3.5

322MainStage Instruments
You start playback by sending a Play command to the Playback plug-in using a screen
control, such as a button, mapped to the Play/Stop parameter of the plug-in. To stop
playback, you send a Stop command using the same parameter. Alternatively, you can set
the plug-in to start when you select the patch or set, or when the Play action is triggered.
You can control other parameters of the Playback plug-in while you perform, including the
Fade Out and Cycle parameters. If the audio file contains marker information, you can use
the Go To Previous Marker and Go To Next Marker parameters to shift playback to different
parts of the audio file, or use the Go to Marker action to shift playback to a specific marker.
Note: When mapping a screen control to the Go to Marker action (in the Markers
submenu), set both the Button On and Button Off parameters in the Screen Control
Inspector to the value of the marker, to ensure that the mapping works correctly.
A Playback plug-in in a patch plays only while the patch is selected. If you are using a
Playback plug-in at the set level, you can select different patches in the set (for example,
different lead synth or guitar solo patches) and have the audio file continue playing. If you
are using a Playback plug-in at the concert level, you can select different patches in the
concert and have the audio file continue playing.
Assign MainStage Playback plug-ins to groups
The Playback plug-in provides an additional form of control using groups. If you use
multiple instances of the plug-in in your concert, you can use groups to control which
instances play together and which are mutually exclusive. When Playback instances are in
the same group, a change to the Play/Stop, Cycle, Fade Out, Return to Start, Go to Previous
Marker, or Go To Next Marker parameters in one instance changes that parameter for
every member of the group. You can use up to 100 groups, each identified by a different
letter. Starting one group stops all other groups, while ungrouped instances of the plug-in
continue playing.
If you are using multiple instances of the Playback plug-in in a group, you can start and
stop their playback together by starting or stopping any member of the group using a
screen control mapped to the Play/Stop parameter. When playback instances are grouped,
playback is “locked” so changes in position affect all members of the group. You can
control other aspects of playback, such as having the group fade out or loop playback,
using screen controls mapped to the corresponding controls in the plug-in window of
any member of the group. Playback instances that are not members of a group are not
affected.
You assign an instance of the Playback plug-in to a group from the Group pop-up menu,
located in the lower-right corner of the plug-in window.
Assign a Playback plug-in to a group
1. In MainStage, if the Playback plug-in window is not open, double-click its name in the
Input slot to open it.
2. Choose the letter of the group you want to assign the instance to from the Group pop-
up menu.