Version 9.0 release notes and upgrade instructions

Toolbox9 version 9.0 and firmware version 9.0 introduce a variety of new features and improvements.

Important
To find out if your hardware can be used with version 9.0, see
Firmware Overview (Discontinued Products) version 9.0 and
Firmware Overview (Discontinued Products) version 8.2.

If an upgrade of your hardware is required, please contact your local DHD distributor - see List of DHD distributors.

Tip
Version 9 also includes all new features introduced in version 8.2.

New Hardware

Version 9.0 brings our new RX2 (52-5810 & 52-5820) and SX2 (52-5614 & 52-5620) surfaces. The new surfaces bring also some new hardware features:

  • Main control encoder and central encoder focus (RX2 only)
  • Auto brightness, based on the included brightness sensor
    • Auto brightness enable/disable key function
  • New motor fader types bring faster and more natural movement ballistics
  • New RGB multi-color hardware keys that can be configured using any color in your toolbox project.
  • Brightness fading of the new hardware keys.

Increased Values

  • 50 Mixer Snapshots
  • 300 Logic Functions
  • New: Low priority output functions. Reduce handling speed of output functuions to enable a higher amount of output functions.
    • Allows up to 240 output functions 1)

TFT

  • New future-proof TFT Font
  • New View Container functionality allows more flexibility and speeds up configuration process:
    • Central View containers behave like 'TFTs in TFTs' and can make TFT view content more dynamic
    • Fader View containers now replace fader views adding the possibility to use TFT displays for both overbridge fader display and central view functionality.
    • Flexible Keys now work with central containers
    • Flexible Fader Keys allow to have super flexible, view-based fader key configuration
  • New encoder elements with two different appearance options Slider and Knob make the usage of touch only encoders and hardware encoders more intuitive.
    • Central view encoder elements now support the main control encoder of RX2 52-5810 modules
    • Fader View Containers: assign multiple encoder elements on the tft to the same hardware encoder and tap the TFT encoder element to change function of the assigned hardware encoder.
  • Brightness fading: smooth transition between brightness levels on all new TFT displays
  • New Needle Meter element allows display of a classical Dual Needle PPM and a VU meter.
  • Text Alignment: Top, bottom, center & left, right, center for buttons, transparents and labels
  • Gain Reduction meter now also available for Noise Gate, DeEsser (only DeEsser 1 or DeEsser 2 at the same time possible) and (L)AGC.
  • New channel-related Generic For TFT logic sources:
    • Fader Touched: show if the fader knop is touched. (Works only with motor faders)
    • Error/Overload: show channel source overload or error.
    • Dynamics On: show if one of the DSP plugins Compressor, Limiter, Gate, Expander, DeEsser or AGC is on.
    • EQ On: show if one of the DSP plugins EQ, SubSonic or Var. LP/HP is modifying the audio signal.
  • New CF Out Select button list function.
  • New auto scroll text functionality on buttons, labels and transparents if the text is longer than element width can display.
  • New key function Timer Preset to preset or offset a timer with a certain time value.
  • New Hide when disabled option for TFT Buttons
  • The Fader Channel Color is now supported by the following (channel related) TFT Elements Button, Transparent, Label Element

Console Behaviour

  • Fader Function 1 and Fader Function 2 now support 2 lamp sources
  • New key functions allow to change console behaviour on runtine and can be stored in mixer snapshots:
    • 0dB on Top
    • 0dB-Latch
    • Backpress
    • Auto Brightness
  • Previous 3 Access key functions are now bundled into one Access key function.
  • Fader View Containers: Tap TFT encoder element to change function of the assigned hardware encoder.
  • New Mixer Snapshot options:
    • General Automix Parameters
    • Fixed Processings
    • Alternative Sources
  • New Fader Channel Option PFL/PFL2 activates Mute Logic
  • Auto Level Gain

DSP

  • VU meter level detect (can be used with PPM and Needle Meter TFT elements)
  • Converted EQ bandwith to Q-Factor. EQ filter curve and sound characteristics are adapted.
  • Bus Talkback now supports up to 4 sources 2)
  • Central Automix parameters can now be changed during runtime
  • Fixed Processings can now be changed during runtime

Toolbox

  • Project Color Export & Import improved.
  • TFT View editor: Select the encoder click order to control the new main control encoder's previous and next keys.
  • TFT View editor: Drag a selection box to select multiple TFT-Elements.
  • TFT View editor: Enable the Z-Order helper mode to show a selection menu when having operlapping elements.
  • TFT View editor: Drag and drop logics from the logic tree window directly into a TFT view to generate a new transparent.
  • TFT View editor: Undock the View Presentation area and move it e.g. to a second screen.
  • RX2: Assisted configuration

For a seamless transition, we recommend planning with enough spare time to convert your Toolbox project.

First of all, you need to have your Toolbox8 working at the latest Toolbox8 v8.2. If this condition is fulfilled, open your .dp8 project file with Toolbox9 v9.0.

Important
We strongly recommend to keep a copy of the original v8.2 (.dp8) project file.

You may receive some WARNING messages in the Messages Section. Those messages inform you if your Toolbox project is using no longer supported hardware, if other problems occurred or if adjustments were done during conversion of the project. A double click on the message leads you to the hardware module or part of the configuration that is subject of the message.

Existing Fader Views are automatically converted into new fader view containers. Additionally central views that contain the newly created fader view containers are automatically added and assigned to the according fader overbridge TFTs. Make sure to check if all assignments are correct!

Check all of your TFT Views that use TFT Encoder Elements. New design of the TFT encoder elements in Version 9 makes it necessary to adjust some of your views.

If the config makes use of controllable Delays (Delay 1s or Delay 10s in Fixed Processings) we recommend to replace the controls with the new TFT Fixed Processing Element.

For instructions on how to configure Web Apps: Views, please see Views App (Web) - Quick Start.

1)
requires 52-8581 Enhanced DSP Processing License and at least 52-7440A / 52-7440B / 52-7441A / 52-7442A / 52-7442B with 52-7456 XD2 controller 52-7420 core, 52-7423 Gold core or 52-7424, 52-1830 Gold cores with 52-1950 license.
2)
Talk Source 3 and 4 require 52-8581 Enhanced DSP Processing License