m-audio Fast Track Pro firmware update?

[Greg_E]

I have a bunch of the m-audio Fast Track Pro USB sound devices, and now I see there is a newer driver, and with this driver comes a firmware update... Should I update all of them? Read that a few people got dead devices after the update, and Avid wants $100 for repair... The device only cost a little over $100 in the first place.

Our classes are just cranking up to full swing, so having editing rooms down because a sound device no longer works would be bad. I need to change the hard drives in all the computers because we are getting failures, and I wanted to look into driver and firmware updates for these devices while I make the image for the new drives.

 

[Noiz2]

Unless the update fixes something that is a problem for you I would skip it. A lot of times they are fixing compatibility with ne OS's and if you are on an older OS it can be problematic updating.

Firmware updates always run the risk of "bricking" the device (giving it the functionality of a brick) but most of the time for most people as long as you follow the directions it's safe. Again does it fix a problem? If it does it's worth the risk probably. The biggest thing is to NOT interrupt it while the update is happening. Bricking happens most to people who interrupted, unplugged, etc the device before the firmware finished updating.

 

[davefisk]

I agree with Noiz2. If they are working fine, don't bother with them, especially if they are in studios that are currently up and running. The worst thing to do to a "working" studio is to upgrade firmware while working. Always do those upgrades when you have down time and can account for gear to go down.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

I have a bunch of the m-audio Fast Track Pro USB sound devices, and now I see there is a newer driver, and with this driver comes a firmware update... Should I update all of them? Read that a few people got dead devices after the update, and Avid wants $100 for repair... The device only cost a little over $100 in the first place.

I agree with the others on 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'... I had problem with FTPro when I upgraded my Mac OS verision, to the point where the device was not useful on my 'working computer', but did work on an older and unupgraded computer. So, I used that for a while until eventually one of two things happened, the FTPro firmware was updated... or one of the subsequent OS updates fixed something... in any case, the FTPro worked the last time I needed it...

Also, didn't Avid sell off m-audio a few years ago?

 

[Rick R]

Also, didn't Avid sell off m-audio a few years ago?

Yes, in a 2012 announcement "nMusic, parent of Akai Professional, Alesis, and Numark, is buying M-Audio, including “M-Audio brand keyboards, controllers, interfaces, speakers and digital DJ equipment and other product lines."