Choose Embers if
- You only need a renderer for MIDI performances you already have.
- You want Embers' particular visual style and effects.
- You are on Windows.
- You want the smallest possible tool for one job.
LumaKeys vs Embers
Embers is a renderer. LumaKeys is the studio around it.
Embers is a piano visualizer built for one job: take a MIDI performance and turn it into a striking falling-note video, with a strong focus on lighting and particle effects. LumaKeys is a Mac app for the same kind of pianist that makes the video and also covers everything before it: learning the piece, recording it, editing the notes, transcribing audio to MIDI, and keeping your repertoire in one place.
Short version: if you already have finished MIDI performances and only want the render, Embers is a focused tool. If you want one app for the whole process on a Mac, pick LumaKeys.
Which one fits you?
Choose LumaKeys if
- You are on a Mac and want one app for your whole piano life.
- You want to learn the piece and record it, not only render it.
- You want to turn a piano recording into editable notes, on your Mac.
- You want a repertoire that keeps every piece, take, and export together.
- You want to pay once and never think about it again.
Side by side.
| Feature | Embers | LumaKeys |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Price | See embers.app | $69 for a limited time, then $99 |
| Subscription | Check current terms | None, pay once |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS, Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Make the video | ||
| Falling-note video export | Yes | 4K, 60 fps, 16:9, 9:16, 4:5 |
| Customizable visuals | ||
| Record your playing | — | MIDI or computer keys, per hand |
| Note editing | — | Full piano roll |
| Learn and keep | ||
| Learn from falling notes | — | |
| Audio to MIDI transcription | — | 5 on Free, unlimited on Pro |
| Repertoire library | — | |
| External piano plugins | — | Pro |
Checked 2 September 2026: Embers website LumaKeys pricing
Where LumaKeys goes further.
Learn any piece
Loop, slow down, split the hands. Embers shows the finished performance; LumaKeys helps you get there.
Edit every note
Fix the one wrong chord in the piano roll instead of recording the whole take again.
Your whole repertoire in one place
Every piece, take, and export in one library, organized by composer.
The long version.
What Embers does well
Embers does one thing and takes it seriously: the render. Its visual style is its own, and pianists who use it tend to use it because of how the notes look in motion.
It is a small, focused tool. If your pieces are already recorded and edited elsewhere, that focus is a feature.
Where it stops
Embers begins when the performance is done. It does not help you learn a piece, record it, fix notes, or transcribe a recording. The MIDI comes from somewhere else, and the rest of your piano life lives in other apps and folders.
What LumaKeys is built for
LumaKeys holds the whole process. A piece comes in as MIDI, as audio transcribed on your Mac, or as your own recording. You learn it, record your version, fix notes in the piano roll, and export a video in your colours. The repertoire keeps all of it.
It is Mac only. Free covers the full app with caps, so you can try the whole process before paying.
Why I built it
I learned piano the self-taught way: falling-note videos on YouTube, no sheet music, no teacher. Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, one bar at a time.
When I started making videos, the render was the easy part. The hard part was everything before it: learning the piece well enough to record it, fixing the notes, and finding the file again a year later.
LumaKeys is the app I wished for back then: learn a piece, record it, fix it, keep it, and turn it into a video, all in one place, paid for once.
Questions & answers.
Weighing more options? See every alternative or talk to me.
Is LumaKeys an Embers alternative?
Yes, on Mac. LumaKeys makes the same kind of falling-note video and adds learning, recording, piano-roll editing, audio-to-MIDI transcription, and a repertoire library.
Does LumaKeys run on Windows?
Not yet. LumaKeys is Mac-first, on Apple Silicon and Intel. Embers is the pick if you are on Windows.
Can LumaKeys import my Embers projects?
LumaKeys imports standard MIDI files, so the performances behind your Embers videos come in as playable, editable pieces.
Which one looks better?
Different, rather than better. Embers has its own style. LumaKeys keeps the visuals clean and customizable and exports up to 4K at 60 fps in widescreen, vertical, and 4:5.
Your whole piano life in one app.
macOS 12 or later · On an Intel version?
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