I am a musician at our church and we are just getting into using loops, midi, etc.

We currently have an XS8 and an MO8.

We are going to be running ableton live 9 for our loops as well.

One of the keys will be setup running simply as the main piano while the other will be setup for synths, etc.

What is my best option setup wise for doing this.

Am I better off running ableton only and using a midi channel in each scene and running a keyboard patch? or....

Should I run ableton on one machine and use mainstage on a second for my keys patches?

If so which keyboard should I use for which and what kind of connection should I use USB or FW?

Thanks in advance?

Correct me if I misunderstood, but if you will only be using Ableton Live for loops there is nothing to be gained by connecting either Motif to Live.

Buy a Novation Launchpad.