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
Chapter 2 Set up your system 18
Connect audio devices
Audio devices overview
MainStage works with Core Audio-compliant audio devices, including FireWire, USB, ExpressCard,
and PCI audio interfaces. You can connect microphones, electronic musical instruments, and
other musical equipment to your computer, or to an audio interface or other audio device,
and use them with MainStage. For information about choosing audio drivers, see Audio
preferences on page 149.
MainStage can require a large amount of available RAM to play sample-based software
instruments or when you are using complex eects setups. It is recommended that you test
your system and the concerts you plan to use before you perform using MainStage to make
sure there is enough available memory to select and play the patches you want to use without
causing audio drop-outs or distortion.
Connect a microphone
You can connect a microphone to your computer to capture your voice, an instrument, or any
other sound to use as audio input when you perform. You can connect a microphone to your
computer’s audio input port, a USB port, or to an audio interface connected to your computer.
You can also use the built-in microphone in your computer.
Connect a microphone to your computer
Do one of the following:
m Connect the microphone to an input on the audio interface using a standard XLR cable.
XLR connector
m Connect a USB microphone to a USB port on your computer. Choose the USB microphone as the
audio input source in the Audio preferences pane, then choose the input from the Input pop-up
menu on audio channel strips in your concert.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
FireWire 400 (6-pin)
(Sometimes labeled iLINK)
FireWire 400 (4-pin)
FireWire 800 (9-pin)
m Connect an audio interface to your computer’s USB or FireWire port, then connect a microphone
to the audio interface.
m Connect an audio mixer or console to an audio interface, then connect the interface to
your computer.