If you make music, especially electronically, a MIDI keyboard is definitely a piece of gear that you’ll want in your music studio. MIDI keyboards can be a bit confusing to use, since they’re not like a normal piano keyboard.
This article details reviews of the best beginner MIDI keyboards to buy, and explains how to set up and use your new MIDI keyboard, among other questions you might want answered before purchasing a MIDI keyboard.
- What Are the Best MIDI Keyboards for Beginners?
- What is a MIDI Keyboard and Why Do You Need It?
- How to Choose and What to Look for?
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Top 10 Best MIDI Keyboards for Beginners
There are so many MIDI keyboards and controllers out there that are suitable for people of any experience level. Here are some reviews of what we think are the best MIDI keyboard controllers for beginners that are in the market for a new way to add functionality and fun to their workflow.
Here are the best MIDI keyboard controllers for beginners 2021:
Akai MPK Mini MkII
The Akai MPK Mini MkII is one of my favorite MIDI keyboards. It’s got 25 keys, 8 drum pads, 8 knobs, buttons to transpose and select octaves, a joystick to control pitch and modulation, and a built in arpeggiator.
It’s small which makes it super portable, it’s definitely very easy to use, and it’s compatible among many different DAWs. The Akai MPK Mini is powered by USB so all you have to do is plug it into your computer.
The keys on this thing are velocity sensitive and synthesizer styled, so they’re not weighted, but they do respond to how hard you play them. The drum pads are velocity sensitive as well, and the knobs are all assignable to the drum pads so you can customize the drum pad sounds to your liking.
You can also plug a sustain pedal into this MIDI keyboard if you want to with the sustain input.
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This is one of the best MIDI keyboards for beginners. It offers a lot of functionality without being too confusing to use and set up. It’s definitely a fantastic choice for a starter MIDI keyboard and I highly recommend it.
Novation Launchkey Mini MkII
The Novation Launchkey line is one of the best out there. My main MIDI keyboard is a Launchkey 49. The Launchkey Mini is a smaller version of that. The Launchkey Mini MkII is a MIDI keyboard with 25 synthesizer keys that are velocity sensitive.
There are 16 drum pads that are also velocity sensitive. An added feature of these drum pads is that they have LED lights in them and they light up in correspondence with Ableton Live’s performance mode. There are 8 assignable knobs and dedicated navigation and control buttons as well.
If you choose to get a bigger version (Launchkey 49 or 61), another feature available to you are some faders for volume control straight from your MIDI keyboard as well as modulation and pitch wheels.
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The only major downside of this MIDI keyboard is that it’s mainly made for use with Ableton Live. That being said, it can be used with other DAWs. I’ve used it with Logic Pro, but since it’s made with Ableton in mind, a few of the features (mainly the drum pads) are disabled when connected to DAWs other than Ableton.
I’m sure there are workarounds to configure all of the features to the DAW of your choice, but if you’re an Ableton user, this is the MIDI keyboard for you, without a doubt.
Midiplus AKM320
If you’re looking for a straightforward, no frills type of MIDI keyboard, the AKM320 by Midiplus is a fantastic option. This is the best starter MIDI keyboard because it’s so simple to use and set up.
The AKM320 has 32 mini synthesizer style keys that are velocity sensitive. The keyboard also features pitch and modulation wheels, transpose buttons, octave up/down buttons, and a volume slider. There is also an input for a sustain pedal and an input for connecting the keyboard to your computer through USB.
Using the “MIDI learn” feature in your DAW, you can change some of the controls’ functions, for example, changing the volume slider to control panning left and right.
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This is the ideal keyboard for someone who wants a ton of portability and doesn’t rely on drum pads to create drums for their music. If you’re in search of a simple entry-level MIDI keyboard, go for this one.
Nektar Impact GX49
The Nektar Impact GX49 is yet another decent MIDI controller for beginners. The Impact GX49 features a 49-note synthesizer style keyboard, a pitch bend wheel, a modulation wheel, and an input jack for a sustain pedal or other foot switch.
Also featured are octave up and down buttons with LED colors that change to show the status of the keyboard. Transpose buttons are another feature of this keyboard, but they can also be reconfigured in your DAW to change the function of them if you need them for another purpose.
There are 8 buttons for navigating through the main functions of your DAW, like recording and skipping forward and back. The buttons can also be reprogrammed for other use aside from MIDI.
A nice thing about this keyboard is that you don’t have to use it in just your DAW; you can use it with standalone instruments and it’ll still work fine and you should be able to configure the buttons just fine.
The Impact GX49 is very portable and connects easily to an iPad or smartphone, and only weighs 4 lbs, which is quite light for having 49 keys.
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If you want a nice MIDI keyboard that also can be flexible enough to be used as a starter MIDI controller, this one is a good option.
Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32
Native Instruments is one of the most well known companies that have been providing producers with high-quality instrument sound banks and also gear, for example, their MIDI keyboard package, Komplete Kontrol.
The Komplete Kontrol MIDI keyboards are an industry standard and favorite among producers, and understandably so. The Komplete Kontrol M32 is the smallest keyboard Native Instruments makes, but it packs a big punch.
The M32 features 32 synthesizer style keys, 8 touch sensitive control knobs, a display window for navigating through instruments, presets, and effects, and two touch strips for expressive performance. It works with Logic Pro X, GarageBand, and Ableton Live, among many other DAWs.
The M32 is USB powered so all you have to do is plug it into your computer and you’re set.
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Definitely try to get your hands on one of these, if not to buy, then at least to try. The tactile expression controls on this keyboard are amazing and make it so much fun to use.
Alesis VI49
The Alesis VI49 is one of the more expensive MIDI keyboards on this list, but for good reason. It boasts 49 semi weighted keys and 16 velocity sensitive RGB drum pads that respond to your touch.
The VI49 also features pitch and modulation wheels, 12 assignable knobs and 36 assignable buttons for manipulating plugin effects and instruments, tweaking parameters, modulating filters, and changing volumes.
The VI49 is a plug and play USB MIDI keyboard so you can easily connect it to your favorite DAW.
A feature that we haven’t seen yet on the MIDI keyboards on this list is aftertouch. Oftentimes aftertouch is an effect usually only on synthesizers and electronic keyboards with weighted keys or semi weighted keys.
If you’re not familiar with aftertouch, it’s a feature that allows keyboard players to change the tone or sound of a note on the keyboard after playing it by pressing down harder on the keys.
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This is a really well built keyboard and it has some nice features to it, but if you’re not looking to use all the buttons you might find it a bit overwhelming since there are so many.
Roli Seaboard Block
The Seaboard Block by Roli is a really different type of MIDI keyboard that has been astounding musicians and producers for a few years.
The Roli Seaboard Block replaces a traditional MIDI keyboard with a soft, pressure sensitive surface. The surface allows you to glide your fingers along it, strike the keys, press down with your fingers, etc, to shape the sound of your instrument through five dimensional touch.
The Seaboard Block is both wireless and super portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go and connect it to your phone or computer.
The Seaboard Block comes with software (included are Noise, Equator Player, and Blocks Dashboard) and you can purchase different instruments and sounds to play with the Block through your phone or computer, or you can use it as a MIDI keyboard with your DAW and bypass the included sounds.
You can also connect the Seaboard Block to Roli’s other blocks to create even more music and add more functionality to your workflow.
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If you’re in the market for something that incorporates a ton of expressiveness with mobile technology, the Roli Seaboard Block is a great option for you.
If you’re a guitar player who wants to learn piano or start making music with a MIDI keyboard, a Seaboard Block seems like it would be the easiest to learn with considering the five dimensional touch provides an experience similar to bending notes and using other expressive techniques on a guitar.
M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32
The M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 is all about saving space. It’s a compact little thing but is still comfortable to create music with.
For being as small as it is, it has some clever features that make it have a lot more functionality that you would be more likely to see in a bigger MIDI keyboard.
The Axiom AIR Mini 32 has 32 mini synthesizer style keys (velocity sensitive, of course) and 8 drum pads. There are 8 knobs, 3 transport controls, and 5 navigation buttons. The controls are assignable and have front panel programming. There are also pitch bend, modulation, and sustain buttons on this MIDI keyboard.
The defining feature of this keyboard, and what I think makes it worth buying, is the fact that there are multiple banks for the drum pads and 10 memory locations for saving custom settings. To me, this gives it as much functionality as a bigger MIDI keyboard that has way more drum pads, knobs, and buttons.
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This is a fine choice if you want a cheap under $100 MIDI controller but don’t want to get something that’s lacking in features or isn’t well built. M-Audio has a lot of nice products and the Axiom AIR Mini 32 is one of them for sure.
CME Xkey Air
The CME Xkey Air is a USB powered MIDI keyboard controller that connects to all your devices via Bluetooth. It has 25 real size keys and is ultra sensitive thanks to polyphonic aftertouch and 128 levels of sensitivity for velocity responsive playing.
The CME Xkey Air also has function buttons that change octaves, bend pitch, change modulation, and add or hold sustain. The Xkey Air comes with a free app for your phone called Xkey Plus. Through this app you can configure your Xkey Air exactly how you like it.
Firmware updates for the keyboard are always coming out and you can easily upgrade your Xkey Air online. It’s made of aluminum and is super slim, which makes it super portable yet sturdy.
The keyboard’s battery will last over 10 hours while connected to Bluetooth. If your computer doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, CME offers a product called WIDI BUD which is a low energy Bluetooth adapter that you plug into your computer to pair it with the Xkey Air.
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Like many of the great options on this list, the XKey Air is a solid choice for those who want an easy to use full size keyboard without losing portability.
Isla Instruments KordBot
Isla Instruments is a fairly new company but their MIDI controller KordBot is becoming popular at a steady rate. I decided to put KordBot on this list even though it doesn’t have fully functional keys like a MIDI keyboard, but it’s extremely similar to one and has a similar setup as a MIDI keyboard.
https://goosql735.weebly.com/quaddro-2-mac-os.html. KordBot is a MIDI controller with a keyboard vibe made especially for coming up with chord progressions. It has thousands of chords built in and spans over 50 different musical scales. This makes it great for a beginner because if you’re a producer who doesn’t know music theory, you’ll still be able to easily come up with strong chord progressions.
KordBot has a key area that spans over 2 octaves, 12 memory pads, an SD card slot for saving chord progressions, a chord dictionary that helps you learn new chords and their inversions by lighting up the correct piano-like keys, and it even will suggest what chord to use next in your progression.
KordBot allows you to connect through MIDI, USB, or Bluetooth, so you’ll be able to use it with all your devices and DAWs.
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With so many chords, voicings, and a plethora of functionality, if you struggle to come up with chord progressions, the KordBot is a very smart purchase to make, although you might struggle to navigate through all its functions a bit at first.
What Exactly Is a MIDI Keyboard?
A MIDI keyboard is a controller with piano keys, drum pads, and buttons, that allows you to write MIDI information into your DAW to use with instrument plugins.
What Does a MIDI Keyboard Do?
A MIDI keyboard inputs MIDI information into your DAW while composing. This can be through the piano keys, where you play it just like a normal piano while using the MIDI information with an instrument plugin. A MIDI keyboard can also input information through the drum pads.
Some MIDI keyboards also allow for you to control other aspects of your DAW, like the play, rewind, skip forward, and record buttons so you don’t have to use your computer mouse. Many MIDI keyboards also have knobs and faders, so you can also control the volume, pan, filter, etc, automation of tracks.
Why Do You Need a MIDI Keyboard in Your Studio Setup?
MIDI keyboards add a ton of functionality to your workflow and enable you to compose so much faster than writing in MIDI information note by note.
While it’s not necessary to have a MIDI keyboard or controller in your setup, many producers and composers prefer using one instead of entering MIDI notes and editing automation with a mouse because it speeds things up so much.
What Should You Look for When Buying for the First Time?
What you look for really depends on what you’ll be using the MIDI keyboard for. Do you want to compose with it, or do you just want to use it to control your DAW?
Features and aspects you’ll want to consider before buying include:
- Faders.
- Knobs.
- Buttons.
- Drum pads.
- Modulation and pitch wheels.
- A navigation screen.
- Number of keys.
- Keyboard action and feel and aftertouch.
- Key type (synthesizer style or weighted).
- Portability/weight of the keyboard.
- Complexity or ease of use.
- What type of input it uses to connect to your computer (Bluetooth, USB, MIDI).
How Should You Choose?
Base things on what you’ll be doing with thekeyboard and whether or not you already have experience playing piano.
If you’re wanting to use a MIDI keyboard/controller to mix more than compose, you’ll want something with plenty of faders, knobs, and buttons. Having plenty of knobs and buttons will also be helpful if you’re someone who wants to perform live using the keyboard.
If you’re wanting to use it to compose, youmight not care too much about having faders and drum pads and knobs. Mainlywhat you’ll need is a record/play button area and keys of your choice.
This brings me to my next point: MIDI keyboards come with different amounts of keys, and some are synthesizer style (non weighted) and others have weighted keys, like a traditional piano keyboard.
Depending on what you’re used to, if you’ve already been playing piano for many years, you might want to go with a MIDI keyboard that has weighted keys. If you want something you can play at lightning fast speeds, you might want a MIDI keyboard with non-weighted keys. Really this is a preference type thing.
If you’re able to buy a MIDI keyboard from a music store and demo the product before you buy it, that would be ideal because then you’d be able to find a better fit for you at a much faster rate.
When I was searching for a MIDI keyboard when I was first getting started making music, I had a fairly decent budget, less than $500. I didn’t care too much about portability, and I wanted something that wouldn’t require me having to constantly be hitting the octave up and down buttons while performing and producing, so I wanted something with more keys.
My DAW of choice was Ableton Live, so considering all of this, I went with the Novation Launchkey 49. In hindsight, it was a poor decision for me to have made, because although I loved the keyboard and it played really well, I didn’t end up using many of the features, mainly the volume faders and knobs.
Come to think of it, I didn’t even use the drum pads. I could’ve easily been satisfied with a much smaller 25 key MIDI keyboard. Take this as a lesson.
Who Makes the Best MIDI Keyboard Controllers?
In my opinion, the following companies make the best MIDI keyboard controllers:
Akai
Akai has some of the most popular MIDI keyboards, especially for beginners or bedroom producers. They’ve got some really solid products. The keys feel nice and the drum pads are sensitive.
Novation
Novation was the brand I went with when picking my first MIDI keyboard, and I was pleased with their line of instruments. They’re well built and easy to use, although they’re mainly designed for use with Ableton Live.
Starcraft remastered mouse settings. I’ve found that their drum pads aren’t as sensitive as Akai’s are, but if you’re using them more for triggering loops or long samples that don’t depend on velocity, rather than drums, they work fine.
Native Instruments
Native Instruments has some really great MIDI keyboards, but they’re more common in more professional music studios because they’re more expensive due to having some extra software that comes along with them.
Everything Native Instruments comes out with feels like a quality product and there’s nothing by them that has disappointed me.
How Much Should You Be Spending, and What Should You Expect in Different Budgets?
Spend as much money as you see fit. However, if there’s a very expensive keyboard that has all the features you’d be needing to use, try to find one that’s cheaper that covers all those bases.
Many MIDI keyboards are similar and a lot of the cheaper ones work just as well as the expensive ones. Check out our reviews of best budget MIDI keyboards to learn more.
For beginners, most MIDI keyboards will come in the $150 or less range. However, a lot of this depends on the features and what the keyboard was made for, since some are made mainly for performance and others are made for production.
Higher-priced MIDI keyboards will be ones with 49 to 88 keys, ones with LED screens, instrument presets built in, and an extensive amount of knobs, faders, and drum pads. The more features on the keyboard, the higher priced it will be. A good example would be the Native Instruments line of MIDI keyboards.
Should You Purchase a Bigger MIDI Keyboard First?
Really this is up to you. Do you think you’ll want something that big to start out with? Are you already a seasoned piano player who is used to playing over 61 keys? Do you like the feel of weighted keys?
I personally would suggest starting out with a 25- or 32-key MIDI keyboard that you can learn on first. You might find that that’s all you need and that getting something huge would be unnecessary if you can just use octave up and down keys.
However, if you’re more set on composing in a studio, it might be better to get a bigger MIDI keyboard and not worry about having something portable if you don’t plan to compose on the go.
How Do You Use a MIDI Keyboard?
To use a MIDI keyboard, once it’s plugged in and you’ve got it set up properly, select an instrument track in your DAW and load an instrument plugin onto the track. Select whichever instrument you want to use, and begin playing the keyboard.
You might have to change the settings in the plugin itself to get it to recognize your MIDI keyboard but this doesn’t happen too often.
How Do You Set Up a MIDI Keyboard and Connect It to Your Computer?
Setting up a MIDI keyboard and connecting it to your computer shouldn’t be difficult. Most MIDI keyboards use USB, which means you can just plug the included cable into the USB port of your computer to connect it and start playing; most DAWs are intuitive enough to detect new MIDI hardware.
You might also need to change the audio input settings in your DAW to make sure everything is connected properly.
Can You Use Your Electric Piano Keyboard as a MIDI Controller?
Some piano keyboards have MIDI inputs on them. If this is the case, then yes, you’ll be able to use your piano keyboard as a MIDI controller. It may have less functionality than an actual MIDI keyboard, but you’ll still be able to compose with it. You’ll need MIDI to USB cables to do this.
Can You Use Your Computer Keyboard as a MIDI controller?
Some DAWs (Logic Pro X and Ableton Live for example) do allow you to use your computer keyboard as a MIDI keyboard, but usually in these cases, they only function as the keys of the keyboard and octave up and down buttons.
If you only need to do basic work with a MIDI keyboard, using your computer keyboard might suffice for a while, especially if you’re on an extremely tight budget.
It’s definitely a lot more limiting than using an actual MIDI keyboard, but it can be done and it can work pretty well.
Conclusion
My advice to you is to just find something for what you’ll need; don’t bother getting something with more functions than what you’ll be needing it for. Stick to what you think would be the most suitable for you, and take time to learn about it.
MIDI keyboards and controllers have a lot to offer, and if you really dig deep and learn how to use all the features and get the hang of performing with them, they can be incredibly useful and also very fun.
Whether you’re jamming at the park with friends or creating music in a studio, they are a worthwhile piece of gear to invest in and I will never not recommend that someone tries to incorporate them into their workflow.
If MIDI keyboards happen to not be something you’re into, try looking into other MIDI controllers. There are so many out there and a lot of them don’t even have piano keyboard keys. There are ones that use strings, ones that focus on using buttons, and so much more.
Electronic instruments in general are super fascinating and many of them do incorporate some sort of MIDI input or export function into their workflow, so many synthesizers or pocket instruments, for example, can be used as MIDI controllers if you prefer to go that route.
The resources are there, all you have to do is be ready to explore and find what fits you and your workflow the best.
I received an email from a blog reader who had recently bought a MIDI keyboard so they could start practicing a bit of piano at home.
My previous blog posts on MIDI keyboards had all said something along the lines of “plug in your MIDI device and open up you DAW software to play”. But what if you don’t want to purchase any expensive software for writing and producing whole musical tracks? What if you just want some free software for practicing piano or messing around?
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.
But first, some context:
How does MIDI Work?
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!
MIDI is a digital signal, basically a series of 1s and 0s that allows different electronic devices to communicate with one another (I know, it sounds very dystopian!). This code communicates all manner of things from the note pressed, to how hard it is pressed and when it is released.
This is different to traditional instruments that produce an audio signal you can hear either straight away for acoustic instruments or through an amplifier for electric ones.
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.
Modern MIDI devices pretty much always plug in and communicate via a USB connection. But simply connecting the device isn’t enough. The computer will receive the code but to produce a sound it will need software of some sort.
That is where I hope this article will help.
Best Free Midi Keyboard Options – Windows
1) Piano Time for Windows 10
Piano time is a nice option if you simply want to plug in and play the piano.
It is an “app” but that doesn’t mean you need a tablet or phone to use it. Windows is changing to become more similar to Apple in the way they present software creating less of a disconnect between computers, tablets and phones. This means if you have Windows 10, you can now head to the Microsoft store and download apps to your computer.
There are paid apps in the windows store but as with the Apple and Android “stores” that you may be more familiar with on your phones and tablets, many of the apps are free to download and use.
Ease of Use
Piano time is really easy to plug in and get going. I plugged in my Novation Impulse MIDI keyboard and it instantly recognized it without me having to go into the settings.
Features
Piano time is meant to be simple and for mimicking the sound of a piano. For this reason, you can’t really adjust the sound. You won’t find different instrument sounds, reverb or delay for example. But this might be a good thing if all you want to do is play the piano.
You can record and save clips of what you are playing which is a nice feature, and this allows you to record one part, play it back and then play something else over the top. Handy if you are doing a bit of songwriting. However, be warned, on the free version these clips will only remain in place whilst the program is open, to save or export the tracks you record as MP3 files you will have to pay a small fee to upgrade.
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.
Other features include a metronome that can be adjusted. I did find the clicking a bit annoying but it does the job.
As with most pieces of MIDI software, you can use your computer keyboard to play if you don’t own a MIDI keyboard. I would not recommend this as it is very hard to do, but Piano Time does have a feature called “key mapping” which will show the corresponding keyboard letters above the relevant keys to help you play.
Sound and Performance
I found the sound to be ok. A nice bit of sustain and reverb make it sound quite realistic. However, the lower notes can sound a bit quiet compared to the higher notes and chords don’t sound that great. This is annoying if you are trying to play notes with the left and right hand, as the right hand notes tend to drown out those of the left.
This can be frustrating as a quick ‘stacatto’ press of a key isn’t any different from when you hold it down. This makes notes merge together when you don’t want them to or not ring out for as long as you might have hoped.
For me, the app had virtually no latency (time between pressing a key and hearing the sound). This is partly due to the app, but will also be due to your computer. If you are trying to use it with a computer or laptop that doesn’t have much RAM or has a slow processor then this may not be the case. If you are experiencing MIDI delay check out this article.
Other people have noted that when adverts load it can cause the app to crash. This did happen to me once which was a pain. You can get rid of the ads by paying just a small fee so this might be worth doing if you are having this issue.
2) Piano 10 for Windows 10
Piano 10 is very similar in many ways to Piano Time. It is available for download from the Windows app store on any windows device.
Ease of Use
I plugged my keyboard in and it didn’t work straight away this time. The menus in the app are also not the easiest to find with a series of symbol buttons to press, so I had to do a bit of random clicking to find out how to do it.
A button saying “general MIDI” brings up a menu when clicked where you should be able to turn MIDI support on and then select your MIDI keyboard from the list.
So once you figure out what each button symbol means it isn’t too hard to use.
Features
Different to Piano Time, Piano 10 has a few different effects and amazingly 126 different sounds for you to chose from. Including reverb, sustain and echo but unfortunately only one of these can be turned on at once.
An auto-chords function is pretty cool and is a great way to help learn different chords and chord types as the keys of the chords light up whilst you play.
As with piano time you can record short clips of yourself playing. You can save these clips but only as .xscore files to re-open in Piano 10 another time.
A metronome is also included with adjustable bpm.
Sound and performance
When testing the default piano sound it was ok, but pressing the keys too lightly meant no sound was played. So if you are trying to practice playing softly you may find this frustrating.
However, when the sustain effect is turned on I thought it sounded much more realistic and it felt nice to play.
Although it is cool having 126 different sounds to choose from, be warned, most of them sound pretty terrible. Fun to mess around with but you would never want to use them in a performance.
Probably the most annoying thing about Piano 10 is the fact you can’t change the key size or get more keys to show on the screen. The whole keyboard will still play but you won’t see all the keys light up on screen.
Being a free app it also has a banner with ads at the top but these are fairly standard and don’t really interfere with the usability.
Learn Midi Keyboard
3) MidiEditor
If you want something a bit more advanced which will allow you to edit and export your MIDI tracks then MIDI Editor is free software that is a great introduction to some more advanced techniques.
Ease of Use
In terms of downloading and installing things are fairly simple. However, unlike the previous two options, this is a more traditional piece of software that you download from a website rather than the Windows App Store.
Once downloaded the settings are easy to find and here you can select your MIDI device and connect.
You should then hear a basic piano sound.
So in terms of getting a sound, it is fairly simple. However, if you are not familiar with MIDI you may find the software slightly confusing due to the more advanced features it has….
Features
The screen shows what is known as a ‘piano roll’. This is something to get familiar with if you plan on using MIDI in production.
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).
This is what separates digital MIDI data from a traditional audio recording. It is stored as a series of numbers (note, note length, etc) and then a sound is ‘overlayed’ on top of that. So you could play the original notes with a piano sound but then change that to strings or a flute for example.
Features such as quantize, which automatically moves mistimed notes onto the correct beat are cool to mess around with.
Sound and performance
As a basic free introduction to MIDI editing software, MidiEditor does a pretty good job.
There are a couple of things that frustrated me though.
For example, when you record a track you can’t see the notes appearing on the screen, you have to wait till you have finished recording and then they will appear. This just felt weird compared to the MIDI input I’m used to in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
There are also no other built-in sounds to test apart from the piano and I couldn’t find a way to import my own sounds either. Perhaps I’m expecting too much from free software.
Best Free Midi Keyboard Software on Mac (and Apple devices)
1) Garageband
Garageband has to be my favorite of all the free music making software available. I’ve written entire songs on the bus using this software on my iPad and have been happier with the sound than some tracks I spent weeks on in the studio!
It comes pre-installed on most Apple products but if not it can be downloaded from the app store for free.
Ease of Use
Garageband is quite a bit more advanced than some of the simple piano apps already mentioned in this article.
It is the closest you are going to get to proper a DAW without having to pay. A DAW is a Digital Audio Workstation. It is where all song artists create songs by piecing together tracks. There are many different ones with different people having different preferences. But if you are new to the music recording world then Garageband is a great place to start.
For this reason, it has massive potential but it does make it a bit confusing for the beginner. For example, when I connected my keyboard, it didn’t work straight away. I had to navigate to preferences and select my device and I also had to change the output so I could hear the sound.
It is a similar process when connecting to an iPad, however, you will have to buy a USB to lightning adapter (such as this one).
All that said it is still very easy to get started in comparison to most DAWs which can be very overwhelming. There are plenty of great videos on Youtube to help you if you get lost.
Features
This is where Garageband excels over the other simpler apps. The possibilities are almost limitless.
You can choose from hundreds of pre-loaded MIDI sounds. There are pre-made drum loops to add in and play along to. Then when you want to add even more sounds or effects you can download free ‘plug-ins.
Because it is a DAW you can layer up multiple tracks, MIDI or Audio to create full songs and there are great built-in features such as EQ and compression so you can even try your hand at mixing!
Sound and Performance
The pre-loaded sounds do sound quite robotic and it is hard to compose a full song that will sound professional using just the MIDI samples. That does, of course, depend on your genre, for some electronic music you can do a pretty good job.
This may not bother you if you just want to practice the piano.
The performance is pretty good, I rarely ever experience any latency when playing. This is dependent on your laptop age and spec.
2) Pianu.com
This option technically applies to Windows too but I couldn’t find another free app on the Apple app store that wasn’t either terrible or tried to give me a virus.
So Pianu.com is actually a web-based MIDI keyboard and is a great option if you don’t want to mess around downloading software and just want to get playing right away.
Ease of Use
This software is so simple to use (at least it was for me anyway!) Just head to pianu.com/keyboard-page and there you will see a big yellow button that says “Detect My Keyboard”. Press this and you will see the following screen. https://slotpatternsfacebookbonuskfdbingomachine.peatix.com.
You are then ready to start playing
Features
Pianu is not very complex and won’t give you all the features of Garageband. But many people have written to me to say they don’t want something as complicated as that and just want to play some piano. For this it is perfect.
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.
Sound and Performance
You would never want to use this piano for recordings or live performances, but it sounds fine for learning. The one annoying thing is the notes don’t fully ring out and eventually just stop suddenly. But this is a minor issue when you are just practicing.
For a web-based application I expected performance to be dodgy, but it really wasn’t. In fact I would say I noticed less latency than many other apps and my laptop fan was whirring away.
Learn Piano With Midi Keyboard
Best Free Midi Keyboard Software on Android
Yes, that’s right, these days you don’t even need a computer to use a MIDI device. You can now plug your MIDI keyboard directly into your phone or tablet and use that to create music.
I bought this simple USB C to USB adapter for under $10 and it allows me to play my 49 key MIDI keyboard through my phone.
As with the other devices mentioned above, you will need to download some software (an app) to do this and there are plenty of great free options to choose from.
1) Perfect Piano
Ease of Use
You may already know how to connect your android device to a MIDI keyboard, but if you don’t it is very simple (you can find out in this step by step guide).
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.
Features
The app has a keyboard that is set as default to a piano sound. But additionally, you get the choice of many more from strings to synths and loads of additional free sounds to download.
There is a sustain button to create the effect of using a piano pedal and you can record your efforts either in MIDI format or in audio format.
The app has some nice additional features such as ‘learn to play’. Where you can play along as notes descend on the screen, very similar to guitar hero (if you remember that game) except you are actually learning a real instrument.
Sound and Performance
With my android phone (which is a few years old now) I had no noticeable lag which amazed me. I’ve experienced many issues with MIDI latency using computers and laptops over the years. I can’t guarantee you won’t have issues but if your phone is newer than mine I’m sure it will be fine!
The sounds are really quite impressive. The piano does have that programmed sound but no more so than most other MIDI pianos out there. The synths and strings are great fun to mess around too.
I like how you can adjust the number of keys on the screen. A feature often lacking from many mobile MIDI apps.
Concluding Remarks
Nowadays there are plenty of free MIDI apps and software programs to choose from. The key thing is to ask yourself, what do I need the software to do? If it is to simply practice piano or mess about then stick to something simple. But if you think you might want to create full tracks or use more advanced techniques there is probably something out there for you too.
Once you are ready to progress the best option is to move to a DAW of your choice. I personally use Ableton Live which is particularly good for MIDI. But there are loads of others to choose from. My suggestion would be to download a free trial, watch a few ‘how-to’ videos and see which one you find best.
The possibilities of music production using MIDI are pretty endless!