David Cunniff, Piano

I'm finally getting around to working on a project I started almost 16 years ago. I've been wanting to convert this old organ foot pedal set into MIDI foot pedals for my live rig. The electromechanical switch network is an amazing example of how we don't build things like this anymore! Each switch has three functions depending upon whether it's the first pedal pressed, whether other pedals are being pressed simultaneously, or whether a higher or a lower note is played from the first pedal that's pressed. All of that is done mechanically, ensuring that only the intended signal is sent to the analog tone generator in the main housing of the organ, to play the note it's supposed to. The consequence of this for me is an extremely counterintuitive project to sort out. I'll probably just end up ripping out all the wires and directly connecting the digital controller I bought to the individual switches. But that feels like cheating...and a show of unfaithfulness to the electromechanical engineer who went before me.

It is today. Yes. Yes, it is.