Consensus on best response to FR-5 Bellows Curve and Resolution

[Vince Matinsky]

Hi there, I have received a lot of great advice from the people on this forum. Thank you.

I am experimenting with a variety of Bellows Curves and Resolution settings. I am wondering what people have found to be the most 'realistic' settings they use. I find some curves are close, some are not, but, with all of the experience of the people on this forum, I am wondering what people find to be the closest feel to a true accordion response with their bellows for an accurate portrayal of an acoustic accordion.

It is interesting, as there are so many nuances with the accordion, not only volume-wise, but expression-wise, as well as the touch on the treble keyboard side and the bass/chords section.

I'd be interested to hear what you think....

Thank you.

Regards,
Vince Matinsky

 

[tcabot]

A former FR-3 user here, and I don't think there's any degree of realism there. You can find a setting that you can live with and you can learn to play it, but there's no comparison to an acoustic box.

I sold the roland, and kept playing the acoustic.

 

[nou]

I don’t have any experience with Roland per se, but if it doesn’t have an air efficiency valve with variable aperture, depending on the number and size of currently speaking reeds, then it is bound to not be realistic. Does it have such valve?

 

[Vince Matinsky]

Hello, and thank you both for your responses....

The FR-5 has some type of valve for response, but I'm not sure what type it is...Like you, I have experimented with a variety of bellows curves and resolutions, but I am really having a tough time adjusting to any of these settings compared to by Titano acoustic accordion.

As I mentioned earlier, there are so many 'subtle' nuances with an acoustic accordion that it really shows how versatile the acoustic is versus trying to emulate the same feel on the FR-5....I guess what I will do is to try to find one 'close' to the best, and then try to get used to playing it.

Prior to using the bellows, I was always using my FR-5 as a 'Controller' for my sound modules.

Recently, I tried the FR-5 with my Yamaha P-250 88-key weighted piano and I have found that the FR-5 (as a 'controller') really does a nice job with the P-250. The response to Velocity, translates very well, and with the bass, chords and treble, the sound is very good from the P-250.

I have set a variety of octaves and velocity settings on the bass-chords registers and it is nice to be able to trigger different feels and sounds from the P-250 just by changing the different registers that I have set up.

I will keep experimenting with the bellows responses, but, yes, I am finding it really doesn't translate quite as well as well as I had hoped....One setting is good for one style of music, and others the same, but for an 'overall' realistic recreation, it is a tough one...

Thanks again for your responses!

Regards,
Vince

 

[John M]

Hi there, I have received a lot of great advice from the people on this forum. Thank you.

I am experimenting with a variety of Bellows Curves and Resolution settings. I am wondering what people have found to be the most 'realistic' settings they use. I find some curves are close, some are not, but, with all of the experience of the people on this forum, I am wondering what people find to be the closest feel to a true accordion response with their bellows for an accurate portrayal of an acoustic accordion.

It is interesting, as there are so many nuances with the accordion, not only volume-wise, but expression-wise, as well as the touch on the treble keyboard side and the bass/chords section.

I'd be interested to hear what you think....

Thank you.

Regards,
Vince Matinsky

I don’t know what you mean by the most “realistic” settings If you want the physical “feel “ of an acoustic accordion you need to try out different “resistance” settings. On my 8X, you can adjust this to give the right amount of “air leakage” that will give you the bellows “feel” that you are used to. I don’t like that “simulated leakage” so I have my resistance set to +64 and my bellows curve set to “light”. This gives me great control. In addition, for the bellows “touch settings”: (Fixed Low, Fixed Med, Fixed High, Fixed Low + Bellows, Fixed Med + Bellows, Fixed High + Bellows, and Bellows Only) 99% of the time I have this set to Bellows Only. I do this because this gives me a very large dynamic range/volume control—much more than I have with my Excelsior 960 Acoustic accordion. With this setting, the bellows dynamic range is very similar to the Expression Pedal dynamic range on my Hammond B3.

You must realize, this is like getting used to driving a “New Car”. You have to get used to how it drives. It is quite different compared to an acoustic accordion. But once you get used to it, it is so much better – there is so much control with the bellows, from a “silent whisper” to a “violent crescendo”. The “curve” is great – not super sensitive – just right.
John M.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

V-Accordions are simply not acoustic accordions, and any expectation of their behaving like an acoustic is bound to lead to frustration. Why?

Acoustic accordions produce sound by having air flow set reeds vibrating. More flow leads to more volume, but how is that accomplished? Generally, it means more distance covered with your left arm. The resistance you feel when moving the bellows depends on how many simultaneous pallets are open (how many keys and/or buttons are depressed) at the same time.

V-Accordons, and to some extent MIDI-equipped acoustic accordions, respond to air pressure alone. In later models of V-Accordions the direction of the bellows is also detected, but differences in pressure still determine dynamics, and unlike acoustic accordions, how far you move the bellows has little or no effect on dynamics. That little airr valve will affect bellows resistance, and opening it up fully will lead to air noise, wider bellows motion and sore left shoulders with little or no dynamic variation in the sound. Closing it completely means no air flow and great difficulty moving the bellows. The air control valve, open just one or two clicks, is a good starting point for then experimenting with bellows curve settings.

And so the experiment begins. How many curve are there? At first, it may seem, too many. The later the release of a particular model of V-Accordion, the more curves are offered. And those names that Roland gave to each curve make little sense and seem arbitrary. Never mind all of that. My advice? Start with the heavy curves. Remember that dynamics will depend on how hard you push and pull the bellows, not how far they move. With time, you will find the curve that works best for you. At that point, keeping the accordion set at that curve, you may want to open the air valve more, one click at a time, to see if you can find the best compromise of dynamic variation and player comfort. It will be totally unlike what you experience with your acoustic, but it will be the foundation you need to really explore what the V-Accordion can do.