Use a Korg nanoKontrol2 with Sunday Keys for MainStage
The nanoKontrol2's faders, knobs and buttons match the four main sections of Sunday Keys, and Sunday Keys is already mapped to it. Plug it in and play.
What each button does
- Track arrows (left): previous and next Patch.
- Cycle: Panic. Resets all audio and MIDI.
- Record: tap tempo.
- Faders, knobs and the other buttons: the four main sections.
Everything else on screen (Tonic, the Extra section and the Output section) is mapped to TouchOSC. You can also map any other controller.
Get a color-coded Sunday Keys decal for your nanoKontrol2.
The nanoKontrol2 isn't working
- With Sunday Keys open, unplug the nanoKontrol2 and plug it back in.
- Still nothing? Watch the MIDI In display at the top of MainStage while you move a fader. No numbers means a cable or connection problem.
- Numbers but no response? Unplug it, hold Cycle and both Track buttons, and plug it back in while still holding them. Let go when the lights flash.
- On a newer Mac, follow Korg's steps to update the nanoKontrol2's driver, and use the latest Korg Kontrol Editor.
Make the lights follow MainStage
By default, the buttons light only while you press them. You can make them stay lit to match the onscreen buttons:
Using Ableton Live? Follow the same steps for the nanoKontrol2, then in Ableton's MIDI settings turn on Remote in the Output section for the nanoKontrol2.
Buttons need a double press
In MainStage's Layout mode, select each button and change Type from Press/Release to Alternating Value.
Controls jump when I change Patches
When you change Patches, the onscreen controls move to that Patch's saved settings, but your physical faders don't. MainStage lets you choose what happens next in MainStage > Settings (or Preferences) > General > Respond to Hardware Move.
We recommend Jump, so you always have each fader's full range. If you'll need to move a control during a song, give it a small wiggle first.
Two other options:
- A controller with motorized faders that move to match MainStage.
- Send each channel strip to a bus. Buses live at the concert level, so their faders don't change with Patches. This takes a lot of setup.
We think of this as a strength: each Patch recalls exactly the levels you want, so you're not scrambling to set faders before every song.