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
9
What is MainStage?
MainStage is a music application designed for use in live performance. MainStage turns your
computer into a powerful multi-instrument and eects processor that you can use on stage
when you perform. Whether you sing or play a keyboard, guitar, or another instrument, you can
use MainStage when you perform live.
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Using a USB or MIDI keyboard controller, you can play a wide variety of software instruments,
including pianos and other keyboards, synthesizers, strings, horns, percussion, and more.
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If you play electric guitar, you can play through virtual amps and use eects such as overdrive,
reverb, and compression.
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Vocalists, drummers, and other musicians can sing and play with multi-eects setups using
a microphone.
In MainStage, you organize and access your sounds in concerts. A concert can store all the sounds
you’ll use in an entire performance or a series of performances. In a MainStage concert, individual
sounds are stored as patches, and each patch can contain one or more channel strips, each with
its own instruments and eects. You can add channel strips, choose channel strip settings, add
instruments and eects, and edit their parameters to customize your sounds. You can even mix
channel strips of dierent types in a single patch.
You organize patches for a concert in the Patch List, which includes grouping them into sets,
which are folders where you can store patches you want to keep together.
Each concert includes a visual interface, called a layout, with screen controls that you use to
modify your patches in live performance. Screen controls include keyboards, faders, knobs,
buttons, pedals, drum pads, and other hardware controls and displays. You make connections
between your MIDI devices and your MainStage concert by assigning hardware controls to
the screen controls in the concert, then map the screen controls to channel strip and plug-in
parameters, completing the connection so you can easily manipulate the parameters for each
patch in the concert.
Parameter
mapping
MainStage screen control
Channel strip or
plug-in parameter
Hardware control
Controller
assignment
Introducing MainStage
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