Loading plugins in your DAW
Though there are a wide variety of DAWs, each with its own unique interface, there are similarities when it comes to loading up and using plugins, and most stick to one of two approaches. The first – as seen in Steinberg’s Cubase, Apple’s Logic, and Cakewalk’s Sonar – involves insert slots on a track or mixer channel. These are used in the same way as an insert effect would be used on a hardware mixer. In other words, the effect is placed ‘in line’ on that mixer or track channel. Plugins might be loaded in by use of a dropdown menu tree or rightclicking in the effects slot. Clicking in the insert or effects slot in some DAWs – Cockos’ Reaper, for instance – will reveal a dedicated browser from which the desired plugin may be selected.
It’s common to stack multiple effects plugins together to form an effects ‘chain’, much in the way a guitarist might connect various stompboxes together to form a custom sound. In some DAWs, these effects chains may be saved and recalled at a later time.
If your DAW uses a sidebar browser, here you can find your plugins displayed and possibly arranged into categories. The plugins may be dragged into the project and placed directly onto a track or channel. Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Cakewalk’s Sonar and PreSonus Studio One can all open effects and even instrument plugins in this manner.
On the subject of instrument plugins, we should discuss the different methods you might encounter when loading up instruments. As mentioned, sometimes they can be dragged and dropped from a browser onto a specific track. However, many DAWs distinguish between instrument and audio tracks, so you’ll need to keep this in mind. Those that allow you to drag instruments in from a browser might offer the choice of using an existing instrument track or creating a new one. Some DAWs (Cubase, Sonar) allow you to open instruments in a ‘rack’ and then connect to them from MIDI or instrument tracks. Others (Logic) make a plugin menu available from the track itself.
We’ve prepared videos for eight major DAWs showing you the basics of loading plugins, along with a few handy tips you won’t want to miss:
> Cockos Reaper – bit.ly/LPIreaper
> Cakewalk Sonar – bit.ly/LPIsonar
> PreSonus Studio One – bit.ly/LPIstudioone > Apple Logic – bit.ly/LPIlogic
> Image-Line FL Studio – bit.ly/LPIflstudio
> Steinberg Cubase – bit.ly/LPIcubase
> Bitwig Studio – bit.ly/LPIbitwig
> Ableton Live – bit.ly/LPIableton