveAgent and other Steinberg VSTis in the screenshot, this shouldn’t be the case here as those plugins are also installed in “Common Files\ST3”.
@itay_balter What other plugins are you missing? Are those VST3 or maybe VST2 plugins. The latter are by default disabled in Cubase 15 and you have to re-enable VST2 support in the plugin manager.
If they are VST3 plugins, go to “c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3” and check if you find them there. Then check in the plugin manager if they are maybe in the block list.
If all looks good, I’d try forcing a rescan of the plugins. Go to “%APPDATA%\Cubase 15_64\Cubase Pro VST3 Cache” and delete the vst3plugins.xml, then start Cubase.
OK, let’s get the nomenclature clear : You are not missing the VST Instruments (you showed screenshots of them and of Halion Sonic), but the sound libraries for Halion.
As @vinark wrote, you should run the Steinberg Library Manager application, which can show and manage all installed Sound Libraries for Steinberg products. Please check if the products listed there.
If not, go to “C:\ProgramData\Steinberg\Content\HALion\VST Sound”, here should be a lot of *.vstsound files (Steinberg VST Sound archive). Find the ones that match the names of those which you miss and double click them, that will register them in the Library Manager app.
Those are libraries, not VST Instrument plugins. You load those libraries within the associated VST Instrument, e.g. HALion. Load HALion, and then load those library presets from your HALion content browser.
: You are not missing the VST Instruments (you showed screenshots of them and of Halion Sonic), but the sound libraries for Halion.