The latest macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 update fixes iLok and AU issues!
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The latest macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 update fixes iLok and AU issues! · Source: Dzmitry Kliapitski / Alamy Stock Foto
If you’re among the unlucky ones who updated to macOS Sonoma 14.4 in recent weeks and your DAW and some of your plug-ins just utterly broke, we have good news! Apple has just released an update. And macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 supposedly fixes most of what 14.4 damaged. As always with OS updates: be careful and back up religiously!
macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 is here to help
Oh, to be a Windows user in music production land… I’ve been all-in on Macs for almost twenty years now. And we’ve had not one but TWO platform transitions that caused a whole lot of plug-in deaths, countless hours for DAW and plug-in makers that could have gone into development, and more woes. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 is only the latest emergency fix in this story. I still wouldn’t trade producing music on Mac for the world.
No driver issues, supreme battery life, much longer-lasting machines (I’ve had three Macs I’ve used professionally since 2008, and my family each has six Windows laptops they all use as hobbyists), and an overall much smoother user experience just speak for themselves. But it’s been trying times being a Mac user depending on fully working DAWs and plug-ins. When macOS 14.4 came out recently, it not only offered a slew of new features but also a pretty nasty surprise for many music producers.
Forums and Facebook groups instantly filled with producers and users asking for help because most plug-ins with iLok protection and many AU plug-ins (Apple’s own plug-in format that its DAW Logic Pro uses exclusively) simply didn’t work. Many companies put up warnings on their websites in hopes of at least preventing even more damage. Now, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 is here to (hopefully) save the day!
macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 is here to help
The number one rule for any musician, producer, or sound designer working with digital audio is to religiously back up their data (look for the 3-2-1 rule). The second rule is to never, EVER update your system with the following OS, DAW version, or plugin version unless that has been out for at least six months. By that time, most compatibility errors should be ironed out. Even if you’re not entirely dependent on a working audio production machine, and it’s just a hobby, it’s a good way to save some sanity.
If you were one of the impatient ones, or you had automatic updates turned on for OS updates (turn it off immediately!), then macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 could potentially get your system working again. Many users at VI-Control and KVR have been reporting that macOS Sonoma 14.4 has fixed most, if not all, of the issues 14.4 caused.
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