Stock PT plugins missing

[ShivaTribe]

I've been working in PT 10 for the last decade - super solid with no problems. Decided it was time to finally update. Got a Mac Studio M2 and PT 2024.6. I installed everything available under my downloads from my Avid account. Avoided Avid link since I read it was a bit wonky. lol

So I looked in the plugs folder and noticed none of the usual longtime PT reverb, compressors and EQs weren't there?? A bit confused. Has Avid stopped making things like D-Verb, EQ I, EQ II, etc? I doubt it, so where are they? I remember previously it was a LOT easier to download the stock plugins.

Can anyone shine a light on this?

[Darryl Ramm]

And you have Pro Tools what? Intro? Artist? Studio? Ultimate?

More info than you should need: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...Agi3ENOBs/edit

But the plugins you are asking about are core plugins built into Pro Tools, do not require a separate installer, and *will* be automagically installed into the plugin folder every time Pro Tools starts so likely you are looking in the wrong location. Not all plugins have unique names, a few very similar plugins share the same .aaxplugin file, like some of the core EQ plugins. All pointed out in my spreadsheet.

The plugin folder is

/Library/Applications\ Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

Make sure you are not looking in ~/Library/…

Avid Link crapware is more than a little wonky. Good call to avoid it, but installing the right or wrong stuff is not the cause of a problem here.

[skylar_battles]

Here's a list of the all core plugins from support so you make sure all is well!

[ShivaTribe]

Sorry - not sure why my info isn't showing up beneath my post? Anyway, I'm in PT Studio. Have always had a perpetual license. My Mac Studio came with Sonoma 14.2 installed. I've been using PT and Macs for over 20 years so I KNOW where the plugins are installed, etc. lol

I've installed PT on new computer and the stock plugins are NOT in the Avid folder in Application Support. I haven't launched PT on the new computer yet because then I would be forever changing my iLok permissions and would lose the ability to open PT 10 on my old Mac Desktop. I'm still working on projects and being cautious. So, you're saying when I actually open PT 2024.6 for the first time, the plug ins will magically appear in the correct folder?? Why aren't they already there since I've installed PT and the "come with" PT? That's the confusion.

Have over 300 plugins and sound libraries and have been installing updates like crazy. Want everything in place before I start on new computer. I hope there won't be a problem opening all those PT 10 sessions! All the plugin updates are showing up in the correct folder. Whew.

Thanks for the quick response.

[Darryl Ramm]

The core plugins are installed when you start Pro Tools. Here core has a very specific meaning, the ones listed in that spreadsheets as core. The master copy of those are hidden inside the Pro Tools Application Bundle and are copied to the plugin folder every time Pro Tools starts and sees they are not there or out of date. A nice way of guaranteeing some base aka core plugins are always at compatible releases with Pro Tools. Core plugins have worked like this on Mac for many years now.

More recently you will get some additional plugins installed when you first install Pro Tools Melodyne.aaxplugin, VelocityControl.aaxplugin, NoteStack.aaxplugin, iZRX11SpectralEditorAAXHook.aaxplugin and PitchControl.aaxplugin. The core plugins are not installed until you start Pro Tools the first time, on Mac (it's different on Windows).

You are worrying about problems that do not exist. Just start Pro Tools and see. Do not try to change anything here, let Pro Tools do exactly what it wants to do. I am also not sure what iLok issues you are worried about, if you have a current perpetual license with legacy Pro Tools 10 support included you should be able to just move that iLok between these different systems. [edit: I guess you mean third party plugin licenses? Where you have to surrender old licenses and have no backward compatibility?] And I personally would not just install lots of plugins on a system without testing they work as I go. Taking breaks to check, maybe also doing backups at that time.

If you use old TDM or RTAS plugins in those sessions you may run into occasional problems, like the odd plugin that never got moved to AAX regardless of Avid's apparent promises at the time everything would come over. Past discussions about missing AAX plugins on DUC around Pro Tools 11 release. The one I remember is Audio Suite Pitch Shift never got ported to AAX. Some plugins can break presets or automation etc. Hopefully you'll have a pretty smooth transition here. I'd be making sure to print the heck out of old stems/sessions if you have not already.

[ShivaTribe]

I guess you mean third party plugin licenses? Where you have to surrender old licenses and have no backward compatibility?

Exactly! Also the old system is on Apogee Symphony I/O and the new one has the upgraded Symphony I/O MK II, which doesn't work with old Mac Mountain Lion. Had to buy a thunderbolt chassis for my UAD stuff too. I guess the only PT stock plugins I use on a regular basis are Sans Amp and the EQ I for quick high pass filtering along with the Meequalizer. But I want access to everything because I like being over-prepared rather than under.

But thanks for the updated info. Installation is a major pain, when I'd rather be recording, mixing and producing.

[Bruce Paine]

Originally Posted by ShivaTribe

Sorry - not sure why my info isn't showing up beneath my post?

I added a link to your profile (where you put your info) in your signature.
That's a simple way that I use on my own posts for System Details.
Should show up in future posts.
You can edit your signature in your User CP (control panel) to add or delete as you wish.

[Darryl Ramm]

And just in case you have not run into this yet. You should be making sure all the AAX plugins you are installing support apple silicon. The ultimate check is to look at a plugin report in PT Prefs 2 and make sure the plugins are reported as universal (so support x86-64 and Apple Silicon) and not just x86_64 (aka Intel only).

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by ShivaTribe

Why aren't they already there since I've installed PT and the "come with" PT? That's the confusion.

Since PT 11.0.0 core plugins install every time you launch PT app. They are "installed" withing the application package and takes confusion out of updating/upgrading versions.

You need to do some manual work if you want them *not* to be installed on every launch, and this hack you need to do for every update/upgrade so it is usually more trouble than it's worth.