Bass Pedal (Taurus, Roland, MIDI, etc) Club?

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by Indiedog

DUST COVER?!!

I didn't get a dust cover!

Where was it in the box?

Its not in the box. Like the road case, it is an accessory that can be ordered from Moog at an extra cost.

[Indiedog]

OK, I feel better now!

Thanks!

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by NOLA Bass

Yeah, but the roland pk5a, xv5080 and minitaur are all gonna be sold to help pay off the taurus 3.

Missed the Fed Ex truck, so picking it up today.

Honestly, if the minitaur had patch storage I would much rather have a PK5 and the minitaur instead of the Taurus 3.
It's just kind of tedious programming patches on a synth on the floor!
I think the Taurus II was a novel approach. The synth being on a stick above the pedals.
I may get around to mapping a controller to the Taurus so I can manipulate the patches from a more vertical posture. And also access some parameters without having to hold down 2 buttons at once.
Not that I am complaining. It's not just a synth for my feet. It's my best synth!

[RickenBoogie]

The Minitaur CAN store 100 presets. There's no LCD screen to visially see them, but it can store them, and you scroll through by holding down a button, and use the osc wave buttons as the up/down.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

The Minitaur CAN store 100 presets. There's no LCD screen to visially see them, but it can store them, and you scroll through by holding down a button, and use the osc wave buttons as the up/down.

NO WAY! Really? That is too cool. I had no idea, I'd really not gave it much of a look, but I will now!

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by howardcano

If you live in a relatively large metro area, you can often pick up pedals as part of an unloved organ (easy on the jokes, guys!) at a garage sale, for much cheaper than Ebay. It will also come with a couple of nice keyboards that work great for electronic projects, and sometimes there will be a rotating speaker that can be salvaged.

Craigslist is a good possiblity too: "Free organ, you move." (More possiblilities for jokes here, too.)

DO NOT tell the owner that you are going to cut up the organ for parts, or the organ will suddenly gain sentimental value.

Yea, good advice. I already have a 1962 A102 and a 1955 M3. The M3 was obtained in a gear trade and it 100% works great, the A102 is 100% functional and was bought locally for $175. That's one seventy five. And it came with the 25-pedal set and the bench. The cabinet is roughly B+ condition but the internals are 100%. So those deals are around, no doubt about it.

Keep an eye on thrift stores as well. And there's many stories of free Hammonds as well, given away because grandma died and the new owner doesn't know how to turn it on so they assume it's non-working.

The problem with ebay is everyone knows what is being done with these bass pedals so there is a perceived value thing going on. But right now it's my only ~immediate~ option.

Now and then I've seen bass pedals go for as low as $13 bucks at some of the organ forums.

My wife won't let me anywhere NEAR the M3 to remove the bass pedals ... they're only 12 note anyway. She glommed on to the M3, named it "Morticia".

[superdick2112]

RickenBoogie - IMHO, the Minitaur is pure Moog, through & through. It can and will give you all of the Taurus sounds you will ever want or need.

But.... it will never equal the Taurus 3 as a live performance instrument. The T-3's volume & programmable foot wheels, octave, glide and transposition foot switches, bank & patch selector footswitches, arpeggiator, patch storage (with clearly readable patch names) make it the ultimate in user-friendly, foot-controllable analog foot pedal synthesizers built specifically for LIVE performance.

[howardcano]

Originally Posted by Flux Jetson

Yea, good advice. I already have a 1962 A102 and a 1955 M3. The M3 was obtained in a gear trade and it 100% works great, the A102 is 100% functional and was bought locally for $175. That's one seventy five. And it came with the 25-pedal set and the bench. The cabinet is roughly B+ condition but the internals are 100%. So those deals are around, no doubt about it.

My A102 was $40 at a garage sale, in about the same condition as yours (just had to fix the scanner), but without the pedals. The Leslie 251 was another $40. I still had my van and go kart trailer at that time to transport them, so I bought them. I later found a set of pedals (from a Baldwin, I think) that fit, for free, along with the associated organ. I sold the Hammond and Leslie when I left Denver... for $3200! It was my best garage sale buy ever.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by howardcano

My A102 was $40 at a garage sale, in about the same condition as yours (just had to fix the scanner), but without the pedals. The Leslie 251 was another $40. I still had my van and go kart trailer at that time to transport them, so I bought them. I later found a set of pedals (from a Baldwin, I think) that fit, for free, along with the associated organ. I sold the Hammond and Leslie when I left Denver... for $3200! It was my best garage sale buy ever.

Holy Cats! Ok, you won! Haahaa! Good on ya!!

Check your pms.

[Flux Jetson]

My Cygnus kit came in!!!!!! I started this up to document the build ...

Cygnus midi bass pedal conversion project-1

I cannot wait to get it working!

[Calaverasgrande]

I may have to pick up a minitaur. Though that patch access method sounds kinda dodgy.
And I own an MP201 so I know how weird Moog can get with an interface.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by Calaverasgrande

I may have to pick up a minitaur. Though that patch access method sounds kinda dodgy.
And I own an MP201 so I know how weird Moog can get with an interface.

Yea, I downloaded the Minitaur manual ... the preset managment is pretty hokey .. but I guess it was the only solution without adding hardware. I don't like how you have no idea what patch you're calling up or how you're unable to know which one is where or anything. Can't even number them. You just have to scoll through them and audition them until something sounds like what you want. It wouldn't be that bad but they gave you 100 slots. Kinda of a waste.

The CV to MIDI-out upgrade is Thuh Bawlz though!!! That is most definitely some super duper stuff!

Hmm .. for the price I think I'd rather spend a few more bucks and just get a Slim Phatty (or other gizmo .... perhaps an Oberheim Matrix 1000! Hells yea! Talk about pedal bass sounds!!!)

[twocargar]

I'm working on a Minitaur review now for my site. There are a lot of things I like about them, but some things I wasn't impressed by.

[RickenBoogie]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

RickenBoogie - IMHO, the Minitaur is pure Moog, through & through. It can and will give you all of the Taurus sounds you will ever want or need.

But.... it will never equal the Taurus 3 as a live performance instrument. The T-3's volume & programmable foot wheels, octave, glide and transposition foot switches, bank & patch selector footswitches, arpeggiator, patch storage (with clearly readable patch names) make it the ultimate in user-friendly, foot-controllable analog foot pedal synthesizers built specifically for LIVE performance.

Oh, I'm in no way comparing Minitaur to Taurus 3, just pointing out that Minitaur can store presets. Though I own neither, I do have a Little Phatty and several Foogers, and spend almost as much time on the Moog forum as here. Just throwing the preset info out, is all. Thanks.

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Oh, I'm in no way comparing Minitaur to Taurus 3, just pointing out that Minitaur can store presets. Though I own neither, I do have a Little Phatty and several Foogers, and spend almost as much time on the Moog forum as here. Just throwing the preset info out, is all. Thanks.

Cool, and I didn't mean to come across as trying to compare the two either. The Minitaur/PK-5 setup is way more affordable, portable & practical, and even though both are well built Moog products with very similar niche markets & missions, comparisons are, IMHO, both unfair & inevitable.
BTW I played a Phatty/PK-5 setup, and sold them after my T-3s arrived. I miss them. I've learned over the years that you can't really substitute one model of synth for another - each one is unique.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

..... you can't really substitute one model of synth for another - each one is unique.

To quote "Baretta" (the old TV series) ... "and dat's da name-a dat tune!"

Or ... to quote Bill Murray in "Stripes" .....

"that's a fact, Jack!"

[LanSolo]

Originally Posted by Engine207

Just scored me a set of Roland PK-5As, while I eagerly await the debut of the Cygnus adapter for my custom build. Pretty cool little piece of gear.



I tried using the old E-mu Proteus synth module (the one for my build) with it, but I'm doing something wrong with the set-up. I've connected a MIDI cable from the Roland MIDI-out to the E-mu MIDI-in, then the E-mu mono-out to my amp. I get an audible response from a pedal press, but more of an electronic sound than the voice I've chosen. I'll take the E-mu to a music shop and ask if they can hook it up to a keyboard controller, just to make sure that it's working, then continue my troubleshooting from there.

Meanwhile, I hooked the PK-5A up to my MacBook Pro and had a blast playing with all the different settings in GarageBand. I haven't found anything that sounds like a good bass pedal voice yet, but I guess there are add-ons you can buy for that. I seem to be able to move my foot around well enough to cover some easier basslines, but I sometimes lose my balance while on one foot. It looked pretty ridiculous. Before too long, I hope to be able to do an easy bass part with my Roland, and play some more interesting lines on my bass.

This morning I was practicing my setlist and keyed up some applause after I finished. My wife came running into my practice studio to see just who the hell was howling for an encore!!

I'm just wondering if you ever got this working. I also have a Proteus E-MU synthesizer, and I want to get a foot controller like this so I can play my bass guitar and keyboards at the same time.

[RickenBoogie]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Cool, and I didn't mean to come across as trying to compare the two either. The Minitaur/PK-5 setup is way more affordable, portable & practical, and even though both are well built Moog products with very similar niche markets & missions, comparisons are, IMHO, both unfair & inevitable.
BTW I played a Phatty/PK-5 setup, and sold them after my T-3s arrived. I miss them. I've learned over the years that you can't really substitute one model of synth for another - each one is unique.

That is for sure. Since I got into synths, a few came and went that I wish I'd kept. Been thinking about a Taurus 3, but I've already got one too many synths as it is. Some really nice gear in this thread, particularly flux jetson's set up with the Prophet '08. Makin' me drool.

[Engine207]

Originally Posted by LanSolo

I'm just wondering if you ever got this working. I also have a Proteus E-MU synthesizer, and I want to get a foot controller like this so I can play my bass guitar and keyboards at the same time.

I did get it working, and it sounds pretty cool. I haven't quite got the coordination to play both at the same time yet, but I will play the pedals on occasion, instead of bass, during parts of songs that lend themselves to strings, horns, choral sounds, or whatever.

My goal remains to build a combination midi controller and effect pedalboard, using the Cygnus adapter, but my world is too busy these days to commit to all the woodworking and electronics tomfoolery. Maybe in the summer, when my boys are out of school, I'll dedicate some time to it...after I finish building my HoseDragger IV bass that's half done.

[twocargar]

I was wondering if you were ever going to use your Cygnus MIDI Adapter.

Originally Posted by Engine207

I did get it working, and it sounds pretty cool. I haven't quite got the coordination to play both at the same time yet, but I will play the pedals on occasion, instead of bass, during parts of songs that lend themselves to strings, horns, choral sounds, or whatever.

My goal remains to build a combination midi controller and effect pedalboard, using the Cygnus adapter, but my world is too busy these days to commit to all the woodworking and electronics tomfoolery. Maybe in the summer, when my boys are out of school, I'll dedicate some time to it...after I finish building my HoseDragger IV bass that's half done.