Use macOS Audio Unit effects

Scan and insert#

The macOS build hosts installed effect Audio Units through a separate rendering helper. Choose Scan installed effects, add an effect to a source track or stereo output, and adjust its generic parameters. Repeat instances, insert order, values, and bypass are stored with the scene.

Track inserts run before built-in channel effects. Stereo-output inserts run after the mixed output. Native inserts are not available on group or return buses.

Audition the effect#

1. Choose Render plug-in preview or the toolbar's Render exact preview.
2. Wait for the render, then play or seek through it.
3. After a parameter or mix change, render again.

Exports render the current insert settings. The live built-in mixer is not a substitute for a newly rendered native plug-in preview.

Supported interface#

This is an Audio Unit effect host, not a VST3 host. It provides generic parameter controls rather than the plug-in's custom window. Instruments, MIDI interfaces, and proprietary preset browsers are not implemented.

If a plug-in fails#

Unavailable or offline-incompatible plug-ins produce an explicit render error. Bypass the suspect insert and render again to isolate it. Apple AULowpass has been verified, but compatibility and latency behavior are not guaranteed for every third-party effect.

Open the project in the macOS app to use native inserts. A web environment cannot silently discard them; they must be bypassed or rendered on a supported host.