HX Native constantly crashing /w active firewall

[SaschaFranck]

So, this seems to be wellknown in the audio plugin world (heard about it from some Reaper user), it seems to be closely related to what happens with the demo (see report somewhere down the topic list).

Here goes:

- Create a project (doesn't matter whether your DAW machine is online/offline) using HX Native.

- Go online with your DAW machine.

- Reopen the project a while later (no idea about the exact timeframe, HXN seems to give you a kind of "grace" period), this time blocking your sequencer from online access (through whatever firewall).

- Try to open HXN.

-> BOOM! Back to desktop.

 

100% reproduceable under Logic Pro X (10.4.8) and macOS High Sierra (10.13.6).

 

In a nutshell: Once your machine is online, you *need* to allow HXN to call home. This is pretty much not acceptable.

I usually don't want my plugins to call home once installed (it's way enough of a hassle in some situations that you have to be online for authorisation already) and using a firewall is a pretty legitimate way to achieve that without compromising other online activities. No plugin should force me to either not be online at all or not use a firewall.

As said, this problem seems to be wellknown.

[phil_m]

Are you talking about the trial version? Yes, it requires an active internet connection the whole time you're using it.

[SaschaFranck]

No. I'm talking about the full, registered version. I can reproduce that by 100%. So do other people.

The trial version is even worse (I already reported that) - not because it requires online access but because it's as well regularly crashing in a reproduceable fashion.

IMO this needs to be adressed urgently as plenty of people (myself included) don't show any understanding for a plugin calling home each time you open it. This should only happen once you try to access your account and/or the marketplace via the plugin UI but never ever in any other situation. Especially not in case these attempts to call home result in crashes.

 

Unfortunately, this seems to be a fashion among plugin makers these days. Bias FX is trying to connect well over 20 web adresses each time you launch it (including Facebook, Googleads and what not). Absolutely ridiculous. I paid good money for it and yet, I uninstalled it. Won't transfer my license, either, as it'd be kinda un-ethical to sell something like that.

Would not like to see HXN taking a similar route, but quite unfortunately, it looks awfully familiar.