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Installing and Managing
Plug-ins
Installing VST plug-ins
Cubase supports the VST 2 and VST 3 plug-in standards. You can install effects
and instruments that comply with these formats.
A plug-in is a piece of software that adds a specific functionality to Cubase. The
audio effects and instruments that are used in Cubase are VST plug-ins.
NOTE
If an effect or instrument plug-in has its own installation application, you should use
this. Dragging an already installed plug-in to a different location may lead to
problems. As a general rule, always read the documentation or readme files before
installing new plug-ins.
Cubase comes with a number of effect plug-ins included. These effects and their
parameters are described in the separate PDF document Plug-in Reference.
Installing VST 3 Plug-ins on Mac OS X Systems
To install a VST 3.x plug-in on a Mac OS X system, quit Cubase and drag the
plug-in file into one of the following folders:
• /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
This is only possible if you are the system administrator. Plug-ins that are
installed in this folder are available to all users, for all programs that support
VST 3.
• /Users/<user name>/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
<user name> is the name you use to log on to the computer. The easiest way
to open this folder is to open your Home folder and use the path
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ from there. Plug-ins that are
installed in this folder are only available to you.
When you scan for newly installed plug-ins, or relaunch Cubase, the new effects
appear on the effect selectors. In the VST 3 protocol, the effect category, subfolder
structure, etc. are built-in and cannot be changed. Therefore, you find the effects in
the corresponding category folders.