Ableton Forum

Hello

I got a bunch of 3rd party plugins and been trying to set then up in Ableton Live 11.So far without success,
I have a custom folder set for VST2 and VST3 but most of my plugins (3rd party dont show up in Live when using

Is there a default location Live uses?Only working on a PC here ,I can't see that

Any help would be appreciated,thanks

You need to point ableton to your VST2 folder, ensuring all your VST2's plugins are installed in that same folder (remember Live 11 only uses 64bit plugins), but VST3 does have a system default which should be C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.

Thanks Mark

Been out of the game for a while so I have forgotten some stuff

Thank you,appreciate your help

Personally, on Windows, I use Shortcut files.

Some plugins, if you move them around after you install them, it’ll break that plug-in. So you should consistently install them in whatever particular way works best for you.

In my case, I sometimes install them to a different location than intended. Sometimes by accident. But that’s okay because of my system of using Shortcuts.

Basically, I have a folder that isn’t my real plug-in folder. It contains shortcuts to ALL of the plugins I have.

And inside that folder I have one for Ableton Live. I put copies of the shortcut files that I want to use as available plugins for Live inside that folder.

If for some reason something doesn’t work, I can easily make a new version folder, and all my shortcuts are still there, available to organize or whatever.

I haven’t used vst3 yet, so I wouldn’t have any idea if this works in a similar way.

yur2die4 wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 19, 2021 10:37 pm

Personally, on Windows, I use Shortcut files.

Some plugins, if you move them around after you install them, it’ll break that plug-in. So you should consistently install them in whatever particular way works best for you.

In my case, I sometimes install them to a different location than intended. Sometimes by accident. But that’s okay because of my system of using Shortcuts.

Basically, I have a folder that isn’t my real plug-in folder. It contains shortcuts to ALL of the plugins I have.

And inside that folder I have one for Ableton Live. I put copies of the shortcut files that I want to use as available plugins for Live inside that folder.

If for some reason something doesn’t work, I can easily make a new version folder, and all my shortcuts are still there, available to organize or whatever.

I haven’t used vst3 yet, so I wouldn’t have any idea if this works in a similar way.

Hello
Thank you

Yes I did just that, as I just happened tl come across a video on Youtube . It works well

As I mentioned I left the VST plugins and their paths alone,since I use other DAWs too.The VST3 plugins paths I left alone

Can you please provide the URL(s) for the YouTube(s) covering the use of plugin shortcuts (in Live 11). Thanks

Are you not able to figure it out from the manual and searches (or at the very least googling a video on the issue)? Not sure every small issue in life needs to have a video made on how to solve it.

Literally right-click on a plugin dll and create shortcut, place in a folder, add that to Live.

Personally IMO it is far easier to manage tho just paying attention to every installer and setting the path to the same location for every plugin installer. Even in a case where you get it wrong, uninstall and do it the correct way. Good for disciplines.

I know how to create a shortcut.

The response I was (directly) responding to—david.barker’s—writes of a YouTube video that he encountered that presumably describes more than just how to create a shortcut. Presumably, it describes the reason shortcuts of “ALL the plugins I (yur2die4) have…(including “Ableton Live”?)” is (for him) a more reasonable way to organize plugins.

I want to know more about why he thinks this is preferable and why including Ableton Live in that shortcut-filled folder expedites or clarifies matters.

This was the YouTube url I asked david.barker or yur2die4 or someone to post.

J_R wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:54 am

I know how to create a shortcut.

The response I was (directly) responding to—david.barker’s—writes of a YouTube video that he encountered that presumably describes more than just how to create a shortcut. Presumably, it describes the reason shortcuts of “ALL the plugins I (yur2die4) have…(including “Ableton Live”?)” is (for him) a more reasonable way to organize plugins.

I want to know more about why he thinks this is preferable and why including Ableton Live in that shortcut-filled folder expedites or clarifies matters.

This was the YouTube url I asked david.barker or yur2die4 or someone to post.

I guess part of what I described may have been misinterpreted.

I make a folder and call it Ableton Live, as the place where I will put copies of my shortcuts. It does not have any shortcuts to Live and Live itself is not installed in it.

I do this because sometimes I ‘have’ a plug-in but I don’t want to actually have it available. Either just because of clutter, or to minimize scanning of plugins.

In rare cases I’ve had plugins that didn’t cooperate with Live. The nice thing with this shortcut method is that I can quickly make a new folder, maybe Ableton Live 2, and add or remove plugins to test what does and doesn’t work.

This is a lot more convenient than moving actual dll or plug-in files around which would be a nightmare.

I can keep Live directed to that folder and yeah, I’d a plug-in installs in an unexpected way, I don’t have to start over with the install, since all I need to do is make shortcuts and add them to the pool.

Btw. The shortcut I use for making these shortcuts is to Copy the file. And then in the shortcut folder, i right-click and choose ‘Paste as Shortcut’ from the context menu.

Oh, sorry to go on about this. But another nice quality of this method is that it’s very easy to Organize the shortcut files in whatever way you please, and change your mind. You can do it by developer, or by the plug-in’s purpose, or whatever.

J_R wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:25 pm

Can you please provide the URL(s) for the YouTube(s) covering the use of plugin shortcuts (in Live 11). Thanks

[url]https://youtu.be/qF0wvPZUBc0 url]

There you go,

Anybody having an issue with this method in Live 11.2.6 ? All my shortcuts to .dll are not shown anymore in the plugin browser. Just noticed this

Yeah just now using Izotope Trash , and its VST3 only. Thing that kinda annoys me is in the plugins sidebar, they now show vst2 and vst3. So some extra clicks and folder clutter in the browser now. Sure i can just put the vst3 in collections, which i already have.