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Using MainStage with Keyboard Controllers
If you perform using a USB or MIDI keyboard controller, you can play and control MainStage
patches with software instruments using your controller. You can assign faders, knobs,
buttons, and other controls on the keyboard controller to screen controls in your concert,
and then map those screen controls to parameters in your patches. You can choose
exactly the parameters you want to have at your fingertips for each patch and access
them from your controller as you perform.
You can use MainStage with other MIDI controllers, including sustain pedals, expression
pedals, foot switches, MIDI guitars, and wind controllers that send standard MIDI messages.
You can also control external hardware synthesizers, ReWire applications, and other virtual
instruments using external instrument channel strips.
Using MainStage with Electric Guitars
If you play an electric guitar, you can use MainStage as a powerful, customizable
multi-effects processor. After you connect your instrument to your computer using an
audio interface, you send your guitar’s audio signal to audio channel strips in your patches,
where you can add effects including the Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins designed
specifically for use with electric guitar. You can also use EQ, compression, reverb, overdrive,
and other Logic Studio effects in your guitar patches. You can control volume, effect
blend, or expression with an expression pedal, and use a foot switch to select patches
hands-free when you perform.
Using MainStage with Vocals, Drums, and Other Instruments
Vocalists and acoustic musicians can use MainStage by sending the audio output from
a microphone connected to their computer to audio channel strips in their patches. You
can use MainStage with Core Audio-compatible audio devices, such as audio interfaces
and digital mixers, for input from instruments and microphones, and for audio output to
speakers, monitors, a mixing board, or a public address (PA) system. In MainStage, you
can access a wide range of effects in your patches.
Drummers can also use MainStage by sending the audio output from microphones to
audio channel strips in their patches or by using drum pads or a virtual drum kit to control
the EXS24 mkII sampler, Ultrabeat, and percussion-oriented plug-ins.
How to Use MainStage in Your Music Setup
You can add MainStage to your music equipment setup by following these steps:
13Chapter 1 Introducing MainStage