Ableton Plugin Fixer

What is Ableton Plugin Fixer?

Ableton Plugin Fixer (APF) is a tool designed to help users replace VST2 plugins with their VST3 equivalents in Ableton Live projects. This is particularly useful for those who encounter missing plugins when opening older projects after updating to newer versions.

Many users have expressed frustration with Ableton's plugin management system, noting that it can be inefficient compared to other DAWs. APF addresses some of these concerns by providing a straightforward solution for plugin replacement.

Key features

• Preserves Everything: All parameter settings; automation, presets and midi macros/mappings.
• Smart Matching: Uses fuzzy name matching and unique plugin IDs.
• Safe Operation: Creates backups before making changes.

Caution

This is a work in progress tool that modifies Ableton Live project files. While the tool has built-in backup functionality, always work with your own backups and test thoroughly -- I'm not responsible for any data loss or project corruption.

Installation

1. Requirements

   • Python 3.7+
   • macOS or Windows 10+
   • Ableton Live

2. Download

   • Git Clone

     git clone https://github.com/glaurossi/Ableton-Plugin-Fixer
     cd Ableton-Plugin-Fixer

   • Or download the files here

3. Usage

   • Open your project in the latest version of Ableton Live installed on your system

   • Save a Copy

   • Run the saved copy through apf.py:

     py apf.py

     or

     python apf.py project.als

Showcase

Configuration

The tool uses a config.json to control some of its behavior.

Config	Description	Default
database.path	Path to Live's plugin database	null
use_unique_id	Match plugins by their unique ID first.	true
fuzzy_name_threshold	(0.0-1.0): How similar plugin names need to be to match.	0.8
prefer_newer_version	Sort by newer first when multiple matches exist.	false
dry_run	Preview changes without modifying files	true
create_backup	Automatically backup projects before changes	true
backup_suffix	File extension for backups (e.g., ".bkp", ".backup").	.bkp
debug_level	Log verbosity: 1 (minimal) to 3 (everything)	1
log_file	Where to save the logs.	apf.log

Limitations

Some plugins may have different parameter layouts across versions, so presets might not transfer over.

TODO

• Add macOS support
• Support VST3 plugin updates (e.g., Kontakt 7 → Kontakt 8)
• Fix .als extension in the root element
• Implement multi-level debug
  • Debug 1 (Minimal): Current behavior; essential logs only.
  • Debug 2 (Advanced): Debug 1 + logs of every change applied to project files.
  • Debug 3 (Nerdy): Debug 1 + Debug 2 + everything else.
• Integrate Live's PluginScanner to refresh database before processing project files

Contributions

Any improvements, bug fixes, or feature additions are welcome. Feel free to do so by submitting a PR.

Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue.

Star History

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.