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If REAPER does not list your keyboard, or lists it but records no notes, the cause is nearly always one of four things: the keyboard is not reaching the computer, REAPER has not been told to listen to it, the track is not set to receive from it, or the keyboard is sending on a MIDI channel that the track or plug-in ignores. Check them in that order. The steps below follow REAPER’s User Guide (v7.81) and its Troubleshooting Guide.
Confirm the keyboard reaches the operating system first
REAPER only sees MIDI devices that the operating system has already accepted. If the keyboard is missing from the system’s own device list, no REAPER setting will fix it.
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- Power: The keyboard is switched on, and any power adapter is connected. Some keyboards show no lights or activity when they are unpowered, which makes this easy to miss.
- Cable and port: Try a different cable and a USB port directly on the computer. Unpowered hubs are a common cause of intermittent detection.
- Windows: Open Device Manager and look for the keyboard under Sound, video and game controllers or under other devices. A yellow warning icon means the driver needs attention.
- macOS: Open Audio MIDI Setup, choose Window > Show MIDI Studio, and confirm the keyboard appears as a MIDI device.
- Linux: Run
aconnect -lin a terminal to list ALSA MIDI clients. The keyboard should appear there before REAPER can use it.
If the keyboard is absent from these places, fix the connection or driver first. Some manufacturers supply their own driver, so check the keyboard’s documentation or manufacturer’s site if the operating system shows it with an error.
Enable the keyboard in REAPER’s MIDI settings
A device that the operating system can see is still ignored by REAPER until it is enabled in Preferences. The menu labels below come from REAPER’s User Guide v7.81. Wording can differ in newer builds, so if you do not see a MIDI Inputs entry, search the Preferences window for “MIDI”.
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- Open Options > Preferences > Audio > MIDI Inputs.
- Find your keyboard in the device list. Its name should match the name shown by the operating system.
- Enable the device for track recording input. This is what lets a track receive notes from the keyboard.
- Use the separate control-message option only when the keyboard is acting as a controller surface, such as a device that sends transport or fader commands. Enabling it does not make notes appear on a track.
- Confirm the dialog. Then continue to the track setup below.
Configure the track to receive the keyboard
Enabling the device makes it available. Each track must then be told to use it. These are separate steps, and a track can be armed and still receive nothing if its input is wrong.
- Create a track with Track > Insert new track, or select an existing one.
- In the track control panel, click the input selector and choose your keyboard under the MIDI input options. Set the channel filter to All channels while you test.
- Click the record-arm button on the track.
- Enable input monitoring on the track if you want to hear a virtual instrument while you play. Without monitoring, the track may stay silent until you record.
- Play a few notes. The track’s MIDI activity indicator should move. If it does, the connection and track input are working.
Check the MIDI channel and the instrument
A keyboard can be fully detected and still produce no sound. The most common reason is a channel mismatch. If the keyboard sends on channel 1 but the track filters for channel 2, the notes are discarded without an error. The guide’s example also covers choosing the source MIDI channel and the mapped output channel where needed.
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- Track channel filter: Set it to All channels for testing, then narrow it once notes arrive.
- Keyboard channel: Check the keyboard’s own MIDI transmit channel in its menu or manual.
- Plug-in instrument: Confirm the instrument is set to listen to the same channel, or to omni or all channels.
Use REAPER’s virtual MIDI keyboard to isolate the fault
REAPER’s virtual MIDI keyboard can send notes without any hardware. Running it on a correctly configured track shows whether the problem is the physical device or the track setup.
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| Virtual keyboard on a configured track | Physical keyboard | Most likely area |
|---|---|---|
| Works | Does not work | Cable, power, operating-system recognition, or the MIDI Inputs enablement |
| Does not work | Does not work | Track input, arming, monitoring, channel filter, or the instrument |
| Works | Works | Nothing is wrong with input; check the instrument’s output level or the recorded clip |
Connection routes and what each one needs
How the keyboard reaches the computer determines what you need to check. REAPER’s documentation describes connecting the keyboard to the computer directly or through a MIDI input on a sound card or audio device. A USB MIDI interface is only relevant in a specific case, covered in the last row below.
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| Route | When it applies | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Direct USB | The keyboard has a USB port for the computer | The keyboard appears in the operating system’s device list, then in REAPER’s MIDI Inputs list |
| Audio interface MIDI input | The keyboard has a 5-pin MIDI output and the audio interface has a MIDI input | The audio interface works in REAPER’s audio settings, and its MIDI input appears in MIDI Inputs |
| Standalone USB MIDI interface | The keyboard has a 5-pin MIDI output and no USB MIDI port | The interface appears in MIDI Inputs. Confirm the keyboard’s ports before buying one, since this is only needed when the keyboard lacks a computer connection |
When REAPER cannot open the device
If REAPER reports that it cannot open a MIDI device, the device is claimed by something else or the session has lost it. REAPER’s Troubleshooting Guide points to three causes.
Another program is using the keyboard
Only one program at a time can usually hold a MIDI device open. Close other DAWs, synth editors, MIDI monitoring utilities, and browser tabs that request MIDI access. Then reopen REAPER and check the MIDI Inputs list again.
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- Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) Integration - Akai Professional and Native Instruments have partnered to bring NKS support to the MPK Controller series, get ready to Kontrol straight from your MPK
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- Record and Compose Without a Computer - Connect to your production station and use the built-in 64-step sequencer featuring one track for drums and one for melodies or chords, with up to 8 notes each
REAPER is running twice
A second REAPER instance can hold the device even when the first window looks idle. On Windows, open Task Manager and end every reaper.exe process. On macOS, open Activity Monitor and quit every REAPER process. Then start REAPER once.
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The keyboard was disconnected or unpowered
If the keyboard was unplugged or switched off while REAPER was running, reconnect it and power it on. Then reopen Options > Preferences > Audio > MIDI Inputs and confirm the keyboard is still enabled before testing again.
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Versions and platforms
The steps above are drawn from REAPER User Guide v7.81, which is the guide version the documentation identifies. When this article was prepared, REAPER’s download page listed version 7.82 as the current release. It supports Windows through Windows 11, Linux on Intel and ARM, and macOS through macOS 26. Because the guide and the current release are not the same version, menu labels may differ slightly. The logic of the checks stays the same.
What to note if you need further help
Before asking for support, record the keyboard model, the operating system and version, your REAPER version from the Help menu, the connection route from the table above, and the exact error text REAPER shows. The virtual keyboard result and the operating-system device-list result will show which side of the chain is failing.
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