SIA Smaart external device control drivers consist of two files, a dynamic link library (DLL) and a Smaart Device file. These files will always be named identically except for the filename extensions (.DLL and .SDV). For example, the driver files for the Klark Teknik DN9848 Loudspeaker Processor are named "dn9848.dll" and "dn9848.sdv." Smaart device driver updates are packaged for download in self-extracting archive files. A self-extracting archive is a single executable (*.EXE) file that includes both archived data files (in a compressed state) and the program required to extract them.
Note that in most cases, there are different driver versions posted for Smaart Pro 3.x and SmaartLive (4 and 5). This is because external device drivers for SIA Smaart Pro 3 and SmaartLive are not compatible. If only the Smaart Pro 3 version of the driver for a device is provided for download, it means that all versions of SmaartLive are already shipping with the most current driver available for that device. See notes below for more information regarding Smaart driver versions.
To install a new device control driver or update an existing driver, simply download the self-extracting archive, double-click it to execute the self-extractor and extract the SDV and DLL files to the Devices folder in your Smaart Pro or SmaartLive program folder. Smaart will automatically detect new drivers and add the associated device(s) to its list of supported external device types the next time you run SmaartLive or the Smaart Pro 3.x Real-Time module.
One possible problem you might encounter is that Windows hides DLL files by default. Unless you have changed the default file display options in Windows, you may only be able to see the SDV file(s) once the driver files are extracted to your hard disk. The easiest way to make sure both of the required files are properly installed is to extract the files directly to your Smaart Devices folder, allowing the self-extractor to overwrite any existing files of the same name.
When you execute the self-extracting archive, a window pops up initially with information about the driver files contained in the archive. Clicking the OK button in this first window takes you to the main self-extractor program screen (shown above). There are two primary options in this window, the target "Unzip to folder" for the enclosed driver files and an option to overwrite any files of the same name that already exist in the specified target folder. In most cases, the latter option should be left checked. The target (Unzip to) folder will normally be the Devices folder for your version of Smaart Pro or SmaartLive.
The default locations for the Smaart Devices folder are as follows:
Note that in the case of Smaart Pro 3.x, the version number refers to the version you originally installed. Updating to version 3.5 after installing an earlier version does not change the location of the original installation and Devices folder. If the default Unzip to folder listed in the self-extractor dialog is not correct for for your version of Smaart or your copy is installed somewhere other than the default installation folder, be sure and change the path as necessary before clicking the Unzip button to extract the driver files.
In addition to the standard DLL and SDV files, some driver sets may also include a "readme" text file set with specific information about the controlling the associated device. If the driver set you are installing includes a readme file, there will be a third option in the self-extractor to open this file when the driver files are extracted. If you don't want to view the readme file immediately, you can un-check this option. In either case, the readme file will be installed to your Smaart Devices folder along with the driver files and can be opened later using the Windows Notepad utility or any other ASCII text editor or word processor program.
After installing a new external device driver, it's a good idea to confirm that the installation was successful. If the new driver you are installing is for a previously unsupported device, start the SmaartLive or the Smaart Pro Real-Time module, select External Devices from the options menu, and click the Add button in the lower left corner of the External Device Information dialog box. The new device type should appear in the Add External Device list. If you have installed an updated version of a previously existing driver, you can confirm that the installation was successful as follows.
This will pop up a dialog box with information about the selected device driver and in some cases, the device itself (if connected). The DLL version listed in this dialog box should match the version number of the new drivers you installed.
Notes:
Smaart 1.x and Smaart Pro 2.x do not support plug-in drivers for external devices and are not compatible with Smaart Pro version 3 or SmaartLive external device drivers. The "plug-in" architecture for external equalizer control was first introduced Smaart Pro version 3.0 and the interface was further extended in Smaart Pro version 3.5 to provide support for multi-function DSP loudspeaker processors. If you are currently using a version of Smaart Pro 3 earlier than 3.5, we strongly recommend updating your installation using the free version 3.5 updater (available from our Downloads page) or upgrading to SmaartLive.
As of July 1, 2002, SIA will publish only SmaartLive version 5 control drivers for new devices. SmaartLive 5 drivers are backward compatible with SmaartLive version 4.x however no new device drivers for Smaart Pro 3.x will be published after June of 2002.
SIA Smaart Device Control Driver Compatibility: