Small fun experiment: playing a real keyboard in GarageBand on iPhone, iPad, or OS X. And using a fairly inexpensive keyboard that can be found for around $20 on Amazon.
It’s quite simple: the Rock Band keyboard for the Wii has a MIDI port and is inexpensive (between $20 and $25). With a simple USB to MIDI adapter, you can easily connect the keyboard to an Apple device.
As for the USB adapter, I used the M-Audio Uno (around $30), but generic models should work without much trouble.
The setup is straightforward: you plug the adapter’s To MIDI Out plug into the keyboard, turn everything on (it needs three batteries)… and it works.
On a Mac, just launch GarageBand (free for newer Macs), and it works: the keyboard keys produce sounds.
More amusingly, it works on an iPhone or iPad. Simply plug the USB to MIDI adapter into a Lightning to USB adapter or a 30 pins to USB adapter (depending on your device).
In my case, with an iPhone 5, it worked right away: the keyboard was recognized by GarageBand.
On iPhone
