Gang-

I'm been experiencing some weird things from my foot pedal for my digitech vocalist harmonizer. It seems that sometimes...not all the time...that the pedal will "activate or de-activate" the harmonizer if my foot gets close to the pedal.

Not stepping on it, mind you...

I can't seem to reproduce this effect with any consistency.

My hunch is that the pedal is likely in need of some repair...

Any ideas?

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Bill in Dayton

get another pedal and try it ..

I tried that...it doesn't happen...



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Bill in Dayton

great theres your answer.. problem solved

I'm curious how the proximity of my foot can effect the pedal...

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Bill in Dayton

Poltergeist !

Bill,

Yamaha uses a floating ground system, which can cause problems if you are using two foot pedals that have a grounded, metal frame and touch each other. This has been a problem for many years and was never addressed. Boss pedals, the type that locked together, were notorious for this problem.

Good Luck,

Gary

Gary, I was a Boss dealer for many years..and never heard of this problem..I would think that Bill's problem was a ground fault problem with him being the activist...

I use two independent footpedals, both made by Roland...

They are roughly one foot from each other...

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Bill in Dayton

Pedals are a deterent for my style of playing and arranger KB, finger pusing is more effiecient.....
Piano playing is another story which requires a sustain most times...

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-25-2010).]

Fran,

Learn to read schematic diagrams and then you'll understand. Additionally, there were posts here and on the at least two other Yamaha sites about the problem. And, if I recall, DNJ had the same problem when he was using pedals with his PSR-2000 several years ago. On some Boss pedals (I can't recall the exact model number) those that locked together with a slide track on the sides of the pedal, the connection was made using a 1/4-inch phono jack, which was connected directly to the front of the pedal. That jack grounded the pedal to the casing, which when locked together with another Boss pedal, essentially connected the two pedals ground connections together, thus creating a single ground connection. This caused a polarity conflict in Yamaha's PSR and Tyros series keyboards up to the Tyros2. I'm not sure if the problem was addressed with the T3 because I don't have a schematic for the T3, but I doubt if the pedal boards have been changed.

Bill,

I'm not quite sure how your pedal problem is being created, but I suspect it could be the pedal itself. Most pedal switches are nothing more than a leaf-switch, which if used extensively, can loose the tension in the leaf springs. The pedals are easy to disassemble and repairing them often requires nothing more than a gentle bending of the leaf-spring(s) to separate the contacts a bit. They only need to be separated by about 1/16 inch, which is about the distance set by the factory.

Hope this helps,

Gary

http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=57&ParentId=253
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=686&ParentId=253

So the apparent problem was with the Yamaha keyboards...

Yep! As far as I know Yamaha was the only manufacturer to use a floating ground system. Korg and Roland, from what I can remember, used a common ground system.

Gary

Good for you..! Now, back to the rest of the world.

BTW, you started using a sustain pedal, yet? Or have you just given up playing piano parts?

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 10-26-2010).]

NO need for any pedals for me incuding a sustain when I play a piano part "WITHIN" a style mix..."WITHIN" a style mix..."WITHIN" a style mix..."WITHIN" a style mix...
Piano is not one of my major sounds...
Piano can certainly be controlled with your playing style if you know how "WITHIN" a style mix on an arranger.... for solo Piano work its a different story and yes I will use one .....that's all I will say....

I too play styles and I find having/using a sustain pedal pretty vital.

I know that other players don't use them besides Donny, especially some who favor MIDI files, but I would like to hear more how this is done.

Donny-would you please elaborate on what exactly you mean and how you do this?

Seriously-I know you've been around along, long time and would like to hear more about this...

Thanks-

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Bill in Dayton

Bill I have listened to your songs and they are mostly piano driven to my ears...
here lies the differences between our styles of playing......too much to discuss with out demo playing examples to watch.

sorry gotta run to a gig now...
maybe sometime we can Skype video conference with our KB's & exchange playing ideas.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-27-2010).]

Makes one ask the question... Why NOT play much piano as lead (or accompaniment)? If this is a weak area of your technique, then offering advice (or at least proudly admitting the deficiency) about how to not use a sustain pedal is perhaps not the best help...

And if it isn't, why the conscious decision the miss out on the primary keyboard sound for the last 200 years? Or is it just a tacit admission that, without the extra notes, you CAN'T play decent piano parts on a 61? So might as well give it a wide berth and pretend it is an actual BENEFIT?

You said you play the piano part within a style mix...

Does that mean you double whatever the "style" provides in the way of a piano? Occasionally I may elect to follow the melody theme in an intro or ending, but not very often at all. Its too limiting for me. I never do it in the middle of the style's main sections. It sounds goofy to my ears.

I use piano as my main instrument 99% of the time. Full keyboard mode...play chords with both hands sometimes...other times, just my left and fill in with my right. Also like to add some bass notes for certain things. I'm a piano/kb player. If I get up there and play sax, guitar, trumpet, etc. over midi files or even styles...I'd feel uncomfortable with that.

I'll take "piano driven" as a compliment, lol...



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Bill in Dayton

dicki maybe you dont understand the concept yet of an arranger kb?...a Piano is only one sound in the mix big deal...if your a Piano driven player using full KB triggering there are some elements that a split KB player produces using RH chords/Lh leads & comps more efficiently.....dicki Ive been performing with arranger KB's since their inception, and many years on stage since I was 15 with Kb/synths well before...your condescending attitude to everything said on this forum is really getting old & ignored by most....please enjoy your G70's because your not fooling me or anyone here with most of your BS..
& don't worry I wont delete this one.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-27-2010).]

Bill,

Did you ever resolve your foot pedal problem?

Gary

Its kind of gone away, lol...

I thought it might have something to do with the pair of shoes I was wearing, but I've ruled that out as well...

I think...



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Bill in Dayton

LOL When I kick pedals, I cannot wear a left shoe and never have. My first recital (14) in front of a big crowd, I asked if I could take off my left shoe Funny stuff

LOL...

Lest anyone think I'm "kicking pedals" let me be perfectly clear..I AM NOT!!!

I have 2 pedals...Just two...One for sustain and one for the harmonizer. That's it...that's all I want...all that I can handle.

My Dad tried to show me the "heel-toe method" of playing a scale on a B3 with pedals and it was awful, lol...he made me take my shoes off and my feet slid all over the place...

You guys that really do kick pedals are freaks...



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Bill in Dayton

LOL...

Lest anyone think I'm "kicking pedals" let me be perfectly clear..I AM NOT!!!

I have 2 pedals...Just two...One for sustain and one for the harmonizer. That's it...that's all I want...all that I can handle.

My Dad tried to show me the "heel-toe method" of playing a scale on a B3 with pedals and it was awful, lol...he made me take my shoes off and my feet slid all over the place...

You guys that really do kick pedals are freaks...



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Bill in Dayton

http://www.shoes.com/Shopping/productdet...ph+Lauren&categ ory=M&cpckw=Polo+by+Ralph+Lauren+Men%27s+Roland+Shoes+%28Dark+Brown%29&CAWELAID=494063167

Try these Bill. Maybe they're compatible

Zuki,
I can't kick bass WITHOUT having my shoes on.
BTW I never use a sustain pedal either.

Tom

Why bother?.....let the auto bass do its job.

Hey, let the MP3 do its' job... Why play anything at ALL if you don't HAVE to?

Way I look at it is... it's keyboard. It not an arranger, it's not a WS, it's not a stage keyboard. It's JUST A KEYBOARD.

In which case, it ought to do EVERYTHING..!