2
Table Of Contents
- MainStage 2 User Manual
- Contents
- Welcome to MainStage
- Introducing MainStage
- Setting Up Your System
- The MainStage Interface
- Getting Started with MainStage
- Before You Begin
- Opening MainStage
- Choosing a Concert Template
- Selecting Patch Settings in the Patch Library
- Adding a Patch
- Naming a Patch
- Selecting and Playing Patches
- Adding a Channel Strip
- Changing a Channel Strip Setting
- Learning a Controller Assignment
- Mapping a Screen Control
- Trying Out Full Screen and Perform Modes
- Working in Edit Mode
- Working with Patches in Edit Mode
- Selecting Items in the Patch List
- Skipping Items in the Patch List
- Collapsing Sets in the Patch List
- Copying and Pasting Patches
- Reordering Patches in the Patch List
- Moving Patches in the Patch List Repeatedly
- Creating a Patch from Several Patches
- Setting the Time Signature for a Patch
- Changing the Tempo When You Select a Patch
- Setting Patch Program Change Numbers
- Deferring Patch Changes
- Instantly Silencing the Previous Patch
- Changing the Patch Icon
- Changing the Tuning for a Patch
- Deleting Patches
- Working with Channel Strips in Edit Mode
- Selecting Channel Strips
- Showing Signal Flow Channel Strips
- Creating an Alias of a Channel Strip
- Editing Channel Strips in MainStage
- Choosing Channel Strip Settings
- Renaming a Channel Strip
- Changing the Channel Strip Color
- Changing the Channel Strip Icon
- Using Feedback Protection with Channel Strips
- Setting Keyboard Input for a Software Instrument Channel Strip
- Transposing Software Instrument Channel Strips
- Filtering MIDI Messages
- Setting a Channel Strip to Ignore Hermode Tuning
- Working with Graphs
- Creating Controller Transforms
- Scaling Channel Strip Velocity
- Creating Keyboard Layers and Splits
- Overriding Concert- and Set-Level Key Ranges
- Using the EXS24 mkII Instrument Editor in MainStage
- Using Multiple Instrument Outputs in MainStage
- Using External MIDI Instruments in MainStage
- Using the Activity Monitor
- Deleting Channel Strips
- Mapping Screen Controls
- Editing Screen Control Parameters in Edit Mode
- Overriding Concert- and Set-Level Mappings
- Replacing the Parameter Label
- Choosing a Custom Color for a Screen Control
- Choosing Custom Text Color for a Screen Control
- Setting a Screen Control to Show the Hardware Value
- Setting Parameter Change Behavior for Screen Controls
- Setting Hardware Matching Behavior for Screen Controls
- Resetting and Comparing Changes to a Patch
- Working with Sets in Edit Mode
- Working at the Set Level
- Sharing Patches and Sets Between Concerts
- Recording the Audio Output of a Concert
- Working with Patches in Edit Mode
- Working with Concerts
- Opening and Closing Concerts
- Saving Concerts
- How Saving Affects Parameter Values
- Setting the Time Signature for a Concert
- Using Tempo in a MainStage Concert
- Defining the Source for Program Change Messages for a Concert
- Setting the Pan Law for a Concert
- Changing the Tuning for a Concert
- Silencing MIDI Notes
- Muting Audio Output
- Working at the Concert Level
- Controlling the Metronome
- Working in Layout Mode
- Modifying the Layout of a Concert
- Working with Screen Controls
- Assigning Hardware Controls to Screen Controls
- Editing Screen Control Parameters
- Lifting and Stamping Screen Control Parameters
- Common Screen Control Parameters
- Keyboard Screen Control Parameters
- MIDI Activity Screen Control Parameters
- Drum Pad Screen Control Parameters
- Waveform Screen Control Parameters
- Selector Parameters
- Text Screen Control Parameters
- Background Screen Control Parameters
- How MainStage Passes Through MIDI Messages
- Exporting a Layout
- Importing a Layout
- Changing the Aspect Ratio of a Layout
- Playing Back Audio in MainStage
- Performing Live with MainStage
- Before the Performance Starts
- Using Full Screen Mode and Perform Mode
- Selecting Patches in Performance
- Using Screen Controls in Performance
- Handling Tempo Changes in Performance
- Tips for Performing with Keyboard Controllers
- Tips for Performing with Guitars and Other Instruments
- Using the Tuner
- Using the Playback Plug-in in Performance
- Recording Your Performances
- After the Performance
- Tips for Complex Hardware Setups
- Key Commands
- Appendix A: The Playback Plug-in
- Getting to Know the Playback Interface
- Using the Playback Waveform Display
- Using the Playback Transport and Function Buttons
- Using the Playback Information Display
- Using the Playback Sync, Snap To, and Play From Parameters
- Using the Playback Group Functions
- Using the Playback Action Menu and File Field
- Using the Playback Shortcut Menu
- Appendix B: The Loopback Plug-in
- Getting to Know the Loopback Interface
- Using the Loopback Waveform Display
- Using the Loopback Transport and Function Controls
- Using the Loopback Information Display
- Using the Loopback Sync, Snap To, and Play From Parameters
- Using the Loopback Group Functions
- Using the Loopback Action Menu
- Adding Loopback to a Channel Strip
- Appendix C: Setting MainStage Preferences
- Appendix D: Using MainStage Actions
• Audio Input pop-up menu: Choose the device you want to use as the source for audio
input.
• Setup buttons: Click the Audio Output Setup button to open the Audio/MIDI Setup
window and configure audio output. Click the Audio Input Setup button to open the
Audio/MIDI Setup window and configure audio input.
• I/O Buffer Size pop-up menu: Choose the size of the buffer for audio input and output
in samples. Smaller buffer sizes reduce the amount of latency, but also require more
work from the CPU and may result in playback artifacts. You may want to try different
settings to find the lowest setting that does not produce any artifacts.
• I/O Safety Buffer checkbox: When selected, MainStage uses an additional buffer to process
audio output streams, providing a safeguard against crackling noises that may occur
when using very low I/O Buffer Size settings. If turning on this preference doesn’t
improve things on your system, disable the checkbox and select a larger I/O buffer size
setting.
Note: Use of the I/O Safety Buffer preference increases the output latency and therefore
the round trip (input plus output) latency.
The latency for the current buffer size is displayed below the I/O Safety Buffer checkbox.
• Sample Rate pop-up menu: Choose the sample rate for audio input. If you are using an
audio interface or other audio device with MainStage, the Sample Rate value should
be set to the sample rate of your audio device.
• Apply Changes button: Click to apply changes to the input, output, sample rate, and
buffer size settings. If you do not click the Apply Changes button, changes are applied
when you close the Preferences window.
• Silence Previous Patch: Choose the amount of time sustained notes and effects tails
continue to sound before falling to silence when you select a new patch.
• Hot-Plug Behavior pop-up menu: Choose what action MainStage takes when you hot-plug
an audio device while MainStage is open. The choices are:
• Alert me: Displays an alert when a device is hot-plugged. The alert includes buttons
allowing you to use or ignore the device.
• Automatically Use Device: Switches the audio drivers to allow immediate use of the
hot-plugged device for audio input and output.
• Do Nothing: Does not switch the audio drivers.
• Display audio engine overload message: When selected, an alert appears when the audio
engine overloads.
Recording
• Output pop-up menu: Choose the audio output to record.
167Appendix C Setting MainStage Preferences