Using MainStage for Live Performance

Reassessing My Live Performance Setup

Taking a couple of weeks off from working on my live performance setup gave me time to reflect. I realised I was overcomplicating things without much payback. I’d been using Logic Pro’s Live Loops to trigger individual song sections during performances, thinking it would let me extend sections like choruses on the fly. But after some thought, I concluded that the effort of setting this up and troubleshooting wasn’t worth the limited flexibility it offered.

That’s when I remembered Apple’s MainStage—a piece of software specifically designed for live performance. After some research, I decided to give it a try, and it turns out it fits my needs far better than trying to make Logic Pro work for live shows.

Transitioning from Logic Pro to MainStage

When I started experimenting with MainStage, I had a few reservations:

• Could I trigger backing tracks directly in MainStage, or would I still need Logic Pro for that?

• Would I lose the ability to loop sections if I wanted to extend a song during a live performance?

• How easily could I switch between instruments?

• Could I use drum pads and keyboards to trigger different software instruments simultaneously?

After a full day of trial and error, I found that the answer to all these questions is yes. MainStage is highly customisable, allowing me to design layouts that match my MIDI controller setup. I can assign buttons, knobs, and pads to specific actions, trigger track playback, and even loop song sections. Here’s what I discovered:

Key Features of MainStage for Live Performance

1. Looping Sections: I expected to lose the ability to loop specific sections—my main reason for using Live Loops. However, if you bounce a WAV file with markers from Logic Pro and import it into MainStage, the timestamp information is retained. MainStage can then cycle through a specific section seamlessly.

2. Efficient MIDI Controller Mapping: With Logic Pro, I spent a lot of time diving into backend settings and using workarounds to map my MIDI controller effectively. MainStage, however, is optimised for live performance and makes this process much easier.

3. Set-Level Organisation: Initially, I was playing back backing tracks at the patch level, which caused playback to stop when I switched from one instrument (e.g., piano) to another (e.g., synth). I then learned about MainStage’s set-level folder system, which lets playback continue across patches within the same set. This setup allows me to switch instruments without interrupting the track.

4. Simultaneous Instruments: At first, I couldn’t get my drum pads and keyboard to play different instruments simultaneously because the set-level setup was overriding the patch-level inputs. The solution was to disable MIDI input for the set-level instrument on the keyboard and map those elements to the drum pads. This allowed me to keep the flexibility of playing multiple instruments at once.

Transferring Songs to MainStage

Today, I successfully transferred the first two songs from my live set into MainStage. Moving forward, setting up the rest of the songs will be much quicker. Here’s the streamlined process:

1. Decide which elements I want to play live.

2. Export samples (e.g., drum sounds or sound effects) from Logic Pro.

3. Save software instruments (e.g., piano or synth patches).

4. Export backing tracks with the live elements muted.

5. Import everything into MainStage and map the MIDI controller inputs.

While the initial learning curve was steep, I managed to transfer two tracks in a single day—much faster than my previous method in Logic Pro. With practice, this process will save me significant time and effort.

My custom layout representing my MIDI controllers in MainStage

Why I Recommend MainStage

For anyone already using Logic Pro, MainStage is a natural extension. It shares many foundational elements, like channel strips and instruments, making transfers straightforward. It’s also incredibly customisable and, at just £30, offers an affordable solution for independent artists. As a piano player, it allows me to create a variety of sounds live using a small, portable MIDI controller instead of a large, expensive keyboard or synthesizer.

Switching to MainStage has streamlined my workflow, reduced setup time, and solved many of the challenges I faced. I’m excited to continue refining my live set and focus more on what really matters—performing and connecting with my audience.

Solving Challenges with My MIDI Controller for Live Performance

Today felt like an uphill battle as I worked on refining my live set. My goal is to organise everything efficiently and make it simple and effective for live performance. This means figuring out how to manage my drum pads, Logic Pro, and MIDI controller for live performance so I can focus on what truly matters: singing, performing, and connecting with the audience. While I haven’t solved every issue, I’ve learned a lot and made some progress.

Exploring Logic’s ‘Performances’ Feature

Yesterday, I discovered Logic’s ‘performances’ feature. This allows you to change an instrument on a channel strip using MIDI program change data sent from a controller. I thought this would be a game-changer, as it would let me switch instruments efficiently during a performance. Unfortunately, it turns out Logic only allows one instrument per MIDI program change channel. This limitation means I’d have to rethink how to streamline instrument switching.

Performance feature limitations

Trying Instrument Stacks in Logic

Next, I experimented with Logic’s instrument stacks. These are designed to group multiple instruments, letting you play them all at once or split them by MIDI channel data. This sounded promising however, my current MIDI controller, the Alesis V61, can’t switch MIDI channels on the fly. Even with a new controller like the Akai MPK Mini Plus, this method would involve cycling through channels, which would be less efficient than simply pressing a button to switch instruments.

'Summing' stack which allows playing all instruments in the stack at once

Drum Pad and Keyboard Separation

One challenge I’m determined to solve is how to use my drum pad and keyboard to play different instruments at the same time. Right now, I have to select a single instrument, which means both the keyboard and drum pads are locked to that instrument. This creates unnecessary steps during a live performance—steps that need to be timed perfectly. I want fewer opportunities for error, so I’m exploring ways to separate the MIDI channel data for these devices.

Laying Out the Second Track

I’m preparing the second song in my live set, and while I haven’t started practising it yet, I’ve made good organisational progress. I’ve laid out empty cells in Logic’s loops view, representing the instruments I’ll play in each section. I’ve also created a detailed table outlining the structure of the song, which will guide me when I’m ready to learn the parts.

Keeping track of what I'm playing

Empty cells represent what I'll be playing for each section

Overcoming Drum Pad Limitations

The second track has 16 samples I want to trigger during the performance, including drum sounds, sound effects, and key backing vocal lines. Since my current MIDI controller only has 8 drum pads—and 4 of those are used for playback controls—I’m planning to buy a standalone drum pad for playback. This will free up all 8 pads on my main controller. Even then, it’s not enough for all 16 samples. Luckily, the Akai MPK Mini Plus offers an easy way to page through drum pad mappings, which should solve the problem.

Why Upgrade to the Akai MPK Mini Plus?

Upgrading to the Akai MPK Mini Plus will simplify my workflow dramatically and be a much more flexible midi controller for live performance. It offers more buttons, dials, and features like MIDI channel switching directly on the device. It also has a screen for feedback, making it easier to manage during a live set. Plus, its compact design is ideal for travelling, which is becoming more important as I plan future performances. Compared to my current Alesis V61, it’s a significant upgrade in both functionality and portability.

Akai MPK Mini Plus

Alesis V61

The Journey Continues

While there’s no visible progress on my live set today, I’m learning and moving closer to a solution. Each challenge I solve will make the final performance smoother, more engaging, and more enjoyable for the audience—and that’s the ultimate goal.

Live Set Preparation: Organising ‘Lose My Hope’ in Logic Pro

Today I finished planning my second live set song, ‘Lose My Hope’, and tackled the live set preparation process in Logic Pro. I focused on balancing the elements I’ll perform live, triggering audio files, and streamlining the setup to ensure a polished and entertaining performance. Here’s how I approached it.

Choosing What to Play Live vs Triggering Audio

When preparing a live set, I want to keep the performance simple and effective rather than overly complex and messy. I revisited the original Logic Pro project, listened to all the elements, and selected the ones I’d play live on a MIDI keyboard (piano, bass, synth) and those that would be triggered during the performance (drum kits, sound FX, some backing vocals).

• I chose fun sound effects that are easy to trigger but visually engaging, ensuring the performance remains entertaining.

• Guitar elements were left out as they don’t translate well to a MIDI keyboard.

Original project - purple sections are the chosen elements to play live

Splitting and Importing Audio Files

For the elements I wanted to trigger live, I broke the audio files into song sections like verse, chorus, and bridge. Some sections were further split into smaller parts to give me more control over timing when triggering the audio in Logic Pro’s Live Loops view.

1. I bounced out the groups of instruments (minus the live-played elements) and imported them into my live set project.

2. I moved the files to the Live Loops page as a series of scenes, each representing a different section of the song.

Live Loops view of audio files broken down into song sections

Triggering Elements with Drum Kit Designer

To trigger specific elements like drum kits, sound FX, and backing vocals, I exported their individual audio files and added them into Logic Pro’s Drum Kit Designer. This allows me to trigger these elements during the performance using a MIDI pad or controller.

I haven’t finalised the exact mapping yet—today’s session was about adding everything into the layout. In a future session, I’ll experiment with different mappings to find what works best.

Trigger elements imported into Drum Kit Designer

Setting Up Instruments for Live Performance

For the elements I’ll play on the MIDI keyboard (piano, bass, and synth), I used Logic Pro’s channel strip settings to streamline the process:

• I saved the channel strip settings for each instrument in a folder.

• These were easily imported into the live set project, saving time and ensuring consistent sounds.

Logic's saved channel strip settings

While working on this, I also discovered Logic’s ‘Performance’ feature, which allows quick switching between instruments using a MIDI program change message. My current controller doesn’t support program changes, but this feature could simplify live set preparation in the future by reducing the number of channel strips needed. For example:

• I could have just 4 channel strips for the entire live set and use program changes to switch between instruments for each song, reducing the need for controller assignment mode changes.

Reflections on Live Set Preparation

This session was all about creating a clean, effective setup for ‘Lose My Hope’. By carefully balancing live playing with triggered audio elements, I’m ensuring the performance will look and sound polished without overcomplicating things. My focus on Logic Pro live loops setup and MIDI keyboard live performance has helped create a flexible workflow I can build on for future songs.

Next steps include refining the layout, experimenting with mapping, and exploring the ‘Performance’ feature to streamline the setup further.