Why is nobody talking about Apple MainStage 2?

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:52 pm

For $29, you get a cool interface for amp sims, loads of synths, a drum machine, looper, AND FRIGGIN' ALL OF THE JAM PACKS (w/ loops, samples, MIDI files) THAT USED TO COST $50-120 EACH. FOR TWENTY NINE DOLLARS! OMG!

http://www.apple.com/logicpro/mainstage/

Seriously, can you recall when you've gotten more value for a $29 investment? I'm serious!

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:48 pm

MainStage is definitely amazing, I just personally can't find a use for it. I'm not about to start carting Apple hardware around to dive bars for a few sounds.

Here's the most impressive use case that I've seen:

[youtube][/youtube]

I saw them on that tour and I remember having my mind blown when I first saw the video, as I'd never expected almost all the sounds were not only all software-based, but specifically MainStage.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:05 pm

Why is this the first time I've heard of this?!? This is insanely awesome!

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:29 pm

avj wrote:MainStage is definitely amazing, I just personally can't find a use for it. I'm not about to start carting Apple hardware around to dive bars for a few sounds.

Here's the most impressive use case that I've seen:

[youtube][/youtube]

I saw them on that tour and I remember having my mind blown when I first saw the video, as I'd never expected almost all the sounds were not only all software-based, but specifically MainStage.

Well to be fair, there is a certain amount of hardware up there. Pedal baords, modular synths, and (depending on the player) regular amps, too. Trent has never been really into guitar amps, but I'm fairly certain JMJ had a bass and guitar rig.

That said, I do tend to have kind of a shit time integrating the electronics into my band's live shows, this might be a real treat, especially with vocal effects integration.

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:14 pm

aen wrote:
avj wrote:MainStage is definitely amazing, I just personally can't find a use for it. I'm not about to start carting Apple hardware around to dive bars for a few sounds.

Here's the most impressive use case that I've seen:

► Show Spoiler
[youtube][/youtube]
I saw them on that tour and I remember having my mind blown when I first saw the video, as I'd never expected almost all the sounds were not only all software-based, but specifically MainStage.
Well to be fair, there is a certain amount of hardware up there. Pedal baords, modular synths, and (depending on the player) regular amps, too. Trent has never been really into guitar amps, but I'm fairly certain JMJ had a bass and guitar rig.

That said, I do tend to have kind of a shit time integrating the electronics into my band's live shows, this might be a real treat, especially with vocal effects integration.

Of course there's some hardware, but it was still quite a revelation.

Are you still using your Little Phatty live? I've been using mine and some switching with a guitar-to-midi converter to be able to kick on control of the Moog via guitar at any time. Guitar into POG2 with OD/fuzz out to Vibrosonic while simultaneously triggering the same note on the LP into a killer PA is amazing. I can't believe you haven't picked up one of those Sonuus units yet. (Diagram of this setup from a year ago, slightly modified since then)

I've also recently been trying to integrate the iPad a bit using Animoog, Filtatron, ReBirth, and assorted other apps. I was on the fence with an iPad for a long time, but Animoog was announced on my birthday and it just felt like the right time.

Trying to integrate an actual computer into my live setup is just about the scariest thing I can imagine. Something like MainStage is only appealing to me from an ease-of-switching-many-massively-different-sounds perspective.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:25 pm

I do agree that actually converting your setup to a computer setup is extremely scary. However, if any computer + software combination can do it, I'm a believer in Mac + MainStage. The truth is, I've been using less and less Guitar Rig lately, getting more tones just from the GarageBand amp sims, and I really think they're good enough to use on a recording, which means they're good enough for live. MainStage, especially at $29, installed on top of a stock MacBook, w/ a cheap external interface is actually an extremely streamlined setup, compared to what many of us probably carry around and consider essential. If you are playing w/ click and backing tracks and such, get a 4-channel interface, and you can have a setup that changes your effects for you at the right parts of songs and stuff like that. It's what people used to pay serious money for.