When something goes wrong - Shadow Rack Docs

Something's wrong? Find what you see on screen, and right next to it you'll read why it happens and what to do.

Find what you see, read why, do what it says. The messages in italics are the app's own words, so you can search this page for them.

Before you write to us: Setup > About > COPY puts a short report about this Mac on the clipboard; add the newest file from the Crashes folder if the app went down (where files live).

No sound#

You see	Why	What to do
Top bar, in red: Waiting for ... (unplugged?)	The interface you picked is gone – cable, power, a dock. Shadow Rack never plays through another device instead.	Plug it back in. It's opened again by itself within seconds.
No audio device - click to set up	No interface is open.	Click it and pick one in Setup > Audio.
Shadow Rack can't hear its inputs	macOS doesn't allow Shadow Rack to use audio inputs, so everything coming in is silent.	Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, switch Shadow Rack on, then restart Shadow Rack.
Meters move on the inputs, nothing comes back on the desk	The channel's output isn't what the desk listens to.	Check the routing line in the channel's header (IN 1 → OUT 1) and the desk's routing.
One channel silent, the plugin marked BAD AUDIO	The plugin sent broken audio (not a number, or far too loud) and was cut off in the same block. The channel plays on without it.	Switch the plugin on again to try it once more; it's reset first. If it happens again, replace it.
Using a laptop with nothing plugged in	Its built-in microphone stays off on purpose, so it can't feed back.	Use a real interface.

Clicks and dropouts#

DROPS on the top bar counts every time the audio didn't make it in time. Open Setup > Audio and read the advice line under Running now.

Clicks, CPU high: the plugins need more time. Press USE for the next bigger buffer, then RESET and watch.
Find the heavy plugin: in the CHANNEL view every plugin shows its CPU – yellow above 10 %, red above 25 %. A plugin that takes a quarter of the time is usually the cause.
Clicks with the CPU low: often the clock. Check the interface's clock source in AUDIO MIDI SETUP, and that desk and interface run at the same rate.
Other apps on the same Mac (an analyser, a browser with video) take CPU too.

Everything is late#

Look at SLOWEST CHANNEL in Setup > Audio and the DELAY of each plugin in the chain (yellow above 1 ms, red above 5 ms). Linear-phase EQs and lookahead limiters can add several milliseconds each. More in Latency.

Plugins#

You see	Why	What to do
A plugin isn't offered when adding	It's not in My plugins.	Add it in Setup > Plugins. Instruments only show with Show instruments. Audio Units aren't offered – use the VST3 version.
A plugin isn't in Installed on this Mac	It's not in the standard VST3 folders, or it was installed after the page opened.	REFRESH. Check the installer put a VST3 into `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3`.
FAILED in Setup > Plugins	The file crashed, hung or holds nothing this Mac can run when it was checked.	Update or authorise the plugin, then select the file and press ADD SELECTED: it's checked again.
MISSING on a channel: ... is not installed on this computer (or its licence is missing)	The session has a plugin this Mac can't open. Its settings are kept in the session, so nothing is lost.	Install or authorise it, then right-click it > Try loading again.
Some plugins could not be loaded at start or when opening a session	Same, one line per plugin.	As above.

A plugin is SWITCHED OFF after a crash#

A plugin that crashed Shadow Rack (or hung the audio for 4 seconds) is switched off at the next start, so it can't happen again: the chain shows SWITCHED OFF, Crashed before - switched off, and the sound passes through without it. Every copy of that plugin in the rack is off.

To try it again: right-click it in the chain > Try loading again, on each copy. Do it after the show, not during: if it crashes again, the app goes down again. If a plugin keeps doing it, send us the crash reports and tell the plugin's maker.

Shadow Rack restarted by itself#

Plugins run inside Shadow Rack, so when one crashes, the app goes down with it. Within seconds Shadow Rack starts again by itself, with the same rack, and shows Shadow Rack was restarted:

... crashed and took Shadow Rack down with it. Shadow Rack has started again with your rack as it was. – and that plugin is switched off (above).
... stopped responding ... – a plugin hung the audio for 4 seconds; same thing.
Shadow Rack didn't close normally last time. – no plugin caused it: a force quit, a power cut, or macOS ended it.

The helper restarts the app at most 3 times in 3 minutes. After that it stays closed so it can't loop – open it yourself. The in-ear engine runs on its own and keeps playing through all of it; the rack's channels in the in-ears go raw (without plugins) until the rack is back.

Licence and activation since 0.5#

You see	Why	What to do
The activation window at start	This Mac isn't activated, or its licence was taken away.	Activate in the browser and sign in with the account you bought with (activation).
Nothing to open yet	The account has no Shadow Rack FX or IEM. The WING Extension alone doesn't open the app.	Use another account if you bought with another email.
On the website: All your Macs are in use	The licence is on 3 Macs already.	Deactivate one in My account, then try again.
This Mac hasn't been online for 60 days - connect it to the internet once, so the licence can be checked.	An online-activated Mac must see the internet once in 60 days.	Connect it once, start Shadow Rack. Or activate it with files for good.
Trials aren't open yet - activate with a bought licence.	There are no trial licences yet.	Activate with a bought licence.
This Mac isn't activated any more while it runs	Deactivated on the website or another Mac, refunded or revoked.	Nothing stops now. Still yours? Check My account, and activate again at the next start.
A module you bought isn't there	The app hasn't heard about it yet.	Setup > Licence > Check again, then restart (Licence).
No internet on this Mac	--	A Mac without internet? in the activation window: two files, carried on a USB stick.

The WING isn't found

No WING display or ROUTING on the top bar: WING mode needs both the WING Extension (switched on in Setup > Licence) and the WING picked as the interface in Setup > Audio.
**The WING display says looking..., Setup > MIDI says Not found on the network: connect the WING's network port to the Mac, directly or through a router. If it's still not found, type the WING's IP address (on the desk: SETUP > NETWORK) in the CONNECT THE WING** box on the Routing page and press CONNECT.
Two WINGs on one network (FOH and monitors): Shadow Rack stays with the desk it knows. Type the other one's IP to switch.
No Wing port - USB cable? in Setup > MIDI: the Custom Controls come over USB – check the cable.
Shadow Rack isn't using the Wing's USB audio. Pick WING in Setup > Audio first: the audio interface isn't the WING.

In-ears and phones since 0.4#

You see	Why	What to do
A phone can't open the link	The phone isn't on the Mac's network, or the Mac is on two networks and the code shows the other one.	Same Wi-Fi as the Mac. In the phone panel, click the address to go through the Mac's networks (CLICK: ANOTHER NETWORK). If macOS asks whether Shadow IEM Engine may accept incoming connections, allow it.
The phone says THIS LINK DOESN'T WORK	A wrong code, or an old one after NEW LINK.	Scan the musician's code again.
The phone says YOUR MIX IS GONE	The musician was removed at the desk.	Add them again and give them the new code.
NO NETWORK in the phone panel	The Mac isn't on any network.	Connect it.
... runs at 44.1 kHz - the in-ear mixes need 48 kHz	The in-ears run at 48 kHz only.	Set 48 kHz in Setup > Audio.
A musician hears nothing, → NOWHERE or TAKEN	No output, or the rack now uses it.	Pick a free output pair on the strip (musicians).
The in-ears drop out for a second at the first start after an update	The old in-ear engine is replaced by the new one, once.	Expected – update between shows.