Think of VST plug-ins as really affordable ways to make your home studio sound like a really expensive commercial operation. 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). They’re frequently used to emulate hardware outboard gear such as compressors, expanders, equalizers, and maximizers. VST plug-ins can be used within a digital audio workstation, in programs like Pro Tools and Logic.
The Metaplugin is an AAX plugin that can host VST and AU plugins in the full version of Pro Tools. It’s capable of hosting up to 64 VST, VST3 or Audio Unit plugins in one instance.
How To Use VST/AU in Pro Tools 12 with Blue Cat Audio PatchworkĪnother option to run VST and AU plugins in the full version of Pro Tools 12 is with the Blue Cat Audio Patchwork plugin. Bidule sells for $95 and can be used for a number of other things as well. The folks at Pro Tools Expert uploaded the helpful video above showing how to use Bidule with ReWire to load VST instruments into Pro Tools First. How To Use Any Virtual Instrument Plugin in Pro Tools First
Plus it’s a full DAW and not just a plugin like the other options.
Reaper is a good option to use VST plugins in Pro Tools because it has a 60-day free fully-functioning demo and it only costs $60 to purchase. How To Use Vst Plugins In Audacity Using Reaper in Pro Tools to Host VST Instruments and Plugins Bidule is another option that works with Pro Tools First. It can use Ableton Live’s built-in instruments, for example, and if you ReWire with Reaper it can run VST plugins within Pro Tools.
Pro Tools First does supports ReWire, though, and that’s a big plus because that means it can run other DAWs that support ReWire. Not all of these options will work with Pro Tools First since one of the main limitations with the free version is you have to get all the plugins through Avid’s marketplace. Unfortunately none are free, but they all have demos to try for free, and each offers a number of other features as well. Inside its contents will be a VST folder. If you have not modified the folder you can locate it by selecting (windows users) C:/Program Files/Image-Line/FLStudio/Plugins/VST (if you are using an alternate DAW just replace Image-Line with the name of DAW. You want to locate and open your VST folder within FLStudio or whichever DAW you are using. Luckily there are a few methods that can get the job done. Not all plugins are available in AAX, especially some really good free ones, so Pro Tools users have to find workarounds to get their favorite VST and AU plugins to work. One of the things that separates Pro Tools from other DAWs is the proprietary AAX format that it uses for plugins. It’s even possible to use VST/AU plugins in Pro Tools First, the free version of Pro Tools 12. There are a few different way to use VST and AU plugins in Pro Tools 12.