In musical theatre, a sound patch refers to one or more sounds grouped into one playable entity. Different sounds within the patch can also be layered on top of each other, or split at different points across the keyboard. Creating, layering, and splitting sound patches in Apple MainStage is really easy. In this tutorial, we’ll be creating and manipulating software instrument sound patches in MainStage’s “Edit” window.
MainStage for Musical Theatre — Using a Global Reverb
When programming sound patches for musical theatre productions, one should strive for efficiency. A CPU and RAM footprint is integral to the stability of Apple MainStage. Reverb, short of reverberation, is the repetition of a sound as a result of sound waves reflecting off different surfaces. Many people refer to reverb as “echo,” Regardless of what you want to call it, reverb plugins eat up CPU power. Take a look at the following screenshot.
MainStage for Musical Theatre — Getting Started
Apple MainStage used to be part of Logic Studio, which was $499. Now, it’s available as a standalone app on the App Store for $29. It’s possibly the best deal in music software history. After you buy and install MainStage, click “Download Additional Content” under “MainStage” in the menu bar. These are free sounds that can be used in MainStage. I recommend only downloading the instruments and not the Apple Loops. The download will take a while, so let’s talk about a few other pieces of equipment you’ll need for a functional musical theatre setup.
MainStage for Musical Theatre — Submixing Sound Patches
Do you find yourself constantly changing the volume of every single channel strip in your patches during tech week? How do you mix your sound patches when programming keyboards for a musical theatre production? You probably use a combination of common sense and the “I’ll use the cast recording as a reference” method. Here’s another tool you can take advantage of while programming. It’s called a submix, and here’s how it works.
MainStage for Musical Theatre — Introduction
MainStage for Musical Theatre is now part of Apple MainStage Keyboard Programming, a complete tutorial series on Apple MainStage for keyboardists, music directors, and keyboard programmers.
How to Clean Your Yamaha MOTIF Keyboard
This is how it usually goes…
Buy a new top of the line keyboard. Treat it like it’s the most precious thing in the world for a few weeks. Start using it for real. “How do I clean this thing?” After taking my Yamaha Motif XF on a few gigs, I started to notice the inevitable smudges and oil buildup that comes with regular use. It wasn’t a big concern at the time, but I made a mental note to get rid of the imperfections as soon as possible.