Hey everyone,

I’m testing the Bettermaker Bus Compressor AU (demo version 1.0.0) in Logic Pro 11.0.1 on macOS 15.5 (Sonoma, Apple Silicon), and Logic crashes instantly as soon as I load the plugin — even in an empty project.

I’ve tried reinstalling, clearing the AU cache, and rebooting. Nothing helps.
I also tried running Logic in Rosetta mode, but the plugin still crashes just the same.

I came across a few posts mentioning issues with Plugin Alliance plugins on Apple Silicon, but nothing specific or helpful for this one.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Has anyone been able to get the AU version running on Apple Silicon with Sonoma and Logic 11?

Any help would be really appreciated!

 

Which release did you use? It works fine for me on intel, but it actually is one of those few that show "disabled" on the interface. Works fine anyway, and I think that it was mentioned in the original nfo file. Did you dequarantine, clear xattrs and codesign it and block the .component with your firewall already? How about checking permissions?

clone$ cd /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker\ Bus\ Compressor\ DSP.component
clone$ ls -l

drwxr-xr-x@ 8 root (date tampered I notice) 2024 Contents

clone$ file /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker\ Bus\ Compressor\ DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker\ Bus\ Compressor\ DSP

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP: Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures: [x86_64:Mach-O 64-bit bundle x86_64] [arm64]

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP (for architecture x86_64): Mach-O 64-bit bundle x86_64

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP (for architecture arm64): Mach-O 64-bit bundle arm64

Spoiler

dequarantine, clear xattrs and codesign
ChatGPT said:


To dequarantine, clear extended attributes (xattrs), and codesign an app or plugin on macOS (like an audio plugin or a third-party app), you can use the Terminal. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:

✅ 1. Dequarantine & Remove Extended Attributes (xattrs)
bash
xattr -cr /path/to/your/app-or-plugin

• -c = clear attributes
  
  
• -r = recursive (does all files inside folders too)
  
  
• Use this to remove com.apple.quarantine and other unwanted xattrs.

✅ 2. Optional: Check if quarantine is present
bash
xattr /path/to/your/app-or-plugin

Look for:


com.apple.quarantine

✅ 3. Codesign (Ad-hoc signing)
bash
codesign --force --deep --sign - /path/to/your/app-or-plugin

• --force: overwrites existing signature
  
  
• --deep: signs nested code (like plugins inside bundles)
  
  
• --sign -: ad-hoc signature (no certificate needed, just removes unsigned warning)

✅ 4. Verify Codesign
bash
codesign -v /path/to/your/app-or-plugin && echo "✅ Code signing OK"

To check details:

bash
codesign -dvv /path/to/your/app-or-plugin

✅ 5. (Optional) Allow it to run anyway (Gatekeeper override)
If macOS still blocks it:

bash
sudo spctl --master-disable

Then open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General, and approve the app manually if needed.

Let me know the path and file type (e.g., .component, .vst, .vst3, .app) if you want a one-liner tailored exactly to your situation.

You could try creating a backup of the component file, and then use lipo command to remove the intel portion of the binary.

 

Last edited: Jun 6, 2025

I’m actually using the official demo since it’s only €20 at the moment.
Logic’s crash report shows the following:

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000000
Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 11 (Segmentation fault: 11)

Did I mess something up by trying the other demos earlier? They also crashed, so maybe something’s conflicting in the background?

 

Oh, that very well could be. I recommend using Wide Blue Sound Audio Plugin Uninstaller to get rid of plugins. Expired demos, and any other installation leftovers can cause problems. But usually they should just not work or show an error rather than crashing, you would hope anyway.
I am not sure a cleanup will fix it, but it is always a good idea and can *almost never hurt.

You could always try a [k]'d version to see if you have a different outcome.

Did you know you can take those exception text strings and input directly into ChatGPT? Try that also, but here is the result when I did it:

Spoiler

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV) Exception Codes: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000000 Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 11 (Segmentation fault: 11)

ChatGPT said:


You're seeing a segmentation fault (SIGSEGV) with an EXC_BAD_ACCESS exception, caused by the application trying to access memory at address 0x0000000000000000 — which is null.

What This Means
Your app (or a plugin, or a component of the system you're using) attempted to dereference a null pointer — basically, it tried to use a memory address that doesn't exist or hasn't been set.

Common Causes

• Null pointer dereference: Accessing a variable or object that hasn’t been initialized.
  
  
• Dangling pointer: A pointer to memory that was freed or never valid.
  
  
• Faulty plugin or extension: In DAWs like Logic Pro, this could come from a plugin.
  
  
• Race condition or thread issue: Particularly in multithreaded applications.

How to Troubleshoot It

1. Check the crash log details:
   Look further into the crash report for a backtrace or thread state to see what function or plugin caused it.
   
   
2. Isolate the issue:
   • Does it happen when opening a specific file or project?
     
     
   • Does removing a certain plugin stop it?
     
     
   • Try running in Safe Mode if you're in Logic or macOS (holding Shift on app launch).
3. Reproduce in a debugger (if you're developing):
   • Run the app in Xcode with the debugger attached.
     
     
   • Set breakpoints and look for the exact line causing the crash.
4. Check for updates:
   • Make sure macOS, the app, and all plugins are up to date.
     
     
   • Some older plugins crash under newer macOS versions (especially on Mojave or newer).
5. Console.app logs:
   • Open Console and check for logs before the crash — they often reveal failing system calls or plugins.

This is what I meant when I said to use command lipo in terminal to remove only the x86 intel of the binary:

Spoiler

WARNING FIRST:
Modifying plugin binaries can break plugin code signing, invalidate AU validation, and prevent the plugin from loading in Logic Pro.

Back up the original binary first. Run this:

cp "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP" ~/Desktop/Bettermaker_Backup

✅ Now, Remove Intel x86_64 Slice
Run:

sudo lipo -remove x86_64 -output "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP" "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP"

To Confirm It Worked:

sudo lipo -archs "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component/Contents/MacOS/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP"
Expected output:

nginx
arm64


If You See “code signature invalid” Afterward:
Apple's code signing system will reject modified binaries unless you re-sign them. To (temporarily) re-sign for personal use:

sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Bettermaker Bus Compressor DSP.component"


This uses an ad-hoc signature (-) just to make macOS accept it.

Try the other options first. But from this you can get the general idea.

 

Last edited: Jun 6, 2025

Thanks for the help. I tried everything you suggested, but unfortunately still no luck.
I’ve contacted PA support to see what might be going wrong. It's really strange that the official demo crashes or shows "plugin reported a problem."

The Bettermaker Mastering Compressor works without any issues, and SPL Machine Head also runs flawlessly.

Can anyone here who’s using an M-chip Mac with Logic confirm whether it's working for them?

 

people had problems with the original builds on ARM Macs, but that was fixed by a later version. I have no idea what build number their demo is and if it has been updated or not. It is part of a bundle. This one, in fact: Plugin Alliance Bettermaker Bundle 2024.05.22

You can find an HCiso release of that bundle on sister site from May 2024. Verified to work on Apple Silicon. I just looked on the official Bettermaker website, and all their demo installers are from 2023. The version from PA I mentioned is a year newer and verified to work.


Use that version or email PA tech support for a link to a newer demo.

 

Omg, you are an absolute legend.
How the hell can they offer a demo that isn’t even the latest version? The 2024 stuff works flawlessly.
Thank you so much, I honestly never would’ve figured this out on my own.