MainStage User Guide
- Welcome
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- Overview of Edit mode
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- Select patches and sets in the Patch List
- Copy, paste, and delete patches
- Reorder and move patches in the Patch List
- Add and rename patches
- Create a patch from several patches
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- Overview of the Patch Settings Inspector
- Select patch settings in the Patch Library
- 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
- Transpose the pitch of incoming notes for a patch
- Change the tuning for a patch
- Add text notes to a patch
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- Overview of channel strips
- Add a channel strip
- Change a channel strip setting
- Configure channel strip components
- Show signal flow channel strips
- Hide the metronome channel strip
- Create an alias of a channel strip
- Add a patch bus
- Set channel strip pan or balance positions
- Set channel strip volume levels
- Mute and solo channel strips
- Use multiple instrument outputs
- Use external MIDI instruments
- Reorganize channel strips
- Delete channel strips
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- Overview of the Channel Strip Inspector
- Choose channel strip settings
- Rename channel strips
- Change channel strip colors
- Change channel strip icons
- Use feedback protection with channel strips
- Set keyboard input for a software instrument channel strip
- Transpose individual software instruments
- Filter MIDI messages
- Scale channel strip velocity
- Set channel strips to ignore Hermode tuning
- Override concert- and set-level key ranges
- Add text notes to a channel strip in the Channel Strip Inspector
- Route audio via send effects
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- Screen Control Inspector overview
- Replace parameter labels
- Choose custom colors for screen controls
- Change background or grouped screen control appearance
- 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
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- Overview of mapping screen controls
- Map to channel strip and plug-in parameters
- Map screen controls to actions
- Map a screen control to multiple parameters
- Use screen controls to display PDF document pages
- Edit the saved value for a mapped parameter
- Set drum pads or buttons to use note velocity
- Map screen controls to all channel strips in a patch
- Undo screen control parameter mappings
- Remove screen control mappings
- Work with graphs
- Create controller transforms
- Share patches and sets between concerts
- Record the audio output of a concert
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- Overview of concerts
- Create a concert
- Open and close concerts
- Save concerts
- How saving affects parameter values
- Clean up concerts
- Consolidate assets in a concert
- Rename the current concert
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- Overview of the Concert Settings Inspector
- Set MIDI Routing to channel strips
- Transpose incoming note pitch for a concert
- Define the program change message source
- Send unused program changes to channel strips
- Set the time signature for a concert
- Change the tuning for a concert
- Set the pan law for a concert
- Add text notes to a concert
- Control the metronome
- Silence MIDI notes
- Mute audio output
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- Layout mode overview
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- Screen control parameter editing overview
- Lift and stamp screen control parameters
- Reset 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 and import layouts
- Change the aspect ratio of a layout
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- Before performing live
- Use Perform mode
- Screen controls in performance
- Tempo changes during 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
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- Overview of keyboard shortcuts and command sets
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- Concerts and layouts keyboard shortcuts
- Patches and sets (Edit mode) keyboard shortcuts
- Editing keyboard shortcuts
- Actions keyboard shortcuts
- Parameter mapping (Edit mode) keyboard shortcuts
- Channel strips (Edit mode) keyboard shortcuts
- Screen controls (Layout mode) keyboard shortcuts
- Perform in Full Screen keyboard shortcuts
- Window and view keyboard shortcuts
- Help and support keyboard shortcuts
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- Use MIDI plug-ins
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- Arpeggiator overview
- Arpeggiator control parameters
- Note order parameters overview
- Note order variations
- Note order inversions
- Arpeggiator pattern parameters overview
- Use Live mode
- Use Grid mode
- Arpeggiator options parameters
- Arpeggiator keyboard parameters
- Use keyboard parameters
- Assign controllers
- Modifier controls
- Note Repeater controls
- Randomizer controls
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- Use Scripter
- Use the Script Editor
- Scripter API overview
- MIDI processing functions overview
- HandleMIDI function
- ProcessMIDI function
- GetParameter function
- SetParameter function
- ParameterChanged function
- Reset function
- JavaScript objects overview
- Use the JavaScript Event object
- Use the JavaScript TimingInfo object
- Use the Trace object
- Use the MIDI event beatPos property
- Use the JavaScript MIDI object
- Create Scripter controls
- Transposer controls
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- Alchemy overview
- Alchemy interface overview
- Alchemy Name bar
- Alchemy file locations
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- Alchemy source overview
- Source master controls
- Import browser
- Source subpage controls
- Source filter controls
- Source filter use tips
- Source elements overview
- Additive element controls
- Additive element effects
- Spectral element controls
- Spectral element effects
- Pitch correction controls
- Formant filter controls
- Granular element controls
- Sampler element controls
- VA element controls
- Wide unison mode
- Source modulations
- Morph controls
- Alchemy master voice section
- Alchemy Extended parameters
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- Playback plug-in overview
- Add a Playback plug-in
- 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
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- Sample Alchemy overview
- Interface overview
- Add source material
- Edit mode
- Play modes
- Source overview
- Synthesis modes
- Granular controls
- Additive effects
- Additive effect controls
- Spectral effect
- Spectral effect controls
- Filter module
- Lowpass, bandpass, and highpass filters
- Comb PM filter
- Downsampler filter
- FM filter
- Envelope generators
- Mod Matrix
- Modulation routing
- Motion mode
- Trim mode
- More menu
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- Sculpture overview
- Sculpture interface
- Global parameters
- Amplitude envelope parameters
- Use the Waveshaper
- Filter parameters
- Output parameters
- Define MIDI controllers
- Extended parameters
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- Studio Piano
- Copyright and trademarks
Use other plug-in window controls in MainStage
All MainStage plug-ins share a common set of controls in their headers for choosing, loading, and saving settings; copying and pasting plug-in parameters; switching between views; bypassing the plug-in; and comparing plug-in settings before and after adjustments. For some plug-ins that offer additional parameters not shown in Editor view, you can also find extended plug-in parameters at the bottom of the plug-in window.
You can view plug-in parameters in Editor view, which shows a graphical interface for the plug-in, or in Controls view, which shows parameters arranged in a row of value sliders where appropriate.
Bypass a plug-in
In MainStage, click the Bypass button in the header at the top of the plug-in window.
When a plug-in that’s mapped to a screen control is bypassed, the screen control is dimmed in the workspace.
Compare the plug-in before and after adjustments
In MainStage, click Compare in the plug-in window header to hear the plug-in with its saved settings.
Click Compare again to hear the plug-in with your latest changes (since saving).
Adjust the size of a plug-in window
In MainStage, do one of the following:
Drag the lower-right corner of the plug-in window.
Choose the window size from the View pop-up menu in the plug-in window header.
Link or unlink plug-in windows
You can link plug-in windows so that a single plug-in window shows either all open plug-ins or all open plug-ins in the same insert slot row across all channel strips.
In MainStage, Control-click the Link button to the right of the plug-in window header.
Choose one of the following options from the Link shortcut menu:
Off: Plug-in windows are not linked. Clicking in the center of any plug-in opens it in a new plug-in window.
Single: A single plug-in window is used to display all open plug-ins. Each time you open a new plug-in, the window updates to include the newly chosen plug-in. In Single mode, the Link button turns purple.
Multi: As you select channel strips or plug-ins, a single plug-in window is used to display all open plug-ins in the same insert slot row (first row, second row, and so on). You can open multiple plug-in windows and set each window to Multi mode to display the plug-ins for more than one row of inserts as you select different channel strips.
For example, you could insert a Channel EQ plug-in into the first insert slot and a Compressor plug-in into the second insert slot of multiple channel strips. If you then open a Channel EQ plug-in window, a Compressor plug-in window, and set both plug-in windows to Multi mode, as you select each channel strip, the Channel EQ and Compressor plug-in for the selected channel strip will be displayed. In Multi mode, the Link button turns yellow.
Note: You can simply click the Link button to toggle between Off and Single mode.
Using Link mode affects the entire concert—it’s not possible to have Link mode set differently in different plug-in windows of the same concert. Link mode can be set to either Single for the entire concert or Multi for one or more rows of plug-ins. This means that if Multi is selected, clicking the Link button on additional plug-ins from any not currently linked rows engages Multi for that row of plug-ins, and if Single is selected for any open plug-in, Multi is turned off.
Choose a source for a plug-in’s side chain signal
For plug-ins with a Side Chain Source pop-up menu, you can use audio from an audio or software instrument track, hardware input, or bus to trigger the plug-in. For example, the dynamics of a drum groove can be used to rhythmically change the compression, and therefore dynamics, of a guitar, synthesizer, or bass part. The side chain signal is used to control the plug-in, but it is not processed by the plug-in.
In MainStage, click the Side Chain Source pop-up menu in the plug-in header area, then choose one of the available sources.
The audio signal from the selected side chain source now serves to control the plug-in. At any time, you can change external side chain sources, select an internal side chain source if one is available, or select None to turn off the side chain if an internal side change source is not available.
Show extended plug-in parameters
In MainStage, click the disclosure arrow at the bottom of the plug-in window.
Switch between Editor and Controls view
In MainStage, choose the Controls or Editor item from the plug-in window header’s View pop-up menu.