🎹MIDI & Devices

USB and Bluetooth MIDI setup, transposition, and capturing licks over MIDI.

Praxis reads your playing from a connected MIDI instrument — a wind controller or a keyboard — over either USB or Bluetooth (BLE). Once a device is connected, every note you play feeds the tuner, the exercises, and the Praxis Coach, and unlocks MIDI Lick Capture for recording your own phrases.

Not sure whether to use MIDI or the microphone? MIDI gives you exact, noise-free note data — ideal for wind controllers and for capturing licks. The mic is best for playing an acoustic saxophone. You can switch input sources at any time.

Connect a USB MIDI device

A USB wind controller or keyboard connects through your phone or tablet's charging port.

  1. Plug the instrument into your device. On most phones you'll need a USB-C (or Lightning, on older iPhones) adapter — use one that carries data, not a charge-only cable.
  2. Open MIDI Setup (in onboarding, or later from Settings).
  3. Your instrument appears under Available Devices. Tap it to connect.
  4. Play a note — the Test Input panel lights up and shows the detected note.
The Tuner in the Toolbox (Alto reference 440 Hz)
The Tuner in the Toolbox (Alto reference 440 Hz)
iOS: most class-compliant USB MIDI instruments work with no drivers. Android: if nothing appears, unplug and replug the cable, then tap Scan Again.

Connect a Bluetooth (BLE) MIDI device

Wireless instruments and BLE-MIDI adapters connect without a cable.

  1. Turn the instrument on and put it in pairing mode (check its manual).
  2. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone or tablet.
  3. Open MIDI Setup. Praxis scans automatically; the device appears under Available Devices once it's discovered.
  4. Tap the device to connect, then play a note to confirm the Test Input panel responds.
iOS: Praxis discovers BLE MIDI devices directly — you generally do not pair them in the system Bluetooth settings first; pair them here in MIDI Setup instead. Android: grant the Bluetooth/nearby-devices permission when prompted, or the scan will find nothing.
If a connected device drops out (goes out of range or powers off), Praxis notices and clears the connection. Reconnect from MIDI Setup — tap Scan Again if it isn't listed yet.

Playing sounds through another app

Praxis listens to your MIDI notes for feedback but doesn't voice them itself. To hear a rich instrument sound, run a synth app such as GarageBand or Respiro alongside Praxis (enable its background-audio option). Praxis keeps giving feedback while the other app produces the sound. See the Sound Setup Guide link on the MIDI Setup screen.

Transposition: written vs. concert pitch

Saxophones are transposing instruments. The note you read on the page isn't the same pitch that comes out of the horn:

  • On an Alto (E♭) sax, a written C sounds as a concert E♭.
  • On a Tenor (B♭) sax, a written C sounds as a concert B♭.

Praxis handles this for you. It knows which saxophone you play from your profile, so it shows notes in written pitch — what you'd read on your music — while tracking the actual concert pitch underneath. In the Test Input panel you'll see both: the written note you're reading, with the concert note shown below it.

Set your saxophone type (Alto or Tenor) correctly in your profile. If it's wrong, written notes will be transposed by the wrong interval and won't match your sheet music.

MIDI Lick Capture

Lick Capture records a phrase you play and transcribes it into a personal lick you can save, review, and revisit in your Library. Because it reads MIDI note data directly, the transcription is note-perfect — exact pitches, rhythm, and timing.

MIDI Lick Capture — ready to record
Capture Lick (MIDI): play a phrase and Praxis transcribes it perfectly into your Library.

Capture a lick

  1. Connect a MIDI device (Lick Capture requires one — see above).
  2. Open MIDI Lick Capture in Studio. When a device is connected it shows Ready.
  3. Tap record and play your phrase.
  4. Stop playing. After a couple of seconds of silence, Praxis automatically ends the take and analyzes it — detecting the key and tempo.
  5. Review the transcription, adjust the title, key, or tempo if you like, then save it to your Library.

Why Lick Capture is MIDI-only

Lick Capture works only with a MIDI instrument — there is no microphone-based version, and that's deliberate. Perfect transcription depends on the exact note data that only MIDI delivers. Detecting pitch and rhythm from an acoustic microphone signal is never 100% reliable, so audio-based lick capture is intentionally not offered. If you want flawless transcription of your own phrases, play them in over MIDI.

No MIDI device connected? The Lick Capture screen will prompt you to connect one first. It won't fall back to the microphone.

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