Installing and enabling VST plugins VST plugins are downloaded using your standard web browser. Installation is done individually for each VST, as designed by the plugin manufacturer. No special Propellerhead app or functions are required for installing VSTs. About VST licenses VST licenses and authorizations are handled by the individual VST manufacturers. VSTs cannot be authorized using the Propellerhead authorization system which is used for Reason and Rack Extensions. Installing VST plugins under Windows At each launch, Reason automatically scans for installed VST plugins in the following folders: C:\Program Files\VSTplugins C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTplugins C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\VST2 If you don’t have any VST plugins installed on your Windows computer you might have to manually create a folder named “VSTplugins” in C:\Program Files\. When you then install VST plugins later on, instruct the VST Installation program to install the dll files in the “C:\Program Files\VSTplugins” folder. If there is no installation program for the VST, manually place the VST dll files in this folder. • It’s also possible to define your own custom VST folders on the Advanced tab in Preferences, see “Defining custom VST folders”. Installing VST plugins under Mac On a Mac OS computer Reason automatically scans for installed VST plugins in the following folders at each launch: Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST ~/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST If you don’t have any VST plugins installed on your Mac you might have to manually create a folder named “VST” in Library/Audio/Plug-ins/ and in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/. When you then install VST plugins later on, instruct the VST Installation program to install the files in the “Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST” folder. If there is no installation program for the VST, manually place the VST files in this folder. • It’s also possible to define your own custom VST folders on the Advanced tab in Preferences, see “Defining custom VST folders”. Enabling VST plugins in Reason To make newly installed VST plugins s available in Reason, simply (re)launch Reason. The available VST plugins are displayed on the corresponding palettes in the Reason Browser; VST instruments on the “Instruments” palette and VST effects on the “Effects” palette. VSTs that are internally tagged with “Analysis” are placed on the “Utilities” palette. • The VST plugins appear in the corresponding manufacturer sections, the same way as Rack Extensions are presented: VST instruments and Rack Extensions on the Instruments palette in the Browser. • VST plugins also have a small blue VST label at the bottom left of the device panel, to separate them from Rack Extension devices. • Some VST plugins might be represented by a generic device “panel” in the Browser. If this is the case, you can have Reason take a screenshot of the VST plugin panel and automatically replace the generic panel, see “Screenshot”.
