Buying a pedal board

[Minstrel53]

Hello,
I've no room for a full sized organ here, but thought about the possibility of connecting a pedal board to my SX700.
1.Is this possible?
2.Any recommendations for a suitable pedal board?
I thought I'd write before wasting any money, and having googled, there's very little information on this topic, which may of course mean that it's not possible...
Thanks.

 

[TedS]

Yes I tried this with my old PSR-S910 and it worked great! What was really nice about it is that you could still play the keyboard normally if you wanted to. But if you DID play a pedal note, that note would control the bass pattern (which is the behavior I hoped for and expected.) This functionality dates all the way back to Yamaha's Electone home organs of the late 1970s-early '80s. Personally I used the Roland PK-5A, but I'm pretty sure that Ketron, Hammond, Fatar, or any pedalboard with a DIN MIDI connector would work.

The key is in the MIDI setup. There are a couple of screens in the Utility menu where you can designate specific MIDI channel(s) to control the chords and bass. You might have to do a bit of experimenting (and obviously be aware of what channel the pedals are transmitting on.) Other than ergonomic considerations, such as the pedalboard sliding around on the floor, a mid-range arranger workstation with pedalboard should be able to do everything an organ can, and more!! Good luck!

 

[Steve Bolander]

Yes I tried this with my old PSR-S910 and it worked great! What was really nice about it is that you could still play the keyboard normally if you wanted to. But if you DID play a pedal note, that note would control the bass pattern (which is the behavior I hoped for and expected.) This functionality dates all the way back to Yamaha's Electone home organs of the late 1970s-early '80s. Personally I used the Roland PK-5A, but I'm pretty sure that Ketron, Hammond, Fatar, or any pedalboard with a DIN MIDI connector would work.

The key is in the MIDI setup. There are a couple of screens in the Utility menu where you can designate specific MIDI channel(s) to control the chords and bass. You might have to do a bit of experimenting (and obviously be aware of what channel the pedals are transmitting on.) Other than ergonomic considerations, such as the pedalboard sliding around on the floor, a mid-range arranger workstation with pedalboard should be able to do everything an organ can, and more!! Good luck!

Wow, Ted. If that isn't the best answer to something I've also been wondering about, I don't know what is. Great response. Thank you.

 

[JH3]

Yes, you can connect a pedalboard. Before you go too far, think about what you want to achieve. Adding a pedalboard to a keyboard won't get you particularly close to an organ. In my mind it is the absence of stop or drawbar control that is the great barrier to putting together a credible organ with MIDI components. But that may not be what you want. If you do want to put together a compact organ with MIDI components, consider using a computer as the central component with the MIDI keyboards connected to the computer. There are a number of virtual organs available that can give you a highly faithful replica of a full organ.

If you want to experiment with this idea on the cheap, I humbly suggest my free download for PCs, the Miditzer Style 216 available from Miditzer.com. This is a virtual Wurlitzer Style 216 theatre pipe organ. You can get started just using the mouse to click the on-screen controls. Adding a keyboard connected by MIDI to the PC will allow you to actually play the organ. You can continue to use the mouse for things you can't control with MIDI.

 

[TedS]

Some of the better arranger keyboards have sliders that can be used like drawbars to customize tonewheel organ voices in real time. All of the mid-line arrangers have "registrations" which can be configured with various organ presets.

No matter what the original poster has to replicate essential parts of the physical interface: a minimum of one keyboard manual (preferably more), and a pedalboard.

The rest of it comes down to software. Even many "real" organs used by churches, etc., today are fully electronic and trigger ROM samples which are played through electronic amplifiers.

 

[Minstrel53]

Some of the better arranger keyboards have sliders that can be used like drawbars to customize tonewheel organ voices in real time. All of the mid-line arrangers have "registrations" which can be configured with various organ presets.

No matter what the original poster has to replicate essential parts of the physical interface: a minimum of one keyboard manual (preferably more), and a pedalboard.

The rest of it comes down to software. Even many "real" organs used by churches, etc., today are fully electronic and trigger ROM samples which are played through electronic amplifiers.

I now have a pedal board. It has 17 pedals, which'll do for what I need. I'm no great organist, but just like playing with pedals. A bit rusty now though.
FYI, on my Yamaha, if I go into midi settings, there are two pedal templates, pedal 1 and pedal 2. But you're not limited, as you can configure it exactly how you like it. For the moment, I'll settle for pedal 1, and if necessary, get someone with sight to tweak things.
Thanks for all help with this.