using non Boss/Roland footswitches with BR-800 ok?

[gorgorsan]

Hi, I have some other footswitches lying around like Korg PS1 but no Boss/Roland ones unfortunately. Can non Roland ones be used safely for Play or Rec function on my new BR-800 (considering I take into account the correct polarity of course)?

[64Guitars]

Sure. Any footswitch can be used. It's just a simple SPST momentary-contact on/off switch, so polarity won't make any difference. The only thing that would make a difference is whether the switch is normally-closed or normally-open. The BR requires a normally-open switch (it closes when you press the pedal down). If you accidentally plug in a normally-closed switch, it shouldn't do any harm to your BR but the switch won't work right. I believe the Korg PS-1 is normally-open, though I'm not 100% certain. I use a cheap footswitch I bought at the local electronics store for under $10. It was meant for a cheap cassette recorder and had the wrong connector, but I just cut it off and soldered on a 1/4" phone plug. Works perfectly with my BR-864.

The expression pedal is another matter. Polarity must be correct and the value and taper of the potentiometers inside may make a difference too. But you can use other brands as long as you pay attention to the polarity. I actually bought a Roland EV-5. It was ridiculously expensive but I had some store credit I wanted to use up. To allow me to use the EV-5 with my keyboard and other devices that have the opposite polarity, I made a simple adapter cable with a stereo 1/4" phone jack on one end and a TRS phone plug on the other. I simply reversed the wiring of the tip and ring so that I'd get the right polarity.

If you don't like soldering, you can purchase a similar adapter cable from this company:

http://www.music.ashbysolutions.com/misc.htm

Or, you could buy two Y-adapter cables and cross the left and right connectors:

[gorgorsan]

Great and thanks for the tips man!

Cheers

Sure. Any footswitch can be used. It's just a simple SPST momentary-contact on/off switch, so polarity won't make any difference. The only thing that would make a difference is whether the switch is normally-closed or normally-open. The BR requires a normally-open switch (it closes when you press the pedal down). If you accidentally plug in a normally-closed switch, it shouldn't do any harm to your BR but the switch won't work right. I believe the Korg PS-1 is normally-open, though I'm not 100% certain. I use a cheap footswitch I bought at the local electronics store for under $10. It was meant for a cheap cassette recorder and had the wrong connector, but I just cut it off and soldered on a 1/4" phone plug. Works perfectly with my BR-864.

The expression pedal is another matter. Polarity must be correct and the value and taper of the potentiometers inside may make a difference too. But you can use other brands as long as you pay attention to the polarity. I actually bought a Roland EV-5. It was ridiculously expensive but I had some store credit I wanted to use up. To allow me to use the EV-5 with my keyboard and other devices that have the opposite polarity, I made a simple adapter cable with a stereo 1/4" phone jack on one end and a TRS phone plug on the other. I simply reversed the wiring of the tip and ring so that I'd get the right polarity.

If you don't like soldering, you can purchase a similar adapter cable from this company:

http://www.music.ashbysolutions.com/misc.htm

Or, you could buy two Y-adapter cables and cross the left and right connectors:

[Oldrottenhead]

saw a spider looking at this. funnily enough i was in a music store in glasgow today enquiring about a foot pedal for my br800 but they where out of stock.

could anyone recommend a brand that would work same as the roland pedal. would like one for looping, which is nearly impossible to do without a foot switch pedal.

[64Guitars]

This would probably be as good as any:

http://www.guitar.co.uk/bespeco-vm20-sustain-pedal-foot-switch

Judging by the photo, it has a standard 1/4" jack instead of an attached cord as many foot switches have. I like that because you can easily swap cords if one gives you trouble.

Or you can get the Boss one for £10 more. I believe it also has a jack rather than an attached cord.

http://www.guitar.co.uk/boss-fs-5u-foot-switch-pedal

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/pedals_s_detail.asp?stock=06112212430518


Do you have a sustain pedal for your keyboard? They usually look something like this:



That should work too, so if you already have one, you might as well use it.

[Oldrottenhead]

the bespeco pedal is that not more like the roland ev 5 expression pedal?

in the br800 manual it recommends the fs-5u as a foot switch and the ev-5 as an expression pedal.

i just want a foot switch for now.

[64Guitars]

the bespeco pedal is that not more like the roland ev 5 expression pedal?

in the br800 manual it recommends the fs-5u as a foot switch and the ev-5 as an expression pedal.

i just want a foot switch for now.

No. The Bespeco VM20 is just a simple switch like the Boss FS-5U. If it looks like an expression pedal in the photo, it's just because it has a big plastic cover over the switch (as does the FS-5U). I like those covered switches a lot better than the bare metal switches like this:



You can use the covered switches in your bare feet or wearing slippers. But the bare metal switches are a pain in the foot unless you're wearing hard-soled shoes.