SAMPLEDGear, instruments and tools · updated 2026-08-16
SUSTAIN PEDAL
A footswitch sending MIDI CC 64. Polarity varies by manufacturer, which is why a pedal sometimes behaves backwards until you flip the setting on the keyboard.
Photo: Akai MPC Live (2017) (opens in a new tab) by Joan Recordà (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Key takeaways
- A footswitch sending MIDI CC 64.
- Polarity varies by manufacturer, which is why a pedal sometimes behaves backwards until you flip the setting on the keyboard.
- Polarity differs between manufacturers, so the same pedal can read as permanently held on one keyboard and correct on another — most controllers have a polarity setting or auto-detect at power-on.
- If notes sustain the moment you power up, plug the pedal in before switching the keyboard on and let it auto-detect polarity.
- Watch out: recording a whole take with an inverted pedal.
Quick checklist
- Can you define sustain pedal in one sentence without looking?
- Can you point at sustain pedal in a real session, mix or contract?
- Have you tried the practical move above at least once?
- Would you catch the common mistake before it costs you a take?
- Have you opened one of the primary sources below rather than a forum thread?
SUSTAIN PEDAL IN DEPTH
A sustain pedal is a simple footswitch that sends MIDI CC 64: values above 63 hold notes, below release them. Polarity differs between manufacturers, so the same pedal can read as permanently held on one keyboard and correct on another — most controllers have a polarity setting or auto-detect at power-on.
How it works in practice
If notes sustain the moment you power up, plug the pedal in before switching the keyboard on and let it auto-detect polarity.
The mistake people make
Recording a whole take with an inverted pedal. The MIDI is fixable, but the performance was played against the wrong feedback.
WHERE SUSTAIN PEDAL SITS
Sustain pedal belongs to gear, instruments and tools in the Sampled music glossary. The boxes, controllers and sample formats a producer is expected to know by name — from the MPC to a one-shot.
TEST YOURSELF
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3 quick questions on sustain pedal. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.
1. Which statement best describes sustain pedal?
2. What is the mistake people most often make with sustain pedal?
3. In practice, which of these applies to sustain pedal?
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SOURCES AND CITATIONS
Free, primary references for sustain pedal — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material. Each one lists the line of this entry it backs up.
- MIDI Association — MIDI messages (opens in a new tab)
Specification owner · The MIDI Association
“A footswitch sending MIDI CC 64.”— the claim this source supports
Why it counts: The body that publishes the MIDI specification, so this is the definition hardware and software are built against.
- Sampled — best MIDI keyboard controllers
Primary reference · Sampled — best MIDI keyboard controllers
“Polarity varies by manufacturer, which is why a pedal sometimes behaves backwards until you flip the setting on the keyboard.”— the claim this source supports
Why it counts: Published by the organisation responsible for the thing being defined, so it is a first-hand source rather than a summary of one.
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