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I'm trying to connect my Yamaha Keyboard to my laptop through Midi to USB cable. But, I don't get a good result from that. One reason is that the sustaining is really awful, and another being the sound quality itself is not right (compared to output from the build in speaker on the keyboard).

I've also tried to use the audio output from the keyboard plugged into my laptop microphone input. The result is better than the MIDI, but still I'm not satisfied. I somehow think that the MIDI should be the better option.

So, what I want to ask is, how do I maximize the quality?

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There is no such thing as the audio quality of a MIDI recording, because MIDI contains no audio data. It's just a protocol with the information about when which key was pressed with what velocity. Transforming that data into an actual hearable audio signal requires some kind of MIDI synthesizer/sampler, which is then the only thing that affects the sound. Those are typically implemented as software these days. You didn't mention what soft-synth you used so far, but from your description I reckon it's something horrible like the default Windows GM module. It's out of question that you won't get acceptable results with that, you need a proper piano plugin. A rather good free one is the Tascam CVPiano, and there are plenty of others at any price- and quality level. Most come only as VST/AU/... plugins, so you need a DAW that's capable of hosting such formats. If you don't already have one, I can recommend Reaper.

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  • +1 for the awesome link to the free VST plugins. It will probably take me years to check them all out. :)
    – Friend Of George
    Commented Mar 27, 2012 at 14:09
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    Good monitor speakers have a huge impact on the sound as well. The word "laptop" in the original question leads me to wonder how the individual is evaluating the audio: good external speakers or laptop built-ins.
    – horatio
    Commented Mar 27, 2012 at 20:58
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    Of course, with laptop built-ins nothing will sound good.
    – leftaroundabout
    Commented Mar 27, 2012 at 21:54

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