VKeys

VKeys is a tiny and portable application that you can use to assign Midi notes to the keyboard, in order to easily create sound files. It is easy to set up.

Since installation is not a requirement, you just extract the archive contents to any location on the hard drive and run the executable file directly.

Otherwise, you can save VKeys to a USB flash drive or similar storage unit, and run it on any computer. This way, you can keep the tool with you whenever you're on the go.

More importantly, the program does not add new entries to the Windows Registry or leave files behind when you remove it (as it usually happens with installed products).

The app is wrapped in a standard interface with an uncomplicated layout. VKeys does not excel in the visual department but we must take into account the fact that is has not been updated for a while.

You can edit the note mappings in a simple manner, as if you were doing this in a plain text document. It is possible to select the Midi controller which is corresponding to the X and Y coordinates of the mouse pointer, whether we are talking about modulation, breath control, the foot pedal, effect control, general slider or pitch blend, to name but a few.

You can select the Midi output channel, transpose the played notes, adjust the velocity and scale, change the Midi instrument, as well as activate the mapping of the mouse cursor position or keypresses to the Midi controller change messages and Midi notes on messages, respectively. Plus, you can preview the current sound file and save the project for further modifications.

VKeys barely uses CPU and system memory, so it does not affect the computer's overall performance. It has a good response time and contains a help file. We have not experienced any issues throughout our tests, since the app did not hang, crash or alert us of any errors. To conclude, VKeys gives users the possibility or remapping their keyboard to help them effortlessly edit Midi files.