I recently purchased two Arturia keyboards, a minilab MKII and an Essential 49. (I am also VERY new to this technology!) I installed the Ableton Live Lite and purchased a license for Cubase Elements. Both programs located the Analog Lab on my computer as I can access the front end of Analog Lab in both programs. But I can't load any of the individual plugins into either Ableton or Cubase. When I attempt to in Cubase (my main DAW) the whole Analog Lab loads as a track and I can't select only one.

Since it happens in both my DAWs I am thinking it is either a Windows 10 or Arturia issue.

Please advise.

Thank you.

I'm not understanding you - are you saying you can't load Analog Lab as a plugin?

There are no "individual plugins", Analog Lab is one plugin...

It shows up on lists in both DAWs. When I access it in the DAW, I can select any of the plugins but when I try to load the plugin as an track, the program loads the entire plugin. I am making the assumption here that I should be loading an INSTRUMENT, right?

It's not easy trying to get a handle on all of this without help. I know nobody who works with music production...um...that is willing to spend time with me.

I looked in the 64-bit Steinberg folder for VSTs and didn't see Analog there. AnalogLab appears as an icon on my C drive in the Arturia folder. Should that icon be dropped into the Steinberg VST folder?

I did find the analogLab tucked in a folder in Programs > VstPlugins. I also found AnalogLab in a folder in CommonFiles > VST3, along with a dll from Spitefire Audio that I downloaded. This is the only other VST I downloaded.

I couldn't find Ableton folder in either Programs or Program x86...unless it is linked to Propellorhead as there is a folder for that I did not download anything from Reason.

The good news is I ordered a user manual for Cubase, 600+ pages, published by MIT.

GTR_RO wrote:It shows up on lists in both DAWs. When I access it in the DAW, I can select any of the plugins but when I try to load the plugin as an track, the program loads the entire plugin. I am making the assumption here that I should be loading an INSTRUMENT, right?

I'm confused. Analog Lab is an instrument plugin. If you load it in your DAW, then it seems to be working fine.

GTR_RO wrote:It's not easy trying to get a handle on all of this without help. I know nobody who works with music production...um...that is willing to spend time with me.

Well, you have us! :wave:

GTR_RO wrote:I looked in the 64-bit Steinberg folder for VSTs and didn't see Analog there. AnalogLab appears as an icon on my C drive in the Arturia folder. Should that icon be dropped into the Steinberg VST folder?

I thought you said it shows up in your DAWs? Then you don't have to do anything, it's working fine.

GTR_RO wrote:It shows up on lists in both DAWs. When I access it in the DAW, I can select any of the plugins but when I try to load the plugin as an track, the program loads the entire plugin. I am making the assumption here that I should be loading an INSTRUMENT, right?

As I understand Desmond's earlier post, I think this assumption is where you're going wrong.
You load Labs as a plugin, then select your device within the plugin, you don't load individual instruments separately.

You only get the individual synth instruments with the full ‘V Collection’.
‘Analog Lab’ is a single plugin with a selection of presets from the V Collection.

Ok, yes - if you're under the impression that buying Analog Lab gives you the full £500 collection worth of individual plugins as well, it doesn't.

Analog Lab is one plugin, that contains the presets of many of the individual plugins, with limited tweakability.

blinddrew wrote:As I understand Desmond's earlier post, I think this assumption is where you're going wrong.
You load Labs as a plugin, then select your device within the plugin, you don't load individual instruments separately.

Yes. This is correct. I can call up Analog Lab, select a plugin but I can't load it into a track. I can't drag it or double click it and there is no SELECT button. Then instead of an individual plugin like "arp & lead" (KEYS) the track is labeled ANALOG LAB 4 and I can't enter any data. Same with Ableton.

I am a music teacher and use Finale Notation...those VSTs show up in both DAWs (Garriton and Aria player) but I only use those for Finale. When I installed both these DAWs, they found them.

GTR_RO wrote:Then instead of an individual plugin like "arp & lead" (KEYS) the track is labeled ANALOG LAB 4 and I can't enter any data.

The *plugin* is Analog Lab. The selected sound / preset / patch is your "Arp & lead" sound. You simply click that sound in the preset listing to choose the sound you want to play, and then play your MIDI controller to hear the notes.

If you then want a second sound, you create a new instrument track, load the Analog Lab plugin on this new track, choose your next sound, and play that.

That's what I'm saying...I click it and it posts the whole plugin, not the individual sound I selected.

I'm having driver issues computer-wide. And I don't have the knowledge to know how to fix it. Someone who knows more than me said the ASIO4ALL was an old driver. Can I download and use a different driver for my DAW?

GTR_RO wrote:That's what I'm saying...I click it and it posts the whole plugin, not the individual sound I selected.

Yes, that is how Analog Lab works. There is nothing else.
It only loads your chosen sound within Analog Lab itself. It doesn’t open or load another plugin. There is only one plugin, and it’s called Analog Lab.

Sorry. You are of course correct. It works in Ableton. However, my Cubase Elements is a mess. I can't open it now...and e-license issue. I have this uncomfortable feeling that Cubase is very temperamental software with lots of issues!

GTR_RO wrote:Sorry. You are of course correct. It works in Ableton. However, my Cubase Elements is a mess. I can't open it now...and e-license issue. I have this uncomfortable feeling that Cubase is very temperamental software with lots of issues!

It is hard to assimilate with exactly what 'state of play' and what exactly is the 'problem' if indeed it is a problem.

The Cubase Manual might be overkill, but if memory serves me right, it does start out with the basics which are essential to know.

Your DAW (Cubase) needs a MIDI input - usually a controller or synth, which send MIDI notes to Cubase, and CUbase (or whatever other DAW) records those notes for editing, arranging etc those notes are then sent back to the same synth or another sound source, a hardware synth or software synth, which will invariably be a plugin - VSTi

Analog Lab is a VST as you know and one instance of AL will allow the selection of a 'instruments' each of which can be assigned to a MIDI track

You will also need an audio interface, which will accept inputs from a mic, the line outs from a hardware synth and/or other equipment. These sounds are recorded into the DAW, then edited/arranged etc and the results sent back out of the DAW, ended up at the speakers/headphones. VSTi's send their output to the outside world by way of the audio interface too.

MIDI - note the connection to the computer can be by way of the 5 pin MIDI plug or more often these days, USB. Note a hardware synth needs to have LOCAL CONTROL set to OFF

IN: Synth/Controller ---> MIDI Interface ----> Computer ----> DAW ----> MIDI Track
OUT: MIDI Track ---> DAW ---> Computer ---> MIDI Interface ---> Synth

- ensure correct MIDI In and Out routing is selected in DAW MIDI Track settings

If using a VSTi
IN: Synth/Controller ---> MIDI Interface ----> Computer ----> DAW ----> MIDI Track (or Instrument Track)

The instrument in the MIDI/Instrument Track will in your case be Analog Labs

OUT: MIDI Track (VSTi) ---> DAW ---> Computer ---> Audio Interface ---> Amp ---> Speakers

When I used Analog Labs I had a similar problem to yourself. I would choose an 'instrument' but if memory serves me right, the selected instrument appears in another window, as there can be several instruments assigned to the same MIDI track, this allows for the user to create their own instrument - a Combi, you might for example have piano + pads + synth assigned to the same MIDI Track (Channel) but it was not obvious where the chosen instrument(s) appears. I am sure there'll be a YouTube Vid showing this.

Cubase Licence issue. It could be down to a file that the eLicenser creates. The file extender is *.sel I can't remember which folder it lives in, but delete it an certainly in my case, it clears up eLicenser problems, I think when the eLicenser updates, this file is left behind and the licenser can't make it's mind up what to do. That being said, my licensing is handled by a hardware dongle. I don't know whether the same applies to the version of Cubase you are using.

There are lots of 'Starting Cubase' types books about, I found them invaluable when I was starting out with all this. ONce you get the basics under your belt, you'll be fine but the intitial learning curve, is more akin to the sheer wall of the Eiger than a curve

Cubase is experiencing a major issue with WIndows 10, which is what killed my soft license for Elements. They are working on a solution right now.

I have an Arturia Essential 49 midi keyboard and a Focusrite digital interface for my guitar.

I like books. Good to have.