Audacity VST Enabler is a program that allows the VST plugins to work. Visual Studio Technology (VST), on the other hand, is a plug-in software that adds several effects in an audio recording and editing tool.
It provides a variety of functionalities including virtual instrument sounds. However, VST enabler is no longer required for Audacity’s latest version. You can now download the VST plugins and directly add it to the Audacity audio recorder to enable the effects.
Installing VST plug-ins. Audacity supports almost all VST effect plug-ins on Linux including 'shell' VSTs that host multiple VST effects. VST plugins for all users can be placed in a 'plug-ins' folder that you must add to /usr/bin/ (if you installed a packaged version of Audacity) or to /usr/local/bin (if you installed a self-compiled version of Audacity).
If you are using an older version of Audacity (e.g. v. 1.3), you might need to get the Audacity VST Enabler. But it has been removed in the Audacity’s official site since the release of the newer version. The only choice you can have is to update your Audacity and download the VST plugins.
To check the version of your Audacity, go to the Help menu and click About Audacity. Or, you can update it to the latest version by clicking the Check for Updates and it will redirect you to the download page. Please see the article on How to Use Audacity for a complete guide.
- On Mac, the Audacity plug-ins folder is usually at /Library/Application Support/audacity/Plug-Ins For extra paths from which Audacity can load LADSPA, Nyquist and VST plug-ins, and paths for LV2, Vamp and Audio Unit plug-ins, see the respective links in 'Types of plug-in' above.
- Audacity - How to Install and Use VST Effect PluginsDownload Audacity here: ReaPlugs VST here: http://reaper.f.
Contents1 Installing Audacity VST PluginsInstalling Audacity VST Plugins
Since Audacity supports thousands of plugins, VST provided an array of plugins that you can get for free. These plugins are available in Audacity for Windows, Audacity for Mac, and Audacity for Linux. Here’s a tutorial on how you can install them.
Download VST for WindowsDownload VST for Mac OS XStep 1. Download the VST plugin you want to add to your Audacity. you can click on any of the buttons above, depending on the operating system that you are using.
Step 2. Open the Download folder on your computer and find the plugin you downloaded. Step 3. Extract all the files or install the plugin.
Step 4. Find the .dll file on your computer and copy it to the Audacity’s directory. To open the directory for Audacity, just go to the Program Files on your computer, find Audacity and locate the Plugins folder. Paste the copied file inside the plugins folder to add the plugins to the library.
Step 5. Open the Audacity and click on Effects, the plugins will appear in that tab. If you can’t find the downloaded plugin, click the add/remove plugin command under the Effects menu.
Step 6. Look for the plugin you have downloaded. Enable it and click OK.
To see if the plugin you have downloaded works
- Open the Audacity application on your computer.
- Record an audio or import a prerecorded sound from your computer.
- Select the part of the audio you want to enhance.
- Go to the Effect menu and click the effect you want to add.
- Some of the effects can be added automatically on your project once you click them. Some require you to set the parameters for the effects to work.
How To Add A Plugin To Audacity
Note: If you want to add Audacity plugins, you must see first if these are compatible with your device or operating system. Otherwise, it will not work even if you follow the installation process correctly. Some of the VST plugins you can get are:
- Antares Auto-tune – best for pitch correction.
- Antress Modern plugins – use to create a fake stereo
- Dominion v.1.2 – to control the signals for attack and sustain phase
- DtBlkFx – for manipulating frequency and harmony
- Acon Digitals – best for livening the vocal sound
How To Add Vst Plugins To Audacity
Conclusion
It is simple to add effects to produce good sound. You just have to be resourceful and creative on using these free plugins. With the latest version of Audacity, you need not get the VST Enabler. All you have to do is find the plugins, download them, and add them directly to Audacity’s library.