Hi - I have Garageband and FL Studio on my Mac OS High Sierra version 10.13.6 - I have connected my Yamaha Portable Grand Piano keyboard to the Mac with a USB cable and it shows up in both programs as MIDI device when I connect it. However, nothing happens when I touch the keys - in either program. I'm trying with Garageband now so I thought I would ask if anyone has any idea how to fix this? Someone in another forum told me that the issue must be the connecting cable or the keyboard. But I don't understand that because it's connected and enabled. I just bought a new cable to eliminate that possibility. So - is there some setting or something that I can change? And if it is the keyboard. What do I do then?

Hi Cathartic - Ok, a few suggestions for troubleshooting.. Assumedly you've tried all the standard general-purpose troubleshooting steps.. - Shutdown/restart the computer - Reinstall the device driver for the keyboard [if one is required] - Try another keyboard [if possible] to see if the problem is w/ kbd or computer - Try the keyboard w/ another computer [if possible] to see if the problem is w/ kbd or computer - Try running under a new [test] User [ System Preferences->Users & Groups ] - Open up the Audio MIDI Setup utility [ Applications->Utilities->Audio MIDI Setup ], make sure the keyboard shows up there ["Refresh MIDI Setup" if it doesn't] , and "Test MIDI Setup". However, I'd assume the keyboard is in there, or you wouldn't see it in the DAW[s].. - In GarageBand Preferences->Audio/MIDI, click "Reset MIDI Drivers" - Is the particular keyboard model [btw what model is it?] class-compliant [doesn't require a driver], or did you have to install a driver for it to be seen by the computer/DAW? If it's the latter, check w/Yamaha that the driver version is compatible with your OS version; if it's the former, check w/Yamaha that the keyboard's firmware is compatible with your OS version - In GarageBand, I assume when you're trying out the keyboard you have an Instrument track selected and a virtual Instrument loaded; when you play on the keyboard do you see a little blue dot in the upper right corner of the display, next to the time signature? If you try recording on that track is a region of MIDI notes created or is a blank region created? - In GarageBand, if there's no sound from the selected virtual Instrument track when you play on the Yamaha keyboard, try playing that track from the popup keyboard window [ Window menu->Show Keyboard ] to determine if no sound is due to no MIDI input or a problem with the audio output Btw, I've moved this thread over to the GarageBand sub-forum, rather than the less-trafficked Other sub-forum..

Hi Joe - thank you SO much for your response. - I have shut down and restarted the computer - I have reinstalled the drivers - I have tried another keyboard, same result (the keyboard shows up in my MIDI devices, it's my only MIDI device, but nothing happens in Garageband when I play)- though the keyboard is on and working perfectly - I can't try another computer because I only have one Mac, my other laptop is a Dell - I created a new test user and tried that and got the same result There's no need for me to refresh my MIDI Setup because the keyboard shows up every time, though I have refreshed it just to see if it made a difference and it didn't The keyboard is a Yamaha YPG-535 88 Key Portable Grand Keyboard, and I have checked that the drivers are compatible with my OS version, but sorry I'm not sure how to determine if the "keyboard's firmware" is compatible with my OS version. But I was able to record MIDI from this keyboard into FL Studio about a week ago. Then suddenly it just stopped working. I don't remember trying to record MIDI in Garageband until this issue happened, but I'd think the fact that my keyboard already transmitted MIDI data to FL Studio is proof that the keyboard's firmware is compatible with my OS version. When I try out the keyboard in Garageband I select Software Instrument for the first track of the new project. Then it shows the new project with only that track and it automatically sets it to Classic Electric Piano. That's what the Software Instrument track I just created gets named/set to automatically. I am pretty sure that I "have an instrument track selected and a virtual instrument loaded"- but tell me if I don't? I do NOT see a little blue dot in the upper right corner of the display. And when I hit record and play no region of MIDI notes is created. Not sure if it stays blank if that means a blank region was created, but it stays blank. Also, when I was able to record MIDI in Fl Studio there was activity in the program when I played notes, even if I wasn't recording - and that also stopped suddenly. I don't know if this matters or not bc we're discussing Garageband, but while FL Studio still shows the keyboard in my MIDI devices and it is enabled, it doesn't really seem connected because it's not reacting at all anymore when I play notes on the keyboard. I feel Garageband would/should do the same. That is, whether or not I've hit record, when I have that Software Instrument track selected and I play something on the keyboard shouldn't Garageband register that data? Wouldn't it show some sort of movement, or better yet make the Classic Electric Piano sound it's supposed to make? Lastly, I tried playing that track from the popup keyboard window and that works fine. What else can I do??? Any and every idea or suggestion is welcome!

Hi Cathartic - The little blue dot in GB indicates it's seeing incoming MIDI data—if this isn't flashing when you play on the keyboard then GB doesn't see any MIDI data from it. If when you checked it in Audio MIDI Setup [ "Test MIDI Setup" ] it made a little clink for each note you played, but GB doesn't see it, then I'm not sure what's going on there.. You said it worked earlier and then stopped.. Is is possible that some automatic upgrade was applied to the OS? Do you have "Automatically keep my Mac up to date" UN-checked in System Preferences->Update? That's the usual setting for audio/DAW users—you don't want any surprise OS updates [even minor ones] without having the opportunity to research/verify compatibility of all music software first.. If you see the same behavior with a different [brand of] MIDI keyboard [shows up & works in AMS but no MIDI data in GB/FL], then the issue would seem to be an OS or GB problem—Apple would probably tell you to reinstall GB in case something got corrupted or went missing Some other things to try.. - I guess you could download free MIDI monitor software [there should be a few little programs floating around] to see what kind of MIDI data is coming in from the Yamaha.. - Maybe something in the Yamaha's internal software got changed..? Can you check to see if it's transmitting regular MIDI note data on MIDI channel 1? [Except for organ/B3 patches that shouldn't really matter, but with GB you never know—even in FL some Instruments may be set to receive on Ch1 specifically].. Is there a way to reset the internal Yamaha software just in case there's something weird there? In the Yamaha manual there are a bunch of warnings about connecting to a computer via the Host MIDI jack [p.101], and apparently there are settings in the Yamaha that affect what's being sent out to the computer [p.102->].. [ "Keyboard Out ON/OFF"? ].. https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/7/335377/dgx530_en_om_ｂ0.pdf Worth a look I guess..

Hi Joe - thank you again. You helped me figure it out. It was something in the Yamaha's internal software that got changed. Not sure what but I reset the keyboard to it's default settings and it worked :) Thank you!!!

I'm so sorry but I am back. It stopped working. And forgive me but I wasn't able to record MIDI into GB, what I did was drag a MIDI file into the playlist and it played. I was never able to get GB to react to the activity on my Yamaha keyboard, much less record it. I tried resetting the keyboard back to it's default settings again, just to see if that made a difference, and it didn't. Now my keyboard shows in GB as a MIDI device, but nothing happens when I touch the keys. There is no indication from the blinking dot, no sound, nothing. Any ideas? I'm sorry but I have been trying to figure this out in two different DAWs for over a week now and I'm really desperate. I have to figure out why my keyboard isn't working in GB before I can figure anything else out. Please help and thank you.

Hi Cathartic - Usually I'd suggest trying another MIDI keyboard, but at one point you said you did try another keyboard but got the same result—no MIDI input [btw what was that other MIDI keyboard?].. About all I can think of at this point is what's the common denominator.. Maybe a faulty USB cable..? Try different USB cables, and even try plugging into [a] different USB port[s] on the computer. Are you connecting the keyboard through a USB hub?—that often can be problematic, if you are, try a direct connection.. Do you have any other device that you can plug that keyboard into to see if it receives MIDI data over USB—an iPad or a hardware synth or the like? You said trying the keyboard with a different computer is not possible, but you also said you do have a PC laptop—I'd suggest you try installing some kind of [free] DAW [and appropriate driver/s] on that and see if the keyboard works with it..! You have to narrow down where the problem is, and the only way to do that is to eliminate possibilities via systematic troubleshooting, which right now you haven't been able to do yet.. Beyond that—and assuming you've tried all the other troubleshooting steps I've mentioned, and there isn't some kind of user error that I'd have to see to realize it—it sounds like all that's left is reinstalls.. If you called Apple Tech Support, they'd probably have you reinstalling the whole OS and GB by now, though I hate to ever suggest such drastic steps, especially if they might involve upgrading software that otherwise seems to work ok [this issue aside].. At this point, normally a round of calls to tech support would be in order, but unfortunately that may be difficult given the current staffing issues at most companies.. So for now I guess try different USB cables/ports; try the keyboard with music/MIDI software installed on the PC; I suppose you could even order a cheap MIDI keyboard from some place that lets you return it for a full refund within a certain period, and try that as well. But I'd say the real test is to try the USB/keyboard into the other [PC] computer—if that works then you've at least pinpointed the problem as the Mac computer or some software currently running on it..

Hello, I post it here as it seems to me the most promising thread :) . Well, the fact is that GarageBand definitelly misses midi events, or at least ir seems to me. In the beginning I thought it was an electrical issue, because unplugging the computer and the keyboard from the mixing board worked. But still there was the stuck notes issue (plus de sustain pedal issue, which I have left aside). As reported by Midi Monitor ( https://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/ ) , the note off events are arriving. But GarageBand ignores some of them. Furthermore, depending the sound choosen, Garageband ignores more or less of these events. I am looking for some kind of sampling over midi events parameter. But I don't discard that it is a GarageBand bug, as shown in this other post: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/113112/stuck-notes-with-a-midi-controller-and-garageband-10-0-1 Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

I suppose it could be a GB bug, but I'd suspect it's more likely a transmission issue. Besides the standard troubleshooting technique of a hard computer shutdown/restart, here are a couple of things to consider.. - How is the keyboard connected? If via USB, is it through a USB hub? If so, a direct connection would be the first thing to try - Do you have access to another MIDI keyboard you could work with for a while to see if the problem is specific to the keyboard? - Is there another DAW installed, so you could see if the problem is specific to GB or occurs w/ other s/w as well? - Are there other applications running in the background that could interfere w/ MIDI transmission (especially networking)? - Can you try a different version of GB? Is the OS version older than the GB version?

Hi...I had comparable disappointment. It was stating it identified the midi information however nothing came through. Looked wherever nothing made a difference. Do all the essential things like midi in to out and the other way around. Presently this sounds basic and what not however I saw, after quite a while, when I played my console there were little pointers it was working. Just 1 green line in the volume input on garageband. Something truly unnoticable. So I put down the volume on my console and set up the volume to all maximum levels on my speakers and the volume bars in garageband lastly the sound came through. I truly expected to wrench all the levels up to hear it. It's still rather tranquil however it works.