Is a volume pedal necessary ?

[Deadkeys]

I generally use the knobs on each board to control volume... I played a friends real b3 at a gig and it had a volume control and it was way sensitive ....I put my foot on it like a gas pedal and when I hit the gas it was way loud....I guess Im just not used to it.
Do yall use volume pedals for you rigs, ??? For organ AND pianos or just organs?
James

[cgrafx]

the swell pedal on a B3 is actually a pretty integral part of playing a B3. It's what provides the dynamics and it also is what drives the level of distortion/overdrive as the volume increases.

You don't really need a volume pedal for piano, as it is inherently a dynamic instrument. the harder you press the keys the louder the sound. A real piano doesn't have a volume pedal (at least not in the traditional sense). It does have an una corda pedal (or soft pedal), which shifts the hammer mechanism for a softer, altered tone, but the "soft pedal" is mostly not used by the larger majority of players.

[cphollis]

I generally use the knobs on each board to control volume... I played a friends real b3 at a gig and it had a volume control and it was way sensitive ....I put my foot on it like a gas pedal and when I hit the gas it was way loud....I guess Im just not used to it.
Do yall use volume pedals for you rigs, ??? For organ AND pianos or just organs?
James

What @cgrafx said ... the swell pedal is a key part of playing B3 sounds. For most other sounds (piano, synths, samples, etc.) I rely on keyboard velocity to set levels, only occasionally reaching for a fader or knob.

On the Stage, you can get some great effects -- like playing acoustic piano on verses, and having the organ swell up behind for the chorus.