SymNet Designer Version 9.13 Release Notes
Copyright
2010, Symetrix, Inc.
I) Changes from previous versions
II) Known Issues
IV) Upgrading Firmware for V9.1
V) Issues with Site files from previous versions of SymNet Designer
This document is intended for those users upgrading from Version 9.0x. If you are upgrading from an earlier version, you may also want to review the release notes from the relevant intermediate releases (e.g. V9.0, V8.0, V7.0, V6.0, V5.5, V5.0, V4.0, V3.5, etc.). These can be found on the SymNet web site.
Note that saving a site file in version 9.1 will change its format and prevent
it from being opened in previous versions.
This is discussed in more detail in V) Issues
with Site files from previous versions of SymNet Designer below.
SymNet Designer V9.13 is a maintenance release for version 9.1x that contains several important updates. It is recommended that all users of V9.1x upgrade to V9.13.
1) A problem was fixed where certain sites files that used SymLink bus send or return modules would behave erratically after a “Go on-line without downloading” operation.
2) New Microprocessor firmware V9.102 is included that fixes a communication problem in multi-ring sites that use CobraNet. In these multi-ring sites, downloads could fail or SymNet Designer could drop off-line immediately after download when the communication mode was serial port (RS-232). In this mode, RS-232 communication to other rings is relayed over CobraNet, and a firmware issue made this communication path unreliable.
3) New Microprocessor firmware V9.102 is included that fixes a problem with DigIO units that caused the digital inputs and outputs to work improperly.
SymNet Designer V9.12 is a maintenance release for version 9.1x that contains several important updates. It is recommended that all users of V9.1x upgrade to V9.12.
1) A problem was fixed where sites files containing RS-232/485 control input modules would not always open properly.
2) New Microprocessor firmware V9.101 is included that fixes a problem with push data. SymLink slave units with more than 64 push-enabled controllers were not pushing out any data.
3) A problem with mono and stereo matrix selectors has been fixed. In sites using these modules, the problem could create loud noise bursts right after download in rare cases. New DSP code is included to fix this issue.
4) A problem with mono and stereo limiter modules has been fixed. The problem could cause the limiter’s meters to be stuck at maximum value in rare cases. New DSP code is included to fix this issue.
5) New Mod-ARC firmware V1.28 is included which fixes a problem with the ARC-Mic and ARC-XLR. Their push-to-talk buttons did not work properly in some cases. It also fixes a minor issue with LED states after a download.
SymNet Designer V9.11 is a maintenance release for version 9.1. It is recommended that all users of V9.1 who use Loudspeaker Manger modules upgrade to V9.11.
1) A problem was fixed with dual mono Loudspeaker Managers. The maximum delay time was twice what it should have been.
2) A few minor issues were fixed relating to controlling delay time externally.
SymNet Designer V9.1 is a major release and has many enhancements compared to V9.0x.
1)
New FIR
Filter modules have been added. They
allow importing arbitrary coefficients from a comma separated value (CSV) file.
The frequency response of the filter is displayed.
2)
DTMF Decoder modules have been
added. They allow decoding of various
DTMF sequences and triggering events upon reception. They also include specific features for
paging via DTMF including a pre-announce tone and a page hold time.
3)
BGM combiner modules are now
available with 8 BGM inputs. The
existing versions with 4 BGM inputs are still available.
4)
The Gap-sensing
SPL computer modules have a new “Averaging
Count” control. This allows averaging multiple level readings to prevent a
single out-lying value from drastically changing the gain. The count defaults
to 1 for backward compatibility.
5)
Support for controlling
SymNet units over the Internet (i.e. a Wide Area Network or WAN) has been
improved. Multiple devices can now be accessed from a single external IP
address. This is accomplished by using
unique port numbers for each device. A new option in the Preferences in the
Communications section allows selecting the WAN option.
6)
There are three new faster ways to store presets.
First, in the Store setting in Preset menu, there is an additional
option for “Preset…” , allowing direct entry of the
preset number.
Second, in the right-click menu, there is a new “Store settings in Preset x
item”, where x is the last preset stored.
This allows rapidly adding multiple parameters to the same preset. The
shortcut key ‘i’ provides access to this new menu item. Hence, any control can be stored in the last
preset used just by right-clicking the control and pressing ‘i’.
Finally, the other shortcut keys have been revamped to allow selecting a preset
rapidly by number. For example, to store
to preset #134, right click the control and press ‘s134’. Note that preset numbers must be entered as
3-digit numbers for this to work, so leading zeros may be required in some
cases. For example, to store to preset #5,
right click the control and press ‘s005’.
7)
New 4x4
matrix and 2x2 stereo matrix
modules have been added.
8)
New Dual-mono
Delay modules have been added for Express units. These can be used any place where two signals
need to be delayed by independent amounts.
Using these modules saves DSP versus using two separate mono delays.
9)
New Dual-mono
Preset Trigger modules have been added for Express units. These can be used any place where two signals
need to be delayed by independent amounts.
Using these modules saves DSP versus using two separate mono delays.
10)
RS-485 controller
output modules are now available in 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 output versions.
11)
RS-485 controller input modules are now
available in 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 input versions.
12)
ARC firmware versions
can
now be displayed. A new “Get Firmware
Version” button is available through the Controller Manager, edit ARC dialog
box.
13)
Support has been added for displaying transparent or partially transparent PNG
and GIF images in control screens.
14)
A volume
ramp up now occurs whenever a SymNet unit is powered on. The length can be
set in the “Triggers and Power On Default” dialog box.
Setting a length of zero disables this feature. This setting is saved in the
site file and set on the hardware on a full download. New sites default to a 4
second ramp.
15)
The status bar now displays the number of active scheduled events in the hardware
while on-line.
16)
The Upgrade Firmware dialog box now has a button to
“Flash Unit LEDs” for device
identification purposes.
17)
The results of the Analyze operation are now more clearly visible. After running an
Analyze manually, a message box will report the results showing how many of
each type of error were encountered. If the Analyze is run automatically as
part of a download, the message box will only appear if there are errors to
report. In addition, the Analyze option
can now check for mismatched audio/control signals.
18)
The Generate
Report command has an additional option to report “Analyze Errors”.
19)
Logging of communications
errors can now be turned on/off in the Preferences. The log file can also be
opened directly from Preferences. Previously, the features could only be
enabled through registry changes.
20)
The right-click
menu for modules has a new item to access the Controller Manager. In addition, the “Assign all Unassigned
Controls to Controllers” menu item displays the range of controllers that would
be assigned and the “Modify Controller Assignments” menu item displays the
numeric range of current assignments,
21)
The right-click
menu for super-modules has 3 new items dealing with controller assignments: “Assign all Unassigned Controls to
Controllers”, “Modify Controller Assignments”, and “Controller Manager”. The “Modify Controller Assignments” menu item
also displays the numerical range of current assignments. These new items allow
more rapid set-up of control for designs that use super-modules.
22)
In control screens, a new right-click menu item is
available for controls. Labeled “Show
Module”, it opens the module the control came from. This can be useful in trouble-shooting
control screens.
23)
External Device
icons for typically stereo devices (e.g. headphones, CD player) are now shown
with two connection points instead of just one. Also stereo versions of the
Amplifier and Processor icons have been added.
24)
Double-clicking on super-module input and output symbols brings up the dialog box to
edit their properties (e.g. name and type).
Previously, double-clicking these did nothing.
25)
When exporting
a super-module, the filename field is now automatically populated with the
super-module’s internal name.
26)
Various bugs have been fixed including a problem recalling
presets that affect input selectors.
1)
Some controls in SymNet Designer cannot be added to
SymVue panels. For a complete list, see
the SymVue topic in the Help file.
2)
Some controls may need to be “re-exported” to
control screens when opening older site files in SymNet Designer 9.1. For
specifics, see the SymVue topic in the Help file.
3)
Large complicated graphs or button matrixes in
SymVue panels may adversely affect performance.
4)
There may be slight discrepancies in displayed
frequencies between SymVue panels and their corresponding control screens. For example, in a British EQ frequency
display, if the control screen shows 200.000 Hz, the panel shows 200.002 Hz. These rounding discrepancies are visible due
to the very high precision shown in EQ frequencies and should be insignificant
since they are generally less than 0.002%.
5)
For EQ modules that are switchable between Octaves
and Q, the SymVue panel will always display the Q value, even though the label may
say “Octaves:”. The label is created at the time of
export and isn’t updated if the mode is changed. For best results, leave any
filters in Q mode if they need to be exported to SymVue.
6)
In control screens with background images, it is
difficult to wireframe select controls on top of the image since the wireframe
dragging may select and move the image.
To work around this, first lock the image via the right-click menu. Then hold down the Alt key when wireframe
selecting controls.
7)
CobraNet audio and control does not travel across
subnets. This has always been the case
due to limitations inherent to CobraNet.
8)
On older Express units, upgrading firmware when the
computer running SymNet Designer is on a different subnet than the Express unit
does not work properly. Express units manufactured after the release of SymNet
Designer 9.0 do properly upgrade.
9)
In DTMF Decoder modules, the DTMF Sequences cannot
be stored in presets. However, they can
be stored in settings files, allowing them to be moved from one module to
another.
10)
If a numeric value box is placed in a control
screen without its corresponding fader, it may not update properly. The work-around is to include the fader as
well.
If you are
upgrading at an existing installation that loads a configuration automatically
on start-up, note that the configuration
will not load after the firmware is upgraded until you re-download the site file
using SymNet Designer 9.1.
Immediately after downloading the firmware, the unit will revert to the
“scrolling LEDs” mode indicating no configuration is loaded. To deal with this, the following procedure is
required:
1.
Make
sure you have a copy of the original site file (.sym file). If it exists on
your local drive, skip to step #2. Otherwise, open SymNet Designer 9.0 and
choose Hardware->Upload Entire Site File from SymNet. This will save the
file to your local drive.
2.
Turn
off the automatic configuration load by going to ‘Upgrade Firmware’, clicking
on ‘Erase Memory’, selecting only ‘Triggers and Power on Default’ and pressing
Erase. Repeat for all connected units.
3.
Upgrade
the firmware as described below.
4.
Re-download
your entire site file to the hardware. Open the site file in SymNet Designer 9.1
and choose Hardware->Download Entire
Site File to SymNet (or press F4).
Following the
re-download procedure listed above is necessary to ensure that the DSP code
running in your hardware is the correct version to work with the new firmware
and SymNet Designer application code. In
particular, the transition from version 9.0 to 9.1 has so many significant
changes that a re-download is required.
Version 9.1
installs to a separate location than from previous versions on your hard drive.
Version 9.1 will not interfere with your Version 1.x, 2.0, 3.x, 4.0, 5.x, 6.0, 7.0,
8.0, or 9.0 settings. Version 9.1 can cohabitate with
previous versions on your PC. It is important to note, however, that the
firmware on the hardware must match the version of SymNet Designer that communicates
with it. Version 9.1 will only communicate with hardware that is running the
firmware released with Version 9.1, etc. If you intend to switch between
versions of SymNet Designer while using the same hardware, you must remember to
change the firmware each time. SymNet Designer checks this on download and
warns you if a mismatch is detected.
IMPORTANT: In order to run SymNet Designer version 9.1,
the firmware in your hardware devices must be upgraded to the latest version.
If you are receiving this software with a new SymNet device from the factory,
then the firmware versions should already be correct. However, if you are using
it with an existing SymNet device, then the firmware must be upgraded.
(Information about the latest release versions is always available on the SymNet web site.) When you
try to download a design to SymNet hardware, the firmware versions will be
automatically checked and you will be told if an upgrade is required.
Note that there are
also ‘Verify’ buttons in the ‘Upgrade Firmware’ dialog for the Microprocessor
and FPGA files. These allow verifying that the Microprocessor and FPGA firmware
files in your hardware exactly match the files on your hard disk.
NOTE: For CobraLink and Express Cobra units,
there is also firmware from Cirrus Logic (formerly Peak Audio) that controls
the CobraNet features. You may need to upgrade this firmware as well. See Upgrading CobraNet Firmware using
CobraNet Discovery below for instructions.
As of this writing,
the current versions of the SymNet firmware are as follows:
SymNet
Microprocessor file: Version 9.102 (applies to SymNet DSP, CobraLink, and
BreakIn/Out devices.)
SymNet
DigIO/Express Microprocessor file: Version 9.102 (applies to SymNet DigIO and
Express devices.)
SymNet FPGA file for SymNet DSP Devices: Version 9.100
SymNet FPGA file for CobraLink Devices: Version 9.100
SymNet FPGA file for BreakIn/Out Devices: Version 9.100
SymNet FPGA file for DigIO Devices: Version 9.100
SymNet FPGA file for Express Devices: Version 9.100
(See Why are there
two different files? below for more information.)
1. Follow the step under Installation Notes above.
2. Install SymNet Designer 9.1 using the
provided Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your
hard drive.
3. Launch the version of SymNet Designer that
was just installed.
4. Connect your hardware devices as they would
be for normal operation. Disconnect or power down all audio devices, especially
power amps and speakers, connected to SymNet during the upgrade.
5. In SymNet Designer 9.1, choose Hardware->Upgrade Firmware. Press
the Auto Upgrade button. This will upgrade all connected units. If you want,
you can verify the correct versions on the connected units. Click the ‘Close’
button when you are finished.
If you encounter problems with this
procedure, try the manual operation procedure below.
1. Follow the step under Installation Notes above.
2. Install SymNet Designer 9.1 using the
provided Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your
hard drive.
3. Launch the version of SymNet Designer that
was just installed.
4. Connect your hardware devices as they would
be for normal operation. Disconnect or power down all audio devices, especially
power amps and speakers, connected to SymNet during the upgrade.
5. In SymNet Designer 9.1, choose Hardware->Upgrade Firmware. The
dialog that appears will tell you the version of the firmware in your hardware
devices.
6. Click the ‘Upgrade’ button under SymNet
Microprocessor file. An open file dialog will appear allowing you to browse for
firmware files. By default it should take you into the C:\Program
Files\Symetrix\SymNet Designer 9.1\Upgrade folder. Select the file SymNet_MicroProc_V9100.bin
and click ‘Open’. (If you are using a DigIO or Express, select that file
instead.)
7. After this finishes, click the ‘Upgrade’ button under SymNet FPGA file. Select the SymNet_FPGA_V9000.bit file and click ‘Open’. (If you are upgrading a CobraLink, BreakIn/Out, DigIO, or Express device, select the respective file instead.)
8. If you have more than one SymNet device, select each device using the address dropdown at the top of the dialog box and repeat steps 5-6.
9. If you are using CobraLink or Express Cobra
and have more than one ring, also repeat for all devices on all rings using the
Ring dropdown at the top of the dialog box.
10. When finished, click ‘Close’.
SymNet firmware has
two components, the microprocessor file and the FPGA file. They are generally
independent and both may need upgrading.
The microprocessor
file contains the code that SymNet's embedded microprocessor runs. This
microprocessor is responsible for communicating with the host, managing the
DSPs, external control, and many other tasks. One version of the microprocessor
file is common to all SymNet devices other than the DigIO and Express,
i.e. SymNet DSP, CobraLink, and Break In/Out devices. A second microprocessor
file is used with both DigIO and Express devices. The microprocessor file for
these devices is prefixed with DigIO_Express_MicroProc. The file for all other
devices is prefixed with SymNet_MicroProc. In both cases, the version number is
contained in the file name.
The FPGA (Field
Programmable Gate Array) file controls the programmable logic devices used in
SymNet. These devices manage the SymLink bus, handle audio I/O, facilitate DSP
communication, and perform several other tasks. The FPGA file is common to all
SymNet DSP devices (i.e. 8x8, 8in, 8out). However, a different file is required
for each of the CobraLink, BreakIn/Out, DigIO, and Express devices. The file
intended for SymNet DSP devices is prefixed with SymNet_DSP_FPGA. The file
intended for CobraLink devices is prefixed with CobraLink_FPGA. The file
intended for BreakIn/Out devices is prefixed with BreakIO_FPGA. The file
intended for DigIO devices is prefixed with DigIO_FPGA. The file intended for
Express devices is prefixed with Express_FPGA. In all cases, the version number
is contained in the file name. By default, SymNet Designer only shows you files
valid for your particular unit and additionally checks the file contents to
prevent you from using the wrong type of FPGA file.
New releases may include new firmware versions for Symetrix RS-485 devices such as the Control I/O, Modular ARC family, and ARC-II. If new firmware is provided, it will usually be listed in the release notes section. To upgrade RS-485 device firmware, follow these steps.
1. Follow the step under Installation Notes above.
2. Install SymNet Designer 9.1 using the
provided Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your
hard drive.
3. Launch the version of SymNet Designer that
was just installed.
4. Connect your RS-485 devices as they would be
for normal operation. RS-485 devices
must have unique addresses (set by DIP or rotary switches on the units—see the
appropriate hardware Quick Start Guide for more information).
5. If you are working with an existing site
file that includes the RS-485 devices, open that site file.
6. Choose Tools->Controller
Manager. If your RS-485 devices are not listed under ‘RS-485 Controller
Network’, you will need to add them. This can either be done manually using the
‘New RS-485 Device…’ button, or by sensing what units are connected using the ‘<<
Upload’ button.
7. For each RS-485 device that you wish to
upgrade, select the device and click the Edit… button. In the dialog box that
appears, click the ‘Upgrade Firmware…’ button. Choose the appropriate firmware
file and press ‘Open’. (You may also use
‘Verify Firmware’ to determine if upgrading is necessary.)
8. Press ‘OK’ and continue to the next RS-485
device, if there are more.
To take advantage
of some new CobraNet features in SymNet Designer such as low latency, CobraLink
units need to have CobraNet interface firmware V2.9.6 or later. Express Cobra
units should use firmware V2.10.6 or later. However, these are minimums and it
is advisable to use the most recent firmware which as of this writing, are V2.9.16
for CobraLink and 2.11.6 for Express Cobra. In particular, there are some
important fixes in 2.11.6 that improve system reliability, so upgrading Express Cobra units to 2.11.6 is
strongly recommended. You can check the version of firmware running on your
CobraLink unit using SymNet Designer. It is listed in the ‘Upgrade Firmware’
dialog after ‘Cobra Interface Firmware Version’. If you need to upgrade the
firmware, follow these steps.
1. Download and install CobraNet Discovery (aka “Disco”), Cirrus Logic’s utility for upgrading CobraNet firmware and monitoring a CobraNet network. This software is available from the Cirrus Logic CobraNet Downloads page.
2. Obtain the latest CobraLink CM-1 or Express
firmware from the SymNet web site. Unzip and
copy the file to the CobraNet Discovery\firmware directory. By default, this is
C:\Program Files\Cirrus Logic \CobraNet Discovery\firmware.
3. Launch CobraNet Discovery and power up all
CobraLink or Express Cobra units. All units must be attached to a network that is
visible by the PC running Disco.
4. For each unit, assign an IP address by right
clicking and choosing New IP Address. The assigned address must be in the same
sub-net as the PC running Disco.
5. For each unit, upgrade the firmware by right
clicking and choosing Update Firmware. Select Symetrix CobraLink version 2.9.16
for CobraLink units and Express version 2.11.6 for Express Cobra.
6. When
prompted, power cycle each unit.
In version 9.1, the site file (.sym file) format has changed from previous versions. You will be able to open all previous version site files in version 9.1 or later. However, files saved with version 9.1 will not be readable by previous versions.
If you are working with site files from version 3.5x or older, there are some additional issues. Since version 3.5x and older site files supported eight configurations instead of only one, you must choose the configuration to load when opening site files from these older versions. When you first open a V3.5x or older site file in V9.1, the Select Configuration dialog box appears asking you which configuration you wish to load. Note that the dialog box displays ‘empty’ after any configuration that was unused in the older site file to aid in determining how many configurations your file used. After you select a configuration, the file is opened with the filename changed to indicate the selected configuration. For example, if the original site file was named My Site.sym and you selected Configuration 1, the new filename would be My Site-Configuration1.sym. If your older site files use only one configuration, opening and re-saving once is all that is required to convert them to V9.1 format. If they use more than one configuration, you must repeat the process for all configurations. For example, if a previous-version site file used 3 configurations, you would need to open it 3 times, once for each used configuration. The result would be 3 new V9.1 site files.
If you intend to maintain both V9.1 and previous versions on your computer, we recommend the following guidelines to minimize difficulties with file formats:
A) Backup all previous version design files.
B) Don't use the same file names for Version 9.1 design
files.
C) Choose the default locations when installing
software.
D) Do not use version 9.1 software with
previous versions of firmware or previous versions of software with version 9.1
firmware.
It is recommended
that you backup your version 9.0x or earlier design
files to a secure location before using or installing Version 9.1. Even if all
else goes completely wrong, as long as you have those files, there is a way to
recreate your old setup. Note that once you save a file with SymNet Designer 9.1
and overwrite a file from a previous version, it will no longer be readable in
the previous version of SymNet Designer.
If you are going to
maintain both versions of the software on your PC, it is highly recommended
that you include something in the file name of all previous version files you
save to indicate their version. This way you will be able to tell the files
apart if they become co-mingled.
Even if you are not
going to maintain both versions, it is a good idea to use this practice at
least until all your design files have been converted and you have fully
embraced Version 9.1.
When you install
any version of SymNet Designer software, allow the installation to go to the
default folder. This ensures that multiple versions will not interfere with
each other.
The versions of
software and firmware must match! The only operation you should do that accesses hardware with mismatched
software and firmware is to upgrade to the correct firmware. Upgrading is
generally possible regardless of the firmware mismatch. If this is not the
case, the release notes will make a point of mentioning this.