Virtual MIDI Piano Keyboard

There is much to like about Virtual MIDI Piano Keyboard or VMPK for short. You will like that it can be used to drive a MIDI synthesizer, that it comes with a nice keyboard to play MIDI notes, that it has multiple customization options and settings to play with, that it is available for multiple platforms, and that it is free.

As mentioned above, VMPK is available for multiple platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Gentoo, Fedora, Arch Linux). To install the application on a Windows-powered PC, you will have to download a 5.5MB installer, run it, and then click through a simple setup wizard. It must be mentioned that the setup wizard will have you choose one of several supported languages.

The main part of the interface displays a virtual piano keyboard that can be used with the mouse or with your PC’s keyboard. Above the keyboard you will see a File Menu and toolbars for various functions VMPK can perform. From the View Menu you can choose what toolbars you want to be displayed and which you want to be removed from the interface.

From a functionality point of view, VMPK has the following to offer: import SoundFont instruments, set up MIDI connections, enable touch screen input, set the note highlight color, customize the way the interface looks, drive a MIDI synthesizer, display the played MIDI notes from another instrument or MIDI file player, and more. As it is released under a GNU General Public License, VMPK is a free application – so you have all the time in the world to uncover all its functionality.

VMPK works as advertised, it is available for multiple platforms, and it is free! That’s a five star rating in my book.