First, let me just say I basically know nothing, so if I sound stupid, I apologize.
I do own a Voyager, I really don’t know too much about it but I am a Kayboard/Bass player who was looking for some interesting sounds in the studio and on stage. I use it for playing lead runs and even bass sometimes.
I now use a 2nd Keyboard onstage, a Yamaha Motif 8, and for some songs I would like to play piano and play bass with my feet.
There are no Moog Taurus pedals on eBay right now, and I can’t seem to find any, as nice as they would be.
The I found these on Musicians Friend, Hammond XPK-100 MIDI Pedal Board For XK-2. They seem to be moderatley priced.
First, realize I am not familiar with the product other than the description from the link you provided. However, MIDI is the longest standing digital protocol in this crazy industry, so it can’t be that difficult. I use a lot of MIDI gear these days as it allows for great flexibility – like you wanting to play keys with your feet!
The pedals are a controller (like the keyboard on your Motif). From the MIDI Out of the pedal board you can send Note ON, Note Off messages by pressing down and releasing a pedal (or two or whatever).
That MIDI information goes down a cable to the MIDI In on your Motif (or Voyager – trying to keep it relevant ). For this to work, the Motif must be receiving on the MIDI channel that the pedal board is sending on (this is easy enough to do and its best to start with channel one) from the MIDI In, the Motif cannot distinguish whether a key has been pressed on the keyboard or some other controller (pedal board, in this case) has sent a MIDI message. So it plays the note you have pressed with your foot as if you have pressed the same note on the keyboard itself.
So the short story is, use a MIDI cable to connect the pedal board’s MIDI Output to the Motif’s MIDI Input. Set them both to the same MIDI channel. Play.
Hey, I’m new in here too, and feel like I’m at the same place as you. I have a Voyager and a Yamaha keyboard. I bought a Roland PK-5 midi pedal board and for a while was bending down between songs to change which midi cable was plugged into the pedals.
One afternoon I had a brainstorm (actually, just a little rain) and figured that I could map the Moog to midi channel 1 and the Yamaha to midi channel 2. Things have been working great since. I can use presets on the Moog using my feet, which has really added to what we’re doing!
P.S. I’m a bassist, and learning midi/keyboards on the fly.
Hey, I hope it is not too late to add in here, but I’ve been off and one with the same Idea: adding foot pedals to play more music. I’ve been thinking about it off and on for like four years and I’ve come really close to buying a Fatar midi pedal thing to control synths while I’m playing bass or guitar. If I can do while seated in a stool, then with my other foot I might be able to make pina colada’s-- or play cowbell with a kick drum pedal device I hooked up (it is very very cool).
So, Fatar is another option you might consider.
Maybe this should be a big hint for Big Briar to reissue the Taurus Pedals (please).
). For this to work, the Motif must be receiving on the MIDI channel that the pedal board is sending on (this is easy enough to do and its best to start with channel one) from the MIDI In, the Motif cannot distinguish whether a key has been pressed on the keyboard or some other controller (pedal board, in this case) has sent a MIDI message. So it plays the note you have pressed with your foot as if you have pressed the same note on the keyboard itself.