Questions

How to connect a MIDI keyboard to a Mac

Plug the keyboard into the Mac with a USB cable. Most appear by themselves: open Audio MIDI Setup, choose Window, Show MIDI Studio, and the keyboard is there. A Bluetooth MIDI keyboard is connected from that same window, and a keyboard with round five-pin MIDI ports goes through a MIDI interface. Then open a music app and play.

The macOS steps are from Apple's Audio MIDI Setup guide. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that gives MIDI keys a second job as keyboard shortcuts, and that is the last section.

On this page: 9 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Connect it with a USB cable
  3. Connect it over Bluetooth
  4. Connect a keyboard with five-pin MIDI ports
  5. Check that notes arrive
  6. Play it
  7. Give the keys a second job
  8. The short version
  9. Questions

Steps

  1. Connect the keyboard to the Mac with a USB cable, and turn it on.
  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup, choose Window, Show MIDI Studio, and check that the keyboard is shown and not dimmed.
  3. For Bluetooth, click Configure Bluetooth in MIDI Studio, put the keyboard in pairing mode and click Connect.
  4. Open GarageBand or another music app, select a software instrument track and play a key.
  5. If nothing sounds, turn the keyboard's input on in the app's MIDI settings.

Connect it with a USB cable

  • You: Plug the keyboard into the Mac and turn it on. If its plug does not fit the Mac's ports, use a cable or adapter that does.
  • macOS: Usually detects a MIDI device on a USB port by itself and shows it in MIDI Studio, according to Apple's guide.
  • Check: Open Audio MIDI Setup, choose Window, Show MIDI Studio, and look for the keyboard's icon.

If the icon is there and not dimmed, the keyboard is connected. Apple's guide adds one condition: install any software the manufacturer provides for the device. Its page is Set up MIDI devices.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

Connect it over Bluetooth

  • You: In MIDI Studio, click the Configure Bluetooth button in the toolbar. Put the keyboard in pairing mode, select it in the list and click Connect.
  • macOS: Connects to the keyboard as a Bluetooth MIDI device.
  • Check: The keyboard appears in MIDI Studio and in your music app's MIDI inputs.

Bluetooth MIDI is set up in Audio MIDI Setup, in the same window as every other MIDI device. Bluetooth MIDI on a Mac goes further.

Connect a keyboard with five-pin MIDI ports

A keyboard with only round MIDI sockets needs a MIDI interface between it and the Mac. The interface is the USB device the Mac sees. Apple's guide says a device connected to an interface has to be set up by hand: in MIDI Studio, click the Add button to add an external device, name it, and connect it to the interface's ports.

With five-pin MIDI, the Mac sees the interface, and you tell it what is plugged into the interface.

Check that notes arrive

  • In MIDI Studio. Click Test MIDI Setup and play a key. The up arrow on the keyboard's icon lights.
  • In a browser. The MIDI tester lights every note you play and lists its velocity, in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.

Thirty seconds here saves an hour of guessing inside a music app. If nothing arrives, MIDI keyboard not working on a Mac has the ladder.

Play it

  • GarageBand and Logic Pro. They listen to every MIDI source. Select a software instrument track and play.
  • Ableton Live. Switch Track on for the keyboard's input in Settings, Link, Tempo and MIDI.
  • Other music apps. Turn the keyboard's input on in the app's MIDI settings.

A controller keyboard sends notes, and the sound comes from the instrument on the track.

Give the keys a second job

A connected MIDI keyboard can also run the Mac. InputConfig turns keys, pads, knobs and the sustain pedal into keyboard shortcuts, clicks, typed phrases, volume and app launches, in any app, and the music app still hears the notes because InputConfig reads a copy. A pad you never play is a free shortcut key. MIDI to keystroke on a Mac and a MIDI keyboard as a computer keyboard have the steps.

The short version

  • USB. Plug it in. It usually appears in MIDI Studio by itself.
  • Bluetooth. MIDI Studio, Configure Bluetooth, Connect.
  • Five-pin. Through a MIDI interface, with the device added by hand.
  • Then. A software instrument track in a music app.

Check MIDI Studio first, and the music app second.

Questions

How do I connect a MIDI keyboard to a Mac?

Plug it in with a USB cable and turn it on. It usually appears by itself in Audio MIDI Setup's MIDI Studio window. Then open a music app, select a software instrument track and play.

Where is Audio MIDI Setup on a Mac?

It is an app that comes with macOS. Open it with Spotlight by typing its name, then choose Window, Show MIDI Studio to see MIDI devices.

Can I connect a MIDI keyboard to a Mac over Bluetooth?

Yes, if the keyboard supports Bluetooth MIDI. In Audio MIDI Setup's MIDI Studio, click Configure Bluetooth, put the keyboard in pairing mode, select it and click Connect.

Does a MIDI keyboard work with GarageBand?

Yes. GarageBand listens to every MIDI source the Mac sees. Select a software instrument track and play.

Do I need a MIDI interface for a Mac?

Only for a keyboard with round five-pin MIDI ports and no USB. A keyboard with USB connects straight to the Mac.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreFree. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.

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