Okay, now you have a bit of an idea how MainStage is using up your computer’s RAM and CPU when you’re playing. Keep this in mind when you’re building that next set of patches. When you load that instrument into MainStage the only way your computer can play those audio files as quickly as you can mash the keys on your digital piano is by loading them into it’s short-term memory: RAM. If your sampled piano has 88 notes, recorded at 3 intensities with the sustain pedal pressed and not pressed that’s a whopping 528 audio files! ![]() Now, audio files are pretty “big” in terms of storage space on your computer. For example, a good sampled piano instrument will have little short recordings of every note on a piano, at various intensities, with the pedal on or off, etc. Sampler instruments, in contrast, are based on playing back “samples” of an instrument. Unlike sample-based instruments, synthesizers are (as a rule of thumb) not as RAM intensive, because they aren’t storing actually audio files, just little programs for producing and processing the wave. These instruments are very CPU-intensive, because every time you play a key on the keyboard your CPU has to generate that wave, run it through all the modulations and effects, and produce that beautiful output that makes your worship pastor smile (or, not…) Retro Synth is an example of a synthesizer instrument: In a basic synthesizer instrument in MainStage, your CPU is generating a sort of virtual wave, and then applying all sorts of modulations and effects to that wave to get an output. Synthesizer instrumentsįundamentally, a synthesizer works by generating and modulating a particular wave. In MainStage there are two basic instrument VST types: synthesizers and samplers. Most people are familiar with that idea, but here is how it translates to MainStage… When you are trying to solve a math problem, your “CPU” is doing the work, but when you’re trying to remember where you left your keys it’s your “RAM”. Your CPU is like the thinking part of your brain, and RAM is like the memory part of your brain. Here’s what’s going on:# MainStage CPU and RAM utilization What many don’t know, Auto-Sampler is only available in Mainstage 3, which you can buy for only $29.99 USD in the Mac App Store.Ever wonder why MainStage is running slow, or why you’re hearing weird pops or cracks, or why switching patches creates this terrible awkward pause in that awesome huge pad you were using to usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit? Yeah, me too. In a few clicks, you can create big sampled instruments using your favourite plugins. Unfortunately, Mainstage doesn’t support VST plugins for macOS.Īs you can see, the sampling process is very simple but in the same time a very powerful sound design tool. This sampling process is only possible with Mainstage’s internal plugins or with AudioUnits (AU). In the second tutorial, I demonstrate you how you can sample software instruments like Synthesizers. Software Synthesizer (AudioUnits) Sampling In this example, I used the KORG Monologue as a sound source. In the first tutorial, you get an overview how you can sample hardware Synthesizers. To give you an overview how simple this process is, I created two videos that shows hardware and software Synthesizer sampling with the help of different instruments. Choose your audio source, choose additional parameters like sample region, velocity, loop point etc. ![]() ![]() You only need instruments that responds to MIDI. The whole this is not witchcraft but a very simple process. With a few clicks, you can sample hardware and software instruments in the depth you like directly in Mainstage 3. For some time now, this unique software is only available under the name Auto-Sampler in Mainstage 3 or macOS. A few years later, Apple came and took over the company with the development team. ![]() A company called Redmatica had developed a clever tool a few years ago that would allow to simply sample instruments. Single notes have to be sampled, different velocities etc. Sampling hardware or software instruments is a hard task. In these two tutorial videos you can find out how it works! Hardware and software instruments (AudioUnits) sampling has never been so easy as with Mainstage’s Auto-Sampler.
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