Garageband Mac Bluetooth Midi
Latency Is An Annoying, But (Usually) Easily Fixed, Problem
According to Wikipedia’s definition of the word, “latency,” it’s the delay caused by the conversion of the analog sound into the digital sound.
- Jul 12, 2018 How to connect a MIDI piano keyboard to iPad with Bluetooth. In this video, how to make a Bluetooth (wireless) connection between a MIDI keyboard.
- Garageband will recognize exactly what tool you’re using the moment you connect it. It works the same way that the Musical Typing option does, but with a much bigger range, which makes writing music a lot easier, especially if you like to use the piano. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
If you’re new to audio engineering and using digital audio workstations like me, you’ll probably want a simpler definition which is pretty understandable.
The Pioneer DDJ-SB is an all-in-one 2 deck USB MIDI controller with a built in soundcard. Mixxx allows it to control 4 decks. It is compatible with Mixxx since version 1.12. Nov 12, 2019 50+ videos Play all Mix - Entry Level DJ Controller How to connect to speakers or sound system YouTube QD23: Boomerang Scratch Practice (Day 16) goal: 135 bpm Pri yon Joni 12 watching Live now. Mixxx controller mappings for the Pioneer DDJ SB3 - Dancephy/Mixxx-Pioneer-DDJ-SB3. Serato dj sb3. Jun 04, 2013 Simple dubstep mix on MIXXX (DJ Tutorial) - Duration: 5:37. DerbyGrammarMusic 177,171 views.
In layman’s terms, latency, essentially, is the delay between when you play the note and when you actually hear it expressed in the sound system. In other words, it’s when you play a note and it takes a second for you to hear it.
To explain it one more time for clarity, your computer and interface need time to convert the signal into a sound, even more so if you’re connected by Bluetooth or through an alternative method that isn’t 100% appropriate.
For instance, if you have GarageBand playing on your computer and your computer is hooked up to a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll probably find that whenever you play a note on your keyboard, there’s a delay between when you play the note, and when you can actually hear it through the speakers.
Oct 07, 2018 Hi, I intermittently run into 2 problems with GarageBand. The first is, currently under an audio track (for recording vocals etc.) it will not record sound, no matter what combination of audio/midi preferences I have selected in the GarageBand preferences, or no matter what I have set up for audio input in the system preferences menu, I am using a usb microphone, but I also tested with the. Jul 21, 2015 Zivix has a new wireless MIDI device for Apple-centric musicians, but unlike the original WiFi Puc, this time it's using Bluetooth 4.0. IOS and Mac musicians can ditch wires with Bluetooth. Dec 05, 2010 Good grief! I'm on a Mac OS X and was having this same problem. All these discussions about so much technical jargon just had me exhausted. Not only did I not understand what was being referred to, but I couldn't imagine how to do what was being said. Here's what got me straight: 1. Go to System Preferences and click on Sound.
It’s a really annoying problem, however, that’s why you have to have a speaker system connected, directly through a cable to your computer, rather than through Bluetooth.
With that said, a Bluetooth speaker works just fine when you’re playing music directly from your computer say, for example, from iTunes, YouTube, or Spotify.
Mar 14, 2011 I have an iPad running IOS 4.3 when I first tried GarageBand it worked through my Bluetooth jam box speaker But now it doesn't I have tried doing resets etc, but every other sound app works a treat through the jam box, but GarageBand won't.
But it’s not going to work properly if your computer is converting the signal from an instrument.
Usually, latency is caused by some kind of problem with one’s set-up and gear, but in many cases, it’s easy to fix just by changing a few things.
There’s an old saying that goes, the simplest solution is usually the right one, and I believe that’s the case for many things in life, especially in the case of using DAW’s and making music.
If you’re experiencing latency problems with your MIDI keyboard into GarageBand, try the simplest solutions first.
Solution #1:
1) Disconnect all of your gear from your computer and restart it.
2) After you’ve turned it back on and re-booted GarageBand, reconnect all of your gear and try it again.
Assuming that you’ve probably already tried this, I have over a dozen more solutions for you.
Solution #2
1) Save your file. Assuming that you’re an absolute beginner, you just go into the File setting, and click “Save,” or “Save As.” Most people know how to do this, so I won’t bother uploading pictures.
2) Re-start GarageBand.
Even though this is a really simple solution, it works quite a bit, especially for those who have an old computer, and don’t have enough RAM to properly run a software that uses a lot of data.
Solution #3
1) Unplug the external speaker.
2) Use your MacBook’s built-in speakers, instead.
For whatever reason, this works for some people, probably because of the way they’ve connected their speakers to their computer.
Like it was mentioned above, a lot of people make the mistake of trying to connect Bluetooth headphones and speakers when recording, which won’t work nearly as well.
Solution #4:
Like I noted above, if you’re experiencing this nagging problem, it may have something to do with the way in which you’ve hooked up speakers to your computer. Using a Bluetooth speaker, in most cases, is not going to work.
So, 1) make sure you’re directly connecting your sound system to your computer, through the appropriate cables, depending on what system you’re using. Don’t use a Bluetooth sound system.
Solution #5:
Just change the configuration for a moment, and then turn it back to the way that it was.
1) Go to the GarageBand menu on the top left-hand corner in the toolbar on top.
2) Click on Preferences.
3) Click on Audio.
4) Change your Audio input and output to something else, and then switch it back again.
In my Audio-MIDI settings, you can see that it says SunFlower.
This is just an audio device on my computer that allows me to record videos on QuickTime, while also recording the screen at the same time. It’s basically a MacGyver-style version of ScreenShare, except free (but admittedly not as good).
Assuming that you have an audio-interface hooked up, (which I don’t right now), the name of your audio-interface will be sitting in that menu.
Solution #6
1) Update to the latest edition of GarageBand.
2) Typically, this can be done through the App Store. When you click on the App Store icon, it should bring up all of the updates that are available on your computer.
Now, some people might contest this solution, but the truth is that developers usually issue updates for a reason. They’re fixing bugs and cleaning up the program so it’s easier to use.
I always use the latest edition of whatever software I’m using, just to avoid problems.
Solution #7
1) Make sure you’re connected to GarageBand using an appropriate Audio Interface.
Now, obviously there are a million of these products to buy, but I’m using a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, and I’ve had the same one now for approximately 6 years without any problems.
If I remember correctly, it only cost me around $265 and it works great.
Solution #8
1) Make sure your audio interface is connected to GarageBand.
2) Where it shows “Software Instrument” setting or Microphone setting, there should be a control at the bottom of the pop-up that says: “Input.”
Ios Garageband Bluetooth Midi
When recording with a guitar or some other external advice, you need to either click on the Guitar icon, or the microphone icon, depending on what you’re using.
Make sure you select the one that is connected to your Audio Interface.
3) This should bring up a new track-header. A track header is where the audio is shown in your DAW.
4) After it’s been brought up, you should be able to see the bottom portion of the DAW, which says, “Recording Settings” and “Plug-Ins.”
6) Click on the input button right beside where it says “Input.”
Click on where it lists what your audio interface says, and make sure your audio interface is your input, rather than something else.
On mine, it says, “Saffire (6USB2.0).”
Garageband Mac Bluetooth Midi Player
Solution #9
1) Go to Focusrite’s troubleshooting page.
While you might own a different audio interface, this website has a useful explanation for why you may, still, be experiencing latency issues even after trying all of the aforementioned solutions.
Solution #10
1) Make your that whenever you’re playing back your audio recording in GarageBand, the “Monitor” button is turned off. The “Monitor button,” (the symbol that looks like an upside down Wi-Fi signal); there should only be one turned on and yellow when you’re recording.
2) Additionally, having multiple tracks with multiple “Monitor” buttons turned on, might cause some problems. Only have one going at a time.
The reason for why this causes latency is because your DAW is using too much power by having all of the different monitors on.
Like it was mentioned above, latency is a problem when your computer is slow to convert a signal into the desired sound, whatever that sound may be, your guitar or microphone, etc.
Solution #11
1) Make sure that you’re only running 1 software, maybe 2 at once.
The reasoning for this is that if you’re running more than one software at a time, your computer is working too hard to process the signal, thus, there’s a delay in the transfer from your instrument, to the speaker.
Solution #12
1) Another way to deal with latency is to delete large, old files that are taking up too much RAM on your computer.
I used to run the latest issue of GarageBand on my MacBook Pro from 2010, and due to the sheer amount of data I had on it – as well as the decreased strength of its processor and age of the computer – I had latency problems, and in many cases, GarageBand would crash altogether.
Solution #13
Another possible issue is something with your plug-ins.
Plug-ins actually use quite a bit of power, especially mastering plug-ins or simpler ones like compressors and multi-pressors etc.
Try disabling some of your plug-ins connected to your instrument.
1) Click on your instrument or track header.
2) Bring up the bottom part of GarageBand where it says, “Recording Settings” and “Plug-Ins” beneath it.
3) Click on the arrow on “Plug-Ins.”
4) It should drop down the menu where it lists all of your plug-ins.
5) Click on one of them. In the latest issue of GarageBand, they’re colored blue.
6) It’ll bring up the settings in the top-left corner.
7) Click on the power button that looks like a circle with the top part cut out of it, and a completely straight vertical line running through the center.
8) Now go through each plug-in, turning them off, one-by-one, to see if one of your plug-ins are causing the problem.
Solution #14
1) Make sure you’re not using Wireless Headphones either. In fact, when you’re recording, mixing, or mastering, you shouldn’t be using Wireless Headphones, period.
It’s for the same reason mentioned above. Your computer is working too hard to acquire the signal and turn it into a sound, so there’s a delay or a lag.
You don’t necessarily need expensive headphones for this process. You just need headphones plugged directly into your unit to avoid latency problems cause by a Bluetooth connection.
Solution #15
Related to the other solutions above, increasing your computer’s onboard RAM will likely make a difference.
1) Add one gigabyte of RAM and that should help your computers processing system.
Increasing RAM should always increase your machine’s performance.
Solution #16
1) Record only one track at a time.
Solution #17
Now, this last solution has more to do with general connectivity problems, including crackling and popping, and less to do with latency, but it’s worth noting.
1) Buying a new quality cable.
In a book I read recently from an audio engineer, he explained that one of the things he wishes he would’ve known earlier was the way that cables are usually the root of a recording engineer’s problem.
Sometimes, just buying a new cable will solve the problem, and save a person hours of their time troubleshooting all of the different causes of a problem, that turns out, is actually quite a bit simpler than they initially expected.
For instance, for a while, I was wondering why my guitar was crackling in my DAW through my audio-interface, but it turns out that all I had to do was change the 9-Volt battery in my guitar’s active (rather than passive) pick-ups.
Solution #18
This solution is a bit of reach, but I’ll list it anyway.
1) Maybe it’s time for a new computer.
If GarageBand is crashing a lot, you’re having other issues, or your system is almost 10 years old like mine was, maybe it’s time to invest in a new machine.
However, it should go without saying that this is an absolute last resort, and by no means should a person look to get a new computer before trying any of the solutions listed above.
YouTube Video Tutorial
Ditch the Blue-Tooth Speaker
Assuming that your problem was fixed by ditching the Bluetooth speaker, which is usually the case, you’re probably in the market for something that won’t cause latency.
I recommend Audio-Technica Studio headphones for music producing, which will not only fix your latency problem in this case, but they’re also great for making a great sounding and well-balanced mix. You can read more about them here.
They’re the ones I use and I haven’t looked back.
Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you.
Make sure to share it on social media if this was of use to you.
If you’re sick of using the Musical Typing keyboard in Garageband, then look no further than this article. Connecting a keyboard MIDI controller to Garageband is incredibly simple.
Without further ado,
This is how you connect a keyboard into GarageBand.
The process for connecting a keyboard into your computer and DAW is identical for nearly all of them nowadays. However, with Apple and other laptop makers opting for USB-C, you may have to purchase a USB-C to USB cable. Click the link here to get one.
You don’t have to purchase an Apple one, necessarily. There are other good ones as well that are half the price, but I have the Apple one, and it’s the one I use, so I recommend it because I know it works from experience.
When purchasing a new MIDI Keyboard, it’ll likely come with all of the cables necessary for use, including the USB Firewire Cable, which you can also pick up at Amazon for fairly cheap if your keyboard, for whatever reason, didn’t come with it.
1) Assuming that you have the brand new MacBook Pro, you can connect your MIDI Keyboard by a USB Firewire cable directly into the back of the Keyboard.
2) Plug your *USB-C to USB adapter into your laptop.
3) Plug your USB Firewire into your *USB-C to USB adapter.
4) Now open Garageband.
5) After you’ve opened up the program, you don’t have to use musical typing anymore. The keyboard will automatically work right away, without any problems.
*If you have an older computer, it’s possible that you may not even need this adaptor. The keyboard, through the USB port, should be able to connect to your laptop.
In the past, MIDI Keyboards were connected through the use of Pin Drivers, but new MIDI Keyboards usually use USB. If you want to connect an older keyboard into Garageband, you’ll need a MIDI to USB adaptor.
What MIDI keyboard should I use for Garageband?
Considering you’re likely in the beginning stages of music production, I would recommend getting an Acorn Masterkey 49.
You can pick one of these up on Amazon. Click the link here to read more about the one I own. It has 49 keys, which is essential if you’re trying to get the full range of the piano (it‘s the one in the display picture for this blog post).
In my opinion, a 25-key is good for traveling and when you need something on the road, but for regular music production, a 49-key or larger is best.
It’s a nice little starter keyboard and it works perfectly for a beginner. There are even more options available, like a 61-key, and an 88-key.
Perhaps the most popular keyboard out right now is the Akai MPK Mini Mk2. A lot of people prefer this little machine, and there are more expensive, larger, and superior versions available.
In addition to the price, the Akai MPK Mini Mk2 only has 25 keys, so I didn’t want to get it for that reason.
Once you’ve gotten some experience under your belt, you can pick up a more professional keyboard like the Akai MPK, but it’s certainly not necessary for a beginner to drop this kind of money.
How To Assign Sounds to MIDI Keyboard in Garageband?
From what I understand, it’s not actually possible to assign individual samples to different keys in GarageBand anymore. I don’t know how to do it, and after scouring the internet for answers, I, unfortunately, can’t find a way.
In prior versions of the software, it was possible, but I don’t think you can anymore, for whatever reason. What Apple giveth, it also taketh away.
I could be wrong. Let me know in the comment section below if you know how to do this because I don’t.
If you have the older version of Garageband. The tutorial video at this linkwill show you how.
How To Use A MIDI Keyboard in Garageband?
Background and General Information
The moment you connect your keyboard into your computer, it should work right away. Garageband will recognize exactly what tool you’re using the moment you connect it.
It works the same way that the Musical Typing option does, but with a much bigger range, which makes writing music a lot easier, especially if you like to use the piano.
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The ability to change phrases of music after you’ve recorded it is the main benefit of using MIDI.
For instance, if you’ve written a piano riff using a MIDI Controller, you can go back and adjust the timing, velocity, rhythm, as well as the pitch of the note.
It’s a lot easier to change and modify music created through a MIDI Controller, in comparison to an analog recording.
Tip: After making a melody with a MIDI Controller, open a new track with whatever instrument you want, and then copy and paste it into the new Software Instrument Track.
For instance, if you’ve created a melody using the Steinway Grand Piano, you could copy and paste your music into a new Software Instrument Track like String Movements, thus, filling out your mix within seconds.
Using the MIDI Keyboard
To use the MIDI Controller, you’ll have to open a “Software Instrument” track. On the left-hand corner of the string, Garageband has all of the different instruments and settings that you can use.
When using the MIDI controller for creating drums, the drum sounds will usually be within the first octave of the keyboard. Most drum-kits have a limited number of sounds, usually around 9-12.
When creating melodies, whether, through the use of the Steinway Grand Piano, or a Synth, the MIDI controller offers the range of however many keys you have with your controller.
Creating A New Software Instrument Track
If you want to create another Software Instrument track, click on the Track Header using the “secondary click (right click)” function, and choose New Software Instrument Track, or New Track With Duplicate Settings.
Deleting the Software Instrument or Audio Track
If you want to delete the existing Software Instrument Track, use the (Command + Delete) function.
Changing the Timing, Pitch, and Velocity (loudness) Of Your MIDI Notes
Through the use of the “Piano Roll Grid,” at the bottom of Garageband, you can adjust the timing and pitch of each note played.
Some people don’t even use the keyboard to create melodies and drum tracks, you can manually type in each MIDI note by double-tapping your trackpad and selecting the “create note” option.
Like I said before, the best part about using a MIDI controller is that you can fix mistakes that you’ve made simply by changing the position of the MIDI note.
How To Change The Timing Of Your MIDI Notes
The notes, which are little green squares, can easily be moved around by clicking and dragging it to the desired pitch and time.
If you use the Zoom-In function on your Mac, you’ll see that the Piano Roll Grid is divided up with equally distributed lines.
If you want your music to be perfectly in time, just drag and drop the MIDI notes to the closest line, that way your melody is in time, and when you create drums later, everything will be synchronized.
This is legitimately important. Otherwise, your melody is going to sound off-balance and weird. Although, maybe that’s what you want.
How To Change The Pitch Of The Notes
Mac Bluetooth Headset
Drag and drop the MIDI notes either up or down to the desired pitch. On the left-hand side of the “Piano Roll Grid,” you’ll notice there is a vertical keyboard, showing at which point each note is played respectively to the piano.
Also, if you hover your cursor of the note, it’ll tell you the pitch, as well as the velocity (strength) of the sound.
How To Change The Velocity (loudness) of the Notes
To my knowledge, there are two ways of doing this in the newest version of Garageband. On the left-hand side of the “Piano Roll Grid,” you’ll see a slider along with the title, “Velocity.”
After selecting your note, you can change the loudness or strength of that note by dragging the slider to the left or right. Increasing the value, (0-100), will make it louder, and decreasing it will make it softer.
Underneath that option, there is also the “Controller” option. You get to this setting by clicking on the button, “Show/Hide Automation.”
Click the power button that looks like a typical “Power” Function.
Then you can drag the vertical slider up and down to change the loudness of that note.
Truthfully, using a MIDI Keyboard in a DAW is a straightforward process, and through a bit of trial and error, you should be able to figure it out.
How To Open Keyboard in GarageBand
Use the (Command + K) option to bring up musical typing in Garageband. You can also select the “Show Musical Typing” option in the settings in the toolbar up top in the DAW.
Additionally, if you want access to a much bigger, but more limited way of playing the keyboard, then click on the option, “Show Keyboard.”
This isn’t nearly as good as using a regular MIDI Keyboard, but it’ll do if you don’t want to go out and buy a keyboard, which you definitely should do.
Why Isn’t My MIDI Keyboard Working?
1) Make sure that you’ve selected the correct input and output options within your Garageband preferences to start. Usually, this part isn’t even necessary, but if your MIDI controller isn’t working for whatever reason, you can adjust these settings.
2) If your MIDI Keyboard isn’t working, go into your Garageband Preferences, Select “Audio/MIDI,” and then click the “re-set the MIDI Drivers” button.
3) Is it possible that your Instrument Track has been muted? In the “Track Header” region, you can see there are two buttons, one that looks like a loudspeaker with a line through it, and another one that looks like a pair of headphones.
The one that looks like a speaker is the “Mute” button, and the Headphones button is the “Solo” button that isolates that particular sound within your mix, in case you want to just hear that one track, and not the others.
You’ll know your mute button is selected because it’ll turn a turquoise green and the MIDI region is no longer green, but a darker shade of grey.
When the “Solo” button is turned on, it’s yellow.
Also, if you’ve accidentally isolated a track using the “Solo” button, you won’t be able to hear the MIDI controller, unless you’re currently playing the MIDI Controller through that particular “Software Instrument” track.
4) Another potential reason is that you’ve slid the “Volume Slider” all the way to the left, effectively muting the track.
5) Check your MIDI Keyboard connection. It may have something to do with your USB Firewire Cable.
6) If your computer isn’t recognizing your MIDI Controller, unplug and plug it back in after restarting Garageband.
A way to tell if your computer has recognized the controller is by hitting a note on your MIDI Controller, and seeing if it registers that note at the top of the DAW.
If you hit one note, a little circle will appear in the top right-hand corner of the “Beats Position Display” at the top-center of Garageband.
If you play a chord on the MIDI Controller, Garageband will tell you the exact chord.
Another way of checking to see if your computer recognizes the keyboard is to go into the “About This Mac” settings. Then click on “System Report.”
Go all the way down to where it says “USB,” and click on that.
On the right-hand side of the menu, it will say what’s connected to your computer currently. On mine, it says the name of the device, “masterkey 49.”
7) Try another USB (USB-C) Port on your computer. If you’re using the new MacBook, try a different device, it may be the adaptor.
Remember, the simplest solution is usually the correct one.
YouTube Video Tutorial
Conclusion
That’s all for this tutorial. I hope it was helpful for you.