John Bowen Synth Design

Hi. Don't know why, I can't post in the owner section. Anyway...

That's it ! I received my Solaris on tuesday, 2 days ago.
I'm totally amazed by its awesome sound ! That's incredible, it's unique ! I never experiment such a synth. Its sound is very inspiring. I'm really glad to have purchased it.
I noticed some odd things. I saved the midi and system settings. But yesterday, I wqnted to change asystem setting and when I pressed on the save/off button, instead of seeing the enter button blincking, the graphic screen displayed the midi settings and the changes were not saved. I rebooted several time the synth without luck.

This happend after another strange thing : I wanted to drop down the synth volume level with its dedicated knob and all the sudden, it didn't output any sound any more. After trying to change preset, checking different parts, I had to reboot it, then, several hours later, I tried to change and save the system setting.
I made DSP, RAM and CF-card, all tests were ok. I purchased a CF-card reader and wait for its arrive.
So, I think I need some help, at this point... Thank you !

I noticed 2 other issues in which I need help...

First, in the vocal filter, the x-fade parameter should allow me to fade between the 5 different vowels, right ? But here , it does nothing, absolutely no influence on the sound !

And also, For the moment I didn't touch the CF-card at all. Even if I received the card reader. Anyway, there are some samples on the card with their text file. In order to launch the samples into the synth ram, one must go in system center display menu (so, pressing several times the 'more' button, telle me if there is another way to go in system menu !) and there, on the left down side, there should be the "SampImg" parameter which allow to choose wich sample image to use.
Here, on the center display, this parameter is blank ! The one just under "transp.", there is nothing ! So, impossible to launch any sample.

Hi JoPo,

For the vocal filter, make sure you have set the five vowel parameters to different vowel sounds. (Third page of filter menu) The XFade parameter is supposed to fade between those five vowel sounds. But if they are all set to the same vowel then XFade will have no effect.

Regarding the SampImg parameter, the User Guide is just a little out of date and does not include the changes made for version 1.4.3. Please go to the forum section [Solaris Owners / Data Files / OS File] and read the comments for the OS 1.4.3 update. The SampImg was moved to Home page 3 and renamed to SmpPool. In previous versions of the OS you had to load the sample pool separately. Starting with OS 1.4.3, the SmpPool parameter is saved with each preset so that the sample pool can be automatically loaded when the preset is loaded.

Regarding system settings, the system settings are not saved by pressing the button above the Save parameter. The way to save system settings is to turn the top left encoder under the graphics display. Then the Save parameter becomes "Active". Then you press the Enter button and the settings are saved.
Actually, the button you pressed is not supposed to do anything, so I'd call it a minor bug. Those buttons are for changing the menu. But that menu item is blank. So instead of switching to the MIDI page it should do nothing. I'll put it on the list and try to fix that for the next bug fix release.

Regarding the volume change, I cannot reproduce that. Does it happen every time you try to change the volume or did it happen only once? For now, I would say that if it happens again, at least save your edits before rebooting.

Thanks for the infos !
When John Bowen has been aware of my issues, he talked with Ralf who said the motherboard should be changed. Then, finally, JB told me to wait, check for a certain Jim answer in the Forum. I presume Jim is you and the forum is that one ?
JB told me also to wait for the next os which should be released soon. But the synth has really strange behavior ! For instance, right now, I turned it on 5 mn ago without touching it and it's completly freezed ! No button can change anything and it doesn't output any midi. I'd love to know if same strange things happen for other users cause with my unit, it would be suicide to play it in live !

I'm going to try to list all weird things that happend.
Changing preset and no more sound during one mn or sometimes, never and needed to reboot.
Sometimes, after touching some parameters, it stops sounding and I can see parameters changing by themself on oscillators display ! ---> Reboot.
Also, on some preset with arpegiator, when I pressed 2 key, it sounded normally and then a third key pessed and it was like all arpegiattor notes were sundendly tied and played legato, then playing normally when pressing again keys.

For the system settings save function, I understand correctly how to do, now  ! I must first turn the corresponding knob in order to display « Save on » ! Culpa mia ! It works correctly ! (And I'm a bit shamed since I did that correctly the day I received and installed it ! )

For the SampImg parameter which doesn't exist anymore, replaced by SmpPool in home page 3, it's ok too and apparently, fully working.

Right now again, I rebooted it, checked the system saving and SmpPool features and when I wanted to listen and press keys, no sound and oscillators + mixer displays changing there settings alone, like it is blinking every 500ms : oscillators 1 shape 13% to 6% and fine tuning 0 → +5 ! And mixer 1 input 3 displaying alternativelly Osc 3 → W noise, as I mentioned before. So I reboot it for the third time today without getting any sound yet ! This time, I changed the preset just when it finished to boot and I hear something !

And for the vocal filter, indeed, all the 5 vowels are on « A » ! I didn't saw that page ! So, it is ok too !

Thanks a lot for the answers to all my questions ! Really useful and perfect. And that reassures me a lot !
I think I'll follow JB advices and wait for the next os version, even if I begin to be sure the synth has some problems. I'll certainly come back here when I'll have more answer need !

After testing midi program change, today (I didn't achieve yet to change bank, on ly preset number within a bank), the blinking display happend again !
After searching, I managed to understand that in fact, I was in the presence of a midi loop. But impossible to know which midi data was going thru the synth and the computer. Next time, I'll investigate more deeply ! But if it's a midi loop, then the synth is not incriminated !
After changing which midi output was connected to my DAW midi inputs default, the synth display stoped to blink and it sounded again. But it's still weird : why all the sudden, that happens ? Don't know ... YET !

Hello !
I'm progressing..! I first pluged the Solaris USB to the computer. But it was often strange, I use the synth on local off mode since the place in the room is not infinite, I had to take off my midi keyboard and the Solaris took its place ; and almost all the time I lauched cubase, the solaris midi didn't entered in the daw. I had to change its midi intput from usb to midi (its midi I/O were connected to my Mio 10) or the contrary.
Then I plugged its usb to the mio 10 in which one can plug a 10 usb's hub in which one can plug any class compliant midi usb device. The solaris seems to be happy like that.
I didn't experiment other synth freeze or weird behaviors I described. So, everything seems to be like it's suppose to be, now.