Plugin Settings¶

The Plugin Settings dialog manages VST3 plugin directories, scanning, and exclusions. Open it from Settings > Plugin Scan. Sections below.

System Plugin Directories¶

Lists the default system paths where MAGDA looks for VST3 plugins. These are read-only and determined by the operating system:

/Users/<name>/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 (user)
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 (system)

Custom Plugin Directories¶

Add extra folders for MAGDA to search when scanning for plugins. Use the Add... button to browse for a directory and Remove to delete the selected entry.

Preferred Plugin Format (macOS)¶

When the same external plugin is installed as both a VST3 and an Audio Unit, MAGDA can collapse the pair to one entry. The Preferred plugin format selector (macOS only) offers Prefer VST3 or Prefer Audio Unit, and applies to browsing and to default plugin lookup.

Projects you have already saved still load whichever exact plugin they referenced, regardless of this setting.

Scanning¶

Scan for Plugins — Start a full scan of all listed directories. A progress bar shows scan progress.
View Scan Report — Open the log from the most recent scan, showing which plugins were found, loaded, or rejected.

Excluded Plugins¶

Plugins that failed to load or were manually excluded appear here with the reason and date. Use Remove Selected to re-enable individual plugins or Reset All to clear the entire exclusion list.