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Connect a MIDI Keyboard

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Connect a USB or MIDI keyboard and Orfeo lights the on-screen keys as you play, sounds your notes through the current sound engine and names your chords. There is nothing to set up: plug it in and play.

Connect your keyboard

  • Plug the keyboard into your PC with USB, or through a MIDI interface, and switch it on.
  • Look at the  MIDI indicator on the right of the top bar. It lights up as soon as a keyboard is found; hover it to see the keyboard’s name.
  • Play a few notes. The matching keys light up in orange and you hear them.

You can connect the keyboard before or after starting Orfeo, and several keyboards at once. If the indicator stays dark, see Troubleshooting.

IMAGE · practice-play-along.png · 1400 × 700 px · The top bar’s MIDI indicator lit with its tooltip showing the keyboard’s name, and below it keys lit orange from live playing with the chord name above them.

What happens when you play

  • Keys light up in orange for as long as you hold them, so notes ring exactly as long as you play them.
  • You hear your notes through the active sound engine. With the Native engine (beta), a connected keyboard switches it to Exclusive mode by itself, so what you play is heard in under 10 ms with a realistic piano.
  • Your chords are named in the chord bar, see Live chord display.
  • The song keeps playing alongside you, so you can play over any track.

Play a part yourself

  • In the  Tracks panel, mute the part you want to play (M), but keep it shown on the roll.
  • Slow the song down with the BPM arrows if you need to.
  • Press Space and play the falling notes while the rest of the arrangement accompanies you.

 Use case: play the melody yourself

Mute the lead melody, turn on Focus Mode to strip the arrangement down to a rhythm section, and perform the tune over it at your own tempo.

To name your keyboards, choose how quickly your playing is heard, adjust touch and pedals or check the delay, open Settings → MIDI Keyboard.

See also: Play the melody yourself · MIDI keyboard troubleshooting · MIDI Keyboard settings · Step Through