Audacity Add Vst Plugins

21.12.2020by
Audacity Add Vst Plugins Rating: 3,5/5 4392 votes

Lots of people are obsessed with the ‘warmth’ of analog studio gear. Sure—it sounds fuller, more human, more present.

But these days, modeling technology has become really good at simulating the effects of analog circuitry. Our computers and DAW apps are powerful enough to handle these VST workhorses.

Download the VST plugin you want to add to your Audacity. You can click on any of the buttons above, depending on the operating system that you are using. Open the Download folder on your computer and find the plugin you downloaded. Extract all the files or install the plugin. On Windows and Mac, Audacity can load VST effects (but not VST instruments). The VST Enabler is no longer required. Enable 'Rescan VST effects' in the Effects Preferences and restart Audacity when you want to add new effects.

So forget about spending tons of money on analog gear.

Audacity can load VST effects (but not VST instruments) on all operating systems. The VST Enabler is no longer required. Install the VST effects to the Audacity Plug-Ins folder on Windows, to /Library/Application Support/audacity/Plug-Ins on OS X/macOS or to system locations. This is one plug-in that is mostly in use for Linux based machines. The full form of. To add a new LADSPA plug-in, place it in the Audacity 'Plug-Ins' folder: Users AppData Roaming audacity Plug-Ins If you are a privileged user and you need to install a plug-in for use by multiple user accounts on the same PC you may also install LADSPA plug-ins to the Plug-Ins folder in the directory where Audacity is installed.

Here’s 7 VSTs (for both PC and Mac) that will give you that sweet analog warmth.

  1. SGA1566 Tube Preamp
  2. TDR Slick EQ
  3. Ace Amp
  4. Molot Compressor
  5. Voxengo Tube Amp
  6. MJUC jr. Compressor
  7. Softube Saturation Knob

What’s all the analog fuss about?

Ok, so what does analog circuitry do to your sound? What’s everyone so obsessed about?

What people like about analog sound are the quirks and imperfections.

So when people talk about ‘warm analog sound’ they’re referring to:

  • Subtle distortion and drive
  • Harmonic distortion
  • Tape Saturation
  • Vacuum tubes
  • Preamps

What these processes do to your sound is often hardly noticeable. That’s what the magic’s about—you won’t hear them, but they’ll make a huge difference in how your track sounds and feels.

The cumulative effect of analog processes is what people are gushing about.

1. SGA1566 Tube Preamp

Shattered Glass Audio’s SGA 1566 gives you a single channel vintage tube preamp. The whole circuit is simulated in real time to get you that authentic analog sound.

Use the SGA 1566 as a saturation compressor to boost the warmth of your track. Or add a bit of grit with the tube overdrive.

The newest version is also lighter on your CPU––so no computer freak outs!!

Download the SGA 1566 for free here.

2. TDR Slick EQ

“This little guy sounds amazing” –Dave Pensado

The TDR Slick EQ is a sleek easy-to-use three-band EQ that gives you amazing sound—like all Tokyo Dawn Records plugins.

Warm up your sound by choosing a non-linear option under Output Stage. That’ll add subtle harmonic distortion and texture.

Download the TDR SlickEQ for free here.


3. Ace Amp

Ace Amp—another Shattered Glass Audio creation—is based on classic 1950s style tube amps.

Control the input, volume, feedback, output. Choose between three resampling options.

This amp plugin has simple controls and doesn’t eat up your CPU.

Audacity Vst Telephone Plugin

Hot Tip: Try it on vocals for a cool aesthetic effect.

Download the Ace for free here.

4. Molot Compressor

Vladg’s Molot is a compressor with character. Even the vintage Soviet look is on point.

Molot will give your sound interesting color. I recommend reading the manual to learn how to tune it properly—it’s worth the read.

Download Molot for free here.

5. Voxengo Tube Amp

Voxengo’s Tube Amp gives you warm overdrive, fuzzy distortion and everything in between.

It imitates tube overdrive in the style of single-tube mic preamps.

Hot Tip: Use the low-pass filter to imitate the texture of lower-quality tubes.

Download Voxengo’s Tube Amp for free here.

6. MJUC jr. Compressor

Klanghelm’s MJUC jr. compressor is simple and elegant.

Use it for smooth compression or a heavier pumping effect. MJUC jr. is based on vintage compressors of the 1960s––it even looks like one.


Flip the ‘Time Constants’ switch to choose between slow, fast and auto. This changes the attack and release time. It affects other parts of the circuitry too, giving you interesting analog-style saturation.

Download the MJUC jr. for free here.

7. Softube Saturation Knob

This Saturation Knob is one the best free analog emulation plugins out there. Even Dave Pensado gives it two thumbs up!

Use it anywhere to add some character and distortion. Drag it on your vocal track to add shimmer.

The great thing about this one is how simple it is: literally one knob and a switch. Change the switch setting to choose between the kind of distortion you’ll get.

Download the Softube Saturation Knob for free here.

Fake It Till Ya Make It

These effects are the missing ingredient in your digital sound.

The key with analog emulation is to avoid overdoing it. Bring in the effect until you hear it, then dial it back a notch. It’ll still make a huge difference. Your sound will be fuller and warmer.

Use these plugins and people will be asking for your studio secrets in no time.

Make sure to grab the whole LANDR-approved free VST plugin collection:

Aug 29,2019 • Filed to: Record Audio • Proven solutions

Most people involved with multimedia and its usage will probably be familiar with audacity. It is a free audio editor which enables one to cut, edit, record and optimize audio tracks. Since the advent of audacity, it became one of the most popular sound-editing platforms being provided for free to many facilities and plug-ins. This is at par with the provision of those expensive and premium audio editing softwares.

Audacity VST Enabler

One of such facilities that audacity provides to its users is the VST plug-in. VST or Virtual Studio Technology plug-in allows users to edit and mix the sounds from their microphones and instruments within an audio-editing software. This is the kind of plug-ins that recording studios and audio engineers use. If you’re an aspiring musician or someone wanting to record sounds straight from your voice and instruments, this is the plug-in you must have installed on your personal computer, along with Audacity, of course.

How to install audacity VST enabler plug-in

Step1. If you're using an Audacity V1.2 or an older version, the VST enabler plugin is also not very likely to be preinstalled, so you may need to do it yourself. To do this, first download the installation file from audacity's site www.audacityteam.org/vst/ and then install the .dll file into the plug-ins folder which you will find inside audacity's installation folder. On windows, the folder is usually under Program files. If you're using Mac OS X, you're most likely to find it in the /applications folder.

If you download the plugin in .zip format, just extract the file into the said location. Your VST enabler plugin has been installed. However, if you’re using a newer version of audacity, you may not need to install it at all since it has been incorporated into the software itself.

Step2. To enable VST plugins, all you need to do is go to the edit menu, select preferences and then go to the effects option. Then, you will need to check the option for VST under the enable effects heading and save the changes.

Keep in mind that this does not install VST plugins itself but enables them on your computer. Once you’re done with enabling VST, you need to install the VST plugins you’re interested in. You can download these plugins from a number of sites for free: www.hitsquad.com , www.freeloops.com, www.kvraudio.com , www.dmoz.org to name a few. Then, you will need to install them to the plug-ins folder as mentioned before.

Part 2. How to use Audacity VST plugins

Once you're done with installing the VST plugins, you can start using them. However, there are a few things you need to do before you can start with it.

Step1. Go to the preferences menu as mentioned before. Go to effects and then check rescan VST effects next time Audacity is started. Next, close the window by clicking OK. After saving the changes, you need to restart audacity to be able to use your newly loaded effects. Close the window then open audacity again. You will now be able to use the plugins.

Step2. Import or record the audio file you wish to edit. Select the segment of the track you want to apply the effect to, then press the stop button (brownish square).

Step3. Go to effects menu and you will be able to see a number of effects you can apply to your track, along with the ones you loaded. Click the effect you're interested in.

Step4. More often than not, a dialogue box will appear with various options to set the intensity, timing and other parameters of the effect. Set them to what fits best and then click OK. Your effect has been applied.

Part 3. Troubleshooting on Using Audacity VST Plug-ins

Here are some issues and solutions to troubleshoot them:

Problem 1. Is there another way to install VST plugins?

Yes, another way to install VST plugins is to go to effects, then select the manage Effects, Generators and Analysers option which will open a new dialogue box. There, you can select the new effect plug-ins from the directory and enable them. This saves the trouble of finding the installation location to load your new plug-ins. Save the changes and you will be able to use them the next time you open Audacity.

Problem 2. Why are some of my plug-ins do not work?

Although audacity supports most of the VST plug-ins available out there, it doesn't support VSTi or VST instruments plugins. These include effects such as synth, guitar and so on. Audacity also does not support real-time effects or effects that can change the audio data simultaneously as they are being played. Therefore, enabling and re-enabling them will not be of any help since they are not supported.

Problem 3. I've loaded the effect, selected the audio segment, but the effects are all greyed out and unusable. Why?

This is because Audacity doesn't allow effects to be applied unless the track has been stopped. After selecting the section of the track you want to edit, click on the STOP button. You will not have any problem applying effects after that.

Vst Plugins Not Working Audacity

Problem 4. Some of my VST plug-ins are displaying incorrectly. How can I fix this?

To fix any wrongly displayed plug-ins, go to the effect option and from the dialog box, select options. This will open the VST effect options for that particular effect. In the dialog box, uncheck the enable graphical interface checkbox and click OK. The next time you open the effect, the interface will be much simpler.

So, these are the methods and tips to use VST enabler and VST plug-ins in audacity. Needless to say, audacity is one of the best platforms to tweak and edit your audio files. There are myriads of effects available on the internet for free to use in audacity, and new ones are coming up every day. With basic knowledge of the software and internet access, you can create magical sounds. Now go ahead and make the best of VST plug-ins and Audacity.

Add Plugins To Audacity

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