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Old 09-10-2016, 01:38 PM   #1
blueman61
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Default Reaper/EZ Drummer 2 tearing my hair out.

OK. A little history first. My computer literacy can be summed up by a friend's description: "point, click and screw up". I am methodical and persistent, but lack all but the most basic knowledge. A little over 2 years ago, I installed Reaper after having used Cakewalk for years. I liked it, I bought the manual, I paid the 60 bucks for home use after the trial period. I found it intimidating, but i worked around my problems and didn't do anything too complex. I tried repeatedly to install the recommended MP3 converter and although i followed the instructions to the letter many times, I never was able to get that to happen. No biggie, I worked around it. Last year I bought EZ Drummer 2 and installed it. Wow. Great drum sounds, good midi grooves and although I couldn't make heads or tails of Reapers FX window, I would click on the FX button on the track i was using and drag and drop and was making recordings like a very happy camper. That was fine until last week when Focusrite sent me an email for a free Eventide reverb plugin. Hey, great, why not. I tried like crazy to get that downloaded and installed, following instructions, downloading the ilok licensing stuff they said i needed and so on. Never did get that to happen. Oh well, no big deal. It was free, i couldn't get it to work. whatever. Here's where things get crazy. I go to start working on some new tracks the other day and wouldn't you know it, I can't get Reaper to find EZ drummer any more. I consult the manual follow the steps, nothing. I uninstall EZ Drummer and reinstall After that I go to Options/Preferences I type the EZ Drummer path in, I click ADD and then things become a little confusing. Here are some questions, maybe someone can help.

1) When I click add...what am i supposed to add? I've already typed the path that EZ Drummer has given me into the window.
2) Assuming we can clear up the add stage confusion, What comes next. i thought I was supposed to click "rescan" and then "apply and then "OK". None of that seems to accomplish anything. If i do the old drag and drop like before, there's no sound. If I look in the effects directory on Reaper where EZ Drummer used to be it's still not there no matter what I've tried. I'm at a dead end.

This is what happens when you give modern machnery to an old guy and he doesn't really get how it all works(LOL). I would like to REALLY understand this. I'm willing to read manuals, experiment and persist, but right now it apprears that I'm going backwads....swiftly. Most of the instructional stuff i read either starts over my head, assumes knowledge that i don't have or is SO basic that it doesn't address whatever issue I'm having. To top it all off I'm way off the beaten path and no one even remotely close to me knows anything about any of this. On top of it all, I have the sneaking suspicion that if I had someone in the room with me for about a half an hour who knew what they were doing, I could solve about ten years worth of Computer, Recording, MIDI and other technical bafflement stuff that's been holding me back in the most infuriating way. Sorry for the Russian novel-length post. Hopefully one of you guys can start to turn the ship a little bit for me and get me headed in the right direction...FINALLY. Thanks a million for you patience. I look forward to some advice, questions, ridicule (please only if necessary, I'm sensitive......) and anything else you care to offer. Thanks again.
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:31 PM   #2
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It would help if you say what type of computer you're using. Mac? Windows PC? What version?

As for the "Add" problem - if you've already typed the path to EZD in the box you don't need to hit Add...that's just to let you select a new path from a list box instead of typing it. You do need to hit Clear cache/Re-scan, which will take a short while. Then O.K. will do it.

If that doesn't do it, where is EZ Drummer loaded and what exactly do you have in the VST Plug-in paths box - EXACTLY, ALL OF IT?

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Old 09-10-2016, 04:16 PM   #3
blueman61
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Thanks for the quick response. The answer on the Add function helps. Really, anything helps. I'm using a fairly inexpensive Toshiba PC that's about 2 years old. It's currently running Windows 10. I just typed in the location listed below and did the rescan and hit OK, but still no EZ listed in the VST or VSTI list of FX. The help section on EZ says that the plugin path is as follows:

C:\Program Files\VstPlugins\Toontrack\EZdrummer.dll

Is this what i should be typing in the window in Options\Preferences or is that the wrong location?

Really appreciate the advice and, as I said, I now know a list a little something I didn't before. I must have done something wrong somewhere along the line when I was fooling with that other plugin. Thanks for your patience.
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Old 09-10-2016, 04:41 PM   #4
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no the path should be C:\Program Files\VstPlugins
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Old 09-10-2016, 05:25 PM   #5
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I'll try it. thanks.
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Old 09-10-2016, 05:35 PM   #6
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Tried that last suggestion, but no dice.
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Old 09-10-2016, 06:35 PM   #7
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and where in reaper are you looking for EZ Drummer?

VST / VSTi / Instruments ??
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Old 09-11-2016, 02:19 AM   #8
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i feel your pain. one day two of my waves plugs disappeared and no matter what i did (uninstall, reinstall, clear cache)will bring them back into reaper. they're where all my other plugins are stored and everything else shows up fine but i cannot get these two to show up
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Old 09-11-2016, 02:35 AM   #9
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Another thing that might help you is to run Toontracks Program Manager and get it to display the path(s) to the TT product or products you have installed. At least you will KNOW you are pointing Reaper at the correct directory.
Alos I dont know at what point it changed but at one stage EZD`s .dll file was called dhlsampler or something similar. Could be EZD is just hiding out in disguise.
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Old 09-11-2016, 06:26 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EpicSounds View Post
and where in reaper are you looking for EZ Drummer?

VST / VSTi / Instruments ??
I press the effects button on the track I want to put my drums on and in the past it appered in the VSTi section, but I've looked in both. ...not there anymore.
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Old 09-11-2016, 09:17 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adam juresko View Post
i feel your pain. one day two of my waves plugs disappeared and no matter what i did (uninstall, reinstall, clear cache)will bring them back into reaper. they're where all my other plugins are stored and everything else shows up fine but i cannot get these two to show up

good to know i'm not alone and/or completely insane......well maybe partially insane.
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Old 09-11-2016, 01:12 PM   #12
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So...tried all suggestions, reread the manual and still nothing. Should delete and reinstall Reaper? I've done that already with EZ Drummer to no avail. I'm currently at a brick wall and I need drums to do my work.
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Old 09-11-2016, 04:53 PM   #13
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Default What I've learned so far....

So, The window in the Options/Preferences section of Reaper is where I should be able to type in the location of EZ Drummer. Correct?


If I open EZ Drummer, which FWIW, operates fine on its own, and go to the help menu, it shows me the location of the plugin which says the following:

C:\Program Files\VstPlugins\Toontrack\EZdrummer.dll

That's what it says...exactly.

If I type that into preferences and hit "apply" and then " OK" Reaper should find it. Correct? Except that it doesn't. My list of VST and VSTi plugins doesn't show EZ Drummer. I've tried several other "addresses" to no avail as well. I'm not very good at this, but it seems to me that Reaper should be finding this plugin, no? Especially since I didn't have to do any of this when I originally downloaded EZ.

I say all of this in the context of the fact that it used to be in the list of VSTi plugins and I was using it...at least for the last year anyway since I originally bought and downloaded it.

Something is amiss somewhere and the fact that Reaper isn't finding EZ strikes me as a Reaper problem. am I nuts? Should I reinstall Reaper?
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:39 AM   #14
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If you havent already, go to Options/Preferences/Plugins/VST and do a clear-rescan first.

Then have a look at All Plugins rather than just VST or VSTi when you go to add EZdrummer.

Assuming you still dont find anything, I woudl uninstall both Reaper and EZD, preferably using something like IObit`s uninstaller that comes free with ASdvanced System Care Free, which will make sure you nuke everything.
TRhen do a fresh download and install of Reaper and use Toontrack`s Program Manager to download and reinstall EZD.
Make sure yuou have all the correct paths in reaper to scan your plugins.
If that doesnt work, I give up.
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:08 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blueman61 View Post
If I open EZ Drummer, which FWIW, operates fine on its own, and go to the help menu, it shows me the location of the plugin which says the following:

C:\Program Files\VstPlugins\Toontrack\EZdrummer.dll

That's what it says...exactly.

If I type that into preferences and hit "apply" and then " OK" Reaper should find it. Correct?
Not correct. Reaper likes to find the .dll names itself. You tell it what folder to look in. So in the box in Preferences/VST you type C:\Program Files\VstPlugins just like EpicSounds told you.

Then you hit Clear cache/Re-scan NOT just Apply (and I'm sure I've said this before as well ).

We like helping but you do have to at least try to take some notice of the information you're given.

Steve
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:10 AM   #16
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Have you tried a Windows system restore? Typically, if you try installing some new program and some old program starts acting up then there is a possibility that somehow the operating system has been messed up a little. Type system restore in the Cortina search box. Restore back to a date before you started having problems with your otherwise working system configuration. So, select a date prior to your installation of iLok and anything else that was related to trying to get the free reverb.
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:19 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slipstick View Post
Not correct. Reaper likes to find the .dll names itself. You tell it what folder to look in. So in the box in Preferences/VST you type C:\Program Files\VstPlugins just like EpicSounds told you.

Then you hit Clear cache/Re-scan NOT just Apply (and I'm sure I've said this before as well ).

We like helping but you do have to at least try to take some notice of the information you're given.

Steve
I've actually done that exactly as you described. Thought I mentioned it previously. I'm really not trying to be difficult and i have tried everything suggested so far exactly as the poster described. I'm not ignoring advice...far from it. Some of this stuff i've tried several times, again, exactly as the poster instructed. I've done the Clear cache/Re-scan with that location two or three times at least.
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:22 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by insub View Post
Have you tried a Windows system restore? Typically, if you try installing some new program and some old program starts acting up then there is a possibility that somehow the operating system has been messed up a little. Type system restore in the Cortina search box. Restore back to a date before you started having problems with your otherwise working system configuration. So, select a date prior to your installation of iLok and anything else that was related to trying to get the free reverb.
Cortina search box? That's a new one for me. Where is that?
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:43 AM   #19
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It's the main search box next to the start button.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:32 AM   #20
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Sorry, Windows 10 changed the location that it was before. You can type Recovery in the search box then select Open System Restore.

Or, go to Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore > Click Next > Select a date prior to last week > Follow the on screen prompts.

Give it a try and see if that fixes things. If not, I believe there is a configuration file for REAPER that can be deleted which will cause REAPER to redo all VST links from scratch. Unfortunately, I don't know which file it is, but you can do a search of the forum to find out. I've seen that solution several times for people having problems with disappearing VSTs.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:43 AM   #21
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Sorry, Windows 10 changed the location that it was before. You can type Recovery in the search box then select Open System Restore.

Or, go to Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore > Click Next > Select a date prior to last week > Follow the on screen prompts.

Give it a try and see if that fixes things. If not, I believe there is a configuration file for REAPER that can be deleted which will cause REAPER to redo all VST links from scratch. Unfortunately, I don't know which file it is, but you can do a search of the forum to find out. I've seen that solution several times for people having problems with disappearing VSTs.

Thanks so much. I'll give these ideas a try.
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Old 09-14-2016, 03:34 AM   #22
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If you can start EZDrummer in standalone mode, are you starting it from a desktop icon? If so, right click on that icon and find the exact location of the program. Copy and paste it here so we can see exactly where it is located and then tell you what to put in the VST path so Reaper can find it.

jat


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Old 09-14-2016, 05:12 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by g8torcliff View Post
If you can start EZDrummer in standalone mode, are you starting it from a desktop icon? If so, right click on that icon and find the exact location of the program. Copy and paste it here so we can see exactly where it is located and then tell you what to put in the VST path so Reaper can find it.

jat


cliff
Yes, to your first question. Will post that address this weekend when i get some time to get at this problem again. Many thanks.
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Old 09-25-2016, 10:42 AM   #24
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I've got EZD2 running on a W10 32 bit machine & the vst location for the .dll is exactly as you posted: C:\Program Files\VstPlugins\Toontrack\EZdrummer.dll
Reaper picks it up as a Vsti just using C:\Program Files\VstPlugins in search path.

One thought is that there might be a conflict if there are multiple instances or versions of the .dll (Reaper finding more than one & being struck with indecision).
I'd go into Windows file explorer & either do a quick access search for ezdrummer.dll (I hate Cortana) in 'This PC'. That'll show all instances of the file on your machine. Or just go look straight into the file folders like C:\VstPlugins, Program Files\VstPlugins, Prog Files\Steinberg etc. Probably the file is in a Toontrack folder. If you find multiple instances or multi-versions, delete all but one & clear/rescan.

The other thought was 32 vs 64 bit versions. Probably not it since you have a working stand-alone.

Just a couple of thoughts.
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Old 12-09-2016, 01:39 PM   #25
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Default Problem solved...finally

Eventually deleted everything and reinstalled Reaper and EZ Drummer. Stuff is working. It cost me another 60.00 to get Reaper again, but I'd used it for a couple of years on the old license so it wasn't a deal breaker. Thanks for all the advice I received here.
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Old 12-10-2016, 07:41 AM   #26
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^^^
But now you have a licence for Reaper v5.00 to 6.xx.
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