#006 – Installing VSTs in FL Studio 12 with the Plugin Database

This tutorial is an important one in our FL Studio Beginner’s Series !

We discuss Installing VSTs in FL Studio 12.

Over my years I’ve tried to find a solution to keep my VSTs in sync across multiple computers, as sometimes I work off a laptop in addition to my main computer.

And to do that, we have to use something called Symbolic Links.

I know this series is for beginners, but I feel this is important to share with you so you can see my workflow.

What We Cover:

• A comparison of VSTs vs. One-Hit with synchronization, also VST3 and the Commons Folder.
• How to Import VSTs into FL Studio 12’s Plugin Database
• Preventing FL Studio from Overwriting your Plugin Organization
• Tricking FL Studio by Using Symbolic Links to use Dropbox for your VSTs
• Batch Hiding the .PNG and .NFO Files from the FL Studio Browser

P.S. – If you don’t own Serum yet.. I highly recommend this plugin!

How to Add Plugins in FL Studio 12

Here’s a step-by-step guide to adding plugins in FL Studio 12:

1. Hit F10 (Opens Settings) + Manage Plugins

First, hit F10 to open up your settings.

Go to the File tab, then select Manage Plugins:

Select Folder + Start Scan

If you have a specific folder where you keep your VSTs, then you can select a folder to include by clicking the folder with a +

If you’re someone who just to installs the VST to whatever location (probably in C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins ?), then simply click Start Scan:

Close Window -> Go to Plugin in Browser

You can now close the FL Studio Plugin Manager and head to the Browser (where you select sounds on the left hand sidebar.)

You can now access your VSTs through the Installed section in the Browser.

For more info on organizing your VSTs, you can view my article:

• Read: Organize your VSTs in FL Studio

Symbolic Links in FL Studio + Dropbox

As mentioned, I’m wanting to have everything in sync.

I don’t want to manage multiple folders on multiple computers.

The way I’ve set this up has minimized the amount of back and forth I have to do. (Now I can focus on writing up these articles or producing beats! 😉 )

Don’t forget, I have written up a step-by-step article on working with Symbolic Links:

• Read: Using Symbolic Links in FL Studio

For more details on this tutorial, just watch the video above!

For the whole series, you can join:
FL Studio Beginner’s Series.