AdMow

[AdMow]

Hi, 

 

I have Casio LK-135 keyboard and would like to connect that with iMac 2019 Garageband. Could you please guide me on the steps? Appreciate suggesting the required cables.

 

Note:

From the tech spec - I see the following:

Jacks:

• PHONES/OUTPUT jack
• Stereo standard jack × 1
• Output impedance: 140 Ω; Output voltage: 4.5 V (RMS) MAX

[- T -]

Since the LK-135 has neither 5-pin MIDI nor USB-MIDI connections, there is absolutely no way for you to connect it to your iMAC (or any other computer) to use it as a MIDI controller keyboard to "play" the sounds of Garageband (or any other VSTi program).  The only connection you could make is from the keyboard's Phones/Output jack via the proper cable/adapter, either directly to the iMAC's audio in, or via a USB-Audio interface and use the iMAC simply as a digital audio recorder to record the LK-135's audio output.

 

If this is, in fact, what you want to do, then the typical connection would be a cable with a 1/4" stereo (TRS: Tip-Ring-Sleeve) plug to connect to the LK-135's Phones/Output jack and a mini-stereo 3.5mm TRS plug on the other end to connect to the iMAC's audio-in.  An alternative would be a 1/4" to 3.5mm stereo adapter plug to connect to the LK-135 and a cable with 3.5mm stereo connectors on each end to finish the connection.

 

A more prefessional arrangement would be to connect the LK-135's Phones/Output jack (with proper cables and adapters) to the input of a USB Audio Interface unit which would connect to a USB port on the iMAC via a standard USB "printer" cable.  In either case, since the LK-135's audio ouput is a considerably higher level (volume) than the iMAC's or audio interface's input, you would need to keep the LK-135's volume at a very low level during the recording process to prevent overdrive and distortion.  This would require using the iMAC's speakers/phones as a recording monitor, but with the LK-135's limited audio output quality, this entire arrangement may be complete overkill, making the above arrangement a more economical choice.