First of all, I asked Mr. Hayashi about how is career unfolded from when he first got involved in the music scene and music-equipment related fields up to the present.

Hayashi: "I formed a band and played the guitar when I was a student. In those days, I was trying to create an effector, etc., and was going over articles in music magazines. When I was in the university, I majored in mechanical engineering and I began to get interested in tube amps at the time, often taking them apart and remodeling them. Also during my university years I took a part-time job at a musical instrument import agent where I was involved in the assembly and maintenance of sound systems for guitars. My part time job took me to many different places and gave me the chance to meet various famous people, including Noboru Takasaki of Loudness and Seikima II. After graduating from the university, I found a job with a company manufacturing professional audio and video equipment, including effectors and amplifiers for musical instruments. About a year after joining this company, I received a business proposition from an acquaintance I met at my previous part-time job to work as a support technician for maintaining sound systems for recording sessions and concert tours for 'HIDE' of X-JAPAN. During this time I commuted from Nagano to my work place to Tokyo which gave me the opportunity to work as a guitar technician with X-JAPAN."

During the time that Mr. Hayashi worked as a guitar technician for X-JAPAN's 'HIDE', he not only became involved in equipment maintenance and configuring sound systems, he also created various devices such as a ring modulator for 'HIDE' and a line selector for 'PATA'.

After that, Mr. Hayashi left his job at Nihon Victor and joined today's Pacifix. It was at this time that Mr. Hayashi left Japan for England to meet Pete Cornish in order to support the Pete Cornish products that Pacfix handled, and also to receive his technical guidance. On the other hand, Pete also needed Mr. Hayashi’s knowhow of MIDI and digital technology, so Mr. Hayashi stayed in England for two months and worked onsite in actual music studios with musicians and at concerts venues, in addition to working at Pete's workshop.

●Pete Cornish

Hayashi: "I had known of Pete since I was twenty years old and I had always wanted to meet him in person one day. However, when I actually did get the opportunity to meet and talk with him for the first time, the experience was far different than I had imagined it to be. I recall one story that really surprised me. Pete had designed and created an automatic control power source for Paul McCartney for Paul’s world tour concerts. However, an accident occurred during the actual performance where the power source fell off the stage. Although the power source itself broke when the accident happened, the power supply was automatically switched to the auxiliary source so that power was continuously supplied and both the sound output continued and the performance carried on without the power being cut off. I was quite amazed. The routing systems created by Pete and custom routing systems I create for musicians are always designed by taking into account situations when they breakdown and enable the system to continue to output sound even when certain components have been damaged or when other problems occur. We both incorporate several such ideas in our equipment so that the performance can carry on even after problems occur."

Pete Cornish's philosophy on sound systems has been fully put to use in designing custom products for musicians provided by Free The Tone, a custom shop which Mr. Hayashi established as a group company of Pacifix after he returned to Japan. It is also widely put to use in the design of PROVIDENCE brand effectors and signal routing equipment. Some people knew that Pete Cornish has a rather negative stance towards the true bypass switch for effectors, etc. Pete's stance also has influenced Hayashi's background in developing the VITALIZER.

Hayashi: "Pete's idea is based on his experience in solving problems that occur when various items of equipment are combined into a system. In situations where the equipment to be connected has not yet been determined, the design is put forth by taking into account which type of circuitry will result in fewer problems. In Pete's case, he adopts a method whereby electrical circuitry is always inserted between the respective equipment items and signals transmitted to the subsequent equipment pass through the electrical circuitry, even when the pertinent equipment is OFF."