Time for an option to deal with iPad Version-itis

[JayParticipant]

Allen & Heath,

Once again, I’ve been bit by how you release iPad software, as I’m sure many others will be shortly now that there is a major release.

On Tuesday, a ballet theatre production that I have dLive running in asked to be able to control monitors from the SM’s iPad on stage. No problem, use OneMix, except it is running 1.64 and as of Monday you can only download OneMix 1.70. No option there, since I won’t swap firmware just before final dress.

Today, I’m doing a one-man show and need my iPad for sound check and monitors. Just realized it is on 1.60, the Mixrack is 1.64 and the download version is 1.70.

2 days. 2 strikes. No options. I realized why I don’t actually use the iPad apps much.

Please consider either:
(1) allowing backwards compatibility (make me enable it) and features that don’t exist in the older firmware just don’t work; or
(2) release each major version as a separate product in the App Store (1.5x, 1.6x, 1.7x …). I have no issues (usually) doing a point upgrade if I need to, but a full major release is out of the question.

I have 2 more weeks of shows before I can even consider looking at 1.7.

Please?

Jay

[Mark OakleyParticipant]

Hi Jay:

There is a 3rd option, and that is to use a Remote Desktop (I use VNC) to control your PC/Mac running Director alongside your Surface. I do this with my iLive system and am not at the mercy of incompatible Software Updates. It also gives you full access to all functions of your dLive system.

-Mark

[SteffenRParticipant]

the 1.60 release should work with 1.64 on mixrack

[ThatComplicatedMidiGuyParticipant]

Yeah, 1.6 works w/ 1.64! I have about a dozen iPads I have to manage for band and FOH users and for this reason I:

1) turn off all auto-updates, in general.
2) Use itunes or configurator to back up each iPad’s complete status to a last known “working,” file. Juuuust in case some dummy forces an update or upgrades firmware w/o telling me.

I do agree though! It would be nice to have backward compatibility and/or the option to downgrade without having to create a full device image.

One other small annoyance: When updating from one firmware to the next, *all* of my OneMix settings get blown out and I have to manually reconfigure each iPad layout for band monitors. x12 ipads = a whole load of tedium I wish didn’t happen.

[Mfk0815Participant]

In my opinion there are only two reasonable ways to fix incompatible app.
1) new app version can work with all firmware versions. Since the communication protocol of the older firmware versions are all well known this can be managed with a little check of the mixrack firmware.
2) for a new app version which will be incompatible with previous firmware version have to be released as a new app.

I would prefer the first version. In the meantime I disable auto update;-)

[Jens-DroesslerParticipant]

IMO if A&H wanted to to the customer a big service, there would only be ONE iPad app for all systems, that is handled the same way for all systems. What’s possible with the separate apps for each system is similar. Handling is similar but not the same. So why even different apps to begin with? And yes, also everything should be backward compatible. Freelance technicians never know what version of firmware they will encounter Just gray out options that aren’t available on older firmware verions OR just use the GUI the older version of the app used for that firmware version. Loading up the correct module on connect shouldn’t be so hard to implement.

[AndrewParticipant]

+1 I have been asking for this for ages. We are a church and don’t own the ipads – some operators and band members use their own ipads, others don’t have them. I had to send an urgent email to everyone in the teams this weekend to warn them to turn off auto-updates as I have no chance to upgrade the firmware before then. We got no prior notice of this update (at least, I didn’t see it if there was). It’s really frustrating.

Andrew

[Mfk0815Participant]

After some month with my dLive I have to confess that I more and more avoid the usage of the remote app in my iPad air 2. I was used to work with the iPad in the past to deal with monitors and to tweak the Sound on several places in the venue when I work with my older consoles. But the app for the dLive is for me not that helpful asthe one from other manufacturesor their 3rd party apps. Poor functionaly, odd layout and handling and very slow are the things I can say about the dLive MixPad. The app for the SQ is for me better but far away from good enough to work with on stressful jobs. Maybe A&H should make the communication protocol public so that 3rd party apps can be developed to do a better job.

Nevertheless the sound of the dLive and SQ is great. But a modern console should be more the just a mixengine and IO.

[BradParticipant]

i must admit after using the iPad app i went back to using director on a windows touch screen

[ArtParticipant]

i must admit after using the iPad app i went back to using director on a windows touch screen

Same with me. The only thing I really use the iPad app for is to change preamp gain as that is much too difficult to do on a touchscreen with Director.

[Anonymous]

Fully Agree. The iOS developers should take a look at the competition’s offerings and add some critical missing features.

MixPad improvements

[Author]

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