How to use a computer keyboard as a MIDI controller on a Mac
In GarageBand and Logic Pro, press Command K. That opens Musical Typing, which turns the Mac's own keyboard into a piano keyboard for the selected software instrument track: the letter keys play notes, Z and X change the octave, and C and V change the velocity. For a music app without such a mode, a virtual MIDI keyboard in the browser can play it through the Mac's IAC Driver. And a mapper can make any key send MIDI in every app.
The Musical Typing steps are Apple's. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that sends MIDI from keys and game controllers, which is the third way, with one limit I spell out below.
On this page: 8 sections
Steps
- In GarageBand or Logic Pro, select a software instrument track.
- Choose Window, Show Musical Typing, or press Command K.
- Play the letter keys. Press Z or X to change the octave and C or V to change the velocity.
- For another music app, open a virtual MIDI keyboard in Chrome, Edge or Firefox and send it to an IAC Driver bus.
Use Musical Typing in GarageBand and Logic Pro
- You: Select the software instrument track you want to play, then choose Window, Show Musical Typing, or press Command K.
- The app: Opens the Musical Typing window, which shows which key plays which note, and highlights the notes as you play.
- Check: Press a letter key in the middle row and the instrument sounds.
Command K is the whole setup: no cable, no driver and no MIDI settings. Apple's pages are Play software instruments in GarageBand and Play software instruments in Logic Pro.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Know the Musical Typing keys
- Notes. The letter keys, laid out like a piano. The window shows the layout.
- Octave. Z moves down and X moves up.
- Velocity. C lowers it and V raises it.
- Pitch bend. 1 bends down and 2 bends up, for as long as you hold the key.
- Modulation. 4 through 8 set the mod wheel value, and 3 turns it off.
- Sustain. Tab turns sustain on or off, like a sustain pedal.
A computer key cannot feel how hard you press, so velocity is set with C and V, not by touch. The same window has an onscreen keyboard you can click, where clicking lower on a key plays it harder.
If Musical Typing does nothing
- Select a software instrument track. Musical Typing plays the selected track, and an audio track has no instrument to play.
- Open the window. The keys play notes while the Musical Typing window is showing. With it closed, the same keys are the app's ordinary shortcuts.
- Raise the velocity. Press V a few times if notes are too quiet to hear.
No sound usually means the wrong kind of track is selected.
Play another music app from the keyboard
Many music apps have a computer keyboard mode of their own, and each app's manual says where it is. Where there is none, a web page can stand in.
- You: Turn on the IAC Driver in Audio MIDI Setup. Open the virtual MIDI keyboard in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, press Send to a MIDI output and choose the IAC bus.
- The page: Sends a MIDI note for every letter key you press, with the same A to J layout and the same Z, X, C and V keys.
- Check: In the music app, switch on the IAC bus as a MIDI input, arm a track and play.
The browser tab has to stay in front while you play, because the keys go to whichever window is in front. The IAC Driver on a Mac has the steps to turn it on.
Make keys send MIDI in every app
InputConfig can put a MIDI note, a CC, pitch bend or a program change on any key, and it sends through its own virtual MIDI port, which music apps see whenever it runs. It works whichever app is in front.
One limit matters here. InputConfig listens to the keyboard beside macOS and does not take a key away, so a letter key bound to a note still types its letter. Use keys that type nothing, such as F13 to F19, or a game controller, where every button is free. MIDI output has the setup, and gamepad to MIDI on a Mac builds a playable instrument from a controller.
The short version
- GarageBand and Logic Pro. Command K, Musical Typing.
- Any other music app. Its own keyboard mode, or a virtual MIDI keyboard in the browser through an IAC bus.
- Every app at once. A mapper, on keys that type nothing or on a controller.
Start with Command K, and reach for the others only when an app has no Musical Typing.
Questions
How do I use my Mac keyboard as a MIDI keyboard in GarageBand?
Select a software instrument track and press Command K, or choose Window, Show Musical Typing. The letter keys then play notes.
What is the shortcut for Musical Typing?
Command K, in both GarageBand and Logic Pro. The menu item is Window, Show Musical Typing.
How do I change the octave in Musical Typing?
Press Z to go down an octave and X to go up. C and V lower and raise the velocity.
Why is Musical Typing not working?
Usually no software instrument track is selected, or the Musical Typing window is closed. Select a software instrument track, press Command K, and raise the velocity with V if it is very low.
Can I use a computer keyboard as a MIDI controller in other music apps?
Many have a keyboard mode of their own. Otherwise a virtual MIDI keyboard in the browser can send notes to the app through an IAC Driver bus, in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
Is a computer keyboard velocity sensitive?
No. A key is either down or up. Musical Typing sets one velocity for every note, and C and V change it.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
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