My perfect controller would include an input to receive a volume pedal controller to convert to midi CC data. Many keyboards I have don’t support that kind of input and only support sustain pedal input.
So I would like to know if it’s planned/possible to support one or more pedal controller inputs.
Hey @wavesequencer! Welcome to the forum!
We don’t have it as a priority.
We do have plans for adding a cv i/o element at some point.
I’m curious about how would you use it…
I apologise for piping up, but I was watching this thread because this feature would be a benefit for me.
However, that being said, to the OP:
When I was working on this problem with my rig (was using my Prophet as a controller and I could use a foot pedal with that, but I would want to leave the Prophet home sometimes) I found there are MIDI foot pedals, although handsomely priced. I could try to find my links to those if you wish. Some beautiful devices, tho.
What I ended up using is a MIDI Baby from Disaster Area Designs which allows the conversion from a standard Yamaha FC-7 (or any proper footpedal - I just like the FC-7 ruggedness) into any MIDI CC, which I feed into my data stream via BomeBox. I guess any merger would do.
Apologies if these suggestions are unwarranted or improper.
Thanks for the suggestions - I was also looking at alternatives such as ‘MIDI Solutions Pedal Controller Expression’ and https://beatbars.com/en/midi-expression-pedal.html or just the https://beatbars.com/en/expression-to-midi.html.
I have a couple of foot controllers including the FC-7, so reluctant to get another full pedal.
I would be using a custom yaeltex controller for synth plugins (especially attracted to adding multiple joystick controls) and often use smaller controller keyboards that don’t feature expression pedal inputs (I even have a 88 key controller that has no expression input - and even the one that does has no options to tune the data).
I designed/coded a synth plugin: www. hyperionsynth.com (on sale at Tracktion.com), and recently added vector controls for mixing and data manipulation… so tempted to get a hardware controller to control those virtual vector controls.
See: https://youtu.be/fmxsn2EskcQ
It would just be a much cleaner solution if we could plug FC-7 etc. into the Yaeltex controller (less dongles and cables is always good and more portable), even some CV inputs/outputs could be interesting to expand capabilities… maybe it would allow breath or accel/gyro controller to be fed in as a input.
I can see the modular world would be pretty keen on custom controllers with lots of CV out - not my thing, but might be nice to control my Behringer D with a couple of outputs.
1 Like
Yes, beatbars - that was it.
Those look lovely, but like you: already had the foot pedal and I’ve been using Yamaha foot pedals for so long and all.
Kudos on the plugin!
I’m sans-computer in my rig - focused on live performance (if that every happens again post pandemic).
As for ‘[fewer] dongles and cables’, I actually have most of my gear and bits and bobs attached to a shelf that resides in a rack case with my rackmount synths for portability. My MIDI Baby is stuck on the bottomside of the shelf and wires directly into a USB Hub (also attached) into a BomeBox (all on the shelf, along with a Kenton Thru and a 2port MIDI Interface for extra DIN connections for the BomeBox). The 1/4" plug for the FC-7 is completely accessible on the back of the case.
I love MIDI Solutions, but I tend to avoid their products as they use power from the MIDI data stream and I’m ignorant and superstitious on that. I figure the fewer products I use of theirs the better off I’ll be (fewer devices sucking up power when data thru put is priority), which is why I went with the Disaster Area.
Plus the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reference.
Totally understand the desire to use hardware synths for live performance - although my plugin is kind of geared towards that capability, with 16 layers that you can split and assign to different midi channels - it’s also potentially a ‘live-rig’ in a laptop (Mac preferably - Windows machines always trying to do updates when you least expect/want it).
Definitely good to put stuff into mobile racks for live - I’m just always on the lookout for the most ultra-portable system that I can ferry between my home and vacation home - space in the car is limited - I guess the alternative is 2 sets of everything like with most other household equipment 
I’ve been using the MIDI solutions merger to combine data from a wind controller - seems to work well, but is picky no doubt on some MIDI devices that don’t conform to MIDI power specs.
The 3 switch MIDI baby looks like a good option anyway - nice to be able to use 2 expression pedals - so may order.
A while back we did a project for a school teacher that wanted a “patcher” for sensors to work with their students easily and cheaply, We built him El Pulpo Benicio: . With it, he could then simply buy a regular 5v sensor, solder it to a 1/4 jack, a cable, and hot-plug it into the controller, etc.
I believe the first things we will bring to the framework in these lines are gonna be cv i/o and something like El pulpo on a small factor.
I designed/coded a synth plugin: www. hyperionsynth.com (on sale at Tracktion.com), and recently added vector controls for mixing and data manipulation… so tempted to get a hardware controller to control those virtual vector controls.
See: https://youtu.be/fmxsn2EskcQ
That’s awesome! I hope you get tempted enough and make an interface for it.
1 Like