We have here a korg padkontrol...

front and rear

​

on the back is a jack where an external pedal control can be connected...

the problem, this jack only sends an on/off signal, with no velocity information...

makes sense for a controller meant for drums eh ?


So.. is there some midi converter that can be added between the pedal and
the jack so that velocity info can be transmitted to the drum software in a daw? ( for example )

How would this work ? I saw there is an alesis midi converter that ( conceivably ) could do this...
but the explanation was sketchy...

if no one knows, next step will likely be an e-drum kit...

thanks in advance ...

 

Hi,
you can do it without your padkontrol ...

Use an arduino or clone to realise it. It is cheap and easy.

You need an arduino board, a midi OUT connector and some Keys witch sends note and velocity.
Some cables and a soldering iron. 10k and 220 Ohm resistors.

Try it and have fun ...

 

If you set the "sw type/momentary" switch to momentary *and* use a momentary (not toggle-type) footswitch, you should not need any converter at all. You can even set a fixed velocity for the midi note that is sent. It's all described in the (also downloadable pdf) manual.
Other than that, an e-drum module has velocity-sensitive inputs that you can connect real drum pads to, while the footswitch/pedal input is just what it says: An input for a switch.

BTW, a midi note-on message always includes velocity, otherwise it wouldn't be valid.

 

@Masipulami not very electronically inclined.. but maybe worth a go..
I did see something about the arduino when I was looking into this issue

 

@fiction ok then.. ya got me there...I meant it does not allow variable velocity..
you are a smart guy.. you didn't get my meaning I suppose...tho I did say on/off... meaning off at 0 and on at 127..
or am I not correct in my statement ?

... and I have to admit I have no idea at what you mean about the

or how to implement it

 

----dont think you can with this jack / in

----you could use standard expression pedal (1) with converter pedal-->usb
(i havent tried it nor do i know someone who did)
1- http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=Volume+Pedals&sb=popular&pn=all
2- http://www.tecontrol.se/products/usb-midi-pedal-controller

---- if you just need a controllers knobs (not a pedal)

go cheap with a midi portable controller with the features you need --- for less than $100 -- there's plenty like korg nanocontrol2 or akai midiMIX
it really depends what you need.

My opinion is to buy a new affordable controller gear , cheap but with the features you need,
it will cost you less than trying to fit something throught that jack !!!

 

Hi Durr! I think what user fiction meant is what is described on page 22/23 in this PDF:
http://i.korg.com/uploads/Support/KPC1_OM_EFG3_633656794177560000.pdf

so it looks like with the padKONTROL (when did Korg adopt the NI-"K instead of C"-thing?) you can set up the pedal as to when it sends NoteON/OFF-events and what velocity should be conveyed when it's being triggered.

 

@suefreeman .. it would be middle ware.. possibly connecting to midi in of a usb interface.. I want to retain the function
of the pads.. which is fine and good, but have a pedal to do the kick drum... since it's a a bit of a joke trying to do a rock beat
with my fingers only... yes I have tried programming.. and it sounds like sh*t...

@BBSiteUser I suppose that's a solution.. but still a static velocity...the variability
is what gives midi drums the only human element imho..
tho it may not matter as much on the kick..

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 8, 2016

1st half --- blablabla 2nd half interesting diy but still no velocity ...
if you can assign key number to your jack in instead of controller 64

 

Ahoi Durr! yeah, unfortunately strictly static still, though, velocity on a kick makes quite the difference in terms of what the VSTi uses as the base sample (Kontakt, EZDrummer ... they all have many many layers of recorded kicks, using the one matching the velocity info closest). So here's what I would do: shove in the MIDI-kick-data at a tame velo (let's say 64 on a scale of 0-127) and then "ride" the velocity-values by hardware.

That may sound easier said than done, but I have a little Audient-interface with a huge knob, that let's me do exactly that very comfortably. Of course, any assignable knob on any midi controller will do just the same

 

Well, first the easy part:
There are three types of footswitches:
A) Interrupts the contact as long as you press it (momentary)
B) Activates the contact as long as you press it (momentary)
C) Toggle type: press once to activate contact, press again to interrupt contact

Like the buttons on your radio: Power switch is toggle, station buttons are momentary-B.

The not-so-easy part is that there are two types of midi note-off messages:
1) Note-off
2) Note-on with velocity=0
Both should have the same effect, but in reality only one might be compatible with the drum sampler or whatever you control.

Anyway, if you have the right footswitch you should be able to use it as a fixed-velocity kick drum pedal with the padkontrol.

 

@BBSiteUser ... sounds a bit trippy and extreme.. but so crazy it just might work !!
( no offense m8 )


@fiction... the whole question is about a workaround to avoid a fixed velocity, or are you saying you think this is impossible ?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 8, 2016

absolutely none taken, my friend! and yes: it's crazy work, but if you are a wee bit like me, then you know that a single snare-hit can cost you your night's sleep when it's not exactly as you imagine it to be my MIDI-drums paradigm is as follows: once i have the initial pattern in the MIDI-editor, I try the "humanizing" features of the respective DAW. This give's me a basis of a "natural" groove in terms of rhythm.

yeah, and then I take the crazyness to its limits and sometimes edit manually throughout the drums to tweak a myriad of notes in terms of dynamics or accents (rolls, syncopations etc). That might take sometimes days and it's where I go from your "so crazy" to "batshit crazy" ... BUT! I am regaled with friends who are world-class drummers (musicians in general) and even they have to admit that they can't tell whether it was Vinnie Collaiuta or Superior Drummer

Good luck in your further MIDI-endeavors!

 

Alesis D4 or DM5 or similar, that would give you 12 velocity sensitive inputs.

 

Impossible.
A footswitch is just an on/off switch, you cannot magically create any velocity levels out of it.
Drum pads have a (piezo) microphone built in, and the trigger inputs of drum modules like Alesis D4/D5/DM10 or Yamaha DTX etc etc are all analog inputs, while the pedal input of your Korg is a digital input that can only detect on or off.
Got it?

 

@fiction...got it.... ok thanks korg for putting a fairly useless feature on an otherwise nice little kontroller.. pheww


are there any desktop controllers you could use a foot switch/pedal as the means
to trigger a kick drum with variable velocity ? ( as the pads do ) or.. is it back to
trying to bang out the kick after everything else.. or getting the e kit.. mo money mo money.. mo...