How to Update Your Missing Link’s Software
Please refer to the documentation for updating your Missing Link software:
A Note About Updating from v1.07 to newer versions
If your Missing Link software version is at version 1.07 then there’s an extra step you will need to do to make sure your whole system is updated to the latest version. Don’t worry, it’s easy!
Once you’ve run the Software Update once, let the Missing Link boot back up and then re-run the Software Update a second time.
You might notice that your Missing Link shows the System Software version as “unknown”. Once you update the software a second time this will display the correct version (currently v1.1). Future updates should only have to run one time to get all of the update. Sorry about that!
v1.3 Features
Send Clock to a USB Host
Send MIDI clock messages to a USB MIDI Host by plugging a micro USB cable from the USB data port of The Missing Link to the USB A Host port. Your Missing Link will be listed as “USB Gadget” in your MIDI host’s menu if you need to activate it as a clock source.
What’s My IP Address?
Some computer systems do not support the underlying technology that supports the “.local” network addresses. If you need to access The Missing Link’s Web Control Panel and that “.local” address just won’t work, you need to know The Missing Link’s IP address.
Press the encoder button to cycle through the available menu items until you reach “IP Address.” Turn the encoder knob to reveal the rest of the IP Address as the address is too long to display on the 4-character display. For example, if your IP address is 192.1.100.5 the each turn of the knob would should you “192.” > “1.” > “100.” > “5”
v1.2 Features
USB MIDI Support
The banner headline for this release is USB MIDI Support! Plug in a micro USB OTG adapter and then plug in any class-compliant USB MIDI interface to that adapter. Many modern drum machines are now featuring a built-in class compliant USB MIDI interface, so you may be able to go USB cable direct from your drum machine to The Missing Link.
Installation Notes:
This update will take longer than past updates. The update installs some new libraries used to support MIDI. The installer takes about 1-2 minutes to run.
If your Software Update seems to be running for more than five minutes…
You might run in to an issue where the Web Control panel loses communication with the installer while it is installing the new MIDI support libraries.
If the spinning icon next to the update button has been spinning for five minutes, then you will need to force a reboot by unplugging and plugging power to your Missing Link. When you boot back up, all should be fine and your software and system versions should now be v1.2. Drop a line to support@circuithappy.com if you need help.
Upgrading from version 1.07:
If you are installing from v1.07, you need to run the Software Update twice to properly install everything. When you boot back up after the first time updating, The Missing Link software will probably fail to launch due to missing system files that get installed with the second Software Update. Just go back to the Software Update page and run the update another time to fix everything.
A new button gesture
A new command was needed to support the new MIDI feature. I am all out of buttons, so we made up a new gesture: hold the encoder down and then press either the Play or Tap Tempo button as a “shift” gesture for each of those buttons.
Encoder + Play: Send a “Start Transport” MIDI message the start of the next loop. This will re-align your drum machine should it fall out of sync.
Encoder + Tap Tempo: Re-zero the timeline to “now.” If you need to re-align your timeline to other instrumentation that is not playing on the grid (i.e. a drummer, guitarist, cellist, etc).
If Your back panel looks like this:
… you need a new back panel to make use of the hidden USB port. This means you are one of my first twenty or so customers. At that time I didn’t have any plans for the USB port so I hid it behind the panel, sigh. Don’t panic! I will happily send you an updated back panel for free. Just send me a picture of the back panel of your Missing Link so I can confirm that you need a new back panel.
v1.1 Release Notes
DIN Sync Support
A new menu item is available called RESET MODE. This menu has three options:
- Pulse This is the normal Reset output behavior. A short pulse right before the start of a new loop.
- DIN1 In this option, PPQN is automatically set to 24 and the Reset output will go “high” while the clock is playing.
- DIN2 In this option PPQN is automatically set to 24 and the Reset output is high while the clock is playing, except for a short period just before the start of the next loop. It is the inverse of the Pulse option.
Note: You will also need a way to translate the Clock and Reset outputs of the Missing Link to a 5-pin DIN connector. If you are handy with a soldering iron, Reset goes to Pin 1 and Clock goes to Pin 3 of a DIN connector. I am planning to sell a small adapter I designed to connect a DIN cable to the two 1/8″ patch cables. Email me if you are interested in trying one out.
Note #2: Although the DIN modes set the PPQN to 24, you can then set the PPQN to any value you wish afterwards.
Link 3.0 Support
The major feature in Link 3.0 is Start/Stop Sync. This feature allows one Link peer to control the starting and stopping of another Link peer. Press the encoder button until you reach SYNC START/STOP. There are two options:
- OFF: Your Missing Link will only start or stop via the Play button
- ON: Your Missing Link will start or stop via any Link 3 peer that also has Start/Stop Sync enabled.
Delay Compensation
A new menu item named OFFSET allows you to adjust the time alignment of The Missing Link to your other gear. It works very similar to the Track Delay setting in Ableton Live. The value is in milliseconds.
A More Musical Stopping of the Clock
We have changed the behavior when you press the Play button while the clock is running. Normally this would stop the clock immediately. Now it will keep playing the clock until the end of the current loop. If you wish to stop the clock immediately, press the clock a second time.
Beta Codes!
We added a new feature to the Software Update page in The Missing Link Control Panel. If you are a beta tester I will give you a code that you enter in the box marked “beta codes”. When you click the “Check for and Install Update” button it will install the software keyed to that beta code. To get back to the non-beta software just delete the text in the Beta Codes box and click that Install Update button again.