Making a Midi Pedal Controller

Have you even been curious about a Midi foot controller? I have, but the cost, even for a used one is out of my price range. However, there are other options, for the low low price of $50 I was able to get the key mechanism from a Yamaha HS-7 electric piano. This lets me have the enjoyment of building of the foot controller myself with the hard part already done, and if I find out that I don’t actually like using a midi foot controller, the investment was minimal.
recklessexperimentationaudio.com

[@PrinceWesterburg]

Cracking project! I've wanted to do this for years but by soldering a home made board to an existing MIDI keyboard - your way is much easier than making a pedal board!

[@JeffMazza]

Someone wanted to know how to undertake this project. I searched for a video to share and to my surprise you used the pedals you got from me quite a while ago. Glad to see the finished product. Awesome job!!!

[@mechachoi]

You are absolutely insane, what an impressively involved build. Mad respect!!

[@TBoneProductionsVB]

A pretty easy addition would be a bar across the board about where the heel is while playing and give it some suspension and make that the sustain pedal. Likewise for the other pedal a bar suspended just over the toes that can be pressed by raising the toe end of the foot. With these mode you could sustain with the playing foot while on any key and then rock the foot even farther back while sustaining to pull up the wah bar over the foot.

[@ojc1968]

Very awesome.

[@drumbran]

Hey there , great content and work! Just wondering if you have recommendations for where someone should start if they are eager to learn all this stuff?

[@oneman49instruments]

you are a genius! I have to buy the made one, hehehe

[@matrixmirage2699]

I’m not much of an electronics wizard like you are but I am interested in building something similar. However I have a Korg Microkey with some broken keys on it and I was wondering if I could pull the rest of them off and wire some new switches (like arcade buttons) to the contacts to make a basic foot keyboard? Any advice? Thanks

[@Recklessexperimentationaudio]

I can probably help you with this,. If you are interested, use the contact form on my website and we can discuss this further. recklessexperimentationaudio.com

[@dominicdoesit_tv292]

Wow nice work! Are you an engineering or a hobbyist?

[@luisfloresgonzalez2337]

Would you say it would stand the speed and rough playing that walking bass need?

[@Recklessexperimentationaudio]

Absolutely it could, the main part of the frame is metal. It is actually quite heavy. I used solid wood for the rest of the structure. The hardboard parts are only to keep the electronics covered.

[@ALLAH_SUCK-MY]

¡¡¡ AWESOME!!!

[@Keyboardhugo]

Just watch your Video because my old Elka Midi Bass goes broken. New Midi Pedals are rare and very expensive 😥 My DMP 18 just has 18 Pedals. This Yamaha, you used has more👍

[@linblosune]

How does reducing the value of Resistors help in better Pedal keys contact performance?

[@Recklessexperimentationaudio]

It has been a minute but I believe that I increased the resistor values of the pull up resistors on the key matrix. This was done because the switch contacts are old and don't conduct very good anymore. So the higher resistance in the pull ups means less current needs to flow before the micro-controller notices.

[@linblosune]

@@Recklessexperimentationaudio Thank you.I get it now,sir.

How much would you take to send me one?? I would like to have it :)

[@denniseclipse]

How much to buy it?

[@jmemusic]

I'm just wondering if this pedal controller also supports Note velocity, for example: if you push the pedal harder, then it will be played louder and also the contrary: softer will play it lower. I have been looking for such projects, but it seems that this is difficult to implement

[@Recklessexperimentationaudio]

No, this pedal controller only has one switch per pedal. For velocity sensing, you need two switches per pedal set so that the one closes after the other as the pedal is pressed. Then you measure the time it takes for the second switch to close after the first, and calculate velocity from that. I defiantly would have done that had the pedal board I got supported it.

[@jmemusic]

@@Recklessexperimentationaudio Yes, I figured out what you said about the switches after having looked the video: "WOMinator MIDI bass pedals by Lee O'Donnell". That guy really did it. He had a pedal switch supporting it

[@jmemusic]

@@Recklessexperimentationaudio Anyway, you mentioned that the pedal doesn't support this. I have an Electone HS-8 and it indeed supports velocity, but it could be that this is programmed somewhere. My organ is still working and that's why it is supported.

[@jmemusic]

Ok, regarding the pedals you got. I was just looking the manual of my organ, the HS-8, which also contains information about the HS-7, and you are right. The HS-8 is the only one with initial and after touch on the pedals. The inferior models only have this on the upper and lower keyboards. So, I guess if I want to make it with this feature, I have to make sure that the original instrument supports this. So, I guess I could also get a defective HS-8 and leave try to repair mine, which has a small problem. Then use the pedals for this.

[@Keyboardhugo]

@@jmemusic I also watched this Video. It's great with USB Power and the switches.👍

[@LuisFlores-xr5bu]

Cool

[@wadevid]

why is this not a thing in the modern tech gear world?! I can't find anything that does this "well" on the market! ugh!

[@ScottJarreau]

😳😳😳😳😳😳

[@Gratiman]

¿And the source code?

[@Recklessexperimentationaudio]

Sure, use the contact form on my website and I will send you a copy. recklessexperimentationaudio.com/contact

[@Gratiman]

@@Recklessexperimentationaudio many thanks :D

[@gerrykeenan2585]

Think il just buy a set of midi pedals🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Dally_Sparkles]

this is why they are expensive