MainStage User Guide
- Welcome
-
- Overview of Edit mode
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- Layout mode overview
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- Overview of keyboard shortcuts and command sets
-
- 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
-
-
- Use MIDI plug-ins
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
-
- Alchemy overview
- Alchemy interface overview
- Alchemy Name bar
- Alchemy file locations
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- Sculpture overview
- Sculpture interface
- Global parameters
- Amplitude envelope parameters
- Use the Waveshaper
- Filter parameters
- Output parameters
- Define MIDI controllers
- Extended parameters
-
- Studio Piano
- Copyright and trademarks
Download additional sound packs in MainStage
After you install MainStage, you can download additional sound packs from the Sound Library. Sound packs contain Apple Loops, patches, drum kits, and other material that you can use in your projects.
Each sound pack in the Sound Library has a name and an icon that you can click to see a brief description and a preview to play.
Some sound packs may also be required in order to open a MainStage concert. If so, a message appears asking whether you want to download the required sound pack.
You can download some or all available sound packs, or you can delete them to manage storage space.
Open the Sound Library
In MainStage, choose MainStage > Sound Library.
Download sound packs
In MainStage, choose Sound Library, then click the sound pack you want to download.
Swipe horizontally or click on a sound pack collection name to see more packs in that collection.
Do any of the following:
Click the Preview button to hear a sample.
Click the Preview button to see a preview of the video or click the play button in the upper-left corner of the Artist and Producer Packs to watch the full video.
In the Artist and Producer Packs, click the Apple Music button for any additional material by the artist or producer.
Click Get to download.
Search for sound packs in the Sound Library
Click anywhere in the search field along the top of the Sound Library, then enter a search term.
As you type, matching sound packs are shown below.
Do either of the following:
Click one of the matching results.
Click Cancel or the Cancel button
to cancel your search.
Delete sound packs
In the Sound Library, click the sound pack you want to delete, then click Delete.
Click Delete to confirm the deletion.
Manage sound packs
Manage Packs lets you download, update, or remove packs to free up storage on your Mac. The total storage used by all installed sound packs appears at the top of the list, and the size of each individual pack is shown within the list.
In the MainStage Sound Library, click Manage Packs in the upper-left corner.
Do any of the following:
Download all available sound packs: Click the Get All button next to All Available Packs.
Delete a sound pack: Click the Delete button next to the sound pack you want to delete.
Delete all installed sound packs: Click the Delete button next to All Installed Packs.
Download a sound pack: Click Get next to the sound pack you want to download.
Update a sound pack: Click Update next to the sound pack you want to update.
Click outside the Manage Packs area when you’re finished.
Relocate the Sound Library
MainStage contains all its sound-related files (such as Plug-in, Patches, Apple Loops, Samples, and more) in a single file named Logic Pro Library.bundle. You can access these files when you use the Sound Library window to manage the content in MainStage. It is stored by default in the ~/Music/ folder, but you can move it to any other location on your boot drive or external drive, and point to that location in MainStage > Settings > General > Sound Library. For more information on the Sound Library bundle, see Sound Library settings.