I guess me setup's kinda unique among this BBS' Solton X-series users--I've made lots of requests to help me solve my X4-to-Digitech Vocalist problems; except for a thoughtful suggestion from George Kaye (thanks, George), I've been left to my own struggles--and now I'm glad! Because I've had to just push buttons and dig through the awkward Solton manual for days, I've not only discovered several cool things about the X4 I'd have never taken the time to learn, I also solved the problem--with much hands-on help from my retailer and his staff.

I won't go into detail here because most (all?) of you use the X1 and the Solton harmonizer card and don't have the problem I've had. But if you know anyone who's complaining that, when sending chord tonality change info from the accessory 4-switch pedal through an X4 to a Digitech Vocalist, the MIDI info is either non-existent or scrambled or inconsistent, have them e-mail me. I've written a chart of how to get things working 98% smoothly. (It's not a 100% fix because, when pressing and holding the 7th switch, the Vocalist will jump to the diminished chord of the 3rd of the pedal key scale as soon as your left foot is lifted from the key pedal. Really weird, but so momentary in live application that you can work around it by stopping singing for a nanosecond or just shrugging your shoulders and smilely stupidly if some musically hip audience member shoots you a glance when your backup singers sing garbage.)

Anyway, if you're ever in Phoenix, stop by Synthony Music and say Hi to the owner, Bill Cone, and his Solton Guru, Barry Lifkin--those guys, together, spent literally hours before, during, and after business hours with my full rig setup which I plunked down in the middle of the store (at their request!) so they could make this customer happy. Thank God for retailers like mine!

Jim Henry

Jim,
I'm glad you were able to struggle through the maze and fix your problems. I also, as a dealer, am glad you found a store that helps the customer. As the chain stores have become more aggressive in the US, many dealers offering their expertise and service seem to be diminishing. Bill Cone and I were on a Yamaha Advisory Counsil back in the mid 80's and I got to know Bill then. I haven't seen or spoke to him since those days, and I would appreciate it if you would say hi to him for me. Remind him of the Yamaha Advisory group we were in. My store is Kaye's Music Scene in Reseda, California. I would also really appreciate knowing how you cured your problem. I haven't had any customers with this problem, but you never know when it might come up. You can email me the settings and I would be greatful.
Thanks,
george kaye
kayeland@aol.com