Hi all.
Very new to the world of Audacity and VSTs. In fact I know very little about it. This is where I am at.
My 8yr old daughter has Alesis drum kit and Yamaha keyboard which i would like to run through an old laptop
with Audacity installed. I have been given a drive with a load of VSTs which I would like to install but I don’t
have a clue how to open and install.
Is there any one out there who can help.
Many thanks.
Flexo69
Music connection to a laptop is usually the worst problem people have. Why don’t we work on that first? If you can’t get that working, then anything else you do is a waste of time.
Koz
Audacity does not comprehend the MIDI signal from Alesis drum kit.
Audacity does not apply VST effects in real-time, only in post-production.
Audacity does not host VSTi plugins, (i = instruments).
I suspect you need software other than Audacity …
https ://bedroomproducersblog.com/2015/11/11/free-daw-software/
Ok, I think I get this.
What I need to do is find a DAW to accept the VSTs???
If you “need” to use the VST’s, then a program such as Reaper may be better (https://www.reaper.fm/ free unlimited trial, full license from $60), though this program is probably too complicated for an 8 year old.
You’ve not said what the VST’s are, or why you want them, so we don’t know if you actually “need” them or not. With Audacity, you could record a drum track, overdub one or more keyboard parts, edit and apply effects, and export as a WAV / MP3 or some other audio format. Ideally you would use an audio interface, such as a Behringer UCA-202 (around $25), or a USB mixer (from around $100) to get the audio from the drum machine / keyboard into the computer. If you want to add vocals, you would need a microphone, and the choice of sound card / mixer might be different.
For an 8 year old to start recording, I doubt that you need the VSTs.
which i would like to run through an old laptop
For what purpose? Do you want to record and make a “production”, or do you want to play the VSTi’s “live” ( in real time)?
It’s “easier” to use the analog outputs (for “live” playing or for recording).
VSTis’ are “more powerful” if you want to make a “production”. If you capture the MIDI rather than record the audio you can change the virtual instruments and/or adjust the notes & timing. Or you can actually “play” a full band or orchestra without playing any instruments at all! But someone once said, “A drummer can play a 3-minute drum part in 3 minutes… How long does it take you to program the drums for a 3-minute song?”