Control-Mac 2026 – Meridian & Sooloos control for modern MacsCurrent build: 1.1a001meridianApple Silicon ARM64 + Intel x86_64 – Universal 2No Rosetta, no Wine and no 32-bit x86 runtimeDOWNLOAD CONTROL-MAC 2026 1.1a001meridian DMGGitHub project / source / full technical notesIf the project is useful to you:
Buy me a coffeeWhat is Control-Mac 2026?Control-Mac 2026 started as an attempt to make Meridian/Sooloos systems properly usable again on current Macs.
It has grown rather beyond that.
The application now combines Sooloos library management, Meridian playback and zone control, equipment discovery, optical-disc import/export, MiniDisc support and a new native replacement path for Meridian's old MConfig / WinFUP processor configuration software.
The original Meridian software was written for a very different era of Windows and Mac hardware. The aim here is not to wrap those old executables in Wine or an x86 emulator, but to reproduce the useful functionality natively using modern 64-bit code.
The current macOS build supports:
- Apple Silicon Macs – ARM64
- 64-bit Intel Macs – x86_64
- macOS 13 and later target
- One Universal 2 application
- No Homebrew installation required for normal use
- No Rosetta requirement
- No Wine requirement
- No 32-bit i386 code
Current Meridian / Sooloos capability Sooloos library Control-Mac can connect directly to a Meridian Sooloos Core and provide a usable modern library interface.
Current functions include:
- Fast cached library browsing
- Artist and album browsing
- Track listing
- Search
- Duplicate-album indication
- Album metadata editing
- Track-title editing
- Artwork replacement
- Online artwork lookup
- Album metadata revalidation
- Guarded album deletion
- Fresh Core re-read before destructive actions
- Import to Sooloos
- Export from Sooloos
- Whole-library backup support
Meridian playback and zones Playback control is built directly into Control-Mac.
Current functions include:
- Discover Sooloos playback units / zones
- Select individual playback units
- Play albums
- Play tracks
- Queue tracks
- Previous / next
- Play / pause
- Volume control
- Mute
- Live queue display
- Playback-state refresh
- Meridian source selection
One useful real-hardware discovery during development was that selecting the Meridian source index corresponding to LP/Aux/SLS successfully wakes connected Meridian speakers, whereas simply issuing the generic PowerOn remote command does not necessarily do so.
That behaviour is now accounted for in the Control-Mac playback path.
Meridian equipment discovery There is a dedicated Meridian Equipment section which scans the local network for Meridian/Sooloos hardware.
It can identify recognised systems and separates equipment discovery from processor configuration.
The current Settings layout is intentionally split into:
- Meridian Equipment – discovery only
- Sooloos Config – Core/network/registration-related configuration
- Processor Config Program – direct G Series / 8 Series processor configuration
Sooloos configurationThe Sooloos configuration side communicates with Meridian equipment through the original network protocols rather than simply opening the obsolete browser configuration pages.
Current working functions include:
- Live Sooloos Core information
- Live Meridian device information
- Native IPNP discovery
- ControlFifteen network configuration read
- DHCP state
- Current IP address
- Static IP configuration
- Subnet mask
- Gateway
- DNS
- DHCP/static editor
- IPv4 validation
- Netmask validation
- Guarded Apply confirmation
- Sooloos registration data read
- Registration editor
- Dealer information read/display where available
- Firmware catalogue inspection from the Sooloos Core
The firmware catalogue reader can see Meridian package trees including:
- live
- live.old
- staging
- staging.old
Upgrade/downgrade installation itself is deliberately still disabled until the complete Meridian IFTP transfer/update/reboot path has been physically tested on hardware.
NEW – Processor Config ProgramThis is the part likely to interest G Series and 8 Series owners.
Control-Mac now contains the start of a completely native modern replacement for Meridian MConfig / WinFUP.
This is NOT the Sooloos configuration interface.
It talks directly to processors over RS232 / USB and is intended for equipment such as G Series and 8 Series processors.
The original Meridian MConfig and WinFUP programs were analysed to recover the underlying communication protocol and data structures.
The new implementation is written as portable C++20 and is compiled natively for both ARM64 and x86_64.
Recovered Meridian processor protocol The original applications use Meridian's internal CIPM protocol.
The following command numbers have been recovered directly from the Meridian binaries:
- 0x02 – Identify yourself
- 0x03 – Change baud rate
- 0x04 – Enter persistent mode
- 0x05 – Leave persistent mode
- 0x06 – Confirm alive
- 0x07 – Erase memory
- 0x08 – Read memory
- 0x09 – Write memory
The normal command packet format has also been recovered:
[command] [argument count] [arguments...]
The native implementation also reproduces:
- Meridian two-byte challenge/response handshake
- ACK / NAK handling
- Command echo validation
- Final ACK / OK completion
- 38,400 baud legacy default
- Timeout-aware serial reads
The challenge/response and Identify protocol have automated tests on both ARM64 and x86_64.
There is also a simulated Meridian processor test using a pseudo-terminal which exercises the complete conversation without risking real hardware.
Processor Config Program currently provides - Native serial / USB port discovery
- Direct RS232 / USB Meridian connection path
- Passive processor startup detection
- Native CIPM Identify
- Processor identity diagnostics
- MSL configuration-definition inspection
- Meridian firmware-package inspection
- MFP file support
- MFU file support
- MFQ file support
- ARM64 native helper
- x86_64 native helper
MSL files One of the more useful discoveries is that much of Meridian MConfig's product knowledge is stored externally in readable MSL definition files rather than being hard-coded entirely into the application.
These contain items such as:
- Product configuration fields
- Memory-word addresses
- Bit offsets
- Bit lengths
- Source definitions
- Communication address
- Card/options information
- Preset definitions
- Player definitions
- Soft-button definitions
That means the new native configuration engine can use an owner's legitimate Meridian MSL files instead of having to manually recreate every Meridian product definition.
Meridian proprietary files are NOT distributed in the public GitHub repository.
Processor write functions – intentionally lockedAlthough the original command numbers for Write Memory and Erase Memory have been recovered, those controls are deliberately disabled.
I am not interested in discovering that one byte was wrong by turning an 861 into a very expensive 50 kg doorstop.
The current hardware-test sequence is:
- Connect processor by RS232 / USB
- Confirm passive startup/challenge reception
- Test native Identify
- Validate identity response
- Validate Read Memory framing
- Implement/read configuration blocks
- Compare native output against known MConfig behaviour
- Only then enable Store Configuration
- Erase / firmware-flash operations remain last
The software is currently frozen at a hardware-test baseline while we physically get a suitable processor onto the test bench.
Firmware / WinFUP workThe Meridian WinFUP installer was also analysed.
Interestingly, WinFUP and MConfig use the same basic Meridian communication engine.
The native replacement can currently inspect Meridian firmware files including:
It can report available package/product/version information.
Actual processor firmware flashing is NOT enabled yet.
That will only be exposed after:
- the serial transport has been verified against real hardware,
- read operations have been proven,
- the complete firmware transaction has been reproduced,
- retry/checksum/ACK/NAK behaviour has been physically tested,
- safe failure/recovery behaviour has been established.
Optical disc supportControl-Mac also contains a fairly substantial optical-media layer.
Current capabilities include:
- Audio-CD ripping
- Accurate track extraction
- CD-A BIN/CUE creation
- Blu-ray detection
- Blu-ray audio-stream scanning
- MakeMKV / LibreDrive support for protected commercial Blu-rays
- Audio-only stream presentation
- Native LPCM preference where appropriate
- Lossless multichannel stream selection
- 24-bit / 96 kHz LPCM extraction
- DVD VIDEO_TS scanning
- Blu-ray BDMV scanning
- ISO import
- BIN import
- Raw optical-disc ISO backup
- Protected Blu-ray decrypted backup
- Native UDF 2.50 ISO generation on macOS
- Backup verification
- Cancellation / partial-file cleanup
Control-Mac does not automatically downmix, normalize or resample high-resolution material.
If a disc contains separate stereo, quad, 5.1 or 7.1 lossless streams, those can be retained as separate layouts.
Physically tested hi-res examples Development testing has included material such as:
- Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused to Sing
- Queen – A Night at the Opera Pure Audio Blu-ray
- Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon multichannel material
24/96 LPCM extraction and Sooloos import have been physically tested.
Decoded-PCM round-trip comparison has also been used to verify sample-accurate splitting.
MiniDisc supportYes, MiniDisc somehow ended up in here as well.
Current support includes:
- NetMD detection
- SP transfer
- LP2
- LP4
- ATRAC encoding
- Safe disc erase/release handling
- Track import/export workflow
- Experimental Hi-MD work
The aim is to keep legacy audio hardware useful rather than forcing everything through modern streaming services.
Architecture / packagingThe current Mac build is a Universal 2 application containing:
- ARM64 native Control-Mac executable
- x86_64 native Control-Mac executable
- ARM64 Meridian processor helpers
- x86_64 Meridian processor helpers
- Architecture-specific Node runtime
- FFmpeg / FFprobe
- FLAC / metaflac
- ATRAC tools
- Mono runtime for the remaining recovered Sooloos interface layer
The long-term direction is to continue replacing old recovered/runtime dependencies with native components where sensible.
Things that are NOT finished yetThe project is very usable, but it is still development software.
Current unfinished / deliberately gated areas are:
- Processor Read Memory needs physical G/8 hardware validation
- Full Fetch Configuration is not yet enabled
- Store Configuration is not yet enabled
- Erase Memory is locked
- Processor firmware flashing is locked
- WinFUP replacement still needs real-hardware flash validation
- Complete Meridian IFTP upgrade/downgrade validation is still pending
- Sooloos firmware install/downgrade button remains disabled
- Network write/reconnect cycle still needs further physical testing
- Dealer-information editing is not implemented
- Intel Mac hardware testing is still pending, although the x86_64 code builds and tests correctly
- Fully proven Meridian Surround Core multichannel playback control remains ongoing work
- One-click Pure Audio Blu-ray authoring is not yet in the production UI
- True DVD-Audio AUDIO_TS authoring is not yet complete
- True DVD-Audio import is not yet complete
- SACD / DSD support is not implemented
- Hi-MD support remains experimental
Safety philosophyRead operations come first.
Anything capable of changing processor memory or firmware stays disabled until the corresponding protocol has been verified against real Meridian hardware.
That is why some apparently known functions are visible but unavailable.
This is deliberate rather than unfinished UI.
Current hardware-test baselineThe current frozen baseline is:
Control-Mac 2026 1.1a001meridian
Git tag: v1.1a001meridian-hwtest-baseline
Application baseline commit: 3681a61
The project has now reached the stage where further processor development requires a real G/8 Series processor on the bench.
Unfortunately Meridian processors appear to have been designed using depleted uranium as chassis material, so the next development task involves moving approximately 50 kg of audio equipment before writing any more code. :-)
Download / sourceMac DMG:Download Control-Mac 2026 1.1a001meridianGitHub:Control-Mac 2026 source and documentationRelease notes:1.1a001meridian hardware-test releaseA quick note about Meridian softwareThe public repository does not redistribute Meridian proprietary binaries, recovered Meridian assemblies, MConfig, WinFUP, MSL definitions, firmware files or private system data.
Where an original Meridian file is required, the user supplies their own legitimate copy.
This is an independent enthusiast/community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meridian Audio.
Why am I doing this?There is an enormous amount of excellent Meridian equipment still in service.
A lot of it is mechanically and sonically nowhere near the end of its useful life; the problem is increasingly the old control/configuration software surrounding it.
If a modern Mac can keep a Sooloos system, an 861, a G68, a pile of DSP speakers, a MiniDisc deck and a ridiculous optical-disc collection useful for another decade or two, that seems considerably more sensible than throwing perfectly good hardware away.
Feedback, hardware reports and brave volunteers with interesting Meridian equipment are very welcome.
And if Control-Mac saves you some time or keeps an old system alive:
☕ Buy me a coffee – Chris SwainChris
Google Search
|
Meridian Systems
|
Meridian Streaming
|
Restaurant
|
WiKi
|
Duncan's Meridian Info
|
Board Rules
|
Restaurant Rules
