Keyboards supply a variety of sounds suitable for home recording.
Musical Instrument Data Interface (MIDI) cables allow you to connect instruments with digital signals, like keyboards, to computer control devices. This setup creates a purely digital signal with which you can create, play and record digital sounds. In order to do any of these tasks, you must first set up the connection properly between your instrument and control device. Even without MIDI, you can still connect a keyboard directly to a PC with the right equipment and the proper technique.
Instructions
MIDI Connection
1. Insert the MIDI ends of a MIDI-to-USB cable into the corresponding "In" and "Out" MIDI jacks on a keyboard.
2. Insert the USB end of the cable into a free USB port on your PC.
3. Open the audio recording software of your choice, click on "Input" and select "USB."
Analog Connection
4. Slide a 1/8-inch-to-1/4-inch adapter onto the 1/8-inch end of a 1/8-inch-to-RCA audio cable.
5. Insert the 1/4-inch adapter end of the cable into the 1/4-inch "Audio Out" jack of a keyboard.
6. Insert the RCA ends of the cable into the corresponding RCA "Audio In" jacks on a mixer.
7. Connect the RCA ends of a second 1/8-inch-to-RCA audio cable into their corresponding "Audio Out" jacks in the mixer.
8. Insert the opposite end of the cable into the "Line In" jack of your PC's sound card.
9. Open the audio recording software of your choice, click on "Input" and select "Line In."
