Sound Devices Astral ARX8 firmware
Sound Devices · Astral ARX8
Latest firmware for the Sound Devices Astral ARX8 is v8.40 (August 18, 2026).
Changelog
Astral ARX8 firmware changelog
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v8.30.03v8.40Adds Astral Mini Plus transmitter support, increases memory slots from 4 to 8, shows battery percentage, and improves boot speed -
v8.30v8.30.03Expands auxiliary audio paths to 3, adds SoundBase compatibility, and resolves edge-of-range static issues.
Firmware history
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Adds Astral Mini Plus transmitter support, increases memory slots from 4 to 8, shows battery percentage, and improves boot speed — summary by updatemystuff.com
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New
Added support for the new Astral Mini Plus transmitter
Quick Setup internal memory slots increased from 4 to 8
Changes
Audio Output > Global RX Output Gain range is now –20 to 40 dB
Added an RX Power Off confirmation option in Notifications. When enabled, ARX prompts “Are You Sure?” before powering off
Loading Factory Defaults now performs a full reset: unpairs all transmitters, restores default settings, and clears internal memory slots
Tone generator is now disabled after a power cycle
ARX now displays Astral TX battery level as a percentage
Faster boot time
Fixes
RF On commands from physical transmitter controls now turn off RF on other transmitters assigned to the same receiver channel
RF Off Confirmation now works correctly with multiple transmitters on one RX channel
Receiver channels retain last transmitter name after power cycle; clear by toggling RX channel off/on
Improved XLR, lav, and guitar input selection UI in 1RX View and TX List
ARX displays a warning if transmitter recording fails (e.g., faulty or misformatted card)
RX channel Aux 2 and 3 outputs now fade in/out when toggled
Internal tone bypasses RX Channel HPF
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
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Expands auxiliary audio paths to 3, adds SoundBase compatibility, and resolves edge-of-range static issues. — summary by updatemystuff.com
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New
Added Astral control and monitoring compatibility with SoundBase
Aux-triggered audio output paths increased from 1 to 3.
Option to send headphone solo to audio outputs (ARX16 and ARX32 only)
Changes
Faster lock of receiver to transmitter
RX Channel/Transmitter names are now retained over a power cycle.
Connected Astral Outposts are now included when performing an ‘All Devices’ firmware update from System → Firmware Update.
Loading factory default settings now clears the TX List, setting memory slots and current settings.
Updating firmware now clears the TX List (unpairs transmitters).
Web App ‘Show Mode’ can now be set independently in each browser client.
Fixes
Improved the performance at the edge of range such that (rare) bursts of static no longer occur.
NexLink communication is now always re-established when coming back into range.
REC+RF Mode no longer resets to RF Mode when a transmitter is powered off then back on.
Outpost IP address no longer incorrectly displays 0.0.0.0 when changing it to a static address.
Web App notifications no longer conflict with the RTSA Meter Views.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
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Release notes & download
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New
Added Astral control and monitoring compatibility with SoundBase
Aux-triggered audio output paths increased from 1 to 3.
Option to send headphone solo to audio outputs (ARX16 and ARX32 only)
Changes
Faster lock of receiver to transmitter
RX Channel/Transmitter names are now retained over a power cycle.
Connected Astral Outposts are now included when performing an ‘All Devices’ firmware update from System → Firmware Update.
Loading factory default settings now clears the TX List, setting memory slots and current settings.
Updating firmware now clears the TX List (unpairs transmitters).
Web App ‘Show Mode’ can now be set independently in each browser client.
Fixes
Improved the performance at the edge of range such that (rare) bursts of static no longer occur.
NexLink communication is now always re-established when coming back into range.
REC+RF Mode no longer resets to RF Mode when a transmitter is powered off then back on.
Outpost IP address no longer incorrectly displays 0.0.0.0 when changing it to a static address.
Web App notifications no longer conflict with the RTSA Meter Views.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
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Release notes & download
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New
Added ability to edit ARX8 name. Accessed via the System menu
Fixes
ARX receivers no longer cause transmitters to split internal recordings into multiple files or stop recording completely.
ARX receivers now correctly update Astral-HH control ring button and switch settings upon NexLink connection.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
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New
New firmware update menu includes the ability to wirelessly update Astral transmitter firmware.
Ability to abort wireless pairing and exit the TX List’s wireless pairing screen.
Added Frequency Exclusion Regions – the ability to exclude specified frequency ranges from the AutoAssign and manual assign process.
Added TV Channel Finder algorithm for detecting and displaying 6, 7, or 8 MHz TV channels in the RTSA and Scan Views.
Added new Whip Antenna Length tool. Select a frequency range to display a real size graphic to assist in cutting whip antennas to the correct length.
Normal + Peak Hold and Average + Peak Hold added to the RTSA Trace Type option list.
1RX View > Audio Outs > Aux On/Off toggle can now override/disable the TX Aux On state.
75-ohm termination switch added to the Timecode menu. This applies to rear panel LTC/WCK BNC input.
Added a loss of Network connection notification to OLEDs.
Changes
Main Menu icon color changes for consistency across all Astral Receivers and web apps.
Astral TX or Astral HH transmitter control button option ‘GPIO’ has been changed to ‘Control’. The Control option can be used to trigger Macros.
Fixes
RF History now runs in the background – it no longer resets when switching views.
Improved audio performance at the edge of RF range and better interference resistance
Fixed inaccurate RF History duration and accuracy.
T&M modulation high-frequency phase drift no longer occurs.
Added missing Scan Width button to Scan view.
BNC sync input would not always lock to external word clock, is now fixed.
Fixes issue where USB thumb drive formatting would not always work.
NexLink re-connection and stability improvements.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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Fixed
Fixed a bug where AutoAssigning RX Channels with paired TXs that have no power caused NexLink to not reconnect after power was reapplied.
Fixed diversity issue on receiver channel 16 (Astral ARX16 only)
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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Fixed
Fixed an issue where receiver channels could lose or fail to lock to transmitters.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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NOTE: If updating an Astral ARX32 from v1.00, any attached Astral Opto needs to be physically unlinked and removed during the update. Versions v1.01 of Astral ARX32 and above do not require this step.
New
Ability to trigger DiGiCo console macros from Astral transmitters and receivers.
Added the ability to select which RX Channels should be AutoAssigned.
Added Outputs 1-64 to the ARX32 Web App > Audio tab and Outputs 1-32 to the Astral Web App > Audio tab.
Changes
RF sensitivity improved in both LR and Std by 3 to 5 dB, depending on antenna mode and proximity to antennas.
Improved RF demodulation for significantly improved multipath performance and multi-antenna performance.
Added an ‘Are You Sure’ confirmation popup when Network > Restart Network’ or ‘Clear Dante Settings’ are selected [Astral ARX32 only].
Added an ‘Are You Sure’ confirmation popup for Group TX format commands from the ARX32 OLED GUI.
The TX List Search icon has been changed to a more obvious blue icon.
The ARX16 RSSI meter range changed to –100 to –65 dBm. The ARX32 RSSI meter range was already changed in v2.00.
Changes to RF Mirror Mode button layout in the Network Menu to accommodate the new ‘Mirror DiGiCo Console List’ control.
Updates to Frequency Tables: Added Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, and Revised UK
Replaced NexLink Tuning Mode [Automatic, Manual] setting with an On/Off Toggle switch labelled: "Manually set Frequency, Modulation, and Privacy on Transmitters".
When set to On, Frequency, Modulation, and Privacy must be changed manually on the transmitters and on the Astral receiver.
When the Toggle is set to On, NexLinked transmitters that are powered on display orange NexLink RSSI level bars instead of green.
Fixed
Fixed an issue where sometimes the Astral Opto would fail to initialize on boot up [ARX32 only].
The sync reference warning no longer occurs on boot up when synced to Dante or during a firmware update.
Fixed an issue where, in the fully zoomed out Scan View, the OLEDs would flash about every 10 seconds [ARX32 only].
RF signal with very low Q now has its audio muted.
The Astral Mini option for "Power on when removed from power station" has been added to the ARX32's 1RX View and TX List.
Fixed an issue where the Astral ARX16 clock drifts from the Dante clock when ‘Sync to external’ is enabled in Dante Controller.
False ‘Format Failed’ messages no longer occur when formatting a transmitter.
Various other system improvements.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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New
Support for the Astral HH wireless handheld microphone.
Aux Output routing - the ability to change a receiver channel’s audio output routing directly from the Astral HH or Astral TX. Ideal for talkback, guitar tuning, etc.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16 Dante audio outputs increased to 32 channels.
Added flexible tone routing matrix and ability to set tone frequency.
Added Dante Redundancy to the Sound Devices Astral ARX16.
Added 32 channel audio metering.
Ability to unlock restricted frequencies via Frequency Authorizations. Appropriate licenses required.
Initial pairing of transmitter-to-reciever wirelessly in addition to existing USB-C cable method.
Ad-hoc Handoff of NexLinked transmitters between Astral Receivers. Ideal for large, multi-Astral Receiver shows.
Added Transmitter RF On/Off NexLink® button.
Assigning a transmitter to an already populated RX Channel in the TX List now offers both Add and Replace options.
Screen borders now flash when any transmitter is low on battery.
Web App updated to incorporate all new features.
Miscellaneous system improvements and optimizations
Changes
Standardized Menus across transmitters, Sound Devices Astral ARX16, Sound Devices Astral ARX32, and Web App
Changed Global TX Settings to ‘Notifications’ and consolidated all confirmation and warning options into this one popup, now two OLEDs wide.
Moved Transmitter LEDs On and Off buttons to the 1RX View and TX List Gear menus.
Improvements to AutoAssign algorithm.
Removed redundant ‘RF Off’ position from the Frequency Selector. Use the RF On/Off toggle instead.
Changes to Network menu to accommodate Dante Redundancy feature.
Network DHCP/Static address setup now integrated into the Network Settings Edit popup such that all network settings are applied in a single step.
Fixed
Fixed low headphone output level.
Audio blip in headphones when going in and out of a 1RX View (soloing) is now fixed.
A receiver channel’s RSSI meters now always show RF signal strength regardless of whether demodulating a transmitter or not.
Fixed rare RF tuning issue which could result in audio ducking or dropouts.
Firmware Update Guide (HTML) Firmware Update Guide (PDF)
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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Release notes & download
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New
Support for the Astral Outpost remote NexLink antenna box.
RF Mirror Mode. Permits a secondary ARX16 to mirror a primary Astral ARX16’s RF and NexLink settings. Ideal for providing backup in mission critical applications.
Added eight user-configurable TX groups in addition to the ‘All’ TX Group.
The TX Group menu now includes a drop-down list in OLED 1 to select which group of transmitters to control. Transmitters are assigned to groups via the TX List.
Refreshed web app user interface.
BLE pairing of Astral ARX16 with Astral Remote for easy synchronization of country, date, and time between Astral transmitters and Astral ARX16.
Added Lav Mic Type option to select between Normal and 3-Wire Lav mics.
Transmitter formatting status is now displayed as a popup on the front panel and in the web app during the format process.
Changes
‘-’ and '_’ characters are now allowed in the virtual keyboard for transmitter name.
The privacy button goes green to indicate when Privacy is enabled between a transmitter and receiver channel.
Removed the Power On/Off buttons from the TX List to make space for the new Group Ctrl button.
Renamed NexLink Tuning Mode ‘Push to Transmitters’ to ‘Automatic’.
Removed Daylight Savings toggle from the System Menu since the Time Zone setting already takes that into account.
Fixed
Improved identification of Wisycom smart antennas.
Various minor system improvements and fixes.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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New
Add support for T&M (Test and Measurement) modulation.
Changes
Improvements to AutoAssign algorithm.
Faster unmuting of NexLinked transmitters.
Fixed
System Date/Time changes now automatically get sent to NexLinked transmitters.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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New
User-nameable internal memory setup slots
Fixed
NexLink now reconnects to transmitters that are coming back from the edge of range.
Rare loss of channel lock is now fixed.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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New
Group All TX commands for Record, RF Power On/Off, Mute, Format, ID
Changes
Updated available country list
Faster powering on/off of Astral transmitters
Web App: Prevented dragging a TX to a frequency within 300 KHz of another in the RTSA.
‘-’ and ‘_’ characters in the transmitter name virtual keyboard are now permitted
Fixed
Improvements finding clean frequencies when using AutoAssign
Changing from a tuning band to an overlapping tuning band no longer prevents receiver channels from RF locking.
Web App TX List does not scroll when you have more than 8 transmitters in the list
Web App ARX Overview screen doesn't show an A10-TX's record status
Various Web App improvements.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/
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Fixed
Rare, intermittent inability to lock to transmitter RF signals.
Transmitters not always reconnecting to NexLink after going out of range.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/ARX8 v1.54 Firmware Released: November 16, 2023
New
Added a Waterfall display to the Web App RTSA for monitoring the RTSA history.
Added RSSI Peak Hold to Web App RTSA.
Added new RF History option, RSSI + Q, to the Web App and ARX front panel RX views.
Added ‘The screen is locked’ popup when a screen is touched in ‘Show Mode’.
Added ability in the Web App to click and drag a transmitter/receiver pair to a new frequency in the RTSA.
Changes
Changed RSSI ‘B’ antenna metering and RTSA color to white to clearly differentiate it from the blue of antenna A.
Web App RTSA – new button layout to accomodate Waterfall and Peak Hold features.
RSSI meters behavior changed so that they stay active even with no carrier lock.
Fixed
Improvements to NexLink reconnection after transmitters are powered down or go out of range.
Various RF tuning and diversity enhancements.
Export Trace CSV format modifications for improved compatibility with database programs such as IAS, Wireless Workbench, etc.
Fixed bug in power source selection where PoE warning could pop-up even with DC powering
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/ARX8 v1.53 Firmware Released: September 13, 2023
New
Touch can now be disabled to prevent inadvertent switching of the screens to different views.
Press and hold the Headphone Knob for > 2 secs to disable and re-enable.
Disabled touch is indicated by a thin orange border surrounding the four OLEDs.
The Headphone Knob and Triangle button remain active when touch is disabled.
Fixed
Rare distortion with very low frequency signal sources no longer occurs.
Random freezing of the Web App Scan view no longer occurs.
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/ARX8 v1.52 Firmware Released: August 24, 2023
New
Support for new Astral TX RF on/off toggle switch option
Sound Devices Astral ARX16/ ARX8 v1.51 Firmware Released: August 10, 2023
Changes
Extended Gain range to -6 to 60dB and removed now superfluous ‘Gain Range’ button.
Increased Audio Offset range to +/- 20dB
Web App UI improvements
Meter scale improvements
Fixed
NexLink improvements
Sound Devices Astral ARX16 v1.50 Firmware Released: July 25, 2023
New
Support for the Astral TX transmitter
Support for receiving VHF transmission
Added ‘Show Mode’ to the Web App. This is a read-only mode that prevents inadvertent changing of settings.
Added transmitter names to the Web App RTSA.
Support for Privacy mode
Added TX View menu for monitoring and setting TX-only functions, even when transmitters are not assigned to receiver channels.
Added Audio Offset and Gain Range buttons to the 1RX View, which are accessed by pressing the ‘More’ button on OLED2.
Changes
Increased maximum number of paired transmitters to 64
Transmitters no longer have to be assigned to a receiver channel to be monitored and controlled over NexLink.
Multiple transmitters can now be assigned to the same receiver channel.
Enhanced TX List menu with transmitter battery level, frequency, NexLink RSSI and TX View.
Edit transmitter names directly from the TX List by tapping the name.
The NexLink RSSI meter is now white for a powered-off transmitter. A powered-on transmitter’s NexLink RSSI meter is still green.
The collapsed 4RX views in the Web App now show audio meter, Q-meter, transmitter name and battery level.
Added audio meter scale markings
Various UI layout changes to the 1RX View and its Gear menu to accommodate new Audio Offset and Gain Range buttons.
Mode button (RF Only, REC only, REC+RF) moved to the new TX View menu.
Fixed
Audio metering release time improved.
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