Buongiorno; Ciao, Spogliati, (take off your clothes) Arrivederci! Well, that’s the extent of my Italian vocabulary. Sure happy to find so many pros on this forum familiar with Solton products. I have a few questions regarding the X4 module and one accessory in particular. First, what specifically are the capabilities of the computer interface kit? Can I access (upload/download) voices, wave & midi files, registers, patterns, styles, etc? Also, does the Solton software support Cakewalk or other types of applications through this serial connection? Second, would it be safe to assume that if the pc kit will do all of the above, I probably don’t need the optional hard drive model since I don’t anticipate using the X4 outside of my residence? Sound reasonable? What do you suggest?

Hi Vince, welcome to the Arranger Forum.
I don't know much about X4's, but I want to tell everybody that Vince knows a LOT about Yamaha arrangers. He also sells hard drives for them. A valuable addition to our group.
DonM

Vince,

The computer interface kit for the X4/X1/SD1 consists of a host cable, a software driver and a file transfer software. The software driver turns the interface into a MIDI interface. It will work with any MIDI software including Cakewalk. The file transfer software allows you to upload and download any files (voices, wave, midi, registers, patterns etc.) between the module's hard disk & your PC. It does not upload or download directly into the module's memory. You could easily install your own hard drive into the X4 and it's highly recommended. It's a standard 2.5" drive. Mine was a 3GB.

Henry

Henry01,

Thanks for the technical clarification on the X4’s hard drive function. I assumed that the architecture of this instrument allowed the SIMMs direct access capability via the pc interface connection similar to loading from the floppy drive. Without going into specifics, I have a low threshold for pain. Just how “easy” could it be installing and formatting an ATA-IDE drive in this thing? Will the OS tolerate my ignorance or will it go south the way of Microsoft?

Vince

Don,

I think you have your Vince's mixed up?

Vince,

Uploading directly to memory is possible using MIDI system exclusive messages. But this software is not available. As it stands, only the file transfer software is available.

I don't know if the basic X4 comes with the hard drive cable installed or not. If it is installed, then you only need a ATA-IDE 2.5" hard drive (laptop HD). In the X4, there is a format function in the Disk menu.

If you are not comfortable with installing your own drive, then you should get the X4 with HD, which comes with another 400 styles for you to play with.

Henry