Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

CUBASE SX/SLAudio effects 11 – 281
Installing and managing effect plug-ins
There is a wide range of additional effect plug-ins available in the two 
formats supported by Cubase SX/SL (VST and DirectX). The two for-
mats are handled differently when it comes to installation and organizing:
VST plug-ins
Mac OS X
Plug-ins in Mac OS 9.X format cannot be used.
There is a large number of VST plug-ins available for purchase or down-
load. To install a VST plug-in under Mac OS X, quit Cubase SX/SL and 
drag the...

CUBASE SX/SL11 – 282 Audio effects
Organizing VST plug-ins
If you have a large number of VST plug-ins, having them all on a single 
pop-up menu in the program may become unmanageable. For this 
reason, the plug-ins installed with Cubase SX/SL are placed in ap-
propriate subfolders according to the effect type.
•Under Windows, you can rearrange this by moving, adding or renam-
ing subfolders within the Vstplugins folder if you like. 
When you launch the program and pull down an Effects pop-up menu, the...

CUBASE SX/SLAudio effects 11 – 283
DirectX plug-ins (Windows only)
To be able to use DirectX plug-ins, you must have Microsoft DirectX 
installed on your computer (Version 8.1 – or later – recommended 
and included on the Cubase SX/SL DVD). 
DirectX plug-ins should not be placed in the Vstplugins folder, as 
these are installed under the operating system rather than for Cubase 
SX/SL exclusively. Rather, you should follow the installation instruc-
tions included with the plug-ins. See also page 287.
• On...

CUBASE SX/SL11 – 284 Audio effects
The Plug-in Information window
On the Devices menu, you will find an item called “Plug-in Information”. 
Selecting this opens a dialog listing all the available VST and DirectX 
compatible plug-ins in your system (including VST Instruments), along 
with all MIDI plug-ins. The plug-ins are described in the separate “MIDI 
devices” pdf.
Managing and selecting VST plug-ins
To see which VST plug-ins are available in your system, click the “VST 
Plug-ins” tab at the top of...

CUBASE SX/SLAudio effects 11 – 285
• Plug-ins which crash when you try to start them, will be marked as "unload-
able" in the VST plugin window and skipped at the next start.
These plug-ins can be activated again in the VST plug-in window.
• If you activate the “Show used only” checkbox, only the plug-ins that are used 
will be shown in the list.
• A plug-in may be in use even if it isn’t enabled in the left column. 
You might for example have opened a project containing effects that currently...

CUBASE SX/SL11 – 286 Audio effects
Update Button
Pressing this button will make Cubase SX/SL re-scan the designated 
Vstplugins folders for updated information about the plug-ins.
Export List button
•If you click this button, a text file with the plug-in info is generated.
You will be asked to specify a folder where the file should be saved.
This document could be useful if you need to contact Steinberg Technical Support – 
or you might want to use it just as a handy reference of the installed effects....

CUBASE SX/SLAudio effects 11 – 287
•Similarly, you can also add additional Shared Plug-ins folders by click-
ing the “Add” button and browsing to another Vstplugins folder on 
your hard drive.
If you have several folders assigned as Shared Plug-ins Folders, you can at any time 
use the text field pop-up menu to decide which of the assigned folders should be the 
designated active one.
•To remove a Shared Plug-ins Folder, select it and click the “Remove” 
button.
Managing and selecting DirectX plug-ins...

CUBASE SX/SL11 – 288 Audio effects 

12
VST Instruments 

CUBASE SX/SL12 – 290 VST Instruments
Introduction
VST Instruments are software synthesizers (or other sound sources) 
that are contained within Cubase SX/SL. They are played internally via 
MIDI, and their audio outputs appear on separate channels in the mixer, 
allowing you to add effects or EQ, just as with audio tracks.
Some VST Instruments are included with Cubase SX/SL, others can be 
purchased separately from Steinberg and other manufacturers. The fol-
lowing VST Instruments are included and...