Moving towards native Apple M1 ARM64 audio plugins

The Apple M1 processor, with its ARM64 architecture, was released two years ago and, since then, most Apple computers have transitioned to this processor (or one of its successors). At home, I own an Apple Mac mini with an M1, 16Gb of RAM and 256Gb of storage which I use for everything, especially for music production.

I have many software instruments and effects plugins which I have been purchasing for years now (thanks Christina!) and, fortunately, most of them now have native M1 variants. For the others, I can use them using the Rosetta 2 technology which Apple provides and which runs really well (it’s a x86_64 to ARM64 code translator). Rosetta 2 is, in fact, allowing me to use all my plugins.

But, to be honest, I would love having a 100% ARM64 music production system. At this moment, I do have about 50 plugins which are still not M1 native but here are the few ones I would really love to have in M1 format, either because I use them a lot or I have paid a substantial amount of money for them:

• ADPTR Audio Metric AB (the beta versions are ARM64 now!)
• ADPTR Audio Streamliner (the beta versions are ARM64 now!)
• Elysia Phil’s Cascade (ARM64 now!)
• Lindell Audio Lindell 50 Channel (ARM64 now!)
• Lindell Audio Lindell 80 Channel (ARM64 now!)
• SSL Native Bus Compressor 2 (ARM64 now!)
• SSL Native Channel Strip 2 (ARM64 now!)
• SSL Native Vocalstrip 2 (ARM64 now!)
• SSL Native X-Saturator (ARM64 now!)

Let me know when they are M1 ready!

PS: On 27 March 2023, all the plugins I mentioned in this post are M1 native. Took only 176 days!

PPS: The only non-M1 plugins I have on my Macmini are now: AIR Music Technology DB-33 (Hammond B3), AIR Music Technology DB-33 FX (Leslie Simulator), AIR Music Technology Hybrid 3, AIR Music Technology Loom II, AIR Music Technology Mini Grand, AIR Music Technology The Riser, AIR Music Technology Vacuum Pro, AIR Music Technology Velvet (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavinet), AIR Music Technology Xpand!2, DS Audio Thorn Solo, Exponential Audio NIMBUS, Exponential Audio R4, Focusrite Red 2 EQ, Focusrite Red 3 Compressor, Green Oak Software Crystal, iZotope BreakTweaker Expanded, iZotope Iris 2, iZotope Trash 2, Kia Move.ment, Lindell Audio PEX-500, Positive Grid BIAS AMP 2 LE, Schoeps Double MS, Soundslates Capsule, Stillwell Audio Bitter and Waldorf Attack. Most have simply been abandoned by the developers and I have excellent alternatives to them.