#Mini usb piano keyboard how to#
#Mini usb piano keyboard upgrade#
#Mini usb piano keyboard software#

The next step is, of course, to connect your keyboard to your phone or tablet.

To use a MIDI keyboard, you always need to couple it with some kind of external device that can serve as the sound source, like a tablet, phone, or computer. To do the stuff we explain later on in this blog, all youвЂ™ll need is a simple MIDI keyboard, which can be pretty cheap, but what you need to know before you buy one is that they donвЂ™t come with any built-in sounds.

#Mini usb piano keyboard upgrade#

If your keyboard isnвЂ™t MIDI compatible and doesnвЂ™t come fitted with some kind of MIDI port, and you still want to use MIDI, then youвЂ™ll need to upgrade your instrument. If you donвЂ™t have any kind of MIDI port, then unfortunately, the rest of this blog might not be that useful вЂ“ unless youвЂ™re willing to get a new piano or keyboard. Normally, youвЂ™ll find the port on the back of your keyboard or digital piano, but if youвЂ™re not sure if youвЂ™ve got one, take a look at your user manual. This means that your keyboard needs to be fitted with a MIDI OUT port or a USB-MIDI port. If you have a keyboard, the first thing you need to check is if it can be hooked up to your phone or tablet via a MIDI connection.

#Mini usb piano keyboard software#

Another good reason to use MIDI is that, when using educational software like Simply Piano, the results are far better than just using the built-in microphone of your tablet or phone since the app is able to вЂseeвЂ™ exactly the notes that have been played thanks to the incoming MIDI signal. If you record something in MIDI and make a little mistake, then fixing it is easy since everything can be changed later. Once connected, youвЂ™ll be able to use apps like Garageband (iPad), or Walk Band (Android) and countless other apps that support MIDI, so that, using nothing but your keyboard, youвЂ™ll be able to play a mass of different virtual instruments.

#Mini usb piano keyboard how to#

Next, we find out how to make a MIDI connection between your keyboard or digital piano and your tablet or phone. On the far left, you can see a USB-B port and on the right, a classic MIDI DIN port Why Use MIDI? What Can it Do? The software on your tablet or phone then takes all of that information and applies it to a selected sound. Via a MIDI-carrying signal, your keyboard is able to let your tablet or phone know which note is being played and for how long, and with many keyboards, how much pressure has been applied to the key to produce the note.

The only thing you need to know about MIDI for this particular blog is that MIDI essentially refers to little pieces of information вЂ“ and doesnвЂ™t refer to the sound of your keyboard. While a phone works just as well, itвЂ™s much easier to use the various available apps via a larger screen.ДЄ lot of information about MIDI can be found on the internet and as such, some of it can get pretty confusing. The first thing I advise is to (if possible) use a tablet instead of a phone. In this blog, we will find out if your keyboard or piano will be compatible, what kind of software youвЂ™ll need, and more! Say youвЂ™ve got a keyboard or digital piano and want to hook it up to a tablet or smartphone and see what it can do alongside the many sound-generating and tweaking apps out there.