Crash while scanning for plugins
 

Hi, I just downloaded Protools (30 day trial) and I'm unable to fully boot the application. I've tried three times, and each time it crashes while scanning my plugins. I am running a 2019 Macbook Pro on Catalina 10.15.6. I have some old plugins on this computer, but I don't know how to figure out which one is causing the crash. I'd like to attach my crash logs to this post (as customer support advised). What is the best way to do that? The file format is not accepted as an attachment to this post. Thanks in advance!

Re: Crash while scanning for plugins
 

Customer Service is for the Avid Support Center, not here.
Crashing while scanning plugins is not unusual.

Go to here
/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

move ALL the plugins from there to

/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins (Unused)
(If this folder does not exist, create it: "Plug-Ins (Unused)")

Then open Pro Tools.
Then close Pro Tools.
Move group by group plugins back from the Unused to the regular folder, opening and closing Pro Tools each time. If you have a crash after you moved a group, move that group back out again as something in that is bad (You can create a third folder "Plugin-Ins Check" to hold the possibly bad plugins)

You'll find the bad plugins faster than you'd think this way. And then make sure your plugins are up-to-date.

Re: Crash while scanning for plugins
 

If you already have a bunch of plugins existing from previous work with other DAWs, since your system is getting on the older side, the new version of PT, while it should be okay, a bunch of those older plugins are very likely to be potential problems as BScout indicates.

You might be able to continue to use the VST and AU of those plugins in other DAWs, but the AAX plugin folder that BScout points out might be so old they just aren't compatible anymore. (Even when you were not using PT yet, plugin installers might have been putting plugins into this directory path, because they might be usable by many and were packaged with those installers, but written with older versions of PT in mind.)

If you leave just those bad plugins in the Unused folder, everything else might be working okay!

Good luck.

Re: Crash while scanning for plugins
 

Couple of thoughts:
1-how are you opening Pro Tools or sessions? If you have PT closed and go directly to a session and open that(expecting PT to open, followed by the session), try opening Pro Tools only(no session) and let us know if that crashes. Opening PT first is preferred.
2-if you can open PT, but opening a session causes the crash, hold down the SHIFT key while opening the session. This will make all plugins inactive. If this allows the session to open, then you have a rogue plugin. Move all 3rd party plugins out of the Plugins folder and then put some back and test until you figure out the culprit.

Re: Crash while scanning for plugins
 

Thanks for all the advice! I'll give this a try and hopefully won't have to ask for more help.

Re: Crash while scanning for plugins
 

Don't be surprised if after a launch of PT that the plugin folder suddenly has plugins in it, even if you're shure you emptied it; this is a function in PT. All the standard Avid plugins are stored in the PT application, and PT reinstalls them automatically at launch, if they are not present.

I like to use color labels when managing or troubleshooting the plugins folder. All the standard plugins have a red label, so they are easy to spot. I might have green label on 'tested and OK' plugins, and so on. And I sort the folder by labels.

Also useful to know: It's totally OK to create sub-folders. Folders for each manufacturer, for sets of plugins etc.