Foot Pedal to Trigger Samples?

[Jesse1975]

Hello,
I think this topic's been discussed before, but I'm wondering if there's a way to trigger samples from my Nord Electro 5D with a foot pedal? When playing live, there's some songs where I have my keyboard split (organ and strings for example) and both my hands are busy, but I'd like to trigger a one shot sample (already loaded onto my Nord) with my foot. I think this is possible with a Behringer FCB1010? But I'm not sure if I'd need a second keyboard or a midi controller to do this?
Does anyone have any experience with this or Ideas?
Thanks in advance!

[FZiegler]

I'm not at all experienced in using the FCB1010 - but it should absolutely be doable. The FCB101 allows to send

• 5 PC commands
• 2 controller
• 2 expression pedals
• 1 note

The latter is what you need. You directly connect the FCB1010 to MIDI-in on your Nord. I'd set the MIDI channel to the value of the Nord's Channel Global.

BTW, I'd call the FCB1010 a MIDI controller itself.

[Jesse1975]

Hello,
I think this topic's been discussed before, but I'm wondering if there's a way to trigger samples from my Nord Electro 5D with a foot pedal? When playing live, there's some songs where I have my keyboard split (organ and strings for example) and both my hands are busy, but I'd like to trigger a one shot sample (already loaded onto my Nord) with my foot. I think this is possible with a Behringer FCB1010? But I'm not sure if I'd need a second keyboard or a midi controller to do this?
Does anyone have any experience with this or Ideas?
Thanks in advance!

You can have FCB1010 send a note message (see Fziegler reply above), but if the NE5 synth is doing the strings, normally you cannot use it to play also another sample (unless you create a single custom .nsmp which has also that one-shot sample mapped on a specific note, maybe as much as possible out of strings playing range like A-1 or C8).

[FZiegler]

Oh, yes, of course. If that's what you were thinking - no, a FCB1010 won't be a sonic extension for the Nord, only another button for what you already have on your keys!

The only thing you could play with is to use part lower instead of the global channel. But it will never extend the bitimbral capability of your instrument.

Initially, I was thinking of a custom created sample as maxpiano noted - that's the way to do it.

[Jesse1975]

Thanks for the quick replies! I think I get it. Sounds like I could use the FCB1010 to play a note from my NE5, but only from the program setting I'm using at the time. In other words, if I have my NE5 split with organ and sample strings, I could use the FCB1010 to play one of the notes but it could only be an organ or string note?
Yeah, with some sample creation and mapping I think I can make it work!

[Jesse1975]

As the multitimbrality of an Electro is quite restricted with its 2 engines at a time, some nerds created split samples - a single sample containing multiple sounds in different regions of the keyboard. What you need for that is some WAVs for the diffferent keys to put together into Nord Sample Editor.

If you'd use a FCB1010, I think, you'd even be able to put a one-note-shot onto a note outside the range of your Electro - never checked that. What you'd need to do is recording wavs from the strings you need and creating a WAV for the one-note-shot at a perfectly matching sound level - as you won't be able to adjust the relation between the two volumes after they got into one sample.

[Jesse1975]

Thanks again, FZiegler! Yeah, sounds like I can make it work.
Wondering if anyone knows about the various Akai sampler pad devices? Like the Akai MPX8? Looks like something like that would also play 'samples', but unlike the FCB1010 the samples are loaded on the Akai, so I wouldn't have to go through my Nord or create a Nord sample instrument. The only problem I see with the Akai MPX8 is that the pads are triggered by hand, not feet! Not sure what would happen if I tap those pads with my foot!

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... controller

[Jesse1975]

You'd need to find out about velocity controlling: I don't think that you would easily control volume by a finger or foot tap, so you should rather send a fixed velocity signal.

[Jesse1975]

Thanks again, FZiegler! Yeah, sounds like I can make it work.
Wondering if anyone knows about the various Akai sampler pad devices? Like the Akai MPX8? Looks like something like that would also play 'samples', but unlike the FCB1010 the samples are loaded on the Akai, so I wouldn't have to go through my Nord or create a Nord sample instrument. The only problem I see with the Akai MPX8 is that the pads are triggered by hand, not feet! Not sure what would happen if I tap those pads with my foot!

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... controller

There is the Roland SPD-one Wav pedal that does what you ask, but quite expensive... https://www.roland.com/it/products/spd_one_wav_pad/

Maybe it is cheaper to buy a Bluetooth MIDI pedal and use it with a tablet/smartphone app to play the sample?

[spradders]

I was looking for a basic midi trigger pedal; you could make one reasonably cheaply using Arduino but it all seemed very teccie to me. Then I thought about getting an old secondhand electric drum kit module and using that with a foot pedal. But still haven't found a tidy, small, simple solution yet. I want it to trigger a bass drum sample, so I can use it like a stomp box.