Lesson Description
Updating your mixer’s software
7m 36s
Learn to importance of keeping your mixer software up to date as well as the proper procedure to do so.
Video Transcript
Updating your mixer’s software
7m 36s
00:15
It’s important to check, when you first purchase your TouchMix, that your mixer’s firmware is up to date.
00:22
TouchMix owners should be watching for TouchMix firmware updates as they become available.
00:28
QSC is constantly making awesome, quality upgrades to the firmware for the best user experience possible and we don’t want you to miss out.
00:38
So, how do you know what software version your TouchMix is running?
00:44
First, go to QSC’s website to see what the latest version is. Then go to your mixer and press “Menu.”
00:52
Select Mixer setup. Right here down at the bottom. This is where you will find the current software version of the mixer.
01:01
If the number here is not the same as the version on our website, then, guess what?
01:06
You get to do a firmware update.
01:09
And now, here’s Patrick and Nathan to show you how to update your mixer’s firmware.
01:17
Welcome to another session of the TouchMix Training Series.
01:20
Today we're going to go over a simple but vitally important function of your mixer:
01:24
how to update the firmware.
01:26
This is a relatively simple process, but we're going to show you what it looks like,
01:30
just in case you were wondering.
01:31
If you've already registered your mixer, you should receive and email every time we release a new firmware.
01:36
And you can always visit the TouchMix page on the QSC website for further information.
01:41
Now the first step, of course, is to download the new firmware update from the website.
01:46
If you are a PC user, you should be able to just double-click the zipped file
01:50
that contains a compressed file that ends in tar.gz.
01:55
If you’re updating a TouchMix-30 Pro, this is going to be a .install file. Not a .tar.gz file.
02:02
The process will remain the same, however.
02:04
If you’re a Mac user, then your Safari browser may automatically attempt to unzip that compressed filed as well.
02:11
To prevent this, you’ll need to go to your Safari preferences, choose the General tab,
02:17
and deselect the box at the bottom that says “Open “safe" files after downloading".
02:23
The file will download to your downloads folder.
02:26
Move it onto your desktop.
02:28
And then double click it to open and extract the tar.gz or the .install file
02:34
If you're still having trouble you may need to change a setting in the archive utility.
02:39
Double click the drive for your computer's system
02:41
And go to System
02:43
Library
02:45
And go to Core Services.
02:47
Find and open the Archive Utility
02:51
In the menu screen, select Archive Utility and choose "Preferences"
02:55
And then uncheck "Keep expanding if possible".
02:59
Then proceed to unpack the file as described earlier.
03:02
For the TouchMix-30 .install file
03:05
Changing this Archive Utility setting won't be necessary.
03:07
As this is not a compressed file like tar.gz.
03:10
So, you can go ahead and skip this step.
03:13
Once you're done the process, you can change all these settings back if you so desire.
03:16
For both PC and Mac users, once you have tar.gz file or a .install file for the TouchMix-30,
03:24
put it in the root directory of the USB storage device.
03:27
This can be a hard drive or a thumb drive, just as long as it's formatted with the FAT32 file system.
03:33
Now, if you are using software version 1.1 or higher on a TouchMix-30 Pro
03:39
or version 3.0 or higher on a TouchMix-9 or -16
03:43
You can take advantage of the direct download feature,
03:46
which doesn't require a computer at all.
03:48
With this feature, the TouchMix uses an internet connection to essentially call home
03:53
And check for any available Firmware update.
03:56
If an Update is available, you'll see a message appear with some information about the update.
04:00
And you'll the option either dismiss the message or proceed with the update.
04:05
If you choose to proceed, you'll want to have your properly formatted USB storage device connected to the mixer already.
04:12
It's also a good idea to make sure the mixer is connected to a stable internet connection.
04:17
With a TouchMix-30 Pro the mixer can be connected to a router directly through the RJ45 connection on the back.
04:24
But, with a TouchMix- and -16 a USB to Ethernet adapter is required for a hard wired connection.
04:30
Or, you can use the supplied dongle to connect to your wireless router.
04:35
To initiate the download, press the menu button, and then press "Mixer Setup".
04:41
And then press "Download Upgrade".
04:45
A message will appear that says "Contacting Server".
04:48
If an update is available, you'll be prompted to accept the download to begin the process.
04:52
Once the download is complete, a "Download Successful" message with appear
04:56
indicating that the firmware has been saved to the USB storage device and the mixer can be updated.
05:01
This is not however, an indication that the mixer has been updated.
05:05
You've simply bypassed the step in which you've downloaded the file to a computer transferring it to the USB storage device.
05:13
With either method, once the firmware file has been successfully loaded onto a USB storage device, well, you can move on.
05:20
Insert this device into one of the ports on the back of the TouchMix,
05:24
and then stop.
05:26
Ask yourself a couple questions
05:27
For instance: Are you about to start a gig?
05:31
Yes?
05:32
Well then, maybe now is not the best time to upgrade your firmware.
05:37
Don't do it!
05:41
This process will take a little while so you have to make sure you have enough down-time to finish the upgrade.
05:45
Ask yourself another question. Do you want to save the current settings on your mixer.
05:50
If so, be sure to save a new scene of your current setup so that you can recall it after the update.
05:56
The update will reset all of your channel levels, labels, EQ etc.
06:00
But all of your scenes and presets will remain intact.
06:04
Once you're sure you're ready to update
06:06
Press the Menu button
06:08
Press "Mixer Setup"
06:09
And then "Upgrade"
06:11
The upgrade process cannot be interrupted and the device should not be unplugged until it's complete.
06:16
If you mess this up, the TouchMix will explode.
06:18
Whao, wait, no! It won't explode.
06:20
No, it wont.
06:21
The TouchMix is designed to recover perfectly fine if it gets interrupted.
06:25
But don't go testing that out, don't be that guy.
06:28
Nobody likes that guy.
06:29
No! That's the same guy who puts the Mentos in the Coke bottle.
06:32
I hate that guy
06:33
Everybody hates that guy, just don't interrupt it, all right?
06:36
Now confirm one final time that you do want to do this.
06:39
First, you'll see a loading screen.
06:41
It may take up to 30 or 45 seconds to complete.
06:44
Wow! That was faster than I thought!
06:45
Settle down, that's just loading the upgrader application.
06:48
Once the upgrader opens, you'll see this screen.
06:51
Any available TouchMix upgrades will be listed under your USB devices here.
06:57
If you want to back out, simply press the exit button.
06:59
Otherwise, press "Update" and the process will begin.
07:03
This can take up tp 10 minutes an it may look like it's not doing anything at times,
07:07
but simply be patient.
07:08
At the end of the process a dialogue box will tell you the upgrade was successful.
07:13
Simply press "OK" and the software upgrader will close and the mixer will reboot.
07:17
And there you have it. Your TouchMix is ready to go with all the latest features.
07:24
Updating your TouchMix firmware is actually quite easy and knowing what to expect really goes a long way.
Downloads and Links
Updating your mixer’s software
7m 36s