MIDI setup

Browser · Cable

Plug your piano in

Connect the piano to your computer with a data-capable USB cable. Most use USB-B at the piano end and USB-A or USB-C at the computer end.

When you open a practice page, the browser asks for MIDI permission. Allow it once and you’re set.

Browser · Bluetooth

Pair via Bluetooth

Chrome and Edge support this, but Firefox and Safari don’t. On a Mac you can also set your piano up in Audio MIDI Setup, which makes it reconnect on its own.

Turn the piano on: Plug it in, or check the batteries if it runs on them.

Put it in pairing mode: Most pianos have a Bluetooth button. Hold it down for a few seconds until a light starts flashing.

Keep it close: Bluetooth doesn’t reach far. Stay in the same room, close to the piano.

Choose it from the list: Your browser shows a small window listing nearby devices. Choose your piano and it connects.

iOS app · Cable

Plug your piano in

You’ll need the right adapter. iPad and iPhone don’t have a regular USB-A port, so it depends on your device:

Lightning iPad or iPhone: Apple’s Camera Connection Kit (USB-A end) plus the piano’s own USB-B cable.

USB-C iPad or iPhone: a USB-C-to-USB-B cable, or USB-C to USB-A plus the piano’s cable.

Plug the piano in, open the SightReader app, and your piano shows up automatically. The app uses Core MIDI natively, so there’s no permission prompt and no browser involved.

iOS app · Bluetooth

Pair via Bluetooth

Don’t use Settings → Bluetooth on the iPhone or iPad. That pairs audio, and Bluetooth MIDI pianos never show up there. Pair inside SightReader instead.

Switch Bluetooth MIDI on in your piano’s own settings menu. Pianos that also do Bluetooth Audio keep the two separate, and it’s the MIDI side you want.

Put your piano into pairing mode (most have a Bluetooth or Pair button to hold for a few seconds).

In SightReader, tap the keyboard button at the top of the screen, then tap “Connect over Bluetooth”. iOS opens its own panel listing nearby keyboards.

Tap your piano, wait for it to read Connected, then tap Done. SightReader connects to it automatically.

Android app · Cable

Plug your piano in

You’ll need a USB OTG cable (USB-C-to-USB-B is the usual one), or USB-C to USB-A plus the piano’s stock cable.

Plug it in and open the SightReader app. Under the hood, the Android app uses Web MIDI through Chromium, so the first time you open a practice page Android asks for MIDI permission. Allow it.

If Android asks what to use USB for, don’t choose “MIDI”. That turns your phone into the MIDI device, so the piano can’t show up. Choose “No data transfer” instead, or just dismiss the prompt.

Android app · Bluetooth

Pair via Bluetooth

Don’t pair it in Android’s own Bluetooth settings. That pairs audio, and a Bluetooth MIDI piano paired there still won’t reach the app. If you’ve already done it, tap Forget on the piano there first, then pair inside SightReader.

Switch Bluetooth MIDI on in your piano’s own settings menu. Pianos that also do Bluetooth Audio keep the two separate, and it’s the MIDI side you want.

Put your piano into pairing mode (most have a Bluetooth or Pair button to hold for a few seconds).

In SightReader, tap the keyboard button at the top of the screen, then tap “Connect over Bluetooth”. SightReader scans for nearby keyboards itself.

Tap your piano in the list. It connects straight away, with nothing to confirm in Android’s settings afterwards.

Notes for your piano

Yamaha

Class-compliant on every modern model: plug it in and the system sees it. Two gotchas: use the port labelled USB TO HOST (not USB TO DEVICE, which is for thumb drives), and keep the cable under 3 metres. Older P-series sometimes show up as “Digital Piano” or “USB-MIDI” rather than the model name. That’s normal.

Roland

The FP-10 is the easy one: it has Bluetooth built in and switched on from the factory, so on an iPad or iPhone you can forget cables altogether. Pair it from inside the SightReader app, though, not from Settings → Bluetooth, where Bluetooth pianos never show up. That last part catches almost everyone out. If Bluetooth has been switched off, hold FUNCTION and press C♯7 to bring it back (D7 turns it off again). The FP-X is fussier. Its firmware switches between Driver Mode 1 (generic) and Driver Mode 2 (Roland’s own driver), and for Web MIDI you want Mode 1. Set it via Menu → Function → USB Driver → Generic, then switch the piano off and on again. The FP-X also sends its main piano sound on MIDI channel 4, which is fine: SightReader listens across every channel.

Casio

Class-compliant on every Privia and PX from the last five years or so. Plug it in and you’re done. The exception is older Privias (PX-150 and earlier): they need about five seconds after power-on before the system notices them. Wait, then reload the SightReader tab.

Kawai

Class-compliant, no driver needed. Two catches worth knowing. On the KDP120 (and a few CN models), turning Bluetooth MIDI on disables the USB MIDI port. It’s one or the other, so leave Bluetooth off if you want USB. The CN and CA series can also ship with “Local Off” enabled, which silences the built-in speaker. Switch Local back on if you want to hear yourself play.

Korg

The B2, B2N, SP and XE20 are class-compliant over USB and work out of the box on macOS and Linux. On Windows 10 they need Korg’s USB-MIDI driver. On Windows 11 24H2 or later they don’t: Korg’s driver doesn’t work with the new Windows MIDI service, so uninstall it if you’ve upgraded. The D1 is the odd one out. It has 5-pin MIDI only and no USB port, so you’ll need a separate USB MIDI interface to reach a computer.

Nord

Class-compliant over USB on every Nord. The thing to know: Nord splits its keyboard into multiple MIDI channels (one per layer, and again per split zone). SightReader listens across all of them, so any key you press registers. You don’t have to fiddle with channel routing in the Sound Manager.

Other

The basics still apply: a data-capable cable, the right USB mode in your piano’s menu (look for “Generic”, “USB-MIDI” or “Class Compliant”), and OS-level pairing if you’re going Bluetooth. The steps above cover almost every digital piano on the market. If yours is stuck, email us with the model and we’ll add it here.

Troubleshooting

“No MIDI device detected”

If keys are an octave off, your keyboard may be transposing. Check Function → Transpose = 0 and Function → Octave = 0.

SightReader scores notes the instant it receives them. So if you hear a delay, it’s in the sound path, not in us. Headphones into the keyboard’s own jack are usually the snappiest, and external speakers the laggiest.

Email [email protected] with your keyboard model, your browser, your OS, and what you see when you open a practice page. We aim to reply within three working days, and often sooner.