Just wanted to wish everyone a happy, productive and prosperous new year!

Until you spend hours debugging an inaudible filter node because Claude set the smoothing to 20 seconds instead of 20ms!

@David-Healey In a conversation with ChatGPT today, it said to me

Your mockup surprised me—I expected to dislike it. I don't.

AI is getting cheekier!

Anyone care to share their overall plans and goals for the coming year?

My main goal is to start releasing HISE plugins. I've been learning HISE for a while and it's time to start exporting my efforts!

1. A series of 4 free synth plugins, first one Sublime posted here for design feedback, and another 3, each based around one simple preset concept. Sublime is all about bass.

2. Then I have 2 collaborations I want to work on, both with UK house music producers. One is a multi-output drum plugin based on a series of expansions, the other is a chord synth with some interesting features.

3. I also have a lot of vintage reverb impulses recorded and processed, which I'd like to turn into a suite of free reverbs.

My user base is mostly house music producers & related genres - rave, techno, classic house, etc. I've built a decent brand and I think my customers will love the move from Maize-based ROMpler plugins to way more fully-featured HISE-based plugins.

What are your goals?

I like using overlay images to ensure my Figma design is translated properly to HISE. Currently, the only way I know to toggle the image visibility is to select/unselect the image, or quickly slide the alpha slider, which is difficult because of the 'invert' half of the slider.

This PR adds a toggle button between the image dropdown and the alpha slider. It uses an existing image icon for the button and respects the alpha slider value.

This allows me to toggle the image without taking my eyes off the interface, making it easier to spot changes.

PR here: https://github.com/christophhart/HISE/pull/825

@David-Healey I just had a go at fixing this. Is that what you mean?

HiseSnippet 1112.3ocsVs2aaaCDmJIJKwacqEne.H7e4roYH+pIcACMO8pwxCi4rhMDDTPKcxhKRjFRTMwXneH12z8MH6ndXKO6klZfI.av6Eue2wi2w9QRGHNVFQLpb0jw.w3qLGLQn7O1mwEjdmPL9ZyyYwJHhlw5nIiYwwfKwvX8eRyvX6MHoe+8aNhEvDNvLVDx6jbG3LdHWMia+C9YdPPWlKbEOrj1sOnmiTbrLPlf3YcSaxXlysrQvELsZqYRdKK1mX7sl1scX60zqSqVu9061wcH330.FtqCytCyqCC41l0tSi1DiMO0kqjQCTLEDia5QR2IC7k2Ixbv63w7gAflnAY.54L1ji84At8KRNwDhwF8mkpVOKU8Ryy4t7o7mkxddp.5LKJmzLV6wfTiOCHYTBRajAoWXNvIhOVMShFOeoYOAdB5wvylxPISWxZ+05lGKQMDp5gragtQHwTKp0z11hh+sy9UpfmOwJZ.yi9izBSbh.LRNS5vBNSJu8PgaW.BpoUGUrdDLhqqe5lHbTbonVU2H1c8kiSFeNHRNBOhGEISDtUsndE5LxhJG9G6T4OqPwuQ0iAUVcQsp12am+UEcQlXOrd5W.GUsqssrsz.F+cCJ9iOQTzSAg+29+CrHJCiXjUcFFs3dVvdLy8PjCJ7Z1012P+NZSKJ65FSW07F52SaqW0Jc0M6uPHo2Vd7a4i7CveJvk9FZln35ih.PP+gozCCRf4CacpCb0QOSLJ.pkiHK5d6TBmJ3dUAPy0HCt6YUDCHnmsNE1Md0LFstYIHu.U24yUyfEJuKVaTq5IfGKIPgI1FsqaOUtNyeHFpBv8JDVowuFeVSQoEsZ.3opVbBlU1crLbn7H48MJU7MRikvwRAnc3TMzVNkPCnEJOwhhc1u37lJEWHUvkhZ5i7sq7wJz+sHOukJSiiHYP.DsTw5FbQOlg0DIgCgHK7PRexVnHdgd9tDa9z5R3jkVJonTzSvUWNFxo6JCb0290qWrmBIOup6tjiPTUUZukmm2aoHuR3t5VKSSyjzPnbyexu16DlhUrY39h9ZLDo35Px3D3C3vgrFWaadBDeqRNF6yO8.kXrUlqeVQaMl.BR86VloqaPturCmTl.KICKFlr8lDxCOLO2lkYeG2U4OyZ9A9f9tXYNjR35KdhoDDclFMyPlowKwEgrTdqunO+8CzXCSLei4kBnxU2IqbkOd8GGXtPedbBizMIfoleridfbt.rJatd8594hXtZR4A1eFyhrezYQOUH9By9bki+xw3ZKAiXsy+GXLeB9yLO0yC6bNCfaX182V0w0eB2icpUbwnyYpHttF3hjvAXYnCfdWf0xw55h0z2Ayns0z5Lv.P3lR7.9kKrgl1HWXiBgX0kSj78NY2b0uQXqTNHlDougZa7wbHMcIWVCwmr7dGm42pELr4pZXqU0v1qpgcVUCe0pZ3tqpg68oMT+hxCSTxvrqMDx48OMs4pgwoBFVAlVsR9GztgJYG

Content.makeFrontInterface(200, 200);

const laf = Content.createLocalLookAndFeel();

laf.registerFunction("drawPopupMenuBackground", function(g, obj)
{
    g.setColour("0x00000000"); // any transparent colour
    g.fillRect([0,0,200,200]);
});

laf.registerFunction("drawPopupMenuItem", function(g, obj)
{
    var a = obj.area;

    var padArea = [a[0] + 2, a[1] + 2, a[2] - 4, a[3] - 4];
    g.setColour(obj.isHighlighted ? Colours.green : Colours.blue);
    g.fillRoundedRectangle(padArea, 8);

    var textArea = [padArea[0] + 8, padArea[1], padArea[2] - 16, padArea[3]];
    g.setColour(Colours.white);
    g.setFont("Default", 14.0);
    g.drawAlignedText(obj.text, textArea, "left");
});

const ComboBox1 = Content.getComponent("ComboBox1");
ComboBox1.setLocalLookAndFeel(laf);

The drawPopupMenuBackground object should probably include an area, and the popup menu items still have a subtle drop shadow. But they're both fixes for another day.

PR here, if it's useful: https://github.com/christophhart/HISE/pull/805

@bendurso Today I learned that right-clicking a module in edit mode shows a different context menu to right-clicking not in edit mode.

Posting this in case it helps anyone else. I just banged my head against a brick wall for too long before I realised how simple this was!

When using a Floating Tile with content type Waveform (to display the waveform of Sine Wave Generator or Waveform Generator, for example) the default waveform path is a filled shape.

You can override this with LAF function drawAnalyserPath and draw a line path instead of a filled path:

laf.registerFunction("drawAnalyserPath", function(g, obj)
{
	g.setColour(Colours.white);
	g.drawPath(obj.path, obj.area, 5);
});

However, this means that the path is clipped at the bounds of the floating tile, especially at wider line thicknesses:

To prevent the clipping, I fudged around with it for longer than I want to admit before I realised the answer is to simply reduce the area that the path is drawn in, by half the thickness of the path:

laf.registerFunction("drawAnalyserPath", function(g, obj)
{
	g.setColour(Colours.white);
	g.drawPath(obj.path, obj.area.reduced(2.5), 5);
});

Voila! No more clipped paths! Top row is using obj.area, bottom row is using area reduced by half line thickness:

You might want the left/right of the path to bleed out of bounds, in which case change the reduction from all-round to y-only:

obj.area.reduced(5) 👈 all-round
obj.area.reduced(0, 5) 👈 y-only

Note: you might need to compile with HISE_USE_SCRIPT_RECTANGLE_OBJECT=1 for the reduced and other Rectangle helper functions, as per the docs: https://docs.hise.dev/scripting/scripting-api/rectangle/index.html. Not sure if it's still the same, or if it's built-in to all new builds.

@Chazrox said in MEDIA BROWSER PLUGIN [NOT A HISE PLUGIN - but may be useful]:

The forum has definitely been less active since everyone has found their agentic work flows.

I noticed that too. Bit sad really. Maybe we should all start sharing more wins we have with AI?

I just went down the Windows installer and code signing rabbit hole for my synth plugin and came out the other side with a decision I didn't expect: no installer at all.

TLDR: if your plugin is one file going to one folder, a ZIP with clear instructions gives your users a smoother, less alarming experience than an unsigned installer, and costs you nothing.

Sharing the findings here in case it saves someone else a day of research.

My plugin is a single VST3 on Windows. Bundled presets/images/fonts/audio assets (for simple Audio Loop Players). That means one file, one destination folder. So the installer would exist mostly for polish, not necessity.

Here's why I dropped it.

The problem: an installer is an .exe, and an unsigned .exe looks scary

If you ship an unsigned installer, SmartScreen will greet your users with the "Windows protected your PC" screen, and they have to click "More info" then "Run anyway" to proceed. I'm sure most Windows users, especially music producers, are used to this, but for a paid product from a developer they've never heard of, that's bad optics. I'd argue worse than no installer at all.

Option 1: Azure Trusted Signing. Blocked for me.

This is the modern route everyone recommends, and it's cheap. But it's only available to individuals in the US and Canada. In the UK you need a registered (Limited) company. I'm still a sole trader with no Ltd, and I'm not registering a company and wading through Azure bureaucracy just to unblock a release. Registering is on the roadmap but not worth bumping it up for this.

Option 2: An individual code signing cert. Possible, but underwhelming.

There is a middle path: Individual Validation (IV) certs. SSL.com and Certum both sell these to individuals with no company required, verified via passport and a face scan, turnaround in days not weeks. Certum even has a "Cloud CODE Signing for Individual Developer" product that a company literally cannot buy.

But here's the catch that killed it for me: signing removes the "Unknown publisher" label, but SmartScreen reputation still builds up gradually per certificate. A fresh cert with no reputation can still trigger warnings. So you pay, you do the ID verification dance, and your users may still see scary screens for a while. And from March 2026 the CA/B Forum caps code signing cert validity at 458 days, so this becomes a recurring chore, not a one-off.

The realisation: no .exe, no problem

SmartScreen cares about executables. A ZIP containing a .vst3 and a text file doesn't trigger any of this.

So the Windows release is:

• MyPlugin.vst3
• INSTALL.txt ("Copy MyPlugin.vst3 to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 and approve the admin prompt")
• LICENSE.txt

That's the whole install. VST3 has one canonical system folder, so there's no per-DAW path confusion like the old VST2 days. I shipped earlier plugins as VST2/VST3 and had some support tickets, but those were usually because of the VST2 confusion. Oh, and I'm clearly not doing AAX either - another axis of complexity avoided.

The installer isn't dead, just deferred

When I register as a company, I'll 100% ship an Azure cloud-signed installer. Shipping an unsigned one in the meantime would be a downgrade from the ZIP.

One extra risk: the ever-annoying Anti-Virus checks on Windows, and two practical mitigations. [1] Submit the ZIP and the .vst3 to Microsoft's file-submission portal once the release build is final (it whitelists the hash and hugely reduces the block-at-first-sight risk), and [2] run the final binary through VirusTotal before release so I know which of the ~70 engines flag it, if any. Both are free and take minutes.

Very open to having my mind changed here, but given the fact that I've been distributing my previous (non-HISE) plugins for 3 years on Windows via the ZIP > extract > copy to folder method, I think this is a no-brainer approach for my first couple of self-contained HISE plugins.

@JC Seems to work smoothly in an exported AU in Logic on 2025 M4 MacBook Air 32GB.

Slow drags:

Fast KNOB drag:

@Lindon

Sorry yes my typo...

Glad you weren't being charged 5%

@Lindon Yeah, I've been using Wise since 2019, when they were called TransferWise.

Very cool service, never had any issues. I keep GBP, USD and EUR balances.

Moonbase uses Wise too, so their payouts go direct between Wise accounts, which is good. No other crappy banks in the flow.

The issue for me with Moonbase currently is that they don't hold in GBP. You can price and charge in GBP, and you can get paid out in GBP. But Moonbase holds it in USD/EUR (presumably EUR for GBP).

So when a customer pays in GBP, their payment is converted to EUR (at Wise standard rate, no markup apparently, which is cool) for holding, then when you get a payout, your EUR holding balance is converted back to GBP then paid to your Wise account.

Slightly more complicated than that actually. Depends on whether you price in GBP or in USD/EUR. But same thing applies either way - customer payment is converted from GBP to EUR, held until pay date, then converted back from EUR to GBP for payout.

You do have the option to be paid out in USD/EUR of course, but unless I have considerable business spending in those currencies, I'd likely end up converting back to GBP at some point.

And I feel like dealing in GBP as much as possible can only simplify our tax situations too.

manually do the exchange (costs about 5%)

By the way, I think your 5% number is too high. I just checked and Wise will convert 1k EUR to GBP at a rate of 1 EUR = 0.8553 GBP with a fee of 4.78 EUR, which is more like 0.5%, not 5%. Maybe the fee varies by amount converted.

@soundsync You might consider a challenge/response system for offline activation.

Some users genuinely do have air gapped studio computers.

@soundsync Thanks for the info

@David-Healey Yeah, might be interesting.

I generally don't participate in marketplaces or use resellers, etc. but more out of an abundance of caution than anything else.

It would be yet another fee on Moonbase's already fairly extensive fee matrix. It would be good if they could simplify that a bit.

@David-Healey I had Claude run my last 6 month's Gumroad sales through the Moonbase fee/surcharge matrix.

Moonbase came out at 12.6% (similar to yours) versus Gumroad's actual 17.6%.

But Gumroad's 'Discover' system brings in a percentage of my current revenue, which I will lose when I move.

If Moonbase do GBP holding at 1% (same as USD) it goes down to 11.8%. GBP holding at 0% (like EUR) takes it to 11.4%.

@David-Healey Yes, these features might indeed be done by the time I move.

Definitely worth considering, since the rest of Moonbase is so well built, and their campaigns/automations live much closer to the list, but it depends on what features they actually build versus the features I get from third-party software.

I'm holding out for native GBP holding support. I don't relish the idea of my payments round-tripping through various currencies before they land with me.

Nothing on the roadmap for that, unfortunately.

@David-Healey I'll probably start using SES when I move away from Gumroad.

For now, marketing emails are included in Gumroad's fee. But when I move to Moonbase, I'll need my own marketing stack.

Very likely SES for sending emails, with a Sendy or Mimeo campaign/automation front end.

I only use Resend for transactional stuff from my website at the moment. Too expensive for broadcasts.

@Chazrox I use Resend with my website, but only a few emails a day to send generated discount codes.

Seems very easy to use, but it's expensive compared to SES if you're doing bulk. For transactional it's fine.

I use Neon as my DB currently.