Desktop App - Local Mode

System Requirements

• macOS: 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon & Intel)
• Windows: 10 version 21H2 or later, 64-bit only
• Disk: ~200 MB for the app itself, plus cache files

macOS Installation

1. Download the latest ProducerGrid.dmg from producergrid.com/download.
2. Open the .dmg and drag ProducerGrid.app to your Applications folder.
3. On first launch, macOS may show a security warning: go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
4. The app will ask for Full Disk Access permission - this is required to scan plugin directories across your system. Grant it via System Settings.

Windows Installation

1. Download ProducerGrid-Setup.exe from producergrid.com/download.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts. The app installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\ProducerGrid.
3. Windows SmartScreen may warn - click More info → Run anyway.

The Home screen gives you an at-a-glance summary of everything on your machine:

• Plugin count - total installed plugins, grouped by format (VST3, AU, VST2, AAX)
• Crashed plugins - red badge if any plugin failed validation during scan
• DAW projects - how many project files were found and parsed
• Presets & Libraries - indexed preset files and detected sample libraries
• Licenses - number of tracked licenses, expiring soon count

On first launch, ProducerGrid automatically scans the standard plugin directories for your platform. No manual path configuration needed - but you can customize scan paths in Settings.

Default Scan Locations

Supported Plugin Formats

ProducerGrid detects and identifies four major plugin formats:

• VST3 - .vst3 bundle directories (Steinberg standard, macOS & Windows)
• AU - .component bundles (Audio Units, macOS only)
• VST2 - legacy .vst bundles (macOS) or .dll files (Windows)
• AAX - .aaxplugin bundles (Avid Pro Tools, macOS & Windows)

Manual Re-scan

After installing new plugins, click the Scan button in the top bar or press the refresh icon in the Plugins view. The scanner runs incrementally - only new or changed plugins are processed.

Right-click any plugin in the list to access actions:

• Open in Finder / Explorer - reveals the plugin file on disk
• Copy Path - copies the full file path to clipboard
• Add Tag - assign one or more colored tags for organization
• Add Note - attach a freeform text note (visible on hover)
• Uninstall - moves the plugin to Trash/Recycle Bin (with confirmation)
• Batch Uninstall - select multiple plugins via checkboxes and remove at once
• Test in MiniDAW - opens the plugin in the built-in test host

Each plugin row shows its installed version. A colored indicator tells you the status:

• ● Up to date - matches the latest known version
• ● Update available - a newer version exists
• ● Crashed - plugin failed validation scan
• ● Unknown - version can't be determined

Click the version number to manually correct it if the auto-detection got it wrong. ProducerGrid reads version info from the plugin binary's metadata (Info.plist on macOS, VST3 module info, or Windows file properties).

The MiniDAW is a lightweight, built-in plugin host. Test any effect or instrument plugin without opening your full DAW - ideal for troubleshooting, A/B testing, and checking compatibility.

Testing an Effect Plugin

1. Right-click a plugin → Test in MiniDAW.
2. Drag and drop an audio file (.wav, .aiff, .mp3) onto the waveform area.
3. Press Play. The audio passes through the plugin in real-time.
4. Adjust plugin parameters - the FFT, LUFS, and Phase meters update live.

Testing an Instrument Plugin

1. Connect a MIDI keyboard or use the on-screen QWERTY keyboard (press Z/X for octave shift).
2. Select a preset from the plugin's own browser.
3. Play notes - the CPU meter shows real-time load.

The Audio Monitor (VST Monitor) provides real-time audio analysis for any plugin in the MiniDAW chain:

• FFT Analyzer - real-time frequency spectrum with adjustable block size (512-8192)
• Peak & RMS Meter - per-channel level metering with clip indicators
• LUFS Meter - integrated, short-term, and momentary loudness (EBU R128 / ITU-R BS.1770)
• Phase Correlation - stereo phase meter (-1 to +1)
• Plugin Health - CPU usage, latency, and crash history for the loaded plugin

ProducerGrid automatically indexes preset files from standard locations. Supported formats:

• .vstpreset - VST3 presets (Steinberg standard)
• .aupreset - Audio Unit presets (macOS)
• .fxp / .fxb - VST2 preset/bank files
• .nksf / .nksfx - Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol / Maschine
• .adg / .adv - Ableton Device Group / Preset
• .ffp / .ffx - FabFilter presets
• .tfx - Tracktion / Waveform presets
• .sxt - Samplitude presets

Presets are automatically linked to their parent plugin when possible. You can search, tag, and mark favorites.

ProducerGrid detects installed sample libraries from major vendors:

• Native Instruments - Kontakt libraries (including Player), Maschine expansions
• Spitfire Audio - Spitfire App libraries, LABS
• EastWest - Opus / Play libraries
• Orchestral Tools - SINE Player libraries
• Vienna Symphonic Library - Synchron / VI Series
• Steinberg - HALion / Groove Agent libraries
• Toontrack - EZdrummer / Superior Drummer / EZkeys libraries
• XLN Audio - Addictive Drums / Addictive Keys

Each library shows its name, version, size, sample count, and format. Cover artwork is extracted when available (from NICNT/NKR resources). Libraries on external drives are detected automatically.

ProducerGrid scans your hard drive for DAW project files and extracts the plugin list, metadata, and track information. This lets you see exactly which plugins a session requires - before you open it.

Supported DAW Formats

Extracted Metadata

• Full plugin list (name, vendor, format, version)
• BPM (tempo)
• Key signature
• Sample rate
• Track count (audio, MIDI, instrument, aux)
• Audio file references (detects missing audio files)

ProducerGrid can back up your plugin-related data:

• Preset files
• Plugin settings & notes
• License files & activation data
• Tag assignments
• Custom scan paths

Backups are stored in ~/Documents/ProducerGrid/Backups/ (macOS) or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\ProducerGrid\Backups\ (Windows). Each backup is timestamped and you can keep up to 10 rolling backups.

1. Go to Settings → Backup.
2. Click Create Backup. The app collects all managed data into a single archive.
3. To restore: click Restore and select a backup from the history list.

The built-in License Manager lets you track software licenses for each plugin. All license data is stored locally with AES-256-GCM encryption, protected by your master password (or biometrics - Touch ID / Face ID on macOS).

Adding a License

1. Right-click a plugin → Add License (or open the Licenses tab).
2. Fill in: license type, seat count, activation method, purchase date, price, expiry date.
3. Optionally attach the license key file or enter the serial number - this is encrypted before storage.
4. Click Save.

Supported License Types

• Perpetual - one-time purchase, no expiry
• Subscription - recurring (monthly/yearly), with renewal cadence
• Trial - time-limited demo
• Rent-to-Own - monthly payments until owned (e.g. Splice)
• NFR - Not For Resale (review copies, giveaways)
• EDU - Educational discount

Auto-Detection

ProducerGrid can automatically detect licenses from:

• iLok License Manager - reads local iLok database
• Waves Central - reads Waves SQLite database
• Native Instruments - reads Native Access plist / pal.db
• Steinberg Activation Manager
• Ableton - Unlock.cfg
• FabFilter, Valhalla DSP, IK Multimedia, iZotope

Tags help you organize plugins, presets, and libraries. Create custom tags with names and colors, then apply them to any item.

• Create a tag: Settings → Tags → New Tag (name + color).
• Apply: right-click any item → Add Tag, or drag a tag onto an item.
• Filter: click a tag in the sidebar to show only items with that tag.
• Tags sync when cloud-connected - the same tags appear on all your workstations.

General

• Font size - adjust UI text size (default, +1, +2)
• High contrast mode - increases contrast for accessibility
• Launch at login - auto-start ProducerGrid when you log in
• Export cache - export plugin scan data as JSON
• Reset cache - clear all cached scan data (forces a fresh scan)

Scan Settings

• Custom scan paths - add directories outside the defaults
• Scan depth - how many subdirectory levels to descend (default: 4)
• Excluded paths - directories to skip during scan
• File extensions - custom extensions to treat as plugins

Privacy

• Analytics - opt in/out of anonymous usage data collection
• Crash reports - automatically send crash diagnostics (or disable)