SoftStep was released in 2008, and over the years has had several updates. This guide is for users with an older SoftStep who are considering upgrading.
Do You Need to Upgrade?
If your SoftStep 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.x or version 2.0.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
| Firmware | Editor | MacOS | Windows |
| VKA2 (63), 76, 88 | 1.x | OSX 10.12 or earlier | WinXP, Win7 |
| 91, 93, 94 | 2.0.x | OSX 10.12 to 10.14 | WinXP, Win7 |
| 1.x.x | 2.1.x | 10.14 (Mojave) to Current | Win10, Win11 |
| 2.x.x | 3.x.x | 10.14 (Mojave) to Current | Win10, Win11 |
Safely Upgrading Older Firmware
Firmware 94 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 SoftStep 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 SoftStep 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.
Installing the Bootloader Using the Latest Editor
Editor 1.0.0 introduced a bootloader installer. This uses the pre-bootloader firmware image format to install a bootloader using a "trojan horse" method, where the bootloader code is written to flash memory and then write protected. This firmware image is version 99, and it should only ever run once, and then reboot into the bootloader. You can manually do this upgrade by using a SysEx utility to send "Softstep-99-bootloader-trojan-horse.syx" to a v94 or older SoftStep. However the preferred method is to use the latest version of the editor (v3.0.4 as of this writing).
The below video guide demonstrates the bootloader installation process. The editor will send version 99, the device will reboot, write the bootloader to flash memory, reboot, and load the newly installed bootloader. Then the editor sends the current firmware image to the bootloader, which safely handles the update and reboots into the application. At this point the bootloader is write protected and cannot be overwritten or corrupted, meaning that your SoftStep is safe for any future updates.
Video: SoftStep Bootloader Install MacOS
Video: SoftStep Bootloader Install Windows
It is worth noting that the majority of users who have trouble with firmware updates are running Windows. If possible, we recommend using MacOS for firmware updates as CoreMIDI is more robust than the older WinMM framework, which is more likely to suffer from interruptions during large data transfers.
The Editor Says the Update Failed!
Make sure to watch the hardware during the firmware 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, sometimes the editor does not reconnect to the MIDI driver. The device should be responsive to key presses, it may show a message saying that factory presets were loaded, this is all normal. Power cycle the device, reload the editor, and it should connect just fine.
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 the editor to reload the firmware image. You can also manually send a firmware image (1.x or later) to the bootloader using a SysEx utility.
Don't panic. If your SoftStep 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 94 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 VKA2
The USB Driver in Firmware VKA2 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 VKA2, you will need the following:
- A computer running MacOS 10.12 Sierra or Windows XP/7.
- Editor version 2.0.1 (SoftStep Legacy Download Link) running on the older operating system
- A modern computer running the latest editor (optional)
You will need to use the 2.0.1 editor to update the firmware to version 91. From there, you can either continue using the older editor with version 91, or you can update to version 1.x.x or later using the latest editor on a modern computer.
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.
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