Best Digital Piano Sustain Pedals (Single, 3-Unit) (M-Audio, Yamaha, Casio Keyboard Pedals) – Find the best keyboard sustain pedals for your digital piano keyboard. A sustain pedal is a useful accessory that allows you to add expression to your piano playing. While acoustic pianos have these pedals integrated into them, for portable digital pianos you need to buy these separately. Some are universal (works with most makes), while some offer half-pedaling feature. Here we take a look at the best piano pedals from brands like M-Audio, Yamaha, Casio, Roland and others. You may skip to the best sustain piano pedal on Amazon.
Top / Best Piano (Single, 3-Unit) Pedals
Checkout the top piano pedals available to keyboard players for use with their digital pianos, keyboards and midi controllers.
You have the option of going in for:
- 3-unit pedals, for a grand piano playing experience
- Single piano-like pedal
- Inexpensive foot switch, for the absolute beginner to get a feel of how a pedal works. Not recommended for serious piano playing.
- Some piano pedals are universal (works with most brands) whereas some are designed to work only with their respective brands (it may still work on other brand if you reverse the polarity switch – read about it below)
Here are the bestselling models.
Universal Triple (3) Piano Pedal Units
M-Audio SP-Triple
Universal 3-pedal unit that works with keyboards with three dedicated inputs for Sustain, Soft, and Sostenuto. 6-foot cable with (3) 1/4-inch connectors. Rubber bottom for no-slip playing.
Studiologic VFP-3-10 Triple Piano-Style
The Studiologic VFP-3-10 works with any synthesizer or digital piano. Its sturdy and has got a professional feel to it. features both a mono and stereo connector and a 6.56 foot cable. Studiologic is known for producing top quality recording gear.
Universal Dual (Double) Piano Pedals
M-Audio SP-Dual Sustain Pedal
One of the best selling products, this is one of the best universal piano style sustain pedal for use with any electronic keyboard. Available as single and dual pedals.
Studiologic VFP-2-15-B Double Piano-Style Sustain Pedal
The Studiologic VFP-2-15-B is a universal, double piano-style sustain pedal that works with any synthesizer or digital piano. Solid body construction with rubberized levers. Features a stereo plug and a 6.56-foot cable.
Buy on Amazon
Best Universal Single Piano Pedals
Here we take a look at the best, universal, single piano pedals that works with most piano brands.
M-Audio SP-2 Piano Style Sustain Pedal
One of the best selling products, this is one of the best universal piano style sustain pedal for use with any electronic keyboard. The high-quality chrome finish foot pedal also has expressive half-pedal capabilities. The rubber bottom grips ensure it just stays in its place on the floor. It includes 6-foot cable with 1/4-inch jack. Read more…
Universal Sustain Pedal for Yamaha Casio Keyboard by LESHP
Cheap, Compatible with all electric keyboards. Switch-able polarity. 5 feet cable with 1/4 inch plug. Non-slip floor space / Rubberized Stands.
Cherub WTB-005 Universal Digital Piano Keyboard Sustain Pedal
Classic piano style design suitable for all keyboards, with expressive half-pedal capabilities.
Includes 2.0m cable with 1/4-inch jack;
Donner DK-1 Universal Sustain Pedal for Digital Pianos / Keyboards
Universal, Classic-style sustain pedal. Slip-resistant rubber bottom.
1.6M (63 inch) cable keeps your pedal where you want it ; 1/4″ Jack Input
Luminously Universal Electric Sustain Pedal for Keyboard & Piano
A relatively newer product in the market, but a well-made one. This one has a Polarity Switch (on the back of the pedal is a reverse switch that changes the pedal from normally open to normally closed), good-quality non-slip rubber foot grip to ensure it stays in place, and a 6 foot cable. Its a piano style pedal that gives a real acoustic piano feel (the resistance offered when its pressed down is comparable to a real sustain pedal on a piano). It can be used with Synthesizers, Drum Machines and Digital Keyboards.
Best Yamaha Piano Pedals
Yamaha LP7A 3-Pedal Unit for DGX-660
Designed to work with the Yamaha YPG and DGX 88 key piano keyboards, this Yamaha three-pedal unit is capable of producing a range of expressive effects similar to those produced by the pedals on an acoustic piano, including half damper effects. This pedal unit is a must if you have a top of the line DGX or YPG keyboard to turn it into a more accurate simulation of a piano.
Yamaha LP255 3-Pedal Unit for Yamaha P255
Available in black and white finishes. Three piano-style pedals.
Combine with the Yamaha P255B and the L255B stand to create a complete home piano system
Yamaha LP5A 3-Pedal Unit for Yamaha P115
Compatible with L85 or L85S stands. 3-pedal unit. Half-damper function.
Yamaha FC-4 Sustain Pedal
One of the best selling products, this is one of the best piano style sustain pedal for use with any electronic keyboard. The high-quality chrome finish foot pedal also has expressive half-pedal capabilities. The rubber bottom grips ensure it just stays in its place on the floor. It includes 6-foot cable with 1/4-inch jack. Read more…
Best Casio Piano Pedals
Casio SP33 Pedal Board (3-Pedals)
If you want that typical three pedal unit, then this is a great option for your Privia Piano at home or at the studio. It has the ability to simulate a pedal that has been pressed down half way. The SP33 pedal attaches to your CS67 Privia Stand. It easily connects to the Privia keyboard stand and gives it the looks of a real piano.
Casio SP20 Piano Style Sustain Pedal
Casio SP-20 is a traditional piano-style pedal, designed to sustain notes in the same way as the damper pedal on an acoustic piano. This is an excellent pedal for your Casio keyboard or pianoRead more…
Also Read: Best Piano pedal extenders for kids
Piano Pedals: Buying Guide
Piano Pedals – The 3 Pedals Explained
Most pianos have three pedals:
- Damper pedal (also known as Sustain pedal) – This pedal is to the extreme right. After you press a few keys, using this pedal sustains the sound for some time, even when you do not keep the keys pressed. The sound gradually fades away.
- Soft pedal (also known as Piano pedal) – Using this pedal basically reduces the volume of the notes played.
- Middle pedal – Lot of pianos have the two pedals mentioned above but some of them also have one more in the middle. This behaves like a sustain pedal but differs slightly. Press a few keys and press this pedal; the notes will be sustained. Now, any additional notes that you play will not sustain.
Recommended Keyboard Sustain Pedals
How to Use a Pedal Correctly?
Most players feel a difference between the sustain pedal on a digital piano and that on an acoustic piano.
Most beginners generally tend to overuse the sustain pedal when playing the keyboards or digital pianos. Its mainly because the overall sound produced is much better, when the pedal is pressed on digital piano keyboards.
However, if you try to do the same on acoustic pianos, the result may not always be pleasant. So you will need to get used to playing on an acoustic piano, especially if you have been playing on digital pianos for years.
This is because of the way in which acoustic pianos are built (the sound produced from the the played/pressed keys cause the other strings to vibrate a bit). Inexpensive digital pianos can’t sincerely reproduce the various resonances that an acoustic piano produces.
So, when playing on an acoustic instrument, you will need to lift your foot most of the time and only press the pedal when its really required.
Also Read:
Do You Really Need a Piano Pedal?
A good pianist or a keyboardist not only has to play the notes, he/she has to give some expression to the performance so that it does not sound monotonous.
For this, the performer uses techniques like playing the notes softer/louder, sustaining certain parts of the piece, making the volume gradually louder etc.
Now, if you place all your 10 fingers on the keyboard, how do you add those expression?
You use foot pedals!
Foot Pedals are keyboard accessories which you use with your foot, mostly right foot. It is used to add various effects such as sustaining, changing the volume etc. while your hands are busy playing the notes.
A beginner keyboard player may not need these foot pedals at all so you can save your money for later. Piano buyers need not worry about these as the pedals come attached to the piano by default.
You have several options depending on what keyboard you have. You may choose a budget yamaha pedal or a casio pedal. You also get proper piano style sustain pedal as well as three-pedal foot unit as in a real piano. Pedal board for Privia pianos are also available.
Commonly Available Keyboard Pedals
The most commonly used pedals with keyboards are the Sustain pedal and the Volume pedal.
- Sustain Pedal – Sustains the notes. This is similar to the one on a piano.
- Volume pedal – changes the volume of your notes.
In addition to these pedals, you do get a lot of additional pedals which are basically targeted towards professionals. It lets you control effects and accompaniments.
The price of these pedals is also affected largely by the quality of these pedals. A good pedal will have a metal bar for your foot and a base which does not slip.
You can try out all these pedals at your local dealer. Make sure that you really need one of those before you reach out for your wallet 🙂
Note: Most of the Pianos have damper pedals that support different levels of pedaling response. It just means that the amount of sustaining is dependent on how much you press the pedal. Pianists who are used to half pedaling need to check for this feature while buying a Piano.
Polarity Switch on Sustain Pedal
Till some back, certain sustain pedals that were available in the market did not work on most piano keyboards.
So for instance if it worked with Yamaha digital piano, it would not have worked with a Casio Privia.
And even if it worked, it used to give a reverse sustaining effect. It meant, the notes were sustained even while normal playing; you didn’t even had to press the pedal. And when you pressed the pedal, the sustain effect would be gone. Exactly opposite to the way it should have worked.
Obviously, there was no easy way to fix that problem. One thing that you could try (in case if you still have such a pedal) is to hold the pedal down before turning ON your piano-keyboard. In most keyboards, this would reverse the sustain effect and bring it back to normal.
Most manufacturers of sustain pedals realized that, and the newer pedals started coming with a polarity switch. If your keyboard gave a reverse polarity switch, you just have to change the polarity (using the switch) and the piano-keyboard would start sustaining the notes in the normal manner.
So it’s important to go in for a universal sustain pedal that would work with most keyboards. M-audio has one such piano style universal pedal that is very popular among keyboardists and pianists.
Read: Sustain Pedal Produces Opposite Effect
Is It Same As Using The Sustain Function/Button?
Most Digital Pianos & keyboards have a sustain button (not the pedal) that sustains all the notes that you play. Its more of an effect actually.
However, its not a substitute to a pedal, in-case you have never used a pedal before. For sustaining the notes while playing, the best option is to use a pedal. A pedal is used so that you can sustain only certain notes or passages in a song.
Besides sustain, many more effects, such as reverb, chorus, etc. are available on these instruments that can be added to the notes, using buttons.
Best Piano Pedals that you Can Buy
Lot of digital pianos and keyboards come bundled with pedals, but then most users find them to be of average quality.
Some of the concerns around these pedals include:
- Springs way too weak
- Doesn’t feel like a pedal
- Not very responsive
- Doesn’t stay put
and so on…
So how do you solve this problem? Buy a separate sustain pedal unit instead!!!
External Sustain pedals are also best for budding keyboard players, who have graduated from being beginners and are now ready to learn advanced piano playing concepts. The extra investment is definitely justified now!
Here are some of the choices you have.
If you are a beginner keyboard player and own a portable music keyboard – Yamaha or the Casio, then you may consider going in for a foot switch (box) style pedal. Depending on your keyboard, you can go in for a Yamaha foot switch pedal or a Casio foot switch pedal.
But if you are serious about your piano playing and don’t fancy the box style foot switch pedal, then a much better option is to go in for a piano style sustain pedal. It works perfectly fine with most stage pianos and music keyboards.
For those of you looking for a proper three-pedal foot unit, similar to what you find on a real piano, you can go in for the Yamaha Foot Pedal Unit which is suitable for DGX, YPG and P series pianos, or the casio pedal board which works fine with privia digital pianos.
Piano Pedals for Kids
While most kids start playing the piano by the time they are 7-8 years old, unlike adults, they are unable to use the piano pedals because of their smaller height.
This problem is solved by suing accessories such as piano pedal extenders. Read more on piano pedal extenders for kids.
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I have a williams concerto 88 key piano nice piano. But the last owner cut of the pedals cable it gots 2 pedal for one cable I can’t find a replacement.
Replacement Pedals for Home Digital Piano
Question: Looking for replacement pedals for a Kawai Digital Piano CN31…
The Kawaii CN31 is located in the chapel of an Army Base in the Middle East. The soldiers who play piano tell me that the pedals are missing. They would love a replacement set so that they can practice Beethoven and Chopin, which really require a sustain pedal. Anyone know where I can get some? – Anne (Silver Spring, MD)
Answers: Replacement Pedals (by: Ben )
Its very easy to get one for a portable digital piano but this one seems to have a wooden cabinet and comes with a built-in standard 3-pedal unit. So you may have to check the manual to see how to replace the pedals…
You do get 3-pedal units that can be used with digital pianos, and though they’re advertised as if they’ll work only with certain models, the fact is that they all deliver a MIDI signal that should ideally be picked up by any digital piano model. You have to check the manual to see how the connection can be made.
Not sure how you deliver in the Middle East, I guess you’ll have to buy it in the US and ship it there.
As a pianist rather than keyboard player I like three pedals. The Casio PX360 only has a single pedal unless you have the full stand. Is there an alternative unit I can use as I will be using it on a double braced folding stand?
Hi Alan,
You can checkout the universal Triple (3) Piano Pedal Units listed above.