Best Usb Piano Keyboard For Mac
Connect the MIDI Out port to a MIDI In port on a MIDI interface, and connect the MIDI In port on the keyboard to a MIDI Out port on the MIDI interface using MIDI cables. Connect the MIDI interface to your computer.
Best Usb Piano Keyboard For Mac
Analog Lab is a collection of instruments from their V Collection range, all modelled meticulously off of analogue synths. Not something you can usually get with a keyboard, making this essentially a hybrid synth.
On the upper end of the Komplete Kontrol keyboards, we have the A series keyboards, available in 49 and 61 key varieties. They mostly share the same features, but this is a step and a half up from the M32.
Hot damn this keyboard is cool. This one takes musical expression to the next level, like the K-Board/QuNexus but on a chunk of steroids. If you thought the Block was cool (and it is), this one takes that to the professional level by adding a fuller keyboard spread with even more controls. Also, did I mention playing it makes you feel like your hands are floating?
If you though the A series was good, then prepare to be impressed. The S series MIDI keyboards are just really, really good. Not only do you get the sexy form factor with a nice-feeling key bed, but you get tons more enhancing features, like the light guide, advanced chord and scale settings and tight integration with Komplete. By the way, the price here is more reflective of the usual Native Instruments standard.
Operating system and device: All keyboards work with both Windows and Mac computers, but not all of them come with specific layouts for both. Consult the Mac section below for our picks with Mac-specific layouts that omit the Windows key and include an Option key. For any of our picks that lack a Mac layout, you can always swap the key functions in macOS.
The Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard and the Logitech MX Keys are our favorite Bluetooth keyboards with Windows layouts. If you prefer a mechanical keyboard, we recommend the wireless Epomaker TH80 as well as the wired Varmilo VA87M and Leopold FC900R.
Full-size keyboards include all of the letters and numbers, function keys, media keys, and navigation keys, as well as a number pad and arrows. They take up the most space on a desk and can force your mouse into a less-ideal ergonomic position than smaller keyboards do. But if you use a number pad frequently or simply enjoy having a full-size layout, the Logitech MX Keys is the best Bluetooth option, the Leopold FC900R is the best full-size mechanical keyboard, and the Keychron C2 is a solid budget mechanical keyboard.
GarageBand is a great, free digital audio workstation that offers a surprising amount of features. If you're looking to record your keyboard, you can do this in GarageBand in a few different ways, with varying levels of ease and customizability.
There are three ways you can record your keyboard on GarageBand: you can record the sound through the speakers via a microphone, you can record via an audio interface using a line output, or you could use your keyboard as a MIDI controller and record it directly into your Mac.
Where the outputs will be on your keyboard will vary from model to model. But don't worry, just look on the front, back, or sometimes on the underside of your keyboard for these various outputs pictured below.
Though this could be a bit detailed, it's best that you know which method is the right one for you. Also, understanding each method will make it very quick and easy for you to follow the guide coming up.
Though this might sound like an obvious and easy option, it may not be the best. As you're not recording the genuine vibrations of a piano or other sounds, just replications through your speaker, your audio quality won't sound mind-blowing, no matter what microphone you may have.
You can also use your headphones port on your keyboard as a line output as well. The location of your headphones port can vary: it could either be on the front, back or underside of your keyboard. Look for either a port (or ports) labelled Headphones or the headphones icon like this:
This is the best way to ensure your sound quality is professional and your track can easily be edited or tweaked, though you could lose some of the "natural" feel of your playing as every sound is being digitally reproduced.
To use your keyboard as a MIDI controller, you can plug it straight into your Mac. Simply check first that your keyboard has a USB type B output, usually under USB (Computer). If it does, then you can use either a USB-B to USB-A cable or USB-B to USB-C cable depending on what inputs your Mac has.
B: Make sure that one end of your cable is connected to your keyboard's Headphones port or your Output L/Mono port and the other end is connected to your audio interface, which you then connect to your Mac. Connect a pair of headphones to your audio interface.
C: Connect one end of your cable to either your keyboard's USB-B port or its MIDI IN/MIDI OUT ports and the other end to your Mac. Make sure your keyboard speaker volume is off. Connect a pair of headphones to your Mac.
You can rename the generic name of your track by selecting the track and double-clicking the title, and customize what virtual instrument you'll be playing via your keyboard through the sound library on the left-hand side and customize your virtual instrument's EQ on the bottom right.
Though it might sound like a lot to take in, once you get the hang of it, you'll be recording non-stop with your keyboard. The more you get familiar with this, you can even incorporate your keyboard into recording multiple live tracks at once on GarageBand.
Many modern producers also desire portability, and so a more compact MIDI keyboard for spontaneous jamming can prove to be invaluable. Aside from that, you might just be after something cheap that works as a backup in case your main controller fails.
Its small size makes it a perfect travel companion, and its great variety of pads and assignable controls let you take control of every aspect of your production. Simply said, the MPK is one of the best MIDI controllers in the market today. You can check out our full review to the MPK Mini MK3 here.
And to top it off, the Arturia KeyStep 37 comes pre-loaded with Ableton Live Lite and the MIDI Control Center app to make MIDI mapping easy. Overall, this is a fantastic portable keyboard that is particularly suited for the gear heads, however there are enough features included to keep everyone happy.
Second, it is packed with features for such a small controller. Third, it is easy to integrate it with peripheral gear as well as most major DAWs, especially Ableton Live. This is one of the best mini MIDI controllers on the market today.
It just doesn't get more portable than the 25-key Korg microKEY Air MIDI controller keyboard. Grab your laptop or mobile device, pick up your microKEY Air, and you're all set - you don't even need to remember to pack a USB cable!
Additionally, this micro keyboard features 25 Natural Touch mini keys to play across 2 octaves at a time, a velocity-sensing keybed to add expression to your playing, a pitch/mod joystick, octave selection buttons, and a sustain button.
This portable mini keyboard is a fantastic entry point into the NI world at an affordable price. The Komplete Kontrol M32 features 8 touch-sensitive control knobs, 2 touch strips for intuitive expression, 4-directional push encoder for one-handed sound browsing and project navigation.
To top it off, the M32 offers full VST support, deep integration with Maschine software, intuitive control over Logic Pro X, GarageBand, and Ableton Live and is USB 2.0 bus powered. This is one of the best options for beginners as it really features everything you need to get started.
So following that I set out to find the best FREE MIDI keyboard software out there on each of the most common platforms Windows, Mac/ Apple and Android so you can plug in your MIDI keyboard and start playing straight away. This article summarises what I found.
First things first, I always find it useful to briefly explain how MIDI works. If you, like me, came from playing a traditional acoustic instrument such as a piano or guitar, the world of MIDI and digital music production may be a little confusing. If you already know how it works feel free to skip this section!
With a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI device not producing an audio signal, it needs to be plugged into another device which can convert the code into something we can hear. In the modern era this is usually a laptop or computer.
It comes pre-loaded with a few very basic tracks for you to play along with, think Amazing Grace or Mary Had a Little Lamb. The keys will light up and show you how to play along and you can slow it down or speed it up to suit. Perhaps this is most suitable for the absolute beginner or for a child learning the piano. Also useful for anyone using this to learn the piano are a few basic scale exercises you can play along with.
As you play on your MIDI keyboard and press record you will see lines appear on the screen. This is a visualization of the digital code for each note. You can see it shows which note was played, how long for and other parameters such as velocity (how hard you played that note).
What Pianu is really meant for though is learning the piano. For this it has lots of built-in lessons, starting with the absolute basics and building you up from there. What I like most is you can play along with a lot of contemporary songs (Coldplay, Taylor Swift etc.) rather than the usual Ode to Joy or Amazing Grace which you get on most apps.
Once plugged in the Perfect Piano app should automatically detect that a MIDI keyboard is connected and it should work straight away without you having to mess around with any setup! A real bonus for those who just want to plug in and play.