Your DAW froze. DAW Defrost knows which plugin did it.
DAW Defrost is a Mac menu bar app that watches your DAW while you work. When Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or any major Mac DAW stops responding—with a spinning beachball or a hang during export, playback, or load—it takes a snapshot of the frozen app, reads which plugin's code the session is stuck inside, and shows you the name. About 30 seconds after the freeze, you know exactly what to update, bypass, or uninstall. No log files, no guessing, no reinstalling plugins one by one.
Why does my DAW keep freezing?
Usually one third-party plugin. After a macOS update, an old plugin version can start leaking threads or deadlocking, and the whole session locks up when you export or render. Freezes also happen during playback or while opening a session, leaving a spinning beachball and a DAW that is not responding. The DAW can't tell you which plugin it was, and force-quitting erases the evidence: macOS only writes a crash report when an app actually crashes, not when it hangs.
That's the gap DAW Defrost fills. It captures the evidence while the freeze is happening.
This is a real example from the session that made us build it. An export froze, and DAW Defrost's engine found that a single plugin had spawned 1,104 of the session's 1,630 threads and pushed the DAW to 19.8 GB of memory. A healthy session runs a few hundred threads. One plugin update later, the export worked.
How do I find which plugin crashed my session?
If the DAW quit unexpectedly, that is a crash. Check the DAW's crash report or macOS Console; for Ableton, its crash report and log can help. DAW Defrost does not read those files or identify a plugin after the DAW has already quit.
If the DAW is still open but frozen—not responding, showing a spinning beachball, or stuck on export or load—a crash report usually does not exist. DAW Defrost captures the hang while it is happening and names the plugin. The steps below show how.
Manual troubleshooting can mean opening Ableton with Option held to disable plugin scanning, trying Logic's Audio Units safe mode, or temporarily moving plugins out one by one. Those are separate workarounds, not DAW Defrost features. Our guide to finding the plugin behind a crash or freeze explains which approach fits.
When Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, or FL Studio freeze
An Ableton or Logic spinning beachball, Pro Tools not responding, or FL Studio hanging while loading a project are all freeze situations if the DAW is still running. DAW Defrost auto-detects the running Mac DAW. If a session won't open because the DAW quits immediately, use safe mode or the crash report instead.
How does DAW Defrost work?
- It sits in your menu bar and quietly checks your DAW every 15 seconds, asking macOS "is this app still responding?" It uses no meaningful CPU and never touches your audio.
- When the DAW stops responding for 30 seconds, DAW Defrost snapshots the frozen process and reads which code every thread is stuck in.
- A popup names the third-party plugin responsible, with a full report saved to your Documents folder.
CULPRIT: FrostVerb 2 (v1.0.3)
It owns 1,104 of Ableton Live's 1,630 threads.
1,104 threads FrostVerb 2 (v1.0.3)
88 threads SampleSynth (v1.5.2)
58 threads TapeMachine (v1.2.1)
Live memory: 19.8G Threads: 1,630
Illustration of the verdict popup. Plugin names changed; the thread and memory numbers are from a real captured freeze.
Which DAWs does it support?
- Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, FL Studio
- Cubase, Nuendo, Studio One, Reaper
- Bitwig Studio, Digital Performer, Reason, GarageBand, MainStage
It auto-detects whichever DAW is running, including more than one at once. For Logic Pro and GarageBand it also inspects Apple's separate plugin host processes, where Logic sometimes runs third-party plugins.
Common questions
Will it slow down my DAW?
No. It asks macOS one lightweight question every 15 seconds. It never touches the audio path and does nothing at all until a freeze happens.
Does it fix the freeze?
No, it names the cause. Once you know which plugin froze the session, the fix is usually a plugin update from the vendor, or bypassing that plugin on the track before export.
What if I miss the popup or want more detail?
Every investigation saves a full technical report to Documents ▸ DAW Defrost Reports. There's also a Check Now button in the menu for on-demand checks, useful when playback stalls but the DAW still responds.
Does it need the internet?
No. Everything runs on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
What does it require?
An Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later) running macOS 13 or newer. The app is notarized by Apple and installs from a standard DMG.
What does it cost?
$19 one time, and Session BPM is included in the same purchase. No subscription.
Why does my DAW keep freezing?
Usually one third-party plugin, often after a macOS or plugin update. The session can hang on export, playback, or while opening. The DAW often cannot tell you which plugin it was.
How do I find which plugin crashed my session?
If the DAW actually quit, use the crash report. If it is frozen or not responding, crash reports usually are not written. DAW Defrost watches the hung process and names the plugin in about 30 seconds.
What is the difference between a frozen DAW and a crashed one?
A crash is when the app quits. A freeze is when it stays open but stops responding (beachball, "not responding"). DAW Defrost is for freezes.
Can it help if my session won't open?
Yes if the DAW launches and then hangs while loading (beachball / not responding). No if the DAW quits immediately; use safe mode or the crash report in that case.
Does it work with Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and FL Studio?
Yes, those and the other major Mac DAWs already listed on the page. It auto-detects the running DAW.
Guides
Why Ableton freezes · Why Logic Pro freezes · Find the plugin behind a crash or freeze