Let's see your pedalboard!

[Jose EB5AGV]

I have been reading here and there on this forum about how different people approaches their pedalboards and I think it would be great to have the different solutions pictured in one thread, along some explanations of their functionality.

 

Mine is pretty simple (I will post a picture next time I set it up), just from left to right, first a Bluetooth dual pedal to control ForScore sheet music, then a sustain pedal for my MONTAGE/MODX+ and then an FC-7 expression pedal to control mainly the Super Knob function on them (although it varies its function on some patches)

 

Please, post yours here and share those brilliant ideas which for sure will help other people 👍🏻

 

Thanks!

[stoken6]

Your post comes at a good time Jose, as I've been reworking my pedalboard recently.

 

The background is that I've always felt my Nord Stage 2 wasn't quite enough for my most complex gig setups. It's not uncommon for me to need piano, strings, horns, and a VA synth or two all in the same song. I considered adding a little module (Roland Boutique or similar), and then realised that my lower-tier board (which I was using just as a controller) could help me out without spending money. So I would need to add a mixer to my rig - luckily I had a little three-input passive mixer in my junk drawer in the basement. 

 

I also had a case from an old projector that I had picked up in an office clearout - if I could use that, it would save more money.

 

So here's what I came up with, simply velcro to a sheet of plywood. If I'm honest I could do with about 1/2in more length, but that's what fits in the case:

 

You can see two sustain pedals (I've removed the fixed cable and replaced with two TS sockets), and a volume pedal. The passive mixer is at the top left, and my Rockboard MODX3 patchbay is next to it. As well as a three-way Y-splitter power cable, three looms are permanently wired to the pedalboard - two for each of my two keyboards, and one to my Rolls PM351 headphone amp/monitor controller. I've mounted the Rolls on a kind of wooden "clip" or "hook" that allows me to leave it pre-wired and simply hang it off my stand at gigs.

 

The other "interesting" fact is that I modified the MOD3 - out of the box it's a simple passthru: front<->back. I needed two "back" sockets to be paralleled so I could connect the mixer's output to the Rolls input. This was fairly straightforward soldering:

 

Not the most beautiful work, but it allows me to keep the "front" sockets (the ones facing the audience" clear, which reduces the overall dimensions. So both "channel one" sockets (front+back) and both "channel two" sockets are all paralleled together.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

[Stokely]

Mine is in flux.  Ironically the stuff on my pedalboard is stuff I'd actually prefer elsewhere, none of it is pedals:  Key Largo mixer, two different headphone mixers (a Rolls and the Behringer p16m).   I have several switch pedals and they go in front of the pedal board    Main reason I have that stuff on a pedal board is that it allows me to prewire the @#$% wall warts as well as the audio from KL to Rolls,  and it keeps my stage footprint quite small--my stand being an Omega Pro, it's completely open underneath.   

I recently bought a vocoder pedal that I'm evaluating, and also have a Lester K that I haven't been using since the Nord Stage 3 leslie is fine IMO.  I also have a few guitar pedals but end of the day the NS3 overdrive is way more convenient and again sounds good enough.

Reverb I use very sparingly if at all, so no effects pedals.  I could apply some (or a FOH engineer could) via the main mixer if appropriate for the venue.  Some places need zero reverb because they are already too wet.  Our guitarist has issues monitoring IMO because he likes too much echo on his patches, but I've said my piece on that, it's his rig   

[Sam Mullins]

I used the Gator Pedal Tote for years.  For a long time, it contained:
- Two Yamaha FC-7 Expresssion pedals

- Two sustain pedals (various depending on the keys I was using at the time.)

 

In the last year, when I transitioned to CK88/Arturia Keylab/iPad set up, it contained:

- one expression pedal

- two sustain pedals

- one toggle pedal (for doing things like Leslie speed change)

- USB Hub

 

Now that I've gone to Mac Mini instead of iPad, I've eliminated the USB Hub from above.  

 

[eric]

I've used the same basic pedal board for over a decade, probably longer as my gear has had the same needs all of that time with mild fluctuations based on capabilities of the gear.

 

I have a custom rolling keyboard stand with the pedalboard on wheels and the stand bolted onto it. I have each pedal more or less permanently mounted to this board, with cables running into a junction box that allows for multi pin snakes - one from keyboard to pedalboard and one from pedalboard to offstage rack. All cables are neatly bundled and I have to thank my friend @vonnor for doing all the multi pin snakes/soldering magic. I'm going on seven years with the same snakes and pedals on this version and it all works flawlessly.

 

Picture below - I have my Vent fast/slow switch on the bottom left - I have been using my left foot to toggle Leslie and Leslie sim speed via pedal dating back to at least early '90s, so this is my muscle memory location for sure. Then I have a Yamaha FC7 for organ swell, a sustain pedal, and a second Yamaha FC7 that has varying control pedal uses.

 

I have this some configuration on a rehearsal version of the rig, so it is all very consistent.

 

 

[Old No7]

1 hour ago, eric said:

I have a custom rolling keyboard stand with the pedalboard on wheels and the stand bolted onto it. I have each pedal more or less permanently mounted to this board, with cables running into a junction box that allows for multi pin snakes..

 

All cables are neatly bundled and I have to thank my friend @vonnor for doing all the multi pin snakes/soldering magic....

 

Nice setup!!! 

 

Old No7

[UnderGroundGr]

When I played live with my Kurzweil K2661 I had 4 pedals.

1 sustain

1 Leslie speed change

1 program/setup change

1 volume/expression pedal

[Mark Schmieder]

Interestingly, I dispensed with all my keyboard pedals a few years ago. I ended up deciding that I prefer the flexibility of doing it on an aux bus in the mix. I also didn't like being pushed into mono by most of the pedals that I actually liked.

 

I do use expression pedals, but it can be a bit frustrating that not all keyboards pass through that signal when recording MIDI. I sometimes tweak a sound or switch it later, but like the performance and want to preserve those playing nuances, as long as they still apply well to the revised or new sound (not always the case; record a new take then).

 

On my Hammond XK-4, I have the half-moon switch. I like its revised Leslie effect and other built-in effects way better than previous models, so I suspect I won't bother buying an outboard Leslie effect at this time. Maybe eventually an actual rotary speaker.

 

Back in the day though, I was using Moogerfooger Delay, Small Stone Phaser (EHX), and Memory Man Deluxe (EHX). Not as much as I expected though, as I had Sequential/DSI and Oberheim synths at the time, and ended up using the built-in effects patching due to matrix mod possibilities.

 

I think if I owned an actual Clavinet or Rhodes, or even a Wurly, things might be different, but some of those keyboards also have super low output levels and may not do a good job of driving modern pedals.

[rogs]

I use just two pedals --  A Yamaha FC4 which I use for both sustain and Vent speed switching.

(I made little interface to allow the pedal to do both jobs - (some notes HERE ) )

And I use a Yamaha FC7 as an expression and/or volume control.....

[niacin]

Carpet, glued to a ply base, colour coded with rubber bands, the right cc pedal is used for wah. Makes set up and pack down real fast.

 

[stoken6]

@Niacin, are the pedals attached to the board, but presumably not the power strip? (It looks like it would be in the way in the pic.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

[niacin]

2 hours ago, stoken6 said:

@Niacin, are the pedals attached to the board, but presumably not the power strip? (It looks like it would be in the way in the pic.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

👍 velcro-ed to the carpet, including the power strip and psu and midi splitter box

[brenner13]

Been thinking of making a pedal board for several years…. Maybe a Resolution…

 

[JimboKeys]

Here's what my pedalboard for the tribute band looked like a few years ago:

 

For me, a major reason for a pedalboard is to get all the wall warts under control, mounted and pre-connected.  A single IEC connector on the side of this Templeboard supplies power to everything.

 

Here's the pedalboard currently, showing several changes

- I'm no longer playing acoustic guitar in addition to keyboards

- I've added a mixer instead of using the using the analog inputs of my Motif XF6 to mix everything

- MIDI routing is now USB (USB hub replaces MIDI through box)

- Using virtual instruments for organ eliminates the GSI Burn

- Big block in the middle is receiver for my wireless headset mic

 

For solo one-man-band gigs (which i play seated) i just use stand-alone expression, damper pedal, and rotary speed switch pedals (or sometimes just a Line 6 FBV Express).  I tried a pedalboard for this but couldn't work with the raised height of the pedals (my knees hitting the bottom of the stand).

 

-- Jimbo