How to play MIDI file with sound on Keysight using FL Studio

This guide will focus on how to set up Keysight with FL Studio to generate audio and visuals at the same time, either from a MIDI file or from your live performance.

Requirements

• FL Studio[www.image-line.com]
  
• loopMIDI[www.tobias-erichsen.de]
  
• A piano VST
  
  • Find a free piano VST[www.google.com]
    
  • How to use a VST in FL Studio[www.image-line.com]
    
• Keysight

Introduction

As a MIDI visualization software, Keysight doesn't produce sound by itself. It doesn't mean you can't have sound along with Keysight visualizations though: Using your favorite DAW and VST, you can get both at the same time. This guide will focus on how to set it up with FL Studio, either from a MIDI file or from your live performance.

Our first goal will be to build a setup routing MIDI events and audio as we want. Once all of this has been set up once, all you need to do is import your MIDI file or start playing on your MIDI keyboard.

Some steps are only required for 💾 MIDI files or 🎹 live performance, you can skip the parts you don't need.

Target setup:

Set up links between FL Studio and Keysight

1. Make sure loopMIDI is running
   
2. In FL Studio > Options > MIDI settings
   
   1. Set the Output "loopMIDI Port" to Port 1
      
   2. Set the Input "loopMIDI Port" to Port 1, and check "Enable"
      
   3. 🎹 Set the Input "Digital Piano" to Port 0, and check "Enable" (the name may differ, it represents your physical digital piano)
      
   4. Make sure "Foot pedal controls note off" is unchecked
      
3. In Keysight > Midi, select "loopMIDI Port" as input device

Prepare your project file

MIDI Out

Start with an empty project. We are first going to add a MIDI Out channel that will link your MIDI input to Keysight and your piano VST.

• Add > MIDI Out
  
• Set its output port (top right corner) to 1 (loopMIDI Port)
  
• Set up the link for your sustain pedal
  
  • Click on the gear next to a knob
    
  • Name it "Sustain"
    
  • Set "Controller" to "64 CC"
    
  • 🎹 Right click on the knob > link to controller
    
  • 🎹 Port 0 (your digital piano), Channel 1, Ctrl 64, then click on Accept
    
• 🎹 In the channel rack, right click on MIDI Out > Receive notes from > Digital Piano > All

Piano VST

Now, add your favorite Piano VST. It has to be a third party VST, as FL Keys does not support the sustain pedal.

• Add > Name of your VST
  
• Set up the link for your sustain pedal
  
  • Click on the triangle arrow on the top left corner > Browse parameters
    
  • Find MIDI CC #64 (the name may differ from a VST to another)
    
  • Right click, link to controller
    
  • Port 1 (loopMIDI Port), Channel 1, Ctrl 64, then click on Accept
    
• In the channel rack, right click on your piano VST > Receive notes from > loopMIDI Port > All

You can now save your project, and load it whenever you need it. You should be able to play using your digital piano, hear the sound and see the visualizations on Keysight.

Import your MIDI file

💾 Within the project you have just created, you can import a MIDI file that will be played on your Piano VST and shown in Keysight.

• Open the Piano Roll
  
• Select MIDI Out
  
  
• Click on the triangle arrow on the left > File > Import MIDI file, then select your MIDI file
  
• Import the sustain pedal data
  
  • Open the MIDI Out window
    
  • Right click on the Sustain knob
    
  • Edit events
    
  • Click on the triangle arrow > File > Import MIDI file, then select your MIDI file
    
  • Leave the options to their default values, then Accept
    
• You may need to adjust the tempo of your project to make it match your MIDI file. Set it to 120 bpm if you don't know.
  

You can now hit the play button.

Handle top-down mode

Using top-down mode in Keysight introduces a lag of a few seconds visually. You can compensate this lag by adding the same amount of lag to the audio.

• Open the Mixer view in FL Studio
  
• Select Master
  
• Click on the clock, Set in ms
  
  
• If the "Note travel time" is set to 3.00s in Keysight, then set 3000ms