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 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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- Learn about Effects
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- Learn about Amps and Pedals
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- Bass Amp Designer overview
- Bass amplifier models
- Bass cabinet models
- Build a custom combo
- Amplifier signal flow
- Pre-amp signal flow
- Use the D.I. box
- Amplifier controls
- Bass Amp Designer effects overview
- Bass Amp Designer EQ
- Bass Amp Designer compressor
- Bass Amp Designer Graphic EQ
- Bass Amp Designer Parametric EQ
- Bass Amp Designer microphone controls
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- Learn about Delay effects
- Echo controls
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- MainStage Loopback overview
- Add a Loopback instance in MainStage
- MainStage Loopback interface
- MainStage Loopback waveform display
- MainStage Loopback transport and function controls
- MainStage Loopback information display
- MainStage Loopback Sync, Snap To, and Play From parameters
- Use the MainStage Loopback group functions
- MainStage Loopback Action menu
- Sample Delay controls
- Stereo Delay controls
- Tape Delay controls
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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 controller parameters
- Modifier MIDI plug-in controls
- Note Repeater MIDI plug-in controls
- Randomizer MIDI plug-in controls
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- Use the Scripter MIDI plug-in
- 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 MIDI plug-in controls
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- Learn about included Instruments
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- Alchemy overview
- Name bar
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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
- Source modulations
- Morph controls
- Master voice section
- Alchemy extended parameters
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- MainStage Quick Sampler overview
- Add content to MainStage Quick Sampler
- MainStage Quick Sampler waveform display
- Use Flex in MainStage Quick Sampler
- MainStage Quick Sampler Pitch controls
- MainStage Quick Sampler Filter controls
- Quick Sampler filter types
- MainStage Quick Sampler Amp controls
- MainStage Quick Sampler extended parameters
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- MainStage Playback plug-in overview
- Add a MainStage Playback plug-in
- MainStage Playback interface
- Use the MainStage Playback waveform display
- MainStage Playback transport and function buttons
- MainStage Playback information display
- MainStage Playback Sync, Snap To, and Play From parameters
- Use the MainStage Playback group functions
- Use the MainStage Playback Action menu and File field
- Use markers with the MainStage Playback plug-in
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- Sculpture overview
- Sculpture interface
- Global parameters
- Amplitude envelope parameters
- Use the Waveshaper
- Filter parameters
- Output parameters
- Assign MIDI controllers
- Extended parameters
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MainStage Remix FX
Remix FX includes a set of buttons, sliders, and XY pads you can use to control several real-time effects common to electronic and dance music. It makes it easy to scratch mix your project, much like a DJ using a turntable, to play audio in reverse, to stop or downsample the song, and to apply a variety of other effects. It is intended mainly for use on the stereo output bus, but you can insert the plug-in on any type of signal in your project.
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You can also control the XY pads and other parameters with MIDI controllers, assigned with Smart Controls.
Use the XY pads on the left and right to control various time-based and modulation effects. Drag the pointer horizontally (X axis) or vertically (Y axis) to set the value of the parameter shown on the bottom or left side of each pad.
XY pad pop-up menus: Clicking the name of the effect at the top of the XY pad opens a pop-up menu. Choose an effect type for either the left or right XY Pad.
Filter: Removes frequencies above a cutoff frequency and accentuates frequencies around the resonance value. X sets the cutoff frequency and Y sets the resonance value. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Mode: Choose between Phat, a warm-sounding filter with a 24 dB lowpass and 24 dB highpass filter, and Classic, a clean, state-variable filter with a slope of 12 dB/octave.
Wobble: Modulates the audio signal through a vintage-style filter effect. X sets the modulation rate and Y sets the modulation depth. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select from options for note division, note division with an added triplet, or a triplet of the note division.
Orbit: Modulates the audio signal through a flanger effect, phaser effect, or a mix of both. X sets the modulation rate and Y sets the modulation depth. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Mode: Choose between a phaser effect, a modulation effect that is a mix of both a phaser and flanger, or a flanger effect.
Repeater: Creates a stuttering effect. X sets the repeat rate and Y sets the mix amount. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select from options for note division, note division with an added triplet, or a triplet of the note division.
Reverb: Adds ambience to your audio signal. X sets the reverb time and Y sets the mix amount. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Color: Choose the character for the reverb. Dark rolls off the higher frequencies. Medium offers a relatively neutral ambience. Bright rolls off the lower frequencies.
Delay: Adds echoes to your audio signal. X sets the modulation rate and Y sets the feedback depth. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select from options for note division, note division with an added triplet, or a triplet of the note division.
Remix FX parameters
FX Lock button: Freezes the current X/Y values when the pointer is removed from the pad. You can then choose a different XY effect for the same pad and use it in combination with the locked effect. You can’t choose the same effect for both XY Pads.
Reset button: Immediately halts all XY pad effects and disables XY pad locks, if active.
Gater slider: Applies a gate-style effect on the incoming signal. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameters:
Gater: Select from options for note division, note division with an added triplet, or a triplet of the note division.
Noise: Injects a small amount of soft, noninvasive noise into your signal, so that even without any audio signal you can still hear some gating.
Downsampler slider: Changes the resolution of incoming audio, making the sound thinner, gritty, or peaky, similar to Bitcrusher distortion. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Downsampler: Extreme introduces a sympathetic, ringing frequency to your audio signal. Classic downsamples the audio to “roughen it up.”
Reverse button: Reverses playback of incoming audio. Touch-sensitive effect variations are available on the left and right sides of the button. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select a note division for the reverse effect.
Scratch button: Simulates a record scratch on the incoming audio. Touch-sensitive effect variations are available on the left and right sides. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select a note division for the scratch effect.
Tape Stop button: Simulates the slow down and stop of the incoming audio. Touch-sensitive effect variations are available on the left and right sides of the button. Click the Settings button to access the following additional parameter:
Time: Select a note division for the tape stop effect.
Settings button: Shows additional effect parameters for the currently selected effect.