Audio Interface Blog
You may have a computer and a music keyboard that has MIDI, but you have never combined them to help improve your music. Do you want to use music software such as digital audio workstations (DAWs) and get more out of your MIDI keyboard and computer? You can achieve this and get more control of your music whilst at the same time, visualizing it in various ways to help you improve your overall experience.
What computer and music equipment do you already have?
Desktops/Laptops
You may already use a desktop PC or laptop computer (Windows or Mac) and they should be just fine if their specifications are up to the level of what you hope to achieve. If you are just starting out, then you don’t need to buy the latest and greatest computer. However, as you continue your path of learning and acquiring more audio software (including Software instruments), the demands on your computer will become greater.
Audio Interface
If you already have a music keyboard that has the ability to connect via MIDI or have an instrument such as a guitar or microphone that you wish to plug into your computer, then the best way to do this is to acquire an audio interface. An interface that contains audio inputs, as well as MIDI inputs, can be helpful if you want to connect multiple instruments like guitars, microphones and keyboards. Your speakers and headphones can also be connected to these devices to listen to the output.
Instant gratification
When you first connect an instrument to your computer via an audio/midi interface it opens a wonderful world for the musician. Being able to instantly see notes that you play on the screen is quite rewarding, and hearing other stored sounds played from your computer via your connected instrument is also very exciting. When this is combined with recordings of your input followed by adding many types of wonderful sound effects, your entire musical experience has a new world opened before your eyes.
I hope I have just begun to get you excited about connecting musical instruments to a computer and the importance of including an audio interface. Once these hardware components are connected, we can visualize our performance and musical experience via music software such as using a DAW.
I would love to hear from you and know where you are on your musical journey. I am keen to provide more information about the various options available and the fun experiences you can have when connecting music with computers and using technology in general.
Please send a message or leave a comment below so I can provide some more input into your journey.