I’ve been using Crow Hill plugins (Pocket Strings, Vaults - sensational products BTW) in Midi Guitar 3 and Waveform 13 for a while now on a MacBook Pro running Sequoia, all good. I’ve just started using GarageBand, and when I try to load Vaults I get the error “please update to the latest version of your instrument”. Similarly, Pocket Strings gives a modal “ Ready to register your library?“ and a button to open the app, but when I open it Pocket Strings is shown as installed and active. If anyone knows how to get these plugins up and running in GarageBand it’d be much appreciated, thanks.
Hello @Clive_McFarland
I’m not sure if you’ve managed to get help on this yet - or figured it out yourself - and I don’t use A Mac or Garage Band myself - but I’ve had a go at trying to find you some troubleshooting steps using co-pilot to scan resources available via Apple/GarageBand and Crow Hill Support.
Here they are if you still need some help with this.
Run the Crow Hill App before opening GarageBand
Apparently GarageBand sometimes caches plugin states. If the Crow Hill App isn’t open first, it may think the library isn’t registered yet? Worth a go.
- Quit GarageBand completely
- Open the Crow Hill App
- Confirm Pocket Strings / Vaults show as installed + activated
- Then open GarageBand and try loading the AU
This might fix the issue - it has for others according to copilot.
Force GarageBand to rescan Audio Units
GarageBand doesn’t have a “rescan” button allegedly, but you might be able to trigger one:
Open Logic Pro’s Plug‑in Manager if they have Logic
or
Reset the AU cache manually:
Library > Caches > AudioUnitCache
Delete:
com.apple.audiounits.cache
com.apple.audiounits.sandboxed.cache
Then restart the Mac and open GarageBand again.
This would force GarageBand to revalidate the AU versions.
**
Check for mismatched versions**
The error “please update to the latest version of your instrument” usually means:
The AU plugin version and the library version don’t match
Or the AU didn’t update properly during installation
Suggest:
Opening the Crow Hill App
Clicking Check for Updates
Reinstalling Pocket Strings / Vaults from there
Confirm the AU is installed in the correct folder
GarageBand only reads from:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
If the AU accidentally installed into the user-level folder:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
GarageBand may ignore it.
Moving the .component file to the system-level folder often resolves this.
Try loading the AU version, not VST
GarageBand only supports AU.
If you are used to Waveform or MG3, you may be thinking in VST terms, according to co-pilot.
A reminder to:
Choose Audio Units > The Crow Hill Company > Pocket Strings / Vaults
If all else fails: reinstall the AU only
You don’t need to redownload the whole library — just the plugin.
In the Crow Hill App:
Uninstall the instrument
Reinstall
Reopen GarageBand
This refreshes the AU registration without touching samples.
Reference links for the above:
GarageBand: Using Audio Units plug‑ins
Explains AU support, plugin folder locations, and restarting GarageBand after installation.
https://support.apple.com/guide/garageband-mac/use-audio-units-plug-ins-gbmpce6c4c1/mac (support.apple.com in Bing)
Audio Unit Programming Guide (Apple Developer)
Documents AU validation, version mismatches, and cache behaviour.
Audio Unit Programming Guide (developer.apple.com in Bing)
Crow Hill Support Page
Will Vaults work on my machine? – THE CROW HILL COMPANY
Hi Eleri, thanks for taking the time and trouble to look into this for me. I too went down the AI route before I posted, but not as thoroughly as you! So I had already tried some of your suggestions, and others I knew weren’t the issue because the plugins were working fine with Midi Guitar 3 on my Mac. But that still leaves a few of your ideas to try! I’ve also noticed that Vaults which were installed and activated after I installed GarageBand seem to be fine, so possibly an update/caching issue. I’m about to head overseas so won’t get back to this for a while, but will report any progress! Thanks again for your thoughtful advice.
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You’re very welcome!