You must be running Pro Tools 10.3.8, but Pro Tools 10.3.10 is highly recommended. I am trying to use one of your VST2 plug-ins but I cannot find any presets. Having plug-ins with Pro Tools is like milk and cookies, hhey go hand and hand. The sad part is that many of the plug-ins that you can buy are very powerful, but very expensive. The good news is that there are some amazing free plugins available on the market and I am going to give you some insight into what I think are the best 12 free plugins.
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. There are three types of VST plug-ins:
- VST instruments: These plug-ins generate audio and are either virtual synthesizers or samplers. Many VST instruments emulate the appearance and sound of famous hardware synthesizers. Popular VSP instruments include Massive, FM8, Absynth, Sylenth 1, Reaktor, Gladiator, Vanguard, and Omnisphere.
- VST effects: Effects process audio instead of generating it. VST effects function like hardware audio processors, like reverbs and phasers.
- VST MIDI effects:MIDI plug-ins process MIDI messages and send MIDI data to other VST instruments and hardware.
VST Plug-ins
VST plug-ins can be used within a digital audio workstation, in programs like Pro Tools and Logic. They’re frequently used to emulate hardware outboard gear such as compressors, expanders, equalizers, and maximizers. You'll frequently find these distributed to emulate certain models of hardware; there's some for vintage compressors, and you'll frequently find effects that emulate vintage hardware (both in instrumental and stompbox-like effects).
Think of VST plug-ins as really affordable ways to make your home studio sound like a really expensive commercial operation.
VSTi Plug-ins
Aside from VST plug-ins, you'll also find VST-instrument or VSTi plug-ins. These can emulate really cool, but expensive, hardware (like Hammond B3 and Nord Electro). The quality of these VSTi plug-ins can vary from acceptable to really poor; it all depends on the quality of your system resources (RAM and scratch space on your hard drive, for example), and how well-sampled the instrument is. You also want to make sure that your VSTi plug-in offers true polyphonic content, meaning you can make life-like chords that don’t sound too artificial.
Quality
There are thousands of plug-ins available. Some only take a few hours to produce and are free, but the quality is terrible. Some are made by huge companies and sound amazing, but are expensive. VST plug-in developers try to recreate the sound as closely as possible, but the original instrument is probably always going to sound better than the plug-in. You might be trying to get the rich, full-bodied sound of an organ, for example, but who owns an organ? No one has access to every type of instrument, so a plug-in will have to do. The good news is that VST plug-in technology is improving, so quality can only get better with time.
VST Plug-in Standard
Created by Steinberg, a German musical software and equipment company, the VST plug-in standard is the audio plug-in standard that allows third-party developers to make VST plug-ins. Users can download VST plug-ins on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. The vast majority of VST plug-ins are available on Windows. Apple’s Audio Units are standard on Mac OS X (it’s actually considered a competing technology), and Linux lacks commercial popularity, therefore few developers create VST plug-ins for the operating system.
Where to Find VST Plug-ins
Can You Use Vst Plugins With Pro Tools 10.5
There are thousands of VST plug-ins available, both commercially and as freeware. The Internet is flooded with free VST plug-ins. Home Music Production and Bedroom Producers Blog have robust lists of VST plug-in recommendations, and Splice and Plugin Boutique also offer a ton of free plug-ins.
I am not sure what McDSP plug-ins I own. Where can I see my purchases?
McDSP does not maintain user accounts at this time. Instead we rely on your iLok account information for ownership issues. Please log into your iLok account and sort by PUBLISHER NAME to see what McDSP plug-ins you own.
I am trying to make a purchase with your online store and my credit cards keep getting declined at checkout but the provider says it's OK and it works for other sites. What can I do?
This can happen for a variety of reasons. If you are not in the US, it is a common practice for credit cards to prevent foreign transactions as part of their fraud protection. If this is the case, contacting your credit card company may fix the problem and you can request us to try your card again: orders@mcdsp.com. If you are outside of the United States, you can also try using “99999” [5 nines] for the ZIP field and try again.
Or you can place the order again using a different credit card or Paypal.
But let us know if you have attempted multiple orders so that we can delete your extraneous, duplicate order(s.) Contact orders@mcdsp.com.
If you continue to have problems, please contact us at orders@mcdsp.com. We will respond as quickly as possible. In the meantime, all of our plugins have a 14 day trial period.
I purchased some plug-ins. Why can't I see any authorizations in my iLok account?
You should have an activation code listed for each product in your electronic receipt. Log into your iLok account via the iLok License Manager application. Go to the LICENSE menu at the very top and select REDEEM ACTIVATION CODE. Then the authorization will be in the AVAILABLE section of your account. Right click and select ACTIVATE and assign it to an iLok2 or an iLok3. You can also drag it from the list to an iLok2 or an iLok3 activate as well.
I lost my iLok/My iLok was stolen. What can be done to restore my plug-ins?
First, go to ilok.com and file a LOST or STOLEN iLok RMA. Send the RMA# provided to support@mcdsp.com and we do what we can to get you back up and running again.
I just purchased a plug-in but I work on two different systems. May I have another authorization for my second system?
How To Use Vst Plugins In Pro Tools 10
Our licensing policy is one iLok authorization per product purchased. However, we only support the iLok dongle and iLok cloud methods for authorization so you can freely move your authorizations from one system to another.
How do I get demo authorizations to check out McDSP plug-ins?
The easiest way to get a demo authorization is to install whatever plug-in[s] you wish to try, Launch your DAW, and when the authorization window comes up, click the TRY button and enter in your iLok information. Be sure you have an iLok2 or iLok 3 connected for the demo auth to be assigned. Thank you for trying McDSP.
Where do various VST plug-ins get installed on Windows systems?
VST install locations:
x64 VST (2) = C:/Program Files/Common Files/Steinberg/VST2
x64 VST3 = C:/Program Files/Common Files/VST3
Win32 VST (2) = C:/Program Files (x86)/Common Files/Steinberg/VST2
Win32 VST3 = C:/Program Files (x86)/Common Files/VST3
Where are the VST3 presets installed on the Windows system?
Location of VST3 presets on Windows
C:/Users//Documents/VST3 Presets/McDSP/
Windows – C:/Program Files (x86)/McDSP/
Mac – Boot HD/Applications/McDSP/
They are located at the very bottom of our downloads page.
I am running Pro Tools 10 but my v6 plug-ins are not recognized.
Can You Use Vst Plugins With Pro Tools 10.2
You must be running Pro Tools 10.3.8, but Pro Tools 10.3.10 is highly recommended.
Just installed a new version of McDSP plug-ins but they are not recognized by my DAW.
It may be an issue with the copy protection being used. Please go to www.ilok.com and download and install the latest version of the iLok License Manager application and log into your iLok account. Then right click your iLok with your McDSP auths and select SYNCHRONIZE. Once the spinning blue wheel completes, log out and try your DAW again.
Log into your iLok account and sort by PUBLISHER NAME to see what McDSP plug-ins you own. If they start with ”McDSP…[plug-in name]” they are v4. Otherwise, they will only have the plug-in name and either a “v5” or “v6” after it.
What is the difference between an HD and Native McDSP plug-in?
The difference is that the HD plug-ins can run on either host processors or the DSP’s of an Avid HDX system to keep from taxing your host. There is no difference in sound quality since they are the same algorithms. So if you do not own an Avid HDX system, all you need is the Native version.
I am trying to use one of your VST[2] plug-ins but I cannot find any presets.
Since we only recently released VST2 presets, they are not currently included in the plugins. Please download them here.
Do you provide educational discounts to students and teachers?
Yes we do. You can find out more information about McDSP’s EDU program here.
I am having trouble with a McDSP Demo.