How to Find Your Plugins in Nuendo

Mar 26, 2023

If you are trying to load your Waves plugins in Nuendo but cannot find them, follow these instructions in order to make the plugins available.

I have a Waves Creative Access subscription or a perpetual (non-subscription) V14 license

Step #1 – Verify plugin software is installed

Launch Waves Central.
Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
Select the Install Products page.
Select the My Products tab and verify your products have a checkmark under the Installed column.
- If you are not subscribed to Waves Creative Access and want to demo it, check whether there is an 'Installed' checkmark on the Install Products > Plugin Subscriptions page.
If there is no checkmark under the Install Column, select your product/s and click Install.

Step #2 – Rescan for Plugins

Windows

Quit Nuendo.
Hit [Win key] + R to open the Run window
Type %AppData% and press Enter – a folder named Roaming will open
Go to the Waves Audio folder
Drag the Preferences folder to your desktop
Launch Nuendo and create a new session with a supported sample rate. Add a track and insert your Waves plugins.
If the plugins are now working, you can delete the Preferences folder from your desktop.

Mac

Quit Nuendo.
In Finder, click on the Go menu, hold [Alt/Option] on your keyboard and click on Library
Go to the Preferences folder.
Drag the Waves Preferences folder to your desktop.
Launch Nuendo and create a new session with a supported sample rate. Add a track and insert your Waves plugins.
If the plugins are now working, you can delete the Waves Preferences folder from your desktop.

If your plugins load in Demo mode (with periodic mutes), refer to this article to activate the license.

I have V13–V9 licenses

Step #1 – Verify the license is activated

First, check whether the relevant plugin or bundle license/s are activated on your computer or USB Flash Drive:

Launch Waves Central.
Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
Select the Licenses page.
Select the Connected Devices tab. Use the arrow on the right to expand the list.
Check whether the plugin/s license is activated on one of the connected devices.

If the plugins are not activated, check whether they appear in the Not Activated tab. If they do, select the license/s and click ‘Activate’.

If the plugin licenses are not found in the Not Activated tab, check if they appear in a device in the Disconnected Devices tab. If that's the case, refer to this article.

Step #2 – Verify plugin software is correctly installed

Check whether the relevant plugin file/s are correctly installed on your computer. Go to:
Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Waves\Plug-Ins V13, (or whichever version is installed on your device, V13-V9)
Mac: Macintosh HD > Applications > Waves > Plug-Ins V13, (or whichever version is installed on your device, V13-V9)

The relevant plugin file will be named after the plugin, in this format: [PluginName].bundle. For example, the plugin file for Reel ADT will be named Reel ADT.bundle.

If the plugins you are looking for are not there, install the plugins by following the instructions in this link.

Launch Waves Central via Applications > Waves Central.
Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
Select the Licenses page.
Select the Connected Devices tab. Use the arrow on the right to expand the list.
Check whether the plugin/s license is activated on one of the connected devices.

If the plugins are not activated, check whether they appear in the Not Activated tab. If they do, select the license/s and click ‘Activate’. If the plugin licenses are not found in the Not Activated tab, check if they appear in a device in the Disconnected Devices tab. If that's the case, refer to this article.

Step #3 – Refresh the licenses

If the plugin software is correctly installed and you’ve verified that the licenses are activated to the computer you are working on or to a connected USB device, follow these steps to refresh the Licenses folder:

Windows

Quit Waves Central and Nuendo.
If your licenses are activated to your computer:

Press [Win key]+R, type %ProgramData% and hit Enter.
Go to Waves Audio and drag the Licenses folder to your desktop.
If your licenses are activated to a USB device:

In Windows File Explorer, go to USB device\Waves.
Drag the Licenses folder to your desktop.
Launch Waves Central, log in and allow it to sync.
Launch Nuendo and create a new project with a supported sample rate and see if the plugins appear.

Mac

Quit Waves Central and Nuendo.
If your licenses are activated to your computer:

Go to Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Waves
If your licenses are activated to a USB device:

In Finder, go to USB device > Waves.
Drag the Licenses folder to your desktop.
Launch Waves Central, log in and allow it to sync.
Launch Nuendo and create a new project with a supported sample rate and see if the plugins appear.

Step #4 – Refresh the licenses

Windows

Quit Nuendo.
Hit [Win key] + R to open the Run window
Type %AppData% and press Enter – a folder named Roaming will open
Go to the Waves Audio folder
Drag the Preferences folder to your desktop
Launch Nuendo and create a new session with a supported sample rate. Add a track and insert your Waves plugins.
If the plugins are now working, you can delete the Preferences folder from your desktop.

Mac

Quit Nuendo.
In Finder, click on the Go menu, hold [Alt/Option] on your keyboard and click on Library
Go to the Preferences folder.
Drag the Waves Preferences folder to your desktop.
Launch Nuendo and create a new session with a supported sample rate. Add a track and insert your Waves plugins.
If the plugins are now working, you can delete the Waves Preferences folder from your desktop.

None of the above worked? Contact Technical Support.