If an installed VST plug-in is not displaying on your sequencer's plug-in list, this may be due to several reasons:
- The folder containing your plug-in is not defined as a VST plug-in folder in your host sequencer.
- A 64-bit plug-in is installed in the 32-bit plug-in directory.
- The plug-in has been disabled by your sequencer.
Note: Content products like KONTAKT Libraries or REAKTOR Instruments are not directly available from the plug-in-list of your sequencer and have to be opened within the corresponding main plug-in. Please read this article for more information.
Wrong Plug-in Path in Sequencer
In order to load a VST plug-in, the host sequencer needs to be pointed to the folder the plug-in is located in. If the sequencer does not search for the VST plug-in in the correct folder, it will not find anything or possibly load a second, older installation of the plug-in in question. Follow the steps below to fix this:
- Open Native Access > Installed products.
- Click on the product's entry (e.g. Massive) and select Installation Path.
- The info pane shows the installation paths of the VST32 plug-in and the VST64 plug-in:
- Make sure that the same directory is selected as a VST folder in your sequencer (32-bit or 64-bit, depending on your sequencer). If this is not the case, add it.
- If the sequencer loaded a wrong version of the VST plug-in before, ensure to either remove the wrong VST path from the sequencer or remove the older VST file (*Product Name*.dll) from the directory the sequencer loaded it from.
Note: If you use a 64-bit sequencer, the VST path should point to the location where the 64-bit VST version is installed. If you use a 32-bit sequencer, it has to point to the location of the 32-bit VST version. If you are unsure on how to set a VST folder in your sequencer, refer to the sequencer's manual.
64-bit Plug-in in 32-bit VST Directory (64-bit Windows only)
The following steps explain how to check if a 64-bit plug-in has been installed into the 32-bit VST folder and if so, how to fix it.
- Open the Windows Start menu
- Search your local disk for the name of the plug-in in question, followed by the extension ".dll": "Plug-in Name*.dll (for example "Battery 3.dll" or "Kontakt 5.dll").
- Right-click all files you found and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- In the window that opens, click the Details tab.
- In the field Product version you can see the version of the plug-in file and whether it is a 32-bit (IA32) or a 64-bit (x64) version.
- Make sure that the 32-bit plug-in file is located in your 32-bit VST plug-in folder and the 64-bit plug-in file is in the 64-bit VST folder. If you find files with different versions (e.g. BATTERY 3.2.0 and BATTERY 3.2.3), only keep the file with the highest version number and delete the others.
- Ensure that the correct VST folder is defined in your sequencer. Afterwards it should find the correct plug-in version.
Plug-in Disabled by Sequencer
If the above steps do not resolve the issue, your sequencer may have blocked the plug-in in question. Since there are different possible reasons for this and plug-in administration varies widely among sequencers, please refer to your sequencer's manual or contact the respective manufacturer for further information on this.