Midi keyboard firmware update

[SophyS]

Hello, I have Samson Graphite 25 and I wonder how can i update the firmware for my keyboard? Samson don't offer more support related to this matter
http://www.samsontech.com/samson/produc ... raphite25/
Is it necessary?
I run Live 9 on Mac/yosemite 10.10.

Thanks!

[fishmonkey]

their documentation is shit. i think you need to use the editor software to install the firmware update, however it only runs on Windows...

[SophyS]

their documentation is shit. i think you need to use the editor software to install the firmware update, however it only runs on Windows...

I wonder then if i can use Graphite 49 software to update the firmware?
I emailed then before and all that they did was sending me to their website...(useless )

Thanks again

[Garry Knight]

I'd be wary of updating. I updated mine using the Windows software and since then the Channel buttons haven't worked.

It might be a single channel change button, I'm not sure as I am out and about. For the same reason I can't tell you the before/after version numbers. I got the Graphite because I mistakenly thought that once I got Live to recognise it, it would automatically link to Ableton's controls. It has never done that. I have to use MIDI learn instead. For my use case it was a waste of money

Thinking of dumping it and getting an Axiom or Novation controller.

[SophyS]

I'd be wary of updating. I updated mine using the Windows software and since then the Channel buttons haven't worked.

It might be a single channel change button, I'm not sure as I am out and about. For the same reason I can't tell you the before/after version numbers. I got the Graphite because I mistakenly thought that once I got Live to recognise it, it would automatically link to Ableton's controls. It has never done that. I have to use MIDI learn instead. For my use case it was a waste of money

Thinking of dumping it and getting an Axiom or Novation controller.

Ohh...I just bought mine..pff..i was glad that in this price range it has midi out connection...what can i say...i guess i will not do the update.

Thanks!

[fishmonkey]

I got the Graphite because I mistakenly thought that once I got Live to recognise it, it would automatically link to Ableton's controls. It has never done that. I have to use MIDI learn instead.

you can roll your own custom MIDI controller setup, which will at least give you blue hand access, macros, and transport:

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/07/a ... s-control/

[Garry Knight]

Thanks. I've bookmarked it and will look at it this weekend.

[SophyS]

I got the Graphite because I mistakenly thought that once I got Live to recognise it, it would automatically link to Ableton's controls. It has never done that. I have to use MIDI learn instead.

you can roll your own custom MIDI controller setup, which will at least give you blue hand access, macros, and transport:

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/07/a ... s-control/

Thanks!

[Garry Knight]

I finally managed to get my Graphite 25 set up to register as a controller for Live 9. The manual doesn't make it obvious what the settings should be on first reading. After I found out what they should be - from a third-party website - it became obvious after the fact.

The Graphite 25 controls Live through MIDI port 5. So all I needed to do was set up the Control Surface as "MackieControl" and the Input as "SAMSON Graphite 25 Port 5" (this bit was hidden in the diagram in the manual), then in the MIDI Ports Input section, enable the Remote setting for "MackieControl Input (SAMSON Graphite 25)". These settings are all you need to control Live with the Graphite 25. Of course, you can always set it up for MIDI note input - see the image below for details.

The sequence in which I did things was 1) plug the Graphite 25 into a USB port and switch it on; 2) on the Graphite 25, press Preset then select the Ableton setting using the arrow keys; 3) fire up Live and enter the above settings.

The image below shows these settings:



Notes
1) The 2nd MIDI source is my Alesis Q49 routed via the MIDI input of my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface.
2) I've set up both the Q49 and the Graphite 25 as Track inputs for direct recording to MIDI tracks.
3) The 3rd-party website that gave me the clue to getting it working:
http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/ ... -with-daws

I hope this post helps anyone else having this problem.

[SophyS]

I finally managed to get my Graphite 25 set up to register as a controller for Live 9. The manual doesn't make it obvious what the settings should be on first reading. After I found out what they should be - from a third-party website - it became obvious after the fact.

The Graphite 25 controls Live through MIDI port 5. So all I needed to do was set up the Control Surface as "MackieControl" and the Input as "SAMSON Graphite 25 Port 5" (this bit was hidden in the diagram in the manual), then in the MIDI Ports Input section, enable the Remote setting for "MackieControl Input (SAMSON Graphite 25)". These settings are all you need to control Live with the Graphite 25. Of course, you can always set it up for MIDI note input - see the image below for details.

The sequence in which I did things was 1) plug the Graphite 25 into a USB port and switch it on; 2) on the Graphite 25, press Preset then select the Ableton setting using the arrow keys; 3) fire up Live and enter the above settings.

The image below shows these settings:



Notes
1) The 2nd MIDI source is my Alesis Q49 routed via the MIDI input of my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface.
2) I've set up both the Q49 and the Graphite 25 as Track inputs for direct recording to MIDI tracks.
3) The 3rd-party website that gave me the clue to getting it working:
http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/ ... -with-daws

I hope this post helps anyone else having this problem.

Amazing! Many thanks!

[Garry Knight]

Correction re upgrading

I said in that I wouldn't recommend that you upgrade your keyboard as when I tried it the Channel buttons no longer worked. This is because I incorrectly assumed that they were for controlling the MIDI channel that the keyboard uses to send note data to the DAW. They aren't for this purpose at all.

When you start up Ableton with the keyboard switched on, the four encoders at the top control the volume for tracks 1 to 4, the next set of four encoders control the panning for tracks 1 to 4, and the function keys control the record on/off for tracks 1 to 4. If you press the right-hand Channel button, everything moves up one so that the controllers affect tracks 2 to 5. And if you then press the right hand Bank button, they control tracks 6 to 9. In other words, the Channel buttons step up and down the track numbers and the Bank buttons step up and down by four tracks.

So, I think it is probably safe for you to upgrade.

[SophyS]

Thanks a lot!

[Phils0n]

I know I am writing that a LONG time after this was more or less resolved, for future reference for anyone that has issues updating firmware for Samson Graphite or Carbon, no matter which size. They are not very clear about one HUGE thing that you must do to update the firmware properly. I was having the blank LCD screen issue, and the PRESET and then keypad 1, then enter to reset to factory settings was not working for me. I realized, you can either use the buttons up near the MAIN button, but also the actual keys themselves have the needed functions labelled above the keys. For fixing it using the keys, you have to press PRESET, then Key 1 (furthest left key), then enter on the actual keyboard keys. Sometimes, the other buttons responded, sometimes they didn't. The fix if the screen is blank and the device is not responding to the reset or detecting as a MIDI device. Quick disclaimer, I was unable to get this to work on Windows 10, but it worked in OS X. I also switched out cables when it worked on OS X, so I am not ruling out that this will work on Windows.

TL/DR - Fix if LCD screen is blank, or cannot update firmware:
1) Download newest firmware from Samson website http://www.samsontech.com/samson/produc ... ntrollers/
2) Download newest version of the firmware update tool, not the samson editor, the following does not work with the editor from my experience.
3) Install firmware update utility
4) Boot computer with midi keyboard powered on, even if LCD screen isn't showing.
5) Open Firmware update utility
6) "Open File" and select the .bin file of the new firmware
7) This is the KEY part that is not in the manual, Power the keyboard off while still having the USB plugged in, then HOLD down both the - and + transpose buttons while it's powered off
Turn the keyboard on while holding BOTH transpose buttons until it displays either "UPD" on the carbon series, I believe, or on mine (Graphite 49) it simply displayed the firmware version on the LCD screen.
9) The updater utility displays "looking for midi device" or something similar to that, if you get a response and are able to click "update and it works for you from this point on, great! If not...
10) Reload the .bin file by clicking "Open File" again, and then click "Update", this worked in my case.
11) I cannot recall if I powered the keyboard down and then back up while holding both transpose buttons, but if it still is not updating for you at this point, it's worth a try.

Hope this helps solve some headaches, as this was HOURS of research to get this working.