Audio unit plugins disappeared after upgrading to high sierra on mac

[jeden]

I have a macbook pro retina late 2013.

Because of work, I didn't use it for music, DAWs, etc., for two or three weeks. Then when I opened my DAWs I found that almost all audio unit plugins disappeared - only the ones in `~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components` are listed.

I checked the content of `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components`, and the plugins are all there. I tried reinstalling a few of them, but no change. VST and VST3 instead are listed correctly.

I have several DAWs in my system (Live, Logic, Studio One, Maschine, Mixbus) and the problem happens to all - tried rescanning etc., no change. Checked logs in Mixbus, no mention of any audio units scan or error.

Also, Console doesn't seem to report any error.

It just looks like audio units have been disabled altogether.

Speaking of what changed during those weeks, the only major thing I can remember of is upgrading from Sierra to High Sierra - most likely this is the cause, but as to how it is involved and why, no idea.

Any idea?

[Jace-BeOS]

The new file system, APFS: did your system get converted to this?

It makes no sense on a user level, but some people are finding numerous bizarre software behavior because of APFS. For example: if you have an iPhone running iOS 10.3 or higher, try to clear the Safari web content. This doesn't work anymore and no Apple news media cares to talk about this.

I've seen a thread on Logic User Help forums where the plugins require a reboot to be seen by hosts. This shouldn't happen, but some High Sierra users are experiencing it anyway. It's a serious problem when invisible system behaviors break obvious design...

[jeden]

The new file system, APFS: did your system get converted to this?

Actually it did. That happened silently, without my consent - and I think that is not good.

However, now that I know what might have caused that, what options do I have? How can I fix this issue? I've done a lot of research, but I couldn't find anyone having the same issue, which is strange, if the problem is really related to the file system migration.

[mgw38]

Did you try clearing the AU cache manually before rescanning? People who experienced similar problems usually had success by doing that.

What happens if you move all AUs into '~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components'?

[jeden]

Did you try clearing the AU cache manually before rescanning? People who experienced similar problems usually had success by doing that.

Yes

What happens if you move all AUs into '~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components'?

I tried with one, picked randomly, and it works. So it might be either a path or permission issue - but both seem correct

[mgw38]

I would move all of your AUs out of the component folder, then delete the entire folder manually. Then restart and reinstall one plugin using the installer and see if it scans (you need to restart again, otherwise it won't scan). If it does, move everything back in there (and restart for a third time).

[Rockatansky]

Reboot.

[jeden]

I would move all of your AUs out of the component folder, then delete the entire folder manually. Then restart and reinstall one plugin using the installer and see if it scans (you need to restart again, otherwise it won't scan). If it does, move everything back in there (and restart for a third time).

This worked, and withouth having to reinstall all plugins, just one (as you suggested), then I moved all the others into the newly created folder - after a reboot, I can see them again.

Thanks

[mgw38]

I would move all of your AUs out of the component folder, then delete the entire folder manually. Then restart and reinstall one plugin using the installer and see if it scans (you need to restart again, otherwise it won't scan). If it does, move everything back in there (and restart for a third time).

This worked, and withouth having to reinstall all plugins, just one (as you suggested), then I moved all the others into the newly created folder - after a reboot, I can see them again.

Thanks

Great!

[Jace-BeOS]

Good to know.

mgw38: Any idea what the actual issue being fixed is? Folder permissions? Invisible "blessing" of folder or contents? What is it with APFS that's causing such problems?

[mgw38]

Good to know.

mgw38: Any idea what the actual issue being fixed is? Folder permissions? Invisible "blessing" of folder or contents? What is it with APFS that's causing such problems?

I honestly don't know. It is most likely not as much an issue with the file system itself as it is with problems that can occur during the conversion. Probably something went wrong when setting the permissions on the components folder. But that is only a guess. APFS also seems to expose some programming bugs that had no effect on previous file systems. Some Waldorf plugins, for example, are making some sort of odd file system request that worked fine under the old system but leaves a nasty "?Waldorf" folder under APFS which in turn throws off Time Machine causing backups to fail.