Play Firmware 1.4.2 and Play+ Firmware 1.0.1 (Final Release)

Today we launched 2 firmware updates: Play 1.4.2 which fixes many of the freezing issues being reported on 1.4.0 & Play+ Firmware 1.0.1, which officially finalizes the Play+ synth patch editor what was in beta. 1.0.1 contains bug fixes for the 1.0.1 Beta firmware as well so it is an essential update from 1.0.1 beta as well. Details about both below:

Play Firmware 1.4.2

This release brings a few critical fixes and optimizations to improve stability and avoid frequent freezes that some of you have been experiencing.

NEW FEATURES

  • Memory usage optimization for general stability

FIXES

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Project backwards compatibility from Play+ to Play is not supported: loading projects saved on Play+ might not work correctly. Projects created on Play and loaded on Play+ will continue to be compatible.
  • Freezing when using Live Rec and turning Device (Sample) parameter to max value in MIDI tracks
  • Occasional crashes when tapping the Randomize knob while switching pad presets in Perform mode when Knob Double Tap is On in config Settings

Play+ Firmware 1.0.1

RELEASE NOTES

1.0.1 finalizes the synth patch editor and includes several bug fixes.

NEW FEATURES

  • Finalization of synth patch editor
    • Adds Saving and loading synth patches within projects
    • Clarification of controls and labels for parameters
    • The knob name is displayed on the synth macro editor page for easier navigation and editing of macros.
  • “Init Patch Loaded” is displayed after the Init patch action in the synth menu.

FIXES

  • The LFO Ratio synth parameter value was occasionally loaded with incorrect values within the patch (*)
  • Changing the synth Model and loading the first Patch in the list left the previous Patch name displayed
  • WTFM synth Glide Time value was much shorter than the displayed value (*)
  • Synth Glide Mode values became out of sync with the display when scrolling backward through the list of modes.
  • WTFM synth had “Env 1” listed twice under Macro parameters (Env 2 is missing)
  • Using the Back button when naming a synth Macro temporarily saved the name change, but not after exiting and re-entering the Macro page
  • Confirming the synth macro name too quickly left glitches or the wrong name in the UI header
  • The latest synth macro changes were not saved and recalled when restarting the unit
  • Synth Patches with Voice Volume mapped to another Macro (instead of Velocity) could load with incorrect volume parameters (silent)
  • Synth Macro names longer than 20 characters didn’t display correctly on the screen UI
    • Macro names are now limited to 20 characters
  • The bipolar macro value didn’t get saved after using the Tempo knob to change it
  • Occasionally the wrong Patch name was displayed after loading a project

BREAKING CHANGES

  • Fixes marked with (*) might make previous projects and synth patches sound different if they use Glide (WTFM synth model only) or LFO modulation (all synth models).

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Occasional crashes when tapping the Randomize knob while switching pad presets in Perform mode when Knob Double Tap is set to “On” in config Settings
  • Parameter knob display and values might flicker when Knob Double Tap is On in config Settings
  • Occasional freezing when loading sample packs, folders, projects or samples that include sample names longer than 32 characters
  • Audio / MIDI over USB can have glitches or not get recognized by your OS/DAW as a device in certain configurations. This depends on your CPU, USB connection, computer OS, DAW, buffer size setting, etc. To avoid issues we suggest the following:
    • Avoid using USB hubs (we don’t support them) and instead connect the Play+ directly to your computer’s USB port
    • To make sure Play+ is correctly recognized as an audio device by your computer OS and DAW:
      • first, connect the USB cable while your Play+ is still switched off
      • then power on the Play+
      • launch the DAW
      • and finally, select Play+ as your audio input and output device
    • If you are still experiencing issues then we suggest trying another buffer size setting or creating an aggregate device to use a different audio output device simultaneously with Play+ as your input device
    • Aggregate device setting especially helps with buffer underruns which result in buzzing / frozen loop at the output and can happen in certain configurations during operations like switching synth patches while playback is running
    • Note: A number of issues have been reported from users with AMD Ryzen processors.

INSTALLATION GUIDE

  1. Download and extract the Play or Play+ Firmware
  2. Copy the .ppf firmware file to your Play SD card > Firmware folder
  3. Optional: save your current project to avoid any potential data loss
  4. In Play navigate to Settings > Firmware > Update Firmware > .ppf file
  5. Click the encoder and confirm with Yes
  6. After update create a new project to initialize the config settings
8 Likes

As mentioned in the email to subscribers, we have plans for firmware updates for all of our devices in 2024.
Early next year Play and Play+ will get MIDI performance modes, and the Tracker and Tracker Mini will see updates soon as well, we will likely launch bug fix updates for both Trackers before new features.

14 Likes

That approach makes a lot of sense to me. I have both the Tracker and the Play, as well as the Medusa and Seq.

Tony

2 Likes