Update: VSL Support have been looking into this but have been unable to produce the issue on there side. Meanwhile I have tried various versions of Logic on two different devices and I am getting the problem with all versions after 1406. And it turns out the issue isn't so much with the audio tracks etc. The issue is being caused at the very moment when the VEP plugin in Logic Pro X tries to connect to any instance in VEP on the server. As a test, in an empty Logic project when I create just one track with the VEP plugin, when I click CONNECT in the plugin Logic hangs.

VSL Support have advised that I stay on 1406 for now as apparently developers are currently looking into a general connection problem which was apparently introduced with VEP builds after 1406, and it seems that is causing my issue.  They have advised hopefully the update that fixes it should be released soon.

Paul, thanks for the tip on getting the sample info from Activity Monitor. I will reinstall VEP7 7.2.1481 and generate that when Logic hangs and send it to VSL support.

Also, forgot to mention, I tried the Rollback option from Vienna Assistant but it doesn't do a correct rollback. It removes the VEP 7.2.1481 plugins (.component, .vst, .vst3 files) but it doesn't install the ones for VEP 7.1.1406. I had to use my previously-saved ".pkg" file for VEP 7.1.1.406 and that managed to reinstall the plugins. Just something that may be useful your other users in case they have this issue.

Hi Paul, thanks for the advice. I am running Logic Pro 10.5.1 and that's also the version I created/saved the projects in. The macOS is Mojave 10.14.6 on both my server (Mac mini 2018 i7) and client (iMac 2015 i7) devices.

Unfortunately I did not get a crash report when this happened. Logic just hangs, the coloured ball kept spinning and when Logic Pro didn't quit/crash for around d 3-4 minutes, the only way to proceed was to do a Force-Quit and that did not generate a crash report. I also looked in the Console app but couldn't see a crash report for Logic.

I have since tried the VEP 7.2.1481 update on my 2015 MacBook Pro 2015 i7 which is also running macOS Mojave 10.14.6. This time the project opened but after opening as soon as I move the cursor or try to click on anything in Logic Pro, it would freeze and I get the coloured spinning ball. However after leaving the project open for around 25-30 minutes, I was finally able to use the project! Sadly, when I saved the project and tried to reopen it, it again needed another 25-30 minutes before I could use the project. It seems that after upgrading to VEP 7.2.1481 Logic Pro is doing a very long scan each time I open any of my existing projects.

I am happy to keep using VEP 7.1.1406 for now but I am concerned that I may get stuck on this older version and may never be able to upgrade to a new version? I also keep getting the upgrade window each time I open VEP7 and I am wondering how I can disable that for now? 

Wonder if anyone else is having this bizarre issue. I’ve been using VEP 7.1.1406 on my macOs Mojave devices until now. After upgrading to 7.2.1481 I was unable to open any of the eight Logic Pro X 10.5.1 projects I am currently working on.

What seems to happen is, when I try to open the project Logic Pro loads all the plugins (which seems to load fine based on the opening progress bar info) but then when it starts loading the audio files (which is what Logic does when opening a project), it freezes and crashes. 

Strangely, my audio tracks are only using plugins which are not even on the VEP7 server; they are all on my local device. So VEP 7 should not be interfering with those tracks. But it is definitely at the last stage of Logic Pro opening where it tries to load up recorded audio files is where Logic Pro just gets stuck and crashes. I was able to create a new Logic project and open it successfully but my existing projects don’t open.

Luckily I had saved the VEP 7.1.1406 installer (no longer available in Vienna Assistant) so I reinstalled that and all my projects opened without any issues! 

Anyone else seeing something like this?

Also, any ideas who to get rid of that “upgrade to 7.2.1481” message every time I open VEP7?

Hope this helps somebody:

After transitioning to iLok and updating VE Pro from 7.0.1120 to 7.1.1298, I was unable to open any of my VESP64 project files, and unable to import a single instance from any of those project to a new project. Tried everything suggested on various posts uninstalled/reinstalled around a dozen combinations of old/new versions of VE Pro 7, manually and via Vienna Assistant. None of it worked, just kept getting the dreaded "instance invalid" messages. For no logical reason whatsoever I decided to open the eLicenser Control Center on my server computer and check for updates. As soon as I updated eLicenser Control Center from v 6.11 to v6.12.8.3308, I was able to open every single project/instance!

So if anyone is having issues with invalid VE Pro 7 projects/instances after migrating to iLok, try updating eLicenser Control Center to the latest version (currently v6.12.8.3308) and see if it works for you too. Make sure you have the eLicenser dongle connected to your server computer when you try to open the FIRST project created in VE Pro 7.0.1120. I removed the dongle once I was able to open the first project, and was able to open all my other projects (each around 15-20 instances, with each instance having 10-16 instruments, i.e. not exactly small projects) without the dongle connected.

Hope this helps somebody:

After transitioning to iLok and updating VE Pro from 7.0.1120 to 7.1.1298, I was unable to open any of my VESP64 projects, and unable to import a single instance from any of those project to a new project. Tried everything suggested on various posts uninstalled/reinstalled around a dozen combinations of old/new versions of VE Pro 7, manually and via Vienna Assistant. None of it worked, just kept getting the dreaded "instance invalid" messages. For no logical reason whatsoever I decided to open the eLicenser Control Center (which should be redundant after having migrated to iLok, right?) on my server computer and check for updates. As soon as I updated eLicenser Control Center from v 6.11 to v6.12.8.3308, I was able to open every single project/instance!

So if anyone is having issues with invalid VE Pro 7 projects/instances after migrating to iLok, try updating eLicenser Control Center to the latest version (currently v6.12.8.3308) and see if it works for you too. Make sure you have the eLicenser dongle connected to your server computer when you try to open the FIRST project created in VE Pro 7.0.1120. I removed the dongle once I was able to open the first project, and was able to open all my other projects (each around 15-20 instances, with each instance having 10-16 instruments, i.e. not exactly small projects) without the dongle connected.

Update: I managed to install the eLicence Control software in the end but using an old version of the software.

In case a Mac user has a problem with installing eLicense Control in the future, if you are running Mojave (OS X 10.14), the latest version or the previous version of the software do not work. Install version 6.11.3.4257 instead. I know it says "for OS X 10.8" but that is the version that worked for me on OSX 10.14.

I'd be glad when VSL move to iLok for licensing because this Steinberg software is clearly terrible.

Apologies if someone has already asked but I couldn't find it in my search on this forum:

I have just received my Vienna Key and trying to install Vienna Ensemble Pro 7, but need to install the eLicence Control software to enable the Key. Unfortunately no matter what I try I am unable to install the eLicencer Control software on my Mac (OS X Mojave 10.14.6). And yes I downloaded the latest version of the software as per the instruction from VSL, and have also tried older versions of the installer.

Here is what happens when I try to install:

• I click on eLicencerControlSetup.app - I get a password box saying "eLicenser Control wants to make changes. Enter your password to allow this." 
• I enter my username and password - I briefly see a blue splash-screen as if the e-Licensor installer app is opening up but instead my Mac screen goes black for half a second and then my Mac logs out! (It doesn't shut down, it just takes me back to my login screen)
• I log back into my Mac hoping this was part of installation but there is no e-Licenser dialogue box or installation running. Its as if the installer never opened!
• I check my Applications folder (in case the app was installed) but I cannot see the e-Licenser Control app there.
• I try to run the installer eLicencerControlSetup.app again but this time I get the message "The eLicenser Control installer is already running - this instance of the eLicenser Control will now be closed"!

I have tried this on a second Mac and I get exactly the same issue.

I am hoping there must be a Mac user who has successfully installed the eLicenser Control app and would greatly appreciate if they can guide me on how to install it. Without this I just wasted money on Vienna Ensemble Pro and a second computer.

Thanks!