VST plugins in Tabify on macOS: installation and setup

How it works

• Plugins are VST3. Tabify scans the standard folders /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 and ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 on its own. Any other folder can be added in the settings.
• Tabify does not load Audio Units (AU) yet. Most Mac plugins install in several formats at once — you need their VST3 version.
• Audio goes through Core Audio, the built-in macOS sound system. No separate drivers like ASIO are needed.

1. Connect your audio interface

Most USB interfaces work on a Mac without drivers — just plug them in. If the manufacturer offers a macOS driver or utility (often needed for the interface mixer or firmware), install it from their website.

The first time you turn on the instrument input in Tabify, macOS asks for microphone access — allow it: that is what the system calls any audio input, and without it Tabify cannot hear your guitar.

2. Pick the input and output in Tabify

Open Preferences → Audio and choose:

• Audio input — the interface input your guitar is plugged into;
• Audio output — the output to your headphones or monitors;
• Buffer size — 128–256 samples is usually enough for playing live. If the sound crackles, raise it.

3. Install plugins

Run the plugin installer (.pkg or .dmg) and, if it lets you pick formats, tick VST3. The installer puts the plugin into /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3. Plugins that install through their own manager (Native Access, iLok License Manager and so on) go through it.

Tabify for Mac runs on Apple Silicon, so a plugin needs an Apple Silicon version — usually labelled Universal or Native Apple Silicon. Intel-only plugins will not load.

4. Add the plugins in Tabify

1. Scan for plugins. Open the “VST Plugins” window and click “Scan” — or turn on “Rescan on launch” in Preferences → Plug-ins/VST.
2. Add a plugin to your guitar or to a tab track — find it with the search in the “VST Plugins” window.

If a plugin lives in another folder, add it in Preferences → Plug-ins/VST → “Add” or with “Add path” right in the “VST Plugins” window. If a plugin hangs or crashes while scanning, Tabify skips it and carries on with the rest.

If something goes wrong

• The plugin is not in the list. Check that the VST3 version is installed (not only AU) and that it supports Apple Silicon. If the plugin is not in a standard folder, add the folder and click “Scan” again.
• Tabify does not hear the guitar. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and turn Tabify on. Then check the input in Preferences → Audio.
• macOS blocks the plugin (“the developer cannot be verified”). Reinstalling a fresh version from the manufacturer’s website usually helps. If you trust the plugin, you can lift the block in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Plugin name.vst3"

• The sound crackles or stutters. Raise the buffer size in Preferences → Audio.

FAQ