Footswitch to change patches

[Anirudh Murthy]

I have a Yamaha PSR S670 keyboard. I wanted to use a foot pedal to change patches stored in the registration memory as i am playing with both hands throughout the songs. How can i accomplish this? Am i suppose to get a specific footswitch or use midi to do so?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

If I'm not mistaken, the keyboard must have a foot controller function that lets you select this as an option. I don't know whether the PSR-S670 has that. The Owner's Manual and Reference Manual should tell you what types of foot controllers the PSR-S670 can use, as well as what they can be used to control.

EDIT: I'm looking at the manuals right now, and the information about what can be controlled with the foot controllers is given on pages 80 - 82 of the Reference Manual. There is no setting available for choosing the next or previous Registration with either of the two foot controllers. The only thing that might be able to do something a bit similar is the setting for choosing the next or previous OTS. If I'm not mistaken, you can have four different OTS setups per style. That's not the same thing as being able to go to the next or previous Registration, but it might be helpful if what you're needing to do is advance from one voice setup to another without using your hands.

 

[Anirudh Murthy]

If I'm not mistaken, the keyboard must have a foot controller function that lets you select this as an option. I don't know whether the PSR-S670 has that. The Owner's Manual and Reference Manual should tell you what types of foot controllers the PSR-S670 can use, as well as what they can be used to control.

Hey thanks for answering. The keyboard doesn't have any options to change patch via foot controller. Can I use midi to change patches?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yes, you can send MIDI messages to the keyboard to select the voices, effects, and other individual settings that you want to use.

Before I go into any details, it would be helpful to know if you're wanting to send the messages via computer (which includes a laptop or tablet, and possibly also a smart phone), or whether you're hoping to use another solution such as a MIDI controller of some sort.

Also, if by chance you're thinking of using a computer, is there a particular DAW or other program that you'll be using to send the MIDI data?

 

[Anirudh Murthy]

I was thinking of using a computer for these messages and i haven't thought of any particular DAW. Could you please guide me?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Choosing a DAW can be a complex and highly personal process, depending on various technical considerations as well as how well you respond to the DAW's menu structure, screen layout, color scheme, etc.

Fortunately, there are free DAWs available, as well as free trials for most commercial DAWs, so you should be able to try out a given DAW to see if it's to your liking and meets all of your needs and wants.

Which computer operating system do you use?

 

[Anirudh Murthy]

I use Windows 10 and I have used Reaper for sometime before and I am familiar with it. Will it be able to fulfill the task?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yes, REAPER should be able to send the necessary MIDI messages to the keyboard. I have a license for REAPER, but haven't sat down to really learn it yet since I have a number of other DAWs as well. I'll fiddle with REAPER later tonight and see if I can take some screenshots for you.

You'll also need to go into your PSR-S670's MIDI Receive settings to tell your keyboard which incoming MIDI channels you want to associate with which keyboard parts, as well as which types of MIDI messages you'd like it to accept-- so if you aren't already familiar with that procedure, you should review it in the PSR-S670 Reference Manual.