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VirtualKeyboard

Virtual Keyboard Plugin by 4drX
MyKVRFAVORITE13WANT5
26€
VirtualKeyboard VirtualKeyboard VirtualKeyboard VirtualKeyboard VirtualKeyboard VirtualKeyboard
VirtualKeyboard by 4drX is a Virtual Instrument and a Virtual Effect Audio Plugin and a Software Application for Windows. It functions as a VST Plugin, an Audio Units Plugin, a VST 3 Plugin and a Standalone Application.
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30-Day: 494; 7-Day: 674; Yesterday: 1008

VirtualKeyboard is a highly configurable virtual keyboard for use as a MIDI Instrument or Logic MIDI Effect plugin, or as a standalone program. Display multi-channel MIDI input in a resizable keyboard layout to learn new songs, show what you are playing in your video demos or send notes by clicking on its keys if you don't have a MIDI controller. The Synth and standalone versions offer a free download of an acoustic piano. You'll find this virtual keyboard more flexible than other ones because it allows you to:

  • Use multi-touch devices to play notes and control the mod and pitch wheels.
  • Stop the cursor in your DAW and still see what notes were being played (note that most virtual keyboards will clear all notes when you press stop).
  • "Mute" or "Solo" MIDI channels and display their notes in different colors. To mute a channel: "Cmd"-click (Mac) or "Ctrl-click" (Win) on the MIDI channel legend or click on the "Mute" button. To solo it: Alt-click on the MIDI channel legend or click on the "Solo button".
  • Make the notes fade away instead of ending abruptly to help you visualize quick runs. Use the "Fade" sliders to set their visual queue in milliseconds for each channel. Notes sustained with the sustain pedal can be set with a longer, independent fade out. Tip: set the sliders to the maximum for infinite fade outs.
  • Visualize the Soft, Sostenuto and Sustain pedals and play them with your mouse (or hide them by dragging the top of the pedals to the bottom). You can also use the "Shift" key to control the sustain pedal if you don't have a physical pedal. Please click inside the plugin if the keyboard focus is lost while switching between plugins.
  • Display the Pitch and Mod Wheel changes or use them to send your own values. You can also hide them by dragging their right border to the left.
  • Change the color of the highlighted notes that are on or sustained.
  • Hold "Alt" to drag the keyboard horizontally with your mouse.
  • Hold "Alt-Cmd" (Mac) or "Alt-Ctrl" (Win) and drag the keyboard to stretch it (changing the key width).
  • Resize it: drag the bottom-right corner of the keyboard to change its height and width, drag the pedal boundaries to change their dimensions and edit the key width in the menu.
  • Label the keys with their note name, octave or MIDI number.
  • Hide all settings to show only the keyboard by clicking anywhere on the keyboard while holding the "Cmd" (Mac) or "Ctrl" (windows) key.
  • Use it to trigger notes with different velocities (clicking at a different height of each key if "Velocity" is 0 or send constant velocities if "Velocity" is greater than 0).
  • Play, pause and resume MIDI files at different speeds. You will probably find the following keyboard shortcuts useful:
    • 'up arrow': increase the speed.
    • 'down arrow': decrease the speed.
    • 'spacebar': play / pause.
    • 'left arrow': rewind 4 seconds.
    • 'right arrow': fast forward 4 seconds.
  • Play notes too with your computer keyboard. Click on 'Settings' to configure your computer keyboard. The key mappings for a QWERTY keyboard are:
    • '1 octave' mode:
      • "asdfghjkl" for notes CDEFGABCD.
      • "z": decrease octave.
      • "x": increase octave.
      • "c": decrease velocity.
      • "v": increase velocity.
    • '2 octaves' mode:
      • "zxcvbnm" for notes CDEFGAB, "qwertyuiop" for notes CDEFGABCDE (+1 oct).
      • ", ": decrease octave.
      • ".": increase octave.
      • "k": decrease velocity.
      • "l": increase velocity.
    • Use "Shift" to control the sustain pedal in both settings.
      Important: please click inside the plugin if the keyboard focus is lost while switching between plugins.
  • Save your settings automatically with your DAW project.
  • Finally you can use the VirtualKeyboardStandalone version to open, play, pause and resume MIDI files at different speeds without loading a full featured DAW.
    VirtualKeyboardStandalone is compatible with Windows Audio, DirectSound, ASIO and Apple's CoreAudio devices. If you are runnning Windows, please select ASIO to minimize latency (and if your soundcard doesn't include an ASIO driver, try with ASIO4All).

This download includes 2 plugins: VirtualKeyboard and VirtualKeyboardSynth, and a standalone program: VirtualKeyboardStandalone.

VirtualKeyboard doesn't produce sound.
If you need it please use VirtualKeyboardSynth or VirtualKeyboardStandalone: they both have a SFZ (aka sound font) Sampler built-in.

{See video at top of page}

VirtualKeyboard with Cubase

Latest User Reviews

Average user rating of 4.86 from 7 reviews
VirtualKeyboard

Reviewed By drjohnwillis [all]
May 28th, 2021
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Mac

Do not Waist Your Money On Native Instruments Flash and mirrors Komplete Kontrol Keyboards. You only need The VirtualKeyboard Plugin to display all the MIDI notes in a number of colors per MIDI channel in real time across the on screen keyboad GUI. You can even use your computer keyboard to play basic notes and chords with this inexpensive plugin. Thank You so Much 4drX! You literally saved me a Thousand Bucks.

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VirtualKeyboard

Reviewed By ran01 [all]
October 31st, 2018
Version reviewed: 1 on Windows

Fantastic. I was looking for a sustain-fade parameter as my DAW does not have it.

The sound is good. The support from KVR technical staff is good. I wonder if.

there is any plug-in to insert other piano sound beside Piano-LL.

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VirtualKeyboard

Reviewed By fuchs777 [all]
May 27th, 2018
Version reviewed: latest on Mac

Took me a while to find a multicoloured keyboard as VST. I do piano tutorials, so this is a great help.

Had a problem on the Mac with CPU with plugin.

Support reacted fast and sorted the problem out in 2 days with instructive e-mail dialogue.

Now Im ready to work again.

Thanks a lot.

Christian from Berlin.

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VirtualKeyboard

Reviewed By mizpulyn [all]
May 12th, 2018
Version reviewed: 1.4.8 on Windows

I use this plugin as visualiser to see what notes are being played. I use it with chord generators or when i want to see what notes were recorded during previous recording session. I dont use QWERTY keyboard as input - i use 88 key MIDI keyboard - so i cant judge on the features regarding QWERTY input.

I tested several similar plugins and this is the ONLY ONE that has everything:

- no octave limit - i can display all 7+ octaves of my 88 MIDI keyboard.

- keyboard is resizable with absolutely no size limit - i have 30" LCD display and the keyboard is resized edge to edge with nice height too.

- keywidth is also resizable.

- you can scroll the keyboard left / right by 1 key increment so you can choose EXACT crop of the displayed keyboard range
(this is something i couldnt find on any other program - ussually the left / right scrolling jumps by whole octave increments)

- all the size config is REMEMBERED so you adjust the size once and it loads like that everytime you load the VST in future.

- display octave or note names for quick orientation.

- customisable color for active keys to make things high contrast.

- fading is nice bonus - the keys that are released do not loose color immediatelly with Note off message but the color fades down slowly (can be set in miliseconds) - this is nice for piano beginners.

- in Reaper the VST integrates flawlessly and reacts to notes from timeline MIDI clips, notes played live via MIDI keyboard, notes played by any plugin that preceeds this plugin in chain - all at once - no issues... the window can be in foreground or background and always works...

- the tiny icon bars can be hidden and window resized so you ONLY see the black and white keys and nothing else - very very clean design.

Check the DEMO it made me buy it after making sure all the above checks.

For 19 USD i didnt find any plugin that would combine ALL these benefits IN ONE... Congrats for WELL THOUGHT OUT PLUGIN.

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VirtualKeyboard

Reviewed By ardente_patience [all]
January 28th, 2018
Version reviewed: 1.4.3 on Windows

It is the tool which (I ignore why) is absent in all most popular daw and which is nevertheless incredibly practical. The designer of the software takes time to listen to your requests with regard to the possible concerns which we can meet, he quickly brings solutions. I deeply advise it to you .

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Comments & Discussion for 4drX VirtualKeyboard

Discussion
Discussion: Active
garbarek
garbarek
15 November 2017 at 10:40pm

There are so many times when I want to scan through VSTs and AUs quickly without the fuss of starting up a DAW.

Much easier to use a Host such as Plogue Bidule or Blue Cat's Patchwork and put the Virtual Keyboard or Virtual Keyboard synth first in the chain. There are lots of synths and sampler instruments that don't feature a piano style interface and you're pretty much stuck without an app like VK.

There is depth to the app, too. There are a number of options that add flexibility and, thus, value to the software.

Well done 4drX. Thanks for such a cool app.

Vast
Vast
19 January 2018 at 10:26am

I have only one question: Can you also enter different velocities with the virtual buttons?

4drX
4drX
21 January 2018 at 5:30pm

In the section "Play notes too with your computer keyboard" you will see the keyboard shortcuts to increase or decrease the velocity. If this is not what you are trying to achieve, please use the feedback form that shows up when you download the demo to send us a feature request.

Martyprod
Martyprod
30 April 2018 at 6:56pm

Hi, just bought your virtual keyboard App ! thanks to have made it .

one question : how do we know when an update is released ? and where to download it ? we receive an automated mail with a link to it ?

Thx .

P.S: you have a Siren number, are you french ? ;).

4drX
4drX
13 May 2018 at 4:33pm

Coucou Marty ;)

When an update is available you will see appear in the top left corner of the VirtualKeyboard interface an hyperlink that reads « Click here to update ». Alternatively you can add this kvr page to your favorites and you will receive a notification. You can use the same link that you received when you purchased it, to download the latest version.

J'espère que ça aide.

drjohnwillis
drjohnwillis
29 May 2021 at 6:49pm

I love the program with all of its features, however there is one problem when holding computer keyboard key (z) and (c) and trying also add (b) to form the three note C chord will not work. You have to move the octave range down with the (, )key and use (q), (e), (t) keys. I have SETTINGS COMPUTER KEYS on focus, KEYBOARD TYPE QWERTY, MIDDLE C 2-5 on any refresh rate and the 2 octave Note range setting. May I also ask a feature request of chord support? It would be great if there were a rec(mode) where I could assign thee or four keys to (q) key to be fired off with one key press. Thank you. I love what you have done so far.

4drX
4drX
29 June 2021 at 7:41am

Hi John, thanks for the feedback, we will add your feature request for chord support in our todo-list (it's a neat idea!). However we can't reproduce your problem with the C chord. Can you send us maybe a picture of your keyboard and a video of what is going on? Can you drop us a line at https://www.4drx.com/plugins/contact.html? We try to answer as much as possible to forum posts but it's always easier to contact us via our site.

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