diff --git a/src/effects/EffectManager.cpp b/src/effects/EffectManager.cpp
index 3e113fc3e..9e650dd7f 100644
--- a/src/effects/EffectManager.cpp
+++ b/src/effects/EffectManager.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 #include "../Audacity.h"
 
+#include <wx/log.h>
 #include <wx/msgdlg.h>
 #include <wx/stopwatch.h>
 #include <wx/tokenzr.h>
@@ -729,6 +730,7 @@ const PluginID & EffectManager::GetEffectByIdentifier(const wxString & strTarget
    const PluginDescriptor *plug = pm.GetFirstPlugin(PluginTypeEffect);
    while (plug)
    {
+wxLogDebug(wxT("id %s --- %s"), plug->GetID(), strTarget);
       if (GetEffectIdentifier(plug->GetID()).IsSameAs(strTarget))
       {
          return plug->GetID();
diff --git a/src/effects/VST/VSTEffect.cpp b/src/effects/VST/VSTEffect.cpp
index 9dc15d801..88438f072 100644
--- a/src/effects/VST/VSTEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/effects/VST/VSTEffect.cpp
@@ -2002,6 +2002,11 @@ bool VSTEffect::GetAutomationParameters(EffectAutomationParameters & parms)
    for (int i = 0; i < mAEffect->numParams; i++)
    {
       wxString name = GetString(effGetParamName, i);
+      if (name.IsEmpty())
+      {
+         name.Printf(wxT("parm_%d"), i);
+      }
+
       float value = callGetParameter(i);
       if (!parms.Write(name, value))
       {
@@ -2017,6 +2022,11 @@ bool VSTEffect::SetAutomationParameters(EffectAutomationParameters & parms)
    for (int i = 0; i < mAEffect->numParams; i++)
    {
       wxString name = GetString(effGetParamName, i);
+      if (name.IsEmpty())
+      {
+         name.Printf(wxT("parm_%d"), i);
+      }
+
       double d = 0.0;
       if (!parms.Read(name, &d))
       {