Other Accessories for Keyboards

I purchased this thing originally to be used as an expression pedal. It is supposed to be a stereo volume pedal and a dual expression pedal. What I don't like about it is the expression pedal option is virtually useless. The main issue is the volume "jumps" from 0 to around 25 before continuing up, thus making it useless for "swells" or control of any parameter. I have tried this on my computer audio programs, hardware synths and even my KORG TR and my KORG X5DR. The problem persists on all of them. What I do like is that it has a nice metal chassis and stereo audio inputs. I have read that some people think there is signal degradation from this unit but I have not noticed any myself. There is also a feature that lets you adjust the range of the pedal with a little knob on the right and also a physical screw option that does the same thing. I don't really use either option but they are neat features none the less. I paid around $90 for this unit used, it goes around $125 new. Had the expression option worked, it would be worth every penny, but if you are just looking for a stereo volume pedal, I would spend my money on a stereo Ernie Ball pedal. Same concept but less money. As I mentioned earlier, I have read a review before that stated there was some signal degradation but I haven't noticed. It sounds clean and clear to me. I own an Ernie Ball mono volume pedal. They are pretty much the same quality in my opinion. No, I wouldn't buy this one again. The fact that the expression option is useless, even on other KORG products, I do not recommend this pedal. The volume pedal option works fine but there is no reason to pass up a stereo Ernie ball pedal for $20 less.

The Yamaha FC4 is a sustain foot pedal that comes with a 6’ cable. It will be perfect for your Yamaha or Roland keyboards. It is very affordable and cost less then 30 dollars. The pedal works well , the pedal is very responsive and it will give you good control. Most keyboards don’t come with pedals anymore because most of everything has went digital so there was no need for a pedal. But some of us still play a keyboard the way it was normally intended to be used. So if you need a pedal then the FC4 is the perfect one, unless you have a lot more money to invest in a different one. The FC4 will work with any keyboard that you have that has a pedal input ¼ slot. I have used it on 4 different keyboards and I don’t think that I have seen a keyboard that didn’t have the ¼ input for a foot switch or pedal. The Yamaha FC4 has a natural and smooth feel to it. I have used a lot of pedals over the years and a lot of them are better than the FC4 but none of them are around the price of the FC4. If you are in need of a pedal this is the one you need to get because you can afford it on any budget. I mainly use the FC4 with my Fantom 61 by Roland. I thought that I was going to need an expensive pedal for the Fantom being that it is an expensive keyboard. But after my budget was shot, I had no choice but to get a pedal that I could afford at the time and the FC4 was just that. It is well built and will hold up great under the pressure of your foot! It is a must have for any home keyboard player, or someone who wants to get into learning to play with a pedal. It is one the best 30 dollar investments I have ever made!

The Yamaha FC-5 is a simple sustain pedal for use with any sort of keyboard or MIDI controller. I've used the FC-5 with a few different keyboards out there, as it will work with any keyboard that has a 1/4 inch output for sustain (which includes just about every keyboard ever made). I've used the sustain pedal with the M-Audio 49e Keystation MIDI controller as well as with a the smaller M-Audio Oxygen 8. Let me start by saying that this isn't the ideal sustain pedal in terms of its size, as I would always rather have a full pedal. However, when I'm using a smaller MIDI controller it is easy to bring this sustain pedal along since it is a lot smaller. It is also much cheaper than a traditional sustain pedal. Beyond its small size, I've found the FC-5 to be a perfectly good sustain pedal. It gets the job done when I want to use it, and in the five or six years that I have had it, I've never had anything break or anything like that. The cable is long enough to reach wherever I need it to, but isn't too long where it takes up a lot of space. Really, my only complaint about the Yamaha FC-5 is how small it is and that sometimes while I'm playing if I don't have it right near my feet, it can be a bit hard to locate. However, since I know this I will generally keep it right under my foot to keep it in place. If you're playing keyboards a lot and use sustain a lot, I'd probably recommend just spending a few extra bucks to get a full size one, but if you need something a bit more portable and cheaper, the Yamaha FC-5 is a pretty good choice for a sustain pedal of this size.