Setting up a Volume pedal.

[Jason]

As I mentioned in another post, my only frustration with the Rev2 has been trying to get a volume pedal to work. I tried different polarity pedals, including the one that I use with the '08. With the '08, setting pedal to volume is a Global function, but this doesn't seem to be the case with the Rev2. No doubt, some musicians will prefer to set up the volume pedal functions independently for each patch- some for volume and some to control filter cutoff or something else. But to me, making the default for volume makes obvious sense. I didn't find this the case for any patches, nor could I get the expression pedal to work for volume. I went to the modulation matrix to route the pedal to control volume. The closest that I got was that if I set the amount to -128, it worked the opposite way: if the pedal was rocked back, it would be full on and then it would get quieter as I moved the pedal forward. But when I changed the amount to 128 (or anything else) it did not control volume effectively.

Now that I have dumped my '08 patch banks into the Rev2 and am attempting to control an '08 module with the Rev2, I noticed that when I use an expression pedal in the Rev2, it opens up the filter on the slave. After unplugging the pedal and MIDI cable, the filter remained cranked on the slave... even after the slave was powered off. This also happens when controlling a Tetra. In order to remove the offending brightness, I had to reattached the MIDI cable and pedal and then backed off the pedal... and then unplug the pedal.

If anyone has the expression successfully working to control volume, please give me the steps you used.

[Fuseball]

That's very interesting. I was trying to help another customer earlier with an expression pedal plugged into a Rev2. We couldn't get it to work either. I put it down to my inexperience with expression pedals but maybe there's a genuine problem with the way the Rev2 handles pedal input.

We were trying specifically to get it controlling cutoff, as it's an easy way to tell if it worked.

[Sacred Synthesis]

I hope this issue is soon resolved in an OS update, because it would be a serious handicap for some one whose hands and feet are busy at all times while playing.

[Fuseball]

It doesn't help that there's no examples explained in the manual for setting up an expression pedal and it's clearly a bit different to the P'08 configuration.  I'm sure it'll get resolved/explained/fixed soon.

[Jason]

After trying everything I could think of with the pedal issue, I finally broke down and asked customer service. They responded quickly- within a few hours. They're answer included: "The issue is relating to the Prophet REV2 transmitting MIDI CC 74 (brightness) when an expression pedal is connected to the pedal/CV port. In this case, the Prophet 08 receives MIDI 74 CC and this alters the filter cutoff parameter. I've added a note to our bug list to look into the best method for resolving the issue and it should be fixed in an upcoming update."

So it sounds like it should be fix and updated at some point. I'm glad to hear this, since I definitely didn't want to send mine back to be serviced!

Regarding controlling the Prophet REV2's output level with an expression pedal, they said that: "at the moment, you will need to assign the foot controller to modulate the amp envelope amount with a positive modulation amount. Next, you must set the physical amp envelope amount and velocity amp amount to zero."

If you are interested in the issue I'm having I will include it below:

I have dumped my '08 patch banks into the Rev2 and am attempting to control an '08 module with the Rev2. When I use an expression pedal in the Rev2, it opens up the filter on the slave. After unplugging the pedal and MIDI cable, the filter remains cranked on the slave... even after the slave was powered off in between. This also happens when controlling a Tetra. (In other words, even if I unplug the pedal, the '08 or Tetra patch is distorted with too much filter.) In order to remove the offending brightness and get the '08 and Tetra back to normal, I had to reattached the MIDI cable and pedal from a different keyboard controller and then back off the pedal... and then unplug the pedal. After doing that, the Rev2 can then control the '08 without altering the sound, as long as I don't plug the pedal back into the Rev2.

[Robot Heart]

Hey guys- FYI we've updated the OS and in addition to a few bug fixes we added a Global Menu option to make foot pedal assignment easy; it can now be setup the same way the Prophet '08 works. Grab the OS update here.
Cheers!

[Jason]

Wow! This is truly exceptional service. Please tell the appropriate individuals at the company that we really appreciate their work and your new amazing synthesizer.

[Jason]

This update completely fixed the Volume Pedal issues I was having, which I use to control the volume of both the Rev2 and a Prophet '08. I'm so impressed that they were able to fix these issues so quickly.