Hi,
Installed this ( Live 11.1 Lite) to look at a project. In Cubase, I can easily add VST folders, and Cubase scans everything and finds everything. How do I add more than one custom VST folder to find all VST2 + VST3 ?

 

https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209071729-Using-VST-plug-ins-on-Windows
https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/a...T-AU-plug-in-doesn-t-appear-in-Live-s-Browser

 

Thank you, but it does not tell me how to add several VST folders. The link says how to add ONE folder. That also means you need to have the VSTs in one folder, which I don't.

 

Sorry, I don't use Live, but I actually just saw someone complaining about how it only allows you to enter only one VST2 folder, one VST3 folder. This is hilariously bad to me, as a Reaper user.. but anyways, seems someone has come up with a solution.. drop shortcuts to your other VST folders in the VST folder you link in Live:
https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?t=221857

That's a fairly old post, so it might not work anymore, or there might be better ways, but give that a try if you don't get any other suggestions.

 

It can be tricky to load plugins into Ableton Live, so I created this guide to show you how to install, add, and open VST and VST3 plugins on Windows.

To add plugins to Ableton Live on Windows:

1. Download the plugin as 64-bit
2. Run the plugin installer
3. Save the plugin in the folder where your 64-bit plugins are stored
4. Open “Preferences” in Ableton Live (Options > Preferences)
5. Select “Plug-Ins” from the left menu
6. Toggle “Use VST2/VST3 Plug-In Custom Folder” to “On”
7. Select “Browse” next to “VST2/VST3 Custom Plug-In Folder”
8. Select the folder where your 64-bit plugins are stored
9. Open the Browser in Ableton Live (View > Show Browser)
10. Select “Plug-Ins” in the Browser
11. Drag the desired plugin onto your channel
12. Select your channel and open “Detail view” (View > Show/Hide Detail View)
13. Click the “spanner” icon on your plugin to open it

If you follow these steps correctly, you’ll now have your VST and VST3 plugins added to your channel in Ableton Live. I’ve included pictures under each step below to help you navigate the system better.

Don’t worry if these steps don’t’ work for you! It’s likely to be for a couple of simple reasons that I’ve covered in my troubleshooting guide at the end.
www.roundtableaudio.com/add-plugins-to-ableton-windows/

 

@BEAT16 I don't have an issue adding VSTs to Ableton, but my VSTs are in several folders, not just one. It seems like I can only add one custom VST2+VST3 folder. Or do you mean that I must add one folder, click scan, and when that is complete, I have to redo it again with another folder until I've added all folders that contain VSTs?

If so, I think I'll go with the shortcut hack from @naitguy

The more I use Cubase and experience other DAWs, the more I experience how well polished and user-friendly Cubase is.

 

@Mechanix604 WOW, what a non-customer-friendly way of managing such a simple task to add VSTs. Thanks for the tip, will be testing it out tomorrow!

 

Another thought (aside from moving all dll files, which would work, but that isn't going to be the way everyone would want to do it - I personally wouldn't want to)....

Can you link to a (windows) Library in Ableton? Example Libraries: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Camera Roll, etc.. if so, you could create a new library called "VSTs" (or something) and add all your VST folders to it. How to create a library.

I'm not sure if you can refer to the library in Ableton or not. If you named it "VSTS" the path to it would be: Libraries\VSTs (no leading slash or drive). There is also another path to it that would look something like:
C:\Users\<yourusernamegoeshere>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries\VSTs.library-ms

Honestly, no idea if either method would work.

And yes, definitely "non-customer-friendly". Ableton is great, but I found myself laughing when I saw it only allows one entry!

 

Ableton Tutorial: Multiple VST / VSTi Folders Recognized

 

Last edited: Feb 24, 2022

on Mac in most situations like this, users create Symbolic Links aka Symlinks. Can you use them in windows to address this issue with Ableton?

https://www.maketecheasier.com/create-symbolic-links-windows10/

 

I used a VERY simple solution:

after installing vsts in whatever folder, COPY or CUT/COPY all *.vst, *.vst3 in one folder of your choice (let's say MyVsts), optionally organized in subfolders, they will work (even vst3)!
Scan that only one folder and you're done.
Ableton, Reaper, tested and working.

Edit: at times vsts use multiple files as settings, etc, you'll have to copy all of them in a subfolder.

 

Last edited: Feb 24, 2022

how do you recognize a:
Reaper user
Mac user
Vegan

Don´t worry they´ll tell you
-------------------------------------------------------------
@Pinhead12
1)
On WIN, in the registry, you can determine where the VST (2&3) Folder should be.
All (audio)Programs will follow that during Install.

2)
You can move the Dll´s, to wherever you like, most of the time.
Without licence problems.
There are Exceptions like Acoustica but they will let you know beforehand.

I use one VST folder, with some specific subfolders.
x32, x64
VSTi, VST
Might seem cumbersome at first but if you use M.Media Apps like
Premiere, Avid or BlackMagic, they get easily hung up on Instruments during scanning.

Another advantage is, you don't lose overview, of bridged plugins, on way or another.
+ for Live you can create custom folders, like all Reverbs, that will be visible in DAW.
while Cubase "ignores" it and has its own Org. Structure.

That system comes also in handy if you use Audio Editors, that can stumble over VSTi.

So, you lose some, win some comfort either way.
Customize

 

Last edited: Feb 24, 2022

Here's a screenshot of plugin paths in Windows I took in Maschine:

 

Ableton Live 11 Deep Scan for Plug-ins

 

Last edited: Feb 24, 2022

On macOS you don't need to do all this junk at all, because the Plugins are well orgnized in 3 main Locations:

Library Audio > Plugins

or

User > Library > Audio > Plug-Ins (rarely used)

and for AAX:

Library > Application Support > Avid > Audio > Plug-Ins

 

Last time I was in Live 10, I had this exact stupid problem and I don't know why you can only choose 1 folder, but I made a separate folder that has all the shortcuts to the different file locations, so try Making a shortcut for all of the different file locations and put it in 1 folder, and select that folder for Ableton.

It might or might not work for Live 11 though cause I was using Live 10, so good luck.
P.S. this is the only solution I found for this, so if it don't work then you might just have to move everything to 1 folder.. if not some of the other solutions might work that are posted on the thread.

A big reason why I never liked Ableton.

 

Thanks for all the answers and fanboys' "wars"

I used @Mechanix604 solution and used the program files root folder as a custom folder.

 

VST plug-in locations on Windows
https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/115000177084-VST-plug-in-locations-on-Windows