This is an important tutorial regarding the management of DirectX plug-in in Adobe audition or Cool Edit Pro. This tutorial is tested to work on earlier versions of Adobe audition such as version 1.5. As an overview, a DirectX plug-in is an add-in for the software that will let you add new sound, mixing and mastering effects to Adobe audition which are not included as built-in tools bundled with the recording software.
I believe the solution presented in this tutorial can be used to any DAW using DirectX. It is because DirectX plugins is binded directly to your OS registry (Windows for example) than to your DAW system.
Take note that this tutorial for DirectX plug-in users’ only and not applicable to VST plug-in. Managing the Directx plug-in can take the following steps:
1.) Adding the plug-in.
2.) Activating the plug-in.
3.) Removing the plug-in.
Before you can use any plug-in using Adobe audition, whether it is free or commercial plug-in; you need to add and activate the plug-in.
How to Install and Activate the Direct X Plugin
There are different types of DirectX plug-in that will be commonly used by your mixing and recording projects:
a.) Reverb
b.) Bass effect
c.) Compressor
d.) Delay
e.) Guitar effects
f.) Drum effects
Just to name a few. DirectX plug-in are third party plug-in in Adobe Audition because if you are NOT going to add and install them, it will not be available in Adobe Audition.
If you are still new to DirectX plug-in, you can see if there are available DirectX plug-in by following the steps below:
1.) Launch Adobe Audition
2.) Load any sample wav track in editor view.
3.) Go to Effects – Direct X.
4.) You can then see the list of your available DirectX plug-in.
Sample screenshot:
DirectX plugin in Adobe Audition
OK, so how you are going to add a DirectX plug-in to your existing set of tools available in Adobe audition?
The following are the easy steps:
1.) Download the plug-in. You can obtain your favorite DirectX plug-in from reputable software publisher. For example, you will download L2 wave’s compressor plug-in. You can also use free DirectX plugins although I recommend that you should double check the source to make sure it is legitimate.
You can do that by searching in Bing for “free directx plug-in” although you should be careful you are NOT installing a virus or a malware. Double check if the software publisher can be trusted as well as scanning all files before installing in your Windows.
TIP:
You can also double check with the software publisher to make sure you are downloading a Microsoft compatible directx plug-in as well as a plug-in that will be compatible with Adobe Audition.
2.) After downloading, you need to install the plug-in your Windows operating system.
3.) You then need to launch your Adobe audition.
4.) Go to Effects – refresh effects lists.
5.) After refreshing, you should be able to see your effects listed under DirectX.
Other easy ways of installing the plug-in is for you to install separate DAW, for example I got my Sony sets of DirectX plug-ins (wave hammer and Express FX) from an installation of Sony Sound forge in my Windows operating system.
After complete installation of Sound forge, I then refresh the effects lists in Adobe Audition and there; the Sony sets of plug-in are also added “automatically” in Adobe Audition.
You can do the same with your other DAW; I do not know if other DAW offers it own sets of plug-in like the Sony wave hammer and Express FX plug-ins.
Issues when removing the Direct X Plugin and the Solution
The difficulty starts when you decide to remove the plug-in. At times, it is necessary to remove the plug-in because of the following reasons:
1.) The plug-in is found out to be incompatible with Adobe audition.
2.) The plug-in contains a lot of features which you do not exactly need.
3.) It is found out not to be useful in your daily recording, mixing and mastering activities. This will clutter out your DAW and slow down your system.
4.) It causes some technical issues with Adobe audition.
5.) It causes Adobe audition to crash every time you are using the plug-in.
Bear in mind that there are lots of open source/free DirectX plug-ins out there in the Internet, you can search it easily in Bing. The problem with these plugins is that they are badly written that can cause some operational issues with its usage. Make sure to check out for some reviews from the users before proceeding to install the plug-in.
Also the worst thing is that the plugin might be loaded with virus, spyware or malware. Make sure to scan your plugin with a reliable antivirus solution. This will ensure that you are not dealing with unsafe plugins.
In Adobe audition 1.5 (I do not know with the latest version), it is not simple to remove the DirectX. I read the documentation and they recommend using third party tools to manage and remove the Directx plug-in such as DXMan. Now this is the reason why VST plugins are so popular compared to Direct-X. It is because you can easily install VST and remove them from your system, while it is harder for Direct X to be removed from the system.
DirectX plugins leaves a footprint in your Windows registry and there is no simple uninstall solution. Below are the complete steps on how to remove a Directx plugin:
1.) Download AnalogX.
2.) Install the software into your computer.
3.) To launch the software, go to Start – All programs – AnalogX – DXMan – DXMan.
4.) What you will see are lists of active DirectX programs in your system found by DXMan. Take note that these DirectX programs may NOT be used by Adobe audition but are used by other programs/software in Windows. See screenshot below:
DXMan image
5.) Before you can remove any plug-in, you need to know “exactly” its name. If you are not sure, launch Adobe Audition or Cool edit pro. For the sake of illustration, supposing I will remove “Antares Tube” DirectX plug-in, see below:
sample directx adobe audition
6.) You need to find a Directx plug-in with name “Antares Tube” under DXMan menu. Select on it and then click “Remove” button. See below:
directx removal using DXMan
7.) Once removed, click done. DX Man will automatically remove all its information on the Windows registry making the removal of DirectX plug-in very easy and quick. You can as well find more information about any specific DirectX plug-in by clicking “Info” or “Properties”.
Important Precautionary Measures when using DX Man
WARNING: Double check before you will remove any DirectX programs using DX Man and do not remove any DirectX application you do not surely know. It is because you might accidentally remove some critical DirectX components used by your Windows system and if removed, you Windows OS may get corrupted.
This program does not have any undo feature. You need to manually re-install the removed DirectX application or use your Windows system restore function.
Below are some tips that will prevent any problems when removing Direct-X:
1.) Launch your software. Go to Direct X plugin tabs or any other functionality that will list down all the Direct X plugin.
2.) Write down the manufacturer and name of the plugin.
3.) Launch DX Man and locate the plugin that wish you to remove. Make sure all details are exactly matched such as the name of the plugin or the developer.
If it does not exactly match for some reason, it is possible that it is not the correct DirectX that you need to remove. Don’t proceed because it can be used by other software.
4.) If you are desperate to have that plugin remove but you cannot clearly locate it on the DX Man software, contact the plugin developer for assistance on removing their plugin. Most likely they are very knowledgeable of the affected DLL files that needs to be removed. You can send them some screenshots of the process so that they can get an idea on how you are removing them.
Content last updated on August 22, 2012