He might mean two things by 'volume', and both of them add up to 'I'm no help'. (Well at least he was up to cancelling the deal !) Let's not discuss him further.
What I'm going to say next involves a whole lot of links, so you might find it an easier read if you open up a new window for your browser, or a new tab, so you can flick between this page and the new tab or new window, which you keep for the links. Easier than forward/back buttoning.
A 'volume pedal' or an 'expression pedal' are two different names for the same thing. And you can tell if you are looking at one by studying the plug that comes out of it. If it's what's called a 'TRS' plug, there are 3 shiny metal bits at the end, separated by two insulators of black plastic. 3 shiny bits = TRS = volume/expression pedal.
And as mentioned before about the Roland FP10, a volume pedal, 3 shiny bits (zoom up on it and have a look), it deals in volts, real world. Your Williams keyboard doesn't have a plug for this. It has MIDI instead. Numbers. Needs a translator from volts to MIDI numbers. That's what the Pedal Controller is for.
Now, your keyboard has (should have had) a VERY capable pedal assembly. That should mean it handles what's called 'half pedal'. Have you ever had a real piano? You probably used its pedal as an on-off contraption, stomp the pedal you get Sustain, lift foot and there's none. But you can operate the pedal IN BETWEEN stomp and lift
to CONTROL THE AMOUNT of Sustain you get. Adds to the shades of expression open to you, plenty.
So, choosing the FP10 was aimed straight at that, and the Pedal Controller HAD to follow. But now you know that ANY pedal with a TRS plug will be a volume/expression pedal, so you're a smarter shopper just like that. Sweetwater's no good. Where do you go from here?
ASHBY SOLUTIONS. Run down to the MidiSolutions Pedal Controller. I'll quote from it -
Adds a continuous controller input to a keyboard that doesn't have one, like many digital pianos, or the Voce V5. The response curve (taper) of the pedal can be adjusted to give a more even response, and the device works with both Roland and Yamaha plug configurations, figuring out which one you're using at power-up!
- and the quiet nasty there is a MAJOR nuisance with pedals, which can apparently be fixed just by the Pedal Controller itself - I hadn't known that!
Here's the nasty. Electricity has two directions, positive and negative. Keyboard and pedal makers have NO standardisation on which - and that will include Williams. This situation leaves shoppers pretty much buying one brand of pedal with nothing but hope for the best as the prospect. 50% of the time the buy will be wrong. Now modern pianos can be built to sense the pedal you happen to have... but I wouldn't count on it with Williams. Plus by and large the pedals which come with switches to flip the volts over aren't TRS.
But with this Pedal Controller it looks as though the nasty is beat. You can buy any TRS pedal, confident.
Run further down the page to see the Deal Plans they offer. Pedal Controller is $125 for the unit, with 2 increments of $15 for their 1-year, 2-year Programming arrangements.
All up, Ashby Solutions looks damn useful. Read what they have to say on their -
HOME PAGE
- where they look made for you. Get on their CONTACT US tab and see.
And if that is still No Go, Midi Solutions itself, a Canadian company, looks as if it will play ball also, programming their Pedal Controller for $20, let alone selling it.
Let's see how that all goes!
Last edited by custral (12-12-2013 05:09)
