Connect 2 sustain pedals to the 5D

[milliways]

Hello,

I am struggling to find a good solution to connect two sustain pedals to my electro 5D at the same time that do exactly the same.
I almost exclusively use it for the piano sounds as a fast access piano without the need of a PC.
Most of the time I play it with a Kawai VPC1, but not always. The VPC1 has a tripple half damping pedal, which is fine with VSTs that can handle that, but as a midi controller for the electro it is unbearable to play as the electro can not handle half pedalling.

Right now I have a single pedal sitting at the electro and one at the VPC1.
The issue is that I constantly have to switch which one is plugged in.

Is there a way to use the control pedal input to connect a second sustain pedal?
Or can someone more tech savvy point me in a direction how I could accomplish that otherwise?
I guess I could buy a pedal to Midi converter and then a merger and whatnot and spend money on end on this, but somehow I hope there is a smarter solution I am not thinking of.

[maxpiano]

. The VPC1 has a tripple half damping pedal, which is fine with VSTs that can handle that, but as a midi controller for the electro it is unbearable to play as the electro can not handle half pedalling.

This is not true actually, NE6 can handle continuous MIDI CC64, of course it will manage it at sound generation but that’s a different story: you can use your VPC as master for the NE with no issues. Many people including some NUF members do that long time.

[milliways]

I do use it for that as well for quite some time. And I use a pedal plugged in to the NE5.
I do not say the pedal plugged into the VPC does not work at all and does not send Midi to the NE5. But (I assume) as it is a half damping pedal it acts not ideal on the NE5. Basically you have to press it down to the ground with force till it activates. Most simple on/off sustain pedals do have a way nicer point of activation.

Now I do not fully understand what is not true.
I do not want to give false information. I am only describing what my issue is as best as I can and ask for help to solve it.
Can you elaborate?

[maxpiano]

Also most switch pedals require you to press it fully to activate them, however an alternative could be (if you just want to play piano on VPC weighted keys and not do any dual keyboard playing using NE6 keys at the same time) to use the VPC1 just as alternate main NE keys, i.e having it transmitting on NE Global channel and still use the NE6 sustain pedal as you do when using the NE6 alone.

Another trick would be to create a specific preset in VPC1 to be used when playing the NE, in which you will assign CC64 to Soft (left) or Sostenuto (middle) pedal (which are on/off) instead of the right (standard/continuous) one, then use that pedal as Sustain for the NE6 (I'd prefer to use the Soft=leftmost, but ymmv)

PS: you may also want set the VPC1 to 2-sensor mode, for optimal playing with NE

[milliways]

Also most switch pedals require you to press it fully to activate them,

I currently use a Studiologic VFP1/25 and a Nektar NP-2. Both of which are way more natural to play compared to the Kawai Tripple Pedal when using the NE5. I do not know how to describe it really. Maybe it is a me thing. It just feels awful.

however an alternative could be (if you just want to play piano on VPC weighted keys and not do any dual keyboard playing using NE6 keys at the same time) to use the VPC1 just as alternate main NE keys, i.e having it transmitting on NE Global channel and still use the NE6 sustain pedal as you do when using the NE6 alone.

This is exactly what I am doing. And the reason I want to connect two sustain pedals to the NE5.

The electro is sitting next to my PC and I use it to play throughout the day for only minutes at a time to distract myself without leaving my chair.
Just a little turn to the left and there it is.
I use the above mentioned VFP1/25 when doing so.

The VPC1 is further away and I use it when I want to play with good keys for longer time.
I use the Nektar NP-2 connected with a extension cable to the NE5. This I do when I do not want my PC to be running.

What I am looking for is some sort of rather obscure piece of hardware that I could not find searching for hours.
Something like a little switch or Y-Cable that allows 2 (pedals) in and 1 out to connect both to the NE5.
I want to avoid unplugging and plugging in pedals constantly depending on where I want to play.

Another trick would be to create a specific preset in VPC1 to be used when playing the NE, in which you will assign CC64 to Soft (left) or Sostenuto (middle) pedal (which are on/off) instead of the right (standard/continuous) one, then use that pedal as Sustain for the NE6 (I'd prefer to use the Soft=leftmost, but ymmv)

That is a smart idea I have not thought of. Thank you. I might try this as a temporary solution.
But to be frank I would prefer to use the Kawai tripple pedal only when I want the full thing. VPC1 and Vienna Synchron Pianos.
That is when it works fine for me.

[maxpiano]

What I am looking for is some sort of rather obscure piece of hardware that I could not find searching for hours.
Something like a little switch or Y-Cable that allows 2 (pedals) in and 1 out to connect both to the NE5.
I want to avoid unplugging and plugging in pedals constantly depending on where I want to play.

If you use 2 switch pedals, there is no problem to connect them to the NE6 Sustain input with a Y cable (2 mono IN on 1 mono OUT), provided they are of the same (normally-closed or normally open) type.

[milliways]

If both pedals are normally closed, a Y cable does not work as the circuit remains closed by the other not-pressed pedal. In that case the pedals need to be put in series. We discussed this not long ago.
viewtopic.php?t=25734

[milliways]

If both pedals are normally closed, a Y cable does not work as the circuit remains closed by the other not-pressed pedal. In that case the pedals need to be put in series. We discussed this not long ago.
viewtopic.php?t=25734

This is the information i was looking for and could not find on my own.
Guess there is too much talk about sustain pedals and it evaded me.
I tried the Y-Cable and now I understand why it is not working.

Thank you so much.

[maxpiano]

If both pedals are normally closed, a Y cable does not work as the circuit remains closed by the other not-pressed pedal. In that case the pedals need to be put in series. We discussed this not long ago.
viewtopic.php?t=25734

Right! I keep forgetting
To make it work with normally closed pedals they should be in series (not in parallel as Y cable puts them)