We are looking at the best keyboard workstations available in 2020. Workstations are some of the most powerful and versatile keyboards you can buy. They are also some of the most expensive! So, in this article, we will review our top picks to suit different users and different budgets.
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The keyboard workstations on our list come in various sizes, from 61 to 88 keys. We have focused on the 88-key models.
Here are the best keyboard workstations 2020:
- The software is important for your keyboard because you will be using the software to access sound libraries. Buying a product that comes with the software is wise for this reason. If your instrument comes with software out of the box, you won’t have to worry about buying or downloading VST’s right away.
- 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.
- However, without software, you are unable to get the best out of this MIDI keyboard anyway. That’s why in this article today, I want to bring you a list of the best program for the MIDI keyboard. I hope these software will help you to increase your workflow and make more awesome music production.
1. Korg Kronos 2
If you make music on a computer, your DAW - or Digital Audio Workstation, to give it its full name - is the most important tool in your creative arsenal.Yes, you’ll likely have a MIDI keyboard, audio interface, set of studio monitor speakers and possibly a microphone or two in your home recording setup as well, but your music production software sits at the centre of everything. When it comes to setting up a home studio, one of the most important music tech equipment that you need to get is a MIDI keyboard controller. A MIDI keyboard, also known as the controller keyboard, is a piano-style musical instrument that comes with several other buttons aside from the keyboard.
King of the workstation keyboards
The second coming of Korg’s successful Kronos is our top-rated workstation, and it has some exciting changes. To begin with, there are some new appearance features, like the classy wooden sides, and sleeker body.
More importantly, it has an enhanced SGX-2 piano grand piano engine along with a massive library of diverse sounds. The Kronos features Korg’s flagship RH3 hammer action keys that have a wide range of touch-sensitivity.
The new piano engine enhances previous Kronos piano tones, and adds an entirely new one, the Berlin Grand. As well as the pianos, there is a massive 21GB of preset sounds and 9 distinct sound engines for processing and tweaking voices.
The heart of the Kronos is an 8-inch color TouchView display. All of the Kronos’ functions can be controlled via the Touch View display with ease. The newly enhanced touch-drag ability makes it even easier to change parameters without menu-diving.
On the production side, there is a 16-track MIDI sequencer/audio recorder, and an open sampling system. So, you have the ability to record anything within reach.
Korg has again made use of its innovative Karma engine, first seen in 2012. The Karma engine cleverly reads the notes and chords that you play, creating original backing tracks in an instant. The backing tracks can then be further edited to create working demos, etc.
Image credit: KorgCheck Sweetwater |
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The Kronos 2 is the new king of the professional keyboard workstations, for now at least. It’s quite simply, a stunning instrument from Korg. The weighted keys have the most adaptability we have seen in terms of editing the velocity curve. The new piano engine sounds gorgeous, and with synths, Korg always gets that right.
So, it should tell you something when the only fault we found so far is that it’s expensive. There may be a few small areas where other workstations outdo the Kronos 2, but overall, they don’t compare.
2. Roland Fantom 8
The best new workstation
The Fantom 8 is Roland’s flagship workstation, and it’s the newest addition to the Fantom line. It comes with Roland’s PHA-50 hammer action keys. The graded hammer action keys have wooden sides and plastic tops, creating the look and feel of acoustic piano keys.
Roland’s V-Piano technology is the engine behind the Fantom’s beautiful grand piano tones. The new Fantom sound engine is the result of years of development, and it shows. It has a seemingly endless amount of voices plus an onboard analog filter, so you can sculpt precisely the sound you want.
In any workstation, the layout and how you utilize functions is important. The Fantom 8 gives you the ability to customize your workspace and save your settings. These spaces are referred to as scenes; a scene can be anything from a song, part of a song, or a selection of sounds – basically, anything you need to save in a specific order and recall instantly when required.
Utilizing functions might seem daunting at first, but it quickly becomes a breeze thanks to the intuitive touch screen. The screen not only makes it easy to control your Fantom, but you can manage your DAW and VST’s there, too.
Roland’s TR-REC step sequencer provides a powerful yet familiar production tool. The sequencer is borrowed from some classic Roland drum machines. It allows for real-time recording, step recording, and even clip-based sequencing.
On top of all of that, there is plenty of analog and digital connectivity.
Image credit: RolandCheck Sweetwater |
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The Fantom 8 is amazingly powerful, and it’s the most expensive music workstation on our list. It’s a forward-thinking keyboard that could be a sign of things to come for future workstations.
Right now, it doesn’t quite beat the Kronos 2, and it’s our number 2 choice. Features like the clip-based sequencing will likely divide opinion, too. The reason we say it’s too expensive is simply that the Kronos 2 is cheaper.
3. Roland RD-2000
The ultimate stage performer
Roland’s RD-2000 is an 88-key workstation that’s used by many professional musicians, always with great reviews. This flagship model in the RD series is aimed mostly at performers.
Two of Roland’s most powerful sound engines are the SuperNATURAL Piano engine and the V-Piano engine, this workstation has both. The V-Piano engine powers acoustic pianos and electric pianos are powered by the SuperNATURAL engine. The use of both engines has produced far better piano and electric piano tones than ever before. As well as the piano tones, there are an additional 1100+ sublime voices.
Roland’s RD-2000 features the PHA-50 progressive hammer action keys with 128-note max polyphony. Roland claims that their PHA-50 keyboard is their most realistic feel yet.
The RD-2000 has a very accomplished USB/MIDI interface, which runs with a zero-latency processor. What that means is that you can connect to your laptop and run VST’s, synths from your DAW and plugins with no latency at all.
Controlling everything in a live setting is simple with 8 assignable knobs and 9 assignable sliders. All of which are LED lit for visual feedback, even on a dark stage.
Image credit: RolandCheck Sweetwater |
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Roland’s RD series has brought us some of the best high-end keyboards in recent years. We focused on the features that are useful in live performance because that’s what it does best. However, it’s entirely at home in the studio too. Wherever you are using it, the RD-2000 has a very intuitive, hands-on layout that will increase your workflow no end.
As for the sound, well, we are yet to hear a keyboard with Roland’s SuperNATURAL or V-Piano engine that doesn’t sound amazing. It’s not exactly a beginner-friendly keyboard, but for the pros, it’s awesome.
4. Korg Kross 2
The best keyboard workstation for taking on the road
The Korg Kross 2 is sometimes considered to be a watered-down version of the Kronos 2, but it’s a powerful workstation in its own right. It’s got a new slimmer design, but still has Korg’s natural weighted keys.
The powerful EDS-i sound engine comes with over 1000 presets. Presets range from pianos and electric pianos to synth pads and leads. Across the board, voices are of a very high standard. As well as a considerable amount of sounds, there are 134 effect types, so you should never run out of options live or in the studio.
The Korg has 16 pads that are used to trigger samples that you upload to the workstation. The pads are also used to program steps in the step sequencer (up to 64 steps). Pads can also store favorite sounds for instant recall, up to 64 at a time with 4 banks of 16.
If you are a singer, you can plug your mic straight into the Kross 2 for vocals or use the onboard vocoder. Like many workstations, the Kross 2 has a built-in audio recorder, but the thing we love most is that it will record external audio, too. For example, if you have a microphone or instrument running through your Kross 2, you can record sound from that along with your keyboard. So, effectively, if you are a solo artist or part of a duet, you can get perfect gig recordings!
Other features are pretty self-explanatory: drum track adds rhythm to your playing, and the arpeggiator is useful for coming up with new patterns/movements. The layout of the Kross 2 is nice and clean, not too many buttons, easy to navigate, and makes finding the right sounds come faster.
Image credit: KorgCheck Sweetwater |
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We are struggling to say anything negative about the Kross 2. Yes, it’s not as in-depth as the Kronos 2 from Korg, but it’s a fraction of the price. In fact, it’s as close as you will get to an affordable Korg workstation. While it might not compete with the Kronos 2 in a studio setting, it more than makes up for it in live performance.
There are so many preset sounds, and they are so good that they cover you for any gig. If you are willing to trade a little of the production side of things for outstanding live performance, you will love the Kross 2. It’s also lightweight and more comfortable to get around than most other workstation keyboards. If you are a performer first, and studio musician second, try this one out.
5. Yamaha MODX8
The best Yamaha keyboard workstation
The MODX8 is something like a little brother to the Yamaha Montage. It shares the same powerful sound engines AWM2 and FM-X. The FM-X engine only has 64-note max polyphony.
It has graded hammer action keys with 128-note max polyphony, better key action than the Montage. Another thing it shares with the Montage is the multi-controlling Super Knob.
The 2 main piano sounds come from Yamaha’s CFIIIS and S6 grand pianos. Both pianos sound lovely and feel very articulate with the MODX8 graded hammer action keys. The MODX8 has 1,152 preset voices as well as 72 drum kits.
Many workstation keyboards have a built-in audio interface, but they don’t all have the same input options as the MODX8. The multi-channel audio interface has 2 inputs and 10 out. As with many of Yamaha’s high-end keyboards, the onboard effects come from the VCM engine.
![Computer music keyboard software Computer music keyboard software](https://images.wondershare.com/article/2015/12/14495982963624.jpg)
Image credit: YamahaCheck Sweetwater |
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The Yamaha MODX8 is one of the most difficult to place. We have said previously that we prefer it to the more expensive Montage when it comes to studio work, and that opinion still stands.
But, to explain further, it’s because it has graded hammer action keys that are more expressive, and it’s less than half the price. The Montage has more useful features overall, but pound for pound, there’s more value for money here. On top of that, the MODX8 is probably the most user-friendly workstation on our list.
6. Yamaha Montage8
The most expansive music workstation
The Yamaha Montage came along ata time when many people were calling for a new Yamaha Motif. Ch340s usb parallel driver. In many ways, itcarries on where the Motif left off, but it’s not the same instrument at all.
It has balanced hammer action keys with aftertouch, which isn’t always included in workstations. The Montage’s MCS (Motion Control Synthesis) controls 2 of Yamaha’s most powerful sound engines. The first is the AWM2 engine, which produces amazingly realistic acoustic piano and rhodes sounds. The second is the FM-X engine that covers a broad range of vintage and modern synths. The Montage also receives frequent firmware updates and optional sound expansion packs.
There are 88 insert effect types and 26 master effect types. The effects include 12 reverb types and a detailed master EQ. On top of that, the Monatage also has an incredible 18 filter types.
The onboard audio recorder has 16 sequence tracks and allows for real-time replace and overdubbing. Everything is controlled by the 7-inch LCD touch screen and Yamaha’s Super Knob rotary dial.
Image credit: YamahaCheck Sweetwater |
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The Montage is a worthy addition to Yamaha’s long line of high-end keyboards. It has a lot in common with the Motif range, but it offers far more than just a Motif emulator.
The real beauty of this workstation is how easy it is to edit voices and effects. The combination of the Super Knob and touch screen makes everything possible in real-time. The Montage is a superb workstation for the stage or the studio.
7. Yamaha MX88
The best keyboard workstation for around $1000
Yamaha’s MX88 is the cheapest workstation on our list, and it sits somewhere between the Kross 2 and the Kronos 2, in terms of music production tools. It has graded hammer action keys with 128-note polyphony.
The most instantly attractive thing about the Yamaha MX88 is that the sounds use the same waveforms as the Motif XS. For anyone who knows the Motif series keyboards and their history, it’s a big deal. In total, there are over 1000 diverse Motif sounds and VCM (Virtual Circuit Modelling) effects.
Along with the onboard sounds, you get access to the FM Essential iOS app, which adds an FM synthesis engine with 256 voices to your MX.
The Yamaha MX88 also features a built-in audio interface that transmits a stereo channel via USB to your computer. An integrated MIDI interface lets you use the MX as a master controller for VST’s, synths, and samplers. In addition to controlling other instruments, you can also control various parameters in your DAW via the MX onboard controls.
The MX has some stunning VCM effects, as we mentioned, but the best thing about them is the in-depth control. There are 4 rotary knobs on the left of the top panel that let you dial in chorus, reverb, cut-off, etc. Alternatively, they can be assigned to different effect parameters, giving you maximum control in real-time.
Computer Music Keyboard Software
Image credit: YamahaCheck Sweetwater |
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Before we say anything else, we need to state that the Yamaha MX88 is easily the best keyboard workstation under (or around) $1000. We stated earlier that the Yamaha MX is somewhere between the Kross 2 and Kronos 2, so let’s explain what we mean.
It has more in-depth editing functions than the Kross 2, but it’s not as useful for live performance. If you want a lighter keyboard for gigs, the MX beats the Kronos, but it’s nowhere near as good for studio use. So, it’s left in some tricky middle ground where it does everything very well, but doesn’t excel in one area.
That’s not a bad thing, it fills a gap that lots of users will need. It’s more of an all-rounder without the Kronos 2 price tag.
8. Nord Stage 3
The best organ sound engine
Nord keyboards are probably the most instantly recognizable in the industry with their bright red casing. It comes with Nord’s exclusive Virtual Hammer Action keys. The significant thing about this technology is that the keys have both top and bottom triggering, meaning the release matters as much as the initial strike.
Nord claims to have gone far more in-depth in their sampling process than ever before. Like previous models, the sounds are split between 3 engines – pianos, organs, and synths. The Nord Sample library 3.0 offers a broad range of expansion content from vintage to modern instruments and effects.
Each sound engine has a dedicated control section with LED labeling for visual feedback. There are dedicated onboard effects for each section as well as master effects. The synth section has a dedicated OLED display to make things even more accessible. The organ section also has 9 drawbars to add realism to the organ tones.
The layout of the Nord Stage 3 may look a bit overwhelming initially, but it doesn’t take long to become second nature.
Image credit: NordCheck Sweetwater |
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The Nord Stage 3 is widely considered as one of the best professional music keyboards around, and so many opinions can’t be wrong. It’s a premium workstation and synth; there’s no denying that. Our issue with this keyboard and its predecessors is that it doesn’t feel as good as the Roland, Korg, and Yamaha equivalents.
Nord’s exclusive Virtual Hammer Action will work for some players and not for others. The sound engines are incredible, the layout is intuitive once you get the hang of it, and it looks great. Try it out for yourself; our only complaint is the weight of the keys. Otherwise, it’s brilliant.
Conclusion
We always urge people to be clear on why they need a keyboard before buying one, and that’s especially important with workstations.
Our list features some of the most powerful workstation keyboards we have ever seen. These keyboards can be incredibly expensive, and generally, the most expensive ones are better because they have more to offer.
However, a cheaper workstation might be better in a specialized area than a more expensive keyboard. For example, a $3000 keyboard workstation might be the best overall, but a $1000 workstation might more suited to frequent live performance and travel.
So, our advice is to consider how often you are likely to use the workstation in live performance versus how often you’d use it as a production tool (studio use). Once you have that in order, you can focus on specific features/functions, and choose the best workstation keyboard for you.
James is a writer and musician with a passion for audio production. He is a lover of all things tech, especially the latest keyboards, synths, DAW’s, virtual instruments, and effects plugins. Musical interests include jazz, funk, hip hop, blues, and rock.
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?
Music Keyboard App Download
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.
Best Music Keyboard Software Keyboard
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.
![Best Music Keyboard Software Best Music Keyboard Software](https://www.techspot.com/images2/downloads/topdownload/2014/09/AIMP.png)
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.
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
Addictive keys r2r library torrent mac. 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.
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.
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. Pacemaster silver select manual.
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.
Best Music Keyboard Software Windows 10
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.
Best Music Keyboard Software Downloads
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.
Best Music Keyboard Software
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.
Best Music Keyboard Software
The possibilities of music production using MIDI are pretty endless!