12 Step was released in early 2012, and over the years has had a few updates. This guide is for users with an older 12 Step who are considering upgrading.

Do You Need to Upgrade?

If your 12 Step is working fine and you do not need to modify any of the presets, then you do not need to upgrade. If you have an older computer and are running the version 1.0 or version 2.x editor and are not planning on upgrading your operating system, then you can leave well enough alone.

However, if you want to use a modern computer to edit the presets, you will need to upgrade. 

Compatibility Matrix

12 Step Legacy Download Link

Safely Upgrading Older Firmware

Firmware 30 and earlier did NOT have a bootloader to protect firmware updates. Without a bootloader, a firmware update carries a small risk that if the update is interrupted, your 12 Step could become bricked. If this happens, or if you would rather we do the upgrade for you, you can submit a support ticket to arrange to ship your 12 Step to our office in Berkeley, CA, USA, and we will update it to the current firmware for free. Unfortunately we cannot cover shipping charges for legacy out of warranty products. International customers should note that shipping and tariffs/duties/vat could make this cost prohibitive. 

Important: Bootloader Updates Have Moved Out of the Editor

The 12 Step editor no longer installs bootloaders. Recent changes to the way Windows handles MIDI (a new system called Windows MIDI Services) changed the timing of how data is sent to the device. On some computers this interrupted the bootloader installation partway through, and in a small number of cases it left devices unresponsive ("bricked"). Because installing a bootloader on older, pre-bootloader firmware is an inherently risky, one-time operation, we have moved it out of the editor and into a dedicated, free tool called SendSysEx that sends the data with careful, tested timing.

This is a deliberate extra step. Requiring a separate tool means you are clearly warned and prepared before attempting a risky update, rather than starting one by accident from the editor.

Installing the Bootloader Using the SendSysEx Utility

SendSysEx installs a bootloader onto a pre-bootloader 12 Step and can then load the current firmware for you. It uses the same "trojan horse" method described above — a special version 99 image writes the bootloader into flash memory and then write-protects it, running only once before rebooting into the new bootloader — but with reliable timing and clear, up-front warnings. Once the bootloader is installed it is write protected and cannot be corrupted, so your 12 Step is safe for all future updates.

1. Download SendSysEx. You need version 0.15.0 or newer. Download it from the releases page: https://github.com/Muse-Kinetics/sendsysex/releases. On macOS, download the .pkg installer and double-click it to install. On Windows, download the .zip and unzip it.
2. Connect only your 12 Step to the computer with a known-good USB cable, plugged in directly (please avoid USB hubs), and close any other music or MIDI software that might be using the device.
3. Open SendSysEx. Started on its own, it shows a simple menu of the KMI devices it finds, along with each one's current firmware version. Select your 12 Step from the list.
4. Choose "Install Bootloader" and follow the on-screen prompts. The tool explains the risks, checks that the connection is stable, and asks you to confirm before it begins. Do not unplug the device or close the program while it is working (the process takes roughly 30–60 seconds and the device will reboot on its own).
5. When it finishes, it will offer to load the latest firmware. Say yes, and you're done.

Would you rather we do it for you? Submit a support ticket to arrange shipping your 12 Step to our office (see the shipping notes above). And as always, if you run into trouble, don't panic and reach out — we're happy to walk you through it.

The videos below walk through the bootloader installation. They were recorded using the older editor-based method, so the software shown is out of date — but what you will see happen on the 12 Step itself (the reboots and the flashing LEDs) is exactly the same when you use SendSysEx.

Video: 12 Step Bootloader Install Windows

Video: 12 Step Bootloader Install (MacOS)

The Update Says It Failed!

Make sure to watch the hardware during the update. If it reboots and shows the new firmware version, then the update was successful. Because the device has to reboot several times during the update, the update tool sometimes loses track of it near the end even though it finished fine. The device should be responsive to key presses, and it may show a message saying that factory presets were loaded — this is all normal. Power cycle the device and it should be good to go. 

If the screen on the unit is dark, power cycle it and see if it comes back up. If the bootloader was loaded successfully then it should always turn back on, in which case it will flash all of the LEDs on and off once per second to indicate that the bootloader is waiting for a firmware image. If the screen only turns on once every other power cycle, that means the firmware update was interrupted and the incomplete firmware is crashing when the bootloader tries to load it. Power cycle again until the LEDs are flashing, and then use SendSysEx to reload the firmware image onto the waiting bootloader. 

Don't panic. If your 12 Step still turns on, flashes LEDs, and is responsive to key presses, it is not bricked. Submit a support ticket and we can walk you through the recovery steps. We appreciate your patience and respect while we work to get back to you. 

Downgrading to 30 or Earlier

We do not support downgrading to firmware images that do not have a bootloader. If you absolutely need to have this done, send us a support ticket. 

Upgrading From Firmware VA1/VA2/A1/A2

The USB Driver in Firmware A1/A2 is not compatible with modern MacOS and Windows computers. You will see the device listed in Device Manager and/or System Information, you might even see the USB MIDI Ports, but MIDI data (notes or SysEx) will not flow. This has caused some confusion with users who think that the latest editor has bricked their device, when the real problem is that the editor cannot communicate with the firmware. 

To upgrade firmware VA1/VA2/A1/A2, you will need the following:

• A computer running MacOS 10.12 Sierra or Windows XP/7.
• Editor version 2.x (12 Step Legacy Download Link) running on the older operating system
• A modern computer running the latest editor and the SendSysEx utility (optional)

You will need to use the 2.x editor to update the firmware to version 28. From there, you can either continue using the older editor with version 28, or you can move to a modern computer and use the SendSysEx utility (see above) to install a bootloader and update to version 1.x or later. 

If you want us to do the upgrade for you, feel free to submit a support ticket to arrange shipment to our offices in Berkeley, CA USA. 

If you appreciate receiving software and firmware updates, please support us by purchasing our other products, sharing your success stories, and sending us links to albums and videos of your music. We are a small team of musicians who use these products every day, and we are proud to be a part of your creative process.