3.5

21MainStage User Guide
MainStage interface overview
The basics of the MainStage window
You do all your work in MainStage in a single window. The MainStage window makes it
easy to work with your patches and your concert’s layout. When you open MainStage,
the workspace fills the center of the window, with inspectors and other editing areas on
the sides and below. When you are ready to perform, you can choose Perform mode to
maximize computer performance and display space for easy viewing on stage.
The main features of the MainStage window include:
• Toolbar: Includes buttons for quick access to common commands and tools.
• Activity Monitor: Shows your computer’s processor and memory usage, and shows
the input from your MIDI devices as you edit and perform.
• Workspace: The “canvas” where you customize your onscreen layout, assign hardware
controls to screen controls, and view your concerts while you perform. You can also
view assignments and mappings for the concert.
• Screen controls: The onscreen objects that correspond to the controls on your hardware
devices. You can add and arrange screen controls in the workspace, assign hardware
controls to screen controls, and then map them to parameters you want to control for
each patch in your concert.
• Channel strips: Channel strips are where you build and customize your sounds.
MainStage channel strips feature Insert, Sends, and I/Omenus as well as level meters,
faders, pan knobs, and other controls.
• Inspectors: Inspectors appear below (in Editmode) or along the left side of the
MainStage window (in Layout mode) when you select different items onscreen. The
inspectors allow you to edit parameters and attributes for patches, sets, screen
controls, channel strips, and the concert. Most inspectors feature tabs that make
it easy to quickly access the parameters you want to edit.