S88 triple pedal with half-pedaling support?

2

Answers

  • Jeremy_NI
    Jeremy_NI Customer Care Posts: 9,321 mod

    @Yadi I didn't have a minute to check on that since then. I'm really sorry. I'll get on it as soon as it's possible.

  • Forget Melody
    Forget Melody Member Posts: 4 Member

    I only need one continuous pedal, please recommend the brand and model.TS or TRS?Polarity Switch or Switch and Half-Damper or No Polarity Switch?

  • Forget Melody
    Forget Melody Member Posts: 4 Member

    Finally, I bought Roland DP-10 and EV-5.

  • Mark Wesse
    Mark Wesse Member Posts: 43 Member
    edited April 2023

    What ended up with this...is quite a lot deeper than just simple piano stuff ie half pedalling.

    Ideally for live playing, more than just piano, it needs to be more flexible.

    It really needs to be able to provide keyswitching for non piano parts

    eg

    We have a particular song that uses the old east west Gold french horns

    During the play, it requires 3 sample states ie Forte legato, Staccato, Muted etc

    Along with this it requires the dynamics/brightness from soft to hard blown


    So for live work, you can't use your hands as you must be able to cover ideally, a 3 part.

    On old keyboards eg Ensoniq, they had 2 buttons for key switching near the mod wheel which gives 4 states..more than enough BUT

    If you take this analogy and use 2 button, it gives you the flexiblity and power and only needs extra harware programming on the s88


    KEYSWITCH MULTI STATE ON PEDALS:

    Pedal input 1 takes, Foot pedal 1 on T+S, Foot pedal 2 takes on R+S

    Pedal input 2 takes exp pedal as normal (speak later about this)

    Using a 2 pedal like a behringer FS112T, it allows 1, 2 or both switches to press at the same time. This yields 4 states

    Bur the s88 would have to have extra function added so that when eg the 2 are pressed simultaneously, a 3rd controller value is sent (after a button bounce scan) ie cc 64 Val 127 AND cc 66 VAL 127 = cc 67 VAL 127 etc

  • ToddlerTN
    ToddlerTN Member Posts: 16 Member
    edited April 2023

    You can do all you described and more with a device called MIDI Expression iO by Audiofront. It is a four-input USB pedal interface, and you can create all kinds of custom actions based on user-definable triggers, even double taps. I just ended up buying this and the Roland RPU-3, which gives me total control over everything and frees me from being dependent on what any particular keyboard or manufacturer supports now or in the future. If you really want to use pedals for multistate keyswitching, you can do that with the MIDI Expression iO.

  • Mark Wesse
    Mark Wesse Member Posts: 43 Member

    Thanks

    $154 for what should, in this day and age, be part of the kit.

    But

    If it works for you...does look good but yet another piece of gear to integrate...just trying to simplify. If was going to spend $150 Id probably go an MC8 I think do the whole deal :-)


    I was using BOME for a while which does the same but I do like the idea of it being hardwired...so over live trouble.

    Not available on the website atm

  • ToddlerTN
    ToddlerTN Member Posts: 16 Member

    MC8 is a different beast. The MIDI Expression iO even works with drum/hi-hat pedals and other input devices, and bring able to define events based on continuous controller cc value ranges and double taps and such just opens up all kinds of possibilities – even for DAW control. I agree this kind of thing could be built into MIDI keyboard controllers, but it just isn’t, so $150 to solve a problem forever regardless of whatever controller you’re using really isn’t that expensive in the long run. Best of luck to you.

  • Mark Wesse
    Mark Wesse Member Posts: 43 Member

    Yeah thanks for the heads up

    Im mainly a percussionist/guitarist so Im thinking of something a bit more flexible hence the mc8 as it does a lot more gesturing etc so if Im going to commit...then thats prob the go for me but I think what you suggested is a great keyboard solution

    The issue I have is really when doing other instruments on keys...eg French Horn...its pretty tough to do nicely live...just not enough hands hehe

  • TQ
    TQ Member Posts: 8 Member

    Just some info for the ones looking for a 3 pedal solution: The VFP 3/15 (branded as StudioLogic, but seems to be a Fatar) gives three configurable switches and works with the MK3 keyboard. One connector goes into the Sustain, the other into the Assign 1 plug, and the stereo cable needs to be set up as Tip switch / Ring switch in the MIDI setup of the keyboard (there are multiple pages per cable/plug, with one for the tip and one for the ring, and it's pretty self-explanatory). This was super simple, and worked immediately with Pianoteq 8. For the time being, I added another switch to Assign 2 to control the fourth pedal.

    Finally, for the half-pedaling, I also added an expression pedal (as this gives a continuous signal) and re-mapped it from CC1 to 64/sustain, as continuous controller, and it gives me the half-pedaling option in Pianoteq. I will probably upgrade to the Roland DP-10 for the half-pedal, as the expression pedal is pretty clunky, but I can confirm that the setup of the FFP 3 / 15 has been as simple as it gets. Getting that 3-pedal box with an additional half-pedal solution (Roland or Yamaha) seems to be a pretty good option for piano players. Naturally, a half-pedal solution by Fatar - that has the same form factor - or even a 4-pedal-box would be ideal, but my feet are not that picky...

  • ToddlerTN
    ToddlerTN Member Posts: 16 Member
    edited December 2023

    That’s cool to know the new Mk3 works with the VFP 3/15. I ordered the S88 Mk3 in October and I’m still waiting for it to be shipped, so I can’t confirm this, but I expect it to work natively with the Roland RPU-3 as well. One advantage of the Roland is all three pedals are fully continuous controllers, not switches, so you’ve got infinite flexibility and should be as close to a real grand piano experience as you can get. But the StudioLogic VFP 3/15 gives you two switched pedals and a continuous sustain for $60-70 less than the Roland, and that’s a great option too.

  • TQ
    TQ Member Posts: 8 Member

    Just a follow-up to the above: I got me a Roland DP10 for the half-pedaling, and now use it alongside the Fatar. I ran into a strange calibration issue with the Roland at first, where I could not calibrate the DP10 (and therefore did not get a continuous control signal across the Midi range). I solved this by calibrating that channel/cable with the expression pedal, and then plugging in the DP10 instead. Moved the expression pedal to another plug, and now I have all three (i.e. expression, Fatar, Roland) working happily together. This gives me a four pedal solution, with a continuous sustain (via the Roland) and a continuous expression pedal, plus three switches (via the Fatar). Which is pretty awesome. :-)

  • Jeremy_NI
    Jeremy_NI Customer Care Posts: 9,321 mod

    @TQ Thank you so much for sharing your experience. The Komplete Kontrol devs are looking into several issues with the MK3 and pedals, that's really useful info.

  • ToddlerTN
    ToddlerTN Member Posts: 16 Member

    How bizarre that you had to calibrate the input using a different pedal! You’d think something so basic would just work, but that’s good to know about.

  • Jeremy_NI
    Jeremy_NI Customer Care Posts: 9,321 mod

    @ToddlerTN @TQ I'm wondering if this is related to polarity. One of my colleagues could only make the Roland DP-10 work correctly by calbrating the other way around, meaning releasing the pedal when asked to press it down and vice versa. Luckily this is being looked into and hopefully we have something more straight forward in a near future.

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