What's the deal with the jumpy volume pedal?

[SkipEB3]

So, first off let me say that I'm a new convert to Casio. I'm a pro player, and have been for about 50 years. I've had a stable full of Kurzweils, Yamahas,

Korgs, Rolands, Generalmusics, Hammonds and so on. About a year ago I got a PX-160 just to have something simple & light (!) for a quick on-the-go piano, 

and I was just blown away. Seriously…still am by how good this thing plays & sounds.

 

Now I'm about to move on a PX-560, but this jerky VP thing bothers me. One of the main things I do live is piano & strings with the strings controlled with a VP. Has Casio gotten a handle on this problem yet?  Is it a question of using MIDI Expression vs MIDI Volume? Have they or are they considering an update to solve this problem?

 

And while we're at it, what about being able to use a Yamaha FC7 volume pedal? They might be the best VP made in terms of ruggedness, smoothness of operation, and a physical curve very much like a Hammond exp pedal. (Not to mention that I have about 6 of 'em…)  As long as Casio is trying to fix the VP problem, maybe they can make using a FC7 an option.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies…

-Skip

[Mike Martin]

As mentioned in the other thread there is a firmware update coming later this month to address volume pedal response.  The FC7 however is not compatible. 

[SkipEB3]

Thanks, Mike…appreciate it. I must've missed that in the other thread.

[Lanceg13]

My 560 is currently at Rev 1.15 and my VP is still jumpy. I've tried FOUR different manufacturer's pedals, configured and calibrated them all according to the book and Casio videos all to no avail. This is a real killer on the Casio  - I'm ready to give up on it. What can I do?

[Mike Martin]

3 hours ago, Lanceg13 said:

My 560 is currently at Rev 1.15 and my VP is still jumpy. I've tried FOUR different manufacturer's pedals, configured and calibrated them all according to the book and Casio videos all to no avail. This is a real killer on the Casio  - I'm ready to give up on it. What can I do?

 

I have 3 brands, no issues and I'm not aware of anyone reporting this since 1.15.   Just to rule out the obvious, what brand pedals are you using? 

[Lanceg13]

I have bought and tried M-Audio and Moog pedals. In addition,  I have also tried the "Y" brand with a couple of "Y" splitter cables inserted to swap the polarity. I also have kicking around an old Casio pedal from days gone by (90s maybe?), but I haven't tried it yet. They all behave basically the same. I configure per your instructions in your video.

 

Is it possible that something is electrically wrong with the unit? I also have trouble with the touch screen. The right hand nav buttons often take an extra tap, or just send me to where a nearby tap would have. Since this has been such a persistent issue, I have become very deliberate in where I touch and the unit seems to only bat .500 with respect to my taps at the right edge of the screen.

 

FYI, I got the unit from Amazon in November 2018.

[Lanceg13]

I have now tried the vintage Casio pedal. It is the smoothest of all - EXCEPT it works backwards. Toe down is off and heel down is full volume. Interesting. I should probably try using my polarity swapping y-cables with it.

[ilya19631]

On 3/18/2019 at 6:12 AM, Lanceg13 said:

I have now tried the vintage Casio pedal. It is the smoothest of all - EXCEPT it works backwards. Toe down is off and heel down is full volume. Interesting. I should probably try using my polarity swapping y-cables with it.

I'm not sure that this will help you, but you can:
1). Try switching min and max values for volume/expression parameters in Controller menu (like setting Min. Value to 127 and Max Value to 0)

or

2). Go to settings and use Exp. Pedal Callibration and when it asks you to move your pedal to highest/lowest positions - do it backwards...