Yamaha S80 sustain pedal

[averagegirl]

help! i'm a beginner with synthesizers. I've been using a Yamaha S80 and the sustain pedal isn't working right. Is it me or the pedal? The effect is opposite of what I think it should be, you have to hold it down for it not to sustain. Are there a couple of buttons I should push or are my pedals broken?

 

[bsr2002]

I believe your polarity +/- has somehow gotten out of wack. I don't own an S-80 but I'm pretty sure in your owner's manual you should be able to find the solution. Look in the index and key in on pedal, pedal function, or even sustain function. If you don't have a manual you can sownload it from here http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA...l/0,6373,CNTID%3D1996%26CTID%3D206500,00.html

Cheers
Ben

 

[dinorocker]

Sounds like you have a Korg pedal, and are using it on a Yamaha keyboard.

The difference is not polarity, but state.

The Korg is "always on", and pressing it breaks the contact (which triggers the sustain function).

The Yamaha is "always off", and *makes* contact to trigger the function.

Most third-party pedals have a switch to change from one state to the other. If yours doesn't, then you may have to open it up and do some soldering. Or just return it and get the right one.

BTW - "sustain pedals" are really just plain old switches - there are no electronics involved. Just a plain, non-latching "on/off" switch (like your door bell button). In fact, you can use a door bell button and a cable to create a sustain switch for most Yamahas.