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MacOS 10.12 Sierra - Pro Audio Compatibility Update

Mike Thornton
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macOS 10.12 Sierra is now supported for Pro Tools 12.6, 12.6 HD, and Eucon 3.5. More and more software and plugins now support macOS Sierra.

Even though Avid and other key developers have now announced support for macOS Sierra for Pro Tools, we strongly recommend you check to make sure all your software and plugins are supported before upgrading.

In addition, make sure you make a full backup in case it all goes wrong and do not upgrade in the middle of a job. Wait until you have some downtime before you upgrade.

Other Articles Covering Different macOS Compatibility

If you want to know more about other Apple operating systems then check out these detailed articles which include a searchable database…

Back to Apple’s Sierra, macOS 10.12…

Ableton (added 15th Oct)

Ableton has released this information on their support pages...

Is Live 9 compatible with macOS Sierra? - We are not aware of any issues affecting the latest version of Live 9 (currently 9.7) under macOS Sierra.  However, older versions of Live 9 cannot be expected to function flawlessly, nor is Live supported on the beta version of macOS Sierra. The latest Live version is available for download in your account, and we recommend making sure that your Live version is fully updated.

Is Live 8 compatible with macOS Sierra?  - Live 8.4.2 is not compatible with macOS Sierra.  The latest operating system to support Live 8.4.2 is Mac OS X 10.9 "Mavericks".

Is Max for Live Compatible with OS X 10.9? - As of version 7.2.4, Max for Live will work in macOS Sierra.  However, for users that upgrade the OS (as opposed to reinstalling it), it is necessary to perform a Java 6 SE installation a new time.

Other information - As always, be sure to make backups of any important data before upgrading your operating system!   If you plan to upgrade to macOS Sierra, please be aware that there's always a risk that a new operating system introduces unforeseen problems or incompatibilities with your existing software. This does not only apply to Ableton Live, but also to third-party plug-ins, hardware drivers and whatever other software tools you are using. We strongly recommend checking with each manufacturer that your software and drivers will work with the new operating system. If you are working on any time-critical projects, we'd recommend staying with your current operating system for the time being. If you upgrade and experience any problems, please contact Ableton support.

Akai Professional (Added Oct 18th)

Akai Professional has released the following statement...

It’s important to us that your work and creativity are not interrupted. We do not recommend updating to OS 10.12 Sierra or iOS10 until your product is listed as compatible on this Knowledge Base article.

Antares (Added 28th Sept)

Antares has released a statement...

Initial tests show that current Antares products have no incompatibilities with macOS Sierra 10.12, with the exception of issues known from previous versions of OS X. Known issues and workarounds can be found at the bottom of this Antares page.

Antelope (Added Jan 5th 2017)

Antelope Audio has released the following statement regarding compatibility of their interfaces and the latest Apple macOS Sierra 10.12...

Currently, all Antelope Audio devices are fully compatible with macOS 10.12 Sierra. All launchers and control panels have been tested and no compatibility issues have been registered.

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You can see a full up to date list here on the Antelope site. 

*For all Eclipse384 users: We are currently updating the control panel. If you have updated your computer to macOS 10.12 Sierra, please, follow these steps:

  1. Download the script available here.

  2. Run it before you start the control panel. It will then navigate you to the panel location so you can launch it.

If the script and the panel are not downloaded in the same directory you’ll have to manually navigate to the panel location.

**For all Orion32 users: We’re currently updating the control panel.

Apogee (Updated 24th Sept)

Apogee has emailed their customers with details on Product support for Mac OS Sierra. They say that there no Apogee software updates are required for macOS Sierra or iOS 10 compatible products if upgrading from Mac OS El Capitan (10.11) or iOS 9.  But if like some of us on the team who are still on Yosemite then you will need to download the latest software from Apogee.

  • Duet for iPad - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • Duet 2 - macOS Sierra compatible

  • Duet Firewire (2007) - macOS Sierra - Not supported

  • Ensemble Firewire (2006) - macOS Sierra - Not supported

  • Ensemble Thunderbolt - macOS Sierra compatible

  • GiO - macOS Sierra compatible

  • Groove - macOS Sierra and Windows 10 compatible

  • JAM - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • JAM 96k - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • ONE for Mac - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • One for iPad and Mac - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • ONE (2009) - macOS Sierra compatible but with a known issue with 48kHz sample rate. 44.1kHz sample rate works as expected.

  • MiC - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • MiC 96k for iPad and Mac - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • Mic 96k for Mac and Windows - macOS Sierra, Windows 10 and iOS10 compatible

  • Quartet - macOS Sierra and iOS10 compatible

  • Symphony I/O Mk II (Thunderbolt and HD - macOS Sierra compatible

  • Symphony I/O - macOS Sierra compatible with new Software Release 5.3 Available as of Sept 23rd

  • Symphony 64 Thunderbridge - macOS Sierra compatible with new Software Release 5.3 Available as of Sept 23rd

  • Symphony 64 PCIe - macOS Sierra compatible with new Software Release 5.3 Available as of Sept 23rd

Arturia (Added Jan 5th 2017)

Arturia has released this statement...

We have the pleasure to announce that we are now officially compatible with Mac OS Sierra (10.12)

Best regards, The Arturia Team

Audinate (Added 29th Oct)

Audinate has released this interim statement as they are still in the process of validating Dante software on Sierra.

  • Dante Controller - The latest version of Dante Controller (v3.10.0.19 for macOS) has passed validation and is fully supported on macOS Sierra.

  • Dante Virtual Soundcard - The latest version of Dante Virtual Soundcard (v3.10.0.8 for macOS) has passed validation and is fully supported on macOS Sierra.

  • Dante Via - The latest version of Dante Via (v1.1.1.1 for macOS) has passed validation and is fully supported on macOS Sierra.

  • Dante PCIe Card Drivers - The current GA Dante PCIe card drivers for Focusrite and Yamaha cards for macOS are not currently supported on Sierra. Updated driver versions will be published individually by the manufacturers as soon as they become available. The latest Audinate PCIe-R card driver for macOS does, however, support 10.12 Sierra. Note that you cannot use this driver for Focusrite or Yamaha cards.

Audient (Added 6th Oct)

Audient has released this statement...

After extensive testing, our iD audio interface range is officially compatible with macOS Sierra. All of our tests show that the entire iD range is stable and works flawlessly with the new Mac OS Sierra update. Please feel free to update your system. However, we do recommend using our latest version of the app and firmware for optimal performance.

Audio Ease (Updated 5th Jan 2017)

On their user forum, Audio Ease has released this statement...

All latest versions work in Sierra.
Altiverb 6 and 7, Speakerphone 2, Barbabatch 4 and Snapper 2.

Audiotech Digital Ltd (Added 18th Oct)

Audiotech Digital, the makers of Penteo surround upmixing tools have provided us with this exclusive statement...

We have tested the Penteo family of stereo-to-surround upmix plugins and have found no incompatibilities between Penteo and the recently released Mac OS 10.12 Sierra. However, as we are a plugin that relies on Pro Tools as a host, we recommend you wait until Avid fully supports Sierra before you upgrade.

Avid (Added 28th Sept - Updated 27th Oct)

Avid has just changed their statement on their Knowledge Base. Even though the first paragraph has not been changed, the statements about the various Avid software products have been updated.

Apple has recently announced its next operating system Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra). Avid has not completed qualification of the new Mac OS 10.12 for all products ( except Sibelius 8.4.2 which has been approved ) and strongly recommends customers do NOT upgrade to this OS version until qualification for our other products is complete. There are open bugs and known issues with current shipping versions of some of our products that will need to be addressed prior to qualification. Please find the qualification status for each of these products below.

  • Media Composer - Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra) is not supported at this time.

  • Pro Tools - macOS 10.12 (Sierra) is supported with Pro Tools 12.6. Please refer to the Pro Tools 12 System Requirements and Pro Tools HD 12 System Requirements pages for more info.

  • Avid Audio Interface Drivers - macOS 10.12 (Sierra) is now supported, please refer to the Drivers for Avid Audio Hardware page for full information.

  • Sibelius v8.4.2 - macOS 10.12 (Sierra) is supported with Sibelius 8.4.2

  • EUCON - macOS 10.12 (Sierra) is supported with EUCON 3.5

  • ISIS & NEXIS - Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra) is not supported at this time.

So it would seem that the audio products are now approved but the video products are yet to be supported. Thanks to community members Dominik Aster, Mick Corey and Shane Power for spotting this one.

We have much more detail about this announcement in our dedicated Pro Tools 12.6 macOS Sierra article.

Basehead (Added 29th Sept)

Steve Tushar from Basehead has given us this exclusive statement...

BaseHead 4.x is compatible with macOS 10.12 minus the ability to show a 'Group' in the Results List by left mouse clicking on it if using 4.x Standard or 4.x Ultra.  This function can still be done if the user right-clicks and chooses it from the contextual menu though. The next update should solve this one broken issue that 10.12 caused.

Cedar DNS (Updated 24th April 2017)

The HASP copy protection system used by Cedar is currently not supported by Cedar Audio for use on macOS Sierra.  Even though Gemalto, the makers of the Sentinel HASP copy protection system that Cedar use, have released an update that supports macOS Sierra (v7.5.3 released on 9th Jan 2017 and 7.5.4 released on 9th March 2017) Cedar Audio was is still not officially supporting macOS Sierra for Cedar Studio because of the incompatibilities between macOS Sierra, Pro Tools and its existing HSP dongle.  CEDAR Audio has now announced CEDAR Studio for iLok to be released in by the end of June 2017. Gordon Reid, Managing Director of CEDAR Audio explained...

We are very grateful to our customers who have been delaying their upgrades to Sierra for many months while we tried to find a solution to this problem. However, it became clear some time ago that it was unlikely that we would be able to continue with the HSP dongle for Pro Tools users on the Mac. We have therefore been working on CEDAR Studio for iLok since 2016 and feel that it's time to let everyone know that this will be available not too far in the future. Adopting the iLok will also make it possible for us to offer additional benefits such as downloadable product and demonstration software to run on existing dongles. While there are still some details to be ironed out, we should have everything in place by the summer, and we'll make a further announcement as soon as firm information is available.

CEDAR for Pyramix™ and CEDAR Studio on other platforms will continue to be protected by the CEDAR HSP dongle.

Celemony (Updated 19th Oct)

Celemony has made this statement on their Facebook page...

Mac users! Have you updated to macOS Sierra yet? We’ve just tested Melodyne 4 (all editions) with it and can confirm full compatibility for both the plug-ins and the stand-alone versions.

Celemony has now listed Mac OS 10.12.10 as a compatible operating system for Melodyne 4 essential, assistant, editor and studio on their System Requirements page.

Eiosis (Added 29th Sept Updated 18th Jan 2017)

Eiosis has made this announcement regarding macOS Sierra support...

All Eiosis products are fully compatible with macOS Sierra. If you have any other questions, please create a support ticket by using the link at the top and we will be happy to assist you.

Prior to that announcement, Eiosis told us exclusively that they were almost good to go... The GUI lag issues specific to El Capitan have been finally fixed and so the plugins properly work: audio process, GUIs, stability. Even so, there are right now 3 known issues:

  • Reaper VST2 32-bit: there is a crash when opening our GUIs

  • Cubase VST2 32-bit: our GUIs appear empty (black window)

  • Gobbler application (specific to Slate Digital subscribers): logo and buttons are missing

Exponential Audio

Michael Carnes has announced on a thread on the DUC that all his plugins are good. he says...

All Exponential Audio plugins are fine on Sierra.  And graphics performance is much snappier there for every DAW I've tested (compared to El Cap).  I've been testing on a 2012 Mac Mini and it's zippier than my trashcan.  

Of course, there are other reasons you may have to wait to upgrade (I'm still waiting on UAD drivers), but Sierra appears to be a much better performer than El Capitan.

Eventide (Added Sept 24th)

Eventide has announced that while there are no issues with Eventide plug-ins on macOS Sierra, there may be incompatibilities with your DAW and other 3rd-party plug-ins.

EastWest (Added 30th Sept)

Blake from EastWest has sent us this exclusive statement...

We haven't had any specific complaints about Sierra with use of PLAY or our products, however, I'm hearing of people having issues with it in various DAWs, which perhaps you are also hearing about. So nothing really to report on our side, but I'm interested in reading your article before I even think about upgrading to it myself. 

FabFilter (Added 22nd Dec)

FabFilter has just released a new minor update for all FabFilter plug-ins, which fixes compatibility issues with macOS Sierra (10.12) on the new MacBook Pro (Late 2016) with Touch Bar. It also solves some other small issues that surfaced after the last update. They recommend all customers update to the latest plug-in versions.

  • Fixed issues with macOS Sierra on the new MacBook Pro (Late 2016) with Touch Bar, that could cause the host to become unresponsive or crash after exiting Full-Screen mode or closing a plug-in window.

  • Pro-Q 2 en Pro-R: Fixed a bug that made it impossible to change the Q when dragging with the Cmd/Ctrl key held down right after creating a new band.

  • Pro-Q 2 en Pro-R: Fixed a small issue that could cause an incorrect Q change direction while dragging with the Cmd/Ctrl key held down.

  • Pro-Q 2: Fixed a crash when using spectrum grab if there are no unused EQ bands available anymore.

  • Twin 2 en One: Fixed a bug that could cause polyphonic portamento to be ignored when exporting or freezing tracks.

Focusrite (Added 28th Sept)

Focusrite has announced that most of their products are compatible with macOS Sierra at this time. 

  • Clarett 2Pre, 4Pre, 8Pre & 8Pre X - Works with Sierra, however, there is a known issue with 5k Retina iMacs (model 17,1), please see this article

  • Red 4Pre - Works with Sierra, however, there is a known issue with 5k Retina iMacs (model 17,1), please see this article

  • Saffire firewire range (Pro 14, Pro 24, Pro 24 DSP, Pro 26, Pro 40, LS 56) - Works with Sierra

  • Scarlett 2i2, Scarlett 2i4, Scarlett Solo (1st and 2nd Generation) - Works with Sierra, However, if you experience any problems selecting your Scarlett as an input or output device on your Mac, please see this article.

  • Scarlett 6i6, Scarlett 18i8, Scarlett 18i20 (1st and 2nd Generation) - Works with Sierra, However, if you experience any problems selecting your Scarlett as an input or output device on your Mac, please see this article.

  • Scarlett 8i6, Scarlett 18i6 - Works with Sierra

  • Saffire 6 USB 2.0 - Works with Sierra, however, if you are using the USB 2.0 version of the Saffire 6, no driver is required. Simply plug and play. If you are unsure whether your unit is the USB 1.1 or 2.0 version please check the serial number shown on the bottom of the device. If the serial number starts 'S2' it's a Saffire 6 USB 2.0, if it starts 'SU', it's a Saffire 6 USB 1.1.

  • Saffire 6 USB 1.1 - Works with Sierra, but you need to download the latest driver here.

  • Forte - Works with Sierra, however, if you experience any problems selecting your Forte as an input or output device on your Mac, please see this article.

  • iTrack Solo - Works with Sierra

  • VRM Box - This does NOT work with Sierra. Apparently the VRM Box will appear as an output device and stream audio, however, the VRM software will not work.

  • RedNet - This is currently untested - RedNet has not yet been qualified for use with macOS Sierra

  • Red 2 & Red 3 plug-in suite - Works with Sierra

  • Midnight plug-in suite - Works with Sierra

  • Scarlett plug-in suite - Works with Sierra. However, if you have problems locating your license file please switch to Icon View. The folder may appear empty if you are in List View or Column View.

  • All Other Focusrite Products not listed above are NOT supported for Mac OS Sierra.

FXPansion (Added Oct 10th)

FXPansion has published this statement...

Apple released macOS Sierra on September 20th, 2016. Some customers have reported issues installing FXpansion software on Sierra, which we have now reproduced.

We recommend that you do not install this update until we update our installers to be fully compatible. If you have already installed Sierra, instructions on how to run the installers can be found on our forum.

FXpansion software is tested and compatible with released versions of Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite, and 10.11 El Capitan. Pre-release and beta versions of Mac OS X / macOS are not supported.

Garritan (Added 28th Sept)

Garritan has made this announcement...

Unfortunately, NotePad and SongWriter cannot be installed in the new OS and do not run properly on updated systems. While we have notified Apple of these incompatibilities, we don’t anticipate that they will be addressed. We recommend that Macintosh users of Finale NotePad and SongWriter either not upgrade to Sierra, or trade up to supported notation software. Additional information about compatibility between macOS Sierra and Finale family notation products can be found in this Knowledge Base Article.

Gobbler (Added 13th Nov)

Gobbler has updated its Marketplace software to support mac OS Sierra. They have responded to come queries on their Facebook page and also made this announcement in their Marketplace FAQ section...

Gobbler's newest build, OS X 2.1.1-build-500, is to be installed by users running OS X 10.9 Mavericks and newer:

If you are running OS X 10.8 and installed a build other than 2.0.44-472, please uninstall it and re-install the only build that will work for you.

If, in either case, you are unable to use the "Uninstall" button in the Settings section, please do a full uninstall. Open Finder to "/Library/Gobbler/Uninstaller" and then run the Gobbler 2 Uninstaller.

HOFA

HOFA has apparently emailed their users with this announcement...

All products by HOFA-Plugins are fit for September 20, when Apple’s new operating system will be released. We tested on the most popular DAWs and can green-light the use of our current versions in Sierra.

iZotope (Updated 8th Nov)

iZotope have released this statement...

We are pleased to announce official support for Apple’s macOS Sierra 10.12, which was released on September 20, 2016.

Thank you for your patience as we ensured a smooth-sailing product experience on the new operating system. If all your software by other vendors is also macOS X 10.12 compatible, you are now safe to update your operating system.

The current iZotope products below are macOS Sierra compatible. If you are already up to date with the latest version of your product, you do not need to take action.  

  • Alloy v2.04

  • BreakTweaker v1.02

  • DDLY v1.01

  • Iris v2.02

  • Insight v1.05

  • Mobius Filter v1.00

  • Music Production Bundle v2.00

  • Nectar v2.04

  • Neutrino v1.00

  • Neutron v1.00

  • Ozone v7.01

  • RX 5 Audio Editor v5.02 (Standard and Advanced)

  • RX Final Mix v1.03

  • RX Loudness Control v1.03

  • RX Plug-in Pack v5.02

  • RX Post Production Suite v1.02

  • Stutter Edit v1.05

  • Trash v2.05

  • Vinyl v1.8

  • Vocal Synth v1.00

The following legacy iZotope products have also been verified as compatible with macOS Sierra:

  • RX v4.03

  • Ozone v6.12

If you are uncertain whether you’re on the latest version of your product, you can confirm and download the latest versions here. And if you are uncertain of your installed product’s version number, follow these instructions.

Korg (Updated 5th Jan 2017)

We now understand that nearly all Korg devices are now compatible with macOS 10.12 Sierra. For information regarding each of their devices, you can download their compatibility chart.

Krotos Audio (Added 20th Oct)

Krotos Audio the makers of Dehumaniser have provided us with an exclusive statement...

We just wanted to let you know that we are fully compatible with macOS Sierra.

Line 6 (Added 5th Oct)

Line 6 have issued this statement...

Support for macOS Sierra has been added to the latest releases of many Line 6 products. check out the latest Mac downloads.

M-Audio (Updated 5th Jan 2017)

We now understand that most M-Audio devices are now compatible with macOS Sierra, however, they highly recommend waiting until your product is listed as compatible here before updating.

McDSP (Updated 2nd May 2017)

McDSP has finally announced macOS Sierra compatibility in a newsletter published on 2nd May 2017. They said...

McDSP v6 plug-ins are now qualified with Sierra (Mac OS 10.12). To update your plug-ins, simply download the latest installer on the McDSP website.

However, at the time of writing the Support page on the McDSP site had not been updated to reflect this announcement.

Metric Halo (Added 24 Sept)

BJ Buchalter, VP Research & Development, sent this message to MIO Users on September 19, 2016

As you may know, Apple is due to release macOS 10.12 (Sierra) tomorrow. We have just posted an update to the MIO software on the website that is required to provide compatibility with macOS Sierra. This version is also compatible with macOS back to 10.6.8.

As is the case with every major Mac system software update, you may want to hold off updating until you are sure that ALL the software and hardware that you depend on for your day to day work is fully compatible with 10.12. There have been some changes to the OS that may cause problems for some audio software or hardware, so you should make sure that everything you depend on is compatible.

That being said, all Metric Halo software and hardware (MIO, SpectraFoo, and the Production Bundle plugins) is compatible with macOS 10.12 - as it has been for all the OS launches since 10.4, so MH won’t hold you up from upgrading.

In addition to providing driver compatibility for 10.12, the 5.6.08 update for MIO adds a number of fixes and features. 

BJ recommends that this update is for all Metric Halo users because if you plan on updating your OS to Sierra, you will need to update your MIO software in order to continue using the driver.

MOTU (Added 28th Sept)

MOTU have made this announcement...

Current versions of all MOTU software products and most hardware drivers are available at motu.com/download The latest versions appear to be compatible with Sierra, although final compatibility testing is still on-going. In some cases, MOTU software updates may be available soon to achieve 100% compatibility. Check motu.com frequently for further announcements in the near future.

Native Instruments

NI have emailed their customers and have said this...

After intensive testing and close collaboration with Apple, we’re happy to report full compatibility and highly stable audio performance with all of our current-generation hardware and macOS Sierra.

However, the following discontinued devices will not be supported on macOS Sierra or future versions of macOS.:

TRAKTOR:

First generations of TRAKTOR KONTROL S4, TRAKTOR AUDIO 2, TRAKTOR AUDIO 8 DJ, TRAKTOR AUDIO 4 DJ and TRAKTOR AUDIO 2 DJ

KOMPLETE:

AUDIO KONTROL 1, GUITAR RIG MOBILE I/O, GUITAR RIG SESSION I/O, RIG KONTROL 2, RIG KONTROL 3, KORE Controller and KORE 2 Controller

MASCHINE hardware (all generations) is not affected.

If you own any of the above devices, we recommend that you continue to use them on your current OSX version. Please understand that since these devices are no longer supported by NI, we cannot guarantee performance or compatibility with macOS Sierra, or future versions of macOS.

To find out more, read this Knowledge Base article.

Non Lethal Applications (Added 29th Sept)

Flo from NLA has told us exclusively...

We have been testing and developing Video Slave 3 on macOS 10.12 Sierra and we didn’t run into any issues. However during our tests, we have discovered that the Audio-MIDI Setup in the new version is a bit buggy so if you’re using that regularly, you might want to wait. In case you update, we strongly advise checking that your drivers for your Blackmagic and AJA devices are up-to-date as we always test with the latest drivers.

Novation (Added 28th Sept)

Apparently most Novation devices are compatible with macOS Sierra at this time. They recommend that you check their compatibility list for more details.

Nugen Audio (Added 17th Oct)

Nugen Audio has provided us with this exclusive statement...

We haven't had any problems reported by our customers and have performed a few local tests.  So far everything is working as expected.  Please note that we haven't performed full compliance tests at this point but we don't anticipate any issues.  Should we or our customers encounter any compatibility issues with our current products we will obviously work to correct them.

Output (Added 30th Sept)

Brian from Output has sent us this exclusive statement...

Based on our tests across multiple DAWs on Mac and PC, we are compatible with Mac OS Sierra and haven’t experienced issues.

Plugin Alliance (Updated 20th Dec)

Plugin Alliance has emailed their users with this statement...

We’re very pleased to announce that with today’s release of version 4.4.1 of the All Bundle, all 73 plugins in the Alliance stable are now fully Sierra compatible, supporting Mac OS versions 10.8 through 10.12. All current versions of every product have been updated; whether you download directly from our product pages, or use our new Installation Manager application, you can grab your Sierra compatible versions now. 

In addition to the Sierra fix, there are numerous bug fixes and enhancements for both Mac and Windows, so be sure to update to take full advantage of these changes. Please note that, as of version 4.4.1, Plugin Alliance products are no longer supported on OS X versions 10.7 and below.  

However note that the legacy Brainworx products: bx_digital V2, bx_rockrack PRO– and legacy SPL products: Transient Designer, EQ Rangers Vol. 1– do not yet support Sierra. An update for these plugins has been scheduled for January, after which we will announce full support.

Presonus (Updated Jan 5th 2017)

Presonus now has an extensive article in their Knowledge Base confirming that Presonus software and hardware are compatible with macOS Sierra.

Hardware and Control Software

Universal Control v1.8.1 or later with:

Universal Control v1.7.4 (with Virtual StudioLive) with:

  • StudioLive 24.4.2

  • StudioLive 16.4.2

  • StudioLive 16.0.2

  • FireStudio Project

  • FireStudio Mobile

 StudioLive CS18Ai

  • Firmware v9203 when used by itself or in conjunction with a StudioLive RM/RML Series Mixer

Known Issue: Universal Control Version 1.7.2 and older WILL NOT work with Mac OS X 10.12 or 10.11, you MUST upgrade to version 1.7.4 available on the download page for your product. 

NOTE: If you have upgraded to 10.12 Sierra from a previously installed OSX version, instead of a clean install, and you are experiencing problems with your StudioLive Classic or FireStudio device; we recommend doing a full manual uninstall of Universal Control 1.7.2 and a new install of Universal Control 1.7.4+.

See here for StudioLive Classic: http://support.presonus.com/entries/119040-How-do-I-Uninstall-Reinstall-my-device-drivers-for-the-StudioLive-on-a-Mac-

See here for FireStudio family: http://support.presonus.com/entries/113168-FireStudio-Family-How-do-I-Uninstall-Reinstall-my-FireStudio-drivers-on-a-Mac-computer-

  • FaderPort with firmware v.1.3.8

  • Note - FaderPort already ships with 1.3.8 firmware, so there is no need to update it.

Prime Studio (Added 4th Oct)

Gerhard from Prime Studio has been in touch to tell us that so far they have not found issues with OS Sierra running their plug-ins.

Propellerhead (Added 5th Oct)

Propellerhead has released their compatibility statement...

We’re happy to report that we have now tested Reason 9.1 and Reason 8.3.2, Reason Essentials 9.0 and Reason Essentials 8.3.2, and ReCycle 2.2.4, and haven’t found any problems under Mac OS Sierra.

Reason, Reason Essentials and ReCycle versions prior to the versions listed above are not officially supported under Mac OS Sierra.

Please note: your music-making system does not consist of Propellerhead products alone. Please make sure that all your hardware (audio interfaces, controllers etc.) is compatible. Check the manufacturers’ websites for details.

Quiet Art (Added Oct 3rd)

Vedat has been in touch from Quiet Art and sent us this exclusive statement...

My initial tests show that both Defaulter and WaveRider work as expected on Sierra and PT12.6. Catchin Sync also works as expected on iOS10.

RME (Added 28th Sept)

RME has released this statement...

Current RME HDSPe Series (PCIe), FireWire and USB drivers are fully compatible with macOS Sierra. Our latest USB driver is taking advantage of the new USB stack in this OS to provide even better performance – more stable, reliable and supporting even lower buffers than could be used with the previous Mac OS.

Rogue Amoeba (Added 15th Oct)

Rogue Amoeba has a dedicated Status page for Mac OS Sierra support and currently, the following applications are listed as supporting mac OS Sierra...

  • Airfoil for Mac v 5.1.3

  • Audio Hijack v3.3.2

  • Fission v2.3.1

  • Loopback v1.0.3

  • Nicecast v1.11.11

  • Piezo v1.5.2

  • LineIn v2.1.1

  • MakeiPhoneRingtone v1.3.4

  • PongSaver v2.0

Roland (Added 15th Oct)

Roland has an active page covering their wide range of products so do check this page regularly to see if your Roland products are compatible with macOS Sierra. However, they have had this statement...

When updated to macOS Sierra (10.12), the following products become inoperable. We are currently working to prepare and verify a driver for macOS Sierra (10.12). We ask that you please refrain from updating the operating system until a driver for macOS Sierra (10.12) is listed. We apologise for any inconvenience.

  • BK-3, BK-5, BK-7m, BK-9

  • Digital Piano Driver

  • DR-880

  • E-A7

  • FR-1x, FR-1xb, FR-8x, FR-8xb

  • JUNO-Di

  • M-200i, M-300, M-480

  • R-1000

  • RD-300NX, RD-700NX, RD-800

  • SBX-1

  • OCTAPAD SPD-30

  • XPS-10

Slate Digital (Updated Jan 5th 2017)

Slate Digital has made the following announcement on their Knowledgebase...

All Slate Digital products are fully compatible with OSX Sierra. If you have any other questions, please create a support ticket by using the link at the top and we will be happy to assist you.

We understand that with regard to the Steven Slate Drums brand, SSD4 and Trigger have not been fully tested at this time but they working on updates for both of these products to be released in due course. 

With regard to their Raven control surfaces, Slate Media Technology has made this announcement on their forum.

Mac OS 10.12 Sierra is approved for RAVEN 3.2.0. Please be cautious of additional plug-in and DAW limitations and support before updating.

Softube (Added 16th Oct)

Softube has released this statement...

We are currently in the process of making sure that all of our products run properly on macOS Sierra. Meanwhile, we recommend all our users to hold off on updating to Sierra until it is clearly stated in our System Requirements that it is fully supported.

Sonnox (Updated 5th Jan 2017)

Sonnox has released this statement on their Support page...

macOS Sierra (version 10.12) was released on September 20th 2016. Our testing confirms full compatibility in host DAWs which support macOS Sierra.

We recommend you make sure you have the latest versions of Sonnox plugins.

Sounds In Sync (Updated 4th Nov)

Mark Franken at Sounds In Sync has made this announcement...

Today we released updates for our applications EdiPrompt v2 and EdiLoad v3 for compatibility for Apple’s latest operating system macOS Sierra. All of our apps are now compatible with macOS Sierra and have been tested with Pro Tools v12.6. The macOS Sierra compatible versions of our apps are as follows:

Application installers can be downloaded from our download page.

Sound Radix (Added 30th Sept)

Nir from Sound Radix has provided us with this exclusive statement...

Other than the beta version of 32 Lives V2, I'm happy to say that we're all good with Sierra compatibility with our released products. 

Soundtoys (Added Jan 5th 2017)

Soundtoys released an announcement dated 10th Oct 2016 in their Support Center saying...

We are not aware of any issues between our plug-ins and the new macOS Sierra operating system at this time. We have done some testing between our latest release (5.1.0) and the beta release of macOS and will continue testing our current and upcoming releases with macOS Sierra. If any issues pop up, we will fix them. Our next update will be fully tested on Sierra.

We cannot guarantee support with macOS Sierra if your host platform (Pro Tools, Logic, etc.) isn't supported. Please do not update to macOS Sierra unless your host platform's manufacturer has announced compatibility. 

Although the current release as of January 5th 2017 is 5.1.1, it is not clear if this is officially supported for Mac OS Sierra as we have received any more up to date information. 

Source Elements (Added 28th Sept)

Source Elements have told us that with regard to Source-Connect there is a minor issue with Source-Connect Standard, but it has been found to cause no problems apart from the loading warning screen but this issue only seems to be affecting Source-Connect Standard whereas the Pro and Pro X versions are unaffected. 

They tell us that the latest versions of the rest of their products appear to be running fine on macOS Sierra. However, they will be performing extensive tests as well in order to be 100% sure for all their products, as well as take care of the Source-Connect Standard issue.

Spectrasonics (Updated 25th Oct)

Spectrasonics have emailed their user base to say that Omnisphere 2, Keyscape, Trilian and Stylus RMX are now qualified for use with macOS Sierra. They have also announced two updates although it is not clear from the email if these updates are required for mac OS Sierra compatibility.  Spectrasonics users can log in to download Keyscape v1.0.1 and Omnisphere 2.3.1

They have now issued a workaround for their Download Manager, you can more details in the Spectrasonics Knowledgebase.

Steinberg (Added 28th Sept)

Steinberg released the following statement via their Twitter feed.

Regarding macOS Sierra! We strongly recommend you to wait until the entire compatibility chart for all Steinberg products has been published.

Synchro Arts (Added 29th Sept)

We have received this exclusive statement from Jeff Bloom at Synchro Arts..

I have tested Revoice Pro with Sierra and not found problems. Revoice Pro supports the new features provided to apps on Sierra. I have done some testing of VocALign and not found any problems. However, I am not planning to test all DAW combinations on Sierra unless we get a problem reported.

Tascam (Added 30th Sept)

Tascam has a dedicated page on their site with a matrix but as of 30th September, this is a snapshot of their status. They have told us exclusively that the 'Ds' should be turning to 'Ts' very soon. The dot stands for supported, D stands for Under Development and the T is fro Final Testing. A Dash means it isn't supported.

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The Cargo Cult (Added 22nd Sept)

Justin from The Cargo Cult has said...

  • The new Slapper (1.5) seems OK so far.

  • Conformalizer has an issue with the CTRL modifier.

  • Spanner TBA... it's hard to know for sure till we see a Pro Tools build which is qualified.

More as it comes to hand.

Toontrack (Added 28th Sept)

Toontrack have released this statement with a workaround...

We have not yet had any operational issues reported with Toontrack products on Sierra. We have had reports of installers not working properly for EZXs, SDXs, and Midi pack. This goes for EZkeys sound libraries and EZkeys Midi as well.
The workaround, for now, is to install these expansions is manually. If you run into any customers who cannot install their expansions pack on Sierra please let us know so we can provide the proper workaround.

Universal Audio (Updated 8th Nov)

Universal Audio has updated their information on macOS sierra support. and revised it with the release of v9.0 software.

UAD v9.0.0 is compatible with macOS Sierra. There are currently no known UAD compatibility issues with UAD v9.0.0 and macOS Sierra.

Important: Install UAD v9.0.0 before upgrading to macOS Sierra. All earlier versions of UAD software and UAD v9.0.1 software are incompatible with macOS Sierra.

UAD Hardware macOS Sierra Compatibility Summary

  • Apollo Thunderbolt (all models) Compatible

  • Apollo FireWire (1 Unit) Compatible

  • Apollo 16 FireWire (1 Unit) Compatible

  • UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt Compatible

  • UAD-2 Satellite FireWire Compatible

  • UAD-2 PCIe cards Compatible

  • Apollo FireWire (2 Units) Incompatible

  • Apollo 16 FireWire (2 Units) Incompatible

UAD v9.0.0 and UAD v9.0.1 are fully tested and compatible with released versions of macOS 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite, and 10.11 El Capitan. 

Known Issue with earlier UAD Software and macOS Sierra

  • Note: The following issue does NOT occur when UAD v9.0.0 is installed before upgrading to macOS Sierra.

  • Symptom: Installing UAD v8.7 or earlier software onto a macOS Sierra system, or upgrading to macOS Sierra with earlier UAD software installed, may cause the system to fail on startup.

  • Solution: If the computer will not startup, start the computer in Safe mode by holding down the Shift key during startup, then run the Uninstall Universal Audio Software application located in /Applications/Universal Audio. After uninstalling, install UAD v9.0.0, or install/restore a previous version of macOS.

  • Note: This symptom/solution also applies to Soundcraft Realtime Rack software.

UAD v8.7.4s allows Apollo and UAD-2 hardware and software to operate with macOS Sierra on Thunderbolt-equipped Macs. There are currently no known compatibility issues with UAD v8.7.4s and macOS Sierra.

Apollo FireWire operation under macOS Sierra is coming in the very near future. 

Important: All versions of UAD software except for UAD v8.7.4s are incompatible with macOS Sierra.

UVI (Added 15th Oct)

UVI have not currently made a statement but in their FAQ page, they list mac OS Sierra as a supported OS.

Waves (Updated 30th Oct)

Waves have just updated their mac OS Sierra support status and have issued this statement..

All Waves plugins (V9.6) and software applications are now fully compatible with Mac OS X Sierra 10.12.1. Compatibility has been tested and confirmed.

If you are using a VST-compatible DAW, you will need to reinstall your Waves plugins and software applications using Waves Central in order to use them in Mac OS X Sierra.

Yamaha (Added 29th Oct)

Yamaha has announced that they are testing the compatibility of Yamaha Software for keyboards with macOS Sierra (10.12) operating system. They have a dedicated page where they are updating support but at the time of writing all the products were listed as 'Testing' except for the AG DSP CONTROLLER which is listed as incompatible.

They also state that...

Please be aware of the possibility that our software which is currently available might not work properly with macOS Sierra.

Think Before You Update

Even though there are a significant number of announcements so far on mac OS Sierra compatibility and there are a number of positive reports of people having success with Sierra, our advice is to check that all the plugin brands that you use, have approved it AND you have some downtime to do the update and deal with any issues.

We are continuing to update this article as more information comes in. Please do share any news and experiences you have had in the comments below.

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