Lack Of Mac Support In The Digital Audio World

I started my electronic music hobby four years ago with Propellerhead’s Reason on a PC. When I eventually converted to the Mac OS, Reason ported perfectly due to it’s contained and isolated interface. Since buying my first real DAW, Renoise, I have realized just how limited the plugin assortment for Macs truly is. I have been looking everywhere for free AU/VST plugins that work on Macs and all that come up are simple effects that aren’t really helpful to me; there are barely any instruments either. The only good compatible instruments I could locate are Albino 3 and Native Instrument’s software suite both of which are pretty expensive.

Now, I’m not really trying to complain here. I know Reason is very adaptable and flexible with it’s sounds and it’s rewire capabilities make it just as good as any other VST. But it just seems a little weird how little support there is for Macs in the digital audio world. I know, I know, Windows is more popular and therefore gets more attention, but I didn’t think it would be as bad as it is. And I know that developers don’t want to go out of their way to convert a 6-year-old VST into universal binary, even less so convert into an AU.

That being said, does anyone else care for Mac support? Renoise obviously cares, why can’t others? Is there possibly some way to connect a Mac and PC to sync with each other similar to Rewire? Anyone know of any Mac VST/AU plugins I don’t know about?

Let this thread be the place to discuss this general topic.

And one more thing: I haven’t been here long enough to learn the overall community personality yet, but if you get the urge to flame over how bad Macs suck, save your energy please. Thanks.

A little search on kvr gave me 1630 host/effects/synts for the mac-plattform.

http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mode=resul…st=adv&soft[]=i&soft[]=e&soft[]=h&soft[]=d&soft[]=w&type[]=0&f[]=0&f[]=au&f[]=dx&f[]=ladspa&f[]=rtas&f[]=vst&osx=1&free=1&com=1&un=1&sf=0&receptor=&de=0&sort=1&rpp=15

A list of some good free vst for mac:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3519651

On linux you could use dssi-vst, but for macs I don’t know. Maybe wine could work?

BUt a google search gave me this:
http://www.smproaudio.com/produkte/v-machi…x-mac-beta.html

And you have also muse researchs receptor that allows you to run vst on hardware.
http://www.museresearch.com/

Hope this can help in your conquest for better instruments/effects for your mac.

It’s all OK, having limitations bolsters creativity and reduces time wasted searching for the ‘right’ plugin. On that basis, to give your creativity the ultimate boost move from mac to linux!

Wow, I found a few really good free VSTs/AUs in the sites you listed. Thanks a lot! And that list of paid ones is extensive. Maybe I’ll invest in one of those if I get lucky on a scratch lottery ticket or something.

Anyone know a decent wave editor for mac?
not audacity.

audiofile engineering wave editor

without a doubt

This thread is pretty ironic, since a lot of Mac users will say that Mac is the only platform that has decent digital audio applications. Pro Tools and Logic are both Mac-only.

Peak is a good audio editor for Mac.

I think the problem you’re having is that, like everything with Mac, what is actually out there is as good or better than what’s available for PC but you have to pay out the ass to get it. The reason that Mac doesn’t have the AU equivalent of every VST out there is that there are RTAS plugins that are as good or better than any VST. All you have to do is pay $500 a piece for them.

I could never switch completely to Mac, there are so many quirky little pc apps/gadgets/vst(i)s that I’d miss in my work-flow. Shit I’m accustomed to and can’t do without.

Pro Tools is not Mac only, it works in Windows too. Although it’s probably true that most Pro Tools users use it on a Mac PC, since it follows the same mentality of hardware lock-in and paying out of your ass for about the same thing. :P

RTAS are Pro Tools plugins, nothing to do with Mac PCs in general. They don’t work in other audio programs on a Mac, except maybe in MOTU Digital Performer, but it still requires Pro Tools hardware, I think…

Digidesign’s PC support is insanely terrible. I have experience in this matter, unfortunately. The PC version exists only as an advertisement for the Mac version.

The assumption, of course, being that if you’re using Logic then you’ll be using the (pretty comprehensive) suite of plugins that Logic makes available, or else you’re using Pro Tools.

Incidentally, Live is also cross-platform and that has a nice suite of plugins included as well.

I hate it how half of the free plugins on the Computer Music DVD are PC-only.

For the most part, any plugin worth owning will be ported, although I hear Synth1 is pretty fantastic - too bad for us Mac guys.

Greenoak’s Crystal is also for Mac… Also as Universal build.
http://www.greenoak.com/crystal/

I like Amadeus Pro.

http://www.hairersoft.com/AmadeusPro/

Switching to Mac has been the best decision since getting monitor speakers :P

All I do on my puter is make music with Renoise and Reaktor, but I really tend to push things to the limit. A PC after two years just doesn’t make the cut, it falls apart from within or something. Mac just rolls on and I didn’t even manage to crash OSX yet.

I need to add that I am a totall misere digitale and I wouldn’t be able to install a printer or a driver even if my life would depend on it and it seems OSX was made for idiots like me: not too many options, not too much maintenance, it takes seconds to get started with whatever it is you take seriously and most important of all: I don’t have to press START to TURN OFF my computer. ;)

I think the keyword here is free

Put your money where your mouth is. If you think there aren’t enough free plugins, build your own. Or is it that everyone should work for free for you? But not vice versa?

Here’s an awesome OSX tool that helps you build plugins to get you started, and it’s free!

http://sonicbirth.sourceforge.net/

Good times.

I agree, not as radically, but if you want the good stuff, you need to invest. The good part here is that it’s absolutely worth it.

Us mac guys have Automat1:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/audio/automat1.html

lack of mac support in the d. a. world?! what a joke.
sorry but this statement lets you look like you haven’t learned much in 4 years…

for the pc there are gazillion of possible configurations, so you have to manage yourself every
data thats needed to run a single plugin/tool/script. on mac its like: “just click on that button”.
well, thats one part of your support.

and dont forget. limit yourself!
what do you want with 500 plugins so to speak 20 ringmodulators, 40 filters, 50 delays…
got it?!

mac has its things (plugs) that arent avail. on pc. keyword fft.
even the ‘default’ mac host is maintained by apple and is priced below a waldorf blofeld.
damn it, that somebody is bringing this topic to the table (again).

Also regarding NI software being costy… you maybe could keep an eye at the KVR marketplace forum and buy them second hand for a lot cheaper. Most single products go from roughly 70 EUR to 90 EUR or up to 120USD, which i think is a pretty fair price for them. If you’re from US you could even find better deals on their Komplete Synths package for around 200 USD, which makes 50 USD for one plugin. Not bad at all.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=43

Sweet, thanks!