Roland Forums

can anyone help me?

i need to find out if i can use a sustain pedal as kick trigger, i have a roland spd-6 and i can. i have a loan of a spd-s unit for my local music store and I cant set it up. on the manual it states that you can use a sustain pedal but does not say how to set it up

Please help


thanking you in advance
Brian

Which sustain pedal do you have? is it the Roland DP-2?

Hi and thanks for your reply, i have a bespeco sustain pedal and a boss FS-5U/-5L which i cant get working with the spd-s

thanks for any help
B

Up to two external footswitches (We recommend Boss FS-5U / FS-6/DP-2) can be used to control various functions in the SPD-S.

Use the following steps to choose a desired function for a footswitch:

1. Press PATCH so it's lit.

2. Press SETUP.

3. Press PAGE right to choose CONTROL SW.

4. Press ENTER.

5. Press the footswitch that's connected to the FOOT SW input of the SPD-S, - the red FOOT SW indicator will be flashing.

6. Press the + or - to choose the desired function:
OFF
PATCH +
PATCH -
WAVE SW
EFCTS SW (Effects Switch)
REC-REH (record/rehersal)
TAP TEMPO
SOUND OFF

7. When finished, press EXIT. The setting is stored automatically.

For more information on the functions of the footswitch please refer to page 79 of the SPDS owner’s manual.

thank you i will give it a go, im away for a week so ill post a reply next week when i give it a go
thanks again for your help
regards
Brian

My guess, and from what I can gather from reading the pdf manual, I would say no.
The trigger inputs are designed for actual pads, these will general a small voltage when hit, where as a footswitch will not.
The foot-switch inputs on the SDS have dedicated functions as already listed.

The SPD-6 foot-switch inputs are different as in they have been utilised specifically for kick trigger, and open/closed hi-hat functions.

This is correct. A footswitch can not be used to activate a bass drum sound and can only be used to switch between the functiosn listed above.

hi all thanks again for your help, i think ill try some other spd unit, looking for one that i can use the sustain pedal as a kick

have a good christmas all

Hello everyone,
I am trying to trigger a sound from the spd-s using a ddrum trigger pluggeg into the foot switch pedal input. But it does not seem to work, unless I am missing something.
Thanks for your help.

Into the foot switch inputs you say...

Try plugging the 'trigger' into the 'trigger' inputs.
The Foot switch inputs are designed for sustain type pedals, see message #3.

It is worth pointing out that you may need to get a TRS 1/4" (stereo) jack to 2 X jack sockets (with seperate left/right connections). This will allow you to access the 2 separate trigger inputs.
Perhaps you did try the correct socket, but it didn't work as perhaps you used a TRS lead and the SPD couldn't 'see' the correct connection.

To 'stickboywood' - I don't think any other SPD unit offers sustain pedal inputs, only the SPD-6 did.
You could get a kick pad, and kick pedal. This would give a better feel, and offer velocity sensitivity.
The SPD-6 would have a fixed kick value (I'm guessing @ 64).

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I already use the trigger input with a stereo ddrum trigger that sits on my snare drum. But I asked this question because I read on another forum that the SPD-S has actually 4 trigger inputs, 2 on the "trigger" input and another 2 that can be used on the "foot switch" input, but with no velocity control. This is what I am trying to do.

Then the information on the other forum is incorrect.
The foot switch inputs functions are listed in message 3.


If you are looking for extra inputs I think the only way would be to a trigger-to-MIDI interface. Something like the TMC-6. Even then I'm not sure it will be a seperate trigger source, I think it will only trigger a note assigned to a pad on the SPD-S.

The stereo trigger on the snare: Rim & head?
Could the rim sensor be sacrificed?

Well, I think loosing the rim is probably the best option then.
Thank you very much for your help with this.

S-E-A To 'stickboywood' - I don't think any other SPD unit offers sustain pedal inputs, only the SPD-6 did.
You could get a kick pad, and kick pedal. This would give a better feel, and offer velocity sensitivity.
The SPD-6 would have a fixed kick value (I'm guessing @ 64).

thanks for your response, sorry for not replying i was away doing some gigs. i use the sustain pedal as its tidy and small for my set up, i use it in a percussion set up. thanks again, if i find another way i will let you know for future reference, im hoping to get a pedal made that will be compact as a sustain pedal and work with other SPD units. have a nice weekend

B

Despite the impression given in this thread, a foot switch (or two) such as an FS-5U can be used in the footswitch input of an SPD-S to sound a sample (with set volume).

The foot switch ... can be used for producing a sound ... (SPD-S manual, Page 17)

Only Wave A can be assigned to the foot switch. (SPD-S manual, Page 34)

Volume variation cannot be activated with a foot switch. (SPD-S manual, Page 36)

Bruce

Well it took over 6 months but...

Bruce is on the money, the info doesn't 'leap of the page', but sure enough it appears you can use a footswitch after all.
My apologises if it has mislead anyone, it wasn't intentional.