3.5

167MainStage User Guide
If you plan to use multiple keyboard controllers when you perform, you can choose whether
screen controls respond to MIDI messages from all controllers or only a specific controller
and whether channel strips receive input from all controllers or only a single controller.
In Layout mode, screen controls can be set to respond to MIDI input on all MIDI ports and
channels or to only a specific device or channel. To have a screen control respond to MIDI
input from all controllers, choose All from both the Device and Channel pop-up menus in
the Layout Inspector. To have a screen control respond to a specific controller or to the
same channel as the keyboard screen control, choose that controller from the Device pop-
up menu.
In Editmode, you set the device from which a channel strip receives MIDI input in the Input
tab of the (software instrument) Channel Strip Inspector. By default, channel strips receive
input from the first controller in the layout. You can set a channel strip to receive input from
another device in the Input pop-up menu.
MainStage tips for performing with guitars and
other instruments
If you are using one of the GuitarRigs templates designed for use with electric guitar, you
can play your electric guitar and use MainStage as a multi-effects processor. The patches
in the template make extensive use of the AmpDesigner amp simulation plug-in and the
Pedalboard effects plug-ins as well as other effects commonly used with guitars.
Guitar patches with Pedalboard-style screen controls can be assigned to a foot switch,
allowing you to bypass different effects in the channel strip. Some patches also allow you
to switch between channel strips with different effects using an expression pedal.
When playing guitars and other low-impedance instruments, be sure they are connected
to an audio input that matches the impedance of the instrument. Connecting a guitar to a
standard line-level audio input may produce a lower volume level for the guitar’s output
than intended.
You can also use MainStage with vocals, or any sound captured with a microphone, using
an audio interface connected to your computer and choosing the audio input channel in
audio channel strips in your patches.
For guitar patches that use multiple channel strips, you can control the overall volume of
the patch using a foot pedal. Using the following procedure, you can set the overall volume
for the patch (that is, for all channel strips) so it starts playing at the set volume level but
still control subsequent volume changes using the foot pedal.
Tune guitars and other instruments with the
MainStage Tuner
MainStage includes a Tuner that you can use to tune guitars and other instruments you
play through an audio channel strip. The Tuner shows pitch on a circular scale with the note
name and octave displayed in the center of the scale. When you play a single note on your
instrument, the pitch is shown in relation to the correct pitch for the note displayed.