Issues on setting up Kontrol mk3 & Yamaha FC3a

WEM

Hi community,

I try to setup a Yamaha FC3a pedal (with half peddling function / potentiometer) on my new s-series mk3 Kontrol keyboard. I tried to change each and every parameter on the keyboard but without success.

I changed to continuous mode, reset CC64, calibrated the pedal, played with swap ring/tip. I seems that the pedal is inverted but the invert function doesn't do anything...

Was some of you successful?

br

Werner

Frantz

After a lot of testing and different configurations I’m experiencing the same issue with the Yamaha FC3A pedal. My issues would be resolved if the inverse setting worked on the Kontrol s88 mk3. @Jeremy_NI Any assistance here would be greatly appreciated.

My Configuration:

• Pedal: Sustain
• Mode: Continuous
• Invert: Off/On (doesn’t matter)
• Swap: Ring
• Type: Control Change
• Midi Channel: 1
• Midi Number: 64
• Range: 0 to 127

WEM

Thank you for confirming. I was already thinking I'm only too stupid to set it up :-)

I came to the exact same point with the same settings then you. The invert function seems to not work properly.

br

Werner

Allen7

I too have been struggling with my fc3a sustain pedal and my new mkiii.

i had the mkii for years and my yamaha fc3a sustain pedal had worked flawlessly over the years with that keyboard.

ive spent hours lately trying to get it to work on the new mkiii. No luck. Hope we hear some solutions

WEM

Hello all,

I got a response from the NI support (I created a ticket) - unfortunately it doesn't work for me. If I do the calibration the other way around the pedal stops to work in my case. Can you test this?

Regarding the setup of the Yamaha FC3A pedal, please carry out the steps recommended by one of the devs: 

 I managed to get the continuous mode to work, but it required some steps:

•  calibration works “the other way round”, when the hardware asks for “Move the pedal all the way down”, I did nothing, then when the hardware says “Move the pedal all the way up”, I pressed the sustain pedal
• after that it sends out continuous data on CC11 (I first thought of this to be a bug as I was not aware that there’s a second page on the hardware where you can change the CC number…) 
• after changing the MIDI CC to 64, it works and recalls as expected

 Please let us know if these steps also worked for you. 

Jeremy_NI

We are very sorry but it seems there are issues with the Yamha FC3A pedals and the new Kontrol S3 series. We are investigating the issue. Not sure if it is something that can be fixed via firmware or software update yet, so at the moment, we would recommend to use a Roland DP-10, this one has been confirmed to work with the MK3 keyboards. As a thumb rule we would recommend pedals with a polarity switch.

WEM

Hi Jeremy,

I got the tip with the adapter also from the customer support (ticket number #4173457).

I had some spare plugs and microphone cable here and soldered an adapter myself. Like the one proposed it just exchange tip and ring.

Calibration with the inserted adapter doesn't work (pedal doesn't work at all). When I calibrate without the adapter and insert it afterwards the behavior is other then expected - it's same as without adapter (value 0 when pressed and 127 when released). After a few pedal presses the pedal seems to not reach value "127" anymore when released.

I observed some strange things with not reaching the 127 anymore or having negative values (in Cubase) already a few times while trying different configurations for the pedal. I seems that there is some „drift“ in the measurement/calibration or the pedal resistance value.

So, all I can say is that the adapter alone seems to not do the trick at this moment.

have a great weekend

Werner

WEM

Hi all,

I had success!

- The adapter needs to swap tip and shaft (not tip and ring)!

- Calibration is done without adapter. After calibration I inserted the adapter and then it works.

Calibration with insered adapter doesn't work for me (no function of the pedal)

br

Werner

Jeremy_NI

@WEM Thanks a lot for your efforts and for the additional information. I've removed the mention and link to the adapter until we figure out a better solution and I'll bring that to the devs.

WEM

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/123657#Comment_123657

Hello @Jeremy_NI, you are welcome.

br

Werner

Frantz

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/123657#Comment_123657

Hey @WEM @Jeremy_NI, Thanks, Werner, for the information and thanks, Jeremy, for forwarding it to the devs. I used to own a Roland DP-10, but I sold it a couple of years ago. After purchasing the FC3A, I found that I prefer its feel over the Roland's, which I found quite stiff. For the time being, I'll continue using my MGear on/off pedal and eagerly await a resolution so I can switch back to my Yamaha pedal.

elleffcruz

I just installed my new KK S88 MK3 and it's very disappointing that my Yamaha fc3a doesn't work no matter what configuration I try. Any updates on this @Jeremy_NI ?

WEM

Hi,

I'm not aware of any other solution as my above mentioned: you need an adapter that swaps tip and shaft (or open the pedal and modify it inside it). In addition at least for me the calibration works only without the insered adapter. So calibrate without adapter and insert the adapter afterwards.
As this adapter is not a standard you need to make it for your own.

What I can say is, that this solution works really great and stable for me.

There were no functional updates since then. So at this moment nothing changed.

br
Werner

Jeremy_NI

@elleffcruz There's no other solution at the moment. If you're looking for a half damper pedal, Roland DP-10 will work.

elleffcruz

@Jeremy_NI I bought the pedal you recommended yesterday, the Roland DP-10, and I can't make it work too! wth... how come a MIDI controller for more than 1k is so difficult to configure the most essential accessory that pianists use?

ninety7

@Jeremy_NI would you be able to provide an update on what NI is doing about this? There is no official pedal compatibility list, and those of us who upgraded from KK Mk2 and are having issues with this (and probably other) pedal do not want to waste money without knowing if another pedal is going to work. Is NI working on a firmware upgrade to fix this issue? Is this somehow in their backlog? A little communication and visibility here goes a long way. Being one of their flagship products, we expect more communication on these issues.