The presence of a music studio in the home version is an ideal start for creating music in the walls of the house. It is important to know how to connect the MIDI keyboard to a computer so that it works correctly, as well as to a tablet, laptop and ipad.
Midi keyboard
An ordinary keyboard and mouse are not quite suitable for working with musical works, since manual typing of notes and sounds takes a lot of time. Thanks to the MIDI keyboard, the user has the opportunity to use the necessary sounds in the computer and enter them using the presented device. The word "Midi" in the title indicates that the computer and musical instrument work together using this language. However, the question arises of how to connect a MIDI keyboard to a computer.
Until 1980, almost all synthesizers had only analog control. The number of sounds embedded in the synthesizer was limited, and the notes had to be written manually. This is one of the reasons why the music of that time was monotonous.
In the 80s, the MIDI interface format was a breakthrough in the music world. Thanks to him, it was possible to connect equipment to each other without consequences. Later synthesizers were made on the basis of buttons, not keys in the style of "piano".
As a result, the popularity of such controllers has led them to become cheaper than conventional synthesizers.
Necessary equipment
To create your own home music studio, you need to get some basic things.
For starters, you should buy a sound card. Those sound cards that are installed in computers will not work, as the sound quality will leave much to be desired. It is necessary to take professional equipment.
Due to its extreme sensitivity to sound and its wide range, a condenser studio microphone is the perfect complement to your equipment list. By the way, it is widely used in recording studios.
The next item on the list are studio headphones. If there is a goal to record not only audio tracks, but also voice, then the choice should be made in favor of the closed version.
Specialized studio monitors have certain qualities, among which the linearity of the sound of musical material. Screens and pop filters help ensure sound insulation and sound absorption.
Next, you can purchase and connect a MIDI keyboard, as well as enhance the sound using bass combo amplifiers.
Connection Methods
Depending on the novelty of the computer, there are several ways to connect a midi keyboard to the computer. The easiest way is to connect using a MIDI cord, which does not require the installation of drivers and additional software. Audio controllers have this connector, but not all computers can have it. The most modern way to connect is to use a USB cable, but you need to install drivers for the computer for it.
For older computer models, two options are used - To Host and Com-port. The low bandwidth of these interfaces has made them irrelevant today, but in many older computers only these ports are.
An important factor is the bitness of the sound card, which should be at least 24 bits. Also, the sound adapter must support ASIO or DirectX software depending on the operating system. The sound card connection interface directly affects the sound transmission quality.
Computer connection
Now it's time to learn how to connect a midi keyboard to a computer. First you should pay attention to the appropriate port in the sound card of your computer to determine which cable is needed. After that, you need to find the connector on the controller, which is called MIDI OUT and insert one end of the cable there. The other end is connected to the sound card of the computer. Now you can search for the MIDI port, but not a new device.
There is also an option for connecting To Host, for which you need a jack and mini-jack cable. After that, the “jack” is sent to the side of the MIDI keyboard, and the “mini-jack” is inserted into the microphone jack. This method is only suitable for modern computers.
Connect to laptop
Some people prefer mobility, so consider the option of connecting a midi keyboard to a laptop. Unlike a desktop computer, the laptop does not have the necessary port, so a universal USB connector comes to the rescue.
However, the midi keyboard should have a similar output. Now it is worth paying attention to the length of the cord, which should not exceed two meters, otherwise we will talk about the loss of data transfer quality, that is, with delays. Then you can use the driver disk, which is sold complete with the controller. After installing the driver, you can connect to your computer and do what you love.
Tablet connection
A more modern and mobile computer is almost any tablet. Therefore, the discussion will go on how to connect a MIDI keyboard to a tablet.
First you need a USB cable and an adapter for a mini version of a similar connector. The fact is that on the tablet there is only such a connector, which is used including for connecting to a computer or charger.
The adapter and cable are connected and connected to the appropriate ports. Now you need to install a program on the tablet that is able to work with a sound controller, for example, with One Man Band. This program has the ability to select a huge collection of sounds and sound effects that are necessary to create a musical work. In addition to the classic set of piano sounds, there are also the sounds of guitars, flutes, clarinets and many other musical instruments.
Connect to ipad
The last device to which you can connect a MIDI keyboard is ipad. Of course, there are many programs in this device that allow you to create music with one touch of your finger, however, no simulator can replace a real MIDI keyboard.
It would seem that all products from Apple are not designed to work with extraneous devices, but in this case this is solved by a simple adapter. To begin with, it is worth inspecting your iPad for outputs in order to purchase the appropriate adapter to the USB port. There are many programs for such undertakings, and most of them have their own audio library with various sounds and sound effects. The only drawback is the price. The fact is that the programs for the iPad need to be purchased in the official Apple store.
The article examined how to connect a midi keyboard to a computer, laptop, tablet and iPad. The Internet is full of programs that are designed to work in symbiotic mode of a computer and MIDI keyboard.