Balance Twelve

Balance Twelve, also called HIEANRSTM or HIEAMTSRN, is one of the better-optimized layouts of the 2010s and an early example of a layout with H pinky + vowels. It appears in the comments section of one of the blog posts for MTGAP, but the author is otherwise unknown.

Versions

Balance Twelve

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10
Usage	5.36% (P38)	7.35% (P31)	15.51% (P90)	11.32% (P33)	17.5%	16.02% (P94)	7.87% (P7)	7.45% (P16)	7.60% (P61)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	1.08% (P65)	0.09% (P47)	1.04% (P32)	1.58% (P15)
Skipgram	5.55% (P70)	0.28% (P54)	2.34% (P54)	5.32% (P73)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.37% (P22)	0.51% (P22)
Weak Redirects	0.58% (P72)	0.27% (P75)
Other Same Finger	19.48% (P62)	12.89% (P75)
Rolls : Alts	1.48 (P37)	1.33 (P12)
2-Roll In : Out	4.52 (P99)	2.25 (P97)
3-Roll In : Out	50.32 (P93)	16.73 (P95)

Author: Sasha Viminitz
Year: 2014
Finger Map: Traditional

Original Comment

Balance Twelve

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	6	7	8	9	10
Usage	6.54% (P82)	7.45% (P47)	7.87% (P15)	16.45% (P96)	17.5%	11.32% (P54)	15.51% (P77)	7.34% (P13)	5.98% (P29)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	1.09% (P67)	0.09% (P44)	1.11% (P39)	3.50% (P69)
Skipgram	5.65% (P72)	0.31% (P60)	2.61% (P74)	6.17% (P83)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.42% (P25)	0.53% (P23)
Weak Redirects	0.99% (P88)	0.47% (P88)
Other Same Finger	18.88% (P55)	12.70% (P71)
Rolls : Alts	1.60 (P51)	1.35 (P18)
2-Roll In : Out	4.06 (P97)	2.24 (P97)
3-Roll In : Out	81.55 (P95)	13.71 (P92)

Author: Sasha Viminitz
Year: 2014
Finger Map: Traditional

Original Comment

Kanata is a keyboard remapper that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Install Kanata by following “Step 1: Set Up Kanata” in Nova’s Kanata setup guide:

Step 1: Set Up Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)
Download the Kanata config file for the desired version of Balance Twelve:

Balance Twelve

Balance Twelve (Mirrored)
Make sure you know how to type your computer password using Balance Twelve.

Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using Balance Twelve, look up Balance Twelve on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.
Run Kanata with the downloaded config file and make sure the layout works as you expect:
```
kanata --cfg path/to/config.kbd
```
To have Balance Twelve activate whenever your computer starts up, follow the instructions to “Automatically start Kanata”:

Automatically start Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

There are two downloads available for macOS:

Method	Admin Required	Notes
Native	Optional	Does not require 3rd party key remapping software. Admin is required to install for all users and use on first login.
Karabiner-Elements	Yes	Requires 3rd party key remapping software, including the installation of a Driver Extension. Allows for remapping of only specific keyboards.

Native
Karabiner-Elements

Download the .keylayout file for the desired version of Balance Twelve:

Balance Twelve

Balance Twelve (Mirrored)
Install the .keylayout file:
- Single User
- All Users
Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. Create the folder if it does not exist.

Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to /Library/Keyboard Layouts.
By default, macOS hides the “Library” folder. To navigate to it in Finder, open the Go to Folder dialog (Go → Go to Folder… in the menubar, or Command-Shift-G) and type in the path shown above.
Restart macOS.
Open System Settings.
Go to Keyboard → Text Input → Input Sources → Edit… and add your new Balance Twelve layout.
Press the “+” button at the bottom left.
Search for “Balance Twelve,” select your new layout, and press Add.