Q-SYS 9.7.0

This topic covers release information for Q-SYS 9.7 and any maintenance releases.

Version 9.7.0 includes these new features, updates, and resolved issues.

Platform

Q-SYS Designer Software now supports installation on Windows 11 Pro hosts.

Note: For a list of Windows 11 specs and requirements, see the Windows 11 page at Microsoft.com.

Q-SYS 9.7.0 introduces support for the NM-T1, which is available from the Inventory > Audio - Q-LAN category.

The Q-SYS NM Series NM-T1 is a tabletop network PoE microphone native to Q-SYS and ideal for the collaboration space. The microphone features advanced beamforming technology that ensures optimal clarity and separation for all surrounding talkers. It also offers onboard call controls, programmable user button and touchless muting capability, which lets users mute or unmute with the wave of a hand. As a native Q-SYS product, the NM-T1 integrates seamlessly into your Q-SYS system without the need for complex programming.

To learn more about the NM-T1 and its new design components, start with the NM-T1 topic.

The Q-SYS Core 6000 CXR processor is an industry-first solution that combines the processing capabilities of the Q-SYS realtime operating system with the compact, ruggedized, MIL-STD, NEBS and Marine compliant Dell PowerEdge XR11 server. Core 6000 CXR is the only IT-grade solution that brings audio, video, and control processing into marine applications.

The Core 6000 CXR is selectable from the Core Properties > Model drop-down menu. To learn more, see the Core 6000 CXR topic.

Note: While the Core 6000 CXR has been added to v9.7.0 for general purpose application usage, certified PAGA systems should remain on LTS branch versions, as those versions carry Type Approval.

As with the NV-32-H (Core Capable) and Core 510i, the Core Nano and Core 8 Flex now support the ability to run in Peripheral Mode. In this mode, you add the I/O-Core Nano or I/O-Core 8 Flex as an Inventory peripheral, and then configure a separate Q-SYS Core processor to run your design.

Use the Core Manager > Utilities page to switch between Core Mode and Peripheral Mode. To learn more, see the Switching Modes section within the Core Nano or Core 8 Flex topics.

Note: USB routing via the USB Input and USB Output components is not supported in Peripheral Mode for the Core Nano and Core 8 Flex. HID Keyboard, HID Media, and HID Conferencing are supported.

In Q-SYS 9.7, a redundant Q-LAN stream is counted as two streams for these Core models:

  • NV-32-H (Core Capable in Core Mode)
  • Core Nano
  • Core 8 Flex
  • Core 110f, Core 110c
  • Core 510i, Core 510c
  • Core 610

For more information about network redundancy in Q-SYS, see the Network Redundancy topic.

The PTZ-12x72 and PTZ-20x60 cameras are now discontinued. To add them to new designs, select the Show Discontinued option in the Inventory menu.

Audio

The Media Stream Receiver (MS-RX) component now supports secure HTTP (HTTPS) stream URLs. For example:

https://<stream_location>/livestream/special_stream.m3u8

The Generic Speaker component includes new properties for Peak Attack (ms) and Peak Release (ms), allowing for additional customization of limiter parameters for low impedance loudspeakers not manufactured by QSC.

To learn more about these and other limiter parameters, see the Generic Speaker topic.

The Maximum DSP property, applicable to the Core 510i and 510c processors through Q-SYS 9.6, has been removed. Starting with Q-SYS 9.7, designs always use "max DSP" for all Core models (the former default of "Yes").

Note: Due to this change, legacy designs with a Core 510i or 510c, Maximum DSP set to "No", and more than 16 Media Stream Receiver components (510i) or 4 Media Stream Receiver components (510c) within the schematic will generate a compile error in version 9.7.0.

Video

As with the NC-110 ePTZ camera imaging improvements in version 9.6.0, imaging from NC Series PTZ cameras (NC-12x80 and NC-20x60) is now improved in version 9.7.0, with updated Camera Imaging tab default values in the camera's Status/Control component and connected USB Video Bridge components. After upgrading to version 9.7.0, the easiest way to take advantage of these improvements is to reset all the camera's settings:

  1. In the Camera Control tab, save your camera's Home and Privacy positions (coordinates), if desired, to apply after the reset. (These are cleared during the reset.)
  2. In the Camera Imaging tab, click Reset all Camera settings (Imaging, PTZ, and Focus).

Q-SYS UCI and Mediacast endpoints now support high resolution graphics for Privacy Image, Exiting Privacy Image, and Offline Image. And, the default images are now high resolution and have a fresh, new look. In most cases, re-uploading custom graphics will greatly improve quality.

To learn more, see the Core Manager > Video > Cameras topic.

Q-SYS 9.7 introduces high resolution default graphics for Graphic 2, Graphic 3, and the Idle Screen.

To learn how to update your design to use the new graphics, see the Core Manager > Video > Video Endpoints topic.

Q-SYS NV Series devices now include a 21x9 EDID file that provides support for up to 3440x1440p60 resolution from AV sources and to HDMI displays supporting 21x9 formats. The new 21x9 EDID file is selectable within the Generic AV Source component.

Note: Use the 21x9 EDID only for sources that support 21x9 resolutions.

Q-SYS AV Bridging is a new licensed feature paradigm to the Q-SYS ecosystem. This new type of feature license allows flexibility in pricing and deployment by allowing Q-SYS to price the TSC-G3 competitively without the price of USB bridging baked in. If you don’t need bridging, you don’t need to pay for the license. If you do need bridging, you can pay for the license for each bridging device required. To learn more, see the USB Video Bridge topic.

The I/O-USB Bridge now has improved image quality when bridging 1080p and 720p MJPEG formats.

Mediacast routing can be quite flexible and provide complex routing for a variety of use cases. In 9.6, Auto Privacy was not possible if the upstream camera was wired to any Mediacast to HDMI endpoints. In 9.7.0, it is now possible to have fully functional Auto Privacy behavior regardless of the wired endpoint. For proper Auto Privacy functionality, you must enable Auto Privacy at every wired Mediacast endpoint. To learn more, see the HDMI I/O (NV-32-H) topic.

Video Freeze is a new Control toggle offered in the Generic HDMI Display when connected to an HDMI I/O Decoder. This new feature allows you the ability to freeze your video on its current video frame without hindering the audio. When enabled, the HDMI output will constantly replay the current video frame regardless of its source. When disabled, the HDMI output will resume showing full frame rate video. A Control Pin has been added to the HDMI AV Input hierarchy called Video Freeze. To learn more, see the Generic HDMI Display topic.

Control

The Call Sync feature is no longer in Beta status and is now officially supported. In addition, Call Sync now supports connections from up to eight simultaneous Call Systems (including HID Conferencing, Softphone, and POTS Controller), and also integrates with the Q-SYS NM-T1 beamforming microphone as an Endpoint.

To learn more, see the Call Sync topic.

Lua Modules are now an installable asset type in Asset Manager.

To learn more, see the External Lua Modules topic.

In Asset Manager, badges now indicate if a plugin and the hardware/software that the plugin supports is Q-SYS Certified Technology or Q-SYS Ready Technology.

Q-SYS Certified Technology

The "Certified" badge indicates that a plugin:

  • Was developed in collaboration with Q-SYS
  • Offers an enhanced experience that has been certified and endorsed by the Q-SYS Technology Partner Program
  • Is supported by both Q-SYS and the Partner
  • May include integration with Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager

Q-SYS Ready Technology

The "Ready" badge indicates that a plugin:

  • Was developed independently by the Partner
  • Offers an enhanced experience that has been verified to be interoperable by the Q-SYS Technology Partner Program
  • Is supported by the Partner

Crypto.Cypher now supports AES_256_CBC and AES_256_ECB as arguments, in addition to existing support for AES_128.

See the Crypto topic for a list of all Crypto methods.

TcpSocketServer now prints the IP address of a connected client in a new PeerAddress field.

Q-SYS v9.4.5 and later (LTS branch) and v9.7.0 and later (mainline branch) now support updated LAN controller hardware in TSC-G3 Series touch screen controllers.

Management

The Presets feature is no longer in Beta status and is now officially supported. In addition:

  • Presets now support configuration and System synchronization of SNMP and Network Services category settings.
  • To safeguard against losing connectivity to a Q-SYS Core processor due to improper Preset settings, Enterprise Manager backs up the current settings for each Preset category and then checks for proper connectivity to the Core before applying new settings. If this connectivity check fails, the Preset settings are reverted.

To learn more, see the Presets topic in Enterprise Manager Help.

To provide peace of mind in situations when reverting a Q-SYS Core processor to a previous state is necessary, any Q-SYS Core processor registered with Reflect now backs up its running design to Reflect. With a Professional Tier subscription, a backup can then be exported and re-deployed to a Core when needed.

To learn more, see the Design Backup topic in Enterprise Manager Help.

Note: This is a BETA feature. Though it is functional, it is not feature complete.

The Video > Cameras > Firmware Update page no longer appears in Core Manager, as PTZ-IP Series cameras are discontinued and will receive no further firmware updates.

Note: The Firmware Update page was only applicable to PTZ-IP Series Cameras. NC Series cameras receive updated firmware similar to other Q-SYS peripherals.

Resolved Known Issues

  • Audio: Grandmaster mismatch errors no longer occur when connecting QIO inputs.
  • Audio: An issue that could cause "Packet Missing Streaming Errors" from QIO audio devices on networks with heavy traffic has been resolved.
  • Amplifiers: The CX-Q amplifier Limiter threshold for peak speaker limiting has been corrected when the amplifier is in any bridged mode. The Limiter value for peak speaker limiting is now properly indicated in the Generic Speaker component.
  • Loudspeakers: The unusable Status control pin for NL Series Loudspeaker Output components has been removed.
  • Loudspeakers: Limiter settings have been corrected for some older Q-SYS loudspeaker models in 70V/100V mode.
  • Loudspeakers: Logs no longer print out "100V!" and "70V" when a Generic 70/100V Speaker is in the design.
  • Video: CEC On/Off commands and the Display Power Status LED now function properly in conjunction with heavy Shift AV processing on NV-32-H (Core Capable) devices.
  • Video: It is no longer possible to inadvertently control a PTZ-12x72 or PTZ-20x60 camera from two different designs.
  • Video: The Status component for NV-32-H Encoders now properly indicates the Mediacast input Source Name.
  • Video: An issue that could cause USB Video Bridges to show as disconnected and stop bridging video after a period of time has been resolved.
  • Video: The default imaging settings for NC Series cameras have been optimized for conference room applications with average color temperature (4000K).
  • Video: An issue that could cause USB bridged audio and video from an NV-32-H Encoder to a Mac to eventually stop has been resolved.
  • Control: Blocks no longer disappear after editing and saving them in Block Controller or upgrading a design.
  • Control: It is now possible to update the Script Access property for multiple components simultaneously without error.
  • Control: MTR now works properly if a network proxy service is configured (and the proxy service has been configured to allow proxy bypass).
  • Control: HID Keyboard component functionality has been restored when using Q-SYS Core processors and peripherals with Google Meet hardware.
  • Control: Control names for QIO peripheral input and output components now properly start at 1 instead of 0, in parity with other component control names.
  • Control: SNMP requests in scripts no longer cause increasing memory usage and eventual Core unresponsiveness.
  • Control: TSC-G2 Series touch screens now properly auto-negotiate to 100 Mbps regardless of the connected network switch model, resulting in a stable connection.
  • Control: Settings for port speed, data bits, and parity are now sent to QIO-S4 devices from Block Controller and Command Buttons components when a design starts running or after a device reboot.
  • Control: Frequent camera switching in Mediacast Router no longer results in UCI Viewer or Q-SYS Control for MTR app instability when connected to a Core via LAN B or AUX LAN.
  • Streaming I/O: In a Core-redundant configuration, System Link AV and audio streams now resume as expected after forcing a Primary Core back to Active status.
  • Platform: The Collaboration Bundle license is no longer inadvertently shown as being required with certain designs using External USB Audio and AEC.
  • Platform: An issue that could cause PA Router Core-to-Core paging connections to drop momentarily has been resolved.
  • Platform: An issue that could cause UCIs to not be discoverable in the Q-SYS Control iOS app when a Core's LAN A and LAN B interfaces are both connected to networks has been resolved in Q-SYS 9.7 with app version 3.6 and later.
  • Platform: An issue that could cause Control Compute CPU usage to go to 100% with four or more Media Stream Receiver components in the design has been resolved.
  • Management: It is once again possible to bulk-select files in Core Manager > Files. Use Shift + Click to select a range of files or Ctrl + Click to select multiple individual files.
  • Management: Core Manager now displays an error when trying to configure an invalid subnet mask (Netmask) for a LAN adapter.
  • Management: The America/Cancun time zone selection in Core Manager no longer inadvertently adjusts for DST.

To support ongoing developments, Q-SYS’ licensing infrastructure provider is deprecating support for older versions of their platform. This deprecation affects the on-line activation of perpetual (node-locked) Q-SYS feature licenses on systems running Q-SYS Designer v9.4.3 and earlier, as well as Q-SYS Designer v9.5.x and v9.6.x. Examples include Q-SYS Scripting Engine, Software-based Dante, Multi-track Playback, and others.

Cloud-managed licenses (vCore and Reflect Enterprise Manager) are unaffected, regardless of version.

After March 31, 2023, Q-SYS perpetual (node-locked) feature licenses can no longer be activated using the on-line method while running affected versions.

Customers wishing to add feature licenses to systems running affected versions will either need to upgrade to v9.4.4 or higher, if using the LTS branch, or upgrade to v9.7 or higher of the mainline branch.

Note: Systems running affected versions will still be able to add feature licenses using the offline activation method. For instructions, see the Offline Activation section in the Licensing topic.

Q-SYS Version / Product Functionality Affected after March 31, 2023 Resolution

v9.4.3 and earlier

On-line activation of perpetual feature licenses will no longer work.

Upgrade to v9.4.4 LTS or later

– or –

Utilize offline activation method

v9.4.4 LTS and later LTS releases

Unaffected

  

v9.5.x through v9.6.x

On-line activation of perpetual feature licenses will no longer work.

Upgrade to v9.7 or later

– or –

Utilize offline activation method

v9.7 and later

Unaffected

  

vCore and Reflect

Unaffected

  

Note these requirements when upgrading the Q-SYS Core processor and Q-SYS peripherals.

  • If you are upgrading from version 9.1.x or later, no additional steps are necessary.
  • If you are upgrading from version 9.0.x:
    1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
    2. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.

If you are upgrading from any Version 8 release:

  1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  2. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.
  • If you are upgrading from version 7.2.1:
    1. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
    2. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.
  • If you are upgrading from version 7.2.0, 7.1.x, or 7.0.x:
    1. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
    2. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
    3. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.

If you are upgrading from version 6.2.x or 6.1.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  2. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
  3. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  4. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.

If you are upgrading from version 5.4.x, 5.3.x, 5.2.x, 5.1.x, or 5.0.x:

  1. Upgrade to version 6.0.0. See the version 6.0.0 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version. (There is no need to update peripherals to version 6.0.0 in advance of updating to 7.2.1. Once the Q-SYS Core is running 7.2.1, it will update connected peripherals running version 5.x to version 7.2.1.)
  2. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  3. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
  4. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  5. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.

If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 4.2:

  1. Upgrade to version 4.2. See the version 4.2 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version.
  2. Upgrade to version 6.0.0. See the version 6.0.0 Release Notes for upgrade requirements for that version.
  3. Upgrade to version 7.2.1.
  4. Save the design in QDS version 9.0.0 to upgrade the file format. (There is no need to upgrade the Core and peripherals to 9.0.0.)
  5. Upgrade to version 9.1.x.
  6. Upgrade to version 9.7.x.

CAUTION: Designs you create or update with a newer QDS version and then open in an older version are likely to be incompatible and unusable with the older version of software. Before upgrading, create backup copies of your Q-SYS design files for both the current version and older versions, and back up all media on your Q-SYS Core processor. To avoid overwriting design file backups, do not open backup files with newer versions of QDS.

For software and firmware updates, see the QSC Software and Firmware page.

  • Windows 8.1 Pro x64
  • Windows 10 Pro x64
  • Windows 11 Pro

If you are using a high DPI monitor resolution, such as 4K60, you might need to adjust the Windows Compatibility settings so that Q-SYS Designer Software displays properly:

  1. Right-click the Designer shortcut on the desktop and select Properties.
  2. In the Compatibility tab, click the "Change high DPI settings" button.
  3. In the DPI settings window, select the following:
    • Select "Use this setting to fix scaling problems...".
    • In the "Use the DPI..." drop-down menu, select "I open this program".
    • Select "Override high DPI scaling behavior".
    • In the "Scaling performed by" drop-down menu, select "Application".

Q-SYS Designer Software has been tested to work when running in a virtual Windows 10 environment via Parallels Desktop for Mac. Use the following test environment and settings as a guideline for your setup.

Mac Hardware

  • Mac Mini
  • 3.2 GHz 6 Core Intel I7 processor
  • 16 GB RAM

MacOS

  • Version: Catalina 10.15.7
  • To preserve RDP access, disable Energy Saver.

Parallels

  • Version: Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac
  • To preserve RDP access, deselect Pause Windows.
  • Make sure that Devices > Network > Bridged Network (Ethernet) > Ethernet is selected.
  • Reserved RAM space for Windows 10: 8 GB

Windows 10 Virtual Environment

  • Version: Windows 10 Enterprise
  • To preserve RDP access, disable sleep settings.

Other Notes

  • If you have no intent of using Remote Desktop (RDP), you can leave the sleep / Energy Saver settings for all three layers at their defaults.
  • If you change any network settings (for example, switching network NICs), you must restart Parallels.
  • Hard Links have not yet been tested in a virtual Windows installation.
  • Big Sur (MacOS 11.1) has not yet been tested by QSC as a host MacOS version for a virtual Windows installation.

The Q-SYS Designer and Q-SYS Administrator installation programs automatically install the following components if not currently installed on the Windows PC. Internet access is required to download these dependencies.

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (includes 2.0 SP2, 3.0, and 3.0 SP2)
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 SP2
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
  • Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 14.16 (2017)
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1
  • Microsoft XML Parser 6.0

These web browsers are tested to work with Q-SYS Core Manager and Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager on Windows, MacOS, and Linux:

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • Apple Safari

Note: Internet Explorer is not supported.

Q-LAN relies on the performance of modern network switches to ensure real-time delivery and synchronicity of media streams across all connected Q-SYS devices. Read these topics to understand the requirements and recommendations for implementing the Q-SYS Ecosystem on an isolated or converged Ethernet network environment:

Clocking, Audio, Video, & Control

Learn about the Q-LAN protocols, network consumption, and other parameters involved with clocking, Q-SYS Audio, Video, and Control.

Network Switches & Infrastructure

Learn about QSC's networking options for the Q-SYS platform, the requirements for selecting and manually configuring network switches for compatibility with Q-SYS, and the requirements and limitations for cabling, hop count, network diameter, and backbone bandwidth.

Network Interfaces, Services, & Protocols

Learn about the network interfaces (NICs), services, and protocols involved with Q-SYS networks.

Addressing & Routing

Learn about IP addressing and redundant routed network requirements.

Quality of Service (QoS)

Learn how to configure QoS DSCP values to prioritize for Q-LAN traffic only or Audinate (Dante) traffic.

Multicast Traffic

Learn about Q-LAN multicasting protocols, Q-SYS devices that support multicasting, and requirements for IGMP and PIM-SM.

Dante Audio

Learn about using Q-LAN with Dante hardware and the Software Dante components in Q-SYS Designer, including clocking, QoS, and redundancy requirements.

Other Networked Audio

Learn about the requirements for using Q-LAN with other networked audio protocols and applications, including AES67, AVB, SIP Softphone, and POTS (Analog Telephone).

Remote Connectivity

Learn about the requirements for connecting to the Q-SYS Core from a remote location.

Initial Discovery and Configuration

Learn about how to initially discover a Q-SYS Core processor, configure its IP settings, and configure the Q-SYS Designer design file to communicate with the Core.

Q-SYS Designer Software (QDS) releases follow a three-level numbering convention – major release.minor release.maintenance release (for example, 9.4.2). Additionally, you can view the specific build number of the release by clicking Help > About. Note that:

  • If you open a design file saved in a newer version of QDS than the one you are currently running (for example, a 9.5.0 design in version 9.4.2), you are warned that certain functionality within the design might not function. This is not recommended. Instead, install the version of QDS that matches the version of the design.
  • If you open an older design file in a newer version of QDS (for example, a 9.4.2 design in QDS 9.5.0) and then attempt to save it, you are warned that doing so might make the design not load correctly in the previous version.

CAUTION: Make sure your design files are backed up using your current release before starting the upgrade to a newer release.

Releases of Q-SYS Designer Software (QDS) sometimes add support for new hardware and remove support for EOL hardware, including Q-SYS Core processors, peripherals, loudspeakers, accessories, and other devices. This table provides a list of QDS releases, the hardware introduced with each release, and the hardware no longer supported with each release, as applicable. As a rule:

  • Hardware introduced in a release is compatible with future QDS releases until the hardware is deprecated and no longer supported.
  • Hardware introduced in a release is not backward-compatible with previous releases.
QDS Version Added Hardware Support Removed Hardware Support

9.7

Core 6000 CXR

NM-T1

No changes

9.6

Core 110f v2

Core 610

vCore

Core 250i

Core 500i

I/O Frame 8s

PS-400

PS-800

CSM-12

CSM-15

PowerLight 1.0, 1.0HV, 1.4, 1.8

PowerLight 2 PL218(A), PL224(A), PL230(A), PL236(A)

PowerLight 2.0HV

PowerLight 3.4

PowerLight 4.0

PowerLight 6.0 and 6.0 II

PowerLight 9.0

9.5

NL-SB42

QIO-S4

QIO-IR1x4

No changes

9.4

NL-C4

NL-P4

QIO-ML4i

QIO-ML2x2

QIO-L4o

QIO-GP8x8

TSC-50-G3

TSC-70-G3

TSC-101-G3

No changes

9.3

NC-110

NC-12x80

NC-20x60

No changes

9.2

No changes

No changes

9.1

TSC-G2 models shipped after August 1, 2021 require v9.1.2 and later

No changes

9.0

Core Nano

Core 8 Flex

NV-32-H (Core Capable)

AD-S5T

No changes

8.4

No changes

TSC-3

8.3

AD-P.HALO

DPA-2K4Q

DPA-2K4Qn

DPA-4K4Q

DPA-4K4Qn

DPA-4K8Q

DPA-4K8Qn

DPA-8K4Q

DPA-8K4Qn

DPA-8K8Q

DPA-8K8Qn

No changes

8.2

No changes

TSC-8

8.1

NV-32-H

CX-Q 2K4

CX-Q 4K4

CX-Q 4K8

CX-Q 8K4

CX-Q 8K8

CX-Qn 2K4

CX-Qn 4K4

CX-Qn 4K8

CX-Qn 8K4

CX-Qn 8K8

No changes

8.0

No changes

No changes

7.2

CTEL4

No changes

7.1

No changes

No changes

7.0

Core 110c

DCIO

DCIO-H

TSC-55-G2

TSC-80-G2

TSC-116-G2

AD-S802T

AD-S162T

E215

Core 1000

Core 3000

Core 4000