HOW TO CONNECT DIGITAL PIANO TO COMPUTER

Having a digital piano in the house is cool and fun. It also helps to beautify the interior of any home. People who love elegance and class know about this, and they never hesitate to acquire one. Average-income earners can adopt this concept or idea too.

There are various affordable keyboards and pianos that you can buy.  If the aim of acquiring a digital piano is solely for music purpose, then knowing how to connect it to your computer will be beneficial.

Being able to connect your piano to a computer will enhance its output or production. With a computer connection, it is possible to use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) for recordings.

There are numerous other benefits associated with connecting your digital piano to your computer. You will learn more about them as you continue using the technique.

How to Connect Digital Piano to a Computer – 8 Tips

1. Read the Manual

The first thing to always do when you get a new electrical, electronic, or mechanical appliance is to go through the manual.

The manual will provide all the necessary information and assistance you need regarding how to operate the item in question. A manual is described as a user guide because it guides you against the “dos” and “don’ts” of the product.  

2. Get a USB-MIDI cable

Digital pianos and even keyboards have different USB port locations. This feature depends on the piano brand and model you are using. You will have to look for it on your piano. One convenient way to discover how to locate it on your keyboard is to check the user guide or manual.

In the past, you may need either the USB cable or the MIDI device, or even both. Today, USB-MIDI cables are now available in the market. This gadget allows you to connect any MIDI device to your computer via a USB cable.

If you try this tool, you will realize that it is a fantastic development. It is recommendable because it reduces the stress or challenges you may encounter in the process of connecting the devices.

You can buy this cable from Amazon if you don’t have one. Amazon online store offers various components of keyboards and digital pianos. You can get virtually everything you want on the Amazon platform, including a PC, if you need one.

3. Connect your USB MIDI cable to your digital piano and computer

Now that you know where the USB port is, on your keyboard, connect one end of the USB-MIDI cable to it. Plug the other end to a free port on your computer. The end designed for connecting with the digital piano will likely have two ports (in and out).

Ensure that you plug the “in” connector to the “out” port and the “out” connector to the “in” port. This system implies that any connector you plug to the keyboard, you need the opposite port for its support. That is, IN => OUT, OUT => IN.

4. Confirm if your connection is successful

If you make the connections successfully, two lights should come on (green and red). The red light indicates that the USB-MIDI gadget is on, while the green indicates a successful connection.

The green light is not static; it blinks. It is crucial to note that not all USB-MIDI devices are like this. This information will suffice for nearly all types of USB-MIDI interface controllers, nonetheless.

5. Wait for the Virtual MIDI Piano Keyboard notification

Upon a successful connection between your digital piano and your computer, pop-up information will appear on your computer screen.

This notification will provide a list of options for the MIDI controller settings. If this notification does not come up, you should look for it on your computer through its connected devices.

6. Set up your MIDI controller

To set up your MIDI controller, from the notification on your computer, go to “Tools” and then click “MIDI Connections.” Next, check all the boxes that come up and click “OK.” Once you do that, you have successfully set up your MIDI controller.

7. Start playing an enhanced version of your piano

After setting up your MIDI controller successfully, a virtual keyboard will come up on your screen. The implication of this is that you can start playing an enhanced version of the digital piano.

For any key that you strike on the keyboard, a corresponding key hits on the virtual keyboard. By now, you should see a Menu bar above the virtual keyboard on your computer; click the options according to your preference.

This method will help you adjust the settings on your keyboard to produce what you want. Bear in mind that the output of your piano will also depend on these settings.

8. Take note of these

The above are seven things to consider if it’s your first time connecting your piano to a computer. Don’t worry if you have a few little problems being your first time. Take note of the following.

  • It is essential to repeat the process a couple of times to master the technique.
  • Remember to always turn on your digital piano whenever you intend to work with a computer. Anytime you fail to do that, the MIDI controller will not come up on your computer.

Final Verdict

Connecting a digital piano to a computer is not so difficult, contrary to some people’s beliefs. There are people out there who have keyboards but do not realize that they can connect them to their computers.

Many others do but do not know the procedure to undertake. Do you know that it is possible to connect your digital piano to your mobile device as well?

You can see that it does not require much to do this? You only need the piano, a PC, and a USB-MIDI controller or cable. This method explained above is the easiest when connecting a digital piano to a computer.