Audio Plug-ins

The ability to use third-party audio plug-ins give vMix users access to a massive collection of tools to help create professional-quality audio for their live productions. VST (Virtual Studio Technology) uses digital signal processing to recreate traditional audio hardware often found in professional audio studios. Now with vMix and VST, producers have access to the sound of high-end compressors, expanders, reverb units, delays, equalizers, effects, and more.

First Things First

Before you dive into audio plug-ins, there are a few things to double-check. First, be sure that you have vMix version 20.0.0.41 or higher. Also, keep in mind that vMix supports VST 3 64-bit plug-ins. You will find many VST and VST 2.0 plug-ins on the market, but for stability and reliability, look for VST 3 64-bit. They are available from many vendors, including waves.com. One of the most important things to remember is to carefully test these plug-ins before you go live with them.

Downloading and Installing

If you are looking for high quality and affordable VST 3 plugins, I highly suggest Waves.com. Two audio plugins I consider must haves are NS1 (for noise suppression) and Renaissance Axx (A plugin to make voices sound more robust). Once you find a plug-in that you are ready to test out, go ahead and download it. Most downloads will come with an installer that will automatically place the files where they belong, usually: program files/common files/VST 3.

Now that the plug-in is installed, open up vMix, and you can see how to add it. You can add plug-ins to both individual inputs and to your master audio. There may be instances where you want to apply specific vocal effects to a microphone input such as reverb and a general effect to the master, such as a compressor.

Go to the audio mixer and click on the gear icon on either the master or an individual input to open the Audio Settings “Plugins” tab. Now click on the + button to add a plug-in. Select a driver from the dropdown menu and then choose from any plug-in associated with that driver from the next drop down and hit OK. That will bring up the editor screen for that specific plug-in.

Different types of plugins have different interfaces. Some show a graphical interpretation of the physical version of the hardware, and others have simpler interfaces. Usually, once you add the plug-in, if that input has active audio, you should be able to hear it and adjust in real-time in the editor. Once you have it set up the way you want it, you can save a preset within the plug-in to quickly load it later.

Pro Tip: Many plugins come with presets you can use for various effect settings. For example, for voices there may be a male and female preset. This is often a great place to start your project.

Once you have your plug-in set up, you can make them easily accessible by setting up shortcut keys. You can even control them from a midi-controller, X-keys, or vMix web controller.

Audio Plug-ins are a great way to improve the sound of your live production. However, if you are new to them, they can be a bit overwhelming. If you want some guidance about what plug-ins work best with vMix, check out some of the online forums on vMix.com.

Start Learning vMix

• What is vMix. Learn here
• Getting Started with the vMix interface here
• Learn how to work with vMix inputs here
• Mixing Inputs Together with vMix Multiview here
• Learn about vMix titles here
• Learn how to mix Audio in vMix here
• Learn how to use VST3 audio plugins with vMix here
• Learn all about vMix settings here
• Learn about how to use vMix Full Screen and Multiview here
• Learn how to record video with vMix here
• Learn how to live stream with vMix here
• Learn how to use vMix video overlay channels here
• Learn how to make Stinger Transitions in vMix here
• Learn how to use social media comments in your live stream with vMix Social here
• Learn how to use vMix shortcuts here
• Learn how to use GT Title Editor to make custom vMix titles here
• How to use vMix Call to bring guests in your live stream here
• How to control vMix remotely with the web controller here
• How to use vMix color correction tools here
• How to use virtual sets with vMix here
• How to use NDI with vMix here
• How to control PTZ cameras in vMix here
• Learn how to connect vMix with Zoom using the virtual webcam output here
• Learn how to use automated playlists with vMix here
• Learn how to use data sources with vMix here
• Learn how to use vMix triggers here