You installed a plug-in from the Hardwave Suite, opened your DAW, and it is not in the list. Nothing is broken. Your DAW scans a fixed set of folders, and it only finds what is in them, at the moment it looks. This page says exactly where the Suite writes, what each DAW scans, and how to make it look again.
Where the Suite writes on Windows
The Suite installs to the system folders, because that is where Windows hosts scan by default:
- VST3:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 - CLAP:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP
It also mirrors the build into the per-user folders, which some hosts scan as well:
- VST3:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3 - CLAP:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP
Both copies are the same build. Writing to the system folder needs permission, which the installer grants once; if the Suite asks for elevation while installing a plug-in, that is what it is for.
Where the Suite writes on macOS
- VST3:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 - CLAP:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP
These are per-user folders, they are scanned by every host we know of, and they need no elevation.
Making your DAW look again
A DAW builds its plug-in list once and keeps it. After installing or updating, tell it to scan:
- FL Studio: Options, Manage plug-ins, Find more plug-ins. FL only scans the system VST3 folder by default, which is why the Suite installs there.
- Ableton Live: Preferences, Plug-Ins, then Rescan. Make sure "Use VST3 Plug-In System Folders" is on.
- Bitwig Studio: Settings, Locations, then Refresh.
- Studio One: Studio One, Options, Locations, VST Plug-Ins, then Reset Blocklist and rescan.
- Reaper: Options, Preferences, Plug-ins, VST, then Re-scan.
If it still does not appear, close the DAW completely and open it again. Some hosts only read their plug-in list at startup.
The version in your DAW is older than the one in the Suite
Two copies of the plug-in exist somewhere and your DAW is loading the other one. Search your drive for the plug-in's file name, .vst3 or .clap, and delete anything that is not in the folders above. Then rescan. This usually comes from an old manual install before the Suite existed.
It is installed, it scans, and the DAW still refuses it
- Check the format your DAW supports. Every Hardwave plug-in ships as VST3 and CLAP. FL Studio and Ableton read VST3; Bitwig and Reaper read both.
- Check you are on the build your account has. Open the Suite; it shows the installed version next to each plug-in and updates it in place.
- If the plug-in loads and then the DAW closes, that is a crash, not a scan problem. Send the crash log to support@hardwavestudios.com: on Windows it is in
%APPDATA%\hardwave, and the file is named after the plug-in.
The first run warning
Our installers are not code-signed yet, so the first launch is blocked. On Windows, SmartScreen says it protected your PC: click More info, then Run anyway. On macOS, right-click the app, choose Open, then click Open again. You only do this once. We are a small company and a signing certificate is a yearly cost we cannot justify yet, so we say this plainly rather than leaving you guessing.