Nord User Forum

Hi!

I want to share an idea with you and hope to get some feedback before i actually try it out.

I was thinking of modifing a pedal (maybe a simple sustainpedal) thats attached to the prog-up/down jack on the NS3. The modification would be that it sends a prog-up command when pressed down and a prog-down command when released. I think that will give back some of the missing latch/gate functionality...
In fact i think this would be more powerfull than the old function in NS2 because you can get access to a complete free set of 2 Slots - so you dont have to keep one instrument free.

Here are some questions that i think are relevant:

1) will the NS3 do rapid porgrammchanges without stuck notes or other problems?
2) how long will a latched chord be played when switching away from its program? can it be held at all with a (normal) suspedal? Dows it work with hold function of the synth section?
3) do you thinks its even possible to modify a suspedal for that?

What do you think? Any other thoughts?

Have a nice one!
Christoph

Schulti wrote:3) do you thinks its even possible to modify a suspedal for that?

I guess it depends on how much you're willing to mod the pedal and how much of an engineer you are. A dual footswitch functions has an on-off at the tip of the connector and another on-off at the ring. Neither a standard nor a half/continuous damper pedal does that. The standard damper pedal only has a single on-off, and doesn't even have the correct connector (tip only). The half damper pedal at least has the correct connector, but it it sending a varying signal over its travel, rather than an on-off at the bottom and another on-off toward the top.

I don't fully understand what you're trying to do, but to send Program Up and Program Down from a single pedal (one on depress and the other on release), I have an idea that might work. Get two of the typical square sustain pedals, but of the kind with a polarity reverse switch (normally open vs. normally closed, i.e. Roland/Yamaha style vs. everyone else style). Mount them right next to each other on a piece of plywood or whatever... just something to keep them in place so that you could put your foot down in the middle and operate the two of them simultaneously. Replace the 1/4" end of one of the two pedals with a 3-conductor (stereo, TRS) connector, taking the wire that was originally wired to the tip of the 2-conductor connector and instead wiring it to the ring of the 3-conductor connector. Plug both sustain pedals into a stereo 1/4" Y-cable to combine them (like a Hosa ypp-118), and plug that into the Nord's Program Up/Dn Pedal socket. Set one for one polarity and the other for the other. And don't blame me if something blows up. But at least in theory, I think this gives you something you can operate with one foot that sends one pedal function over the Tip and the other over the Ring (because of the rewire), one doing its thing when you depress and the other when you release (because the polarities are opposite, i.e. taking advantage of the backwards thing that happens when you use the "wrong" kind of sustain pedal, and find that it sustains when you release and stops sustaining when you depress). The idea is that it engages the Tip function when you depress, and the Ring function when you release (or vice versa). It might work. Or it might not.

I just use a Behringer AB200 with a effects insert jack lead with one TRS jack at one end and 2 TS jacks at the other it works fine!

How about toggling between Slot A and B? Slot Focus is MIDI CC 68. So if you use something like a Midi Solutions Foot Controller (https://www.thomann.de/gb/midi_solution ... gK6Q_D_BwE), Behringer fcb1010 or make an Arduino midi controller up, you could assign MIDI CC68 to a foot pedal.

Pressing the pedal would let you toggle from slot A to B, so you can quickly switch between two sounds with a pedal.

someclevername wrote:How about toggling between Slot A and B? Slot Focus is MIDI CC 68. So if you use something like a Midi Solutions Foot Controller (https://www.thomann.de/gb/midi_solution ... gK6Q_D_BwE), Behringer fcb1010 or make an Arduino midi controller up, you could assign MIDI CC68 to a foot pedal.

Pressing the pedal would let you toggle from slot A to B, so you can quickly switch between two sounds with a pedal.

I think it's simpler than that. If I understand correctly, you don't need the expense/size of an FCB1010 or the customization of an Arduino. Just get that MIDI Solutions box, and a plain simple sustain pedal. Program the MIDI Solutions box (using their own software) so that it sends out MIDI CC 68 when the pedal is depressed. Done, no?

anotherscott wrote:you don't need the expense/size of an FCB1010

The FCB1010 is cheaper than a midi solutions box!

someclevername wrote:The FCB1010 is cheaper than a midi solutions box!

Ah, that depends what country you're in. It's the other way around in the U.S.

(Though to be honest, at first glance I thought you meant somehow using both, as opposed to just the one, whoops!)

That's why I suggested using an arduino. Since an arduino and a project box would be WAAAY cheaper than either a midi solutions box or a FCB1010.