Audio
DiGiCo S31 troubleshooting
The DiGiCo S31 problems live-event techs bring to Ask Roadie most (also called S-31). Pick your symptom, or describe your own in plain words, and get the likeliest fix first, with the manual page when there is one.
Common S31 errors & problems
What techs run into most, and what's usually behind it. The step-by-step fix for your exact unit is in Ask Roadie.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Channel/bus architecture — how many channels and busses does the S31 actually give me, and what does S31+ add?
Likely cause: Flexi channels can be mono or stereo, so a '48-channel' session using stereo paths consumes them two-for-one.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Console glitches or session errors when pulling a USB drive during save/load
Likely cause: Earlier firmware did not cleanly handle USB removal mid-operation; V3.1.1 hardens the file-system handling to prevent the hang/error.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
DMI-MADI-C (Cat5e) card installed but not working / wrong mode
Likely cause: The Cat5 MADI card reads its operating mode only at boot/insertion; changing it while installed has no effect, which is a common 'card is dead' false alarm.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
How do I update S31 firmware, and what is the current version?
Likely cause: The console boot loader looks for update.dcu at the USB root only; wrong name or a subfolder is the usual reason 'the update doesn't show.' Matching the offline editor version to the console avoids session-file incompatibility.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Insert send trim level wrong after repowering the console or recalling a session/snapshot
Likely cause: The bug was in how the insert send trim value was stored/recalled; V3.1.1 corrects the save-recall path so the trim persists.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Local I/O and connectors — what is on the back of the S31?
Likely cause: The UB MADI is a class-compliant USB interface — no driver needed on Mac, use the DiGiCo ASIO driver on Windows — so 48-track virtual soundcheck works with just a USB cable.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
No audio / stagebox not appearing when connecting a D-Rack or SD-Rack over MADI via a DMI card
Likely cause: Digital consoles pass audio only when there is a single valid clock master and matched sample rates; DiGiCo will mute a stream on rate/clock mismatch.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Power/electrical spec — what does the S31 draw and how much does it weigh for rigging/case planning?
Likely cause: Numbers are from the official DiGiCo S31/S31+ datasheet.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Ran out of DiGiTube, Dynamic EQ or Multiband Compressor instances mid-session
Likely cause: The FPGA reserves a fixed pool for these DSP-heavy blocks; the 21-instance ceiling is by design, not a bug, so the fix is allocation management.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Running a rack at 96kHz over MADI — only half the channels appear or audio drops above channel 32
Likely cause: MADI's 64-channel capacity is defined at 48k; doubling the sample rate halves per-line channel count, so 96k/64ch spans two coax lines.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
S-Series iPad app will not reconnect after a firmware update
Likely cause: Version upgrades can wipe stored network/control settings; the app then points at a stale address and silently fails to find the surface.
Not on the list? Describe it your way, or paste the error code off the display. Ask Roadie works the problem with you until it's fixed or you have a clear next move.
How Ask Roadie helps with the S31
- 1. Pick the DiGiCo S31. It's already in the list.
- 2. Describe what you're seeing. In your own words, or the error code off the screen.
- 3. Get the likeliest fix first. Steps in order, the manual page when there is one, and a note when other techs have confirmed it.
- 4. Still broken? Tap 👎 and it keeps going from where you left off.