Continuous data pedals, MIDI and plugins

[kvotchin]

So I’m considering buying a Roland DP10. Assuming that the keyboard it’s attached to understands its continuous data, will a plugin being triggered by said keyboard (and pedal) also understand it, and react accordingly?

For example, Pianoteq.

[jdnz]

as long as the keyboard/controller supports continous pedals you’ll be fine - I’ve got a dp10 plugged in to the sustain pedal port on a roland rd64 and it works fine in pianoteq as a cotinuous sustain pedal (so half-pedalling works)

[lfm]

A continuous pedal is just a potentiometer usually, if it is 10-50 kohm or so.
And what differs between brands is if wiper is at tip or ring.

Then what it generates CC11(volume expression) or something else is a setting in unit pedal is attached to, and often also where wiper is.

Some VST's then have a matrix to tell what to use as source for certain parameters.

[jdnz]

A continuous pedal is just a potentiometer usually, if it is 10-50 kohm or so.
And what differs between brands is if wiper is at tip or ring.

Then what it generates CC11(volume expression) or something else is a setting in unit pedal is attached to, and often also where wiper is.

Some VST's then have a matrix to tell what to use as source for certain parameters.

All totally correct - but you miss the vital point that tHe input on the keyboard has to support the input - there’s plenty of pianos where the ‘sustain’ input only handles switch style pedals (and all they have is a susatain pedal jack - no expression pedal jack ) so you’ll only get 0 or 127 for sustain pedal position not a continuous value

for a lot of plugins that won’t matter - but for pianoteq you ideally want a continous sustain pedal

[lfm]

A continuous pedal is just a potentiometer usually, if it is 10-50 kohm or so.
And what differs between brands is if wiper is at tip or ring.

Then what it generates CC11(volume expression) or something else is a setting in unit pedal is attached to, and often also where wiper is.

Some VST's then have a matrix to tell what to use as source for certain parameters.

All totally correct - but you miss the vital point that tHe input on the keyboard has to support the input - there’s plenty of pianos where the ‘sustain’ input only handles switch style pedals (and all they have is a susatain pedal jack - no expression pedal jack ) so you’ll only get 0 or 127 for sustain pedal position not a continuous value

for a lot of plugins that won’t matter - but for pianoteq you ideally want a continous sustain pedal

Yes, sustain pedal input in some pianos support half pedalling style pedals, basically expression continous type but connected to sustain/hold input.

But it would be on hardware level as you say.

Some inputs on hardware are selectable to be continuous or on/off style too.
But if plugins support half pedalling is another matter, even continuous pedal will just flip on/off at value 64 on a plugin that expect on/off.

I suspect sustain to be CC64 either way and continuous if half pedalling feature. And connecting half pedaling pedal to expression input you could either select which midi CC to send, or use an plugin to swap CC11 to CC64.

I was so used to on/off style when getting my Kawai that I felt they had crazy sustain operation even amplifying signal over time until I realized half pedalling thingy. So I always had pedal fully down using it. We live and learn.