Massive AU failure

J.E. Carney wrote:

A second call to Apple led to the dreaded "reinstall the system." I'd sure rather avoid that nightmare if I can.

I see a bunch of Windows guys over there in the corner, snickering... wait, now they're laughing out loud.

Before I'd reinstall the system, I'd download the last Combo updater for your OSX version and re-install that over the top of your current OS.

It sounds like you may have mixed versions of Logic installed. I've never needed to do this but isn't there a method of deleting Logic's install receipts so all apps are updated?

pancenter-

J.E. Carney wrote:
Last evening Logic refused to launch.

What exactly happens? How do you launch?

(Has worked flawlessly since setting up new iMac quad-core around Christmas.) Trashing preferences did nothing. A call to Apple suggested reinstalling the Logic app, leaving all other content on external drives. Logic then launched as expected. However, every AU failed validation--including Apple's own! I use very few 3rd party AUs (EZDrummer, Ozone, Garritan Personal Orch, and PodFarm), and all of these worked prior to the reinstall. But for Apple's own to fail--????

I didn't realize they (Apples' builtin AU's) were validated too (*edit: or do you mean those OS X plugins that all have AU in their names?) - anyway, you might try to trash the audiounits cache. It is here
/Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.AudioComponents
Also trash:
/Library/Preferences > all files named com.apple.audio.(...) and ending .plist.
All audio settings will revert to default though, so you'll have to set it up again (still a lot less effort than an OS reinstall...)

There are more troubleshooting steps to try before an OS reinstall (it really is the last resort to do that; a bit of a lazy advice from Apple, I feel)

Also, try validating just one plugin after Logic has launched (via *Logic Pro>Preferences>Audio Units Manager...* ) and see what messages/reasons you get for failing validation (make a screenshot, ⌘⇧-4, then space, then click the AUM window.)

Just hold off the system reinstall for now. Also because that doesn't help discovering what is wrong and being able to avoid it or at least more easily solve it in future.

regards, Erik.

/Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.AudioComponents

Has the audiounits cache location moved, then, from where it always was? Did it move in Snow Leopard, perhaps?

No, I'm on Leopard still. It was always there, wasn't it? It seems that the name is a bit different though - maybe it is an L8-L9 difference?
Where did you think it should reside?

I always had it here:

user/library/caches/com.apple.audiounits.cache

Will go looksee...

(Blush)

Oh, and also trash the REAL audiounits cache: Users/'you'/Library/Caches/com.apple.audiounits.cache

Thank you BeeJay! Reminds me of an earlier topic... 😉

+No need, you're right, my bad.+

(think I just created the chorus line for a new song... 😀 )

I have both files on my system - so it's probably good practice to trash both of them, in any case 🙂

Certainly that system cache file seems to be related, but I'm not sure exactly what that one does. It does contain references to my audio plugins...

Cheers Erik, sometimes things change without me being aware of it, so when someone posts something different I tend to do a "huh?!" just to make sure I won't continue to give out wrong info in the future...

Bee Jay wrote:
Certainly that system cache file seems to be related, but I'm not sure exactly what that one does. It does contain references to my audio plugins...

Trash it and see what happens... well, let me do that, for me it is not a livelyhood... 🙂

Well, I did, none the wiser...

I reopened Logic, everything as normal, made some edits, saved, quit Logic - no new cache created... I'll mess around a bit more in Logic until I do something that triggers OS X into creating this cache file anew...

The OP might not even have this file... but if he does, he should still trash it!

...and we are much cheaper too!

Good you got it all sorted. Luckily you seem to know your way around the Mac, that's a plus.
It may alas 😟 well be that the trashing of the /Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.AudioComponents file as per my advice has lead to the loss of your presets, for which I am truly sorry.

Since I also trashed it, I'm curious as to what I lost and have to do again... the file was last modified Januari 5. this year, so I'll have to look for a Logic project with that same or later modification date...

J.E. Carney wrote:
In that sense, much of this was "my bad."

That is the case with the majority of problems; only a minority of users will freely admit to it though. 😉