This is true of audio plug-ins, and to prove it there's a secondary Plug-Ins folder: available to all user accounts on the Mac - and for others to be user-specific. Like other modern operating systems, OS X has an architecture that makes provision for certain files and folders to be global - ie. These can happily co-exist with the normal plug-in folders and keep your disabled plug-ins readily available in case you need them again. The best place to move them to is another, new folder named after the plug-in format but with '(Disabled)' added to the name. Some of the setups described require that individual plug-ins are disabled, by moving them out of their plug-in format's folder so they can no longer be 'seen' by DP or other audio applications. To illustrate some of the possibilities, I'll look in a moment at how some typical users might use plug-ins to their best advantage. So you know where your plug-ins live: now what? This depends on what other audio applications you have installed on your system, and just how organised you want to be. You might also see a 'Digidesign' folder here too, for RTAS or TDM plug-ins used on Pro Tools systems. ![]() 'MAS' and 'VST' are self-explanatory, and Audio Unit plug-ins go in the 'Components' folder. They're then organised into separate folders. I keep an alias to this important folder in my dock, and I added the 'Disabled' folders myself, to assist with plug-in organisation. OS X keeps plug-ins in each of the major formats in one central location. Almost without exception you'll find all your MAS, AU and VST plug-ins are here: The first step is to get friendly with your Plug-In folder. ![]() But what's the best way to do this? Plug-in Perfection Third, and perhaps most importantly, with plug-ins being by far the most likely cause of system instability and crashes, it's essential to keep in touch with what's on your system to ensure a trouble-free Digital Performer experience. They might all work just fine, but could wreak havoc if you subsequently install a plug-in update in one format and not the others, or try to share your project with a collaborator who has the same plug-in but only in one format. Second, although some plug-in developers fix their Audio Unit versions so that DP bypasses them in favour of MAS equivalents, it's often possible to end up with the same plug-in installed (and even instantiated) in multiple formats. To start with, hundreds of plug-ins and instruments in so many different formats can make DP's insert pop-up menus long and confusing to read. This breadth of compatibility can bring unexpected difficulties, though. And if you use a Power PC-based Mac you can also tap into the world of VST plug-ins, courtesy of AudioEase's VST Wrapper or FXpansion's VST to AU Adapter. ![]() DP also natively supports Apple's Audio Units, which is, of course, the most widespread format for OS X and Logic. First there's MOTU's own MAS format - supremely reliable, supported by a number of major third-party developers, and generally the best choice for a trouble-free life. ![]() Pictured here are a MAS and Audio Unit Instrument with AU and VST effects processors.We DP users are entitled to have a pretty smug look on our faces when it comes to plug-in and virtual instrument support. We explain how to take the pain out of plug-in management.ĭP supports the broadest range of plug-in formats of any Mac-based DAW. DP supports a wide range of plug-in and virtual instrument formats, which is great for flexibility and variety but sometimes not so good when it comes to trouble-free operation.
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