MainStage 3.6.5

Beat Breaker Main Editor in MainStage

The Main Editor is the working area of Beat Breaker and where you can interact with its effects. On the far left, incoming audio enters the input buffer. In the center, the output waveform is visible, and slices represent where you can add effects to the audio. These slices are flexible; you can add, delete, and move them in relation to the Snap value using slice markers in the Slice Editor strip situated above the output waveform.

There are three types of effects, or edit modes: Time, Repeat, and Volume. You can select an effect using the Edit Mode buttons. When selected, each mode appears as a color: Time mode is orange, Repeat mode is magenta, and Volume mode is yellow.

When you select an edit mode and click a slice, the parameters for the selected slice are visible at the top of the Main Editor. You can adjust a parameter level by directly dragging the parameter value sliders or by using gestures on your trackpad.

When you click the slices in Time mode, a mapping line indicates which instant in the input buffer will play back in the output pattern, allowing you to select how to “chop” your audio and change its speed. You can use Repeat mode to add up to eight repetitions of the selected slice to create stutter effects, the rhythmic repetition of small audio fragments. With Volume mode, you can change the volume over the duration of a slice to create swells and changes in dynamics.

Finally, you use the Pattern Slot menu to save and organize your patterns. See Work with pattern slots.

Main Editor parameters

Edit Mode buttons: Choose an edit mode to customize slice playback: Time for position and speed, Repeat for repetition frequency, and Volume for playback volume. See Edit modes.
- Time button: Change the input position and speed of a slice. See Time mode parameters.
- Repeat button: Change the number of repetitions for a slice to create stutter effects. See Repeat mode parameters.
- Volume button: Change the volume of a slice. See Volume mode parameters.
Input buffer: During playback, the input buffer displays the incoming audio, and its playhead shows which part of the input buffer is currently playing.
Slice Editor strip: This area contains slice markers. Here you can add, move, and delete slice markers for the selected pattern. See Work with Beat Breaker slices.
Output Beat: Set the position of the selected slice marker. This defines the beat at which the input beat is played back. See Move a slice.
Global controls: A collection of controls such as Length, De-click, and Mix that you can use to fine-tune your pattern.
- Length menu: Set the length of the current pattern in beats. Each pattern can be set to a separate value, with the default set to 4 beats.
- De-click value: Reduce clicks at locations where the playhead jumps by having a fast fade-out and fade-in. Decrease the value to hear more hard-hitting transients. Increase the value to remove audio clicks.
- Mix value: Control the balance between the original and processed audio signals. Set to 100% to hear only the processed signal.
- More button: Choose the Snap Output Beat, Snap Input Beat, and Snap Speed values. This defines the snap for the Output Beat, Input Beat, and Speed parameters to the nearest value.
  - Snap Output Beat: Control which values the Output Beat parameter can be set to when using the Slice Editor strip. For example, when the Snap Output Beat is set to 1/16, dragging left and right on a slice handle will quantize the Output Beat value to 1/16 of the Length.
  - Snap Input Beat: Control which values the Input Beat parameter can be set to when using the Main Editor. For example, when the Snap Input Beat is set to 1/8, dragging up and down on a slice will quantize the Input Beat value to 1/8 of the Length.
  - Snap Speed: Control which values the Speed parameter can be set to when using the Main Editor. For example, when set to Time, dragging left and right on a slice will quantize the Speed to musically meaningful rates, such as 100%, 75%, 66%, or 50%.
Pattern buttons: Select a new preset pattern, or use Pattern Off to turn off all pattern effects. Each Pattern button contains settings for Time mode, Repeat mode, Volume mode, and Length. You can use Pattern buttons to quickly switch Beat Breaker settings while performing or a recording.
Pattern Slot Edit button: Turn on/off Pattern Slot Edit mode. In this mode, you can use the Pattern pop-up menu to load, save, and rename patterns in each pattern slot. See Work with pattern slots.

Download the guides:

MainStage User Guide: PDF

MainStage Instruments: PDF

MainStage Effects: PDF

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