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FL Studio macOS / Mac - Apple Silicon ARM Processors - M1, M2 & M3 Support & VST Plugins.
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Until 2020 Macs used Intel x86 processors. After 2020 Apple moved to ARM processors, branded as 'Apple Silicon'. ARM processors use different low-level instructions, so code written for X86 must be translated or re-compiled to use the ARM architecture.  

FL Studio 20.8.4 and up supports Apple Silicon CPUs. Always update to the latest version of FL Studio from here. However, your 3rd party plugins may not be Apple Silicon compliant.

If your 3rd party plugins are not designed for Apple Silicon this can have a significant impact on project stability ...

 

APPLE SILICON VS 3RD PARTY PLUGINS

 

First, always check if there are Apple Silicon updates for your VST plugins (there's information on scanning for plugins below). If updates are not available, consider using alternatives that are compliant. If you must continue with Intel format plugins on Apple Silicon devices, here are your options - in short, try both and see which mode is most stable ...  

 

1. Apple Silicon Mode:

 

  • What happens - When you run the latest version of FL Studio in Apple Silicon mode on an M1, M2 or M3 CPU Mac, FL Studio will handle older plugins for you, bridging them. The bridge is code that translates data between the Intel and Apple Silicon format. Consequently, even if your third-party plugins haven’t been updated for Apple Silicon natively, FL Studio will try to make them work. NOTE: You must perform a Verify plugins scan the first time you switch modes.
  • Advantages - The benefit here is that you can take advantage of the performance improvements offered Apple Silicon chips while still using your existing plugin collection.
  • Disadvantages - VST plugins running in the process bridge use more CPU and can be less stable.

 

2. Rosetta Mode:

 

  • What happens - Running FL Studio in Rosetta Mode means that it and 3rd party plugins are emulated by macOS to work on Apple Silicon Macs. In this mode, all plugins should work, regardless of whether they are natively compatible with Apple Silicon or not. NOTE: You must perform a Verify plugins scan the first time you switch modes.
  • Advantages - macOS handles all compatibility issues for you, translating instructions between the x86 architecture (used by most plugins) and the ARM architecture (used by Apple Silicon CPUs).
  • Disadvantages - VST plugins running in Rosetta and FL Studio itself, use the CPU less efficiently compared to native Apple Silicon code (ARM). While it's to a much lesser extent than Bridging plugins (as above), VST plugins under Rosetta can still be the cause of stability issues. However, it’s essential to recognize that Rosetta 2 support won’t be around indefinitely. Rosetta 1 used during the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors lasted approximately 2.5 OS X iterations. For Rosetta 2, it’s prudent to assume that it will follow a similar pattern. Apple’s focus is on native Apple Silicon applications, and they’ll likely abandon Rosetta 2 sooner rather than later obsoleting the non-native code-base.

 

Plugin Considerations:

 

  • Compatibility: While both modes aim to ensure plugin compatibility, some plugins may still cause issues. It’s essential to pay attention to what mode FL Studio is in and what mode your third-party plugins are operating in. Most commonly, stability or performance issues happen when running Intel format plugins under Apple Silicon, so the first step is normally to try starting FL Studio in Rosetta mode and seeing if issues resolve. However, the reverse can also be true. Rosetta causes issues while Apple Silicon does not.
  • Badly Behaving Plugins: If FL Studio and your plugins are not in the same format (i.e., both Apple Silicon or both Rosetta), you might encounter problems. Ideally, keep everything consistent.

 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTES:

 

  1. The first installation mode is important - The first time you install an Apple Silicon compatible version of FL Studio it will run in native Apple Silicon mode. If you switch the installation to Rosetta mode, subsequent FL Studio installations will respect the Rosetta mode setting.
  2. You must complete a verify plugins scan under each CPU mode - The plugins scanned under Rosetta and Apple Silicon mode will be different. You need to scan under both settings. Use these settings: Verify plugins, Rescan previously verified plugins, Rescan plugins with errors - to ensure you don't miss any.
  3. Changing the mode is simple - Set FL Studio to start in Apple Silicon or Rosetta 2 mode by following the procedure here.
  • macOS <> Windows Project Compatibility - If you want to share projects with Windows installations and you are using 3rd party plugins, you must use VST format since this is the only way to maintain cross-platform project compatibility.
  • Apple Silicon Plugins - There are no plugins on the market, yet, that work only under Apple Silicon and not Intel macOS.    

 

HOW TO SWITCH FL STUDIO BETWEEN APPLE SILICON AND ROSETTA MODE AND THINGS TO DO AFTER SWAPPING

 

FL Studio must be switched between Apple Silicon or Rosetta 2 (Intel) mode before startup.   

 

To check if you are running in Intel or Apple Silicon mode, open the FL Studio Help > About Panel and it will list Intel or Apple Silicon as the running version:

 

 

If you need to switch modes see below:

 

  1. Open the Finder to Macintosh HD > Applications and Right-click FL Studio.
  2. Click 'Get Info' on the pop-up.
  3. Check the box, 'Open using Rosetta' to run the Intel version of FL Studio under Rosetta 2.
  4. OR uncheck the box to run the Native version of FL Studio (See the note below on VST plugins).

 

Important things to do or check after swapping since macOS treats the two modes like separate applications...

 

1. INSTALLING & SCANNING FOR PLUGINS 

 

The Plugin Manager uses the current FL Studio mode.

 

  • If you run the Plugin Manager under Rosetta 2 version it only scans for Intel compatible plugins.
  • If you open the Plugin Manager from under Apple Silicon mode it only scans for Apple Silicon compatible plugins.

 

This means after switching to or from an Apple Silicon installation for the first time you must rescan for plugins. Use the following settings -  Verify plugins + Rescan previously verified plugins + Rescan plugins with errors.

 

 

2. MICROPHONE PERMISSIONS

 

If the Microphone input is not available. Make sure FL Studio has the permission to access the Microphone. Open System settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone - and set a tick for FL Studio. As normal. See here.

 

If FL Studio is not listed, switch to Rosetta 2 mode (shown above) and start FL Studio, macOS will ask you for Microphone permission on startup. Then switch back to Apple Silicon mode if that is what you are using.

 

NOTE: This problem normally happens because FL Studio was previously installed under Rosetta 2, before using Apple Silicon. For first-time installation on macOS this should not normally happen.

 

 

3. FILE ACCESS PERMISSIONS

 

Make sure FL Studio has the permission to access the Documents folder. Open System settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Files and Folders then set a mark at (or add) FL Studio. You can also open the Plugin Manger from the Options menu, then macOS should ask you to give FL Studio permission to the Documents folder.

 

 

If these steps don't work, what next?

 

See - Plugins behaving badly.

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT APPLE SILICON

 

Apple began migrating its laptop and desktop Mac computers to run on 'Apple silicon' in late 2020. Starting with the M1 CPU, this processor family is based on what is more technically known as ARM ( Advanced RISC Machine) architecture. This is the same CPU architecture as used in their iPhone and iPad products. Since ARM is a complete change from the Intel (x64) CPUs previously used in Mac computers, software written for Intel CPUs does not run 'natively' on 'Apple silicon'.

 

 

ABOUT SWITCHING TO THE APPLE SILICON PLATFORM

 

All DAW, plugin (VST/AU), and peripheral device manufacturers were impacted by the sudden change from Intel to ARM CPUs. If you are using or considering making the switch to Apple Silicon devices, it is important to understand that software compatibility, stability, and performance will be patchy across device and software manufacturers. Apple has tipped software and hardware development into a completely new architecture and it will take several years for native Apple silicon support to become commonplace. In the case of plugins and hardware, and specifically for anything no longer in development, this may mean greatly increased risk of crashes and end of life on the macOS platform. 

 

See a list of Apple silicon compatible software here

 

We look forward to the future and seeing where Apple silicon can take the competition amongst CPU vendors. The more CPU performance you have, the more you can do. However, we appreciate your patience while we work through the issues and deliver the FL Studio performance you expect.

 

Image-Line Support Team