Oct
3
How to add a sustain pedal to the Korg microKEY keyboard
By karlw
The Korg microKEY is a USB/MIDI controller that features 37 velocity-sensing mini keys with a range of four octaves in either direction, up or down, using octave shift buttons. I was interested in this keyboard because I wanted a small portable setup that I could easily take with me to create music and collaborate with friends or just chill out at the coffee table to work out song ideas. The keyboard can be configured to respond to one of eight distinct velocity curves, giving it the feel and response of a much larger keyboard. After getting the microKey home I realized that there was no jack for a sustain pedal. For most piano and keyboard playing a sustain pedal is critical for performance and recording.
Read on to find out how to add a sustain pedal.
The “KORG KONTROL Editor” software allows for customization of the modulation wheel so that it can send midi control change messages. Assigning the hold1 (CC#64) message to the modulation wheel is what enables you to add a sustain pedal. Launch the control software and put 64 in the CC Number box for the Mod Wheel setting. To save the setting to the keyboard, click on ‘Communication” and select “Write Scene Data”.
The next step is to open up the keyboard, void your warranty, and make this product more excellent. Start by turning the keyboard upside down and removing the 8 screws in the recessed holes. The top panel should open easily.
The modulation wheel potentiometer is located on the right side of the open case.
The next thing I did was to measure the resistance values of the mod wheel potentiometer when it is in the down position and when it is in the up position where it triggers the hold1 midi control change message. In the next picture the resistance measured in the down position (A) is 4.67 K Ohms and in the up position (B) is 2.116 K Ohms. To trigger the hold1 midi message we need a way to switch the resistance value to 2.12 K Ohms and that is achieved by leaving the mod wheel in the down position and bridging the bottom two potentiometer pins with a 3.9 K Ohm resistor as shown in (C).
To add the sustain pedal all that is needed is a 1/4-inch mono jack, a 3.9K Ohm resistor (color code – orange,white, red, gold), two pieces of wire and some heat shrink tubing.
Solder the 3.9K resistor directly to one of the terminals on the 1/4-inch jack and then solder a wire to the other end of the resistor. Solder another wire to the other terminal on the jack. cover both of the terminals with heat shrink tubings and then shrink them into place. Note that I used a stereo jack because it’s all I had.
Drill a 1/4-inch hole in the bottom side of the microKey case next to the USB port. Note that there is just enough room for the jack so make sure that you measure the exact spot to drill the hole. Put the jack through the hole and fasten in place with the nut. position the wires so that they stay clear of the square holes in the circuit board. Solder the other ends of the wires to the mod wheel potentiometer terminals with the yellow and green wires attached.
Place the top cover back on and replace the 8 screws. Plug your sustain pedal into the 1/4-inch jack and now you can really enjoy playing the keyboard.
By Karl Williams
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Follow us on Twitter
Our Mailing Lists
Visit Kwartzlab TV
wow. also I am looking for the way “how to add the sustain fuction to microkey”
so I am amased about your way. very cooooo~~~l.
actualy to me, it’s very hard to realize.^^;
but I am excied to try your way…
good guideline. Thankyou~
Hey there,
Followed your instructions but for some reason the wouldn’t work with the resistor i had so i took the resistor out and it works fine.
Yaaayyy!! thanks man , much appreciated
O
Karl, thank you so much! Just what I needed! Modded my keys today according to your instruction – all works just fine. I put the jack on the back of the keys, not on the side – keyboard sits on a slide-out shelf which is just wide enough to accommodate the keys, with no room for connections on sides. Unfortunately, I did not manage to move USB port there yet – actually, I did install one on the back, but when I wired it in parallel to the main usb port on the board, it just didn’t work for some reason. Need to figure out how to do it. But thanks for the great manual on sustain pedal!
Alex
This is very cool! However it’s not quite what I was hoping to find. I have been using a M-Audio Kestation Mini 32, but that just broke on me the other day. I liked the Keystation mini as it had a sustain button built into it. Great for portable playing. I have a full blown digital piano at home for my real playing, but I wanted something to take with me and record on the spot if need be. Sustain is pretty important. But I am not keen on opening up my keyboard and modding it like this, as cool as it is. Plus seeing as this guy can’t even fit in my laptop bag, I’m not going to carry around a whole pedal too.
I was just wondering if anyone knew a way to add a functionality like the keystation, possibly through soft modding? – The OS. Is there an app that can trigger a fake sustain pedal? Or, I use Reason 6, perhaps there is a way to have sustain just be on in that…
Any advice is much appreciated, and again, this tutorial is really cool, just isn’t for me.
About to try this tonight with the new microKEY 61 – wish me luck!
Nice solution and description Karl. I would prefer not having to sacrifice the mod wheel though. It is a bit of a mystery how Korg managed to forget a sustain pedal input on such a playable keyboard. A nice fix on their behalf would be to offer an usb sustain pedal to hook up to one of the two “hub ports”. Perhaps just a matter of time? (… hopefully)
Finally a mini keyboard with a decent velocity response, … love it!
The wheels is a different story. I find the 90 degrees travel lenght way inferior. I am pretty sure I’ll have to put 180 deg. wheels in there.
Jon Kjell
Well, ok, cool! Uhm, this does render the mod wheel useless for other things though, no? Please advise!