Should I be using a pedal for super articulation voices?

[markchapman1976]

Hi coming across a few videos here and there on the internet people have talked about using a foot pedal to "trigger" the super articulated effects of the SA voices. I do not use a pedal to "trigger" sa voice effects. I use only one pedal which is for sustain. So my question is am I doing it correctly? Can I get get all the intended nuances of SA voices by just using my fingers? Or does the use of a pedal do something magical that I've been missing out on? Thanks

[Del]

Hi Mark
People use pedals for many different reasons, I have 3 pedals 1 for expression (volume control) and two others that I assign to do different things depending on the music I am playing.
You may want to use the pedal for super articulation, fills, selecting voices, intros, outros, variations, the reasoning behind it is so you keep your fingers on the keys so to help you can keep in time.

[Robert van Weersch]

Same as Del B here.

The Tyros and Genoshave dedicated ART 1 & 2 buttons, so that can help, sometimes. I mostly use S.Art by playing. E.g. you can do a glissando between two notes with a sax, by holding the first note just long enough until you press the second note. And you have to press the second extra hard. Much of this is explained in the Info screen for all S.A. voices.

[markchapman1976]

But does the pedal trigger the effects of super articulation that cannot be done otherwise?

[overover]

But does the pedal trigger the effects of super articulation that cannot be done otherwise?

Hi Mark,

you can only assign the function of ONE of the three "ART." buttons to a particular foot pedal. This pedal (foot switch) then is working exactly like the relevant "ART." button. So you can NOT do more with the pedal than with the corresponding button, but you have your hands free.


Best regards,
Chris

[Robert van Weersch]

Correct. Stuff under the buttons (or pedals) are more like "SA effects", especially with guitars. Stuff like fret noise, wood tapping etcetera. With woodwinds it triggers a fixed tremolo or glisando. But by playing correctly, you can you can trigger the more "expression"-like SA's, like real glissando's. Or with a sax you can do an octave glide from tone 1 to tone 2.
I hardly use the buttons/pedals for SA, but I use the playing style to trigger SA quite often, especially with guitars and woodwinds. Combined with aftertouch, you can play these voices so realistic that you can hardly hear a difference with the real instrument.

[Mr. Gary]

Hi Robert,  can you explain more in detail about your playing style.  I ask as I've been trolling web sites and tutorials to find out how to play the sax for example  with a more realistic sound. I've had one helpful reply to previous post regarding using an expression pedal for the breath sound,  but I note your mention of a specific fingering style for those special embellishments. As you know doubt realise,  I'm another 'newbie',  so really appreciate all the help!

B regards

Gary

[Robert van Weersch]

Many effects can be triggered by combining a legato playstyle, combined with extra force when touching the second key. This works with guitar and sax slides.
E.g. play a C, keep it down, press the F extra hard, and then quickly release the C.

[Rick D.]

It's a personal choice. I have a pedal board and have assigned all three to super articulated effects to buttons. For me this works great. I lot of musicians, especially old timers like myself had no other choice in the old days but to make changes on the fly with our hands, while continuing to play without missing a beat.  A lot of people still like to perform this way as it looks like your hands are all over the place, I'm afraid my coordination isn't what it used to be. For me I like the inconvenience of never having to take my hands off the keyboard. I use an MFC-10 for my pedal board and have 10 buttons assigned to do various things, you can actually assign many more buttons but for me 10 is plenty.. Then I have three separate pedals one for expression, one to change registrations, and one for sustain. It takes a bit of practice to hit the buttons with your foot without looking, but it becomes second nature quickly.

Rick D.

[jwyvern]

Many effects can be triggered by combining a legato playstyle, combined with extra force when touching the second key. This works with guitar and sax slides.
E.g. play a C, keep it down, press the F extra hard, and then quickly release the C.

That works well for guitars but I have never experienced the same method applied to SA2 saxes. In fact it would be very useful if it did (and more sensible/ accurate IMO than pressing buttons or pedals since if you don't get the timing right with them it either doesn't happen or might spoil an otherwise smooth performance).

Apart from the glissando that occurs when you play 2 notes legato that are approx an octave apart (10-12 semitones) the only other bend I can get (eg on SA2AltoSax) is when I deliberately release a note (so there will be no legato effect) then play the next note when the latter will bend up to pitch (having started roughly a semitone down  equivalent to Artic button 1). It might need practice to get it to happen when you want it!  With the default Alto loaded try playing C, release, then play any note above that C and within an octave from it. It is quite a satisfying way of adding subtle expression to parts of a song in (as well as using aftertouch) without resorting to pesky buttons!

John