Apple MainStage User Manual
MainStage
User Manual
K
Apple Inc.
© 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be
copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent
of Apple. Your rights to the software are governed by
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information in this manual is accurate. Apple Inc. is not
responsible for printing or clerical errors.
Note: Because Apple frequently releases new versions
and updates to its system software, applications, and
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Apple Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014-2084
408-996-1010
www.apple.com
Apple, AppleScript, FireWire, Logic, Mac, Mac OS,
QuickTime, Apple, Apple Store, and Jam Pack are
trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries.
Finder, GarageBand, and MainStage are trademarks of
Apple Inc.
Other company and product names mentioned herein
are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention
of third-party products is for informational purposes
only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a
recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with
regard to the performance or use of these products.
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Contents
Chapter 1 7 An Introduction to MainStage
7 What Is MainStage?
Using MainStage With MIDI Controllers
Using MainStage With Guitars and Other Instruments
Adding MainStage to Your Music Setup
Using MainStage in Live Performance
Resources for Learning About MainStage
MainStage Onscreen User Manual
Apple Websites
Chapter 2 15 Setting Up Your System
15 Using MIDI Devices With MainStage
Using Audio Devices With MainStage
Using Effects Plug-ins With MainStage
Chapter 3 17 The MainStage Interface
17 The MainStage Window
Layout Mode
Edit Mode
Perform Mode
Full Screen Mode
Chapter 4 23 Getting Started With MainStage
23 Before You Begin
Choosing a Concert Template
Selecting and Playing Patches
Adding a Patch
Renaming a Patch
Adding a Channel Strip to a Patch
Changing a Channel Strip Setting
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Learning Controller Assignments
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Mapping Screen Controls to Parameters
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Trying Out Full Screen and Perform Modes
Customizing the MainStage Window
Chapter 5 37 Working With Concerts
37 Opening and Closing Concerts
Saving Concerts
How Saving Affects Parameter Values
Using Tempo in a MainStage Concert
Muting Audio Output
Silencing MIDI Notes
Working at the Concert Level
Chapter 6 47 Working in Edit Mode
47 Working With Patches in Edit Mode
Working With Channel Strips in Edit Mode
Mapping Screen Controls
Working With Sets in Edit Mode
Working at the Set Level
Overriding Concert- and Set-Level Mappings
Sharing Patches and Sets Between Concerts
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Chapter 7 67 Working in Layout Mode
68 Changing the Grid Resolution
Modifying the Layout of a Concert
Working With Screen Controls
Assigning Hardware Controls to Screen Controls
Editing Screen Control Parameters
How MainStage Passes Through MIDI Messages
Exporting a Layout
Importing a Layout
Chapter 8 85 Performing Live With MainStage
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Before the Performance Starts
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Using Full Screen Mode and Perform Mode
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Selecting Patches in Performance
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Using Screen Controls in Performance
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Handling Tempo Changes in Performance
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Performing With Guitars and Other Instruments
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Using the Tuner
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Tips for Complex Hardware Setups
Contents
Appendix A 93 Key Commands
93 Concerts and Layouts
Patches and Sets (Edit Mode)
Editing
Actions
Parameter Mapping (Edit Mode)
Channel Strips (Edit Mode)
Screen Controls (Layout Mode)
Window and View
Help and Support
Appendix B 97 Setting MainStage Preferences
97 General Preferences
Audio/MIDI Preferences
Index 99
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Contents
5
1
An Introduction to MainStage
MainStage turns your computer into a powerful and
customizable musical instrument, optimized for use in
live performance.
The advent of fast, powerful portable computers has created new opportunities for
musicians to use their computers in live performance. Now computer musicians can
keep an entire library of sounds on their computers to use when they play live. What
they need most is a way to access, organize, and manipulate those sounds that
combines the advantages of computer-based music-making with the tactile control
and ease of use of dedicated music hardware.
1
What Is MainStage?
MainStage is a new application designed to be used in live performance. MainStage
turns your computer into a powerful multi-instrument and effects processor that you
can use on stage. If you are a keyboard player, guitarist, vocalist, or other performing
musician, you can use MainStage with your instruments, microphones, and other music
gear when you perform live.
MainStage lets you use the professional-quality instruments and effects included in
Logic Studio in your live performances. You can access and edit instruments and effects
using the familiar Logic channel strip interface. If you play a USB or MIDI keyboard
controller, you can play and control a wide variety of software instruments, including
pianos and other keyboards, synthesizers, strings, horns, percussion, and others. If you
play a guitar or another musical instrument, you can perform using many of the effects
from Logic Studio, including guitar and bass amp simulation, reverb, compression, EQ,
and more. Vocalists can also use effects with their voice, and acoustic instruments can
use them with their instruments played through a microphone.
7
MainStage provides a simple, flexible interface for organizing and accessing your
sounds in concerts . Concerts are MainStage “documents” that hold your sounds—a
concert can store all the sounds you’ll use in an entire performance. In a MainStage
concert, individual sounds are stored as patches , and each patch can contain one or
more audio or software instrument channel strips. You can add channel strips, choose
channel strip settings, add instruments and effects, and edit their parameters to
customize your sounds. You can even mix audio and software instrument channel strips
in a single patch.
Each concert also includes a visual interface, called a layout , that has controls you can
use to modify your patches in live performance. Layouts contain screen controls , which
can include keyboards, faders, knobs, buttons, pedals, drum pads, and other objects.
You make connections between your MIDI devices and the concert by assigning
hardware controls to the screen controls in the MainStage workspace. After you make
controller assignments, you map the screen controls to channel strip and plug-in
parameters, completing the connection so that you can easily access and manipulate
the parameters you want for each patch in the concert. You can also map screen
controls to select patches and to provide visual feedback about patches, parameter
values, and other information in real time.
MainStage lets you quickly and easily make controller assignments and parameter
mappings to speed your workflow. You can customize your layout to match the
controls on your MIDI hardware, to optimize the use of available screen space, or in any
other way that suits your needs.
Using MainStage With MIDI Controllers
If you play a USB or MIDI keyboard controller, you can play and control MainStage
patches 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 keyboard controllers and other devices that send standard
MIDI messages, including sustain and expression pedals and MIDI foot switches. You
can also use MainStage with other controllers, such as MIDI guitars and wind controllers
.
8 Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage
Using MainStage With Guitars and Other Instruments
If you play an electric guitar or other musical instrument, you can use MainStage as a
powerful and configurable effects processor. After you connect your instrument to your
computer using an audio interface, you select the audio input for your instrument in
the audio channel strips in your patches, where you can add effects including amp
simulation, EQ, compression, and reverb. You can control volume, effect blend, or
expression with an expression pedal, and use a foot switch to select patches.
Vocalists and acoustic musicians can use MainStage in the same way, by connecting
the audio input from a microphone to audio channel strips in their patches. You can
use MainStage with Core Audio-compatible audio devices, such as audio interfaces, for
input from instruments and microphones, and for audio output to speakers, monitors, a
mixing board, or a public address (PA) system.
Adding MainStage to Your Music Setup
If you are a MIDI keyboardist, guitarist, or vocalist, or if you play another type of
instrument, you can add MainStage to your rig setup following these steps:
 Customize your sounds and effects setups
 Organize the patches in your concert
 Customize your layout
 Make connections between MainStage and your music hardware
To make setup easier, MainStage divides these tasks into two groups, with separate
modes for each group of tasks. You customize and organize your patches in Edit mode,
and customize your layout and make connections to your hardware in Layout mode.
The advantage of this division is that it separates tasks you normally perform only once,
such as setting up your layout (the Layout mode tasks) from those you are likely to
repeat more often, such as editing your sounds (the Edit mode tasks).
Edit Mode: Working With Your Sounds
You edit and organize patches in Edit mode . In Edit mode, your patches are “live” so you
can hear the results of your edits instantly. You can select and play patches, choose
channel strip settings, and edit channel strip parameters. You can quickly define key
ranges for channel strips to create keyboard layers and splits, scale expression and
other parameters using transforms, and filter incoming MIDI messages.
MainStage includes a variety of concert templates designed for different musical
instruments, styles, and uses. You can use a concert template as a ready-made “multiinstrument” or as a starting point for creating your own custom concert.
Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage
9
When you open a concert in Edit mode, the patches in the concert appear in the Patch
List, where you can select them and start playing. You can edit patch parameters, add
channel strips to existing patches or create new ones, and reorder patches to build
your custom collection of sounds to use when you perform.
You can also organize patches in sets for added flexibility. Sets are “folders” that can
store groups of patches you want to keep together, which can be useful in several
ways. For example, you can store all your favorite lead synth patches in a set, or store
multiple patches you intend to use in a single song, and quickly select the patches you
want while performing.
Edit mode is where you map screen controls to channel strip parameters. You can map
whichever parameters you want to modify for each patch to screen controls so they
can be easily manipulated from your hardware when you perform live. You can also
map screen controls to MainStage-specific actions, such as selecting the next patch you
want to play.
Layout Mode: Making Connections With Your Gear
Each concert contains a layout, which visually represents your hardware controls
onscreen. In Layout mode , you arrange screen controls in the MainStage workspace,
and make connections between MainStage and your music hardware.
In Layout mode, you connect your MIDI devices to the screen controls in your
MainStage concert by assigning hardware controls such as knobs, faders, pedals, and
drum pads to corresponding screen controls. MainStage features a variety of screen
controls, including keyboards, knobs, faders, switches, pitch bend and modulation
wheels, foot pedals, and drum pads. Also included are screen controls to display text
and images, and a patch selector that you can use to view and select patches while
performing. You can move and resize screen controls in the workspace and customize
the display of visual feedback for parameter values and other information. You only
need to make hardware controller assignments once for an entire concert, greatly
reducing the amount of work required to connect your hardware with your computer.
10 Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage
Using MainStage in Live Performance
Once you have created and organized your sounds, customized your layout, and made
your hardware assignments, you’re ready to play. When you perform live, you can use
your computer as the final sound module and effects box in your rig. You can select a
patch and start playing it instantly. MainStage switches seamlessly between patches
and can sustain notes from the previous patch while you start playing the newly
selected one. You can view feedback about your patches, including names, parameter
values, and audio output levels, in real time. You can also adjust concert-wide effects
using busses and control other concert-wide settings.
MainStage provides two modes for performing live: Full Screen mode and Perform
mode. In Full Screen mode, the workspace fills your entire screen, optimizing available
screen space for your onscreen layout. In Perform mode, the workspace fills the
MainStage window but lets you retain access to the Finder and to other applications.
You can use whichever mode you prefer.
You can use MainStage with multiple MIDI controllers, microphones, musical
instruments, and other music equipment. For time-based effects such as reverb and
delay, you can set a pre-defined tempo, use MIDI input for tempo changes, or tap the
tempo as you perform.
Resources for Learning About MainStage
This manual describes the MainStage interface, commands, and menus, and gives stepby-step instructions for creating MainStage concerts and for accomplishing specific
tasks. It also includes information on setting up your system. It is designed to provide
the information you need to get up to speed quickly so you can take full advantage of
the intuitive interface and powerful features of MainStage.
If you want to start by learning how to set up audio and MIDI hardware to use with
MainStage, read Chapter 2, “Setting Up Your System,” on page 15. If you want to learn
about the features and controls in the MainStage interface, read Chapter 3, “The
MainStage Interface,” on page 17. If you want to jump right in and start using the
application, skip ahead to Chapter 4, “Getting Started With MainStage,” on page 23. If
you want to read about using MainStage in live performance, turn to Chapter 8,
“Performing Live With MainStage,” on page 85.
In addition to this manual, MainStage provides other sources of support.
Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage
11
MainStage Onscreen User Manual
The MainStage onscreen user manual allows you to access information directly
onscreen while you’re working in MainStage. To view this information, choose Help >
MainStage User Manual. The MainStage onscreen user manual is a hyperlinked version
of the MainStage User Manual, enhanced with features that make locating information
quick and easy.
 The homepage provides quick access to various features, including the Late-Breaking
News and the Logic Studio Instruments and Effects manual.
 A comprehensive bookmark list allows you to quickly choose what you want to see
and takes you there as soon as you click the link.
In addition to these navigational tools, the MainStage onscreen user manual gives you
other means to locate information quickly:
 All cross-references in the text are linked. You can click any cross-reference and jump
immediately to that location. Then, you can use the Preview Back button to return to
where you were before you clicked the cross-reference.
 The table of contents and index are also linked. If you click an entry in either of these
sections, you jump directly to that section of the user manual.
 You can also use the Find dialog to search the text for specific words or a phrase.
Apple Websites
There are a variety of Apple websites that you can visit to find additional information.
Logic Studio Website
For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Logic Studio,
including MainStage, go to:
 http://www.apple.com/logicstudio
Apple Service and Support Website
For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for Apple
products, go to:
 http://www.apple.com/support
You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple
and third-party product technical articles.
12 Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage
Other Apple Websites
Start at the Apple homepage to find the latest and greatest information about Apple
products:
 http://www.apple.com
QuickTime is an industry-standard technology for handling video, sound, animation,
graphics, text, music, and 360-degree virtual reality (VR) scenes. QuickTime provides a
high level of performance, compatibility, and quality for delivering digital video. Go to
the QuickTime website for information on the types of media supported, a tour of the
QuickTime interface, specifications, and more:
 http://www.apple.com/quicktime
FireWire is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great
for use with multimedia peripherals, such as video camcorders and the latest highspeed hard disk drives. Visit this website for information about FireWire technology and
available third-party FireWire products:
 http://www.apple.com/firewire
For information about seminars, events, and third-party tools used in web publishing,
design and print, music and audio, desktop movies, digital imaging, and the media arts,
go to:
 http://www.apple.com/pro
For resources, stories, and information about projects developed by users in education
using Apple software, go to:
 http://www.apple.com/education
Go to the Apple Store to buy software, hardware, and accessories direct from Apple
and to find special promotions and deals that include third-party hardware and
software products:
 http://www.apple.com/store
Chapter 1 An Introduction to MainStage 13
2 Setting Up Your System
2
You can use MainStage with a wide variety of MIDI controllers
and Core Audio compliant audio devices.
Real-time generation and processing of digital audio requires intensive processing by
your computer. If you plan to work on large or complex projects, using a computer
with a faster processor and extra random-access memory (RAM) installed can facilitate
your productivity. Additional RAM is useful particularly when using a large number of
effects plug-ins and when playing sample-based software instruments. It is
recommended that you do not run other processor- or RAM-intensive applications
simultaneously with MainStage, particularly when performing live.
Using MIDI Devices With MainStage
MainStage works with many USB and MIDI keyboard controllers and with other MIDI
devices such as foot pedals and switches. To work with MainStage, MIDI devices must
send standard MIDI control messages. MainStage receives standard MIDI messages, but
does not send MIDI messages and cannot be used to control external MIDI devices. For
more information about using MIDI devices, see the “Setting Up Your System” chapter
in the Logic Pro 8 User Manual.
Using MIDI Devices That Send Special MIDI Message Types
Certain types of hardware controls such as knobs (rotary controls) and buttons are
capable of sending several types of MIDI messages. When you assign these controls to
MainStage screen controls using the Learn process, MainStage analyzes the incoming
MIDI data to determine which type of message the hardware control is sending. In
order for MainStage to learn these controls correctly, be sure to turn knobs through
their full range of motion and to press buttons exactly three times during the Learn
process.
Some MIDI controllers can send nonstandard or proprietary MIDI messages. MainStage
cannot process or respond to nonstandard MIDI messages, to “registered” or “nonregistered” parameter messages, or to system exclusive (SysEx) messages.
15
Some devices feature buttons that send program change messages. You can use these
buttons to send program change messages to MainStage, but you cannot assign them
to control other parameters using MainStage screen controls.
Choosing a Controller Preset
Some keyboard controllers allow you to choose different presets or “scenes” that
reconfigure the messages sent by the controls on the device. In most cases, you should
choose a generic preset that sends standard MIDI messages rather than system
exclusive messages or messages intended for a particular application. After you have
assigned hardware controls to screen controls in MainStage, do not change the preset
on the MIDI device, or your assignments might be lost.
In some cases, you can change the message type the controller sends by choosing a
different preset or by reprogramming the device. Some devices may include software
that you can use to reprogram knobs, buttons, and other controls. For information
about reprogramming a MIDI device, see the documentation that came with the
device.
Using Audio Devices With MainStage
MainStage works with Core Audio-compliant audio devices, including FireWire, USB,
and PCI audio interfaces. For more information about using audio devices, see the
“Setting Up Your System” chapter in the Logic Pro 8 User Manual.
MainStage can require a large amount of available RAM, particularly when playing
sample-based software instruments. 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 play and switch between patches without causing audio
drop-outs or distortion. Unlike in Logic Pro 8, you can choose different audio input and
output drivers in MainStage. For more information about choosing audio drivers, see
“Setting MainStage Preferences” on page 97.
Using Effects Plug-ins With MainStage
You can use many of the Logic Studio effects plug-ins in MainStage channel strips.
Some Logic Studio plug-ins, including surround plug-ins and those causing noticeable
latency, are not available in MainStage. For more information about the included
effects plug-ins, refer to the Logic Studio Instruments and Effects manual. You can also
use Apple and third-party Audio Units effects in MainStage channel strips in the same
way you use them in Logic Pro 8 channel strips.
Some Audio Units plug-ins can introduce latency. Using effects that introduce latency,
such as compressors and limiters, can produce undesirable or unpredictable results
during live performance.
16 Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System
3 The MainStage Interface
3
You do all your work in MainStage in a single window, the
MainStage window.
The MainStage window is organized to make working with your patches and your
layout easy as you edit your concerts. The workspace fills the center of the window,
with inspectors and other editing areas on the left and right sides. When you are ready
to perform, you can use one of two performance-oriented modes to maximize your
onscreen layout for easy viewing on stage.
The MainStage Window
Some features of the MainStage interface are common to all modes, while others are
only available in certain modes.
Toolbar
Inspector
Activity Monitor
Workspace
with
screen
controls
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The main features of the MainStage window include:
 Toolbar: Includes buttons for common commands and tools. You can customize the
Toolbar so that the commands you use most frequently are readily available.
 Activity Monitor: Shows your computer’s processor and memory usage, and shows
the input from your MIDI devices as you edit and perform.
 Workspace: The “canvas” where you customize your onscreen layout, assign hardware
controls to screen controls, and view your concerts.
 Screen controls: The onscreen objects that correspond to the controls on your
hardware devices. You can add and arrange screen controls in the workspace, assign
hardware controls to screen controls, and then map them to parameters you want to
control for each patch in your concert.
 Channel strips: Channel strips are where you build and customize your sounds.
MainStage channel strips are similar to channel strips in Logic Pro 8, with Insert,
Sends, and I/O menus as well as level meters, faders, pan knobs, and other controls.
 Inspectors: Inspectors appear on the left side of the MainStage window when you
select items onscreen. Different inspectors are available in different modes. The
inspectors allow you to edit parameters and attributes for patches, sets, screen
controls, channel strips, and the concert and layout.
To make working easier, MainStage features four different modes, each suited to a
different task. You audition, edit, and organize your sounds and map screen controls in
Edit mode. You customize the visual arrangement of controls onscreen and make
controller assignments in Layout mode. You use either Perform mode or Full Screen
mode when you perform live.
18 Chapter 3 The MainStage Interface
Layout Mode
Layout mode is where you customize your onscreen layout and make connections
between your MIDI hardware and the screen controls in your concert. You drag screen
controls into the workspace and arrange them onscreen to customize your layout, then
make controller assignments between your MIDI hardware and the screen controls.
In the Layout Inspector, you can edit layout parameters to customize hardware
assignments and modify the visual look of screen controls.
Layout Inspector
Panel Controls Palette Shelf Controls Palette
 Layout Inspector: View and edit parameters for screen controls in the workspace,
including hardware assignment and appearance parameters.
 Panel Controls and Shelf Controls palettes: Drag screen controls from either palette
into the workspace to add them to your onscreen layout. Panel controls appear
surrounded by a flat panel in the workspace, while shelf controls appear on an
adjustable three-dimensional shelf.
In Layout mode, unlike the other modes in MainStage, you can’t select or edit
individual patches. You can play and hear the last selected patch as you work on your
layout.
Chapter 3 The MainStage Interface 19
Patch List
Screen Control
Inspector
(changes depending on
the selection)
Edit Mode
Edit mode is where you create, customize, and organize your sounds. You can add
patches, add and edit channel strips, create keyboard layers and splits, and edit channel
strip parameters. Edit mode is also where you select and map screen controls to
channel strip parameters and actions, and edit patch, set, and concert-level parameters.
Parameter Mapping
 Patch List: Shows the patches and sets in the concert. You can add patches and sets
to the Patch List and rename, select, and reorder them. The Patch List includes an
Action menu where you can create patches and sets, reset program change
numbers, skip items, and import and export patches and sets to use in other
concerts.
 Concert, Set, Patch, Channel Strip, and Screen Control Inspectors: View and edit
parameters for the currently selected item. The name of the inspector changes to
reflect the type of item selected.
 Channel Strip Settings browser (displayed when a channel strip is selected): Choose
channel strip settings for the selected channel strip. You can search for settings by
name, choose which settings are visible, and set the default channel strip setting for
new channel strips.
 Parameter Mapping browser (displayed when a screen control is selected): Choose
channel strip parameters or actions to map to the screen control currently selected in
the workspace.
20 Chapter 3 The MainStage Interface
Browser
Channel Strips
area
 Channel Strips area: View and edit the channel strips in your patches or at the
concert or set level. Channel strips appear in a vertical format similar to Logic Pro 8
channel strips, with many of the same controls. You can also add channel strips and
save channel strip settings.
The remaining two modes, Perform mode and Full Screen mode, are both optimized
for performing live. You can use either one when you perform.
Perform Mode
In Perform mode, the workspace fills the entire MainStage window. The Toolbar is
visible so that you can switch modes using the Mode buttons, use the Panic or Master
Mute buttons and the Tuner, and view CPU and memory levels and MIDI input in the
Activity Monitor. The browsers and inspectors are hidden to maximize the size of the
workspace, making screen controls larger and easier to read in onstage situations. You
can still access the Finder and switch to other applications in Perform mode.
Chapter 3 The MainStage Interface 21
Full Screen Mode
In Full Screen mode, the workspace fills your entire computer display so that your
screen controls are as large as possible for maximum readability. Full Screen mode
optimizes your display for live performance when you want to use MainStage
exclusively while you play.
22 Chapter 3 The MainStage Interface
4 Getting Started With MainStage
4
You can quickly start working in MainStage by choosing a
concert template and trying out the patches in the concert.
This chapter provides a guided “walkthrough” you can follow
the first time you open MainStage.
Before You Begin
Before you start working in MainStage, you should connect the hardware equipment
that you plan to use, such as your keyboard controller, audio interface, instruments, or
microphones, to your computer. To use keyboard controllers and other MIDI devices
with MainStage, the devices should be capable of sending standard MIDI messages. If
you’re not sure whether this is the case for a particular device, consult the owner’s
manual or the product website. For more information, see “Setting Up Your System” on
page 15.
Choosing a Concert Template
MainStage includes templates for different musical instruments, styles, and uses. You
can choose a concert template in the Choose Template dialog, which appears the first
time you open MainStage and each time you create a new concert.
23
To choose a concert template:
1 Choose File > New Concert (or press Command-N).
The Choose Template dialog appears. On the left is the Collection list, with collections
for different instrument types. On the right is the Template list, which shows the
available templates for the selected collection.
Choose a collection from
this column to see the
available templates.
Choose a template for a new
concert from this column.
2 Click a collection from the Collection list to see the templates in that collection.
3 Click a concert template from the Template list to create a new concert using that
template.
A new concert created from the template opens in Edit mode. The workspace appears
in the center of the MainStage window, showing the screen controls in the concert. To
the left of the workspace is the Patch List, which shows the patches and sets in the
concert. The channel strips for the selected patch appear in the Channel Strips area to
the right of the workspace.
The first time you open a concert, the topmost patch is selected, so you can start
playing immediately using a connected keyboard controller (if the patch has a software
instrument channel strip) or using an instrument or microphone connected to your
computer (if the patch has an audio channel strip). When you reopen a saved concert,
the patch that was selected when you closed the concert is selected.
For more information about opening, editing, and saving concerts, see “Working With
Concerts” on page 37.
24 Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage
Selecting and Playing Patches
The patches in the concert appear in the Patch List along the left side of the MainStage
window. You can quickly try out patches to find the ones you want to use.
If you are using a MIDI controller, you can play patches that have a software instrument
channel strip using your controller. If you are playing an electric guitar or another
instrument or are using a microphone connected to an audio interface, you can play or
sing using patches that have an audio channel strip. Before playing through an audio
channel strip, first make sure that the channel strip is set to receive input on the
channel (or stereo pair of channels) to which your instrument or microphone is
connected.
To select a patch:
1 In the Patch List, located to the left of the workspace, click the patch.
Click a patch in the Patch
List to select it, and start
playing.
2 With the patch selected, you can start playing instantly.
You can also select patches in the Patch List using your computer keyboard.
To select a patch using your computer keyboard:
m Press the Down Arrow key to select the next (lower) patch in the Patch List.
m Press the Up Arrow key to select the previous (higher) patch in the Patch List.
With the patch selected, try moving some controls on your MIDI controller and check
to see if the screen controls in the workspace respond. Some screen controls, including
the keyboard, modulation and pitch bend wheels, and sustain pedal screen controls,
respond to appropriate MIDI messages without needing to be assigned or mapped.
You can continue selecting and playing patches in the concert to find sounds you want
to perform with or to use as a starting point for creating your own custom patches. You
can also add new patches and edit their channel strip settings to create your own
unique sounds.
Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage 25
Click the button for the
type of channel strip you
want the patch to
contain.
Adding a Patch
You can add patches to a concert and organize them in the Patch List. The number of
patches is limited only by the amount of available memory in your system. When you
add a patch to a concert, you choose whether the patch is created with an audio or a
software instrument channel strip.
To add a new patch:
1 Click the Add Patch button (+), located in the upper-right corner of the Patch List.
The New Channel Strip dialog appears at the top of the window.
2 Select the type of channel strip for the patch.
If you want to play the patch using your keyboard controller, click the Software
Instrument button. If you want the patch to receive audio input from an instrument or
microphone, click the Audio button.
3 Choose the audio output for the channel strip from the Output pop-up menu.
4 For audio channel strips, choose mono or stereo format from the Format pop-up menu
and choose the audio input from the Input pop-up menu.
Important: Audio channel strips can produce feedback, particularly if you are using a
microphone for audio input. When you add an audio channel strip, the volume of the
channel strip is set to silence by default. To quickly eliminate feedback later, you can
click the Mute button on the channel strip or press Control-M to activate Master Mute.
5 Click Create.
A new patch appears in the Patch List, and the channel strip for the patch appears in
the Channel Strips area.
6 For audio channel strips, gradually raise the volume fader until you hear sound on the
channel.
26 Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage
Renaming a Patch
When you add a patch, by default it takes the name of the channel strip added with it.
You can quickly rename patches to make it easier to identify and distinguish between
them.
To rename a patch:
1 Double-click the patch in the Patch List.
A field appears around the patch name, which is selected.
Double-click the patch
name, then type
a new name.
2 Type a new name in the patch name field.
For more information about editing and organizing patches, see “Working With Patches
in Edit Mode” on page 47.
Adding a Channel Strip to a Patch
You can add channel strips to a patch to create layered sounds and keyboard splits.
When you add a channel strip to a patch, you choose whether to add an audio or
software instrument channel strip. You can mix both types in a single patch.
To add a channel strip to a patch:
1 Make sure the patch is selected in the Patch List.
2 Click the Add Channel Strip button (+) in the upper-right corner of the Channel Strips
area.
The New Channel Strip dialog appears. You choose settings in the Channel Strip dialog
in the same way as when you add a patch.
3 In the New Channel Strip dialog, select the type of channel strip you want to create.
4 Choose the audio output for the channel strip from the Output pop-up menu.
Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage 27
5 For audio channel strips, choose mono or stereo format from the Format pop-up menu
and choose the audio input from the Input pop-up menu.
6 Click Create.
A new channel strip appears in the Channel Strips area, highlighted in blue to indicate
that it is selected. The Channel Strip Settings browser appears below the workspace,
showing available channel strip settings for the channel strip.
7 For audio channel strips, gradually raise the volume fader until you hear sound on the
channel.
Most channel strip controls function in MainStage in the same way that they do in
Logic Pro 8. You can adjust channel strip output using the Volume fader, adjust pan
position using the Pan knob, and mute or solo the channel strip using the Mute and
Solo buttons. You can choose new channel strip settings, add and edit effects, add
sends to busses, and change the output in the same way as in Logic Pro 8. For audio
channel strips, you can switch between mono and stereo format using the Format
button. For software instrument channel strips, you can choose a different instrument
from the Input pop-up menu.
28 Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage
For general information about working with channel strips, see Chapter 10, “Working
with Instruments and Effects” in the Logic Pro 8 User Manual. For more information
about channel strips in MainStage, see “Working With Channel Strips in Edit Mode” on
page 51.
Changing a Channel Strip Setting
You can quickly change the instrument, effects, and other parameters for a channel
strip by selecting a new setting from the Channel Strip Settings browser. The browser
shows available settings for the currently selected channel strip.
To select a new channel strip setting:
1 In the Channel Strips area, select the channel strip you want to change.
The selected channel strip is highlighted, and available settings for the channel strip
appear in the Channel Strip Settings browser. In the Channel Strip Settings browser,
Logic Studio content appears as a series of numbered folders with different instrument
categories. If you have GarageBand or have one or more Jam Pack collections installed
on your computer, those settings appear below the Logic Studio settings.
2 Click a category from the column on the left, then click subcategories from the
columns on the right until you see the settings you want.
Click a category in this
column to see the
available choices.
Click the channel strip
setting you want to use from
the columns to the right.
You can also search for channel strip settings by name, reset the current channel strip,
and perform other functions from the Channel Strip Settings browser. For more
information about the Channel Strip Settings browser, see “Choosing Channel Strip
Settings” on page 53.
Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage 29
Learning Controller Assignments
When you select a patch or a channel strip setting, some channel strip parameters
respond to the controls on your MIDI device instantly. MainStage responds to notes
played on a keyboard controller, modulation and pitch bend wheel messages, and
sustain pedal messages without your having to configure any screen controls to receive
these messages. For other controls such as faders, knobs, and buttons, you must assign
these hardware controls to MainStage screen controls before you can use them in your
concert.
In MainStage, you assign hardware controls to screen controls in the Layout Inspector
using the Learn process, similar to learning controller assignments for a control surface
in Logic Pro 8. Learning controller assignments is a quick and easy method for
assigning hardware controls to screen controls.
Note: To be able to assign a hardware control to a screen control, the hardware control
must send standard MIDI messages. For more information, see “Using MIDI Devices
With MainStage” on page 15.
To learn controller assignments:
1 In the Toolbar, click the Layout button.
MainStage switches to Layout mode.
2 In the workspace, select the screen control you want to learn.
The selected control appears highlighted in blue.
3 In the Layout Inspector, click the Learn button.
The Learn button glows red to indicate that the Learn process is active.
Click the Learn button to
start learning hardware
assignments.
4 On your MIDI device, move the control you want to assign to the screen control. Move
faders and knobs through their full range of motion, and press buttons exactly three
times (not too quickly) to enable MainStage to correctly learn the MIDI message types
sent by these controls.
30 Chapter 4 Getting Started With MainStage
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