how many here uses a expressionpedal when performing ?

[Peter the swede]

I´ve used a expressionpedal when playing on my nord electro for the last 4 years, but today my new yamaha FC-7 expressionpedal come in the mail.

Hooked it up to a triton tr keyboard a realiced how much you can improve the dynamics in the performances when you control volume etc with this thing..

 

Doing fadeup´s with a pad sound sounds relly great and It feel like it is much more smoother doing volume changes.

 

Plus, you can now keep both hands on the keyboard instead of only one when you have to do fade in or out´s...

 

How many here uses an expression pedal playing synth ( not organ , were it is a part of the sound more)

[MikeNZ]

I use the expression pedal mainly to control my volume to balance with the band. Keyboards usually have less dynamic range than guitars, so I'm often forced to change volume on teh fly. We don't have a sound engineer to do that for me. Sometimes I use it to control dynamics as I play (particularly on strings and synths and for fading in and out), however in a live band situation there is a VERY fine line between too soft and not being heard, and being too loud. Having the ability to set the min and max range is useful here, either on the pedal or internally.

 

My PC1X also has foot pedal control over WAH for clavinets and other instruments. As cool as it sounds in my practice room I have yet to learn how to use this properly for live playing.

 

A breath controller can achieve the same thing. Someday I'll need to get an interface for mine - been saying that for months!

 

Michael

 

[ITGITC]

Peter the swede, welcome to The Keyboard Corner.

 

I use the expression pedal... Don't Leave Home Without It.

 

I'm looking for a better one than the one I've got now. But that's another story.

 

I think the first time I used a pedal was to control the VCO of a couple of oscillators tuned in 3rds or 5ths (I forget)... What a great sound - back in the day. Of course, some modulation techniques start with the pedal, but are better implemented with a wheel.

 

And tuning a VCF to a high Q and using a pedal to control two or three of these together simultaneously can be fun. Using white noise or pink noise with these filters is cool.

 

I was happy to see the programs in the new ROM Classic Keys ROM block of my PC2 make great use of the pedal - mostly for wah effects. That's some fine programming.

 

I guess it goes without saying, so I'll say it anyway - the Hammond volume pedal is really an expression pedal. I used to think it was fine just to plug into the volume jack, but this is not the case. Using the Hammond programs with a pedal plugged into the jack specifically meant for the Expression pedal can often yield a different effect - if programmed correctly.

 

Also, believe it or not, it takes a certain amount of skill to use the pedal. Like you, I often fade-in and fade-out my sustaining pad sounds. There are a few instances during performance that I like to sneak up on a sound and try to find exactly the right balance. This is especially true of 'accessory sounds' - perhaps a triangle or some exotic percussion. If it came in too loud, it would certainly sound out of place. But sneaking it in, you can tell if it works or not before making a total fool of yourself. (I love to experiment just to see if anybody in the audience is listening.)

 

So Peter the swede, have fun with your new FC-7 and remember - there are no boundaries. Making music is cool.

 

Tom

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

I must be boring. I only use an expression pedal with my VK-8 as a true expression pedal.

 

After reading this thread I now tempted to do some experimenting with my other boards to see what kind of cool effects I can come up with by using one.

 

[Ed Coury]

Expression pedal is a must for organ...I use a setting on the Roland VR-760 that increases distortion with volume as the exp. pedal advances, mimicking real organ/Leslie overdrive.

 

Also indispensable for dynamics while playing strings, horns, etc.

[MikeNZ]

>>Also, believe it or not, it takes a certain amount of skill to use the pedal.

 

Yep, that's me. No real skill! Trying to develop it. I am also a trumpet player so a breath controller might be a better option. My lungs have had 30 years of training, my left foot only a matter of hours or days.

 

The expression pedal for active control of volume is a VERY important part of the Hammond organ sound for some music styles. Not that I'm a Hammond player, but if you're looking to play better organ there are some volume pedal skills and tricks you should learn.

 

Michael

[Tusker]

Welcome. I use an expression pedal, mostly to sweep the filter (on clav/comping sounds) and simultaneously control volume/brightness on leads and pads. I grew up with a Yamaha organ, where it controlled volume, but if a synth permits, I like to change the timbre while swelling (usually with the filter).

 

Jerry

[Finale]

I always bring it if there's a guy on electric guitar and I set it at 3% during sound check, just in case.

[ITGITC]

I always bring it if there's a guy on electric guitar and I set it at 3% during sound check, just in case.

 

Damn CY. Count you in as one of the sneaky ones today.

 

Yeah.

 

[MusicaL]

I use two volume pedals. One for my synth du jour (which I use mainly for leads), and the other to control the Nord Stage's organs.

 

I am going to try to use Jerry's idea of having the filter also assigned to the expression pedal and see whether that works for my purposes.

 

aL

[Jazz+]

As a piano and Rhodes player it's never needed.

[delirium]

I use one like that:

 

http://www.concertartist.info/organhistory/works/images/express2.jpg

[b3_john]

delirium, Perfect!

 

Someone in another thread recently recommended a pedal that was an expression pedal and (separately) a volume pedal. Looked nicer than the Yammy and Roland pedals I have now (beefier, maybe aluminum?). Since I don't remember what to search for I can't use the forum search function. Anyone have any ideas?

 

John

[aphemia]

+1 for the filter sweep. an instant way to turn a dull patch into something much more dynamic. plus, it's very handy as a sound with a bit of motion in there is much easier to hear in a band context as opposed to a static sound. if that makes sense....

[Kayvon]

Someone in another thread recently recommended a pedal that was an expression pedal and (separately) a volume pedal. Looked nicer than the Yammy and Roland pedals I have now (beefier, maybe aluminum?). Since I don't remember what to search for I can't use the forum search function. Anyone have any ideas?

 

John

 

That may have been me talking about the Alesis F2 pedal. I've since bought one as I was curious as to how it would compare to my Yamaha FC7. It was nicely made and had smooth travel (prob smoother than the FC7) Unfortunately the unit I had responded oddly in that when you'd push it down it'd react instantaneously but pulling it back they'd be a slight delay.

 

I wanted to keep it as it functioned nicely as an expression pedal with less range than the FC7 which imo is great for setting wide volume ranges but I was curious to try something with slightly less sweep. The in-line (mono) volume function was ok but didn't react quite to my taste.

 

If it wasn't the Alesis F2 you were thinking about it could have been the two top models from Korg and Roland which both function as stereo volume pedals. I've checked out the Roland one in the shop and it looks really nice but I didn't actually use it. The Roland one is called the FV-500L, it's not cheap though. Also there's a dual Yamaha one aswell.

 

The Alesis one is maybe worth checking out as for the money it'd be a good buy if you got on with it.

 

 

Peter the Swede; have you tried increasing the point at which the spring comes in on your FC7? It improves the pedal even more imo!

[BluesKeys]

I have only used it for Hammond but I am looking another one to use with the RP-x to control other layered voices. I don't mind reaching over on my RD700 and adjusting layers with the sliders.

 

I just hate having an extra pedal to get confused over.

[Legatoboy]

I use one and can't really ween my self off them having played so much Hammond as a kid. I got in trouble on a big show once. Even though the house had me set my high volume with my piano and organ pedals all the way down and I didn't touch my keyboard volume knobs through the show, they still had problems with 'spiking' volume and it was brought up after the show to the band leader and he used that every chance he had after that to hassel me!

 

So I bought this so the house could feed off before my pedal if I had to run 'analog' volume (stereo), they could clip off before the pedal and after the keyboard. If you use a Leslie, there is no way to clip off before, it's all gotta be miked!

So my problem was half solved!

 

FC-9 Yamaha Dual Vol. Pedal. . .

 

It's a stereo 'analog' or a CV pedal (if used with a stereo cable and switched to CV)!

 

With this pedal I was covered for every circumstance but I prefer Midi vol. set ups of course, it's just simplier! Kinda of a Swiss army pedal, I think Roland and Korg have a similiar pedal in their catalogs.

 

Of course this limits the 'expression' for your pedaling that translates to the house mix because it's all in the able hands of the soundcrew! This is always alittle disturbing to me. But your stagesound with the band and your dynamics are in your hands!

lb

[Mr. Nightime]

I connect my XB-2 MIDI out to the Korg N364 MIDI in, then use the Hammond expression pedal to control the N364. Most of my synth work these days are horns and brass synth patches, and the Hammond pedal gives me extremely smooth response for horn swells.

 

Most times I use the Organ Solo button on the Hammond, which prevents MIDI data from being transmitted from the XB-2. Then if I need the pedal, I turn the organ solo off.

 

As an emergency, I keep 2 stereo volume pedals in my cord bag. I need that expressivness.

 

[NYKeys]

On my XP60 I use it control the Mod Wheel. Using the Stick for a mod wheel is just wierd.

 

I will prob add two more to the mix to control CC 18 - 19 for my motif es rack.

 

[RABid]

Expression pedal is a must for organ......

 

 

A big complaint about Roland joysticks is from people that play organ patches. It does not bother me because I always use a foot pedal for leslie control.

 

Robert

[gliderproarc]

I use two CV pedals when I play live. One for each board. On my favorite synth lead sound, I have it set to filter cutoff. I find I can play much more expressive leads when I have pitch bend, vibrato, and filter cutoff all at my beck and call.

The other pedal usually gets volume control duty. I play standing up, so I usually don't have a free foot to adjust organ volume. Seriously thinking about getting a stool. Two pedals and two sustain switches is a bit much for a guy who is standing up and playing two boards at once.

[Gismo Recording]

I use an expression pedal for my Hammand XB-2 and a sustain pedal for my Alesis QS-8. I also play standing up so that's all the pedals I can deal with.

[MikeNZ]

I hear you. My band basically insists that I play standing up. I have 2 swithc and one expression pedal. Can't operate more than one at a time standing up.

 

Oh well, I suppose it is a good thing that I am so hopeless at using the expression pedal anyway...

 

Michael

[oscarr111111]

I don't use expression pedals for keyboard stuff (yet anyway) but I do for bass guitar. I mainly use it to adjust volume, you don't get such good dynamics on an electrically amplified instrument, especially if you use any compression, the pedal gives you some of that back.

[b3_john]

That may have been me talking about the Alesis F2 pedal. I've since bought one as I was curious as to how it would compare to my Yamaha FC7. It was nicely made and had smooth travel (prob smoother than the FC7) Unfortunately the unit I had responded oddly in that when you'd push it down it'd react instantaneously but pulling it back they'd be a slight delay.

That's the one. Maybe I'll take up MF and their 45-day satisfaction guarantee and see if I like it better for ny XK-1 than the FC7. Thanks for the tip.

 

John