OBS Studio can’t load VST3 plugins on its own. Its built-in “VST 2.x Plug-in” filter only reads VST 2, and most plugins released today are VST3 only. The fix is a free OBS plugin called atkAudio Plugin, which adds a VST3 host to the filter list.

What you need

  • OBS Studio 31.1.1 or later (64-bit)
  • atkAudio Plugin (free, Windows / macOS)
  • The VST3 plugin you want to use, installed in the standard VST3 folder

On a Mac, atkAudio Plugin can also load AU plugins.

Where VST3 plugins go

OS Folder
Windows C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
macOS ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/

Copy the whole .vst3 file or folder there.

Adding a VST3 plugin to your mic

  1. Download the installer for your OS from the atkAudio release page, run it and restart OBS.
  2. Right-click your mic source and open “Filters”.
  3. Click “+” and add “atkAudio Plugin Host”.
  4. Click “Open Plugin Settings”, then choose “Scan for new or updated VST3 plugins” under “Options”. You only need to scan once, and again after installing a new plugin.
  5. Choose your plugin from the list and click “Load Plugin”. Its window opens and you can turn the knobs.

To use more than one plugin, add one “atkAudio Plugin Host” filter per plugin. OBS processes filters from top to bottom, so drag them into order.

atkAudio Plugin has a multithreading option for heavy plugins. It adds one buffer of latency, so leave it off unless OBS struggles. On a mic, even a little delay shows up as lip-sync lag on stream.

When the plugin doesn’t show up

  • Rescan. Plugins copied while OBS was open aren’t in the list until you scan again.
  • Check the folder. The .vst3 has to be directly in the VST3 folder above, not inside the zip you downloaded.
  • Mac: clear the quarantine flag. macOS blocks plugins from the web that are not notarized, and OBS can’t load them. Run the Terminal command from the plugin’s install instructions (each of our plugin pages lists it), then rescan.
  • 32-bit plugins won’t load. OBS and atkAudio Plugin are 64-bit only.

A sensible filter order

  1. Noise removal first, so later filters don’t boost the noise
  2. Voice shaping (EQ, compression, or an all-in-one voice plugin)
  3. Reverb or echo last, so the effect applies to your finished voice

Free VST3 plugins made for streaming

We make plugins for streamers that run in OBS through atkAudio Plugin. They have only a few knobs, add no latency, and work on Windows (VST3) and Mac (VST3 / AU).

Plugin For What it does
VELVOX Talk and game streams Adds body and clarity with two knobs, so your voice isn’t buried under music or game audio.
VELCANTO Singing streams Brings your voice forward and adds hall reverb and karaoke echo.
ENCOREHALL Singing streams Reverb and echo with venue scenes, and a TALK button for chatting after a song.

For singing, use VELCANTO for a quick all-in-one setup, or ENCOREHALL if you want to choose the kind of room. For how much reverb to use, see How to Add Reverb to Your Voice in OBS.

For fan noise, air conditioner hum and keyboard clicks, SILENTIQ is an AI noise-reduction plugin with a free trial.

See all free plugins

atkAudio Plugin is not a Tonecraft Tokyo product. Menu names are from atkAudio Plugin 0.36.1 (November 2026) and may change in later versions.