KVR Audio

Chimaera9 · Post by **Chimaera9** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 3:17 am

I just bought MuTools and am very new at this...
I've downloaded a VST file for Violin, unpacked it, and it gave me a .dll and an .mse. I tried putting both of these into folders in MuTools and yet they never show up. I've already gone to "Manage VST plugins" and brought in the file there, but...how do I get these to appear for use as an instrument?

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:58 am

Welcome on KVR forums !

Mutools is the name of the brand, not the name of one of their products. Their products are Mulab and MUX Synth.

The .mux files are used by both. And if you delete a .mux file you delete either a file required to make your application (Mulab or MUX synth) work, either squarely one of your projects !

To make a VST work in Mulab you don't have to put it in the folders of Mutools, you let it where it has been installed. You just have to follow these steps :
Using VST Plug-Ins

It is a page of the complete documentation : M8 Docs

As always written : RTFM.

Did you at least insert your user key ?

Chimaera9 · Post by **Chimaera9** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:05 pm

Thanks for your reply and the links! Yes, I've already inserted the user key.
I had already read through the link you shared at: https://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mux/u ... ugins.html

...and it doesn't answer my question...where does the .dll file go?

Regarding the VST, you'd said, "you let it where it has been installed," but it didn't install, it downloaded to my downloads folder as a zip file. I unzipped it in the Mulabs folder, and now I need to know where to put the .dll for Mulabs to find it.

UPDATE: MuTools helped in the forum and this solved the problem. Here's the reply they sent:

And you can also directly drag-drop a VST DLL onto a MuLab rack slot.

And, by the way, this little general workflow tip: Whenever you have a MuLab file browser open and you want to point it to the same file/folder as a Windows explorer window / MacOs finder window, simply drag-drop a file/folder from the explorer / finder window onto the MuLab browser window, that will sync the MuLab browser window.

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:08 pm

Let's proceed step by step.

Q1 : What is the name of this VST instrument ?

sbj · Post by **sbj** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:29 pm

Inthe upper left corner click on Mulab and then choose manage VstPlugins.

Then click on Add VST Plugin and go to where you have placed it on your hardddisk.

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:34 pm

Yes but there are other things that the OP has not understood at all. There is nothing to put in the Mutools directories.

So please, let me solve the problem of this newbie otherwise he won't understand anything if we puzzle him at several.

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:35 pm

So, I repeat : Let's proceed step by step so that I do the same things to give him screenshots of these steps in order to have him learn correctly how the installation of things in Mulab work!

Q1 : What is the name of this VST instrument ?

pljones · Post by **pljones** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:10 pm

Note: If MuTools is installed in a directory where it doesn't have write permission (e.g. C:\Program Files), this can make it behave strangely.

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:28 pm

Yes.

And there is no need to move the dll files of the plugins to a Mutools directory. It can even lead to a total impossibility to make the plugin run correctly if there are other files with the dll... and in addition it can lead the rookie to a total mess in his drive. Without also considering that when will come an update (of the plugin or of Mulab) it will probably become a total nightmare for that rookie, leading him to the impression that Mulab is a sh...
What I'm trying to do is simply recall this newbie the simple steps of the installation (even without any installer when it is by a simple move) of a plugin in the correct directory (and creating a subdirectory for each plugin) and how the things are made in Mulab to set definitely in it the directory to scan in order to build the database... and also the trivial method to do when there is only one new plugin to add to the database, then at the end how a plugin is loaded in memory in Mulab by a drag&drop from the list to a rack.

Because it appears, when reading his lines above, that he is already totally getting mixed up for these inescapable first steps.

By screenshots showing the steps as I do usually all these things are very easy to understand and to reproduce once and for all.

And it may be reused by every new rookie later.

Chimaera9 · Post by **Chimaera9** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:50 pm

Update: MuTools helped in the forum by suggesting I drag/drop the file directly from the folder into the rack, and that worked! However, for clarity on how the problem originated, here is what I did:

1. Downloaded Strings VST: LDK1609 Violin - 64.dll
2. Went to Downloads folder, cut the file out and pasted it into MuLab directory
3. Unzipped VST folder in MuLab folder
4. Went into MuLab program, clicked MuLab button, selected "Manage VST Plugins"
5. Clicked "Add VST Plugins"
6. LDK1609 Violin - 64 appeared in the manager
7. Clicked "Done."
8. Tried to find the VST in the instrument list, other lists, browsed through all folders, never found it.

So, as I mentioned above, dragging/dropping the .dll file directly onto an empty rack worked fine, it appeared right away. I'm not sure I ever loaded it into MuLab the other way, though? Thanks for your help on this. This is my first DAW...I'm much more familiar with composing in music notation programs and publishing guitar music, but have never tried to make recordings of my compositions using a DAW.

BlackWinny · Post by **BlackWinny** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:52 pm

You're welcome.

Be very careful, on your hard disk, to never put a VST in the directories of Mulab. Because that can lead you to a total mess in several cases, notably in case of update of a plugin or of update of Mulab itself. Without forgetting the fact that many plugins need not only their dll but also other files.

The most important will be for you to understand:
1. where your plugins must be installed on your hard disk.
2. the different methods to add them to the Mulab database. These methods (three methods, the drag&drop of the dll on a Mulab rack of the GUI being only one of these three methods) are very easy... and very important to know. Because all three have their advantages and their drawbacks depending the case.
3. And our friend pljones reminded also how much it is important to have Mulab installed in a directory having no write protection. In "Documents" for example (in my computer it is even in a directory directly put at the root of the drive).

All these things were the things I wanted to show you step by step using screenshots.

VST files: .dll and .mse, do I need .mux?