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How to Hook Up Two MIDI Keyboards

Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a standardized language for transporting musical data between devices and programs. With a Digital Audio Workstation program, external MIDI controllers can be used to help the editing process and even to record sounds. You can use multiple MIDI devices at once, but to avoid conflicting data, you must configure the MIDI channels of the controllers and the DAW software.

Things You'll Need

  • MIDI keyboards
  • Digital Audio Workstation software
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Instructions

    • 1

      Download and install any specific drivers for your keyboards from the manufacturers' websites.

    • 2

      Connect your keyboards to separate USB ports on your computer. If you do not have enough available USB ports, you may need to use a USB hub.

    • 3

      Configure the MIDI channels for your keyboards. Some keyboards have a button for this, while others may require software from the manufacturer. There are 16 available numbered MIDI channels. Make sure the MIDI channels for each keyboard are different.

    • 4

      Open your DAW software.

    • 5

      Create two new MIDI tracks.

    • 6

      Select the appropriate MIDI channels in the MIDI track options. Assign each track to receive MIDI data from only one of the two different MIDI keyboard channels.

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Digital Music

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