In this second part of my guide to updating the Soundbeam 5, we look at upgrading the included samples and sound sets. This will add new sounds to your Soundbeam and change the demos played when you press the ‘preview’ button. Again, all the sounds are free from the Soundbeam website.

Checking your sound sets

Depending on how old your Soundbeam is you may also need to update the sound samples and demo themes. First you need to check the micro-SD card in the back of the unit.

Ensure the Soundbeam is unplugged and then find the small slot on the rear, between the line out and MIDI Out sockets. Using your fingernail or the end of a pencil, gently press in the small card in the slot. It should pop out enough for you to pull it out.

Check the front of the card for the size. If it’s 2GB then contact Soundbeam to buy a larger 16GB version. They’ll send you a card with the new sounds on it for £20 (+VAT) saving you a few steps.

If you already have a 16GB card in your Soundbeam then you can download and add the new sounds yourself.

Remember to put the card back in the slot with the gold contacts facing up when you’ve finished.

What you’ll need

• A PC
• Access to the internet
• Soundbeam 5 and power supply
• A USB SD card reader for your PC
• A microSD to SD card adapter (see image)

Caution

Updating the SD card will overwrite all sound sets from 1- 32.

Downloading the samples

Go to the Soundbeam site and follow the link to download the new sounds and demos. You’ll be taken to a Dropbox folder which lists all the individual sounds. Click on the blue ‘Download’ box and then select ‘Download as .zip’.

Windows will save this to your ‘Downloads’ folder, but if given a choice put it into the folder you just created. This file is about 550MB so make take a while depending on the speed of your internet connection.

Find the .zip file and double click on it to open. Select the folder (SB5NEWsamplesfor2013) and drag it into the ‘SB5 update’ folder.

Copying onto the SD card

Remove the microSD card as described above and put it into the adaptor.

You’ll need to plug the SD card into a reader attached to your PC. Some have these built-in, otherwise any standard SD card reader should work. I picked up mine from Poundland!

The PC should pop-up a screen asking you what to do with the card. Select ‘Open folder to view files’.

Next, open the folder of new sounds, select all the files and drag them into the SD card.

_DEMO001 to _DEMO030 will be overwritten, so when Windows asks you if you want to overwrite, select ‘Copy and Replace’.

Once all the files have copied, close the folder and then eject the SD card. Do this by right-clicking on the SD card in the browse window.

Take out the microSD card from the adaptor and slide it back into the Soundbeam. Ensure the gold contacts are facing upwards and that it is pushed until it clicks into place.

New sounds

Your Soundbeam is now updated and using the latest sounds. It’s worth checking the Soundbeam website or following Soundbeam on Twitter to watch for occasional updates to sounds.