Korg Forums

[ericjungemusic]

I started using this feature recently to switch favorites/programs during a song. It's set to move up 1 patch at a time, but recently it began acting strange, occasionally moving up 2-3 patches and behaving in unpredictable ways (not great for a live show). I thought maybe the pedal itself was malfunctioning so I replaced it. The new one worked perfectly at first but now it's doing the same thing. I noticed that if I treat the switch pedal like a damper pedal (holding it down halfway and such) it seems to trigger the problem so I suppose a nice hard stomp every time may be the answer (but that seems unreliable, especially during live).

My question is has anyone else experienced this and if so is there a possible hardware solution? I'm thinking of either doing a system reset, or buying the Korg PS-1/3 proprietary pedal to see if that would solve it. Thank you.

[voip]

Without a switch pedal make or model number, it's difficult to be sure what the problem might be. Quite a few pedals use cheap, basically springy metal contacts, often chrome plated. Chrome plating is not really the best material for electrical contacts, so it's likely that surface contamination, or dulling of the chrome plating or rust coming through, might be enough to result in an intermittent switch. Opening up the pedal and cleaning up the contact surfaces should help. Using a cotton bud with some Servisol Super 10 contact and switch cleaner/lubricant, or its Deoxit equivalent, should help greatly. Don't forget the jack plug surfaces can also become oxidised and/or dirty, so cleaning the metal tip and sleeve contact surfaces can help.

Some of the better switches produce an audible click, from a properly designed microswitch inside, although the click can be qute intrusive in a quiet playing environment.

It's worth generally keeping jack plug contacts clean, as it can help maintain the quality of the audio out/audio in signals.

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[ericjungemusic]

thank you for your input!

Here is the switch pedal I am using currently: Hosa FSC-503

https://hosatech.com/products/analog-audio/footswitches/fsc-500/

It doesn't seem like a cheaply manufactured pedal but it might be. I don't see any other brands that make this type of device at a higher price point...? The Korg version is comparable.

Maybe I need the "latching" version... thinking about trying that next.

[voip]

The latching version would need two presses. One press to turn the switch on, and one to turn it off. That would work well as a sustain pedal, when using synth Programs/Patches, to produce continuous, or evolving sounds, but not so useful for Program/Patch change situatons.

You might be better off with the FSC-502, which has normally open contacts. One possible issue with normally closed footswitches, is that the closed contacts might slide past each other slightly, as the pedal is depressed, leading to multiple openings, if oxidation/rusting is present on the contact surfaces.

The FC-503 looks relatively easy to open for servicing, though be careful to ensure the return spring doesn't make a run for it, when the pedal is opened.

Because pedals normally live on the floor, they're subject to a lot of dirt and dust.

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[bpoodoo]

You might try pedal Half Damper Calibration (p.175 of the Kross Parameter Guide). This is for damper pedal but might also be used to determine value crossing when pedal is used as a switch.

To see what values are actually being generated by the pedal, you could record a sequence depressing and releasing the pedal several times and look at the control data in the Event Editor. This would show if there is some jitter or noisy data values.
_________________
bpoodoo
Triton Extreme 88 w/MOSS
"We all move on, like centuries and doves."

[ericjungemusic]

I'm updating this thread for posterity. I went ahead and ordered the KORG brand PS-3 switch pedal and so far things are working just fine. If this changes and the old problem resurfaces I'm guessing it's safe to say there is a mechanical issue at fault.