Perform Midi Keyboard Garageband Ipad

Perform Midi Keyboard Garageband Ipad Pro
Midi Keyboard Garageband
Perform Midi Keyboard Garageband Ipad Pro
Midi Controller For Garageband

2015-4-27 iPads in Music Education GarageBand Katie Wardrobe Midnight Music. Part A: GarageBand As A Performance Tool 5. You can plug a real guitar or keyboard into an iPad. You need ampli'cation for each iPad if you want to perform as a group.

MIDI connects your hands to your software, a vital tool needed for musicians to translate their compositions onto a computer. A MIDI controller should be your first hardware purchase for music production software like GarageBand and speeds up the writing of music via virtual MIDI instruments in your software.

They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from full-size keyboards with realistic feeling keys, to small units which pack additional pads, rotary faders and pitch and mod wheels.

They’re relatively inexpensive and are connected to any USB port, most need no installation and are auto-detected by software such as GarageBand.

Finally, simple clear advice on how to connect a MIDI keyboard to an iPad using cables. This article makes it easy to understand the simplest options that will have you playing piano with your iPad in no time. Which adapter you'll use will depend on whether your MIDI keyboard has its own power supply.
2020-4-2 You can use the keyboard with any MIDI-compatible app, which includes GarageBand, and it can even draw its power from the iPad so you can take it.

Contents

Top 4 Best MIDI Keyboards for GarageBand:
Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best MIDI Keyboards for GarageBand
Conclusion: What’s the Best MIDI Controller for GarageBand?

Top 4 Best MIDI Keyboards for GarageBand:

Image	Model	Price
Korg microKEY 25 (Editor's Choice)
M-Audio Oxygen 49 MKIV
Akai Professional MPK49
Novation Impulse 49

Korg MicroKEY 25 Keyboard (Editor’s Choice)

Korg are famous for their slickly designed, innovative products. They also love making their stuff smaller and smaller, packing great tech into portable packages.

This keyboard is simple and high-quality, the keys themselves feel great and the item has a good weight to it, not heavy but not cheap. The 25 key version is easily carried, has one USB output and features Korg’s ‘NaturalTouch’ technology.

The keys feel good, not as good as some high-end MIDI instruments, but this is a $80 model.

The keyboard has a single joystick for both pitch and modulation, which replaces separate pitch and mod-wheels that feature on most MIDI keyboards. This is cool as you can operate both functions with your hand in the same position.

There’s an octave selector, and also an arpeggiator This takes a chord and turns it into an Arpeggio, a handy function that other MIDI controllers lack. It’s plug and play, no drivers required.

Overall it’s cheap, well-made and fits the bill for anyone looking for a basic MIDI controller which can be carried about.

M-Audio Oxygen 49 MKIV Keyboard

The M-Audio Oxygen series of MIDI controllers are well established and the series has continued to innovate with the MkIV range of products. They’re fairly bulky but pack extra features such as faders, pads, and other controls for your DAW.

They offer quite a flexible package for controlling GarageBand, but because M-Audio implemented a connection system called DirectLink, you will have to download a driver package from M-Audio to plug and play with full functionality.

For Ableton and Pro-tools, this is not necessary. M-Audio implemented this to ensure the controller would work perfectly with the DAW, as sometimes, more complex controllers that auto-map are mapped incorrectly.

Aside from the 49 keys, it has a lot of flashy bits and bobs, with 8 velocity-sensitive trigger pads, 8 assignable knobs and 9 assignable faders. It also has Play, Stop and Record buttons for controlling the transport functions on GarageBand.

This means you can control these basic functions without touching your PC or it’s keyboard.

The mod-wheels and pitch bend follow a classic design, and the keys are springy and responsive rather than realistic.

The Oxygen is a breath of fresh air in its feature set at the price point, but for Garageband, you do have to download drivers, which isn’t an issue but some would have liked to see this be made as a plug and play controller.

AKAI MPK49 Keyboard

Taking a big ramp up in price, the AKAI MPK49 is a pro level MIDI controller which excels in performance, build quality, functionality and features. It really is a beast of a controller, it’s difficult to know where to start!

Akai may hold the aces when it comes to MIDI and audio control, they developed the first MPC controllers that were at the heart of the hip-hop movement. Akai fits a good slice of the MPCs amazing beat-making power into the MPK with 12 real MPC drum pads.

If you’ve used an MPC you know these are a cut above the rest – they’re responsive, sensitive, and comfortable to use.

These have 4 layers, meaning there are 48 options for the pads in total. They come fully tricked out with MPC Swing which applies grooves to your percussion and drums.

Alongside this is all the mod-cons, 49 weighted keys with after-touch, that are particularly nice to play, and will satisfy pianists and keyboardists. 8 full-sized sliders with 3 controller banks for each for 24 sliders total, providing more than enough faders and sliders for controlling Garageband or any other DAW.

8 assignable backlit switches with 3 controller banks each for 24 switches total, for controlling as many on/off functions as you could possibly want to. So, 8 full-sized, 360-degree rotation pots, each with 3 banks for 24 pots total, for all manner of instruments and mixing control.

Some will look through the features on this and think, well, I’m never going to use all that! And that’s completely fair enough, it is overkill for most music production and if you’re just starting out with a DAW like Garageband then the AKAI is going to be a big beast to tame right off the bat.

That said, it is comprehensive and will stand the test of time, it really will see you through any audio production or performance journey with no problems or hick-ups.

The MPK will work plug and play to some extent with Garageband, but advanced functions will need to be custom mapped using a MIDI editor.

Novation 49 Impulse Keyboard

On the same tier as the MPK lies the Novation 49 Impulse. This is a legendary controller that really is battle hardened. It’s tried and tested, with all the functions you could need and puts up a good fight with the AKAI.

In fact, splitting them is like splitting hairs for the most part!

The Novation comes from a long line of successful MIDI controllers from Novation and comes with special auto-map software which is designed to take the headache out of mapping these advanced MIDI controllers to your software.

Its switch, fader and knob selection equals the MPK. There are 9 faders, 8 drum pads, 9 knobs and 8 switches. It’s the full deck of cards, with an LCD screen, semi-weighted keys and the drum pads feature the same functions as the AKAI.

Overall, the drum pad section is lacking when compared to the Akai, and the auto-map function works poorly with GaragebBand. It’s maybe a controller for further down the line, when it’s software is more refined.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best MIDI Keyboards for GarageBand

Remember, MIDI controllers don’t generate any sound themselves, but trigger them within your computer. This is why they’re affordable too, they’re just controllers, nothing more!

There are quite possibly thousands out there too, and it can be a confusing situation when you come to buy one. On the face of it, they’re simple devices which enable you to do very complex things if you wanted to.

You can trigger hundreds and thousands of functions in combination on a fully featured MIDI controller, or on portable models, just play the keys. The keyboard you need will depend on how many options you need, or whether you just need a simple device for recording notes.

When viewing MIDI controllers and keyboards you’ll instantly notice that there aren’t just keys:

Rotary Faders/Knobs

These can control the effects parameters within your plug-ins as well as controls such as volume fades or panning. They enable you to trigger events during your performance.

Say you have a synth with a low-pass filter, you can use these rotary knobs to open and close the filter to create a wobble. You could pan your synth from left to right, or trigger a reverb or delay.

Many synths and plug-ins on GarageBand will auto-map relevant controls to these rotary faders. Give them a turn and see what happens!

Pads

These are like what you see on the Akai controllers from the ‘90s. Their primary use is in triggering whole loops, usually percussion, or triggering ‘one-shot’ samples, like a kick or a snare drum. These are great when you are operating multiple instruments within a session. You can play a lead melody on the keyboard whilst triggering percussive sounds with the pads.

Wheels

These are often positioned next to the keyboard. There is, more often than not, a pitch bend wheel which bends pitches of your instruments. Often, you’ll find a mod-wheel too, it’s function is often auto-mapped to a synth where you have an assignable mod-wheel function. You can auto-map FX with this whilst recording a MIDI performance.

Faders

These are sliders that can be used for all manner of functions, like controlling faders whilst mixing a track, or controlling settings whilst recording a performance. Some synths will auto-map controls to these, be sure to experiment!

Getting a MIDI controller for GarageBand will really help you produce your music and be creative, providing these tools to help you express yourself during MIDI performances, and control the software when you’re just producing your track.

Don’t be afraid to try all the controls, as some will undoubtedly surprise you with their pre-mapped functions. You can obviously also map controls to anything you want!

This is usually easy too, you simply select the control you want to map, usually by holding a combination of keys and pressing on it, then you press the control on the controller and Voila! It’s mapped to that control for easy operation!

Conclusion: What’s the Best MIDI Controller for GarageBand?

GarageBand is great for sketching out ideas, recording, writing and editing music, but controlling its functions with MIDI keyboards like the Impulse and the MPK49 is arguably a little overkill.

That doesn’t mean they’re redundant purchases, they are some of the best-selling MIDI controllers ever, but it does mean they may be worth progressing onto rather than starting of on.

The KORG MicroKEY’s plug and play reliability makes it ideal for GarageBand, its functions work well and allow you to be more creative with the software and there won’t be any redundant controls like there would with more expensive MIDI controllers.

The Oxygen 49 fits suitably in the middle, it’s cheap and has a lot of controls. Its functionality with GarageBand is good and with DirectLink it should be easier to make use of its many controls.

Your choice will depend on whether you use GarageBand primarily for fun or for basic use, or whether you use it alongside other DAWs, or plan to move onto other DAWs. The Korg has the best profile for GarageBand users in this line-up.

The world is your stage. This is your instrument.

GarageBand for iOS makes it incredibly simple to play, record, and share your music, no matter where you are. Tap into a wide range of instruments from around the world. And now with the Sound Library, you can choose and download more free instrument and loop packs when new sounds are released, to help you easily craft songs in your favorite styles — all right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Download GarageBand for iOS

Play Make music. With or without an instrument.

The moment you launch GarageBand, you can start making music. Play stunningly realistic Touch Instruments, instantly build big beats, and create music like a DJ — all with just a few taps. The all-new Sound Library lets you explore and download sound packs tailored to help you build your tracks with just the right elements for the style you want.

Live Loops makes it fun and easy to create electronic music. Simply tap cells and columns in the grid to trigger musical loops, and then build your own original arrangements. You can even use Remix FX to add creative, DJ‑style transitions with Multi‑Touch gestures, or just by moving your iOS device.

If you can tap, you can play.

GarageBand comes with beautiful and highly expressive Touch Instruments that sound and respond just like the real thing. Play keyboards, guitars, and bass, as well as sounds designed for EDM and Hip Hop. Smart Instruments make you sound like a pro — even if you’ve never played a note. And now you can explore the sounds of Asia with traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments, including the Guzheng, the Koto, and an array of Taiko drums.

When it comes to how you make your beats, the choice is yours — from jamming live on virtual drum kits to instant drag‑and‑done Smart Drums. The all‑new Beat Sequencer lets you easily build rhythms using sounds and a workflow inspired by classic drum machines. And Drummer gives you access to a team of virtual session drummers, each playing a popular electronic or acoustic style with a signature kit.

A deep collection of electronic drum sounds from a variety of genres can be stacked and layered to create your own grooves. Simply tap to activate any combination of steps on each track. Add or subtract to experiment in real time, all while the sequencer plays.

Virtual drummers representing specific genres automatically play along with your song, while simple controls let you fine‑tune their performance. Drummers can even listen to your riff and come up with the perfect complementary beat. And GarageBand now includes three percussionists who each have their own signature nine‑piece kits.

Tap out your groove on hardware‑style drum pads inspired by vintage beat boxes to create an electronic drum part.

Sit behind a virtual acoustic kit and perform your rhythms from a classic drummer’s point of view.

Instantly create a beat by simply dragging individual drum parts onto a grid. Choose the sounds you like and let ’em rip.

Plug it in. Tear it up.

Plug in your guitar and choose from a van‑load of amps and stompbox effects that deliver the perfect feel — from dreamy soundscapes to stadium‑size rock.¹ Our bass amps let you hold down the bass line with clean or distorted rigs modeled after vintage and modern amplifiers.

GarageBand includes Alchemy, one of the world’s most advanced synthesizers. Explore hundreds of Apple‑designed Patches, perfect for EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, Rock, and Pop music. Use the expressive Transform Pad to morph between sounds in real time, or just have fun using the simple Chord Strips that help anyone play like an expert.

Sound Library. Your all‑access pass to a world of sounds.

With the new Sound Library, you’ve got instant access to an incredible and expanding collection of free loops and instruments from right inside the app. Explore and download Apple‑designed sound packs that include Touch Instruments, Apple Loops, Live Loops templates, and instrument presets that will help you produce tracks in a wide variety of genres and styles. You can easily manage your library as it grows, and GarageBand will even notify you when new sound packs are released and ready for you to download.

Record A full recording studio. To go.

With its powerful and intuitive interface, GarageBand makes it easy to capture, adjust, and mix your performances into a finished composition. Build a complete song using any combination of Touch Instruments, audio recordings, and loops.

Work with up to an astounding 32 tracks with GarageBand for iOS.² With a compatible third‑party audio interface, you can even plug in the entire band and record everyone simultaneously on separate tracks. Take multiple passes to nail your performance using Multi‑Take Recording — just choose any Touch Instrument, tap Record, and play continuously over a looping song section. GarageBand automatically captures each one, and you simply choose your favorite.

Fine‑tune your tracks and record each tap, swipe, and twist of the knobs. Draw and edit volume automation for precise control over your mix. And let the Simple EQ and Compressor keep your tracks sounding crisp and clear. For even more detailed control, take advantage of 10 track‑mixing effects directly from Logic Pro, like the Visual EQ, Bitcrusher, Vocal Transformer, and more.

Audio Unit Extensions let you use your favorite compatible third‑party instrument and effect plug‑ins right in your GarageBand song. Browse the App Store and download your selections from leading music app developers like Moog Music.