Caretaker Download

Guide

How to find missing plug-ins in an Ableton Live Set

When a Live Set uses a plug-in that isn't on your Mac, Live still opens the set and tells you which plug-ins it couldn't find. Those devices stay in place but don't play.

See what's missing

  1. Open the set and read the message Live shows about plug-ins it couldn't load.
  2. Go through each track's device chain. A missing plug-in keeps its name but doesn't load, so the track plays without it.
  3. Note whether each one is an Audio Unit, VST3 or VST2. The same plug-in in another format may not be picked up by the set.

Don't delete the missing devices and save. Live keeps their settings in the set, ready for when the plug-in is installed.

Check Live's Plug-ins settings

  1. Choose Live > Settings (⌘,) and open the Plug-Ins tab.
  2. Under Plug-In Sources, turn on Use Audio Units and the VST3 and VST2 system folders you need. Set a custom folder if your VST2 plug-ins live elsewhere.
  3. Click Rescan. If a plug-in still doesn't appear, hold Option and click Rescan. Live deletes its plug-in database and scans everything again.

Since Live 12.1, Live only rescans by itself the first time it opens after an update. Rescan by hand after installing a plug-in.

Where plug-ins live on a Mac

  • Audio Units: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
  • VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
  • VST2: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST

Some installers use the same folders inside your home folder, ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins.

The folders where audio plug-ins are installed on a Mac.

Sets from another studio

  • Ask for a list of plug-ins and their formats with the set.
  • File > Collect All and Save gathers samples, not plug-ins.
  • Freezing tracks that use third-party plug-ins before sending lets them play on a Mac without those plug-ins.
  • Before you save the set, install what's missing, rescan and reopen it, so nothing is lost.

The faster way: Caretaker

Caretaker lists the plug-ins an Ableton Live set uses and which aren't on this Mac, for free, before you open it. It also finds duplicate and broken audio plug-ins.

Caretaker's Studio: a project's size, what it uses, its backup, and the caches and renders it can clear.
Download free

Questions

Why are my plug-ins missing in Ableton?

Usually they're in a folder Live doesn't scan, or in a format that's turned off. Check Settings > Plug-Ins, then Rescan.

Will I lose plug-in settings if a plug-in is missing?

Not if you keep the device. Live keeps its settings in the set, and the plug-in loads them once it's installed.