How To Set Up A New Blade
This guide will take you through the process of setting up a blade for Wheatnet-IP, whether this is a new blade for the system or replacing an existing blade.
WheatNet-IP Best Practices
All blades in the system should be on the same version. While some version mixing is possible, you will experience the best performance when all blades are on the same software version. Some versions are incompatible with each other, so if the blade has been on the shelf for awhile, you may need to work on updating the blade separately from the rest of the system before you try to join this new blade to your network.
The current Blade software release is version 4.3.124. Wheatstone recommends that all customers use the current Blade software release.
Blade 2 hardware is capable of running version 4.3.124, however because of the limitations of the older hardware it can be very difficult to update it to this version without assistance from Technical Support. If you try to update Blade 2 hardware and get a "transfer failed" error, contact Support for assistance during business hours; you will not be able to update it without factory assistance.
We recommend stations using Blade 2 hardware (I/O and Console blades with the green LCD display on the front) update their hardware to current models. Contact Sales, as a trade-in program for Blade 2 hardware is available for a limited time during 2026.
Blade version 4.3.124 will be the last software release that will support Blade 2 hardware.
If you are bringing up a new Blade out of the box, factory fresh, you can pretty much plug it into the network, plug in the power, follow the prompts of the Setup Wizard, and you'll be up and running in a matter of minutes.
If this blade has been in storage for awhile, or it was sent to you from another market... you probably should plug it directly into your Navigator computer and bring it up away from the rest of the system first, update the software to the current release so it matches the rest of your system, do a Factory Reset, then plug it into the Ethernet switch and power it up, follow the Wizard, and let it join the system.
Key Concepts
Every Blade has a unique ID Number.
Every Blade has a unique IP Address. This IP Address is static; there is no DHCP server,
This is true for every Blade in the system, including computers running the WheatNet-IP Audio Driver, commonly referred to as "PC Blades."
So, before you begin, you should know what number you want to assign this Blade.
WheatNet-IP has a default addressing system. When you take the defaults while setting up a Blade, the setup wizard will do the following:
If you select "fewer than 100 blades," the IP address will be 192.168.87.x, where x is the Blade ID number. The netmask will be 255.255.255.0, and the gateway will be 192.168.87.1.
If you select "100 or more blades," the IP address will vary between being in the 192.168.87.x and 192.168.88.x subnets; the final octet will be derived from the blade number. The netmask will be 255.255.254.0 and the gateway will be 192.168.87.1.
If you don't like our default settings, you can set up your own subnets and addressing scheme; it's your broadcast facility after all.
But if you take our defaults, all you need to do is choose the Blade ID and the system will take care of the rest.
How you choose your Blade IDs is really up to you. You could just start at 1 for the first blade and keep going up as you build. Maybe you set aside 1-9 for the rack room and 10-19 for Studio A; 20-29 for Studio B. There's no wrong way to do it. But the order you choose will determine how the blades appear in the system view of Navigator, so think now about how you want everything to work out.
Choose What You Want To Do
Blade On Same Version As The System, New Blade 3
Plug the network cable into the 1G port of the Blade and the other end of the cable into the network switch.
Plug in the power and wait for the Setup Wizard.
Tap any control to continue.
Your first choice is system size: 1-99 or 100+. Make your choice and proceed.
Then you choose the Blade ID number. The menu starts at "Disabled" and then scrolls up. You must choose a number, you cannot leave this at Disabled. Zero is not a valid Blade ID.
The default network settings will appear; if using the defaults you can tap to proceed; if using your own network addressing scheme, press and hold the knob until it selects the first octet and then turn to choose. Press the --> button to proceed to the next octet. When the octet is complete, press ---> to advance to the next setting.
You will be prompted to set the sample rate, either 44.1 or 48K; choose what matches your system.
Finally you will choose the I/O template.
- If you choose Stereo I/O, the system will create 8 stereo inputs and 8 stereo outputs and give them default names.
- If you choose Mono I/O, the system will create 16 mono inputs and 16 mono outputs and give them default names.
- If you choose Custom, the system will not create any default inputs or outputs for Blade I/O and only generate system signals (i.e. the headphone jack on the front of a blade, faders and mix buses for a console blade, Aura processing channels, etc.). If you choose custom, you will need to add the inputs and outputs yourself in Navigator.
After choosing the template, the blade will boot into the system and join.
Blade On Same Version As The System, New Blade 4
Plug the network cable into the Ethernet A port of the Blade and the other end of the cable into the network switch.
Plug in the power and wait for the Setup Wizard. Depending upon your version, you will see one of the following screens:
Use the knob to make the following settings:
Blade ID: set to the desired ID number. You cannot leave this at Disabled.
>100 Blades: enable if your system has 100 blades or more
Signal Template: Stereo I/O will create default inputs and outputs configured as Stereo. Mono I/O will create default inputs and outputs configured as Mono. Custom will create no default sources and destinations for Blade I/O; you will need to create them all manually in Navigator if you select this option.
Sample Rate: Set to 48k or 44.1 as your system requires. All blades are set to the same sample rate.
Use DHCP: WNIP systems are generally all set up with static IP without a DHCP server, and older hardware does not support DHCP, so this is usually left disabled.
Auto/Manual: If you are using the WNIP default IP address scheme, if you set this to Auto, the Blade will automatically get its IP set based upon the Blade ID you chose. If you are using your own addressing scheme, choose Manual.
If you are setting up redundant blades on hardware that supports this feature, see this article.
Tap Submit when you have everything set.
The Blade will boot into the system and join it.
How To Handle A Blade of Unknown Origin
Let's suppose you have a blade on the shelf. You don't know how long it's been there or if it has a configuration on it. Maybe this is a blade that another market sent for you to use.
The best way to handle this blade is to set it up off your main network to avoid conflicts. Here's what to do:
- Plug a network cable from the network card of your Navigator PC directly into the Blade's Ethernet port
- Power it up and see what state it's in. If it comes up to the setup wizard, pick a blade number and let it take the default settings. Have it boot up so it is a single standalone blade.
- After it has booted up, check the version and update it so it matches the rest of your system.
- After verifying it is on the same version as the other blades, do a Factory Reset. Then you can install it into the system without worry.
If your blade is version 4.3.x or higher, when it boots up standalone for the first time, you will get a message on the front panel telling you that it needs a power cycle. This is because it didn't get a response from a Route Master. Perform the power cycle. When it boots up for the second time as a standalone, it marks itself as standalone and won't ask for a power cycle again. But after that point, if it ever joins a system, it will remove its internal standalone flag. This startup check is something that every blade of this software version does to verify that it is able to communicate with other blades.
Replacing A Blade
One of the great things about the WheatNet-IP System is that it's easy to replace a Blade. If you need to change out a Blade for maintenance, it's a matter of setting a Blade to the same ID and IP as the previous one, and it will assume all of the settings and configuration. These are the steps to follow:
You will begin with a Factory Reset Blade of the same model. In other words, if you have a Blade-3 analog, you should replace it with a Blade-3 analog. If you're grabbing something from the shelf, see the section above on handling a blade of unknown origin if you're unsure of its status.
Tip: When you Factory Reset a Blade, if it is joined to the system, it will remove that Blade from the System configuration. That means that the Route Master and all other blades will throw away its backup copy of its configuration. If you are planning to say, move a Blade from a production room to a control room and then swap a Blade back to the production room later, you will want to unplug the network cable from the Blade before you do the Factory Reset so the system sets that blade as inactive and keeps its configuration intact.Before You Begin
- You will need to know the Blade ID and IP address of the blade you are replacing.
- Using Navigator, System>Config Manager, use SYSTEM BACKUP to take a backup of the system and take note of the folder where Navigator stored the files. If the restore process were to fail, you can use the backup copy on your PC to recover.
- Make sure that Enable Advanced Settings on the System/Preferences tab is checked in Navigator.
Make sure that the blade you are replacing is not the System Route Master. On current versions of Navigator, this is denoted by a R in the corner of the blade in the System tree. When the new blade joins, it will get its config from the Route Master, and it can't restore itself...
Master preference settings can be found in Navigator by clicking on the Blade in the System Tree. Then choose the Blade Admin tab. (If you are on an older version of Navigator, this will be on the Blade Info tab instead.)
Confirm The Route Master Preference
If the blade you are replacing is (or was) the Route Master:
- If the Blade you are replacing is Online: use the Route Master Preference settings in Navigator to lower the priority number and Apply so a different blade will take over as Route Master
- If the Blade you are replacing is Offline: use the Route Master Preference settings in Navigator to raise the priority number of the current Route Master and hit Apply. 99 is the highest setting, so use that. This will force the current Route Master Blade to remain route master when the replacement joins the system. We don't want the replacement to be able to take over the Master role until it has a chance to get its config from the current Route Master.
Confirm The Blade Software Version
If you haven't read the above section on "How To Handle A Blade of Unknown Origin," give that a quick look and follow its steps on bringing up the replacement Blade away from your current system if you're not absolutely sure that it's the same version as everything else. It's a lot easier to resolve a version mismatch when it's not trying to join a system that's on the air.
Add the Replacement Blade to the WNIP System
Before you replace a Blade, power down the old Blade and remove it from the network. If this an Engine or Console Blade, power down the surface, too.
Rack up the new Blade but DO NOT PLUG IN THE ETHERNET CABLE YET!
Apply the power and let the Blade boot up to the Setup Wizard.
- Set the ID to the same Blade ID as the one you are replacing
- Assign the same IP Address as the Blade you are replacing
- NOW you plug the Blade into the network - connect the Ethernet connection
- Select the Stereo template - you'll push the saved configuration in the next step.
IMPORTANT STEP: RESTORE VS REPLACE
After plugging the blade into the network and selecting the desired template, the Factory Reset wizard will challenge you because the system recognizes that this is the same Blade ID as one that has been part of the system, but it's not the same hardware.
If this is Blade 3 hardware (2 OLED screens on the front):
You will be asked REPLACE the existing blade, Yes or No? - select YES
RESTORE or REPLACE the existing blade? - select RESTORE
On a Blade 3, if you choose RESTORE, the Route Master will send the backup copy of the blade to the new hardware and it will boot into that configuration. If you choose REPLACE, the Route Master will throw away the backup copy and the new hardware will boot up with the default template.
If this is Blade 4 hardware (1 long LCD screen on the front):
The questions are slightly different from Blade 3 hardware. You must select Yes for "Replace Previous Blade," otherwise you cannot join the blade to the system using this ID number. If you say Yes to "Restore Blade Configuration" you will restore the backup from the Route Master to the new hardware and it will boot into that backed up config. If you say no, it will boot with the default template.
After the blade has joined the system you are ready to go.
If you are not happy with how the backup was restored when you brought it in, go to the System Tab in Navigator, click on the Config Manager tab, choose "Restore to One Blade," check the Blade you wish to restore, and highlight the folder (organized by date and time) of the backup you wish to restore from and let Navigator restore the backup saved to disk.
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