Sunday Keys for MainStage 2021: Using the Korg nanoKontrol2 with Sunday Key
The Korg nanoKontrol2 is an inexpensive midi controller that inspired the visual workspace in Sunday Keys. The physical layout of the faders, knobs and buttons directly mirrors what you see on-screen in the four main sections of Sunday Keys, which makes it the ideal controller for interacting with the template.
You can buy the Korg nanoKontrol2 here.
Be sure to check out all the other video tutorials over on the Sunday Keys Resource Article.
Check out the video or the steps below it to learn more about how to use Korg's nanoKontrol2 with Sunday Keys:
Sunday Keys is designed to be plug and play compatible with the nanoKontrol2 so you should be able to plug in the nanoKontrol2’s USB cable and have control right away over the knobs, faders, and buttons in the top half of the template. If you’ve tried plugging in your nanoKontrol2 but it doesn’t appear to work automatically, check out the video to learn what to do. If you are using Catalina OS or newer, you may need to take further steps to get the nanoKontrol2 working, check out this article to learn what to do.
What the nanoKontrol2 buttons do
The nanoKontrol2 buttons are mapped and assigned, all the work has been done for you so it's plug and play and will work right after you plug it in!
- The two arrow buttons on the left side under the word “Track” move to the Previous or Next patch
- The Cycle button below the two arrow buttons is programmed as a “Panic” button. Pressing Panic cuts out and resets all midi and audio in MainStage.
- The record button on the bottom of the nanoKontrol2 will control tap tempo by default. You can use tap tempo at anytime to follow the tempo of your band. As a side note, you can also designate the tempo of any patch in edit mode by clicking the patch, clicking the “Change Tempo To” box, and typing in the desired tempo.
- In the standard version of Sunday Keys the four main sections of the template are all assigned to the nanoKontrol2 w/ the additional assignments to tap tempo, panic, and prev/next patch I just mentioned. All the other controls onscreen default to the TouchOSC app, which lets you control them from your smartphone. There’s a video on setting up TouchOSC on this page you can check out here. You can also use any other midi controller you’d like instead, check out this video for details about that.
nanoKontrol2 Troubleshooting
Before we talk about troubleshooting, a quick word about the lights on the nanoKontrol2. Their default behavior is to only light up when being physically pushed down, but there’s a simple way to make them mirror the onscreen buttons, so that they stay lit up when you’d expect. Check out this video to learn how to set that up.
If your nanoKontrol2 doesn’t automatically register within Sunday Keys, here are the troubleshooting steps to take: First, with Sunday Keys running, unplug your controller and plug it back in. Check to see if the onscreen controls are now responding. If they’re not, take a look at the “MIDI In” display at the top of MainStage. If you see changing numbers there, then keep watching for the next troubleshooting step. If you don’t see any numbers, then you may have a faulty midi cable or a bad connection between your controller and computer.
Assuming that you see changing numbers in the “Midi In” display, the next step is to unplug your controller again, hold down the “Cycle” button along with the two “Track” buttons, all at the same time, and then plug your controller in while continuing to hold down those three buttons. After a few seconds you’ll see some flashing lights. Let go of the buttons and confirm that the nanoKontrol2 is now connected to the onscreen faders, buttons, and knobs as expected.
If you are using Catalina OS or later, you may need to follow some additional steps to get it working. Check out this article to learn what to do.
Be sure to check out all the video tutorials over on the Sunday Keys Resource Article!