Can I connect my MIDI/USB keyboard?

[Alex]

Yes, Music Studio is compatible with various MIDI interfaces and CoreMIDI:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/doc/?id=1#MIDI_hardware

Three ways to connect your MIDI hardware

1. iOS MIDI cables
E.g. iRig MIDI, Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer II or Yamaha i-MX1 have 2 advantages:

• they also work with most iPhone and iPod Touch models, not only with iPad.
• they work with all MIDI keyboards, regardless of their power consumption and CoreMIDI compatibility.

2. iPad only: Use Apple's USB adapter
and a USB-MIDI cable plugged it into your keyboard's MIDI connectors, as shown in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1D9fO1ELpo

There's a Lightning to USB adapter for new devices:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD821ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter
and a "Camera Connection Kit USB adapter" for the dock on older devices:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A/apple-ipad-camera-connection-kit

The USB adapter also works with some USB keyboards which have low power consumption and are CoreMIDI compatible, like the Akai LPK25.

3. iOS Audio and MIDI interfaces
Those devices are in a higher price category, but for example with the Tascam iU2 or the Alesis iO Dock you can record stereo audio and have MIDI input & output with Music Studio.

Limitations of Music Studio's MIDI hardware support
Music Studio responds to the following MIDI CC events:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/doc/?id=10#MIDI_ports_.26_channels_popup
In other words, it ignores most of the faders, knobs and buttons found on many keyboards. Also, triggering chord pads is not possible via MIDI input and MIDI drum pads won't trigger the drum pads as you see them in Music Studio.
All of these are known limitations, but improvements like “Custom MIDI CC assignments” and "Chord button triggering via MIDI input" are already on the feature suggestion list:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2409

[Alex]

A good portable keyboard with large keys is the Line 6 Mobile Keys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_MEWUrr4AY

For small keys I recommend the M-Audio KeyStation Mini 32 (requires CCK = Apple Camera Connection Kit USB adapter):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9dTXgT7iaM&feature=relmfu

For weighted keys, a stage piano with MIDI ports is probably the best choice, connected to the CCK with a MIDI-USB cable, or to a MIDI interface like iRig MIDI:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi4UHvUBOuo

[leftypete]

Hi Alex, will the new iRig IK Multimedia iRig iKeys Mini Keyboard Controller work okay with Xewton?
thanks, Pete

[Alex]

Hi Alex, will the new iRig IK Multimedia iRig iKeys Mini Keyboard Controller work okay with Xewton?

Yes, because it's CoreMIDI compatible.

[cScott]

Hi Alex, will the new iRig IK Multimedia iRig iKeys Mini Keyboard Controller work okay with Xewton?

Yes, because it's CoreMIDI compatible.

Does that mean the wheels and controls will work too (not just the keyboard itself)?

I'm still trying to find a keyboard that I can use with Music Studio, instead of using the virtual keyboard in the app, and I'm currently looking at the iRig KEYS.

Cheers,
C. Scott Davis

[Alex]

The wheels and the volume knob of the iRig Keys are supported by Music Studio. It's the same with any other CoreMIDI compatible keyboard, Music Studio responds to the following kinds of MIDI events:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/doc/?id=10#MIDI_IN

[cScott]

The wheels and the volume knob of the iRig Keys are supported by Music Studio. It's the same with any other CoreMIDI compatible keyboard, Music Studio responds to the following kinds of MIDI events:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/doc/?id=10#MIDI_IN

Okay, thanks! Sorry for my confusion, but I want to be sure I understand what will (and won't) work, before I spend the money.

Cheers,
Scott

[amiga1200]

Hi, I can confirm that the ipad mini works connected through a genuine apple lightning camera kit to a roland a300 pro, works really well no latency.

Cheers rick

[Andychain]

A quick keyboard question:
I have the M-Audio Oxygen 25 keyboard connected to the Focusrite i-Track (where an i-Pad is connected), but I cannot get the Oxygens´ transport buttons to be able to Control Music Studio transport.
Is the Oxygen keyboard able to do this somehow (some settings I can change), or should I just leave this thought?

/Andychain

[Alex]

Music Studio reacts to received MIDI start, stop and continue events:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_beat_clock

I don't know what kind of MIDI events the Oxygen's transport buttons send, but I assume that they're different or that the i-Track filters them out. To find out, you could test it with other apps that support MIDI transport controls via MIDI input...