Update: after my interaction with Maxon I am left confused and frustrated. Their customer service errors left me with a $40 CAD purchase I didn’t have to make. The supervisor followed uo by denying they made any errors and suggested a solution would be for me to take advantage off the 14-day Free Trial. Really? I am really let down by the experience of interacting with Maxon customer support.

Intro

Getting older versions of software to work can feel like an archaeological dig, and sometimes, you unearth more than you bargained for. My recent experience with Maxon support, trying to access legacy Trapcode and Red Giant licenses, was a perfect example of this. While ultimately successful, it highlighted some interesting quirks in managing older software entitlements.

Note: for privacy purposes I have changed emails mentioned in this article to pseudonyms.

Preamble – I loved Red Giant effects plugins like Shine and Particular

Before I start this semi-rant I want you to know I loved using RG effects back in the day. Around ten years ago I had completed my design-media certificate and along with buying software like the Adobe CS4 Suite I also purchased software from Red Giant, a respected effects software maker.

I spent $600 USD or so on a few plugins and I got my mileage out of them but I used them semi-professionally so not full time. However now I am starting a production business and need some similar tools for motion and effects in my videos. So I thought why not revisit my Red Giant software since I loved it so much.

Here’s a blog post which offers a glimpse of the power of the software which I used to apply to short video clips and even still images!

Killer Sun and Light Rays for Photo and Video Using Red Giant’s Trapcode Shine and Adobe CC (Visual FX)

Maxon Support: A Mixed Bag

Overall, my impression of Maxon support is pretty positive. When I initially reached out, inquiring about Trapcode Suite 13 and Denoiser, they were quick to provide installers, even offering version 14 of Trapcode Suite. All I had to do was send an email with my serial numbers. I really didn’t provide evidence of ownership beyond that.

However, the journey wasn’t without its bumps. I encountered two main issues that turned a straightforward request into a multi-step process:

The Phantom Email: Maxon indicated I needed access to an old, defunct email address ([email protected]) to unlock the complete license for Trapcode 14. This seemed to imply I’d need to re-register an expensive domain, which felt excessive.
The Uninformative Purchase History: When I finally logged into the account supposedly holding the TS 14 license, I was greeted with a long list of purchases, but critically, no serial numbers or specific product details were available.

Issue 1: The Email Identity Crisis

The “email address not found” message when trying to reset the password for [email protected] was genuinely confusing. Maxon Support had previously stated licenses were tied to it. What they didn’t initially clarify was that this old email was actually a secondary account security backup to a different primary email login.

In a moment of misunderstanding, I actually went ahead and registered the old domain, thinking I needed to create an email on it for access. Oops! It turned out the actual primary login was an email I use regularly, but didn’t associate with these older products. D’oh!

Issue 2: The Enigmatic Legacy Information Page

The legacy information page was a treasure trove of past purchases, showing hundreds of dollars spent on products. Yet, it offered no actionable details. No product information, no serial numbers – just a list of transactions. This felt truly bizarre and made self-service impossible.

The Support Thread: A Deeper Dive

A detailed email exchange with Maxon Support eventually untangled the complexities. The most important revelation was:”However, I see in your account [email protected] you have Trapcode 14! Would you also like the installers and installation instructions for Trapcode Suite 14 as well? I can get you your serial number for Trapcode 14 then I can open that aforementioned legacy Red Giant purchase transfer ticket with the Customer Account Team!”

Initially, I provided serial numbers for Trapcode Suite 13 and Denoiser II. Maxon confirmed Trapcode 14 was linked to my old [email protected] email and offered to help with installers and license transfers, with the caveat that older plugins have limited support and potential compatibility issues.

A new ticket (#779440) was opened specifically for transferring the licenses from [email protected] to my current Gmail ([email protected]). This required ownership documentation for the old email and its associated licenses.

The biggest hurdle came when I couldn’t access [email protected] as a registered account. Maxon Support then clarified that it was a backup for an account tied to [email protected]. To proceed, I needed to:

Remove [email protected] from the [email protected] account.
Create a new account for [email protected]
Then, Maxon Support would transfer all legacy licenses to [email protected].

This revelation about the [email protected] association came as a surprise. So “newmail.com” is my current website, which I have full access to, making the registration of the old mikesimpson.ms domain even more unnecessary in hindsight.

The initial ticket (#778738) concluded with Maxon providing the MacOS installer for Trapcode 14, reiterating that further issues should be addressed via new tickets or by responding to the existing transfer ticket.

Lessons Learned

This experience was a journey through forgotten email addresses and convoluted account structures. While Maxon Support was ultimately helpful and persistent, it underscored the importance of:

Keeping meticulous records: Especially for older software, knowing which email addresses and accounts are linked to specific licenses can save a lot of headaches.
Clear communication: The initial confusion around the “phantom” email could have been avoided with a more explicit explanation of its role as a backup rather than a primary login.
Streamlined legacy account management: The inability to access serial numbers directly from a purchase history page is a definite area for improvement.

Despite the detours, I’m now one step closer to resurrecting those older Trapcode and Red Giant tools. Here’s hoping the installation itself is a smoother ride!

A key question is how I feel about this experience and whether I would purchase Maxon software again in the future. The only answer I have is maybe. I really can’t say at this time.

Looking forward to more play and experiments with this software

I will be sure to revisit this post and update you on whether I had luck using the old software. My journey with that project has had some initial success. I located a version of Adobe After Effects from 2019 and some of the Red Giant effects like Shine and Particular appear to have installed correctly. To do this in a safe way I created a VM on my laptop using a Windows 11 and Hyper-V (part of Windows Pro). This is isolated from my main system so I can play around with the old but powerful software.

Stay tuned! And wish me luck! Drop me a line if you have had similar experiences or can offer any advice.