Plug-ins on Mac in Live 11.1 and above

• Live Versions: 11.1 and above
• Operating System: Mac

Note: It's important to allow Live to index the new devices by waiting a few minutes after launching Live 11.1 and above for the first time.

Plug-in scan (all builds)  

In Live 11.1 and above, VST2 and VST3 plug-in scanning will operate in the background; no plug-in scanning will appear in Live's startup window. While plug-in scanning is in progress, plug-ins may temporarily appear missing. 

Missing plug-ins (Universal/Silicon-native build)

When used on an Apple Silicon computer, the Universal build of Live 11.1 and above only recognizes VST2 and VST3 plug-ins natively compiled for Apple Silicon. However, many Intel-based Audio Unit plug-ins will display and load, thanks to the macOS feature AUHostingCompatibilityService. 

If you notice AU plug-ins appearing in Live 11.1 whose VST2 and VST3 counterparts are missing, it's likely that Live is hosting an Intel AU via the AUHostingCompatibilityService translation tool. Please note that some specific AU involve Intel-compiled processes, and that these will require Live to be run as an intel application via Rosetta 2 as explained below. 

Note: We recommend checking if your plug-ins are available natively compiled for Apple silicon and keeping a list of plug-ins which still require Rosetta, so that when a Silicon native version becomes available from the manufacturer you can install them. 

How to open Live using Rosetta

To use VST2/VST3 plug-ins not yet updated/compiled for Silicon, you can force Live to run as an Intel application via Rosetta 2, as explained below.

Important: The steps below are not needed if all plug-ins are already updated for Apple Silicon.  When in doubt, check the latest Apple Silicon and macOS compatibility information provided by each plug-in's developer.

1. Find and select the Live icon in your Applications folder.

2. Press Command – I, or right-click / access the File menu, and select “Get Info.”

3. In the Info window that opens, check the box for “Open using Rosetta.”

4. Close the Info window and re-launch Live.