MOTU Pro Audio Firmware Update 1.4.0 now available!

[James Steele]

Just saw this on Facebook and I'm blasting this in the Hardware and DP Forums:

motuproaudioupdate.jpg (166.75 KiB) Viewed 6003 times

This update includes various optimizations, stability fixes, and enhancements, including a new feature for saving/restoring Aux Mix presets within the Aux Mixing window. Go get it at MOTU's download page

Devices associated with this update include:
112D
1248
16A
8M
24Ai/Ao
Monitor 8
Stage B-16
UltraLite AVB
624
8A
8D
LP32
M64
828es
8PRE-ES

[jojijung]

I am having trouble with the update for my Motu 828ES. I have the ethernet cable hooked up to my compute and Thunderbolt coming from the audio interface. When I goto firmware update. It reboots my audio interface and say in update mode but in the browser it times-out. Anyone know how to get past this and fix this?

[HCMarkus]

I updated successfully a few days ago. I have my 828ES connected directly to ethernet and did the update through the MOTU Discovery App.

This could be a good one to call MOTU on if you aren't able to resolve shortly.

[DonB]

I am having trouble with the update for my Motu 828ES. I have the ethernet cable hooked up to my compute and Thunderbolt coming from the audio interface. When I goto firmware update. It reboots my audio interface and say in update mode but in the browser it times-out. Anyone know how to get past this and fix this?

Have you solved this yet? I have exactly the same problem on a Windows machine using USB.

[primeevolutionary]

I am also having this problem on a Stage-B16. I've download the update and also tried doing it through the internet. It starts the update and then never seems to finish. All of the in and out indicator lights flash green when it starts and then the go solid and never stop. I've tried this with ethernet cable only, USB only and both.

Discovery can't seem to see the interface after this update has started.

[primeevolutionary]

Okay, I gave up trying to install the new firmware. I restarted Discovery and the Stage-16B. I decided to try and just use the interface with the current firmware. Instead of taking me to the control webpage screen where you would normally go to change things on the interface, it brought be to a different screen (still at the 169.254.47.8 website) where I was able to upload the new firmware file and install it on the Stage-16B. This time the lights were red and they went one LED space at a time from left to right until the install was over. After that, I received a message that the device couldn't be found. I went back to Discovery, chose the Stage-16B again and this time everything was there and the new firmware had been installed.

Resolved for me at least. It wasn't intuitive and did not work smoothly or as expected.

[HCMarkus]

Glad you got it sorted.

[primeevolutionary]

Thank you, HCM!

[microtonal]

Since installing 1.4.0 I've lost 16A Output channels 1 & 2 in Logic Pro. I can't get any audio out from them or any indicators of audio on the routing matrix.

The Mac speaker and other 16A channel pairs (3&4, 5&6, 7&8, etc) work.

I went through all the normal troubleshooting process, reboots, power cycles, downloaded fresh installs of both Pro Audio Installer and the 16A firmware. The results are the same.

[edit] **See solution below**

[microtonal]

The missing audio for MOTU 16A output channels 1-2 had nothing to do with the update process. In the Mac's Audio MIDI Setup channels 1-2 were turned down to minus infinity. This likely happened at some point when I had the MAC output going through the 16A and I turned them down to zero at the MAC. Even after I reverted the Mac Audio to the internal speakers, the minimum volume settings stuck.

It seems like there should be a troubleshooting procedure to check all three control sources, MOTU Pro Audio Control, Logic Pro X controls and Mac Audio MIDI Setup to resolve channel volume issues.

[EMRR]

OMG I have avoided AVB firmware updates because of these problems, hadn't done it since 2018 as it was always a huge time suck to get it done. MOTU actually traded out both my interfaces for new ones, well out of warranty, because of the problems I had with these updates. Great customer service in the face of problems!

New computers here, so I got the latest MOTU audio driver and commenced to update a 16A and a Monitor 8. Downloaded the firmware(s) in advance.

2 hours. Roughly 1 hour per device.

Success only through a continuing series of "Waiting for device to boot into update mode" - device IS in update mode according to front panel - "timed out waiting for reboot".

Once it's in update mode and timed out, Pro Audio Control and Discovery can no longer see the device. Requires a hard power reboot...usually the computer too. I probably power cycled everything 20 times per device before I got an update screen in Pro Audio Control. The small grey box, not the 'update available' dialog. Once I could see that, it was no problem to select "update from file" and get it done.

I'll add, historically, having anything other than the ethernet cable connected between the interface and computer was a problem for updates. Had to disconnect everything. Yeah, I've tried multiple CAT5e/6 cables. This time the Monitor 8 seemed like maybe it responded a little better with the USB also connected, at least I felt I could see a bit more in Pro Audio Control, even if it failed.

DANGIT

[James Steele]

Well if that hasn't effectively scared the crap out of any user thinking of updating their firmware, I don't know what will!

Anyway, that post was back from April 2022. I think I did it on at least one of my devices and it went okay. I must be lucky.

[EMRR]

Definitely have a lot of spare time on hand, and be super happy if it goes quickly! If a firmware update doesn't have much on the list, or something I don't need, I definitely skip it. I'd have thought between 2014 and now it'd have sorted out, but apparently not.

[James Steele]

Definitely have a lot of spare time on hand, and be super happy if it goes quickly! If a firmware update doesn't have much on the list, or something I don't need, I definitely skip it. I'd have thought between 2014 and now it'd have sorted out, but apparently not.

Well, I'm sort of looking forward to the next one because I tracked down the source of my inability to often complete shut down my Mac Studio. It would go through all the motions and then just as I thought it was shut down, it would spontaneously reboot itself with the error message that it wasn't shut down properly. I finally tracked it down to my 828es (connected via TB) being powered on during the Mac Studio shutdown. If I turn my 828es OFF before shutting down the Mac Studio, the problem goes away completely.

I've reported it to MOTU. They did put out a new Pro Audio Installer since then, and I installed it, but that didn't help. It may be that a firmware update is the only thing that fixes it.

[EMRR]

Well, I've had that same unsolved problem, and it's not solved. I'd say it's about 80% of the time, kernel panic restart at shutdown. There's been another 20% of the time the system boots up and doesn't see the 16A. I've suspected the USB-C/TB converter.