A MIDI device in this case will be your MIDI keyboard. Other Mac MIDI devices include effects units, digital recording units, stage lighting units. To add a device: Click on the 'Add Device' button in the toolbar. A new icon should appear. Double-click on the icon and its configuration window will appear. The best MIDI keyboards for Mac and Logic Pro Native Instruments Komplete MIDI Keyboards: Native Instruments has remained a dominant force in. Arturia KeyLab/KeyStep: The Arturia KeyLab products, like the Complete Kontrol. AKAI MPK Mini MKII 25-Key USB MIDI Controller: When it comes to the.
This article is for you if you want to record the actual sound of your keyboard or digital piano on your computer, iPad or iPhone. This is a complete step-by-step guide to the kit you need and how to connect it so you can make a great, high quality recording of yourself playing digital piano or keyboard. Perfect if you want to add keyboard tracks to your recordings, or to listen back to yourself (one of the best ways of making progress if you want to learn to play piano).
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[TL/DR] Our Favourite Interfaces For Recording Your Keyboard
iRig Pro Duo Recording Interface
- Completely cross-platform interface for Mac/PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android device
- Audio AND MIDI Recording
- Software For All Platforms Included
Presonus Audiobox iTwo Audio
- Multi-platform: PC, Mac and iPad
- Audio AND MIDI on one interface
- Recording software included
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface
- Perennial best-selling audio interface
- Most suitable for Mac and Windows (can be used with iPad or iPhone if you also purchase the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter)
- Consistently well-reviewed
Behringer UCA222 U-Control
- Cheap and cheerful
- Works on PC, Mac, Raspberry Pi and Linux – no drivers required
- Massive Software Bundle. Good Value if you just want to record keyboard (no mic inputs)
MIDI or Audio Recording?
First, let’s get a common confusion out of the way. Many people get confused about the difference between making a MIDI connection from their keyboard and actually recording the live sound of it (audio recording).If you want to record the sound of your keyboard, then a MIDI connection will not do the job. A MIDI interface will only transmit your performance data (i.e. which notes you have played, how loudly you played them etc). This MIDI information can be used to play software instruments on your computer. But it is not a recording of the sound!
Wanna do both? No problem. If your keyboard already has the USB-MIDI connection then you can already record MIDI. So all you need is an interface to record the sound. If your keyboard does not have USB MIDI, but has standard MIDI ports, then choose an interface with MIDI and Audio (see the iRig Pro Duo or the Audiobox iTwo above). That way you can do MIDI AND Audio.
Remember! Your USB To Host Will NOT Record The Sound!
And one more thing. If you can connect your piano or keyboard to your computer via a USB lead then in most cases this will only by a MIDI connection. To record the sound you will need to follow our steps below.Still confused about the difference between MIDI and Audio recording? Here is a short video that hopefully shows you the difference!
Midi Keyboard For Macbook Pro
If after that you realise you want to make a MIDI recording then read our other post on how to make a MIDI connection from your piano or keyboard. Or if you are still raring to go, then here is our simple step-by-step method to how your record your live performance! And if you are itching to know more about MIDI then this post will help.
Simple!
Let’s go through the step-by-step process of getting it right.
Step 1: Check Where The Sound Is Coming FROM
Your digital piano, electronic keyboard or synthesizer may have speakers. But to record you need to find the line level output(s).Check the manual/instruction booklet, or look online for the connectivity of your keyboard model. It may have something labelled ‘Aux Out’ or ‘Line Out’. This information will appear in the ‘Specs’ section. It might be labelled [L/L+R][R], or (MAIN) L/MONO, R: 1/4″ TRS Balanced.
Or, as is often the case with less expensive keyboards, it may be that the only output is actually a headphone output. That is OK. Maplestory for mac. You can record from the headphone out if there is nothing else available.
Step 2: Will You Record On Computer, Laptop, iPhone or iPad? (Or All The Above!)
In step 3, you will choose the right audio interface for the job of recording your keyboard. The audio interface is simply the box you need to take the sound from your keyboard, convert it to a digital signal, and transmit it to your computer. (If you want, read more on what is an audio interface). But there is NO POINT buying an audio interface for a Laptop if you only want to record on an iPad. So think carefully where you want to make the recordings. Or for most flexibility, choose an interface that will work with more than one device.Step 3: Choose A Suitable Audio Interface To Record The Signal
You will need some kind of audio interface to make a decent quality recording of your piano or keyboard. There are literally hundreds available, at all different prices. So here is the critical things your interface must have: 2 x line level inputs. Without line level inputs you will not be able to make a good recording of your keyboard.
While you are choosing, think what else you might want to do with the interface. Record vocals? Make sure your interface has at least one mic input (this will be an XLR input with mic pre-amp). Record guitar? To record acoustic you can use a mic. To record direct, make sure the interface has a Hi-Z input suitable for directly connecting the guitar (it will often have a picture of a guitar next to it!).
If you have L and R 1/4″ outputs and L and R 1/4″ inputs, then you need 2 x 1/4″ mono TS cables. Or if the outputs and the inputs are both BALANCED (the manual will state this) then you need 2 x 1/4″ mono TRS cables.
If you are connecting your headphone out – or your aux out is a single stereo port, then you will need a splitter cable of the right size. This will take the stereo output of the keyboard and split it into two mono channels – left and right – on your interface.
Step 5: Recording Software
Do not get too hung up about the recording software at this stage. Make sure you get the hardware right first (see steps 1-4). Chances are, the audio interface will ship with some recording software that you can use to record. OR there are plenty of free or inexpensive apps. On a Mac or Windows Laptop or computer, you can use Audacity. This is free – and excellent. And easy to use. Or on a Mac you can use Garageband. There are plenty of free or inexpensive recording apps for iPads and iPhones. Garageband is great for Apple products.Not too pleased with the sound? Read our in-depth guide to digital audio recording. You may be making fundamental recording mistakes that can be easily corrected with a little more knowledge.
If you want to record the actual sound of your keyboard on your computer then you need to connect the line out (or headphone out if no line out) from your keyboard up to your pc, mac or ipad. The way you do this really depends on your budget.
With Xamarin you code apps in C#, for multiple platforms, using the Mono and MonoTouch frameworks. That’s something you don’t really have as a beginner developer!Having said that, let’s look at a couple of options:. If you’re familiar with Windows-based development tools and IDEs, and if you already know how to code, it’s worthwhile to check out Xamarin. It’s much easier to get access to a Mac, and build a simple app, than it is to get started with Xamarin.Most of the cross-platform tools require you to have a basic understanding of programming, compilation options, and the iOS and Android ecosystems. If you’re familiar with web-based development, check out PhoneGap or Ionic. Mac os for pc free download.
We have divided this article into four sections:
- Spending the minimum: record keyboard on a tight budget
- A Better Solution: the entry-level USB interface for recording sound of keyboard
- THE Best Way To Record Keyboard: The Professional USB Audio Interface
- Kickstart Your Home Studio: All-In-One Recording Packs With Mics + Headphones (this is the easiest way to get started. Read our reviews of the best all-in-one studio packages. For Keyboard players we particular recommend the Presonus iTwo studio pack. Contains everything you need – except for the cables to connect your keyboard to the interface – and has MIDI i/o as well)
Once you have decided which route to go, the only other thing you will need is/are the correct audio cables to connect from your keyboard to the input of the interface (or mic port if you choose to go that route)
Low Budget: Record The Sound Of Your Keyboard On The Cheap
This method is super cheap and cheerful … it is not my most recommended way, but if you want a quick cheap fix, then you can try this!Up until relatively recently, most people had a computer or laptop with a separate microphone port, and it was possible to simply connect an audio cable from the audio output of the keyboard to the mic port on the computer – and if you have this port available then you will find this method documented in my complete FREE video course on how to record your keyboard.
What if you don’t have a mic port and you want to use this very cheapest method, just to get started? I suggest you buy an external sound adapter that has a separate headphone and mic port and simply connects to a USB port. These work really well on iPad too, if you have an iPad-USB adapter. Although this is not the most high quality way of recording your keyboard, it is definitely the cheapest. If you want to see a demo, then watch this quick video which shows you how to record your keyboard through a simple external sound adapter.
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Better: Entry Level Dedicated Recording Interface For Keyboards
What if you are looking for a cost effective and reasonable quality solution, and want to spend just a little bit more? Then for a small investment you could purchase the Behringer U-Control, with appropriate connection cable for your keyboard. The U-Control will connect your keyboard straight to your USB port, bypassing your existing soundcard and outputs studio quality stereo, 16-bit, 48 kHz digital audio. All you need is the correct cable(s) for your keyboard. This may be 2 x jack to RCA, or a Y-Cable depending on your keyboard. And again this will also work on an iPad with the appropriate iPad-USB adapter.The disadvantage . you can only use it to record the sound of your keyboard, or other line out instruments. Nothing more. So it does one job well. But if you are looking for a more complete home recording studio set-up then read on …
Best: Getting A High Quality Professional Recording Result With An Audio Interface
To get the best recording quality recording result, invest in a professional audio interface – and if you don’t know what that is then we have written a complete beginners guide on what is an audio interface. Choose one with line inputs. Then pick the appropriate cables to link from the audio output of your keyboard to the inputs of the interface. Choose a good brand like Focusrite or Presonus. They may cost a little more but will give you a good quality recording result.At the entry level, my personal favourite audio interface for recording your digital piano or keyboard is the Presonus iTwo Audio Interface which you can buy here on Amazon. Why that one? It is well priced and is the only one at this price point that also has MIDI i/o as well as dual audio inputs. So you can record the sound of your keyboard, but you can also make a MIDI connection. And it is cross platform.
Focusrite, M-Audio and Presonus also make fantastic all-in-one recording bundles which are fantastic if you want a complete solution with mic, interface and software (scroll on down to see them …)
If you go to the complete video course on how to record your keyboard, then look at the videos which show you how to record using a professional audio interface. This is my preferred method and will definitely give you the best result. You can view the specific videos which show you exactly how to record your keyboard with a professional interface by watching the videos below, that I have put together in a playlist:
The Total Set-Up: All-In-One Home Recording Studio Packages
Buying an all-in-one home recording studio package can be a great way to record your keyboard on your computer, and have the option of recording vocals and maybe guitar. Most of the good manufacturers put together packs that contain an audio interface, microphone and headphones all in one box. The benefits of this are: it will usually work out cheaper than buying the items separately; you know the separate items will be compatible with each other and there will be one set of instructions to follow; they all come with good software packages as well. Here are a few recommendations – all perfect for recording your keyboard then layering your vocals on top. Also good for guitars and other instruments. .
* Perennial Favourite *
Focusrite Scarlett Studio USB Audio Interface Recording Package
* Our Top Choice For Keyboard Players and For iPad Recording *
Presonus iTwo Studio Audio Interface Recording Bundle
* Good Value Package To Record Vocals As Well As Keyboard *
M-Audio Vocal Studio PRO Complete Vocal Studio Package
* Perfect For iOS and Android Recording as well as Mac/PC *
IK Multimedia iRig Pro Duo Studio Suite
This is a really brief intro to the world of Recording – if you want to know more, then there is a fantastic guide to computer music making written by Cakewalk, The Desktop Music Handbook – which covers MIDI in depth, and also features a great guide to Digital Audio.
And once more, do check out my complete step-by-step video guides to recording your digital piano or keyboard. I cover audio and MIDI recording, plus how to sync your playing to video if you want to upload stuff to YouTube!
Last modified: Sep 13, 2019 @ 2:37 pm
Update 13-Sept-2019: the information in this post (originally from Sept 2016) is still relevant for OSX 10.14. Reference to a new, easy-to-use software MIDI keyboard (MidiKeys) has been added.
Note: this page describes setup for OS X 10.11-10.14. Some older versions like 10.10 and 10.9 are essentially the same where MIDI is concerned, but your millage may vary if you have a vastly older OS versions (namely those older than 10.6).
Although a basic MIDI setup on Mac OS X is typically easier than on Windows (to go beyond the default Windows synth anyway), it still requires some work. Here I will try to give a comprehensive overview of what you need to work with MIDI on Mac, particularly for interactive MIDI applications. I am also focusing on free setup, so the instructions on this page do not involve spending money to get things working.
In brief, to work with MIDI you need two things at a minimum:
- Virtual MIDI ports (many devices create these automatically, but some programs do not)
- A synthesizer
You may also want a way to get MIDI input without extra hardware. All of these topics are covered here.
First though, let’s talk about exactly what MIDI is. Some of this general information on MIDI is the same as on my Working with MIDI on Windows page. If you know about MIDI already, feel free to skip right to the section on Virtual MIDI ports.
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a protocol for communicating information between various devices and it has been around for over 30 years. For various reasons, many people new to MIDI struggle with what exactly it is and, therefore, often misunderstand what it and programs using it can and cannot do. Here are some quick facts that are often stumbling points for people that are new to working with MIDI and audio, each of which will be addressed in more detail later:
- MIDI is a way of communicating between devices with certain message formats. For example, a MIDI controller can communicate to another device, perhaps a synthesizer, when a pitch should start and when it should end—much like the information communicated by a note on a paper score. In fact, a MIDI file is actually pretty close to a paper score in terms of the types of information it captures.
- MIDI is not sound! You cannot “hear” MIDI any more than you can “hear” a paper score
by itself. MIDI controllers do not create sound by themselves. Things that make sound from MIDI must interpret what they are told via the MIDI protocol. These devices are synthesizers, and they interact with audio devices to create sound. - Generally, your on-board sound chip and many external soundcards know nothing special
about MIDI and they are not MIDI synthesizers. If you buy a brand new laptop, its sound chip will not deal with MIDI messages and is not a MIDI synthesizer.
Note that a “MIDI device” does not have to be a piece of hardware. There are plenty of software “MIDI devices” that can be called as such simply because they show up in device lists just like hardware devices.
1.1 MIDI Messages
MIDI information is broken into messages, which are sent over some communication medium. Messages can refer to “programs” or patches (think of it as an instrument name), channels, pitches, and so on. Channels can be thought of like staffs on a digital music score. Some examples of MIDI messages include:
- Note on: start playing a particular pitch on a particular channel at a particular volume.
- Note off: stop playing a particular pitch on a particular channel.
- Program change: assign a new instrument to a channel.
Once again, these messages must be interpreted by a synthesizer in order to create sound. Sometimes MIDI messages are also called MIDI events.
MIDI-related programs that do not show up in the device manager when running are not MIDI
devices.
1.2 Controllers vs. Synthesizers
The difference between a MIDI controller and synthesizer is quite simple:
- A MIDI Controller is a device that allows a human to push some buttons or keys and generate MIDI messages or events. In: human ineraction. Out: MIDI messages. There is no sound involved.
- A MIDI synthesizer is a device that receives MIDI messages and produces sound. In: MIDI messages. Out: sound via an audio device or audio jack.
In a hardware-only setup, a MIDI controller (like a keyboard) would be physically connected to a MIDI synthesizer, to which speakers or headphones would then be connected. Perhaps some of the sound vs. MIDI confusion that the music community experiences is due to the fact that may keyboards actually include both of these elements: they are all-in-one MIDI controllers and synthesizers. However, any such device that features both “MIDI in” and “MIDI out” ports can usually be used as one or the other independently.
There is also a third category of devices that simply re-rout and/or re-interpret MIDI messages. As hardware, these devices are usually peripherals used to do specialized tasks like duplicating a stream of MIDI messages, merging MIDI message streams, or allowing a foot pedal to send messages down a regular MIDI cable (foot pedals meant for use with MIDI equipment typically have 1/4-inch TS or TRS plugs and send control voltage that has to be interpreted by something as a series of MIDI messages). Software also exists to re-rout, merge, and split MIDI messages.
Note: many common cases of using MIDI on Mac do NOT require setting up new virtual MIDI ports. Many devices (software and hardware) create their own ports. However, if you need to relay messages between two or more programs that do NOT create their own ports, you will need to follow the steps in this section.
A virtual MIDI port is a piece of software that runs in the background to send/receive MIDI messages from other programs or hardware devices. Virtual MIDI ports allow communication between MIDI-related programs that are not perceived by the operating system as MIDI devices. In other words, these programs might be able to send and receive MIDI messages, but they can’t “see” each other directly—but they will both be able to see a virtual MIDI port and can, therefore, use it to communicate. Hardware ports can be used similarly, although it often requires using a MIDI cable to create an ungainly self-loop (connecting a device’s output to its own input).
OS X comes with the ability to set up new virtual MIDI ports. Typically there are none by default and you have to add them manually. Here’s how to get to the screen where you can configure your ports:
- Open up Finder and click on “Applications.”
- Search for “Audio MIDI Setup” – you should see a little keyboard icon show up. Double click on it.
- If you are lucky, you will get 2-3 windows that open up and one of them will be called “MIDI Studio.” If you don’t see that window, go up to the top left of the screen and go to
Audio MIDI Setup > Preferences and make sure the box called “MIDI Window” is ticked. - Once you have MIDI Studio open, double-click on “IAC Driver.”
- There should be a list called “Ports.” If this is empty, you don’t have any ports set up. To add a new port, click the “+” button. This port will now always be there (potentially unless you upgrade your OS version – then you might need to go through these steps again).
- You can manage the ports you have as you need new ones or if you want to remove some later. Typically it’s good to have at least 2 ports at any given time. You can give your ports meaningful names if you want by double-clicking the name of the port.
WARNING: you should never send to and receive from the same port within the same program. Doing so creates a feedback loop of never-ending messages. This is one of the reasons it’s good to have two different ports available when you are experimenting with hooking MIDI-based programs together. Some situations require even more ports to avoid feedback loops, but two is good enough for most cases.
As described above, a synthesizer is the thing that actually makes sound for you. Both hardware and software synthesizers exist. For Macs, typically the easiest solution is SimpleSynth. You can download and install this program and keep it running in the background at all times. This will give you a basic set of standard MIDI sounds. SimplySynth creates its own virtual MIDI port while it is running. If you have no other ports set up, it will be the default output device. You can also set SimpleSynth to take input from other ports or input devices.
If you want to use sound font (SF2) files, another great option is Sforzando. This program behaves much like SimpleSynth and is very easy to configure, but you need to already have some SF2 files to use with it. So, if you currently have some virtual instruments in SF2 format and want to use them, give Sforzando a try. Like SimpleSynth, Sforzando creates its own virtual MIDI port while it is running, but it can also take input from other ports/devices.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you start SimpleSynth/Sforzando first, before opening any other MIDI software! If you already had other programs open, close them and re-open them after starting the synthesizer.
To turn MIDI messages into sound, you need to get them from the source producing them to the synthesizer that will interpret them. The producing program may be a MIDI file player, a physical MIDI controller, or a software MIDI controller.
SimpleSynth happens to come with its own virtual MIDI port functionality. You can change which port SimpleSynth listens to for MIDI messages. Regardless of which port you use, you want the following configuration overall:
Best Midi Keyboard For Mac Logic Pro
Program making MIDI messages –> a particular port –> SimpleSynth
Your message-producing program should send to the same port that SimpleSynth is set to receive from. If you have multiple programs creating MIDI messages, you can set all of them to send to the same port that SimpleSynth is listening to.
If you have a situation where you are taking MIDI input from one device, processing it with some other program, and then outputing new messages to a synthesizer, you MUST have two different ports involved:
MIDI message generator –> Port1 –> SomeOtherProgram –> Port2 –> SimpleSynth
If you try to use just a single port, you’ll get a feedback loop. Logos bible software for mac free download.
Most USB hardware MIDI controllers make their own port show up on the system when plugged in. In these cases, you can have a somewhat simpler setup:
HardwareNamePort –> SomeOtherProgram –> SomeVirtualPort -> SimpleSynth
Sometimes it’s nice to be able to get MIDI input without having a physical MIDI controller to plug into your computer. For these situations, I recommend MidiKeys (simplest option) or Virtual Midi Piano Keyboard (VMPK). To send MIDI messages from these programs to others, you need a virtual MIDI port set up as described in previous sections.
Using MidiKeys
The nice thing about MidiKeys is that you just need to fire it up before the program that will be accepting MIDI messages from it. The downside is that you must do Ctrl+Click > Open the first time you run it (later versions of OS X aren’t friendly to 3rd party apps opening with double-click the first time) and the the keyboard mapping is a little funky. Still, it is by far the simplest solution for getting a keyboard-based MIDI controller on OS X. It can send to either its own port or any other port registered with the operating system at the time.
Using VMPK
Make sure you have virtual MIDI ports set up as needed BEFORE starting up VMPK. VMPK also acts as its own synthesizer, so if you want it to act purely as a controller then you need to configure it as follows:
- Go to Edit > MIDI Connections
- Tick “Enable MIDI Thru on MIDI Output”
- Tick “Show Advanced Connections”
- Set the MIDI OUT Driver to be “CoreMIDI”
- Set the Output MIDI Connection to be your desired virtual port. Note: if you don’t tick “show advanced connections,” you may not see the ports you’re looking for.
If you want to set VMPK to only play when clicking instead of making sound whenever the mouse passes over the keyboard, you can do the following:
- Go to vmpk > Preferences
- Untick “Enable Touch Screen Input”
I recommend two approaches for playing MIDI files if you don’t care where the MIDI messages are sent:
- MuseScore – useful for making scores and playing simple MIDI files. Note: it is primarily intended for MIDI files that have very “clean” timing (in other words, not files recorded from live human input).
If you want to play a MIDI file and customize the output device, most programs available on Mac seem to cost money. At present I don’t have a good alternative to recommend. When I find one, I will update this page accordingly.