MacOS 26.X Tahoe Optimization Guide

VAD SUPPORTED macOS

*Mojave 10.14.1 to 10.14.6 are supported with VAD v2.1.46186 and higher
*Catalina 10.15.1 to 10.15.7 is supported with VAD v3.0.47300 and higher
*Big Sur 11.3.1 to 11.7 (Intel and M1/Silicon) is supported with VAD v3.0.47300 and higher (recommended to run VAD 3.2 >)
*Monterey 12.x (Intel and M1/Silicon) latest certified 12.6.1 is supported with VAD v3.2.0.50895 and higher
*Ventura 13.x latest certified 13.6 supported with VAD v3.2.5.55784 and higher
Sonoma 14.x: Supported as of version 14.4.1 or 14.5.0 and above recommended with VAD 3.3.0.58708 and higher 14.6.1 to avoid, rather update to 14.7.x
Sequoia 15.1 to 15.4: Supported VAD 3.4.0_60094 and above. We do not recommend the use of Sequoia 15.0 but as of the 15.1 update
Warning: Sequoia issue: update 15.4 and 15.5 shows the VAD panel not working at times. Find the workaround here.
Tahoe 26.3: Supported VAD 3.6.0_62970 and above.
We recommend to carefully check your DAW manufacturer recommendations.

* No longer supported by Apple
iOS: NOT SUPPORTED
Hackintosh systems: NOT SUPPORTED

Warnings:

Do not upgrade to macOS Tahoe until you’ve confirmed compatibility for your hardware and software by the manufacturer.
Starting from macOS 10.15 Catalina, 32-bit software is not compatible and will not be supported on future versions of macOS, including Big Sur.
- Please consider the use of an Ethernet gigabit adapter, Merging highly recommends
- The Sonnet Thunderbolt Adaptor for up to 128 IO Support
  https://www.sonnettech.com/product/thunderbolt-avb-adapter/overview.html
- The InLine USB to Ethernet Adaptor is recommended for a maximum of 24 IO
  https://www.inline-info.com/en/InLine-USB-3.2-to-2.5G-ethernet-network-adapter-cable-USB-C-to-RJ45
  Warning: This is due to an Apple's USB performance weakness Belkin adaptors are no longer recommended on recent macOS and/or on M1/M2/M3/M4 Silicon family.
- Apple M1-M2-M3-M4/Silicon VAD installation requires a specific procedure, follow our VAD Guide for all details here

ANEMAN v2.x (or above) recommended
MT Discovery 20.0.x (or above) recommended

Note: on some MacOS Merging noticed that some installer cannot be updated.
If you have a -1 error or a "Locked" error please remove the existing version from your Applications and then install the new one.

INSTALLERS DOWNLOADS
https://www.merging.com/support/downloads#macOS

INSTALLATION NOTICE

Third-party hardware & software compatibility
You might discover that certain software or hardware you’ve relied on for years is no longer supported by its manufacturer and won’t be available in versions compatible with macOS Tahoe. If that happens, you’ll have to decide whether to replace them with newer applications or devices.

About Intel-based Mac
macOS Tahoe will run on any Mac with Apple silicon, but it will also run on four particular models of Intel-based Mac made in 2019 and 2020

Important notice for installing the VAD or Core Audio driver on macOS High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, Tahoe.
Those recent macOS introduced a new security measure that requires user approval before installing third-party driver software.
When installing the MERGING TECHNOLOGIES RAVENNA / AES67 VAD or Core Audio driver on those OS you must enable the driver software installation as described here.
This should not affect drivers that were already installed before updating your system to a new macOS.

Tahoe: M1 - M2 - M3 - M4 (Silicon)

VAD installation

Install an application such as the VAD required to be in Reduced Security mode.
Follow the VAD Guide for all M1, M2, M3 or M4 installation details, this is subject to change as Apple often changes the procedures.. Click here

Procedure to change boot drive security settings on Apple M1/M2/M3/M4:

Shut down the Mac
Press and hold the power button until you see “Loading startup options”
Click Options
Click "Continue"
If asked, select a user > Click Next > Enter password for admin account
In the menu bar at the top, Select Utilities > Startup Security Utility
Select the startup disk
If the disk is encrypted, Click Unlock > Enter Password > Click Unlock
Click "Security Policy"
Select "Reduced Security"
Put a check next to “Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers”
Click "OK"
Enter admin password > click "OK"
Once changes are applied, click the Apple icon and Restart

Known issues

Apple Kext Drivers not starting:
On some rare VAD installation the VAD panel entries remain greyed out. The temporary solution is to open
a Terminal command in the Mac and to enter the line below.
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/MergingRAVENNAAudioDriver.kext
Follow by your password. This will force start the VAD until the next reboot.
Merging has contacted Apple about this issue on their macOS side.

VAD panel not opening as a System Settings pane.

Workaround: Force Quit the System Settings if the VAD panel is blank. See image here.
Next opening the VAD panel will show up.

Authorize the VAD - Kernel Extension

In macOS 11 Big Sur and later versions, third-party kernel extensions require user’s approval and restarting of the macOS to load the changes into the kernel, and they also require that the secure boot be configured to Reduced Security on a Mac with Apple silicon.

To authorize VAD extension, choose "Open System Settings" when prompted during installation, this will open the System Preferences > Security & Privacy, under the General tab. Click "Allow" to confirm your intent to allow VAD system extension. Follow onscreen instructions to complete the process. You have about 30 min to do so otherwise the VAD might not run and it could require an uninstall and reinstall of the VAD.

Note: it is possible since macOS 13 Ventura to be presented with authorization message box twice, as per below.

In such case type in your password and "Allow" In some cases the "Allow" can be done automatically. After the restart just make sure immediately that under Security & Privacy you no longer have a pending Merging Technology message.

The app is now saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it in the future by double-clicking it, just as you can any authorized app.

More details can be found here.
Kernel extensions
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491

The installation should be successful and require a reboot afterwards

VAD installation Issues
1. Open Finder and go to Application>Merging Technologies and run the Uninstall_All if present there.
2. Reboot
3. Authorize the Download Folder under Privacy and security > folders and files > installer > click right arrow > turn on downloads folder
(p.s. some recent mac OS updates no longer have that choice)
4. Make sure you are in Reduced Security Mode (M-series macs, see procedure above)
5. Re-install the VAD.

Accessories not seen: If you did not Allow an accessory to connect (such as a Sonnet Network Adaptor) it is possible that the message does not pop up.
To force the message to show go to Privacy & Security and scroll down the page.
Select “Allow Accessories” to connect and select "Ask Every Time"

Reconnect your network adaptor or interface and Allow the connectivity.
You can then change back the setting to "Ask for New Accessories" if you wish to.

Note: On macOS the NVRAM can be reset to address your audio issues. Follow Apple procedure for this. Verify once again our system configuration guidelines afterwards.

TAHOE CONFIGURATION GUIDELINES

Background processes

The most important rule to maximize your computer’s resources for working with audio is to quit all the apps that you are not using while you work in your DAW.
Any apps you leave running take up space in memory and take away from your system’s computing power. They may also run background processes that interfere with recording and playing back audio.

iCloud Settings

Go to System Settings
On the right pane, click on iCloud Drive. Click Turn Off.
Under Advanced Data Protection Turn Off.
Note: Other Cloud services like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive,… should also be turned off.

Time Machine

Backing up your Mac with Time Machine is a great idea, but should be done manually for music production computers.
When automatic Time Machine backups are enabled, the backup can occur when you record and cause problems.

Go to System Settings > General > Time Machine.
Uncheck “Back Up Automatically” to turn off automatic backups.
In the Time Machine “Options…” menu, only use drives that need to be backed up; for instance, the internal Macintosh HD.
Under Backup frequency, drop down menu select Manually. This will interrupt the regular backup process

Notification of Background Items

After installing Merging's VAD software, a Background Items Added notification appears. Background Items are required for Merging's Software and VAD to run properly.
System Settings > Notifications >Application Notifications.
Note: Always allow Merging Technologies Software background items.

Login items

Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.
Merging Technologies should be enabled in the App Background Activity section.

Disable Stage Manager

Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock
Scroll down the page on the right side until you see Stage Manager.
Click the switch to turn Stage Manager off.

Wallpaper & Screen Saver

The Wallpaper and Screen Saver preferences do not negatively affect performance bandwidth, but you may choose to use a simple background and no screensaver for optimization.

In System Settings > Wallpaper, use a simple background instead of changing pictures.
In the Screen Saver menu, select Never for the “Start after:” drop-down menu.

Privacy and Security Settings

Set parameters under Privacy & Security

Location service

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
Across from Location Services, turn off the button in the upper-right corner to disable Location Services for all listed apps at once.
Across from System Services, click on Details.
The System Services Can Access Your Location For dialog box will open.
Turn off each of the settings individually. Click Done.

Privacy

In the Privacy menu, under Microphone, check all apps (DAWs, anything that uses your audio devices) that you want to record audio with.
In the Privacy menu, under Accessibility, check iLok and all other necessary audio or licensing apps.

Analytics & Improvements

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements.
Turn off the individual options.

Allow applications downloads

In the Security menu, for “Allow applications from:” select App Store and known developers.

FileVault

In the Security menu, turn off FileVault. If turned on, user your iCloud account or recovery key to turn it off.

Disable the Firewall

Go to System Settings > Network > Firewall.
Click the button to turn it on or off.
If it is on, you can click the Options button and select additional settings.

Optimize Energy Saver.

This optimization will free up system resources as well as prevent the computer from going to sleep or standby mode which can cause audio dropouts with software and hardware.
Note: some options may not be available on all computers

Go to System Settings > Battery (laptop) Energy (desktop)
Low Power Mode should be set to Never
Uncheck “Automatic graphics switching”
Access the Options menu
Check “Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off”.
Set “Wake for network access” to Never.
Uncheck “Put hard disks to sleep when possible”.
Uncheck “Start up automatically after a power failure”.
Uncheck “Enable Power Nap”.

Turn off Wi-Fi
If your computer is equipped with Bluetooth wireless and/or Wi-Fi, these may need to be disabled for Audio applications to work correctly.
In addition to freeing up system resources, disabling these can help resolve DAE errors -6085, -6086 and -6101.
Unless required for a device or feature (e.g., iLok Cloud, EuCon controller, Ableton Link, etc.), turn Wi-Fi Off and disconnect from the Ethernet port.

Open System Settings > Wi-Fi
On the right side, disable Wi-Fi.

If Wi-Fi is required, set “Ask to join new networks” to Off.

To disable Bluetooth

Open System Settings > Bluetooth
On the right side, disable Bluetooth.

Automatic Updates
Some updates to your Mac software can cause conflicts with DAWs or drivers.
Therefore, it is suggested to disable the automatic update functionality within the operating system.
If there is an update that you need, you can manually update your Mac software.

Go to System Settings > General > Software Update.
On Automatic Updates you can click on the Information icon, and a dialog box will open
Click the buttons to disable the options, then click Done.

Network

The networking features on your Mac can take up processing bandwidth and interrupt some features. While many systems can watch YouTube, check email, and run a Pro Tools or Live session at the same time, that can cause produce performance loss and even require a restart or reconfiguration if software/hardware starts performing incorrectly.

Turn off and remove the Thunderbolt networking when not using their port for a network connection, unless of course using an Network Interface connected to those ports for your RAVENNA/AES67 network.
If you have two network interfaces use one dedicated to the RAVENNA/AES67 network and use the second Ethernet connection instead of the built-in Wi-Fi for internet access.
If internet access is required and you’re using network devices like Eucon Controllers, choose an Ethernet/Thunderbolt connection for the devices and Wi-Fi for internet access.
When using the built-in Wi-Fi for Remote Control, then choose the Ethernet/Thunderbolt network connections for internet access.
On the network interface connected to the RAVENNA/AES67 network, make sure Duplex setting is set to full-duplex (and not full-duplex, energy-efficient ethernet), and Speed is 1000baseT.
Those settings can be access in the Advanced > Hardware tab.
Disable "Limit IP Address Tracking"

Warning: Avoid the use of Anti-Virus applications such as "Little Snitch" that could block connectivity.

Set Ravenna Network Service Order first

Open System Preferences.
Click on Network.
The sidebar on the left lists all recognized network interfaces. Click the gear symbol underneath the sidebar and select Set service order...
Drag the name of the Network Interface where you RAVENNA/AES67 network if connected to at the top of the service order
Click the Apply button to save changes.

Top one listed in the example above is the recommended Sonnet AVB Adaptor

Disable Unused Network adaptors

Your Mac may be configured with software network interfaces that you don’t use. They may interfere with data on the USB or Thunderbolt bus, so it’s best to disable them.

Go to System Settings > Network.

The interfaces you need to keep pertain to Wi-Fi and Ethernet.

Click on a network interface you don’t use, for example, Thunderbolt Bridge.
In the next pane, click Make Inactive. You can also click on Delete Service.
Repeat this for any additional interfaces that appear.

Note: Previously connected network interfaces can at times prevent proper Sync Lock, remove adaptor history if you have such issues (p.s delete the interface and recreating again by changing USB ports).

Audio Glitches?
If you have glitches try to increase the Latency in the VAD panel and as well close all Browsers in use.

Disable Sudden Motion Sensor (For laptops only, and not available on all models)
If you're recording in a loud environment, this optimization will prevent the Sudden Motion Sensor from kicking in and throwing a -9073 error in Pro Tools.

Double-click on the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop. (This would be your system drive if you have renamed it to something else.)
Go to the Applications folder.
Go to the Utilities folder.
Double-click on Terminal.
Type sudo pmset -a sms 0 and press Return. (Typing in '0' disables it.)
Enter your administrator when prompted.
Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.

To re-enable Sudden Motion Sensor:

Go back to Terminal following the above steps.
Type sudo pmset -a sms 1 and press Return. (Typing in '1' re-enables it.)
Enter your administrator when prompted.
Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.

Apple Intelligence & Siri

Apple Intelligence & Siri are not required to record and will limit performance bandwidth. Re-enable as necessary.

Go to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
Make sure Apple Intelligence is disabled (should show Turn on Apple Intelligence)
Disable Siri

Enable Spotlight Indexing

DAW relies on Spotlight indexing for Workspace database search operations. It is therefore suggested that Spotlight be allowed access to all mounted drives.
This should be active by default, but to be sure nothing is hidden from Spotlight please follow these steps:

Open System Settings > Spotlight
Click on the Search Privacy button at the bottom of the page.
Be sure no drives appear in this list. It should be empty.
If any drives do appear, highlight each one and click the minus (-) button below the list to remove them.

When Spotlight is enabled, long record passes (over 50 minutes) may stop recording after 50+ minutes. Consider disabling Spotlight for long recording sessions and then re-enable it when you are done recording.
Disable Spotlight using launchctl, /Applications/Utilities/Terminal : sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist (this will require the administrative password)
Reenable Spotlight, reload it into launchd using launchctl: sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

Sound (Audio MIDI Setup)

The Sound preferences are for selecting the default audio device for the audio output and input. Your Mac’s built-in speakers and microphone are selected by default.
Select your audio interface here (MERGING RAVENNA/AES67 VAD) to use it as the default audio device for your Mac.
Apps that have unique software settings, like DAWs or Teams, have additional settings for their audio input and output device(s).

If you simultaneously want to monitor the Mac Sound and the DAW, using MERGING+ANUBIS we recommend that you use two different sources, one for the DAW and one for the Player or Online sound (Music), refer to the Anubis User Manual the source creation chapter for more details.

Display

Use the optimal resolution for your monitor display. You can choose Default for display, which is automatic, or Scaled to select all of the available resolution configurations. Using the maximum available resolution will give you the most screen real estate. If you find the display too small, try using a smaller resolution

Internet Accounts

You can configure internet accounts like iCloud, Google, and Exchange with your Mac to conveniently synchronize apps like Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Messages. While configuring your internet accounts is often necessary, especially if the Mac is your only computer, it’s not necessary to set up unused accounts. Ideally, these apps are closed while working with music production software, but having an extra account can make those apps take longer to load and synchronize.

Remove all unnecessary and unused accounts from the Internet Accounts settings.

This troubleshoot can help with issues with DAW caused by conflicting preferences from other applications. A new user account will contain no user application preferences at first, providing somewhat of a fresh start.

Open System Preferences.
Click 'Users & Groups'.
Click the Lock to authenticate and enter your password.
Click the '+' under the list of users.
Set the 'New Account' type to 'Administrator'.
Give this new user any name and password that you want.
Click 'Create Account'.

Then login to this new account and run your DAW.

Go to the Apple menu and choose 'Log Out (Username)'.
Wait for the login screen and then login in as the new user.
Launch your DAW

Remove Login Items
Login Items are applications that will automatically start when logging into a user account. Remove unnecessary login items to reduce sources of potential conflicts with DAW

Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions
Go through the list and select each item, one at a time, and click the ‘-' below the list to remove the item (as long as you do not absolutely need it to start at login).
Those apps can be launched manually at any time, but won’t be automatically loaded at startup.

Rosetta 2 a resource a hungry translation

Rosetta 2 is an emulator designed to bridge the transition between Intel and Apple processors. In short, it translates apps built for Intel so they will run on Apple Silicon.

The entire process takes place in the background, and may impact performance. Verify your applications running on Rosetta 2.

Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor
In the Activity Monitor select the Kind column (if not present enable it from the menu option)
Applications running in "Intel" kind are the ones running on Rosetta 2
Verify the consumption of CPU and Memory of your Intel/Rosetta 2 applications

It's been known that some DAW, Plugins or even the Dolby Renderer remain compiled for Intel processors, in such case we warn you that those are not optimized and could take some performance bandwidth away from your overall system performance.

Extensions

The macOS Extensions are not typical for pro audio systems and don’t require any additional configuration. If your Mac experiences performance issues, consider disabling customized extensions.

Printers & Scanners

Printers and scanners use drivers to connect to your Mac. Some connect with USB cables with others connect wirelessly via AirPrint or a third-party app included with the device.
If you do not need to use a printer with your Mac while using your audio and MIDI devices, either power it off or physically disconnect it.
If a printer has a job queued, or your Mac thinks a printer is still connected, you can disconnect the printer from the Printers & Scanners list.

Select all unused printer and scanner devices and click the – button to disconnect them from your Mac.

Date & Time

By default, the date and time are configured by the location services. To minimize unnecessary processing, choose to manually configure the timezone.

Uncheck “Set Time zone automatically using current location” and set the time zone manually.

Clean the Startup Items
Startup Items are similar to Login Items, but will start when first booting the computer, regardless of the user account being utilized. To remove unnecessary Startup Items

Open your Macintosh HD.
Go to the Library folder.
Go to the StartupItems folder.
Delete any unnecessary item.
NOTE: Although the OS does not rely on anything in this folder to operate, please double-check the functionality of any unknown Startup Items before deleting them to ensure that you're not losing any essential functionality.

DAW software settings

Match sample rates (VAD Panel and MERGING Interface)
Match Latency (e.g. 64 Samples or AES67-48 samples on both the VAD panel and interface side)
Select playback device (MERGING RAVENNA/AES67 VAD)
Configure input/output routing (Using Merging ANEMAN)

Note: Refer to the Merging respective User Manual for more details

Compatibility and system requirements

Your Mac must meet the DAW’s minimum system requirements to run successfully. That means your macOS version, RAM (memory), and processor must be compatible with your DAW version, otherwise, the software may not run correctly or in some cases not even launch. Check with the software manufacturer’s product page or support area for up-to-date system requirements information.