Running Acqua Effect plug-in on Silicon M computers with Pro Tools

Modified on Tue, 9 Jul at 3:26 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
PRE-REQUISITES
CHECK YOUR PLUG-INS VERSION AND ARCHITECTURE
VERIFYING YOUR AUDIO HOST (DAW OR NLE)
IMPROVE THE COMPUTER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
REPORTING ISSUES OR CRASHES
SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

Historically, the rosetta stone was an important artifact that historians used to decode ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Inspired by this ancient namesake, Apple created the Rosetta application. The Rosetta version 2 translates applications compiled exclusively for 64-bit Intel processors for execution on Silicon processors. Rosetta is basically an emulator that automatically takes the commands from an Intel application you open and changes them to something the Silicon processors can run.

Rosetta version 2 can translate most Intel-based applications. However, it does not translate the following executables:

AVX, AVX2, and AVX512 vector instructions.
Kernel extensions.
Virtual Machine application.

After several tests, we have detected that our products do not run correctly with the Rosetta version 2 because they need the optimisations for the Intel instructions AVX, AVX2, and AVX512. We recommend absolutely avoiding the use of Rosetta version 2.

PRE-REQUISITES

Genuine Apple device with Silicon M SoC.
macOS 12.6.x operating system.
ILM (iLok) version 5.6.5 or superior.
Pro Tools version 2022.12 universal or superior version.
Universal AAX plug-ins, including Silicon and Intel, builds.
Acqua Effect(s) or N4 with the Nebula Universal Wrapper (NUW) version 2.3.6 or higher.

The target operating system is macOS 13.6.x, you are free to experiment with other operating systems, but it is not recommended.

CHECK YOUR PLUG-INS VERSION AND ARCHITECTURE

Run the PT Prefs 2 application.
Go plugins.
Click on scan plugins and select AAX.
Search for the plug-in.
Double-click on the plug-in to reveal the plug-in file in your computer.

The Acqua Effects with the Nebula Universal Wrapper (NUW) version 2.3.6 or higher are supported with Pro Tools version 2022.12 universal on Silicon M computers.

The Acqua Effects with the Nebula Universal Wrapper (NUW) version 2.3.5 or inferior are not supported to work on Pro Tools version 2022.12 on Silicon M computers.

Acustica Audio plug-ins are wrapped with a JUCE framework. The wrapper project name is NUW or Nebula Universal Wrapper.

VERIFYING YOUR AUDIO HOST (DAW OR NLE)

Several audio application runs in Rosetta version 2 mode by default, so the Apple native (Silicon ARM) mode MUST be forced. Follow these steps to find your audio host (DAW or NLE) that is running it through Rosetta version 2:

Run the finder application.
Go to the Applications folder and find the application you wish to run, for example, Pro Tools version 2022.12.
Right-click the application icon and select Get info.
Under the general section, next to kind, you will see the application category: Universal, Intel, or Silicon.
Deselect the open using the Rosetta check box.

Next time you run Pro Tools version 2022.12 (or superior) will run on Silicon native mode. The AAX plug-ins that are compatible with Silicon native mode will be available only. You can verify if Pro Tools or any other application is running in native Silicon mode by running the activity monitor and looking into the kind column, "Apple" means Silicon native, while "Intel" means Intel.

After several tests, we have detected that our products do not run correctly with the Rosetta version 2 becuase they need the optimisations for the Intel instructions AVX, AVX2, and AVX512. We recommend absolutely avoid the use of Rosetta version 2.

IMPROVE THE COMPUTER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

macOS operating systems are not real-time operating systems (RTOS); therefore, the resources should be optimized by a specific configuration to make the operating system work as a digital audio workstation (computer system). The setting should include the operating system configuration and optimization and the BIOS/UEFI, when possible.

The Acqua Effect plug-ins will try to run threads and sub-threads for the audio processing outside the audio host application (DAW or NLE); those threads and sub-threads will be processed on different processor cores. When the processing is finished, the resulting data should be synchronized, this processing scheduling can be faster or slower depending on the audio host application, DAW or NLE, and in the Pro Tools case, it usually causes freezes, pop-ups, errors messages, and high load in the Pro Tools resource meter.

Remember that Pro Tool's performance will depend on the track type and quantity. The auxiliary and bus channels will perform differently from the standard channels.

Set the Pro Tools playback engine:

On Pro Tools, go set up, and then playback engine.
Set the H/W buffer size to 1024 (or 2048 when is possible at 96 kHz).
Host engine. Check to optimize performance at low buffer sizes. Check on ignore error during playback/record. Check on dynamic plug-in processing (*).
Video engine. Check, uncheck, or enable, depending on whether you work with video.
On cache size. Set 1 GB to 5 GB (*).
Click on OK to save the new settings.

(*) The most appropriate value will depend on several factors; you can just read the Pro Tools user's manual for details.

Set the Pro Tools preferences:

On Pro Tools, go to preferences and then the processing tab.
On misc parallel task optimization set to high.
Click on OK to save the new settings

NOTES:

88.2 kHz and 96 kHz sessions could be very resource intensive.
Avoid large sessions with small audio buffer sizes when is possible.
Avoid having many AAX plug-ins installed; this can slow down the Pro Tool's performance.
Pro Tools can behave badly if too many plug-ins are on the same track. Normally this happens on mastering sessions with a long chain in the master bus.
CORE 16 products include the AVX512 instructions for better performance on Intel X and Xeon CPUs.

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

To establish the load distribution on the different computer cores, creating several audio channels equal to the number of cores in the computer system is recommended. In our example, we have four cores, so we are creating four audio channels.

Use the macOS activity monitor to know the total load values of the computer system, as several processes will be performed outside the main process (the audio host), therefore, will not be measured by the Pro Tools system usage window.

Create a new empty session. Avoid old sessions or old templates.
Select your preferred sample rate.
Create a new session.
Create four audio channels.
Add one signal generator instance with a pink noise signal.
Add one Arctic (non-ZL) instance.
Repeat the latest actions on the other channels.
Continue adding Arctic (non-ZL) instances to discover how the load distribution behaves.

REPORTING ISSUES OR CRASHES

Apple's new Silicon computer systems and Pro Tools 2022.12 promise significant performance improvements, but new compatibility issues will likely emerge. If you need to report issues or even crashes, read and follow the solution in our knowledge base (KB): Help us help you (read before submit a support ticket).

In addition, Pro Tools has diagnostic tools that can be used to diagnose possible issues or problems on your system. To set a diagnostic log on Pro Tools, go to preferences, operation, and diagnosis.

The more details you provide about your problem, the easier it is for us to help you.

SUMMARY

Pro Tools 2022.12 (or superior) for macOS is a universal application that can run natively on Silicon M computers in Apple (Silicon ARM) mode. You can set Pro Tools 2022.12 (or superior) to run in Intel mode, and the Rosetta version 2 application will run in the background translating the Intel instructions to Apple (Silicon ARM), but as the AVX, AVX2, and AVX512 instructions are not compatible, and the Acqua Effect plug-ins will perform poorly.
A few months ago, Avid made available the new AAX SDK compatible with Silicon computers; PACE did the same with the Ilok License Manager (ILM) and EDEN tools. For this reason, it was impossible to create a Pro Tools 2022.12 compatible Nebula Universal Wrapper (NUW) beforehand, and compatible versions will be available in the 2023 timeframe.

From 24 June 2024, all products for sale in the Acustica Audio online shop are compatible with Apple computers with Silicon M architecture, including products endorsed, developed by Studio DMI, and free.

Please before running Silicon supported product on Pro Tools 2022.12 Apple (Silicon ARM). Check the pre-requisites, verify your audio host is running in Silicon native, and improve your computer system performance, to maximize your user experience.

Additional information:

- Pro Tools 2022.12 beta launch announcement: https://www.avid.com/resource-center/pro-tools-apple-silicon-public-beta?utm_campaign=pt-2022-12--renew&utm_source=gainsight&utm_medium=email

- The Silicon native AAX plug-ins compatibility list: https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/articles/Compatibility/AAX-Silicon-Native-Plugin-Compatibility