Knowledge Base

***If you are running an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, etc.) Mac with Studio One 5.4 or higher and are missing plug-ins, it is possible that your plug-ins are not natively supported on Apple Silicon systems.  The following article will give you instructions for running Studio One in Rosetta mode.

https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407850496141-How-to-switch-from-native-Apple-Silicon-support-to-Rosetta-mode

Windows Plug-in Install

While installing the plug-in to your Windows computer, the installer usually will ask you where you want to install the actual plug-in. On Windows, you can choose the location where the plug-in installs. Make sure that you note that location so that you can set that location in Studio One. Check with your 3rd party plug-in vendor for instructions on installing the plug-in if you run into an issue with the install.

Windows users: From within Studio One, navigate to the Options > Locations, and select the VST Plugins tab. By default, Studio One will have C:\Program Files\Vstplugins as the default location.  You can also use the Add button to add custom locations. 

If the plug-in you are installing has a VST3 version, it will install to C:\Program Files\Common Files\vst3. You do not have to add this path to the plug-in window in Studio One. Studio One by default will scan that folder.  

*** VST3 plugins will load from c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.  With version 5.5.1 and above, S1 will now also load VST3 plug-ins from the following location. 

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Programs\Common\VST3

***Important Note for Windows Users: NEVER add the entire Program Files folder or  your entire c: drive to your Studio One>Options(Preferences on a Mac)>Locations list. This will cause the software to crash.  

macOS Plug-in Install

macOS users: From within Studio One, navigate to Studio One>Preferences>Locations and select the VST Plug-ins tab.  When you install plug-ins, the VST will automatically install to Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST or VST3.  If you set a custom location, make sure to add it to the VST Plug-ins list in Studio One.  AU plug-ins, also called Components are set by default in Studio One to be scanned from Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components.  You do not have to set this location to read the AU plug-ins.

***It is possible that a plug-in is installed into Users/Username/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST if you choose to only allow a plug-in to be available for the current user.  This is only for VST 2.4.  Library in this directory path is a hidden folder and can be accessed by going to "Go" in the Finder menu bar and holding down the "Option" key on your computer keyboard. 

Troubleshooting 3rd-party plug-ins that are not showing up in Studio One.

Studio One Pro 7 has a plug-in scanner that allows you to skip or disable plug-ins.  For more information on managing this plug-in scanner, please take a look at the following article from our knowledge base.

https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004055292-What-is-the-difference-between-skip-and-disable-in-the-new-plug-in-scan-and-how-do-I-manage-my-plug-ins-now-

Below you will find information on troubleshooting third-party plug-ins that are not showing up in Studio One Pro 7.  

Windows:

1. Please open Studio One and go to Studio One>Options>Locations>VST Plugins and verify that you have the correct directory added to the list of folders that the program scans at startup. You want to add the directory that you have your plug-ins installed to.  Press the "Reset blocklist" button while you are in this window.

2. Right-click Studio One and choose "Run as administrator" when opening the program to determine if there is a possible permissions problem.

3. Studio One Pro 7 will only load 64-bit plug-ins, as it is a 64-bit app. If you loaded your VSTs from the c:\Program Files (x86) folder into Studio One under the "Locations" tab, this is more than likely your 32-bit plug-ins. Your 64-bit plug-ins should be installed under the c:\Program Files directory, without the (x86) next to it.  

4. Please go to View>Plugin Manager and make sure that there is a white dot next to the plug-in, if it shows up in the list.

5. In Studio One Pro 7, go into View>Plug-in Manager.  Try resetting the blocklist as well as pressing the button to clear your plug-in settings.
6. Please run Studio One as admin to see if you are still having issues with plugins not appearing.

7. If you are still having a problem, try contacting the manufacturer of the plug-in for information about updates, compatibility issues with Studio One, or possible workarounds.

macOS:

1. Please open Studio One and go to Studio One>Preferences>Locations>VST Plugins and verify that you have the correct directory added to the list of folders that the program scans at startup. You want to add the directory that you have your plug-ins installed to. 

2. Studio One Pro 7 will only load 64-bit plug-ins as it is a 64-bit app.

3. Please go to View>Plugin Manager and make sure that there is a white dot next to the plug-in, if it shows up in the list.

4. In Studio One Pro 7, go into View>Plug-in Manager.  Try resetting the blocklist as well as pressing the button to clear your plug-in settings.

5. If you are still having a problem, try contacting the manufacturer of the plug-in for information about updates, compatibility issues with Studio One, or possible workarounds.

***On macOS, if you have a problem where only AU plug-ins are loading, this can sometimes be caused by a corrupt hosts file on the system.  Here are instructions to resolve this issue...

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

For information on using a memory bridge to load 32-bit plug-ins into a 64-bit host, please refer to the following article:

https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003940771-Is-there-a-32-bit-version-of-Studio-One-4-How-do-I-load-my-32-bit-plug-ins-