Ableton Forum

When accessing my vst's via the library, I can find almost everything I want but some are not accessible. Do I have them stored incorrectly ?

Is there a better way to install them to access them easier ?

TIA

ashadowmanRA

Not all VSTs work with every DAW.
This could be Live's fault (stereo plugins only, not mono)
Or more likely, the VSTs fault (crappy free VSTs often behave crappily)

yikes, that is irritating. Is there a right and wrong way of placing them in the library ?

TIA

Are you using a Mac or PC?
If you are using a Mac with the new Intel processor the VST plugin must be in universal binary format. Sorry I haven't dealt with Live on a PC.

christopherjohn wrote:Are you using a Mac or PC?
If you are using a Mac with the new Intel processor the VST plugin must be in universal binary format. Sorry I haven't dealt with Live on a PC.

Yeah Chris, I'm using a PC. It is irritataing when you open the location tab on the vst type of thing you want, then you choose the type and its doesn't appear ! or it says its for send tracks only ...

ashadowman wrote:yikes, that is irritating. Is there a right and wrong way of placing them in the library ?

Not all vsts are the same... so there is no one right way.

usually, just move the .dll file and all its necessary components into your vst folder, whatever folder that you told Live is your vst folder.

Some vsts come with installer .exe files that search for your VST folder, and of those, some do it wrong.

Got any specifics for us?

For instance : I've accessed the Library (heading on the top) and I have located the folder VST's. Under this I have placed a MDA folder with an assortment of effects for guitar. Yes when I click on the folder (MDA) to open it, it doesn't do the drop down to access the effects.

Is this what your looking for ?[/img]

[img]???

MDA website wrote:These plug-ins are designed to work with Cubase VST and other VST compatible applications such as Logic Audio and Peak on the Mac, WaveLab and FruityLoops on the PC and many others.

I've used MDA plugins in Cubase, they all work great.
some of them are designed to work on mono-aural tracks in cubase.
there are no mono tracks in Live*.
So, like I said, not all VSTs work in Live. The mono plugins in particular, do not work.

*you can have a mono track, but the audio is duplicated before being routed to any plugin. Thus only stereo-compatible VST plugins will work in Live.

ashadowman wrote:For instance : I've accessed the Library (heading on the top) and I have located the folder VST's. Under this I have placed a MDA folder with an assortment of effects for guitar. Yes when I click on the folder (MDA) to open it, it doesn't do the drop down to access the effects.

Is this what your looking for ?[/img]

One more potential problem.... you may need to rescan your VST folder.

You can't just use VSTs from anywhere on your hard drive, Live has to sorta pre-load them I believe. And its possible to have more than one folder labelled "vsts". For instance, some VST installers search for Stainberg/VST and install the plugins there, and ableton may only be looking at the folder Ableton/VST.

PS, I am laughing at my own typo STAINBERG

hahahaha.

so happy I never upgraded by Cubase and instead switched to Ableton!