How to Find Your Plugins in StudioRack

Mar 26, 2023

If you are trying to load your Waves plugins in StudioRack but you cannot find them, follow these instructions in order to make them available.

If you cannot find your non-Waves VST3 plugins, please refer to this article.

Step #1 – Verify plugin software is installed

Launch Waves Central.
Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
Select the Install Products page.
Select the My Products tab and verify your products have a checkmark under the Installed column.
- If you are not subscribed to Waves Creative Access and want to demo it, check whether there is an 'Installed' checkmark on the Install Products > Plugin Subscriptions page.
If there is no checkmark under the Install Column, select your product/s and click Install.

Step #2 – Verify that the StudioRack channel format (Mono/Stereo etc.) matches the plugin you are looking for

If you’re not seeing the plugin you’re looking for after going through the previous steps, verify that the rack/channel format (Mono/Stereo etc.) matches the plugin you’re looking for.

Step #3 – Rescan for plugins

Windows

Quit all applications.
Press [Win key] + R, type %appdata% and press Enter.
Go to Waves Audio > Preferences and delete its content.
In the now empty Preferences folder, create a new text document (right-click > New > Text Document) and name it ForceUseGUIScanner. This document must have a [.txt] extension and should remain empty.
Launch your DAW, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load StudioRack.
If prompted to Locate the Waves Public API (WPAPI) Folder, direct to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\WPAPI
If prompted to Locate the Waves Plugins Folder, direct to C:\Program Files (x86)\Waves\Plug-Ins V14.

Mac

Quit all applications.
In Finder, click on the Go menu while holding down [Alt/Option] and click on Library.
Go to Preferences > Waves Preferences and delete its content.
Create an empty text document and name the file ForceUseGUIScanner. This file must have a [.txt] extension and should remain empty. Place this file in the Waves Preferences folder above.
Launch your DAW, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load StudioRack.
If prompted to Locate the Waves Public API (WPAPI) Folder, direct to Macintosh HD > Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > WPAPI

If prompted to Locate the Waves Plugins Folder, direct to Macintosh HD > Applications > Waves > Plug-Ins V14 (or whichever version is installed on your device)

If your plugins load in Demo mode (with periodic mutes), refer to this article to activate the license.

I have V13–V9 licenses

Step #1 – Verify the license is activated

First, check whether the relevant plugin or bundle license/s are activated on your computer or USB flash drive:

Launch Waves Central.
Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
Select the Licenses page.
Select the Connected Devices tab. Use the arrow on the right to expand the list.
Check whether the missing plugin/s license is activated on this connected device.

If the plugins are not activated, check whether they appear in the Not Activated tab. If that’s the case, select the license/s and click ‘Activate’.

If the plugin licenses are not found in the Not Activated tab, check if they appear in a device in the Disconnected Devices tab. If that's the case, refer to this article.

Step #2 – Verify plugin software is correctly installed

Check whether the relevant plugin file/s are correctly installed on your computer. Go to:
Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Waves\Plug-Ins V13, (or whichever version is installed on your device, V13-V9)
Mac: Macintosh HD > Applications > Waves > Plug-Ins V13, (or whichever version is installed on your device, V13-V9)

The relevant plugin file will be named after the plugin, in this format: [PluginName].bundle. For example, the plugin file for Reel ADT will be named Reel ADT.bundle.

If the plugins you are looking for are not there, install the plugins by following the instructions in this link.

Step #3 – Verify that the StudioRack channel format (Mono/Stereo etc.) matches the plugin you are looking for

Your StudioRack instance will show only plugin components that are compatible with its format. For example, CLA Effects has stereo and mono-to-stereo components only. This means that it will not appear in the plugin menu of a mono StudioRack instance. If you’re not seeing the plugin you’re looking for after going through the previous steps, verify that the rack/channel format (Mono/Stereo etc.) matches the plugin you’re looking for.

Step #4 – Rescan for plugins

Windows

Quit all applications.
Press [Win key] + R, type %appdata% and press Enter.
Go to Waves Audio > Preferences and delete its content.
In the now empty Preferences folder, create a new text document (right-click > New > Text Document) and name it ForceUseGUIScanner. This document must have a [.txt] extension and should remain empty.
Launch your DAW, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load StudioRack.
If prompted to Locate the Waves Public API (WPAPI) Folder, direct to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\WPAPI
If prompted to Locate the Waves Plugins Folder, direct to C:\Program Files (x86)\Waves\Plug-Ins V13-9.

Mac

Quit all applications.
In Finder, click on the Go menu while holding down [Alt/Option] and click on Library.
Go to Preferences > Waves Preferences and delete its content.
Create an empty text document and name the file ForceUseGUIScanner. This file must have a [.txt] extension and should remain empty. Place this file in the Waves Preferences folder above.
Launch your DAW, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load StudioRack.
If prompted to Locate the Waves Public API (WPAPI) Folder, direct to Macintosh HD > Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > WPAPI.
If prompted to Locate the Waves Plugins Folder, direct to Macintosh HD > Applications > Waves > Plug-Ins V13-9.

None of the above worked? Contact Technical Support.