Compatibility Issues with Slate Digital Plugins on M4 Machines

Overview
We’re aware of a compatibility issue affecting Slate Digital plugins on M4 machines. This issue stemmed from the licensing system and specifically impacted some plugin formats and DAWs on Apple’s latest M4 processors. Earlier generations of Apple Silicon were unaffected. As of this morning (January 13, 2025), PACE (iLok) has officially released a fix for this issue, and our development team is actively working to implement the solution. Here’s what you need to know:

What’s Causing the Issue?
The problem stems from a CPU timing issue that affects iLok's licensing system on M4 processors. This can occasionally cause license validation errors for protected software. While this issue is specific to M4 processors, it can result in errors that users may see as licensing failures or unexpected plugin behavior. Common errors or license prompts include "Internal Conductor Error 1", "Internal Conductor Error 101", or iLok Server Error: Object Not Found

PACE has identified and addressed the root cause with a fix that has now been officially released in their updated SDK.

What Happens Next?

With PACE’s SDK fix now available, our C++ team is rebuilding all affected Slate Digital plugins using the new SDK. Our QA team will test the updated plugins to ensure the changes fully resolve the issue without introducing new problems.

For Impacted Customers:

• Users who reported this issue to our helpdesk will receive pre-release versions of the updated plugins to confirm the fix ahead of our official release.

• Once testing is complete, the official updates will be rolled out to all users.

The rebuilding and testing process may take additional time, so we appreciate your continued patience during this time. 

Do I Need to Update My iLok License Manager?
Technically no, users will not need to update their iLok License Manager, though keeping the iLok License Manager up to date is always recommended. However, the issue lies within the PACE SDK used in our products, not the license manager itself.

Current Status

• PACE SDK Fix Released: As of this morning (01-13-25), PACE has officially released the updated SDK that resolves the issue on M4 processors.
• Plugin Updates in Progress: Our team is rebuilding each plugin with the new SDK and validating the changes through thorough QA testing.
• Temporary Pre-Releases: Impacted users will be provided with unreleased versions of the updated plugins before the official rollout.

Potential Temporary Workaround
If you are still experiencing issues before the updates are officially released, switching from AU plugin formats to VST 3 versions has helped some users resolve the problem temporarily. Please note that this approach only works for DAWs that support multiple plugin formats.

Next Steps
We are committed to keeping you informed throughout this process. As soon as the updated builds are ready, we’ll release them and notify all affected users. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue.

For further updates or assistance, feel free to contact our support team here.