Firmware 9.7.0: Pitch Bend Across Banks (Mackie Control Faders)
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Another update built from a user's email — this one for anyone driving Mackie Control channel faders.
The Request
A user wrote in about pitch bend and banks:
"There's an option in the global variables to remember positions on bank change, but it doesn't seem to apply to pitch bend. Mackie Control Protocol uses pitch bend for the channel faders — could that work across banks in a future firmware?"
They were right: pitch bend was being left out of the bank system. A control mapped to pitch bend — like an MCU channel fader — lost its value every time you switched banks. So we fixed it.
Firmware 9.7.0: Pitch Bend Across Banks
- Pitch bend keeps its full 14-bit value across banks. Switch away and back, and it's right where you left it — no more snapping to zero.
- Broadcast on Bank Change now includes pitch bend. If you use it for scene recall, pitch-bend controls are sent along with everything else, so your DAW's channel faders follow the bank.
- 14-bit CC and NRPN get the same fix. Any high-resolution control now survives a bank round-trip intact.
Devices that don't use pitch bend are unaffected — the change is surgical.
Also new: a smarter Uploader
- The Configurator is now online-first. It opens the always-latest configurator at config.parkstool.com, so it always matches your firmware. No internet? It falls back to the bundled offline version automatically, and a small badge tells you which mode you're in.
- Update notifications. The app now shows a banner when a newer ParksTool Uploader is available.
How to Update
- Download the latest ParksTool Uploader from the releases page, or open config.parkstool.com in Chrome.
- Run it, connect your device with USB, and press Auto Update — it detects your device and installs firmware 9.7.0 automatically.
9.7.0 changes how pitch bend is stored in the device's memory. We recommend a screenshot of your configuration before updating; if anything looks off afterward, use Reset Local Defaults + Default Global Reset in the configurator.
Have a feature request? We build these from user feedback. Let us know what you'd like to see next.