Yes, the Roland EV-5 IS a piece of shit....

[drawback]

Just to provide an alternate POV...

I never had any problems with them, and they were quite a bit lighter, therefore easier on the schlep.

 

I've been using mine for maybe 10 years.

[mate stubb]

I made my own Ashby adapter for about $10 in parts.

[Delaware Dave]

BTW, I use a POS expression pedal. It has Kurzweil logo on it (bought it on ebay, figured K was a good name), but as it turned out it's a cheapie made by Fatar. The throw isn't long, and the travel isn't smooth, but it's worked reliably for a decade now (and no idea how long the original owner used it). It's also very small and light. I've had to replace the cable.

 

I keep considering getting an FC-7, but I think I'd have to replace my gearbag with a backpack.

Depends on what constitutes something to qualify as a POS. You said the throw isn't long and the travel isn't smooth. For an expression pedal not to have these characteristics is a large qualification for me, not just its construction. My FC-7 has worked reliably for years just as your cheapie has however the throw is long, the curve is smooth. I also own the same POS pedal you have, logo'd under the Ensoniq name (CVP-1) made by Fatar. It's 2 pounds lighter, has a short throw, and a non-linear curve and I've owned it since 1990 but it sits in a corner because its characteristics are ........ a POS.

[Mr. Nightime]

I've got an FC-7 connected to my MM8. I've had to use it a lot more the past few couple weeks as I've had to play organ on the Yamaha. The pedal response is close enough to the Hammond EXP-100F that I didn't have to alter my pedal technique at all.

 

It's good enough that I'm considering trying it with the XK-3C, rather than fixing the EXP-100F

[wmp]

FC7++

 

Good pedal, but the built in wire sucks. Replacing it with something robust is a PITA because of the path that skinny mouse turd gauge takes into the pedal.

 

It'll work just fine with the XK-3c. Until the cable fails.

 

 

[uncledunc]

....Good pedal, but the built in wire sucks. Replacing it with something robust is a PITA because of the path that skinny mouse turd gauge takes into the pedal....

 

This is one of the reasons I got a Dunlop volume/expression pedal. You supply your own TRS cable and plug it in to the pedal. The other reason is the reliability of the band drive, and the fact that it's heavy. It doesn't skitter around like the EV5. It's got the standard short throw, but after 30 years, I'm sorta used to that....

[Mark Schmieder]

Tusker, could it be an impedance thing? Maybe the Roland pedal is well-matched to the CV inputs of the Moog, thus scaling the throw and giving it the needed resolution for that task?

 

The other comments are very helpful and a welcome update to the situation, so no apologies for resurrecting the thread! Good to know the Roland EV-7 is just the EV-5 in more expensive housing. I'll compare the Hammond specs to the one I bought for my XK-3c, which I'm quite happy with but only use for organ tasks. I wasn't familiar with the one from Mission Engineering.

[brenner13]

what about the Moog EP-2??????

 

Me too...has anyone had a foot on one of these?

[J. Dan]

A couple thoughts/observations. I used to be somewhat happy with my EV-5 when I used it with my XP-50 (Griff, maybe I should have just included it with the keyboard). But with my Kronos on CX-3 engine it's horrible for a lot of the reasons listed - travel, response. But then reading through, I realized 2 important things:

1) the polarity is opposit the FC-7. The yammi pedal works perfect. Should they BOTH work (with no adapter)? Does the Kronos accept both, or could that be part of the problem?

2) The problem with the Kurz is the impedance issue - could that have something to do with the throw with respect to response? Just wondering out loud.

 

Trying to give benefit of the doubt in case design differences could affect performance with respect to specific keyboards - like I said, I liked it with my XP50...definitely NOT with my Kronos, though it works.

[Dave Weiser]

Another (more expensive) option is the BOSS FV-500L which includes stereo analog volume control and a tuner output. It's very robustly built and versatile, but of course not neccessary if you only need expression control.

 

 

This.

 

Every keyboard rig in every Broadway show I've worked on uses one of these. Never had a problem with a single one.

Used with the Kurzweil PC3K, I've never had a problem getting the full 0-127 range. We use Kenton MIDI volume meters, so it's possible to visually confirm that the full range is being sent.

http://www.kentonuk.com/products/items/utilities/ld2-pro.shtml

[B. J. Love]

FC7++

 

Good pedal, but the built in wire sucks.

 

I use 3 FC7s. I cut the wire, leave about 6" and attach a 1/4" TRS female jack - with the polarity reversed. The pedals and "pigtails" are attached the pedalboard so they don't wiggle around and short out and if a cable fails, it's a quick. easy replacement from a spare in the gig bag. I also keep a couple of homemade polarity reversers around too just in case.

 

I still have an EV5 too. I don't use it much anymore - it's in the studio hooked up to a Novation controller. But I used it for years without a problem - except for the occasional shorted cable. Nowhere near as good as the FC7 but I did like the minimum value knob. That feature is nice to have in a volume pedal.

[Mr. Nightime]

FC7++

 

Good pedal, but the built in wire sucks.

 

I use 3 FC7s. I cut the wire, leave about 6" and attach a 1/4" TRS female jack - with the polarity reversed. The pedals and "pigtails" are attached the pedalboard so they don't wiggle around and short out and if a cable fails, it's a quick. easy replacement from a spare in the gig bag. I also keep a couple of homemade polarity reversers around too just in case.

 

I still have an EV5 too. I don't use it much anymore - it's in the studio hooked up to a Novation controller. But I used it for years without a problem - except for the occasional shorted cable. Nowhere near as good as the FC7 but I did like the minimum value knob. That feature is nice to have in a volume pedal.

 

After time, the wire can fail on even the best pedal. That's what took out my XB-2. The cable shorted on my Hammond EXP-100F

[Reezekeys]

I've soldered a new cable into my EV5 a few times but it's still kicking after years of use. I always wondered why it was so much more money than the FC7, being all plastic vs the Yam's metal construction.

[Delaware Dave]

We use Kenton MIDI volume meters, so it's possible to visually confirm that the full range is being sent.

Dave, wouldn't you be able to confirm the MIDI range using MIDISCOPE? I'm trying to understand why another tool is necessary when the PC3 pre-delivers the tool.

[JeffLearman]

Depends on what constitutes something to qualify as a POS. You said the throw isn't long and the travel isn't smooth. For an expression pedal not to have these characteristics is a large qualification for me, not just its construction. My FC-7 has worked reliably for years just as your cheapie has however the throw is long, the curve is smooth. I also own the same POS pedal you have, logo'd under the Ensoniq name (CVP-1) made by Fatar. It's 2 pounds lighter, has a short throw, and a non-linear curve and I've owned it since 1990 but it sits in a corner because its characteristics are ........ a POS.

Yeah, that's what I mean, though I don't have a big problem with the curve, just the feel of the pedal. It's all I've ever used (other than the occasional real Hammond, which is another experience altogether).

 

 

I've also been curious to try my favorite (Ernie Ball) guitar volume pedal (25 KOhm or 250 KOhm) with this trick:

 

http://www.strymon.net/2011/10/10/strymon-tech-corner-3-volume-pedal-as-an-expression-pedal/

 

I don't currently have an EB volume pedal though -- while it's my favorite, I don't want a volume pedal for guitar any more. But, if the curve works out well, these are really sweet feeling pedals, with just the right throw, and rugged as hell with aluminum frame.

 

Also, I'd need a drill press to drill holes to thread it into my string of pedals. Or something.

[Mr. Nightime]

I need to try an expression pedal to the sustain jack on the MK 361C. I connected a footswitch to it, and I noticed the display showing that value going from 0 to 127. I'm curious if an expression pedal will give a continuous value. Then I can program the pedal parameter in VB3 to act with controller 64. I'll try that tomorrow.

[Tusker]

Tusker, could it be an impedance thing? Maybe the Roland pedal is well-matched to the CV inputs of the Moog, thus scaling the throw and giving it the needed resolution for that task?

 

What you are saying makes perfect sense to me. It feels so much better in this task than it ever did as a CC pedal on lots of devices.

[Dave Weiser]

We use Kenton MIDI volume meters, so it's possible to visually confirm that the full range is being sent.

Dave, wouldn't you be able to confirm the MIDI range using MIDISCOPE? I'm trying to understand why another tool is necessary when the PC3 pre-delivers the tool.

 

Ah, good question.

 

The meter needs to be seen constantly as the show is played.

The PC3K's MIDIscope would not be practical as there are hundreds of patch changes (in setup mode) to pay attention to.

 

The players in the pit are reading volume settings throughout the score. The shows I work on use 0-20. The Kenton meter can do both 0-20 and 0-127. The meter visually indicates volume level as the player moves the volume pedal, so they're never guessing.

 

If the MD wants to lower the volume of a certain passage during rehearsal, they can pencil in a volume setting between 0 and 20. This gives a measurement which can be consistently replicated.

 

Also, MIDI scope spits out a lot of info, like release velocity and mono pressure. The Kenton meter only reflects the volume pedal setting.

 

 

[Adam C.]

Oh hey, that was me!

 

...if you don't want to mess with that, this is the most elegant of solutions right here:

 

FC-7 Adapter

 

 

 

Done, and done! Thank-you for the link and for the other added information. I ordered one to try out. (You really can't go wrong at that price, can you?) After it arrives I'll let you guys know how it worked out using it with my FC-7 and the Roland VK-8. Thanks again!

[Adam C.]

Wow! Now that is a great adaptor! (Ashby Solutions FC7 Adaptor) It worked like a charm. Thanks again for the help guys!

[Tusker]

Wow! Now that is a great adaptor! (Ashby Solutions FC7 Adaptor) It worked like a charm. Thanks again for the help guys!

 

KC rocks.

[Mark Schmieder]

Oh wow, I thought they were blowing those out years ago and that they wouldn't be available anymore! Good to hear otherwise. I still have printed copies of the product literature in case I ever need to convert my Yamaha to work with something else.

[C.J. Lewis]

Weird. I have owned multiple EV-5's over the years, and my size 13W's have never had any issues with throw, breakage, or anything. Granted, I mostly play piano, and they only get used to do volume and occasionally wah (when there's no guitar players within throwing distance).

 

Love the FC7, though - feels great.

[TechEverlasting]

While I like the way the FC-7 running through an Ashby adapter feels on the Kurzweil K2600s and PC3Ks I've had severe problems with static electricity using this combination and won't go near it now. Of course this only happens in dry conditions, so it might not be noticeable in the summer. In a carpeted room on a dry day I've seen Kurz's reboot or go to blue screens as soon as the FC-7 is touched. I've not encountered this issue using adapted FC-7s with Roland RD digital pianos.

[Mr. Nightime]

I just set up an FC7 to work with the XK-3C. Adjusted really nicely.

 

Then I was looking at the Other FC7 that I have, noticed that the pedal angles were different. I went to the pedal angle adjustment and was able to get them the same.

 

I also noticed a plate that could be moved, and would connect the two FC7 pedals together.

 

I was going to fix my Hammond EXP-100F, but after that, I may not.

 

[J. Dan]

BTW - just a tip in case somebody missed it.

 

I use my FC-7 at practice and gigs. I leave it set up with other pedals, cables, another stand and a duplicate lower tier A70 and just bring my Kronos back and forth. I use my old EV5 at home. I don't really like it, but it's good enough for home rehearsal and setting up sounds.

 

Anyway, tonight I hooked it up and thought it stopped working. I realized the pot on the side was turned down. It's been so long since I've touched it that I forgot it was there. So if you don't seem to be getting the full range, don't forget about the pot on the left side.