The miniDSP Device Console¶
Warning
The miniDSP processor is not yet supported by miniDSP Device Console. Please subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
The miniDSP Device Console ("DC") is the new configuration and control software for miniDSP audio processors. It replaces the earlier "plugin" control software. In contrast to the earlier software, Device Console provides:
- A single software program to control all miniDSP processors
- Over-the-air (OTA) self-updates
- Detection and installation of firmware upgrades for your processor
- Purchase and activation of Dirac Live upgrades (where applicable)
Finding connected devices¶
The Discover Devices screen displays devices connected to your computer, or which have a network-accessible control interface.
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For network control, the miniDSP processor requires that a miniDSP Wi-DG be connected to its USB port. Note that network control is for miniDSP Device Console only – Dirac Live calibration can not be performed over the network.
Tip
If your device is connected to a Wi-DG but is not visible here, confirm that you have updated the firmware on your Wi-DG to the latest version.
Connecting to a device¶
To connect to a device for editing and control, click on its name. While the device is connected, the Device Console displays three main areas:
- The global control area has items that are not specific settings of the processor for the current preset. These items are described on this page.
- The input channels area displays a control strip for each input channel.
- The output channels area displays the routing from input to output channels, and a control strip for each output channel.
If this is the first time you have used Device Console with your miniDSP processor, Device Console will check for an existing preset that was created with an older "plugin" user interface. If found, Device Console will automatically import it. This is done on a preset-by-preset basis.
When you are done, click DISCONNECT.
Using template devices¶
The Template Devices screen displays the complete list of devices supported by Device Console. This can be used to explore features of a processor that you do not have, or to edit your processor settings when you are not able to connect to it.
A template device "mirrors" the real device, so that you can edit your settings while not connected. That is, while you are editing the real device, the current preset is copied to the corresponding template device whenever you change presets and when you disconnect. You can then edit those settings in the template device.
To edit a template device, click on it.
When you are done editing in the template device, click FINISH.
When you connect to your real device again, Device Console detects that you have edited the template and asks you if you want to use the settings from the edited template. Or, you can discard the changes you made in the template and revert to the settings that your device had the last time you were connected to it. This is done on a preset-by-preset basis:
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You will see a similar dialog if you edit the settings of your device using a different computer or the older "plugin" user interface (the latter is not recommended once you have migrated to the miniDSP Device Console).
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If you have more than one device of the same type, only one of them can be edited using the template device. If you have more than one device of the same type or need to edit your devices from more than one computer, you will need to manage your presets by exporting them to and importing them from files. See Importing and Exporting.
Settings¶
These settings are for Device Console itself (and not any connected processor).
The Modes selection sets the DC to display with a light theme, a dark theme, or with the same theme as your operating system (Windows or macOS). If you choose the System option, you may need to quit Device Console and restart it for the change to take effect.
The Check USB Audio Driver feature checks if you have the miniDSP UAC2 audio driver installed, and that it is the latest version. It appears on Windows only. See Installation for more information.
The Create Program Snapshot feature is used to help miniDSP support diagnose issues you may be having with your unit.
Using Dirac Live¶
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The miniDSP processor implements stereo Dirac Live correction. That is, there are two channels of Dirac Live correction. After stereo Dirac Live correction, the audio signal is routed to the {{ no such element: dict object['num_channels_text'] }} output channels for processing such as parametric EQ and crossovers.
This section applies only to processors that have Dirac Live activated on them.
To start Dirac Live calibration, click on the START CALIBRATION button. The Device Console will disconnect and the Dirac Live application will start.
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Be sure to start the Dirac Live application from within the Device Console using the START CALIBRATION button. If you open the Dirac Live application by itself, it will not be able to detect the processor.
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Dirac Live calibration can not be performed over the network, so the START CALIBRATION button will be visible only if the processor is connected to the computer by USB.
Dirac Live room correction can be turned on and off with the DIRAC ON/DIRAC OFF button. The front panel knob and the remote control can also be used as a more convenient way to turn Dirac Live on and off.
Input sources¶
To select the input source, drop down the selector menu.
For processors with more than three inputs, the selectable inputs can set up by clicking on the CUSTOMIZE SELECTION button. Any input source can be enabled or disabled here.
If an input is disabled, it cannot be selected here, from the front panel, or by remote control. This is a convenience feature so that ununused inputs do not need to be cycled through.
Using presets¶
The miniDSP processor has four onboard presets, each of which contains all of the settings for audio processing except items controlled by the front panel and remote control (volume, mute, input source, Dirac Live on/off).
Selecting a preset¶
Click on the desired preset number. Or if you have renamed the presets, its name.
Renaming¶
Select the preset, then click the RENAME button. Enter the desired name, then click OK. The name can be up to 12 letters long.
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The preset name is displayed in the Device Console only. The front panel of the processor will still display "Preset 1" through "Preset 4".
Importing and exporting¶
To import a preset from a file, click the IMPORT button, then navigate to a saved preset file and click Open. The preset will be loaded from the file. If Device Console is currently connected to the miniDSP processor, the preset will also be sent to the processor.
To export a preset to a file, click the EXPORT button. Navigate to the desired location in the file system, change the file name if desired, and click Save.
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It is not possible to load a preset from the processor back to the Device Console. We strongly recommend always exporting your presets to files when they are complete, to ensure that you don't lose them in future.
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To copy all settings from one preset to another, export the first preset to a file, select the second present, and then import the file that you just saved.
Resetting¶
To reset the current preset to default values, click the RESET button.
To reset all four presets to default values, click the RESET-ALL button.
Firmware updates¶
miniDSP Device Console will check for firmware updates when a device is connected, and notify you if one is available. To manually update the firmware, click the Refresh DSP Firmware and Refresh XMOS Firmware button.
Tip
You do not need to use these buttons in normal operation. They are there in case your processor has issues and/or miniDSP Support instructs you to refresh the firmware.
Convert to Dirac Live version¶
Some miniDSP processors can be converted to a corresponding Dirac Live version with the purchase of an optional Dirac Live upgrade.
Dirac Live is an optional upgrade to the miniDSP processor. You can purchase and activate the upgrade from within the miniDSP Device Console.
To purchase the Dirac Live upgrade, click on Convert to ... in the Device Console sidebar:
Read the information and warning notices and click through if you wish to proceed.
The upgrade is a two-step process: 1. purchase; 2. activate.
1. Purchase the Dirac Live upgrade¶
Click on BUY UPGRADE. A browser window will open on stripe.com. Enter your payment details and click Pay.
The Stripe payment page redirects to an acknowledgement screen:
You will also receive an email receipt.
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After you press the Buy Upgrade button, miniDSP Device Console will wait for an acknowledgement from the payment system. If you decide not to proceed with the upgrade, click the back-arrow button near the top left of the purchase screen and the Device Console will return to normal operation.
If you just close the payment window, Device Console will wait 30 minutes for the acknowledgement; in that case, quit and restart the Device Console application.
2. Activate the Dirac Live upgrade¶
After payment completes, return to the miniDSP Device Console window. You will see acknowledgement of successful payment:
Click OK to return to the upgrade screen.
Click on RETRIEVE KEY ONLINE to retrieve the activation key. Then click ACTIVATE to activate the upgrade on your processor.
Tip
Retrieving the activation key online requires an active Internet connection. If you have a device that needs to be activated while offline, save the activation key file that was attached to the purchase acknowledgement email onto a USB stick. On the device to be activated, click LOAD FROM FILE and select the file from the USB stick.
After activating, the processor will restart. When it comes back online, it will appear in the Device Console list of devices as a Dirac Live version.
The presets will not be converted to the Dirac Live version. When reconnecting, you can choose to either restore all presets to their default values or to use existing Dirac Live version presets.
Convert to non-Dirac Live version¶
Some miniDSP processors that have Dirac Live can be converted to a corresponding non-Dirac Live version. This provides some different functionality in place of Dirac Live – such as user-settable FIR filters.
To convert to the standard version (without Dirac Live), click on Convert to .... After confirming, the device will disconnect and you will need to reconnect to it.
The presets will not be converted to the Dirac Live version. When reconnecting, you can choose to either restore all presets to their default values or to use existing Dirac Live version presets.
Note that this operation is fully reversible: you can freely convert back and forth between the standard and Dirac Live versions.