Installation issues on macOS

If you're experiencing an issue with installing SoundID Reference on your Mac computer, this guide provides troubleshooting tips to resolve the problem.

In this article:

1. Installation failed message
2. VPN
3. Editing the Hosts File
4. Install failure on Apple Silicon devices (M-series chipset)

Installation failed message

In macOS, when an app fails to install, it should appear in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

If during SoundID Reference installation you get an 'Installation failed' error message, please open System Settings > Privacy & Security and keep the window open and run the installer again. You should then see a notification in Privacy & Security window that SoundID Reference software was blocked. If you get this message, please click on Open Anyway (see the image below).  

If you do not see this message, it is still worth trying to make sure that the app is not blocked by a macOS security feature called Gatekeeper. To do this, please try the following:

1. Launch the Terminal app from the /Applications/Utilities/ folder, or press Cmd + Space (opens Spotlight Search) and type in "terminal"
2. Enter the following command in the Terminal window, and hit Enter to execute:
   sudo spctl --master-disable
3. Enter your admin password to authenticate, and hit Enter again
4. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security
5. Navigate to the Allow apps downloaded from section, and select the Anywhere option
6. Download the SoundID Reference installer again, and run it with the Privacy & Security window open to check for the notification again

NOTE! To reverse this and go back to the default Gatekeeper settings, go back to Terminal, and enter the following command:

sudo spctl --master-enable

VPN

If you are using a VPN service, consider temporarily disabling it for the install process.

Editing the Hosts File

If the hosts file on your computer contains the mapping of IP addresses of Sonarworks hosts names, you may encounter connectivity issues to our host and experience trouble with installing SoundID Reference. For steps on how to resolve this, see our guide here: Editing the Hosts File 

Install failure on Apple Silicon devices (M-series chipset)

Some users may experience an issue where the installation process will stop halfway through. This occurs on some M1 machines and can be reproduced on machines without Rosetta. By default, the SoundID Reference installer should trigger the installation process of Rosetta. It's required for the component that is still using an Intel process. Details on the Rosetta driver here:

SoundID Reference driver not running on M1 process

To resolve the problem simply install Rosetta before using the SoundID Reference installer:

1. Press Cmd+Space to perform a spotlight search. Type “Terminal” and press Return/Enter
2. Copy in the line below and press Return/Enter

   /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

3.  Run the installer once more