By Fabien Schivre, Shane Johnson
How to Install VST Plugins in Pro Tools. Install VST Plugins in Pro Tools. A commonly cited problem with Pro Tools, an audio creation and production software, is that it will not work with third-party developers. With thousands of Virtual Studio Technologies plug-ins (or VSTs) to choose from, many Pro Tools users want to expand their. In others like FL studio, you’ll have to go into the Plugin database folder in the browser section.Right click on installed plugins folder and click refresh plugins list to scan for new plugins. While in others like Cockos REAPER, you can add multiple installation parts besides the aforementioned folder paths. Host VST and AU plug-ins within Pro Tools AAX plug-in format. An extra feature that will be very useful for cross DAW collaborators is the save/load plug-in preset feature. Mix with plug-in chains within Pro Tools using Patchwork and load those plug-in chain presets within a different DAW such as Logic Pro X.
Audio plugins are meant to run inside so called audio plugin hosts like Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools, Reaper, Studio One, Ableton Live, Fruity Loops, Wavelab, etc.
Installing audio plugins can be a confusing effort, especially without prior experience. They come in many formats and their installation process differs from conventional stand-alone applications.
This article illustrates the installation and registration process in detail, both for Windows and Mac operating systems.
Accessing the Latest Installers
Freeware products can be downloaded directly from the official product pages. Accept the terms and download will begin.
Paid software products come in two variants, the demo edition and the full edition. Demo download links can be directly downloaded from official product pages. These have the restriction of being incapable of recall, our demos generally cannot be registered, only full editions can.
To access the full edition, log into your customer area and download from there. If you’ve installed the demo before, then make sure to install the full edition on top (it overwrites the demo edition).
Installation via Windows Installer (Recommended)
- Download and double click the Setup.exe file.
- Run through the installer, making sure the plugin path is correctly set for your machine (the VST2 directory in particular).
- Launch your host application and run a plugin folder rescan. Some hosts do this automatically.
Manual Installation on Windows (Experienced Users)
- Unpack the “no installer” zip file.
- Copy the binaries you intend to install into your system’s plugin directories (see bottom of this page for a detailed listing).
- Launch your host application and run a plugin folder rescan. Some hosts do this automatically.
macOS Installation
- Double click the “dmg” file.
- Drag and drop the format specific binaries into their appropriate system directories.
(If that doesn’t work on your system, try opening the target folder, and dragging into it instead)
Product Registration
To register your product, simply launch the plugin in your favorite host. A small banner should appear, asking you to register.
Click this banner, and the product registration page will appear:
This window can also be accessed by clicking the small gear icon in the plugin toolbar and selecting the “registration” page.
There are two registration procedures to choose from:
- Offline Registration
Using a previously downloaded key file, as offered under your library. - Online Registration
Entering your customer username and password, the key will be downloaded and installed automatically.
Reaper Vst Plugin Folder
After successful registration, the banner won’t appear anymore. Time for work and fun!
If it keeps appearing though, then something probably isn’t right with your registration. If in doubt, customer support will sort it out for you.
If you don’t see this banner or the registration page, then you probably have the demo version installed. Make sure to install the full edition instead, as offered under your customer area.
Exporting and Importing User Presets and Preferences
The “Local Data” page allows for viewing, deleting, exporting or importing your personal settings, user-presets and registrations (optional). To access it, click the small gear icon in the toolbar to open the settings window, then select “Local Data”.
Default Audio Plugin Locations
Reaper Install Vst Plugins
macOS
Windows
Windows 64bit Locations for 32bit Audio Plugins
For a while REAPER has been crashing often when I insert a plugin. This is NOT normal behavior and not what I am used to seeing. After a dozen crashes this morning I stopped trying to mix and tried to figure it out.
Clearing the plugin cache didn’t help and neither did installing the latest update. Eventually I found a preference that I normally have enabled was actually disabled. This option is called ‘Bypass audio while opening plug-in config window‘ in the Plug-ins>VST settings.
The good news is REAPER doesn’t crash anymore, the downside is playback glitches momentarily when inserting a plugin or opening the UI (which is the reason I disabled it before).
If REAPER is crashing often, give this a try.