I just bought QL Spaces and it is in my EW folder in my Applications folder so what do I need to do to get Cubase Pro 8 to recognize it and make it useable inside Cubase Pro 8? I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, so please make it pretty specific so that this village idiot can actually do it.
Thanks,
Tom
I have Spaces and QB8 and they are working perfectly together. I am not quite sure what your problems is. Can’t you find it among your plugins or does it not work properly?
First guess - have you added the EW folder with the VST plugin to the VST plugins paths in Cubase?
This is a MAC (given his profile is correct) and there is no such thing as “placing the plugin in the VST plugin paths” as there is in a very complicated way on a PC where you can experience the installations operates with several VST folders, and where you somethiomes have to move the .dll around before CB reconizes it. On a MAC there is only a VST folder (And a separate VST3) folder. Everything (the .vst files) installes automatically in the right folder. No need to “locate” the .dll file. That is why I asked what the problem really was as the problem as it is written is a bit “strange” on a MAC. However on a PC you are right to suggest checking for placing of the .dll file.
I don’t want to call you the village idiot, but… are you sure that you checked the VST option when you installed QL Spaces?
Go to Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST or VST3 (depending on which version you installed) and check if is there (It may be in a sub-folder, so check those as well).
VST or VST3
Several installers insists on installing both a VST and a VST3 version. This is unnecessary, unless you have some other program that is not compatible with VST3. VST (or VST2.x) is simply an older format. VST3 is definitely the better option for use in Cubase (or any modern Steinberg program). If both a VST and a VST3 version has been installed, you can safely throw the VST version in the Trash. You won’t damage anything.
Hi Svenne,
Thanks for your help but I’m still confused.
Just to make sure, I removed the copy of QL Spaces from the EW folder in the Applications folder and got out the DVD and reinstalled it. It did not give me any option other than “QL Spaces will now do a standard install” just before clicking on the install button. Then, yes, it installed it right back into the EW folder. As far as I can tell that is the only place it was installed.
When I try to find the path you pointed out I go to thomasdavis (which I assume is what is meant by “user”) but there is no library folder there although there is a music folder but it doesn’t have anything about VST folders.
If I go into the Cubase Pro 8 folder (Cubase Pro 8 show contents) I can find both VST and VST 3 folders but neither of them have a reverb folder for me to drag and drop QL Spaces into, so I’m still at a loss as to what to do. BTW I checked in Cubase 7.5 and QL Spaces is not there either.
Any more ideas about what I can, should, ought to do to make this work?
Thanks,
Tom
You are looking for the wrong Library folder. When you open your hard drive, you’ll see four folders; Applications, Library, System and Users. This is the Library folder you should use.
Actually there is a VST folder in your “User” library aswell. But this is very rarely used.
In their infinite wisdom to make life as difficult as possible for their users, Apple has decided to hide the User Library. To get to it, go to the “Go” menu and press the [Option] key. Now it will magically appear in the menu.
Do not mess about in the Cubase 8 package, unless you know what you’re doing.
EDIT
I didn’t know what QL Spaces was, so I looked it up. As far as I can tell it’s not a VST effect at all! It runs withing the OL Play VSTi. If I am correct, this is what you should be looking for. Check the instrument menu for an Instrument Track.
This is not the location of the VST folder on my MAC!
Mine is: Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST (and VST3)
This is where you should look for the “QL Spaces.vst” file. If it is not there it is not installed. If it is there throw it in the waste basket and install it again. Be sure you have the version of QL Spaces that corresponds with you operating system. Then start Cubase. When Cubase starts it always starts with a small dark window with the word “Initializing” in the lower right corner. Things will go really fast and all your plugs will flash by. However newly added sometimes take a little longer time for Cubase to recognize. Look for QL Spaces. If you see it Cubase recognizes it.
Add an Audio track to your project. Far left under the “Inspector” you will find “Inserts”. Click on that and a “rack” with empty spaces will appear. Click on one of them and your list of plugins will appear. Then it depends on how you have set Cubase to organize the plugins. Mine is by vendor, so to find QL Spaces I go to “EastWest” on the list and click on the little triangle in front of the name. Then QL Spaces appear. Click on that and QL Spaces loads into your track. Now go to the QL Spaces interface and load up the reverb of your desire.
I better back up here and straighten some things out. QL Spaces is a convolution reverb designed and marketed by Nick Phoenix who was Quantum Leap by himself before Doug Rogers suggested they merge and become EWQL. However Spaces was Nick’s own project and he put it out somewhere around 2008 or 2009. It is very highly regarded in orchestral midi composer circles so I decided to buy it while it was on half price sale during January.
Now I may have some conceptual misconceptions in that I thought it would be picked up by Cubase Pro 8 automatically and that all I had to do was to record some sample library music using an instrument track, open the mixer and since the audio track was automatically there I could simply go to the insert section of the channel strip and QL Spaces would be there in the reverb section with Reverence, Revelation, etc., so I’m trying to find out what should I do to make it show up where I can use it that way because I’ve watched Alex Pheffer use it in his YT video about making an orchestra template in Cubase 6.5.
I hope this explains more about what I want to do and I would appreciate any help anyone can give me to do this.
Thanks,
Tom
PS I just checked inside CP8 and what I’m talking about is labeled an effect and not a VST or VSTi.
First: Cubase DOES automatically recognize QL Spaces.
QL Spaces IS indeed an effect and not a VST instrument (or VSTi) but file extension for MAC is .vst for both instruments and effects. (as it is .dll on a PC for both instruments and effects).
You CAN access QL Spaces from the mixer as an insert, both on instrument tracks and/or FX channels (most common for Reverbs). However, where on your effect list it is found depends on how you have set QL Spaces in your plugin manager. Perhaps this video will help.
And YES you CAN make a template that automatically loads QL Spaces. Just make an FX track in the mixer. Add QL Spaces as an insert and save as template. You may also save chosen instruments in the template. You can have many different templates. But remember that you can not access a template when in an already started project. You need to start a new project from the chosen template. If you have started with an empty project, and added instruments you then need to add FX track and insert QL Spaces in each project. Templates are project related and not insert related.
Perhaps a short explanation of terminology is warranted. When you see VST (upper case letters) effects are referred to. When you see VSTi (3 upper case and 1 lowercase letters) instruments are referred to. If you see iVST it’s some new Apple product (just kidding).
Rumdrum is correct that both VST’s and VSTi’s use the .vst or .vst3 file extension (we’re speaking Mac here). These extensions are usually presented in lower case letters, although some vendors may use upper case. Since OSX is not case sensitive, when it comes to file-names/extensions, it makes no difference operationally.
I have never said that it is an instrument. However, is it VST Effect? After checking out the product website (DAW Plugins: Orchestral Instruments, Drums & More | EastWest), I get the impression that it isn’t, but an effect that runs inside QL Play. If this is correct, TomcatToo should check that QLPlay.vst (or vst3) is installed (and this is an instrument).
By the way, thanks Rumdrum for the YouTube line. The full tutorial can be downloaded here, if anyone is interested:
http://musicalnotes.org.uk/Focus/Cubase%208%20First%20Look/Cubase_8_Pro.html
The iVST was quite funny actually 
I have no idea if QL Spaces works without PLAY as PLAY was installed on my computer before I acquired QL Spaces. It does however appear as a separate effect in Cubase, as there is no referral to PLAY when loading it as an FX. So yes Svenne, you are right, it is worth checking. Would suggest EastWest/SoundsOnline support for that question.
QL Spaces is indeed an effect. On a Mac It should be in Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST.
Svenne…one does NOT need Play in order to use and run Spaces. It has nothing to do with Play at all. It is simply an Effect plug-in. Many people using it don’t even have Play or EWQL VSTi(s) on their system.
Well I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I can’t make QL Spaces work in anything, so I’m just going to put it aside until I know more about using Cubase and then come back to it later.
In the meantime I downloaded a demo of Arts Acoustic Reverb and it installed and is in the plugin list where it should be so I’ll see what I think of it and go from there.
Thanks for everyone’s help!
Tom
Arts is a good reverb, however not a convolution reverb. Think you do good with having the possibility of both Art and QL Spaces as they cover reverb from two different angles. Looks from your software list that your are mostly into orchesteral music, where I think that QL will be the best choice. I prefere a couple of other convolution reverbs that have an open profile so you can load 3. party IR’s. Think I use Waves for most reverbs. My all time favorite, Wizooverb is sadly not supported anymore. Please come back if you need help with QL. However I need to say I still do not know exactly what the problem is.
Thanks RumDrum for all your help! Unfortunately I don’t know what the problem is either; maybe I just need to go get me some rum, LOL.
It may be nothing more complicated than I don’t know enough about how Cubase actually works rather than how I think it should work and so I’m trying to do something it doesn’t do and yes I’m mostly interested in orchestral music and that was why I wanted QL Spaces since I thought it was the best of the bunch for that. One thing I’ve found in my 80 years is that if I go away and let things simmer awhile and then come back with a fresh outlook, I can often get things to work. Obviously at 80 I’m just a hobbiest doing this for fun and not profit, and for the most part I really enjoy doing it but every once in awhile I get frustrated when something just won’t work and when that happens I just back off and chill and then see what happens.
BTW at my age I’m just grateful I can do any of this at all 
Tom
Hey, RumDrum,
I’m BAAACCCKKKKKK! Even more confused than ever… 
I just opened Cubase 6.5, instantiated an instrument track using a Kontakt VSL flute patch and then looked in the Inspector and clicked on the insert block and low & behold, there were both the Arts Acoustic AND the QL Spaces reverbs and they both open and work like I thought they would, so now I’m just totally and utterly confused. I have no idea what to make of all this. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks,
Tom
It worked:
"if I go away and let things simmer awhile and then come back with a fresh outlook, I can often get things to work! 
Well, it still doesn’t work in either Cubase 7.5 or CP 8.0.5 so the question is what is there about Cubase 6.5 that makes it work there and not in the newer versions? 
LOL, it’s amazing how much more I know about some things than I understand about them. Oh well…
Tom
PS This just reinforces my opinion that Cubase 6.5 may very well be the best version ever of Cubase and since I do almost 99.9% of my work in midi sequencing and the piano roll view, and since Cubase 6.5 has 98 to 99% of the capability I need for sequencing, I’ll just stay with that version for the foreseeable future.
If you get any ideas on how to make the newer versions “see” QL Spaces I would love to hear them.
Tom