Reason bumps CPU usage to 100% / PT Loads plugins for a long time at launch

[MKZ]

Reason via ReWire bumps CPU usage to 100%
&
PT Loads plugins for a long time at launch.

Both "problems" appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

(PT loading plugins for a long time isn't necessarily a "problem," but clearly a change to how it behaved previously).

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Pro Tools 2018.12.0
MacOS High Sierra 10.13.6
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Hey all,

Has anyone come across this kind of a problem, or something similar?

This may be a little long, but I tried to be as clear as possible:

1.) When Reason via ReWire is launched, it slows the whole computer down. Real slow. The cursor doesn't follow mouse movement and the PT System Usage meters hit red.

2.) Around the same time I first noticed this, PT had started loading plugins for a long time on startup and it does it every time I launch PT. Takes like 2 minutes or more. (PT still seems to perform fine, as long as I don't launch Reason).
It loads and stays on FB360 Stereo Loudness, Waveshell3-AAX 10.0, and WaveShell4-AAX 10.0.
(I don't even know what that FB360 thing is. Probably something that came with PT).

3.) These two things may or may not have something to do with each other. (I can't tell, but it's peculiar they started happening around the same time).

4.) They started behaving this way SUDDENLY. Once I got Pro Tools, virtual instruments and the plugins I wanted installed, Reason seemed to work perfectly and if Pro Tools did a plugin load/scan at startup, it certainly didn't take as long as it takes now.

5.) Between things working fine and these problems emerging, I had NOT updated anything (Pro Tools, OS, plugins etc. and the PT version and the OS version are compatible as officially announced by Avid). The computer HAD NOT been connected to the internet. The only change I remember doing was downloading and installing the DB3 Organ/Leslie plugin, which I had forgotten to instal when first installing PT.

Anyone know or care to speculate what might be happening here?

Any ideas what to try in attempt to fix this?

Things some people have suggested that might get rid of the problem:

- trash preferences
- hold down a certain key on launch to perform an operation that throughly scans the plugins. (I'm sorry I don't remember this completely, but it was something along those lines).
- hook up to the internet. I don't understand the logic behind this, but I guess it's worth trying if PT in fact wants to check something online at launch. I don't know why it would, my pro tools license and plugins are on the iLok, and Reason is authorized on the computer for offline work.

Thanks in advance!