the easiest way to record piano

everything you play, simply a tap away

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (348)
buy now - $185
worldwide shipping from San Francisco,
international duties not included.

want to help? we're hiring a creative producer!
as seen on...
Hacker News
590 points
195 comments
CES
las vegas, 2025
view video

have you ever thought, “wow, I wish I recorded that”? now, it was. jamcorder is a tiny device you attach to your digital piano that quietly captures everything you play — effortlessly, for life. with automatic play detection and over 25,000 hours of included storage, that’s 3 non-stop years of music, it turns everyday practice into visible progress and a growing personal archive to revisit and share.

it's more than a recorder — it’s your journal of growth, ideas, and moods. sit down, play, and every moment becomes part of your story, nudging you to play with more intention and focus. once you try jamcorder, you’ll never want to go back. it shows in our reviews.

have you ever thought, “wow, I wish I recorded that”? now, it was. jamcorder is a tiny device you attach to your digital piano that quietly captures everything you play — effortlessly, for life. with automatic play detection and over 25,000 hours of included storage, that’s 3 non-stop years of music, it turns everyday practice into visible progress and a growing personal archive to revisit and share.

it's more than a recorder — it’s your journal of growth, ideas, and moods. sit down, play, and every moment becomes part of your story, nudging you to play with more intention and focus. the biggest surprise isn't that jamcorder works — it's how much mental freedom it creates. you stop deciding what's "worth recording." you stop breaking flow. you just stay in the moment and get lost in your playing.

once you try jamcorder, you’ll never want to go back. it shows in our reviews.

YouTube video thumbnail

capture your best performances

easier & less stressful than having to hit record — jamcorder is always on, always capturing. you'll never say "i wish i recorded that" again. you can just play naturally.

photo playing piano with Jamcorder

all your music, just a tap away

it's ridiculously convenient

see your notes

see great ideas you had, or where you want to improve.

explore your bookmarks

tap the top 3 black keys twice anytime to leave a bookmark

build a repertoire

have fun adding to your collection

share music easily

share full songs, short segments, or the entire day with just a tap. you can even generate videos with fun video effects.

track your playing

revel at how much you've played. it's incredibly motivational.

great for improv, practicing, composing

jamcorder is great for capturing improptu improvisations, tracking & reviewing practice sessions, and capturing strokes of genius so you can turn serendipitous ideas into finished compositions.

photo of jamcorder closeup

how it works

unlike most recorders, jamcorder doesn’t capture audio. instead, jamcorder plugs into your piano via midi, and transcribes every note you play — including its velocity — in midi format. these recordings sync to your phone via bluetooth, or can be accessed via sd card without ever needing the app. this midi music format is tiny, letting 12 hours of music fit in the same space as one smartphone photo. want to learn more? see our video.

plugs into your piano's usb or 5-pin midi port

feature packed

automatic recording icon
automatic recording

starts & stops recording automatically

automatic recording icon
25,000 hours of recording

with the included 16GB sd card

wireless icon
wireless sync

recordings sync to your phone via bluetooth

bookmarks icon
bookmarks

leave bookmarks by pressing the top 3 black keys twice

midi out icon
piano playback

hear recordings on your piano's own speakers, via midi out

midi out icon
looping & layering

loop and play over your previous recordings

midi file icon
midi import

play any midi file using the app

midi out icon
bluetooth midi playback

play recordings on any nearby bluetooth midi device

midi file icon
midi format

records standard midi files

removeable storage icon
removable storage

records to micro sd card

flexible input icon
flexible input

supports both usb and 5-pin midi pianos

standalone icon
standalone

no internet, no accounts, app is optional

synth icon
synthesizer support

all midi messages & all 16 midi channels are recorded

midi out icon
soundfont support

fully replace the sounds used by the app

bluetooth midi icon
bluetooth midi adapter

adds bluetooth midi capability to your digital piano
35ms latency - playable

standalone icon
usb → 5-pin midi adapter

connect 5-pin midi equipment to your usb piano

web interface icon
web interface

access your recordings from any web browser

open api & plugins icon
open api & plugins

want to do something cool with your piano data? you can

whole library export icon
whole library export

export your entire library right from the app. it's your music. we don't lock it down.

no microphone icon
no microphone

only keystrokes are recorded

faq

why record everything?

at first glance, the reason seems obvious — so you never miss a great moment. but there’s more to it than that.

recording everything makes your practice sessions mean more. you always have something to show for yourself — to revisit, appreciate, and enjoy. it becomes a quiet motivator, gently pushing you to play with more focus & intention. it’s hard to fully appreciate until you’ve experienced it.

can i stop recording?

yes, simply unplug it. but it's recommended you instead shift your thinking — focus on playing, not recording, and use bookmarks. you can always manually delete old recordings, if desired.

why not just use my phone?

phones are a great option for occasional recording, but they don't record automatically, they don't show the notes you played, they don't track your playing history, they don't record with good sound quality. inspired by the convenience of a phone, jamcorder is a natural step up.

will recordings have long silences?

no. jamcorder pauses recording after 3 seconds of silence by default, and it resumes immediately when you start playing again with no lost notes. the original silences can also be 'restored' later, if desired.

how will i find the recordings i care about?

jamcorder is the opposite of a traditional recorder. instead of before, with jamcorder you mark music after you play it by leaving bookmarks, or by adding music to albums.

if that's not enough, stay tuned! more tools like grouping by chords, songs, melodies, faster navigation, & search, are planned!

what will my recordings sound like?

jamcorder records midi, not audio. that means it captures what you played — notes, timing, velocity, pedals, and more — instead of locking you into one recorded sound.
same piano sound most people prefer playback through their piano. with midi out, jamcorder plays recordings through your piano's own speakers and tones, so it sounds exactly as you played it.
in-app playback when you're away from your piano, recordings still sound great using the app's high-quality built-in sounds. you can also swap in any soundfont you like.
DAW export for polished tracks, export to a DAW and shape the sound with professional virtual instruments, plugins, or sound libraries.

what exactly gets recorded?

all midi events. e.g. notes & their velocity, pedals, after-touch events (MPE), program changes, pitch bends, channel expression, control changes, sysex, etc.

events are recorded with millisecond timing resolution.
no lost midi state even when jamcorder is not actively recording, it still tracks all midi state so nothing gets lost, including pedal presses, instrument selection, pitch wheel changes, and more.

can i use jamcorder with my DAW?

yes! jamcorder records standard midi files, so they work with any DAW. for the best DAW-based setup, also read this question.
app export the fastest way to move a great take into your DAW. just tap the share button in the app to send music as a standard midi file.
sd card want direct access to everything? plug jamcorder's sd card into your computer and copy the midi files right off it.
web browser skip pulling the card. set up wifi and grab your midi files from any web browser on your network.

can i connect both jamcorder and my computer / tablet at the same time?

yes! it's easy to connect both jamcorder and a computer or tablet to your piano so that they both receive midi data at the same time.
using bluetooth midi all jamcorder devices support wireless bluetooth midi. follow your music app's bluetooth midi setup instructions and connect to jamcorder. bluetooth midi can introduce additional delay.
5-pin pianos use a midi y-cable & usb midi adapter as shown in this photo.
usb pianos use a usb midi adapter as shown in this photo.
pianos with both connect your jamcorder via 5-pin, and your computer or tablet via usb.

when are new midi files created?

jamcorder creates one midi file per day, and keeps a single practice session together, even if it crosses midnight.

what is midi out used for?

midi out lets jamcorder send midi events to your piano.

this enables true piano playback — your recordings don’t just play through your phone, they play through your piano’s own speakers, so it has the exact same sound and expression. you can even tweak the tone live, or play along.

more broadly, midi out is also useful for general midi routing, i.e. to send midi from a laptop, tablet, or bluetooth midi connection to your piano. see here for more details.

how do i power it?

jamcorder is powered by usb. use a spare usb port on your piano, or any usb AC adapter you already own.
power requirement 5W is enough for jamcorder itself. rarely, some usb-powered pianos may need more.
included cable jamcorder comes with a 6' usb type-a cable.

can i upgrade the storage?

yes. just pop in a larger card. we recommend 64GB max, which can record about 100,000 hours or 11 straight years. larger cards often work, but are typically less reliable.

do i need to use the app?

no. you can access your recordings directly from the sd card. and with web-based setup you can even access recordings wirelessly or configure the device settings, all without the app.

can i record using bluetooth midi?

no. jamcorder does not support recording over bluetooth midi. you must connect your piano to jamcorder using a usb or 5-pin midi cable.

can i generate sheet music?

of course. first, export your recording as midi, then convert to sheet music with a 3rd party tool such as musescore, garage band, melobytes, or many others!

can multiple people share the same piano?

totally fine. however, your recordings will be mixed together, which is fine for most people.
separate jamcorders if you want an exclusive experience, you should use 1 jamcorder per person. use a 3.5mm headphone switcher and midi to 3.5mm adapters to choose which jamcorder receives midi.

can it record organs? electronic drums?

yes! jamcorder works with all midi-based instruments, though the app is designed around a piano interface.
soundfont support replace the app's built-in sounds with any soundfont you like. the app includes a full general midi soundfont with 128 instruments, including percussion on midi channel 10.

i have multiple pianos

no problem. a single jamcorder can record up to 16 pianos at the same time. the usb and 5-pin ports on jamcorder can be used simultaneously.
multiple jamcorders you can also use one jamcorder per instrument if that makes your wiring simpler. the app fully supports multiple jamcorders at the same time.

i have an acoustic piano

it can still work with an adapter. you simply install a sensor bar below the keys. here are some options: Adsilent, Bechstein, ProRecord, or QRS PNOScan. there are also acoustic pianos with built-in midi support, such as the Yamaha Disklavier and Kawai AnyTime.

my piano has usb-c

no problem! you just need a usb-a → usb-c cable that supports data, not just charging. here's one option, or browse more.

privacy policy

your privacy is important to us. jamcorder does not collect any personal information about you. all data, activities, and recordings remain entirely on your local devices.

return policy

not for you? no problem. U.S. orders are eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery with prepaid return shipping included. returns should include all the original packaging and accessories in good condition. international orders and digital-only goods are not eligible for returns. see full return policy →

about us

Chip Weinberger headshot

hi, i'm chip weinberger, the creator of jamcorder. i'm a life-long piano player, and ex-apple software engineer from san francisco. i set out with a simple goal to make the best piano recorder ever made — something that meshed with improv and more care-free playing. i'm excited to share it with you.

specs

recording

25,000 hours w/ 16GB sd card (included)
standard midi format
1 file created per day

app

iOS
iPadOS
android
macOS

connectivity

usb midi
midi in
midi out

wireless

wifi 4, 2.4ghz
bluetooth 5.0

power

usb type-b

what's included

not included: usb type-a AC adapter

buy now - $185
worldwide shipping from San Francisco,
international duties not included.