What is the difference between instrument and effect plugins ?
There are two types of audio plugins : effect plugins and instrument plugins . Almost all DAWs have many virtual effects and instruments on board as standard . But sometimes you thirst for more variety . With plugins , you can add effects and sound suppliers to your music software .
Effects are available in a wide variety of variants and for different applications . There are equalizers and compressors to beautify and mix your recordings , delays , and reverb effects to spice things up . There are also many replicas of high-end studio equipment that only existed as expensive hardware in the 70s and 80s .
The same applies to the instrument plugins : With these , you get additional sound suppliers on board . There are countless sound libraries for sample players like Native Instruments KONTAKT , i . e . sound extensions for any musical style . So you can freshen up your songs with fresh sounds without having to do a lot of “ screwing ” yourself .
What plugin formats are there ?
Plugins come in different file formats . The most common format is the Steinberg VST . VST was developed for the Steinberg Cubase DAW , but is supported by almost all music-making programs these days .
The AU ( Audio Units ) format was also originally developed for Apple ’ s DAW Logic , but is now also supported by other DAWs such as Ableton Live , Bitwig Studio and Co . - but only on the Mac .
In addition , there are AAX plugins that are only compatible with Avid Pro Tools . Of course , there are a few more exotic ones on the market . But they have no real relevance . Rule of thumb for PC users : If there is a VST variant , it will also work with your DAW in 99.9 percent of the cases .
How to use plugins ?
In order to “ load plugins ”, they must first be purchased ( of course not with freeware ) and downloaded or copied from a data medium to your computer and then installed . For most plugins , there are normal installation routines in which the corresponding plugin folder on the computer is already specified and you only have to click through the installation in a relaxed manner .
In rare , older cases , the files are manually moved to the appropriate folders , which nowadays actually only happens with free plugins . If this is the case , take the DLL ( Windows ) or VST or Components file ( macOS ) and move it to the folder on the hard drive . Unless you have changed them yourself , they can be found under the following paths by default :
macOS Macintosh HD / Library / Audio / Plugins /
Windows
• C :\ Program Files \ VSTPlugins ( 64-bit VST2 )
• C :\ Program Files \ Common Files \ VST3 ( 64-bit VST3 )
• C :\ Program Files ( x86 )\ VSTPlugins ( 32-bit )
After installation , you start your DAW , a software will automatically perform a plugin scan on startup . If this is not the case , you will find a corresponding section in the settings of the DAW to browse the plugin folder so that the plugin is finally imported into your music program .
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