Anyone willing to build my HISE project for AAX?

[HISEnberg]

I am doing the back and forth currently with Avid/Pace for my own license but I don't really want to wait for them to release the plugin.

Naturally I would compensate you. DM if anyone is interested!

[d.healey]

@HISEnberg I'm not sure anyone else is allowed to do that.

[HISEnberg]

@d-healey That might explain why I haven't seen anyone else post about this. If another developer builds my project on their system and sends me the distributable, is that a breach of contract with PACE?

[d.healey]

@HISEnberg I think so, but the process is more than just building it. It will register it to the developer's ilok account, and will show up with that developer's name in your user's ilok accounts.

[Christoph Hart]

Yeah, you need to jump through all those hurdles if you want AAX.

On the bright side, once it's setup it doesn't require much maintenance.

[HISEnberg]

@Christoph-Hart @d-healey tyanks for letting me know. I guess I was just being impatient since I just received the credentials from Pace

[orange]

@HISEnberg If you follow the code signing guide the Pace sent you, the process is pretty straightforward.

[HISEnberg]

Okay took me a better part of a day to get the build and signing tools set up (a lot documentation, but more straightforward and a lot less painful then Mac Developer Credentials). One aspect I didn't know about is it seems like I need signing certificates in order to distribute AAX for both OS's, is this true? Does anyone have recommendations for Windows? I tried signing up with Azure since it seems like the best option but my business isn't 3 years old (it's also only available to American/Canadian based companies at the time of writing this)!

[d.healey]

@HISEnberg For Windows I'm using https://signmycode.com/ - it's not cheap. I'm hoping Azure is available globally when it comes time for me to renew.

[HISEnberg]

@d-healey Ya I got part way through setting up Azure and it seems very promising. They are hinting that Q2 (second-quarter I am guessing) the rules about this might change. Thanks for the link though to signmycode, I will check out this alternative!

[dannytaurus]

@d-healey Do you have any more details about this?

Which service do you use? How much does it cost?

[d.healey]

@dannytaurus I went with the Comodo EV Code Signing, I bought the 3 year plan because they increase the price each year, it cost $834.97 including the dongle (token) and shipping.

You have to buy a new dongle ($99) each time you get a new certificate. And you just chuck the old one away (ewaste)!

They offer a reusable YubiKey dongle instead of the token, but according to their own support you shouldn't use it with an EV certificate - you'll also find lots of comments online about the issues with it.

[orange]

@HISEnberg You can create a self signed certificate and sign the AAX plugins with it. It’s free and works for me for years. Just create a self signed certificate on yor Mac using your Apple Developer account. Then transfer it to Windows pc, use this certificate for AAX code signing.

Other than AAX, I don’t code sign vst or installers on Windows for years. It’s not necessary.

Considering that even some big companies in the industry do not make codesign for Windows, I think it is an unnecessary process. All Windows users know how to bypass the blue window that appears when the installers are opened, there is no need to spend money just for this. Also, the installation is already very difficult. As I said, I have not used it for years and, I do not think you need to waste your money.

If Windows makes it a “must” in the future, just like Apple did, then we can talk this. But at least for now, no need to do it

[dannytaurus]

@orange Can you go through the installation process for a Window user of one of your plugins please? I'm a Mac user so any and all details would be really helpful.

The Windows code signing process is the last stumbling block to me being able to actually release a HISE plugin.

I don't mind the Mac process to much because it's reasonably priced, self-contained and fairly straightforward. But if I can avoid Windows code singing entirely I would be very happy!

[orange]

@dannytaurus Here is the info: https://forum.hise.audio/topic/8821/yet-another-aax-signing-post-apple-developer-certificate-on-windows/5

[dannytaurus]

@orange Sorry, I meant for non-AAX plugins.

You said "Other than AAX, I don’t code sign VST or installers on Windows for years. It’s not necessary."

I'm interested to know what the installation process is like for a Windows user when the VST plugin and installer are not code signed.

I'm in the process of getting Windows running on my Mac, so I'll be able to find out myself soon enough. But was just wondering what your users have to do to get non-code signed plugins installed.

It's been 15 years since I installed any music software/plugins on Windows and back then it was the Wild West!

[HISEnberg]

@dannytaurus It's not that bad. You get a warning on Windows saying it is an unrecognized App, but you just bypass it *select "More Info" and select "Run Anyways", then the user is usually good to go. I don't codesign my Windows Installers since it is such a rip off for the certificates (but I am considering it).

@orange thank you so much sharing that information! I saw a JUCE post saying you could do this but some users reported issues. Definitely going to try this! Is it more or less the same commands you run in the command prompt for Windows and Mac?

[d.healey]

@HISEnberg said in Anyone willing to build my HISE project for AAX?:

It's not that bad. You get a warning on Windows saying it is an unrecognized App,

With an EV cert your users also get a warning in web browsers when they try to download your installer - until you've built enough reputation.

[dannytaurus]

@HISEnberg Thanks, that's exactly what I was hoping for!

[dannytaurus]

@d-healey said in Anyone willing to build my HISE project for AAX?:

With an EV cert your users also get a warning in web browsers when they try to download your installer - until you've built enough reputation.

@d-healey The new Azure subscription method gives instant reputation, doesn't it? That would be nice. I'd happily pay for that. But my business isn't 3 years old yet, and no longer US-based (it's a grey area). Sounds like they'll roll it out wider soon though.