Sustain Pedal

[seqpro3]

Was wondering if anyone was using a sustain pedal with thier OBX8? I know there are iquarter inch inputs for volume and filter as well. I wasn’t sure if the sustain pedal had to be of a certain specific specifications for it to work correctly with the OBX8? Was also wonder what other pedals people might be using and if there were any certain manufacturers or models that would work the best with the OBX8. Thanks

[Analog Prophet]

I use a regular Yamaha sustain pedal, but as it is pretty much standard. But there are two types of polarity, not shure if it can be switched at the OB-X8 or not. To be sure get a sustain pedal with polarity switch (most of modern sustain pedals has it).

[agavephoto]

I have an old Roland sustain pedal that will sustain when I press it down: I can swap how the OB-X8 sees the pedal polarity by holding the pedal lever down when I power the OB-X8 on and keep it held until the OB-X8 has fully booted up. This then makes the pedal sustain when the lever is not held down and sustain ends when I press the pedal. A reboot with the pedal not held down will flip it back to normal. I'd suspect this works with other pedals, too.

[seqpro3]

Ii have a Yamaha cp 300 stage piano. I use it mostly for the Rhodes electric piano sounds. It has a sustain pedal . I haven’t tried it on the obx8 yet.

[seqpro3]

I remember those Roland sustain pedals I think if I’m correct they were a square shape maybe I’m remembering wrong. I know there were some that were real inexpensive and I think acted like a switch and weren’t really in the shape of a sustain pedal. Maybe what I’m remembering is something else that I thought was a sustain pedal . That was a long time ago when I worked at a guitar center the first time. This was probably around the time when the Roland D50 synth had come out.  What I remember is that those were like bare bones so to speak and were like five dollars and were like black plastic. Maybe that’s not the one you have.This must have been around the time I bought an OBXA
Used for $500 dollars from a studio I recorded at plus the sequencers and a Kenton box.  I think the kurzweil K250 was out as well and was like $19000 dollars or something to that effect. I remember the K250 I think had a 256 stage filter and might have been 12 bit samples. This was way before I had ever got my k2000 RS. The ram was 30 pin simms. Years before iPhones and iPads.
Strange thing was back then sample based digital keyboards started to dominate and analog synths
where being discarded in favor of the new trend.  I wish I had kept the OBXA although I’m not sure how it would have held up over time being that it was vintage and I had bought it used. I’m fortunate that I have the new OBX8. It’s like getting my old OBXA back  and some other oberhiem synths
All in one synth with modern improvements . It’s probably the closet I’ll ever get to having a OBXA again. The prices for a vintage OBXA are astronomical like an orginal Minimoog model D

[Analog Prophet]

I remember those Roland sustain pedals I think if I’m correct they were a square shape maybe I’m remembering wrong. I know there were some that were real inexpensive and I think acted like a switch and weren’t really in the shape of a sustain pedal. Maybe what I’m remembering is something else that I thought was a sustain pedal . That was a long time ago when I worked at a guitar center the first time. This was probably around the time when the Roland D50 synth had come out.  What I remember is that those were like bare bones so to speak and were like five dollars and were like black plastic. Maybe that’s not the one you have.

Well if spending $5000 or more on an instrument it’s probably appropriate to get a decent sustain pedal instead of those plastic square pedals. 

A sustain pedal is a switch. If it is a reversed type of pedal it’s easy to flip the cables in the connector (soldering) and it will be the opposite of what it was before.

But again, a pedal such M-Audio SP-2, Miditech MP-1 has polarity switch and are cost effective.

[seqpro3]

Between the MAUDIO and the MIDITECH which would you choose?  Is one of those pedals considered better than the other? I wouldn’t get one of those square inexpensive pedals. I just remember those that’s all.  I don’t know if they make those anymore.  I wonder if oberhiem recommends certain sustain pedals that work best with the obx8.  Thanks

[seqpro3]

I tried my Yamaha sustain pedal that came with my Yamaha CP300 Stage Piano on the OBX8 . It worked flawlessly. Didn’t have to do anything regarding polarity.  Always great when things work the first time and  there’s nothing to sort out.  I should try the filter and the arp input with the pedal as well. Thanks to everyone for thier input it’s appreciated. Makes a big difference in regards to performance. I don’t really miss the sustain pedal connected to the Yamaha CP300 since I usually don’t apply the sustain pedal when I use the Rhodes electric piano preset being the Rhodes has a sustaining
quality in and of itself especially if I use the Rhodes with a chorus or a phasor or the stereo tremolo.
Even a standard Rhodes preset with reverb and nothing else is enough.  Using a Rhodes electric piano
In a jazz context you want to be able to get that bite in the attack when you use syncopation .

[Analog Prophet]

Between the MAUDIO and the MIDITECH which would you choose?  Is one of those pedals considered better than the other? I wouldn’t get one of those square inexpensive pedals. I just remember those that’s all.  I don’t know if they make those anymore.  I wonder if oberhiem recommends certain sustain pedals that work best with the obx8.  Thanks

It’s just a pedal and functionally it’s 100 the same; off/on. I have no experience of MIDI Tech but of M-Audio and it does the work great. Just checked what pedal I have connected to the OB- 8 and it’s a Studiologic VFP1 with a polarity switch. To the filter I have a Moog EP-2 expression pedal connected, works great as well (but not that great to my Axiom MIDI keyboard when playing live with MainStage).

[seqpro3]

I thought about getting the Moog expression pedal. I use a Roland RE201 space echo pedal and it has inputs for an expression pedal. I’ve never had or used an expression pedal.  Do you find it greatly improves your ability in regards to performance since it can free your hands from turning knobs?
I guess an expression pedal can be used in multiple applications? I was never sure all the things it could be used for. I assume it can be used to control volume as well. Years ago I used to have a Morley volume pedal it had an optical photo cell I believe something like that  can’t remember im not so technical oriented.  I’m just a jazz piano player that likes synths. My Yamaha CP300 stage piano has inputs for a sustain pedal, a soft pedal and the middle pedal on a grand piano that is called an unacorda pedal.  The unacorda pedal shifts the position of how the hammers strike the strings on the piano striking only two strings instead of three. I never really use the unacorda on my grand piano.
I just use the soft pedal and the sustain pedal. My grand piano is 6ft 4 inches and is from the DDR
East Germany. It’s an august forester model 190.  Synths are so different than the piano. I don’t consider myself a synthsist. I’m just a jazz piano player that got into synths because of jazz fusion.
Appreciate your insight Thanks

[Analog Prophet]

I thought about getting the Moog expression pedal. I use a Roland RE201 space echo pedal and it has inputs for an expression pedal. I’ve never had or used an expression pedal.  Do you find it greatly improves your ability in regards to performance since it can free your hands from turning knobs?

I use the expression pedal for filter at the OB-X8 as it free my hands. And when plying organ, strings etc with my DAW I use it as volume that makes everything much more dynamic (and free my hands).