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Poor man's Taurus pedals?

#41
I already posted this in the Club thread, but here is my Synth/Sampler rig:
  1. McMillen 12 Step Pedal Controller
  2. McMillen Midi Expander
  3. Waldorf Pulse 2 Synthesizer
  4. Sampler - Boss RC-3 Loop Station
  5. Sampler Switcher - Saturnworks 2 Channel Momentary Switch
  6. Saturnworks 2 Channel Active Mixer
  7. Radial StageBug SB-2 Passive DI Box
Power - Strip

All in all, I have about $800 US on this board. Not cheap by any means, but very versatile. With the 12 Step and the Waldorf, I can play Taurus-like bass lines, chords, pads and arpeggios. I use the Roland pedal to trigger audio and synth samples (it has 99 memory slots) - it’s great for set intros! It has added a whole new dimension to our (keyboard-less) band.
 

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#42
Wallofbasses said:
I already posted this in the Club thread, but here is my Synth/Sampler rig:
  1. McMillen 12 Step Pedal Controller
  2. McMillen Midi Expander
  3. Waldorf Pulse 2 Synthesizer
  4. Sampler - Boss RC-3 Loop Station
  5. Sampler Switcher - Saturnworks 2 Channel Momentary Switch
  6. Saturnworks 2 Channel Active Mixer
  7. Radial StageBug SB-2 Passive DI Box
Power - Strip

All in all, I have about $800 US on this board. Not cheap by any means, but very versatile. With the 12 Step and the Waldorf, I can play Taurus-like bass lines, chords, pads and arpeggios. I use the Roland pedal to trigger audio and synth samples (it has 99 memory slots) - it’s great for set intros! It has added a whole new dimension to our (keyboard-less) band.
Click to expand...

So, my pedals may be cooked. I am really attracted to the 12-Step. Most reviews are mixed. Are they worth it?
 
#43
I briefly had a 12 Step and didn't like it. You really have to mash the buttons down to trigger, and it was impossible to do anything remotely "fast". Even keeping them held down for an extended period was tricky. Also, you need an external box if you want MIDI. Maybe others have had better luck, but I sold the thing pretty much right away.
 
#44
You can adjust the sensitivity and turn legato on/off of the 12 Step via the editor. It's very easy to trigger once you dial in your own pressure settings and you can program each pedal to do more things than just play a note.
 
#45
Tori2013 said:
You can adjust the sensitivity and turn legato on/off of the 12 Step via the editor. It's very easy to trigger once you dial in your own pressure settings and you can program each pedal to do more things than just play a note.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree with Tori. You really have to play around with the sensitivity to get it right for your playing style. Legato is your friend a lot of the time to help you get from one note to another smoothly. But at other times, when you need more decay in between the notes, it’s best not to use legato.

The programmability of this device is incredible. Any pedal can be programmed with up to four different pitches (yes you can play organ parts!), you can sync your 12 Step patches with your synth patches, and then load up your set list and move quickly from one patch to another. Yes it’s small and I have big feet but I’ve gotten used to it, and the compactness of it is an advantage for the small stages my bar band typically plays on. Appropriate footwear choice is a must! :)

Sometimes I look at the Roland PK5 pedals that Geddy uses and wish I had them. They look very responsive and more ergonomic than the 12 Step. However the stages Ged plays on are a little bit bigger and he has a few more people to help with his gear, which includes a rack full of samplers. For the venues I play I think the 12 Step, Pulse 2 synth and an RC-3 for a sampler on a small pedalboard is the best system for me.
 
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#46
That's cool, I'm glad they work well for some people. I've been playing organ-style pedals since like 1979, so that's what I'm used to. Really love my Roland (not Korg) PK-5. I use a multi-timbrel synth (Roland Juno G) which allows me to do all kinds of creative layering for chords and whatnot. The built-in programmable arpeggiator comes in handy too.
 
#47
gearHed289 said:
That's cool, I'm glad they work well for some people. I've been playing organ-style pedals since like 1979, so that's what I'm used to. Really love my Roland (not Korg) PK-5. I use a multi-timbrel synth (Roland Juno G) which allows me to do all kinds of creative layering for chords and whatnot. The built-in programmable arpeggiator comes in handy too.
Click to expand...

Doh!! I always mix up Roland and Korg.

I really liked my old Taurus 2 pedals that I got around 1980, but they were a bit big at 1 1/2 octaves and a bit limited by being pre-midi, so I got rid of them a while ago. I’m always on the lookout for the PK-5(a) pedals to try them out if I can get them cheap.

One question, geearhed: can you program chords directly on the PK-5 itself, or do you do all of that with the layering on the Juno G?
 
#48
There is no chord program-ability on the PK-5 that I'm aware of. There are two footswitches that let you select 2 different ranges of the keyboard to trigger. Another for a "hold" function that keeps a note sustaining until the next note is hit. You CAN change keyboard patches with it, but it's a little bit of a process. And they are polyphonic and velocity sensitive.
 
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#50
I have to say, I'd like to have something like this, but my complete and utter lack of knowledge about anything having to do with MIDI makes even reading this thread frustrating. Are any of the suggested products capable of producing sounds just by plugging them into an amplifier? And if not, what other products do you need to buy?
 

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