One Sustain Pedal... Multiple Keyboards Connected Via MIDI?

[austin4226]

Hey all,

I've got a Kurzweil SP6 and a Yamaha P90 connected via MIDI (OUT of the Yamaha, and IN to the Kurzweil). I have a sustain pedal connected to my Kurzweil, as this is my main board, and I would like it to control the sustain on both keyboards at all times. When both keyboards are on the same MIDI channel, it works for both, but in order to have the Yamaha play one program, and the Kurzweil play another program, I need them on different channels.

For example, I like my Yamaha to either be a KB3 or a synth, and my Kurzweil to be a grand piano, so I make the Yamaha transmit channel 1, set channel 1 to the KB3 on the Kurzweil, then I switch my Kurzweil to channel 2 and make it a grand piano. Once I do this, the pedal no longer sustains notes on the KB3 (the Yamaha).

Anyone aware of a setting that would make my pedal function simultaneously across MIDI channels? It's really annoying to have to switch to a second pedal, plus, it leaves me without sustain on one of the boards when I am playing with one hand on each.

Thanks!
Brandon

 

[delaware dave]

Hey all,

I've got a Kurzweil SP6 and a Yamaha P90 connected via MIDI (OUT of the Yamaha, and IN to the Kurzweil). I have a sustain pedal connected to my Kurzweil, as this is my main board, and I would like it to control the sustain on both keyboards at all times. When both keyboards are on the same MIDI channel, it works for both, but in order to have the Yamaha play one program, and the Kurzweil play another program, I need them on different channels.

For example, I like my Yamaha to either be a KB3 or a synth, and my Kurzweil to be a grand piano, so I make the Yamaha transmit channel 1, set channel 1 to the KB3 on the Kurzweil, then I switch my Kurzweil to channel 2 and make it a grand piano. Once I do this, the pedal no longer sustains notes on the KB3 (the Yamaha).

Anyone aware of a setting that would make my pedal function simultaneously across MIDI channels? It's really annoying to have to switch to a second pedal, plus, it leaves me without sustain on one of the boards when I am playing with one hand on each.

Thanks!
Brandon

are you sending sustain through midi? if so, why? you should be able to connect one sustain to two keyboards using a splitter, connecting the sustain pedal to a splitter and the two ends of the splitter into the sustain jacks of both keyboards. if you insist on sending sustain via midi ensure the kurz is set to what used to be called (back in the day) the 'omni' channel (receive on all channels). Kurz might call this the global channel, although i cant quite remember the terminology. the danger with this is that kurz will receive everything on all channels creating potentially other complications in your setup. the splitter seems to be the better choice to me.

splitter

 

[anotherscott]

it leaves me without sustain on one of the boards when I am playing with one hand on each.

OTOH, if you actually had one pedal controlling both, you'd have the opposite problem. You wouldn't be able to, for example, indefinitely sustain a pad on one keyboard while playing a two-handed part on the other, without having every note you're playing sustain indefinitely and probably turning into a mess.

My suggestion would be to place two sustain pedals immediately next to each other (say, attached to a thin piece of plywood to keep them in place), such that you could press the left one when you want one board to sustain, the right one when you want the other to sustain, and they'd be close enough so you could use one foot to press the two simultaneously when you want both to sustain. This probably works best with the cheap flat, square sustain pedals, but you should be able to do it with the ones that look like real damper pedals, too, but try to pick ones with narrow bases to facilitated getting them as close to each other as possible, if you can.

An advantage with the real damper pedal style is that some of those support half-damper operation (something both of your keyboards support). Related to that, note that Dave's suggestion of using a splitter to send the pedal signal to both keyboards won't work if you're trying to use half-damper operation on one or both of the keyboards.

 

[austin4226]

are you sending sustain through midi? if so, why? you should be able to connect one sustain to two keyboards using a splitter, connecting the sustain pedal to a splitter and the two ends of the splitter into the sustain jacks of both keyboards. if you insist on sending sustain via midi ensure the kurz is set to what used to be called (back in the day) the 'omni' channel (receive on all channels). Kurz might call this the global channel, although i cant quite remember the terminology. the danger with this is that kurz will receive everything on all channels creating potentially other complications in your setup. the splitter seems to be the better choice to me.

splitter

Hadn't considered the splitter. I tried it and it worked. Thanks!