3
Table Of Contents
- MainStage 3 User Manual
- Contents
- Chapter 1: Introducing MainStage
- Chapter 2: Set up your system
- Chapter 3: The MainStage interface
- Chapter 4: Get started with MainStage
- Chapter 5: Work in Edit mode
- Edit mode overview
- Work with patches in Edit mode
- Select items in the Patch List
- Copy, paste, and delete patches
- Reorder and move patches in the Patch List
- Create a patch from several patches
- Set the time signature for patches
- Change the tempo when you select a patch
- Set program change and bank numbers
- Defer patch changes
- Instantly silence the previous patch
- Change patch icons
- Change the tuning for a patch
- Work with channel strips in Edit mode
- Channel strips overview
- Show signal flow channel strips
- Show the metronome channel strip
- Create an alias of a channel strip
- Add a patch bus
- Channel Strip Inspector
- Choose channel strip settings
- Rename channel strips
- Change channel strip colors
- Change channel strip icons
- Use feedback protection with channel strips
- Work with software instrument channel strips
- Use the EXS24 mkII Instrument Editor in MainStage
- Use multiple instrument outputs
- Use external MIDI instruments in MainStage
- Delete channel strips
- Create keyboard layers and splits
- Work with graphs
- Create controller transforms
- Work with plug-ins in Edit mode
- Map screen controls
- Screen controls overview
- Map screen controls to channel strip and plug-in parameters
- Map screen controls to actions
- Map a screen control to multiple parameters
- Edit the saved value for a mapped parameter
- Set drum pads or buttons to use note velocity
- Use parameter mapping graphs
- Map screen controls to all channel strips in a patch
- Undo screen control parameter mappings
- Remove screen control mappings
- Work in the Assignments and Mappings tab
- Edit screen control parameters in Edit mode
- Screen control parameters in Edit mode overview
- Replace parameter labels
- Choose custom colors for screen controls
- Change the appearance of a background or grouped screen control
- Set screen controls to show the hardware value
- Set parameter change behavior for screen controls
- Set hardware matching behavior for screen controls
- Reset and compare changes to a patch
- Override concert- and set-level mappings
- Work with sets in Edit mode
- Share patches and sets between concerts
- Record the audio output of a concert
- Chapter 6: Work with concerts
- Open and close concerts
- Save concerts
- How saving affects parameter values
- Set the time signature for a concert
- Use tempo in a MainStage concert
- Define the source for program change messages
- Set the pan law for a concert
- Change the tuning for a concert
- Silence MIDI notes
- Mute audio output
- Work at the concert level
- Control the metronome
- Chapter 7: Work in Layout mode
- Layout mode overview
- Work with screen controls in Layout mode
- Assign hardware controls to screen controls
- Edit screen control parameters
- Screen control parameter editing overview
- Lift and stamp 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 screen control parameters
- Text screen control parameters
- Background screen control parameters
- How MainStage passes through MIDI messages
- Export layouts
- Import a layout
- Change the aspect ratio of a layout
- Chapter 8: Perform live with MainStage
- Before the performance
- Use Perform mode
- Select patches in performance
- Screen controls in performance
- Tempo changes in performance
- Tips for performing with keyboard controllers
- Tips for performing with guitars and other instruments
- Tune guitars and other instruments with the Tuner
- The Playback plug-in in performance
- Record your performances
- After the performance
- Tips for complex hardware setups
- Appendix A: The Playback plug-in
- Playback plug-in overview
- The Playback interface
- Use the Playback waveform display
- Playback transport and function buttons
- Playback information display
- Playback Sync, Snap To, and Play From parameters
- Use the Playback group functions
- Use the Playback Action menu and File field
- Use markers with the Playback plug-in
- Use the Playback plug-in in a concert
- Appendix B: The Loopback plug-in
- Appendix C: MainStage preferences
- Appendix D: Key commands
- Appendix E: MainStage actions
Appendix A The Playback plug-in 130
Playback transport and function buttons
This section covers the buttons used for playback, fade, count-in, click, and marker navigation
operations.
Return to Start
button
Cycle button
Play button
Undo button
Fade Out button
Count-in button
Previous/Next Marker
button
Transport and Function parameters
•
Return to Start button: Moves to the very beginning of the audio material, but does not start
playback. If Playback is in play mode, however, playback continues from the start of the
audio le.
•
Play/Stop button: Starts or stops playback. The position playback starts from is aected by
the Sync, Snap To, and Play From parameters. See Playback Sync, Snap To, and Play From
parameters on page 132.
•
Cycle button: Cycles playback between the current marker and the next marker. Audio is
automatically crossfaded at the marker points to minimize clicks. If the le contains no
markers, playback of the entire le is cycled.
•
Fade Out button: Gradually lowers the volume level to silence over the number of seconds
specied in the Fade Time parameter. The Fade Out button turns blue until the fade out has
completed and playback stops.
You can stop an active fade out by clicking the Fade Out button a second time. This gradually
restores audio playback to the full volume level over the same amount of elapsed time as the
fade out.
•
Count-in button: Enables a one-bar count-in, using the MainStage metronome click. The
count-in always uses the concert tempo and meter, regardless of the Sync mode.
•
Metronome button: Turns the MainStage metronome on or o. The metronome always uses the
concert tempo and meter, regardless of the Sync mode.
•
Go to Previous Marker button: In play mode, immediately moves to the previous marker (to
the left of the current playhead position) if the audio material contains markers. Playback
continues from this position. If the audio le contains no markers, moves backward 8 bars (if
Sync is on) or 20 seconds (if Sync is o). Playback continues from the new position.
If Playback is stopped, moves to the previous marker or to the beginning of the audio le
if the current playhead position precedes the rst marker. If the le contains no markers,
moves 8 bars (if Sync is on) or 20 seconds (if Sync is o). Press Play to start playback from
this position.
•
Go to Next Marker button: In play mode, immediately moves to the next marker (to the right
of the current playhead position) if the audio le contains markers. Playback continues from
this position. If the audio le contains no markers, moves forward 8 bars (if Sync is on) or
20 seconds (if Sync is o). Playback continues from the new position.
If Playback is stopped, moves to the next marker or to the end of the audio le if the current
playhead position is after the last marker. If the le contains no markers, playback rewinds
by 8 bars (if Sync is on) or 20 seconds (if Sync is o). Press Play to start playback from the
new position.










