HELP! Multiple USB keyboard in Mainstage...

Sure it is possible, but you have to add a keyboard object (or MIDI object) for each keyboard you want to use to the workspace. The channel strips reference to workspace keyboards, NOT MIDI keyboards (however even if there is no workspace object, there is always one "keyboard" to map to).

The reason for this abstraction is, that you can easily switch MIDI keyboards without touching ever channel strip that uses it. Just re-assign the keyboard object in the layout to the new keyboard and you are done. Same works for all other screen objects.

I'm having a similar issue. I'm trying to hook up two identical m-audio keystation 49e's to operate independently of each other. I have them both showing up in the edit menu, and I can successfully press the keys on one have have it only show on that one on the screen, as well as the other.

My issue is, I don't have sound coming out of the second keyboard, only the first one. I'm hooking both keyboards up as USB keyboards.

Hi rawky,
I've just purchased a couple of axiom 61s to use live with mainstage and they work well without problem, except with the EVB3.
I can assign each keyboard to different instruments eg piano on one keyboard string on the other.

Set your keyboard(s) to different global channels say channels 1 and 2
then in layout in mainstage make two virtual keyboards.
Click on the first keyboard and look at the top let of the page where it says Hardware Assignment click on Learn and hit any key on your first real keyboard and under Learn you should see which midi port and channel that key board is assigned to.

Then go into Edit select/make a channel strip assign an instrument to it. Under Channel strip settings you will see the name of the instrument. click on it and on the far left you will see Input, this will show you the name of your keyboard ( axiom ?? ) its input port and the midi channel. Under that there is a another Learn fuction button where you can assign the key range of your keyboard.

Just repeat the same procedure for your second keyboard, obviously using a different global channel and a second instrument channel.
Hope this helps

Steve

Steve,

Thanks so much for this... I'm not at my workstation right now, but this sounds pretty straight forward. This will help my school tremendously!

mark

Yes, thank you as well because I think you just solved my problem too! I too am not at my workstation but will try it as soon as I can.

But I was wondering, do you know if this same method applies to MainStage version 1? I don't have version 2 and was hoping it will work for 1.

Thanks!

That was the set up I used in MS1.
I now have up graded to MS2, much easier to assign your keys Now have both keyboards ( axiom 61s ) working correctly in a live situation.

Steve

Thank you SO much Steve! That worked great! It took me a second to get the hang of how it worked, but once I did, it worked really well. Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly! You made my musical day! 😉

I had this problem as well and got the answer in this forum. You have to add a keyboard to your window to be able to assign another external midi keyboard/contoller to your patch. After adding the keyboard to your window in the layout window, go back to the edit window and add another channel. In that new channel select what ever patch you want the additional keyboard to play making sure that the new keyboard is selected in the midi input page of the software instrument channel strip inspector.
this method installs your multiple keyboard onto your screen and provides a patch for it. The down side it that every patch must include both keyboards and patchs for each seperately.

Hi

I have this same problem.

I have two CME midi controllers and want to set two instrument channel strips up with different sounds on each.

I have studied the macpro tutorial and it says you can set the midi channel for each channel strip by selecting 'layout mode'. On the video, the midi channel selction option appears to the left hand side of the screen as you look at it, but in my Mainstage, all I get in that section of the screen in layout mode is 'Grid resolution"

Can anyone help.

It should be as easy as it is in logic, where you just assign a midi chammel for each channel strip.

You have MainStage 1... The manual should help?!?

Steve,

since you've already been such a great help to me, I thought I'd throw another one at you. I have my two keyboards working separately now (thanks to you) and I've not added a Fasttrack Ultra to the mix. Now what I want is to have one keyboard come out on channel one on the fastrack, and another to come out on a different channel?

MainStage 2: Multi-Timbral setting in the channel strip inspector, you can assign up to 16 keyboard objects to one channel strip and freely map the MIDI channel.

MainStage 1: configure the MIDI keyboards (on the keyboard!) to send on the desired channel and assign them to two keyboard objects in the workspace. This is only a limited work-around, you need MainStage 2 for a real solution for this problem.

thanks so much for the response... I was able to do that, but I can't find the location to map output 1-2 and 3-4 to different outputs on the fastrack ultra.

Steve,

right now, I have both sounds mapped through a single channel (including volume control, etc). I was hoping to be able to control the sounds of each midi independently... have you any experience with this?