Use two keyboards at once in Sunday Keys for MainStage

Sunday Keys includes a ready-made Two Keyboards layout. Use it rather than moving things yourself, because some controls for Tonic Automator are hidden under the onscreen keyboard.

1. Load the Two Keyboards layout

1. Open your main Sunday Keys concert (the one you copy for every setlist).
2. Choose File > Save As, name it something like "Sunday Keys - Two Keyboards," and save it in your Sunday Keys folder. Copying can take a little while.
3. Connect both keyboards.
4. Click Layout, click the gear at the top right, and choose Import Layout.
5. Open MainStage > Sunday Keys > TouchOSC and Alt Layouts > Alternate Layouts, choose SK - Two Keyboards.layout, and click Import, then Continue Import.
6. Reassign both keyboards, your sustain pedal, mod wheel and any other controls. Importing a layout clears your assignments. See Connect your keyboard.
7. Press Command-S to save.

The second keyboard has 49 keys and a mod wheel. To change its size, select it and change the number of keys under Settings on the left. To add a pitch wheel or sustain pedal, drag one from the Shelf Controls tab of the Screen Controls palette and assign it.

2. Choose which keyboard plays each sound

Every sound plays from Keyboard 1 (the larger one) by default.

1. In Edit mode, select the Patch, then click the sound's channel strip.
2. In the Inspector, open the MIDI Input tab and set Keyboard to Keyboard 2.
3. Want a sound on both keyboards? Choose Multitimbral, add Keyboard 2 to the Keyboard Input column, and set the MIDI channel your second keyboard sends on. The MIDI In display at the top of MainStage shows the channel as the first number.

More layouts: the Alternate Layouts folder also has simpler layouts with fewer controls. They're great for volunteer players, or when you want room to add your own controls.