Use the MainStage Pedalboard Router

Pedalboard has two discrete signal busses—Bus A and Bus B. Stompboxes that you drag into the Pedal area are inserted into Bus A by default. Bus A (lower) and Bus B (upper) appear as two horizontal gray lines in the Router above the Pedal area. These busses provide flexibility when you’re setting up signal processing chains.

Note: The Router area appears when you move your pointer to a position immediately above the Pedal area, and it disappears when you move the pointer away. When you create a second bus routing, the Router remains open even when your pointer is not over it. You can close the Router by clicking the small latch button at the top; the Router then opens or closes automatically when you move your pointer over it.

Figure. Pedalboard Router, showing two busses.

Notes on Splitter utility and Mixer utility use

Dragging a Splitter utility into the Pedal area automatically inserts a Mixer utility to the far right of all inserted pedals.

You cannot drag a Splitter utility to the far right of all inserted pedals, to directly after an inserted Splitter utility, to directly in front of an inserted Mixer utility, or to an empty space in the Pedal area.

Dragging a Mixer utility into the Pedal area automatically creates a split point at the earliest possible point—the leftmost point—within the signal chain.

You cannot drag a Mixer utility to the first slot in the Pedal area, to between an inserted Splitter and Mixer utility combination, or directly to the right of an inserted Mixer utility.

Create a second bus routing

In MainStage, do one of the following:

Move your pointer immediately above the Pedal area to open the Router, and click the name of a stompbox in the Router.
Two gray lines appear in the Router. The lower one represents Bus A and the upper one Bus B. The pedal name moves to the upper line. The chosen stompbox is now routed to Bus B, and a Mixer utility pedal is automatically added to the end of the signal chain.
Drag a Splitter utility pedal into the Pedal area when more than one pedal is inserted.
This also inserts a Mixer at the end of the signal chain if one doesn’t already exist.

Remove the second bus routing

In MainStage, do one of the following:

Delete the Mixer and Splitter utility pedals from the Pedal area.
Remove all stompboxes from the Pedal area. This automatically removes any Mixer utility.

Remove an effect from the second bus

In MainStage, click the name of the pedal in the Router. (You can also click the lower gray line immediately above the pedal to remove the pedal from the second bus.)
Note: The removal of all effects from Bus B does not remove the second bus. The Mixer utility pedal remains in the Pedal area, even when a single stompbox (effect) is in the Pedal area. This enables parallel routing of wet and dry signals. Only when all pedal effects are removed from the Pedal area are the Mixer utility and second bus removed.

Determine the split point between busses

When more than one bus is active, a number of dots appear along the “cables”—the gray lines—in the Router. These represent the output (the socket) of the pedal to the lower left of the dot.

In MainStage, click the appropriate dot to determine the split point where the signal is routed between busses.
A cable appears between the busses when you click a dot.
Note: You cannot create a split point directly before or after the Mixer utility.

Switch between a Splitter utility and a bus split point

To replace a bus split point with a Splitter utility in MainStage: Double-click the bus split point dot in the Router.
The Splitter utility appears in the Pedal area.
To replace a Splitter utility with a bus split point: Double-click the Splitter label in the Router.
The Splitter utility is removed from the Pedal area.

Change a Mixer utility position in the Pedal area

In MainStage, drag the Mixer utility to a new position, either to the left or to the right.
If you move the Mixer utility to the left, the “downmix” of Bus A and Bus B occurs at the earlier insertion point. Relevant effect pedals are moved to the right and are inserted into Bus A.
If you move the Mixer utility to the right, the “downmix” of Bus A and Bus B occurs at the later insertion point. Relevant effect pedals are moved to the left and are inserted into Bus A.
Note: A Mixer pedal cannot be moved to a position directly following or preceding a corresponding split point or Splitter utility.

Change a Splitter utility position in the Pedal area

In MainStage, drag the Splitter utility to a new position, either to the left or to the right.
If you move the Splitter utility to the left, the split between Bus A and Bus B occurs at the earlier insertion point. Relevant effect pedals are moved to the right and are inserted into Bus A.
If you move the Splitter utility to the right, the split between Bus A and Bus B occurs at the later insertion point. Relevant effect pedals are moved to the left and are inserted into Bus A.
Note: A Splitter pedal cannot be moved to a position directly preceding (or to the right of) a corresponding Mixer utility.

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MainStage User Guide