Bit confused over VST on the Mac

Ojustaboo

In Library/Audio/Plug-Ins I have both VST and VST3 directories.

OK Simple enough, if I want to remove a VST2 entry, I simply delete it from the VST directory.

However, if I go into the VST3 directory, there is one entry for each instrument.

If I go into the VST directory, there are at least two for most, for example FM8 FX.vst and FM8.vst.

That seems to say there's also some sort of effects vst for them.

In my DAW, Studio One, it lists each instrument twice, once for VST and once for VST3, except for Absynth as there's no VST3, it only lists Absynth once.

But in the Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST Absynth has the following

Absynth 5 FX Surround.vst

Absynth 5 FX.vst

Absynth 5 Stereo.vst

Absynth 5.vst

OK, I presume Studio One is somehow seeing the ones with FX as a different sort of file, hence isn't listing, but why wouldn't there also be an entry for "Absynth 5 Stereo.vst" under the instruments?

In Studio One:

Under "Instruments/Native Instruments" Absynth is listed just once and is called "Absynth 5" This makes sense as it's the "Absynth 5.vst"

Under "Effects/Native Instruments" there is "Absynth 5 MFX" This doesn't make sense (to me) as I would expect it to be either "Absynth 5 FX Surround.vst" or "Absynth 5 FX.vst"?

If, as I suspect, I'm thinking along completely the wrong lines and the Effects aren't VST files, that brings up two further questions.

1. What are the FX.vst files in Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST
2. If the Effects in Studio one under "Effects/Native Instruments" aren't the files in the VST directory, if I want to remove the VST2 entry entirely, how do I know whether what's shown under "Effects/Native Instruments" is related to the VST2 or the VST3 instrument, and if it's related to the VST2, how do I get rid of it?

Hope my confusion is clear to you all. I like to understand how everything works.

Many thanks

Maciej Repetowski

Some virtual instruments (synths) can accept audio input and then they act as FX processors. They are not usually listed as FX, but that depends on a DAW. For example, in Logic Pro, FM8 is listed both as a Virtual Synth, as Audio FX and as Midi-Controlled Audio FX.