Ableton Live

Audio Units Components and VST Plug-ins Folders

Audio Units Components and VST Plugins Paths:

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• Use (Command + Comma ',') to open up the Ableton Live 8 preferences.

• Navigate to the "File | Folder" Tab.

• Under there will be a section on "Plug-in Sources"

• Make sure "Use Audio Units" is On and Yellow.

Structure Path for Audio Units (.component):

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

 Structure Path for VST Plugins (.vst for Mac):

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST
 

Audio Units and VST Plug-ins are browsed and imported using the browser’s Plug-In label. Plug-in instruments can be differentiated from plug-in effects in the browser, as they appear with a keyboard icon.

Note: The first time you start Live, no plug-ins will appear in the Plug-In label as you must first “activate“ your plug-in sources. Activating your plug-in sources tells Live which plug-ins you want to use and where they are located on your computer. Information on activating (and deactivating) plug-in sources can be found in the Ableton website sections on the VST Plug-in folder and Audio Units Plug-ins .

If you install the plug-in while the program is running, Live will not detect your changes or implement them in the browser until the next time you start the program. Use the Rescan button in the File/Folder Preferences to rescan your plug-ins while Live is running, so that newly installed devices become immediately available in the browser.

You can also rescan if you believe that your plug-in database has somehow become corrupted. Holding down the ALT modifier while pressing Rescan will delete your plug-in database altogether and run a clean scan of your plug-ins.