Deleted plugin keeps reappearing in Ableton...

[Dr. McKay]

Yesterday, I uninstalled Cubase completely and installed Ableton 12.3. (Mac OS Sequioa)

In my plugin list, Spectralayers from Steinberg is still there, even though I deleted everything.
It's a VST3 plugin but I can't get rid of it. Oddly, in Reaper, Spectralayers is not there...

I have cleaned the cache of my SSD, even reinstalled Ableton, didn't help.
Any suggestions ?

Edit : I have made sure that all preferences, plugins and files from Steinberg and Spectralayers have been deleted. Still, Spectralayers continues to show up in the Ableton VST3 list and there's no way of removing it...

 

[BrianBaughn]

Did you check the ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins folder?

 

[Dr. McKay]

Did you check the ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins folder?

Yep, checked just about any folder manually.

Searched the disk with FindAnyFile, no trace of anything related to Steinberg or Spectralayers.

Did a complete maintenance with Onyx aa well, still no help…
Completely removed Ableton as well, with all preferences, etc. No go…

Strangely, Spectralayers is not visible in Bitwig ; in Reaper, Steinberg Media Technologies is visible in the plugin list but no Spectralayers.

All very strange, tried everything. Beginning to think that only a clean install of Mac OS will be able to solve it…

 

[Dr. McKay]

I found that some hidden files left labeled Steinberg using FindAnyFile in this directory : HD/private/var/db/oah ; the problem is that the ‘oah’ folder is not accessible and I cannot change the permissions, even with my administrator password.

I cannot delete the files in that folder. Tried disabling the integrity protection (csrutil disable) but when I reboot, the folders inside /oah where the Steinberg files are, is missing. Re-enabling integrity permission and rebooting brings them back.
Bizarre...

Any way of deleting those files, by accessing from another mac (i have an iMac running Ventura) ?

 

[Dr. McKay]

Some new information : I seem to have the same problem in Komplete Kontrol.

When scanning for plugins, it gives the same error message as Ableton ‘Spectralayers ARA. Spectralayers path could not be found’ and Spectralayers is also in Komplete Kontrol’s plugin list.

When scanning with FindAnyFile, no sign of anything from Steinberg or Spectralayers, even in hidden files so nothing to delete…
Really weird.

 

[Dr. McKay]

Is there a way to access this kind of folder using a terminal command ?

I know Mac OS pretty well but the terminal still holds secrets for me. Administrator access isn't enough, tried that already (Get info, and tried to change permissions but says I have no permissions).
I assume I need root access. I've googled it but it seems risky.

Can anyone tell me how to do it safely ?

 

[Fishrrman]

I'm thinking you may have to enable the root account to "get at them".

It's not difficult to do so.
Then... delete the files, and DISABLE the root account.

Another way that -might- work (not sure):
Boot from an external boot drive.
Use the get info box on the internal drive, and set the checkbox at the bottom to "ignore ownership on this volume".
Then... see if you can get at the files that way.
Sometimes it works, other times, no -- you have to try in order to find out.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

RE your reply 4 above...

Just to see, I navigated to
private/var/db/
... on my own internal boot drive.

This is on a Mac m4 Mini running Sequoia, SIP disabled, and I have made normally-invisible files visible by using the "command-shift-period" key combo:

You'll note that neither the "private", "var", or "db" folders have the "red minus sign" that makes them inaccessible to me, the administrative user.

Scrolling further down, here is the "oah" folder:

Again, nothing in it seems "prohibited" from deletion.
Aside:
That folder with the long numerical "name" has many more files within, also with long, numerical "names".

What happens if you make invisible files visible, and then go down into that folder?
What do you see?
Take a screenshot and post it here.

 

[Dr. McKay]

The "oah" folder is not accessible to me. The folder icon keeps flashing between a normal icon and one withe forbidden sign. Strange...

I have made the hidden folders visible but it doesn't seem to make any difference as the folder is not accessible...