Getting Cubase 11 to detect VST's

[MyDamSelph]

Anybody have any experience getting Cubase to detect VST's? I've tried placing them in the x86 vst folder as well as the regular program file VST folder, neither seems to do anything. The only ones I've gotten to work are arcade and air hybrid 3. I had the free version of kontakt downloaded and could open it from the desktop but not Cubase, and pretty much havent been able to get any others to work properly at all except the VSTs that came with Cubase 11. Any help?

 

[thedreampolice]

What file path is set in cubase?

 

[MyDamSelph]

Is there a way to check that, specifically? I'm still fairly new at this.

 

[thedreampolice]

VST plug-in locations on Windows

An installed plug-in is missing in your VST host application or you just wonder where your VST plug-ins (virtual instruments and effects) are located? This article provides detailed information on ...

helpcenter.steinberg.de

 

[MyDamSelph]

Thank you. I'll be trying some of this stuff today. It's all been such a learning curve. I was just a guitarist, then I bought an Akai MK3 a while back to make some simple backing tracks and now I'm like 30 songs deep or so still trying to figure this new stuff out.

 

[thedreampolice]

no problem. enjoy!

 

[MyDamSelph]

What if I'm not seeing a folder called VST3 under x86 in my file explorer? Just VSTplugins

 

[YannFer]

In cubase, you need to add whatever folder your plugins are :

Studio -> VST Plugin manager

In this window, on the bottom left corner, you click on the cog icon and then the "+" to add whichever path Cubase will need to scan your plugins from.

For Cubase to scan your folders, you will need to restart it once the paths are added.

However, do keep in mind that VST2 are not supported anymore. You will need VST3 versions of your plugins.
If your plugin has been scanned and is not supported, you will find it in the "blacklist" tab of the VST plugin manager window.

Hope that helped !
If you need any further help about Cubase, please ask. I'll be happy to help again.

 

[OGBama]

What @MyDamSelph edition MK3 do you have? Mine is in limited edition white

 

[MyDamSelph]

What @MyDamSelph edition MK3 do you have? Mine is in limited edition white

Nice, that ones sleek. I got the red with the all black keys.

 

[MyDamSelph]

In cubase, you need to add whatever folder your plugins are :

Studio -> VST Plugin manager

In this window, on the bottom left corner, you click on the cog icon and then the "+" to add whichever path Cubase will need to scan your plugins from.

For Cubase to scan your folders, you will need to restart it once the paths are added.

However, do keep in mind that VST2 are not supported anymore. You will need VST3 versions of your plugins.
If your plugin has been scanned and is not supported, you will find it in the "blacklist" tab of the VST plugin manager window.

Hope that helped !
If you need any further help about Cubase, please ask. I'll be happy to help again.

Thank you, about to try this.

 

[MyDamSelph]

In cubase, you need to add whatever folder your plugins are :

Studio -> VST Plugin manager

In this window, on the bottom left corner, you click on the cog icon and then the "+" to add whichever path Cubase will need to scan your plugins from.

For Cubase to scan your folders, you will need to restart it once the paths are added.

However, do keep in mind that VST2 are not supported anymore. You will need VST3 versions of your plugins.
If your plugin has been scanned and is not supported, you will find it in the "blacklist" tab of the VST plugin manager window.

Hope that helped !
If you need any further help about Cubase, please ask. I'll be happy to help again.

Well, I got a little farther, 2 of them at least show up in the blocked list now lol. Gonna try redownloading 64 bit versions. I feel like I may finally be getting somewhere, though.

 

[thedreampolice]

ALWAYS use 64bit when possible.

 

[MyDamSelph]

So added the file paths to the vst folders then reinstalled kontakt, but Cubase still won't detect kontakt for some reason, so I haven't even tried redownloading any of the other VSTs because I want to get them installed right the first time and stop going in circles. I feel like I'm missing something so simple yet so important to get this work. Any more ideas?

 

[YannFer]

So added the file paths to the vst folders then reinstalled kontakt, but Cubase still won't detect kontakt for some reason, so I haven't even tried redownloading any of the other VSTs because I want to get them installed right the first time and stop going in circles. I feel like I'm missing something so simple yet so important to get this work. Any more ideas?

So it won't detect at all? or it is in the blacklist?

if it won't detect at all, make sure the kontakt.dll file is located in the folder which path you added.

If it's blacklisted, then there's an issue with the kontakt version/install.

Is it installed through the Native instrument download manager? Does it run properly in standalone?

 

[MyDamSelph]

So it won't detect at all? or it is in the blacklist?

if it won't detect at all, make sure the kontakt.dll file is located in the folder which path you added.

If it's blacklisted, then there's an issue with the kontakt version/install.

Is it installed through the Native instrument download manager? Does it run properly in standalone?

Not even in the blacklist and it's a fresh download. But the only file I see in downloads is Native Access Installer, which I ran and it populated the icons on my desktop. The app runs fine in standalone. I don't see the .dll file in downloads though. Am I not looking in the right place? Until recently I really only used my smartphone. I got a laptop specifically for music production like a month ago, because before, I had just gotten my akai mk3 and was using my gf's laptop. I'd like to get familiar with how to do this stuff, and I really appreciate the help.

 

[YannFer]

Not even in the blacklist and it's a fresh download. But the only file I see in downloads is Native Access Installer, which I ran and it populated the icons on my desktop. The app runs fine in standalone. I don't see the .dll file in downloads though. Am I not looking in the right place? Until recently I really only used my smartphone. I got a laptop specifically for music production like a month ago, because before, I had just gotten my akai mk3 and was using my gf's laptop. I'd like to get familiar with how to do this stuff, and I really appreciate the help.

In Native Access, you should see Kontakt.

When you click on kontakt, a window opens on the right of your screen where you can check the installation path for the App, the Vst32 and the VST64.

Default should appear this way :
- Application location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /Kontakt

-VST32 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 32 bit

-VST64 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 64 bit

Make sure these 3 paths are added into Cubase plugin manager list. Let me know how it goes.

 

[MyDamSelph]

In Native Access, you should see Kontakt.

When you click on kontakt, a window opens on the right of your screen where you can check the installation path for the App, the Vst32 and the VST64.

Default should appear this way :
- Application location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /Kontakt

-VST32 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 32 bit

-VST64 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 64 bit

Make sure these 3 paths are added into Cubase plugin manager list. Let me know how it goes.

Dude, yes it worked. Thank you so much.

 

[MyDamSelph]

In Native Access, you should see Kontakt.

When you click on kontakt, a window opens on the right of your screen where you can check the installation path for the App, the Vst32 and the VST64.

Default should appear this way :
- Application location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /Kontakt

-VST32 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 32 bit

-VST64 location :
C:/Program Files/Native Instruments /VSTPlugins 64 bit

Make sure these 3 paths are added into Cubase plugin manager list. Let me know how it goes.

Now I'm running into an issue where I've tried to install Air expand 2 and I even got Cubase to detect it and attempt to open the instrument, but then it says "The factory content was not found (x86)\steinberg\vstplugins\xpand!2 please locate the content file xpand2.big". I dont specifically see a file called xpand2.big, but I copied the xpand!2factorycontent installer and the .dll to that folder and I still get the the same message when I try to open the instrument. Any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?

Also, there are no desktop icons either, not sure if that's important.

 

[YannFer]

Glad I could help! about xpand2, I do not have it so maybe someone else would be able to help you.
I think you should run the installer (double click on the .exe file) for it to install the factory content to a default location that should be this folder...