Mx. Voice

Improv Audio Software, Version 3.2.0

About

This is a continuation of the original Mr. Voice Perl/Tk app, circa 2000. While still in use in many CSz clubs, the Perl/Tk app was showing its age, and nearly impossible to build correctly. This caused problems on more modern operating systems.

Thus, 20 years later, this project to rewrite the software in a more modern way.

Developing

Mx. Voice 3 depends on node.js being available on your system, along with yarn. We recommend node 18+.

Check out the source code from Github. Go into the mxvoice-electron folder.

The first time that you run the software in development mode, you will need to install the dependencies. Do that by running:

yarn install

This should install any required node modules in the node_modules subdirectory. Please report any problems installing dependencies.

Once your node dependencies are installed, you can run the currently-checked-out code in development mode with:

yarn start

That should launch the app onto your desktop!

Building, Signing, and Releasing

macOS (OS X)

To build packages for release on macOS, use the following commands depending on your architecture:

• For Intel (x64) builds:

yarn build:mac:x64

• For Apple Silicon (arm64) builds:

yarn build:mac:arm64

These commands use the makers defined in package.json, along with your current system architecture, and build the available targets.

Build output will be available in the dist/ subdirectory. Currently, this produces both a .dmg and a .zip file, with the .dmg being directly installable on the system.

The build process includes code signing and notarization for macOS. The signing identity and entitlements are configured in the build scripts located in the build/ directory (afterPack.js, notarize.js, and entitlements.mac.plist). To successfully sign and notarize the app, you need to set the following environment variables:

• APPLE_ID: Your Apple developer Apple ID email.
• APPLE_ID_PASSWORD: Your Apple app-specific password or Apple ID password.
• APPLE_TEAM_ID: Your Apple developer team ID.
• GITHUB_TOKEN: A GitHub token with permissions to upload releases.

To publish the release to the official Mx. Voice GitHub Releases, use:

yarn release

This command requires the above environment variables to be set.

Universal macOS Releases (ARM64 + x64)

For creating universal macOS releases that support both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, follow this workflow:

Prerequisites:

• Set up the required environment variables listed above
• Ensure you have access to push tags to the repository

Release Process:

1. Create and push a version tag (this automatically triggers x64 build on GitHub Actions):

   git tag v3.2.0
   git push origin v3.2.0

2. Build ARM64 locally while the GitHub Actions x64 build runs:

   yarn build:mac:arm64

3. Download x64 artifacts from the completed GitHub Actions run:

   • Go to the Actions tab in your GitHub repository
   • Find the workflow run triggered by your tag
   • Download the macos-x64-signed-build artifact
   • Extract the contents to your local dist/ directory

4. Create the universal release:

   export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token_here
   yarn release:universal

This process creates a draft GitHub release with:

• ARM64 and x64 .dmg files
• ARM64 and x64 .zip files
• ARM64 and x64 .blockmap files (for efficient updates)
• A universal latest-mac.yml file that supports both architectures

The release will be created as a draft for you to review before publishing. The x64 architecture is set as the default download for backward compatibility with existing Intel Mac users, while Apple Silicon users will automatically receive the ARM64 version.

Expected files in dist/ before running yarn release:universal:

• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-arm64.dmg
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-arm64.zip
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-arm64.dmg.blockmap
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-arm64.zip.blockmap
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-x64.dmg
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-x64.zip
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-x64.dmg.blockmap
• Mx. Voice-3.2.0-x64.zip.blockmap
• latest-mac.yml

Windows

Building and Signing

To build and sign the Windows installer, use:

yarn build:win

or

npm run build:win

This command will:

• Build the Windows installer (.exe) in the dist/ directory.
• Automatically sign the installer using SSL.com's CodeSignTool.

Required Environment Variables

Before building, set the following environment variables (these are required for signing):

• SSL_USERNAME: Your SSL.com RA username.
• SSL_CREDENTIAL_ID: Your SSL.com credential ID.
• SSL_PASSWORD: Your SSL.com RA password.
• SSL_TOTP_SECRET: Your SSL.com TOTP secret (base64-encoded, for automated OTP).

Example (PowerShell):

$env:SSL_USERNAME="your_username"
$env:SSL_CREDENTIAL_ID="your_credential_id"
$env:SSL_PASSWORD="your_password"
$env:SSL_TOTP_SECRET="your_base64_totp_secret"

How the Signing Works

• The signing process is fully automated and runs after the installer is built.
• The script locates the most recent .exe installer in the dist/ directory and signs it in-place using SSL.com's CodeSignTool and your credentials.

Verifying the Signature

After building, you can verify the signature:

Using Windows Explorer:

• Right-click the installer in dist/
• Select Properties > Digital Signatures
• Select the signature and click Details to view certificate info

Using signtool.exe (if available):

signtool verify /pa "C:\Users\wade\mxvoice-electron\dist\Mx. Voice Setup 3.2.0.exe"

You should see "Successfully verified" if the signature is valid.

Publishing

To publish Windows releases, use your preferred workflow for uploading the signed installer to GitHub or your distribution platform.

Note: The old certificate file-based signing is no longer used. All signing is handled via SSL.com credentials and the automated script.

References and Utilities

Helpful tools and documentation:

• Electron.js
• Electron Builder

Authors

Mx. Voice 3 is brought to you with love by:

• Wade Minter ([email protected])
• Andrew Berkowitz ([email protected])