Hello, I have Sonar X1 Studio and I know this may sound lame. How do you get new sythns/ drum machines or VST's onto the program. I am tired of using the ones that come with it. Please give me a step by step guide. Thanks a lot!

most vsts have their own installation file  (executable)
others are dll files that can be dropped directly into your vst folder.
there are many free vsts available online- just do a google searcg for "free vst"

the best vst plugins and instruments cost money.  those typically have installation files that are straightforward.

i hope this helps

where do i find my VST folder? Thanks

Buy and install the new VST according to the installation disk it comes on. It should install it into your VST folder. Click on the Custom Install during the installation to see exactly where it's installing too. (write it down for future reference).

Once you finish installing it, have Sonar scan for new VST's. Once it finds them you are good to go.

One great VST package to buy is Komplete 7 from Native Instruments. Or you can buy them by themselves.

There are tons of great VST's out there. Search google.

Have fun!

P.S.

While there are alot of free VST's out there, for someone new to them, I would recommend buying from a reputable company first. Some of the free ones are not as high quality as others which could introduce crashes into your system. Which is a serious buzz kill.

http://www.native-instruments.com/#

A1MixMan

There are tons of great VST's out there. Search google.

sadly there are a lot of crud ones as well

here is a few freebies that are good

http://www.musicradar.com...oday-277953/11#content

I use the TAL stuff and synth1 has been around for years but is great (you can get sounds of KVR for it)

crazyrocker3


where do i find my VST folder? Thanks

In your C: drive where you installed Sonar. Open the programs folder and then the Cakewalk folder and you'll see the VST folder.

Hi Jack, and welcome to the forum.

VSTs may come as a single DLL file, in which case "installing" is a simple as copying the file into c:\program files\cakewalk\vstplugins.

Other VSTs, particularly instruments, may have literally gigabytes of associated data that needs to be structured in a specific way. Those types of products usually have a setup program like any other Windows app.

In either case, after installation you must take one more step to make SONAR aware of the new VST before it can load it into a project. To do that, use the plugin manager (in SONAR, go to Tools -> Cakewalk Plugin Manager). Click the "Scan VST Plugins" button to tell the plugin manager to make a list of all the plugins in (or under) the VSTPlugins folder. Those will subsequently appear in context menus for you to choose.

That's the mechanics of installing plugins. Finding them is another matter. Not that finding them is hard, it's not. Finding good ones is a perpetual hunt we all enjoy. The ultimate source of plugin information is KVR. There, you will find a database of almost every plugin known to man.

Also watch for group buys and sales. If you're patient you can get your VST fix for a LOT less money. (Example: D16 Group's group buy on effects is going on right now.)

Before you go nuts collecting VSTs, though, you'd do well to come here first and ask about others' experiences with specific ones.

just one word to the wise..becareful what you download..some plug ins that you install will route them self in your system..and if you dont like them(there lame)its hard to delete the whole program(this is ussualy instruments)but this isnt really always the big concern..the big concern i have is downloading a virus and spreading it on your daw.after download check your a.v. to make sure its safe..then to be extra safe..i run my downloads through a online virus scanner called joddi.it uses 20 servers to check for viruses.

Native Instruments Komplete is a great expansion to SONAR, guitar rig pro, massive, fm8, battery and more...all great.