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Connect your instrument to your laptop or PC/Mac
Connect your instrument to your laptop or PC/Mac

Connecting your laptop or PC/Mac to your instrument greatly helps with accurate note recognition. Here's how to do it.

Julian avatar
Written by Julian
Updated over a week ago

Does your laptop or PC/Mac have trouble properly hearing you play piano? In some instances, your computer’s microphone won't reliably detect the notes you’re playing.

Most digital instruments have either a USB to Host port or MIDI ports to connect to other devices. Connecting your laptop/PC/Mac to your instrument via cable will make note detection nearly perfect, since computers often process digital data more precisely than acoustic data.

You can run the flowkey web app directly in your browser—no download required. We recommend using Google Chrome as it supports our MIDI software the best and automatically detects connected devices with ease.

Important Note for Windows 10

The MIDI connection works best when the latest Edge browser is used. On Windows devices, only one MIDI application can be used. To use MIDI with flowkey, please deactivate all other apps (like Logic, Ableton, Native Instruments etc.) that use MIDI.

If you have a MIDI controller that needs additional software to create the piano sound, please use the MIDI sound that we offer in our web app. You’ll find it in the MIDI settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner of the app when you’re in the player (accessible when you have a course or song open).


There are 2 ways to connect your instrument to your laptop or PC/Mac:

A) USB to Host port

B) MIDI ports


A) Your instrument has a USB to Host (USB-B) port

  1. You’ll need a USB-A to USB-B cable (with USB 2.0).

  2. Connect the USB-B end of the cable to your instrument’s USB to Host port.

  3. Open any song or lesson within the web app to reach the flowkey player.

  4. Plug the USB-A end of the cable into your computer’s USB port. If there's no USB port, you’ll need a compatible adapter.

  5. If your instrument isn’t detected automatically, click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the app to open the Settings menu, then open Microphone & MIDI Settings to establish a connection manually.

Note: If your computer still doesn't recognize the connection, restart your browser while the instrument is connected to your device.

That's it! You can now enjoy playing with flawless note recognition!


B) Your instrument has MIDI ports

  1. You’ll need a MIDI to USB-A cable.

  2. Connect the MIDI In/MIDI Out ends of the cable to your instrument.

  3. Open any song or lesson within the web app to reach the flowkey player.

  4. Plug the USB-A end of the cable into your computer’s USB port. If there's no USB port, you’ll need a compatible adapter.

  5. If your instrument isn’t detected automatically, click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the app to open the Settings menu, then open Microphone & MIDI Settings to establish a connection manually.

Note: If your computer doesn't recognize the MIDI connection automatically, restart your browser while the instrument is connected to your device.

Your computer will connect and start communicating with your instrument via MIDI. You’ll now enjoy smoother note recognition. Happy playing!

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