chord charts, text, and lots of other visuals in understand: connecting your keyboard to your SENDING AUDIO TO YOUR SOUNDSYSTEM
this area, connect them to your hardware, and computer, and connecting your computer to Once you’ve got your keyboard talking to
then sync those controls to sounds or effects in your sound system. MainStage, all that’s left is to get the audio
MainStage. In a worship music context this is
MainStage generates to your sound system.
especially useful for things like fading in a pad First let’s talk about the connection from your If you’re just starting out you can simply plug
sound smoothly when you reach a certain part keyboard to your computer. To explain this an adaptor cable into the headphone jack of
of a song, or adjusting the amount of reverb connection we’ll have to get nerdy for just a your Mac. If you decide that you want to pursue
on a piano in the moment. MainStage makes minute and talk about a type of connection MainStage in earnest you can invest in a higher
these kinds of moments very easy to pull off, called ‘Musical Instrument Digital Interface’ quality audio interface to get your audio to your
and you can even color-code and text-label which is almost universally shortened to the sound system.
whatever you’d like onscreen to make the acronym ‘MIDI’. One of the most common misconceptions I’ve
Workspace volunteer-friendly.
seen is that MainStage is actually processing
UNDERSTANDING MIDI the audio out of your keyboard, sort of like a
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH MAINSTAGE Back in the ‘80s the digital instrument guitar pedalboard would change the sound of
If MainStage sounds interesting to you, there world was rapidly evolving, and all of the big a connected guitar. In reality, you’re bypassing
are a few things you’ll need before jumping manufacturers were trying to find ways to make your keyboard’s built-in sounds altogether in
in. First and foremost is a Mac computer their gear play nicely together. MIDI came out this setup. Instead, your keyboard is simply
that’s powerful enough to run MainStage 3. of that time period as a universal language for telling MainStage what notes to play, at what
If you have a Mac already, you can view the any and all music gear to use to communicate. volume, and for how long.
minimum system requirements for MainStage Believe it or not, that same language is still and purchase it from the Mac App Store. Once being used today.
SO MUCH TO EXPLORE
you’ve confirmed that your computer can
Before I discovered MainStage, I didn’t know
handle MainStage, you’ve already got almost In order to get your keyboard to communicate how I was going to help my worship team keep
everything you need to get started! with your Mac computer you’ll need to send up with where I saw worship music going. Now,
MIDI data over a cable. The good news is every time a new album comes out I can’t wait
When I was new to MainStage the biggest almost every keyboard built after the mid ‘80s to be inspired by new synth and keys parts! The
roadblock I ran into was understanding how to is able to send MIDI data, either over a MIDI ability to play inspiring worship keys parts no
get everything connected. Looking back now adaptor cable or, in more modern keyboards, matter what keyboard I’m connected to, and
I realize I was making things too complicated. over USB. the freedom that MainStage has brought to me
There’s really only two connections you need to
as a worship leader has been amazing.
If you’re looking for a way to take your team’s
keys sounds to the next level, MainStage
could be a game changer for you too. Today,
I’ve shared just the tip of the iceberg of what
MainStage can do and what you’ll need
to learn along the way to be successful,
but slow and steady wins the race when it
comes to introducing new technology to your
worship team. The good news is that there’s
a community of worship musicians around the
world using MainStage every weekend in their
churches big and small, so you won’t be alone!
‘
David Pfaltzgraff
David is the Founder and Lead Sound Designer at
SundaySounds.com, a site that creates keys patches,
templates, and sound libraries used by worship musicians
around the world.
November 2018
WorshipMusician.com
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