How to Find Your Plugins in Adobe Audition or Premiere

Mar 26, 2023

If you are trying to load your Waves plugins in Adobe Audition or Premiere but you 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

  1. Launch Waves Central.
    Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
    Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
  2. Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
  3. Select the Install Products Page.
  4. 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.
  5. If there is no checkmark under the Install Column, select your product/s and click Install.

Step #2 – Rescan for Plugins

  1. Launch Adobe Audition or Premiere.
  2. In Adobe Audition, Go to Effects > Audio Plug-In Manager.
    In Adobe Premiere, Go to Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio > Audio Plugin Manager.
  3. Under 'VST Plug-In Folders', make sure the following paths are listed (if not, add them):
    Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.
    Mac: Mac HD > Library > Audio > Plugins > VST3.
  4. Make sure Rescan existing plug-ins is check-marked, and click on Rescan for plug-ins.

Once the rescan is done, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load your Waves plugins.

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

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

    If the plugins are not activated to one of the connected devices, check if they appear in the Not Activated tab. If that’s the case, select the license/s and click ‘Activate’.

    If the plugin licenses are also 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 found in the folder, install the plugins by following the instructions in this link.

    Step #3 – Rescan for Plugins

    1. Launch Adobe Audition or Premiere.
    2. In Adobe Audition, Go to Effects > Audio Plug-In Manager.
      In Adobe Premiere, Go to Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio > Audio Plugin Manager.
    3. Under 'VST Plug-In Folders', make sure the following paths are listed (if not, add them):
      Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
      Mac: Mac HD > Library > Audio > Plugins > VST3
    4. Make sure Rescan existing plug-ins is check-marked, and click on Rescan for plug-ins.

    Once the rescan is done, create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load your Waves plugins.

None of the above worked? Contact Technical Support.