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
- 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
- Low and highpass filter
- 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
-
- Copyright
Space Designer global parameters in MainStage
The global parameters affect the overall input, output, or behavior of the effect. See Space Designer global controls and output controls.
Note: Some parameters discussed in this section are available only in Sampled IR or Synthesized IR mode. Most parameters are available in both modes. Some parameters are specific to stereo use, and are not shown when Space Designer is used in other channel formats.
Global parameters
Quality pop-up menu: Choose the sample rate. Low produces a grainy reverb. High matches the host application sample rate. Ultra is smooth and clean sounding.
IR Offset field: Set the playback start point in the impulse response sample.
Reverse button: Reverse the impulse response and envelopes. When the impulse response is reversed, you are effectively using the tail rather than the front end of the sample. You may need to adjust the Predelay and other parameter values when reversing.
Definition field: Set a crossover point (as a percentage of the overall length) to reduce the synthesized impulse response resolution. This emulates reverb diffusion and saves CPU resources.
Action menu: Choose a menu command.
Reset Selected Envelope: Reset the currently displayed envelope to default values.
Reset All Envelopes: Reset all envelopes to default values.
Reset EQ: Reset the Output EQ to default values.
Latency Compensation: Enable or disable the internal latency compensation feature. When active, the direct signal in the output section is delayed to match the processing delay of the effect signal.
The complex calculations made by Space Designer take a small amount of time, which results in a processing delay, or latency, between the direct input signal and the processed output signal. Space Designer processing latency increases if Low or Lo-Fi is chosen in the Quality pop-up menu. Processing latency does not increase at sample rates above 44.1 kHz (Medium or High Quality pop-up menu settings).
Note: This compensation feature occurs entirely within Space Designer.
Volume Compensation: Disable or enable the internal impulse response volume matching function.
The reverb volume compensation feature attempts to match the perceived—not the actual—volume differences between impulse response files. It should generally be left on, although it may not work with all types of impulse responses. If you have an impulse response that is of a different level, turn off volume compensation, then adjust input and output levels accordingly.
Show Bezier Handles: Enable or disable envelope curve handles (nodes) in the main display. These enable you to precisely reshape envelopes. See Edit Space Designer envelopes.
Input slider: Determine how Space Designer processes the stereo input signal. See Use Space Designer global controls.
Predelay sync button: Turn on to restrict Predelay knob values to divisions synchronized with the project tempo.
Predelay knob and field: Set the reverb predelay time, or time between the original signal and the first reflections from the reverb. See Space Designer global controls.
Length knob and field: Adjust the length of the impulse response. This control works in conjunction with the Size knob.
Size knob and field: Adjust the sample rate of the loaded impulse response file, thereby changing the perceived size of the reverb by widening or narrowing the room. Size can also be used to preserve the original length of the impulse response when changing the sample rate with the Quality pop-up menu.
The Size knob value has an impact on the decay because it is multiplied with the Length knob value. To explain, a Length knob value of 100% and a Size knob value of 100% result in a decay that is the full length of the loaded impulse response.
Global output parameters
X-Over slider and field: The X-Over slider sets the crossover frequency. Any impulse response frequency that falls below this value is affected by the Lo Spread knob. Frequencies above are affected by the Hi Spread knob. See Space Designer output controls.
Lo/Hi Spread controls and fields: The Spread controls set the perceived width of the stereo field.
Dry/Wet sliders: Set output levels for the dry (source) and wet (effect) signal.