"Add Workspace" - Crash

Nuendo
1

I frequently get this; last few versions.

  • Change some windows around.
  • “Add Workspace”.
  • Click in the Workspace name
  • Hard crash

It seems OK if you do this just after opening the project. But later… nope. Crash.

Thanks!

2

Hi,
can you upload some *.dmp/ips file(s), please?

Mac: macOS Console utility > Crash Reports (or ~user/Library/Logs/Diagnostic Reports).
Win: %userprofile%/Documents/Steinberg/Crash Dumps

What kind of system do you run, computer specs, graphic card etc? Cubase version?
The more details the better.

3

Will sort next time it happens.

4

Do I simply copy the full crash logs into this thread? I tried to upload text files but apparently text files are not allowed!

5

OK, try this.

And system is:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: Mac Studio
Model Identifier: Mac13,2
Model Number: Z14K0003XB/A
Chip: Apple M1 Ultra
Total Number of Cores: 20 (16 performance and 4 efficiency)
Memory: 64 GB
System Firmware Version: 11881.140.96
OS Loader Version: 10151.140.19.700.2
Serial Number (system): LJWQ0JJ2GT
Hardware UUID: C0D4A09F-1EF3-5DF9-AF79-18163A7867E7
Provisioning UDID: 00006002-001830263428401E
Activation Lock Status: Enabled

Thankyou!

Nuendo 14-2025-12-05-114133.ips (323.3 KB)

6

Incident Report Summary

  • Application: Nuendo 14 (Version 14.0.41.374)
  • Operating System: macOS 14.7.8 (Sonoma)
  • Crash Time: 2025-12-05 11:41:33 +0000
  • Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
  • Exception Code: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS
  • Faulting Thread: Thread 0 (Main Thread)

Analysis of the Crash

The crash occurred on the Main Thread (Thread 0), which is responsible for the user interface (UI) and event handling. The application did not crash due to audio processing engine failure, but rather due to a user interface interaction error.

1. The Trigger Sequence The stack trace for Thread 0 indicates the following sequence of events immediately preceding the crash:

  1. Modal State: The application was in a “Modal Loop” (-[NSApplication runModalForWindow:] ), indicating a dialog box, popup window, or specific plugin window was open and demanding exclusive focus.
  2. User Input: A keyboard event occurred (TSMProcessRawKeyEvent... and -[NSTextView keyDown:] ), suggesting the user typed text or pressed a keyboard shortcut.
  3. Text Processing: The system attempted to process this text input via the macOS Text Input Services (NSTextInputContext handleTSMEvent: ), leading to a notification that text had changed (-[NSTextView(NSSharing) didChangeText] ).
  4. The Failure: During the notification process (__CFNOTIFICATIONCENTER_IS_CALLING_OUT_TO_AN_OBSERVER__ ), the application attempted to access memory that was invalid or had been released (EXC_BAD_ACCESS ), resulting in the crash.

2. Involved Libraries While the crash happened in the system frameworks (AppKit/Foundation), the report shows a significant number of third-party plugins loaded into the process memory. Notable active libraries include:

  • Waves Audio: Extensive list of plugins loaded (e.g., S360, L360, X-Noise, SSLComp, WaveShell).
  • iZotope: Ozone 10, RX 11, Neoverb.
  • Soundtoys: Tremolator, LittleAlterBoy.
  • Steinberg Components: VST Connect, SpectraLayers, and various internal extensions.

Conclusion

This crash was caused by a UI Event Loop failure related to text input handling within a modal window.

It is highly likely that a specific window (either a native Nuendo dialog or a VST plugin window) was open, and a keystroke triggered a conflict between the application’s text handling and the macOS NSTextInputContext. This is a known class of issues on macOS Sonoma when legacy text input methods interact with newer OS frameworks.

Recommended Actions

  1. Identify the Modal Window: Try to recall which specific window was open at the moment of the crash (e.g., a “Save As” dialog, a track renaming field, or a specific plugin interface).
  2. Disable “Secure Keyboard Entry”: If you use terminal applications (like iTerm2) or password managers that enable “Secure Input,” disable this feature, as it can conflict with Steinberg’s keyboard handling.
  3. Reset Nuendo Preferences: Corrupt window layouts or key command preferences can trigger this. Launch Nuendo while holding Cmd + Shift + Opt to temporarily reset preferences to verify if the crash persists.
  4. Update Waves Plugins: The log indicates a very heavy reliance on Waves plugins (V14, V15, and V16 mixed). Ensure all Waves plugins are updated to the latest V15/V16 builds compatible with macOS Sonoma, as older WaveShells are frequent causes of UI thread instability.
1 Like
7

Lots of food for thought, there. Will investigate. Thankyou.

8

Run your dump files into Chat GPT or Google Gemini, they can both break them down and analyse them.

1 Like
9

This happens to me all the time, and I already explained to Steinberg in a detailed way, exactly when and how it crashes. I even asked Greg Ondo to reproduce this bug in a Cubase Live session, but he did different steps, and it worked fine for him.

Just like you, this crash is happening to some of us right as we start typing in the Workspaces box.