Final Cut Pro hangs while validating audio units

Removing "problematic" plug-ins is not an option because the problematic plugins basically = all plug-ins.

The issue is the AU Validator Tools are complete garbage, and when it crashes on something it breaks FCP. It stops Validating (using no CPU, just persisting as is in memory) and the user is stuck looking at a splash screen.

No matter how many plug-ins I uninstall, it chooses a different vendor's plug-ins to freeze on.

Uninstall Waves, Freezes on Native Instruments.

Uninstall Native Instruments, Freezes on iZotope.

Uninstall iZotope, Freezes on Arturia.

Uninstall Arturia, Freezes on Serato.

etc.

The only way to run this software - as far as I'm concerned - is to run it on a machine that has no Audio Units installed, as that's the only way you will avoid the AU Validator Tool breaking the application.

Third party plug-ins are fine. The fact that they run fine in multiple hosts in a range of formats is pretty indicative of that. The only outlier is Apple's software, particularly the AU Validator Tool that predictably crashes during plug-in validation and leaves the software in a perpetual unusable state.

The only fix, right now, is to avoid buying or using Final Cut Pro. Use Resolve Studio or Premiere Pro instead. In particular, a DAW or NLE that uses VST3 will completely avoid the issues with AU Validation by virtue of not requiring it.

Replacing Final Cut Pro with Resolve Studio and Logic Pro with Studio One or Cubase Pro = Problem-Free machine, because I don't have to deal with Apple's AU Validator Tools and just use the VST3 plug-ins.

Honestly, I'm probably going to just resell this machine and recoup as much of my losses as possible as the software renders it not very usable for the reason I purchased it. I could have just kept using my Windows machine, which has never given me these types of issues, and ended up a happier user without having wasted thousands of dollars.

You may want to follow terryb's suggestion in another thread: temporarily rename the Components folder as something else, like Components.inactive; this will disable all components at once. It can serve as a workaround until this is fixed - hopefully in the next OS update.

I can understand your frustration but you probably don't need such drastic measures. Just rename /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components to Components.ignore or whatever you'd like so FCP won't try to load them at launch. When you want to run Logic or another DAW, just rename it back to Components.

It seems this AU issue is due to something related to the macOS 13.3.1 update since that's when most people here say they encountered it so hopefully Apple will provide a fix to FCP or macOS soon.

The renaming of the components folder isn't a workaround when using Logic. Logic btw. has no probs when rescanning the AUs.

A checkroutine should return with a message and should not stay in the nirvana.

Found the solution. I had recently installed Screens 4. Uninstalled it, then uninstalled FCPX totally, reinstalled, and everything is now fine.

But yes, there is an AU Validation issue. Mine hung up on various different AudioUnits, including Apple's own SoundIsolation AU.

I really don't think it's specific AUs, it's something buggy in Ventura 13.3.1 AU Valitator system. FYI; Logic Pro X nor any other app I have that uses AUs has any issues at all. FCPX seems to just get more buggy with every macOS update.

I agree, my AU hanging issue only happened when i updated MacOS to Ventura 13.3. Before that FCPX worked fine.

A lot of is because Apple update their pro apps far less frequently than they do OS system updates. Of course 3rd party apps also need to be in line with the newer OS, but my AUs work fine in Logic Audio on Ventura. So, i think FCPX and Ventura are out of tandem and why it’s buggy.

i still do think FCPX leaves a lot to be desired with how it works with audio, generally speaking, but that’s another topic. 🤓

It's almost like people refuse to actually read the thread before giving redundant solutions that don't work.

It is not an issue with AU Compatibility. The AUs work fine. You can validate them and use them in Logic Pro, Studio One, Resolve and other software and they function as expected.

The issue is FCP-specific and has to do with the way it validates Audio Units.

Wasting hours of your time moving all of your hundreds of Components out and then restarting the app over and over to see if anything fails validation (which is common even in Logic Pro, for various reasons - you simply to go to the manager and rescan them and they pass) is wasteful.

What Apple needs to do is move AU Validation to a background process, separate from the rest of the software, and allow the software to start up even if the AU Validator fails. If there is an issue, then issue an error message if anything goes on. That way, even if the AUs don't get scanned/validated, people aren't left unable to do actual work when they turn around and break the software - only to leave it broken for months at a time.

13.3 released in January. The software has been broken THAT long. Is this supposed to be a Pro App, or is it just an expensive PowerDirector alternative requiring an expensive hardware dongle for ... rich hobbyists?

This isn't just a case of the software crashing here and there. It's LITERALLY UNUSABLE, and unfortunately I need my Audio Plug-ins and I'm not going to be moving things back and forth every time I need to switch applications. Sorry, but no. That isn't even a workaround.

i had similar until i deleted fcp preference files. Hold cmd + alt while launching fcp x app. It’ll ask if you want to delete prefs. Then it’ll rescan AUs. After that for me i was able to single out the “incompatible” plugins in fcp.

YMMV! But for me the only brand i had issues with in FCP was Izotope. Everything else, including waves, ik multimedia, arturia, slate, etc worked fine once id removed izotope AUs.

I've sold my MBP. I'm shipping it out Monday. I will use Resolve on my ASUS, and I can't be bothered to give feedback if they can't be bothered to test the product for such blatantly obvious breakages.

This is not an attempt to excuse Apple but whenever anything new comes out there will usually be unexpected consequences.

To minimise this tech companies give their products to hundreds (thousands?) of users for testing prior to release.

However, no two users will have the same apps, folders, files and other gubbins on their computers so the tech companies cannot be 100% certain there will not be some people who fall through the safety testing net.

I would think they tested FCP with the new system but forgot that some users (a minority) use third party plugins or assumed they would work the same as the built-in ones.

These comments are a bit late but may help some people in the future.

The regulars on this forum know that new releases can be problematic so they generally have "automatic updates" switched off and don't update for a week or so until any flaws have been discovered.

My technique with updates to the operating system is to download the update, create a new volume on the Hard Drive/SSD with Disk Utility and use my critical apps on that volume.

After thoroughly checking everything is OK, I can delete the new volume and install the updated OS as per usual.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

This is not an attempt to excuse Apple but whenever anything new comes out there will usually be unexpected consequences.

To minimise this tech companies give their products to hundreds (thousands?) of users for testing prior to release.

However, no two users will have the same apps, folders, files and other gubbins on their computers so the tech companies cannot be 100% certain there will not be some people who fall through the safety testing net.

I would think they tested FCP with the new system but forgot that some users (a minority) use third party plugins or assumed they would work the same as the built-in ones.

It's literally freezing validating Apple's own System AUs for people. Lol. Again, this has nothing to do with third party Audio Units. I'm not sure how many times this has to be stated before people get it.

So... I swapped out the offending unit, only to have it hang on the very next one -- as though the problem is whatever unit it happens to hit as its 43rd. Grrr.

So I took a nuclear strike approach - went to Library > Audio and just renamed the Components folder. That way FCP didn't see any of them at all. Which is fine for my use case. And now I'm up and running.

Thanks for the tips above!

If you can't wait for a fix the only solution is to create a new volume on your boot drive with Disk Utility, install an earlier version of macOS on that and use it for FCP.

Once you have the installer the whole process takes less than half an hour and you will be able to use FCP and all your plugins exactly as before.

The problem for me is I'm a Pro Tools editor and have hundreds of plug ins.. they all brick FCPX

And quite often I'm bouncing between FCPX and Pro tools, so removing them or making a new user just doesn't work.. Upgrading to Ventura has been a absolute dud for me ..

But the Automator may be a kind of workaround sure .. id be happy for FCPX to not even use the AU components .. But they share a common folder and that's not possible right?