Topic: volume and sustain pedals

[anon125]

Yamaha FC-5 Sustain Pedal
2 reviews....
 "The standard for volume control pedals!
By Roger Hewett on September 29, 2017
My favourite volume/expression pedal. Nice wide sweep for smooth effect.
A simple sustain pedal that has a good feel to it. A+
By Marcus Vasconcelos on August 14, 2015
…A simple sustain pedal that has a good feel to it."

FC7?
are all of these pedals just on/off or are they variable?
(sx900)
thanks all

[overover]

Hi anon125,

The FC7 is a so called "Expression Pedal" (variable range). It can be used for e.g. Volume control of particular Parts of the keyboard. I usually use it for the RIGHT 1 - 3 Parts only. Of course you can also control many other parameters with an FC7. Please refer to the Footpedal Function List in the Reference Manual of your instrument.

The FC5 is a simple, so called "momentary Switch". (Its electrical contact is normally closed, and opens only when the switch is pressed.) It can used as a simple "Sustain Pedal" or for all available Foot Pedal parameters that can be switched ON or OFF only.

The FC4 is technically the same as the FC5. The only difference is that the FC4 is designed like a PIANO Pedal.

The FC3 is also designed like a PIANO Pedal. The difference is that it is NOT a Switch but has built in a Potentiometer (= a variable electrical resistor). So, when the FC3 is used, you have more nuances for the Sustain Pedal ("Damper") effect when playing Piano sounds. BUT be aware: This will NOT work on PSR or Tyros models or the Genos, but ONLY on instruments (e.g. Digital Pianos) that have explicit the mentioned 'Half Pedal" feature. (The FC3 can be used also on PSR /Tyros / Genos, but on these models an FC3 will only work like an FC4/FC5 when used as a Sustain Pedal.)

Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Chris

[anon125]

Thanks Overover
Looks like the amazon reviews were from different products

Could the FC7 be used like the FC3?

[Toril S]

You need the f7, not the f3.

[overover]

Hi anon125,

look into the Owner's Manual of your SX900: At the end of the "Specifications" (page 119), in the section "Separately Sold Accessories" you will find the following:

Footswitch: FC4A (this is an updated version of the FC4), FC5
Foot controller: FC7


My recommendation for the Footswitch is the FC4A. You have to decide for yourself whether the (slightly cheaper) FC5 is enough for you. And you definitely need an FC7 Foot controller too.





P.S.
Genos and Tyros users normally have all three of these Pedals (FC4A + FC5 + FC7), but since PSR models have only two Foot Pedal jacks , you can connect only ONE of the Footswitches (if you want to have connected a FC7 Foot controller at the same time).


Best regards,
Chris

[EileenL]

I use two FC5 pedals to control all I want on my SX900. I don't have the need for a swell pedal and much prefer touch sensitivity.

[alanclare]

My layout is as below:

The FC5 is often given the task of stepping through the Register Sequence, the FC4 switches the Harmony/Arpeggio on and off in my startup settings, the AirTurn BT 106 enables hands-free page turning of the music displayed on the iPad Pro on the music rest.



I have an FC7, but apart from connecting it to make sure it worked I can't remember ever using it.

Alan

[anon125]

The FC7 is a so called "Expression Pedal" (variable range)
and the FC3 is variable, so i thought... it might make a variable sustain pedal

Thanks everyone

[mikf]

Sustain is not a variable function on these keyboards, regardless of which pedal you plug in so a simple switch like the FC5 works perfectly well, but the piano type FC4 just feels much better. The FC7 is ideal for all the pedal functions which are variable, like volume, pitch bend, etc ....
I have a CVP which has three piano pedals built in, I have the right one permanently set for sustain, the centre one for tempo tap in, and the left for style start/stop. On the CVP you can plug in a 4th pedal, and I have an FC7 plugged in and set for pitch bend on instruments like guitar, harmonica...
The tempo tap in and sustain are the two I use all the time, the others are only occasional. 
Mike

[anon125]

thanks everyone