Composer Version 5.01 Release Notes
Copyright
2016, Symetrix, Inc.
I) Changes from previous
versions
II) Known Issues
IV) Upgrading Firmware for V5.0
V) Issues with Site files from previous versions of Composer
VI) Changing between Dante
Switched and Redundant Mode
This document is intended for those users upgrading from Composer version 4.1. If you are a new user of Composer or are upgrading from an earlier versions, you may also want to review the release notes for previous versions. These can be found on the Symetrix web site.
1)
An issue with saving and re-opening Composer site files
containing FIR filters has been resolved.
Composer V5.0 is a major release and has many enhancements
compared to V4.1.
1)
Support for the Prism 4x4 hardware device has been added. It includes a web-based interface to
diagnostics and metering.
2)
Matrix Mixer modules have been
overhauled. Mono and Stereo versions
have been consolidated to a single item in the toolkit. Upon placing them, a new dialog box allows
choosing mono vs. stereo and grid display settings. The interface now allows seeing all
crosspoint connects and volumes in a single location and adjusting them with a
combined control.
3)
The Set Up Remote Control dialog shows graphical icons for the
various control devices.
4)
Site Preferences now includes versioning information for better
tracking revisions and push operations.
5) Various minor issues have been resolved.
Issues related to
VoIP
1) If a speed dial number is selected as the transfer target, the transfer will complete immediately as a blind transfer.
2)
Pushing a Composer site file to the device
generates a VoIP card log message saying that the location is
3) When a local conference on a line is active and DTMF digits are pressed locally, the DTMF signals are sent only to the call appearance that most recently joined the conference. When establishing a conference using two call appearances, if it is important for one call appearance to receive DTMF digits (e.g., a conference bridge) then add that call appearance last.
4) There may be log messages in the VoIP card Telnet session that are categorized as ERR (error) but do not indicate real errors.
5) If a local conference is using the two call appearances on line 2 and the call on the first appearance is ended by pressing that Call/End button, the call on the second appearance is put on hold. Press the appearance 2 Call/End or Hold button to resume this call leg.
6) If the DTMF Relay type is changed to SIP INFO (default value is 'Out of Band'), the SIP INFO messages are sent using the configured Transport Type for the line instead of the transport type used for a SIP dialog session for a call, if that is different.
7) If the default DTMF Relay type of 'Out of Band' is used, and the DTMF On Time setting is increased from the default value of 150ms, then rapid digit presses can result in dropped digits in the transmitted stream.
8)
When the Country parameter is set to
9) If the Auto-answer feature is enabled via the Web Admin Page and there is an active call on one call appearance, this call is not placed on Hold when the second call is received on the other call appearance and automatically answered. The original call remains active with 2-way audio and the second call has no audio. For conference room applications Symetrix recommends leaving Auto Answer turned off.
10) If the Auto-answer feature is enabled via the Web Admin Page and a call is manually answered and placed on hold within the Auto-answer time window, i.e., before the call is auto-answered, then this held call is resumed automatically.
11) If the Reset Web Admin Password button is pressed to set the Web Admin password back to its default value, the setting is not immediately saved. If the system is rebooted it will boot up with the old password. To work around this, modify a setting in the Web Admin to force files to be saved to flash memory after resetting the password.
12) A consultative transfer performed by the remote party who called Line 1 of the VoIP card to Line 2 of the same VoIP card will not transfer the call and the initial call will be dropped.
13) The VoIP card can indicate that it has registered successfully before the Line 1 or Line 2 "Server Address" field is populated. However, this field is required to place and receive calls.
14) The Blind Transfer function where the user completes the transfer without waiting for ringback or an answer from the transfer target is in fact handled similarly to a semi-attended transfer. If the transfer target does not answer the call, the transferee remains on hold.
15) A non-standard port number cannot be specified in a direct URI dial string, for example when dialing 1001@10.4.0.156:8325 the destination port of 5060 is used instead of 8325.
16) In rare cases, the HTML files used by the Web Admin may not load. Should this happen, refresh the browser to view the Web Admin.
17) If the DTMF Relay type is changed to 'In Band' (default value is 'Out of Band'), the duration of transmitted DTMF tones does not match the configured 'DTMF On Time' parameter in the Web Admin when the G.722 codec is used for a call. The actual duration is shorter so the configured duration may need to be increased to work with certain far ends.
18) If a firmware upgrade is performed and later a VoIP card is added or swapped, the VoIP card may not contain the correct web admin files. After adding or swapping the VoIP card, a manual firmware upgrade for that unit should be performed.
Other issues
19) Units may fail to pass Dante audio when switched vs. redundancy mode is changed. See instructions on how to change this below.
20) When using a preset to mute all devices, Attero Tech and other third party devices may not be muted. Dante transmitters will be muted, so in most cases, they will effectively be muted because they are receiving no audio from Symetrix units.
21) When an xIn, xOut, xIO, or third party Dante unit is first attached to the network, it may take up to two minutes to be located by Composer. When it is unplugged, it may still be visible in Composer for up to a minute.
22) Some controls in Composer cannot be added to SymVue panels. For a complete list, see the SymVue topic in the Help file.
23) Large complicated graphs or button matrices in SymVue panels may adversely affect performance.
24) Storing the settings of large matrix modules in more than 100 presets may adversely affect performance.
25) Multiple instances of SymVue panels containing Shure microphone diagnostics may adversely affect performance. Minimizing the total number of Shure diagnostic controls opened in SymVue is recommended.
26) 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%.
27) 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.
28) 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.
29) 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.
30) 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.
31) If Dante routing or settings are changed via Audinate’s Dante Controller software, loss of functionality may result. Changes made from Dante Controller may be in conflict with those made through Composer. For best results, do not reboot the Dante hardware or change settings using Dante Controller. Use it only as a monitoring and troubleshooting tool.
32) A maximum of 80 Dante units are allowed in any system. This includes Symetrix and third party devices. If more than 80 are present, you may not be able to locate certain units.
33) During firmware upgrade, the progress bar may freeze or show up blank if the user navigates to other windows. Windows may report that Composer is “not responding”. Ignore these messages and do not “force close” the program. Firmware upgrades may take up to 5 minutes per unit, so be patient!
34) Firmware upgrades may take less time than the countdown timer shows. This time is a worst-case value.
35) Momentary buttons in SymVue on touch screen devices work slightly different than their mouse equivalents. When touching a momentary button, the button will light briefly for a fixed amount of time after the finger is removed. Buttons will not stay down while the finger remains touching the screen. To achieve this “staying on” operation, swipe the button from one corner to another and hold.
36) In the ARC-WEB dialer, if many speed dials are populated with extremely long strings (thousands of characters total), the dialer may not function. This is unlikely to be an issue with “normal” usage.
If
you are upgrading at an existing installation that loads a configuration
automatically on start-up, the following procedure is recommended:
1. Make
sure you have a copy of the original site file (.symx
file). If it exists on your local drive, skip to step #2. Otherwise, use your
previously-installed version of Composer and choose Hardware->System Manager. Select the hardware that contains an
archived site file and press “Go On-line (Pull from Unit). Follow the prompts to save the archived file
to your local drive. Make a note of its
location.
2. Turn
off the automatic configuration load by going to ‘Upgrade Firmware’, clicking
on ‘Erase Memory’, selecting only ‘Stored Site File’ and pressing
Erase. Repeat for all connected units.
3. Upgrade
the firmware as described below.
4. Re-push
your entire site file to the hardware. Open the site file in Composer 5.0 and
choose Hardware->Go On-line (Push
Design to Hardware) (or press F4).
Following the
re-download procedure listed above guarantees that the DSP code running in your
hardware is the correct version to work with the new firmware and Composer
application code.
Version 5.0
installs to a separate location than from previous versions on your hard drive.
Version 5.0 will not interfere with your Version 4.1 or earlier settings. Version
5.0 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 Composer
that communicates with it. Version 5.0 will only communicate with hardware that
is running the firmware released with Version 5.0, etc. If you intend to switch
between versions of Composer while using the same hardware, you must remember
to change the firmware each time. Composer checks this on download and warns
you if a mismatch is detected.
IMPORTANT: In order to run Composer version 5.0, the
firmware in your hardware devices must be upgraded to the latest version. If
you are receiving this software with a new device from the factory, then the
firmware versions should already be correct. However, if you are using it with
an existing device, then the firmware must be upgraded. (Information about the
latest release versions is always available on the Symextrix web site.) When
you try to push a design to hardware, the firmware versions will be
automatically checked and you will be told if an upgrade is required. The latest firmware is always provided in the
Composer installer.
1. Follow the step under Installation Notes above.
2. Install Composer 5.0 using the provided
Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your hard drive.
3. Launch the version of Composer 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 your device(s) during the
upgrade.
5. If you already have a site file created with
all units to be upgraded in it, open that and skip to step 7. Otherwise create a new site containing all
units to be upgraded.
6. For each one, locate them on the network
using Hardware->Locate Hardware.
7. Choose Hardware->Upgrade
Firmware. Press the Auto Upgrade
button. This will upgrade all units contained in the site.
If you encounter problems with this
procedure or want more control over the upgrade process, try the manual
operation procedure below.
1. Install Composer 5.0 using the provided
Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your hard drive.
2. Launch the version of Composer that was just
installed.
3. 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 your device(s) during the
upgrade.
4. Choose Hardware->System
Manager. Select the Hardware
tab. If necessary, change the Network
Search Parameters to discover your unit(s).
5. Click the unit to be upgraded and press the Upgrade Firmware button.
6. Click the Upgrade button under Composer Firmware 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 (x86)\Symetrix\Composer 5.0\Upgrade folder.
Select the appropriate file and click ‘Upgrade’. Close the dialog box.
7. If you have more than one device, repeat steps 5-6.
When you try to push a design to hardware, the firmware versions will be automatically checked and you will be told if an upgrade is required. To upgrade xIn/xOut/xIO device firmware, follow these steps.
1. Install Composer 5.0 using the provided
Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your hard drive.
2. Launch the version of Composer that was just
installed.
3. Connect your xIn/xOut/xIO devices as they would be for normal operation. Each device must be connected to a Dante
network that contains at least one Edge, Radius, or Prism unit. This unit will act as the locating unit for
the device to be upgraded.
4. If you have a site file that contains the
locating unit and the xIn/xOut unit(s),
open it and skip to 7.
5. Create a new site file and add a locating
DSP unit and all units to be upgraded.
6. For each device to be upgraded, right click
on the unit and select Locate Hardware. Find the device in the table, click on
it, press Select
Hardware Unit then Close.
7. Right click on the xIn/xOut/xIO unit and
select Unit Properties.
8. Press the Upgrade Firmware… button.
Composer will automatically determine if an upgrade is required for the
User or Kernel firmware and choose the appropriate version for that version of
Composer. To select a custom version,
click the Change Version button and select the kernel or user file to be used
for the upgrade. This should only be done under supervision by tech support. The filename of the upgrade files will indicate
their version. Press the Upgrade Firmware button.
9. Repeat steps 7-8 for each device to be
upgraded.
New releases may include new firmware versions for Symetrix RS-485 devices such as the Modular ARC family and ARC-IIe. 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. Install Composer 5.0 using the provided
Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your hard drive.
2. Launch the version of Composer that was just
installed.
3. Connect your RS-485 devices as they would be
for normal operation. RS-485 devices
must have unique addresses (set by rotary or DIP switches on the units—see the appropriate
hardware Quick Start Guide for more information).
4. If you already have a site file created with
all units that have RS-485 devices attached, open that and skip to step 6. Otherwise create a new site containing all
units that have RS-485 devices to be upgraded.
5. Choose Hardware
Hardware->Upgrade Firmware.
6. Choose the unit that has the RS-485 devices
attached and select Upgrade ARCs.
7. Select the RS-485 device and press the Upgrade Firmware button.
8. Choose the appropriate firmware file and
press ‘Open’.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each RS-485 device
connected to that unit. If there are
RS-485 devices connected to other units, repeat steps 6-9.
Method 2 – using the System
Manager
1. Install Composer 5.0 using the provided
Setup utility. This will copy the necessary firmware files to your hard drive.
2. Launch the version of Composer that was just
installed.
3. Connect your RS-485 devices as they would be
for normal operation. RS-485 devices must
have unique addresses (set by rotary or DIP switches on the units—see the
appropriate hardware Quick Start Guide for more information).
4. Choose Hardware
Hardware->System Manager. Select the Hardware tab. If necessary,
change the Network Search Parameters to discover your unit(s).
5. Click the unit that has the RS-485 devices
attached and select Properties.
6. Select the RS-485 Remote Control tab.
Select the RS-485 device and press the Upgrade Firmware button.
7. Choose the appropriate firmware file and
press ‘Open’.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each RS-485 device
connected to that unit. If there are
RS-485 devices connected to other units, repeat steps 5-7.
In version 5.0, the site file (.symx file) format has changed from previous versions. You will be able to open all previous version site files in version 5.0 or later. However, files saved with version 5.0 may not be readable by previous versions and/or some features may not work properly.
If you intend to maintain both V5.0 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 5.0
design files.
C) Choose the default locations when installing
software.
D) Do not use version 5.0 software with
previous versions of firmware or previous versions of software with version 5.0
firmware.
It is recommended
that you backup your version 4.1 or earlier design files to a secure location
before using or installing Version 5.0. 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 Composer 5.0 and overwrite a file from a
previous version, it may no longer be readable in the previous version of
Composer.
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 5.0.
When you install
any version of Composer 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.
Procedure 1 – switched network
or direct connection between only 2 units
1. Cable the Dante network as if it were in
switched mode, not redundant mode. In
other words, make connections only to the primary jack. Alternately, if your do not have redundant-capable
units that must be located through a DSP, you may simply disconnect the Dante
network entirely. If more than two
devices are used without an external switch, you will need to use Procedure 2
below.
2. In Composer, go to Tools-> Dante Flow
Manager->Configure Dante. Select
“Redundant Network” or “
3. Push on-line with the units. This will take slightly longer than usual as
the Dante units change their mode.
4. Power down the units.
5. Cable the Dante network as appropriate for
the new mode. If switching to redundant
mode, you may now connect the primary and secondary between two units or to
separate switches.
6. Power on the units.
7. Again push on-line.
Procedure 2 – daisy-chained
connections
1. Connect the first 2 units’ primary jacks
only, primary to primary.
2. In Composer, go to Tools-> Dante Flow
Manager->Configure Dante. Note that
in a daisy-chained connection, only switched mode is supported. Select
“Switched Port”.
3. In your site file, disable everything except
the first 2 units.
4. Push on-line with the units. This will take slightly longer than usual as
the Dante units change their mode.
5. Disconnect the second unit and connect the
third unit’s primary to the first unit’s primary.
6. In your site file, enable only the 2
connected unit.
7. Push on-line. Repeat steps 5-7 for all units.
8. Power down the units.
9. Connect all units.
10. Power on the units.
11. Enable all units in your site file. Again
push on-line.