Pedalboards

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #20 on:** February 14, 2016, 12:58:35 PM »

Quote from: dslsynth on February 14, 2016, 12:45:57 PM

And yet there seems to be one such pedal board available! Its just heavy. And expensive! So free workout included in your perfect setup! ;-)

I am aware of one organ player here in the local jazz scene that bring his 250 kg Hammond organ to gigs. So it can be done! Your car may be driving on its back wheels only though.

Very funny! When the Hammond 25-note pedal board arrived, it came on an eighteen-wheeler trailer truck. I had to carry that 65-pound monster in a giant box up to a third-floor apartment on a sweltering July afternoon by myself. I realized very quickly that "portable" was not quite the case.

dslsynth · « **Reply #21 on:** February 14, 2016, 01:36:41 PM »

Quote from: Sacred Synthesis on February 14, 2016, 12:50:49 PM

Three stacked keyboards would be ideal, but because of the flat top panel design, it's too difficult to get at the top instrument.

Sounds like knobby module on the side plus keyboard controllers would work better for this kind of setup then. I mean then the keyboards can be closer to each other and hence you could have three stacked together.

Quote from: Sacred Synthesis on February 14, 2016, 12:58:35 PM

Very funny! When the Hammond 25-note pedal board arrived, it came on an eighteen-wheeler trailer truck. I had to carry that 65-pound monster in a giant box up to a third-floor apartment on a sweltering July afternoon by myself. I realized very quickly that "portable" was not quite the case.

I remember a story about one of the keyboard players on the local music scene who found an attractively priced Rhodes piano of some kind and basically could not play for weeks afterwards as he had to carry it several floors up more or less alone.

KMI do certainly have a point when it comes to affordable light weight controllers:
https://youtu.be/dFZd-YgCYKI?t=8m

Could be interesting if someone could convince KMI to do a full sized pedal controller for organ players. They use carbon fiber in most of their products so they are familiar with the technology. Only downside is that you would probably not want that many axes of control let alone a controller with keys that do not move very much. But the technology is there to make it happen. Light weight and all!

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2016, 01:41:05 PM »

This is not the style of music I had in mind, but it shows the musical power of a synthesist equipped with a pedalboard.

dslsynth · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2016, 02:00:48 PM »

Quote from: Sacred Synthesis on February 14, 2016, 01:41:05 PM

Looks like the type of pedal board you are after. Wonder if its that 32 model mentioned on the previous page? Nice classical piece btw!

On the product design front imagine a modular pedal board that could be split into three or four more compact units and then easily be assembled when needed. While carbon fiber will fit the bill I am sure glass fiber is more affordable and could do the job just as well. There are surely options for further product development in that field!

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #24 on:** February 14, 2016, 02:05:08 PM »

Yes, that's the proper size for a pedalboard.

I've actually thought about stacking pedalboards. Nah...too much of a good thing!

dslsynth · « **Reply #25 on:** February 14, 2016, 02:14:44 PM »

Without stepping too much into the mine field I simply think you should drop the portability requirement and go for such a pedal board. Its just what you are after and its only 2k euros or so. And they keys are not made of lead so not to worry!

Paul Dither · « **Reply #26 on:** February 14, 2016, 02:18:20 PM »

@Sacred Synthesis: I think my earlier post got lost a bit. Would you like me to check out the Nord pedals at a nearby store and figure out whether it works as a MIDI controller?

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #27 on:** February 14, 2016, 04:42:43 PM »

Paul, I hate to be a nuisance, but that would be a huge help to me. I simply want to connect the MIDI Out of the pedals to the MIDI In of the module - in this case, an Evolver Desktop. I've read something about it working only on channel 3 (on the Nord Forum), and also about a bug. On top of it, Sweetwater said that Nord said this cannot work. You'd think that would be my answer, but users say it does work. Great! I need to kill the rumors and get a final answer once and for all.

Paul, if you can get the magical answer to this question, I'll buy you a brand spanking new Prophet-6 Module...err...maybe...some day...maybe.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #28 on:** February 14, 2016, 04:58:48 PM »

Quote from: dslsynth on February 14, 2016, 02:14:44 PM

Without stepping too much into the mine field, I simply think you should drop the portability requirement and go for such a pedal board. Its just what you are after and its only 2k euros or so. And they keys are not made of lead so not to worry!

It may come to that, but I'm holding out hope a little longer. After being a working church organist for 25 years, being a studio musician was not what I had in mind.

Paul Dither · « **Reply #29 on:** February 14, 2016, 07:09:30 PM »

Quote from: Sacred Synthesis on February 14, 2016, 04:42:43 PM

Paul, I hate to be a nuisance, but that would be a huge help to me. I simply want to connect the MIDI Out of the pedals to the MIDI In of the module - in this case, an Evolver Desktop. I've read something about it working only on channel 3 (on the Nord Forum), and also about a bug. On top of it, Sweetwater said that Nord said this cannot work. You'd think that would be my answer, but users say it does work. Great! I need to kill the rumors and get a final answer once and for all.

Paul, if you can get the magical answer to this question, I'll buy you a brand spanking new Prophet-6 Module...err...maybe...some day...maybe.

I'll take a OB-6 instead if that's okay.

Seriously, it's no problem to try that out. I have a friend in that store and it shouldn't be a huge problem to do a test run with an external MIDI device. From what I've read in the specs I can't see why it shouldn't work, which is why I tend to trust the users you've cited more on that matter than Nord or Sweetwater. But we want to be on the safe side. I'm not entirely sure what day I'm going to try it out, but I let you know as soon as I got there.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #30 on:** February 14, 2016, 07:32:30 PM »

Thank you. No rush. And I'll make that an OB-6 Module...err...maybe.

Paul Dither · « **Reply #31 on:** February 28, 2016, 07:53:47 AM »

So yesterday I had the chance to check out the Nord Pedal Keys 27 for you. If your only concern is whether it works as a simple MIDI controller, I can assure you it does. I hooked it up to a Prophet-6 in the store and the pedal keys (including its volume pedal) worked immediately.

Also kudos to the guy who lifted this thing that was originally hanging on the wall…

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #32 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:08:24 AM »

Thanks so much, Paul. I'm shocked, because NORD said this wouldn't work!

Tell me, do you have any other information about this? Any catches? Is it as simple as MIDI Out from the pedals to MIDI In on the module?

So I'll be shipping you that OB-6 module...maybe.

Paul Dither · « **Reply #33 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:23:09 AM »

Quote from: Sacred Synthesis on February 28, 2016, 08:08:24 AM

Thanks so much, Paul. I'm shocked, because NORD said this wouldn't work!

Tell me, do you have any other information about this? Any catches? Is it as simple as MIDI Out from the pedals to MIDI In on the module?

So I'll be shipping you that OB-6 module...maybe.

Maybe Nord wants you to use only Nord products with it. And yes, it's just MIDI Out from the pedals to the MIDI In of whatever you'd like to hook it up to. I made sure to switch the Prophet to channel 3 since that was I believe the default of the Nord pedals.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #34 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:26:46 AM »

That's occurred to me, but at the outrageous price of $2,500, I would think Nord would be happy if I bought only a pedalboard!

Paul Dither · « **Reply #35 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:30:59 AM »

It's at least built like a tank.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #36 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:33:33 AM »

That's encouraging. It's almost the price of a tank.

Paul Dither · « **Reply #37 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:35:06 AM »

And you can hang it up your wall if you don't use it.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #38 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:45:52 AM »

Yes, that's a possibility. But we're also in dire need of a 27-item coat hanger by the front door. This pedalboard may be just perfect. Oh, the neighbors will be so impressed with our avant garde hanger.

Sacred Synthesis · « **Reply #39 on:** April 25, 2016, 10:48:34 PM »

Amazingly, this pipe organ has a pedalboard much like the Nord Pedal Keys 27: