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Audio effects
Ö If an effect plug-in comes with its own installation ap-
plication, you should use this.
As a general rule, always read the documentation or readme files before
installing new plug-ins.
Installing VST 3 plug-ins under Windows
Under Windows, VST 3 plug-ins are installed by dragging
the files (with the extension “.vst3”) into the vst3 folder in
the Cubase AI application folder. When you launch Cubase
AI again, the new effects will appear on the Effect pop-up
menus. In the VST 3 protocol, the effect category, sub-
folder structure etc. are built-in and cannot be changed.
The installed new effect(s) will simply show up in the as-
signed category folder(s) on the effect pop-up menu.
Installing VST 2 plug-ins under Windows
Under Windows, VST 2.x plug-ins are installed by dragging
the files (with the extension “.dll”) into the Vstplugins folder
in the Cubase AI application folder, or into the Shared VST
Plug-in folder – see below. When you launch Cubase AI
again, the new effects will appear on the effect pop-up
menus.
Ö If an effect plug-in comes with its own installation ap-
plication, you should use this.
As a general rule, always read the documentation before installing new
plug-ins.
Organizing VST 2 plug-ins
If you have a large number of VST 2 plug-ins, having them
all on a single pop-up menu in the program may become
unmanageable. For this reason, the VST 2 plug-ins in-
stalled with Cubase AI are placed in appropriate subfold-
ers according to the effect type.
• Under Windows, you can organize VST plug-ins by mov-
ing, adding or renaming subfolders within the Vstplugins
folder.
When you launch the program and pull down an effects pop-up menu,
the subfolders will be represented by hierarchical submenus, each listing
the plug-ins in the corresponding subfolder.
• Under Mac OS X, you cannot change the hierarchic ar-
rangement of the “built-in” VST plug-ins.
However, you can arrange any additional plug-ins you have installed (in the
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/ folders, see above) by placing them in sub-
folders. In the program, the subfolders will be represented by hierarchical
submenus, each listing the plug-ins in the corresponding subfolder.
The Plug-in Information window
On the Devices menu, you will find an item called “Plug-in
Information”. Selecting this opens a dialog listing all the
available VST compatible plug-ins in your system (includ-
ing VST Instruments).
Managing and selecting VST plug-ins
To display all available VST plug-ins, open the “VST
PlugIns” tab.
• To enable a plug-in (make it available for selection), put
a check mark in the left column.
Only the enabled plug-ins will appear on the effect menus.
• The Instances column indicates how many instances of
the plug-in are currently used in Cubase AI.
Clicking in this column for a plug-in which is already in use produces a
pop-up showing exactly where each use occurs.
Ö A plug-in may be in use even if it is not enabled in the
left column.
You might for example have opened a project containing effects that are
currently disabled on the menu. The left column only determines whether
or not the plug-in will be visible on the effect menus.
• All columns can be resized by dragging the divider in
the column header.
The other columns show the following information about
each plug-in:
Column Description
Name The name of the plug-in.
Vendor The manufacturer of the plug-in.
File This shows the complete name of the plug-in (with extension).
Category This indicates the category of each plug-in (such as VST In-
struments, etc.).
Version Shows the version of the plug-in.