GarageBand from Apple Computer uses audio loops and MIDI loops in Apple Loops format. It can work with Audio Units plug-ins. Apple Macintosh Compatible FireWire and USB interfaces can be used to connect Audio and MIDI instruments to your Mac, and be recorded into GarageBand. MIDI allows you to connect synths, electric pianos, effects, and other digital instruments to your computer or tablet. MIDI allows you to change parameters on your hardware, virtual instrument, or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) such as Ableton Live, ProTools, Logic, GarageBand, etc. This article focuses on the basics of MIDI in GarageBand.
This is a complete step-by-step guide on how to record audio and MIDI tracks at the same time. The method will work with any DAW: Reaper; Cubase; Pro Tools; you can even do this in Garageband.
If you are only interested in audio recording, then refer instead to our post on how to record the sound of your keyboard or digital piano.
Although there might be a slight variation in how you change the settings, and how you create new tracks in different software, if you follow the steps below then you too can create your own multi-track recordings.
Watch the video tutorial below, then read on for more detail on how to make your first multi-track midi and audio recordings.
Video Tutorial
Record Audio and MIDI Simultaneously – Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
Essential Studio Gear
You will need the following:
- an audio interface
- a MIDI controller keyboard (note if you want to record the sound of your piano or music keyboard, you obviously need a keyboard that makes sounds AND has MIDI)
- recording software
- headphones or studio monitors
Export Midi Garageband
[This content may contain affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure policy here.]
Here is the exact recording gear we used for the above video:
- Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB audio interface
- Piano Keyboard: Roland Go Piano
- Studio Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 Headphones
- USB Mic for voiceover: Audio Technica AT2020 USB+ USB Mic
- Recording Software: Reaper DAW recording software
Midi Instruments For Garageband
Simultaneously Record Audio and MIDI from Your Digital Piano or Keyboard – Step By Step Guide
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Step-by-step guide: How to record audio and MIDI from your digital piano or keyboard at the same time
- Audio Interface Setup
Make sure you have correctly connected up your audio interface, and have checked in the Audio/MIDI setup on your computer that it is correctly installed. If you want to record the sound of your piano or keyboard then connect the audio output of your keyboard (either the line out, aux out or headphone out) to the line inputs of the interface. If you are not sure how, then this post on audio cable types might help.
- Make the MIDI connection
Most keyboards have a USB MIDI output so you should be able to connect your piano or keyboard directly up to the PC or Mac. Only got MIDI ports? Then you can use a USB MIDI interface. Or if your audio interface has MIDI in and out (for example my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 has MIDI i/o, then you can use standard MIDI leads to connect your keyboard via your interface.
If at this point you are unsure about the difference between MIDI and Audio, then you can read all about What is MIDI here. - Check the Preferences in your DAW
Open up your DAW recording software (Reaper, Cubase, Garageband, Pro Tools, Ableton …. etc) and check all the settings to make sure you have correctly enabled your audio interface for audio recording, and your keyboard for MIDI input. For example, in Reaper you navigate in the menu to Reaper -> Preferences. In Garageband, the software will detect your default audio and MIDI connections. Check your Audio/MIDI setup in the Mac settings.
- Create New Tracks in your Recording Software – one MIDI and one Audio
Create a new MIDI track, and a newaudio track. Check that you have routed the audio output of your interface to the audio track, and the MIDI input to your MIDI track. Assign a virtual instrument to your MIDI track. In Reaper, you can simply double-click to create a new track, then choose the type of input. It will be a MIDI track if you choose MIDI input. It will be an audio track if you choose audio input. In Garageband, if you create a new empty project you will be asked what type of track to create. Once you have created one, you can right-click and add more tracks. Create a Software Instrument track (for MIDI) and an Audio Track (for audio!)
Need to start with something more basic? Then check out our step-by-step guide to make your first home studio recording. - Select a virtual instrument for the MIDI track
For your MIDI track to sound, you will need to select a virtual instrument in your DAW. Then when you play the MIDI back, it will play the software instrument you have selected
- Arm Both Your Tracks For Recording
Arm (enable) both the MIDI and the Audio tracks for recording. To do this, you press the red ‘arm' button on the track. In Garageband, you might have to right-click -> configure track header and check to display the record enable button. Also, note that in Garageband, you should enable the audio track FIRST, and the software instrument track SECOND. For some reason it does not work the other way round.
- Now You Can Press Record
On the main transport bar, hit record …. if everything has been set up correctly then you should find you are will record audio and MIDI tracks simultaneously.
What Next?
Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can be sure to catch all our home studio tutorials as soon as they are uploaded.
You Might Also Like …
Bend conduit without bender. Bluetooth MIDI is here, and it's getting more refined and present by the day. The dream of the truly wireless setup without latency and without signal loss is becoming a reality, and it couldn't be a better time to be a keyboard player and a fan of cutting-edge technology. With more and more devices such as the excellent Xkey Air or Yamaha Bluetooth MIDI adapters available to us, it's time to harness the power of iOS devices and computers as sound modules, and to do so without the oppressive shackles of MIDI and USB cables.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19858850/apple_logic.jpg "Garageband")
Getting Bluetooth MIDI up and running, however, isn't quite as straightforward as USB plug-and-play just yet, and there are a few steps you'll need to take, with a few workarounds for apps that don't support Bluetooth MIDI just yet. You'll need to have a device that supports Bluetooth Low Energy profiles, as well as iOS 8/OS X 10.10 or later. Once you've got that, a Bluetooth MIDI device, and a compatible app, you're good to go!
Korg MicroKey is a recently released Bluetooth MIDI keyboard controller.
1 - Powering On
Obviously, you'll want to power on your device. God of war 2 ps2 iso compressed. Once you've verified it's turned on, many devices will need to be put into a ‘pairing mode'. You'll often need to do this only the first time you connect to a computer/iOS device. After that, most Bluetooth MIDI devices will ‘remember' what computers they've paired with in the past and give you a seamless connection later on. Check your controller's product manual to verify how to get it into ‘pairing mode' when necessary.
Online and free swf converter Fast and easy Just drop your swf files on the page and you can convert it to more than 250 different file formats without registration, giving an email or watermark. Youtube to swf online. Convert SWF Online. SWF - Small Web Format. Format introduction: SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript. Originating with FutureWave Software, then transferred to Macromedia, and then coming under the control of Adobe, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of. SWFis a special compressed format designed for small file size and scalability. It is a standard format for publishing Flash content on the Web. For certain usage, you will need to download YouTube and convert YouTube to SWF. Now it is completely possible with the help of YouTube t SWF Converter.
2 - Enable Bluetooth
This seems like a silly thing to have to point out, but many folks turn Bluetooth off for power consumption reasons. You may have to swipe up to control center on an iOS device, or check the Bluetooth system preferences icon to verify that your Bluetooth connection is on, active, and ready to roll. Trust me, do this before you start pulling your hair out about why it's not connecting!
3 - (OSX Only) Open Audio/MIDI Settings
Inside of your Applications Folder, you'll find a subfolder called ‘Utilities'. Open that up, and you'll be treated to an app called ‘Audio MIDI Setup'. Open up Audio MIDI Setup and navigate to the ‘MIDI Studio'. Once you're there, you will see an icon for Bluetooth MIDI devices. You'll double-click that icon, and you should be treated to a list of nearby Bluetooth devices just waiting to pair up. Click on the ‘connect' button for your MIDI device and it should pair up with no problem! If you don't see your device here, it may not be near enough to your computer, it may not be in ‘pairing mode', or it may simply not be Bluetooth LE compatible.
4 - Open Up the App
From here, you're going to want to open up whatever app you plan on using your Bluetooth MIDI device with. If you're on iOS, GarageBand is a great app to test with as it supports a wide range of Bluetooth MIDI devices. On OSX, any DAW or virtual instrument that supports MIDI will do. Open up the app, and you should be able to select your MIDI device from whatever preferences menu or MIDI input menu the app typically uses. As long as you've configured the device (on OS X) with Audio/MIDI settings properly, it should show up here.
Watch the video tutorial below, then read on for more detail on how to make your first multi-track midi and audio recordings.
Video Tutorial
Record Audio and MIDI Simultaneously – Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
Essential Studio Gear
You will need the following:
- an audio interface
- a MIDI controller keyboard (note if you want to record the sound of your piano or music keyboard, you obviously need a keyboard that makes sounds AND has MIDI)
- recording software
- headphones or studio monitors
Export Midi Garageband
[This content may contain affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure policy here.]
Here is the exact recording gear we used for the above video:
- Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB audio interface
- Piano Keyboard: Roland Go Piano
- Studio Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 Headphones
- USB Mic for voiceover: Audio Technica AT2020 USB+ USB Mic
- Recording Software: Reaper DAW recording software
Midi Instruments For Garageband
Simultaneously Record Audio and MIDI from Your Digital Piano or Keyboard – Step By Step Guide
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Step-by-step guide: How to record audio and MIDI from your digital piano or keyboard at the same time
- Audio Interface Setup
Make sure you have correctly connected up your audio interface, and have checked in the Audio/MIDI setup on your computer that it is correctly installed. If you want to record the sound of your piano or keyboard then connect the audio output of your keyboard (either the line out, aux out or headphone out) to the line inputs of the interface. If you are not sure how, then this post on audio cable types might help.
- Make the MIDI connection
Most keyboards have a USB MIDI output so you should be able to connect your piano or keyboard directly up to the PC or Mac. Only got MIDI ports? Then you can use a USB MIDI interface. Or if your audio interface has MIDI in and out (for example my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 has MIDI i/o, then you can use standard MIDI leads to connect your keyboard via your interface.
If at this point you are unsure about the difference between MIDI and Audio, then you can read all about What is MIDI here. - Check the Preferences in your DAW
Open up your DAW recording software (Reaper, Cubase, Garageband, Pro Tools, Ableton …. etc) and check all the settings to make sure you have correctly enabled your audio interface for audio recording, and your keyboard for MIDI input. For example, in Reaper you navigate in the menu to Reaper -> Preferences. In Garageband, the software will detect your default audio and MIDI connections. Check your Audio/MIDI setup in the Mac settings.
- Create New Tracks in your Recording Software – one MIDI and one Audio
Create a new MIDI track, and a newaudio track. Check that you have routed the audio output of your interface to the audio track, and the MIDI input to your MIDI track. Assign a virtual instrument to your MIDI track. In Reaper, you can simply double-click to create a new track, then choose the type of input. It will be a MIDI track if you choose MIDI input. It will be an audio track if you choose audio input. In Garageband, if you create a new empty project you will be asked what type of track to create. Once you have created one, you can right-click and add more tracks. Create a Software Instrument track (for MIDI) and an Audio Track (for audio!)
Need to start with something more basic? Then check out our step-by-step guide to make your first home studio recording. - Select a virtual instrument for the MIDI track
For your MIDI track to sound, you will need to select a virtual instrument in your DAW. Then when you play the MIDI back, it will play the software instrument you have selected
- Arm Both Your Tracks For Recording
Arm (enable) both the MIDI and the Audio tracks for recording. To do this, you press the red ‘arm' button on the track. In Garageband, you might have to right-click -> configure track header and check to display the record enable button. Also, note that in Garageband, you should enable the audio track FIRST, and the software instrument track SECOND. For some reason it does not work the other way round.
- Now You Can Press Record
On the main transport bar, hit record …. if everything has been set up correctly then you should find you are will record audio and MIDI tracks simultaneously.
What Next?
Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can be sure to catch all our home studio tutorials as soon as they are uploaded.
You Might Also Like …
Bend conduit without bender. Bluetooth MIDI is here, and it's getting more refined and present by the day. The dream of the truly wireless setup without latency and without signal loss is becoming a reality, and it couldn't be a better time to be a keyboard player and a fan of cutting-edge technology. With more and more devices such as the excellent Xkey Air or Yamaha Bluetooth MIDI adapters available to us, it's time to harness the power of iOS devices and computers as sound modules, and to do so without the oppressive shackles of MIDI and USB cables.
Getting Bluetooth MIDI up and running, however, isn't quite as straightforward as USB plug-and-play just yet, and there are a few steps you'll need to take, with a few workarounds for apps that don't support Bluetooth MIDI just yet. You'll need to have a device that supports Bluetooth Low Energy profiles, as well as iOS 8/OS X 10.10 or later. Once you've got that, a Bluetooth MIDI device, and a compatible app, you're good to go!
Korg MicroKey is a recently released Bluetooth MIDI keyboard controller.
1 - Powering On
Obviously, you'll want to power on your device. God of war 2 ps2 iso compressed. Once you've verified it's turned on, many devices will need to be put into a ‘pairing mode'. You'll often need to do this only the first time you connect to a computer/iOS device. After that, most Bluetooth MIDI devices will ‘remember' what computers they've paired with in the past and give you a seamless connection later on. Check your controller's product manual to verify how to get it into ‘pairing mode' when necessary.
Online and free swf converter Fast and easy Just drop your swf files on the page and you can convert it to more than 250 different file formats without registration, giving an email or watermark. Youtube to swf online. Convert SWF Online. SWF - Small Web Format. Format introduction: SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript. Originating with FutureWave Software, then transferred to Macromedia, and then coming under the control of Adobe, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of. SWFis a special compressed format designed for small file size and scalability. It is a standard format for publishing Flash content on the Web. For certain usage, you will need to download YouTube and convert YouTube to SWF. Now it is completely possible with the help of YouTube t SWF Converter.
2 - Enable Bluetooth
This seems like a silly thing to have to point out, but many folks turn Bluetooth off for power consumption reasons. You may have to swipe up to control center on an iOS device, or check the Bluetooth system preferences icon to verify that your Bluetooth connection is on, active, and ready to roll. Trust me, do this before you start pulling your hair out about why it's not connecting!
3 - (OSX Only) Open Audio/MIDI Settings
Inside of your Applications Folder, you'll find a subfolder called ‘Utilities'. Open that up, and you'll be treated to an app called ‘Audio MIDI Setup'. Open up Audio MIDI Setup and navigate to the ‘MIDI Studio'. Once you're there, you will see an icon for Bluetooth MIDI devices. You'll double-click that icon, and you should be treated to a list of nearby Bluetooth devices just waiting to pair up. Click on the ‘connect' button for your MIDI device and it should pair up with no problem! If you don't see your device here, it may not be near enough to your computer, it may not be in ‘pairing mode', or it may simply not be Bluetooth LE compatible.
4 - Open Up the App
From here, you're going to want to open up whatever app you plan on using your Bluetooth MIDI device with. If you're on iOS, GarageBand is a great app to test with as it supports a wide range of Bluetooth MIDI devices. On OSX, any DAW or virtual instrument that supports MIDI will do. Open up the app, and you should be able to select your MIDI device from whatever preferences menu or MIDI input menu the app typically uses. As long as you've configured the device (on OS X) with Audio/MIDI settings properly, it should show up here.
5 - (iOS Only) Configure Bluetooth MIDI
On iOS, Bluetooth MIDI is currently handled on an ‘app-by-app' basis. In other words, there is currently no Audio/MIDI settings page for you to configure your Bluetooth MIDI device. This means that the app itself has to allow you to configure and pair your Bluetooth MIDI device. For GarageBand, this is located under the little ‘wrench' settings menu in the upper right corner. Tap on that icon, scroll down to ‘Advanced' and you'll be treated to a ‘Bluetooth MIDI Devices' sub menu where you can select your preferred device.
This is actually important, even if you don't plan on using GarageBand because GarageBand can be a ‘stopgap' measure to enable Bluetooth MIDI for apps that don't technically support it yet. Not all apps have a Bluetooth MIDI device menu that will allow you to pair/configure your controller, but there is a little hack around this! Once you've paired up a Bluetooth MIDI device, you can actually quit one app, open another, and it should continue to work! I've used GarageBand countless times to select my Xkey Air, get it configured and paired, then quit GarageBand and open up my favorite synth app on the iPad and start rocking!
6 - Stay Awake!
Your connection could time out depending on the device you're using, the app you're using, and the background audio settings of the app itself. Don't rely on this setup for mission critical applications until you've thoroughly tested all the devices and apps you plan to use as well as what happens when you close them. Some apps will run in the background and keep providing sound unless you actually quit them from the iPad's task manager! Certain devices may time out to save energy after a certain amount of inactivity, and this can be a new behavior for those of us used to USB MIDI devices. Test, test, test… and then test again!
A Brave New World
MIDI over Bluetooth is a developing and emerging technology. With the elimination of the headphone jack and millions of new Bluetooth headphones in the world, it remains to be seen how it will hold up with the spectrum getting more and more devices added to it. I'm sure the tech companies are staying ahead of it, though! Like most other technologies, I'd expect this one to continue to grow at an astonishing rate! Completely wireless lossless MIDI as well as audio could be right around the corner!
Midi Keyboard Garageband Ios
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