[MAC] Logic Pro hangs when inserting or moving the SoundID Reference plugin

Logic Pro can stop responding for a minute or two when you insert the SoundID Reference plugin, move it to another insert slot, or load or save a preset in the plugin. This article explains why it happens and how to fix it.

In this article:

• Symptoms
• Fix: delete the plugin settings Logic saved
• Avoid it in the future
• If the problem continues

Symptoms

• You see the spinning wheel, and the plugin window doesn't open for one to two minutes.
• The SoundID Reference insert slot stays blue, with the plugin name greyed out.
• Activity Monitor shows "AUHostingService (Logic Pro) (Not Responding)".
• When the plugin opens, it shows old presets that you deleted or no longer use. You may also see "Error while loading a calibration profile".
• The SoundID Reference standalone app works normally.

This happens when Logic has saved its own copy of the plugin settings (Logic Pro's own internal presets for plugins), with your old SoundID Reference presets, calibration profiles and Custom Target presets. Logic saves this copy when you choose Save, Save As…, Save A Copy As… or Save As Default in the Settings pop-up menu at the top of the plugin window. Logic loads the copy each time you insert the plugin, even after you reinstall SoundID Reference. Loading it can take one to two minutes, and it fails when the old files are no longer on your computer.

Fix: delete the plugin settings Logic saved

1. Quit Logic Pro.
2. Delete the plugin config file.
3. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder (or press Shift + Command + G), paste ~/Library/Audio/Presets/Sonarworks/SoundID Reference Plugin and press Return.
   Full path: Macintosh HD > Users > [your user name] > Library > Audio > Presets > Sonarworks > SoundID Reference Plugin. The Library folder is hidden. To show it, press Shift + Command + . (period) in Finder (How to show hidden files on Mac and Windows?).
4. Delete the files in this folder. Each file is a setting you saved in Logic, for example "Logic user preset.aupreset".
5. Open Logic Pro and insert the SoundID Reference plugin. It opens with no presets and without the wait. Add your calibration profiles again.

Logic projects keep their own copy of the plugin settings. If the problem happens only in an older project, remove the SoundID Reference plugin from that project, save the project, and insert the plugin again.

Avoid it in the future

Don't save settings for the SoundID Reference plugin in Logic's Settings pop-up menu: don't use Save, Save As…, Save A Copy As… or Save As Default. Save your setups as presets inside the SoundID Reference plugin instead.

If the problem continues

If Logic still hangs or the error comes back after these steps, contact us and include:

• Your macOS and Logic Pro versions.
• Whether your Mac has an Apple silicon (M-series) or Intel chip, and whether Logic runs in Rosetta.
• A short screen recording of the hang, or a screenshot of the error.
• A screenshot of the Sonarworks > SoundID Reference Plugin folder from step 3.
• The SoundID Reference log files (SoundID Reference log files).