Installing Effects :

I am running windows 10< 12 GB ram > HP Pavilion all in one 24-rOxx.

Recently I had to re-install windows 10. Everything went smoothly enough. When I installed Audacity however , none of my Effects show up on my Effects list. I have tried to install new Effects by placing them in my audacity plugins folder , but when I go to install them , I get the message " Effect or command at C:\program files\Audacity \Audacity \plug ins(plug in name) could not load the library." The path is no good. I am now stuck w/no Effects at all.
How can I remedy this annoying problem. Any help goes a long way. Thanks.
I have tried everything on the manual also , to no help.

No effects at all? Not even the built-in effects such as “Amplify”, “Fade In”, “Fade Out”…?

Check in “Preferences > Effects” and ensure that all available effect types are enabled, as shown here: Effects Preferences - Audacity Manual

I have amplify / bass & treble and about 1/2 of the Effects listed on there board. I have also tried loading them in Steinberg, and a Vst Plugins folder , all to no avail. The manual says to install this way : To install new VST effects, place them in the Audacity “Plug-Ins” folder: Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\audacity\Plug-Ins. However , I do not hav a “Appdata\roaming” part of this equation. And when I just put them in my Plug ins folder , and go to see if they registered , I get "Audacity did not recognize the type of file C:\program Files(x86)\Audacity \Plug-ins(name of effect).ny’.

For uncompressed files , also try File>import >raw data. Which I have also done with no success.

Do you have all of these effects showing in the Effect menu?

effects.png

yes i do. I would like to add more effects such as to enhance my instruments as well. the usuals ; chorus ;flanger ; some different eq`s. I just cant get anything from my plug ins folder to the effects list. " Effect or command at C:\program files\Audacity \Audacity \plug ins(plug in name) could not load the library." The path is no good.

That’s the wrong location if you are using 64-bit Windows.
Audacity should be installed at:
*C:\Program Files (x86)\Audacity*

Please check that Audacity is installed there.


If it is, then I’d suggest that you first do a full reset of Audacity.
To do that:

  1. Ensure Audacity is not running
  2. In File Explorer, open the hidden folder: *C:\Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\audacity*
    (where “” is your user name)
  3. Delete the files:
    audacity.cfg
    pluginregistry.cfg
    pluginsettings.cfg

When you next start Audacity you should see the “Welcome” screen.

Then open the Plug-in Manager.
If there are any “.ny” plug-ins listed as “New”, try enabling them.
Does that work?

Note that the normal and recommended way to install “.ny” plug-ins (Nyquist Plug-ins) is with the “Nyquist Plug-in Installer”, as described here:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/installing_effect_generator_and_analyzer_plug_ins_on_windows.html#nyquist_install

Hopefully, you’ve got everything working now. Just in case:

You may be able to find your directory by going to the windows search bar and typing “%appdata%” (without the double-quote marks).

Also, since Appdata is a hidden file, it is not normally visible in File Explorer. To make it visible in File Explorer, click on the “View” tab at the top of the screen, then check the box labelled, “Hidden items”. While you are there, most people also check the box labelled “File name extensions” - that tells Windows to show an mp3 file as abc.mp3, for example.

Audacity is (currently) a 32-bit application whether or not you have a 64-bit machine. That means that all of your plug-ins need to be 32-bit.

This pc > windows C > programs files (86) > audacity > plug ins >. This is where I’m putting my plugins. Only the installed Effects will show there. I will keep trying.
If I do a full reset of audacity , will I lose all my recorded material? Just wondering.

So I see on the wiki

On Windows, the Audacity “Plug-Ins” folder is usually at C:\Program Files\Audacity\Plug-Ins (or C:\Program Files (x86)\Audacity\Plug-Ins on 64-bit computers)

This is incorrect. I’ll see if I can’t get that changed (fixed).

That sounds correct.

So if you delete those 3 files that Steve suggests, you will lose all of your previous plugins. You will not lose any recordings or audio data.

The (incorrect) detailed information from the wiki has been removed and replaced with a link to here:
Installing Plug-ins and here: Installing Effect, Generator and Analyzer plug-ins on Windows

There still seem to be a tiny issue there, which I hope to have fixed.

So, this has been corrected. It now reads:

This is usually: C:\Program Files (x86)\Audacity on modern 64-bit PCs, or C:\Program Files\Audacity on older 32-bit PCs.