Does anyone know if certian volume pedals are better for keyboards as opposed to guitar?
I thought all volume pedals were about the same, but BOSS makes a high impedance model for guitar and a low impedance model for keyboards. My synth has high impeadance type outputs --- I'm confused
Idealy, I would like one pedal I could use for both.
Any suggestions ? What are you guys using ?

Thanks Uncle D., but I'm a little new at this buisness and I don't think my ear is as refined as yours.
(I also don't have as much money to throw arround as Mr. C. )
Is a $20 pedal just as good as a $150 pedal?
What are you using?

Hi Gustave
Good luck with the volume pedal. I'm guessing you're using one "in line" as opposed to one that plugs directly into the keyboard? If so, I think you can stick with the cheap one. But sometimes they sound scratchy (like static) when you use them.
Tom

Thanks Guys for those replys. I've been playing guitar for a few years and just recently purchased my frist synth (an Alesis QS7) to do some composing and home recording. I really like the idea of an expression pedal as Uncle Dave decribes. Alesis does not seem to offer any kind of expression pedal as an accessory.
Do you know if any expression pedal will work? Is that the same as a MIDI controller pedal?
The only thing I have found so far is an expression pedal by Kurzweil, but its a little out of my price range for now. Maybe I can find something used.

What you want is a general continuous foot controller pedal. Hopefully your keyboard’s OS will allow you to assign any of several functions to it, not just use it as a volume pedal. You could then, say, assign it to CC#71 (Brightness) to, say, MIDI Channel #1, where you’ve put your electric guitar or muted trumpet solo sound, and voila! Instant wah-wah pedal, dedicated to just the one channel (who wants their drums to wah-wah? ;-) )!

Note that when controlling volume real-time for expressive purposes, always use CC#11 (Expression) instead of CC#7 (Volume). The Volume CC is only intended to be used as one would use the gain sliders on a mixer board: primarily to set the initial mix, and perhaps to change it in mid-stream for certain purposes. The General MIDI spec says that the Volume CC should only affect the actual amplitude of the MIDI channel’s output, never any aspect of its tonal quality. Expression, on the other hand, has the option of modifying the tonal quality as well as the volume, thus providing the effect of the instrument itself being played harder or softer, not just turning up or down a volume or gain control on an amp or mixer. A piano played loudly doesn’t sound the same as a piano played softer but amplified more. Neither do most other instruments. Volume CC#7 can never reproduce such effects without violating the intent of the MIDI specs. Expression is intended for precisely this purpose. Granted, some wavetable units may not implement actual tonal changes in the Expression CC, but at worst it will do the same thing Volume does.

Use Volume to set your initial mix levels and maybe for fades in and out. This is especially important for XG and GS units, which more fully implement Expression, but should be done anyway so that your MIDI files sound the best they can on whatever hardware they’re played on.

Foot Controller is by default CC#4, but many unit’s will let you change that. Some others use CC#4 specifically for various aspects of tone that a foot controller would be appropriate for.

For XG and especially VL, use CC#2 (Breath Control) instead of or in addition to CC#4 and #11, especially for Wind or Brass sounds.

The best expression pedal is one that works...
I learned that lesson the hard way, first buying a pedal for my PSR that the salesman at "The Evil Empire" swore would work... They took it back, but didn't have the correct unit available, I ordered one directly from Yanaha. Check the pedal out in the store, connected to an instrument like yours, if they don't have your instrument in stock, bring yours and set it up... It may just save you an unneccesary trip.