I know there is a difference between VST2 and VST3, but when I downloaded a bunch of VST plugins, some aren’t recognized by Cantabile. (Examples: Arppe2600va and Minimogue VA) While they look like the proper .dll file, Cantabile doesn’t recognize them for some reason. How can I tell if a VST plugin will be able to be read by Cantabile or not?
See if this helps any. Are you running Cantabile x86 or x64? What about your vsts…x86 or x64?
I am running x64. The VSTs mentioned are supposed to be 64s, but I am beginning to wonder. Most all of the other plugins have worked perfectly. So, because they are free and have little or no support, I will have to do some research as to the accuracy of the advertised functioning environment. I am sure I can find a plugin that will work, but was just wondering if there was something I was missing from the start or if there was a work around to get plugins working that are enigmatic in their origin. Thanks for the quick reply.
Sometimes x86 will work in Cx64. If not, you can try jbridge on them, which will make many work in x64. I have several x86 vsts that will not work in Cx64, but they work great in Cx86.
Also…Welcome to the forum. 
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Thank you Corky. Like I say, I’m still relatively new to this so will take it slow and hope for the best. In the mean time it is a fun learning experience.
Don
And, thank you for the welcome. I can see this will be a great place to hang out and learn. Have a great week.
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Hi Don and Welcome!
I took a look and those dll’s you noted above are X32 only so like Corky said you just need jbridge installed to use them in X64 Cantabile. Go ahead and install them with your other X64 dll’s if you want.
Dave
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As @dave_dore wrote, the plugins you mention are 32 bit only, so Cantabile 64 won’t load them without jBridge. TBH, I also wouldn’t put much trust in plugins that had their latest published release 13 years ago (Arppe2600VA).
If you want to update your arsenal with free VSTis, take a look ad https://bedroomproducersblog.com - there’s a ton of free stuff there. And BPB usually shows if a plugin is 32 or 64 bit. For really great synth plugins, check out https://www.fullbucket.de/music/vst.html - this guy cranks out really great synths for free…
Cheers,
Torsten
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Hi Ari,
Here’s my post after I figured out jBridge was worth getting:
https://community.cantabilesoftware.com/t/jbridge-was-going-to-avoid-it-but-happy-vb3-issue-prompted-me-to-install-it/2819
Sorry for the delay in getting back here, but this week was rather hectic. Here is a list of the VSTs that would not work. K700nu, MinimogueVA, Odyssey, Orchestral Strings, Phase 90, RetroDelay, RZSVocoder, SQ8L, SupaPhase, TurntabilistPro, AlphaTron, AnalogDelay, Arppe2600, BabyTron, DSKChoir, DSKOverture, Glass Armanica, HarmonyBox. The reason I am posting this is to see if anyone has any warnings about running any of them. I am about to install JBridge to see if I can get them up and running. While I will likely go through them and take out the ones I don’t like, it is always better to know ahead of time if you are getting into deep water. So saying, will try JBridge and if it does the trick, the problem is solved. I thank you for the information (now I have to thank a few others here).
Thank you Dave,
I have downloaded jBridge demo 1.75 to see what happens. Was going to just purchase it, but decided to make sure. Based on what I have seen, it looks like it should be the first purchase of anyone who uses Cantabile. While I am sure most people use 64 bit VSTs, having the flexibility is always a good thing. Will write back once I have tried it out. Thank you again.
Don
Thank you Torsten,
I have downloaded jBridge and will be installing it as soon as I finish responding to everyone who helped out here. Agreed that older plugins tend to be questionable, but I am interested in their take on the sound produced by an ARP 2600.
As for bedroomproducersblog, that is where I got all of these plugins. While it does say if they are for Windows and MACs, I found several that didn’t specify if they were for 64 or 32 bit. So, I will be more careful to check in future. (However, with jBridge I hope I will have no problems even if they are 32). I will also check out fullbucket as I haven’t been there yet. Thank you again for your reply. I will be posting when everything is up and running. Don
Thanks for the additional information. That really helps to have multiple views on a program. As I have told others, I am going to install jBridge and see what happens. It will be worth it even if just a few work as they are ones I have not seen in 64 bit versions elsewhere. Will let all know when I get it working. Thanks again. Don
I use all those old Elektrostudio plugs on my studio computer with jBridge, no sweat 
Although there are better options out there now for most of them a few I’m in love with, like the Moon Sono.
O.K. jBridge is up and running. However, after the 32bit plugin loads I get the message that says no saving and only 20 minutes of work time (terrible paraphrase, but you get the idea), which I assume is due to the fact that jBridge is currently in demo mode. However, the window that opens for the plugin is completely blank (just a white window) so it would be completely non-functional. Does paying for jBridge allow me to actually use the plugin? I have tried 3 so far and will continue to see if any give me any controls or graphics. If purchasing will make the difference, I am ready. If this is not what should be happening, please let me know.
What I did:
I installed jBridge, made the administrative corrections to the three files, made a new directory for the 32 bit plugins to be loaded to, ran jbridger, opened Cantabile, added the new directory, scanned the new directory, Cantabile picked up an additional 30 plugins (so I’m assuming it recognized them), loaded a plugin at which point I got the jBridge run as administrator notice and the plugin loaded. Just a window which is the size the plugin would normally be, but nothing but a white background and no graphic interface.
I should note that sound is produced, but I have no way to alter it without the controls.
Thank you for any ideas, comments or suggestions.
Don
No, that shouldn’t happen as far as I know. Are your graphics drivers up to date? You’d be amazed how much havoc that can cause.
I’m not sure if this has been posted before but I came across this top-70 list of free VSTs in another forum
According to jBridge’s author:
So you’ll need to run Cantabile as admin.
Cheers,
Torsten
An alternative solution:
Thank you Torsten,
It worked perfectly. I have never had to run any programs on my laptop as administrator so didn’t even think about that. And, of course, I was so involved in trying to make it work that I didn’t even think to look for answers from the jBridge people. But, now it is working perfectly and I thank you. While I have worked with computers since 1974, VSTs are something that I started using about a month ago so I’m sure to have a long road of learning ahead. Fortunately, with a forum such as this and people like you, I have an idea I will have an easier time navigating it.