Assigning different midi channels to Mainstage

Hello,
I'm trying to get Mainstage working with a midi accordion. For this to happen I need to be able to assign different midi channels to the different instruments I want i.e., piano for the right hand of the accordion would be midi channel 1, Double Bass for the left hand would be midi channel 2.
I've been looking through the manual and cant find a way to do it.
Does anyone know if it is possible?
Thanks
Angus

Thanks for the help! Here's a summary of the solution from the posts above:
Let's say you have a MIDI controller transmitting on more than one MIDI channel. Naturally you want to trigger different sounds on each MIDI channel. In my case, it's a Kurzweil MIDI keyboard/controller capable of 4 MIDI channels at once with split points and layers created in the MIDI performance setup.
My goal was to replace rack of MIDI modules with a MacBook running Mainstage (much easier to carry). I want to keep the MIDI setups in the keyboard and duplicate the multitimbral rack modules in Mainstage so I have a choice of taking either the rack or a laptop to the gig.
Here's what worked:
In the Mainstage layout tab I created 4 keyboards. each keyboard was set to the MIDI interface device and a unique MIDI channel. Each keyboard is named for its MIDI channel.
In the edit tab I created a single patch with multiple channel strips. I selected the first channel strip and assigned the sound I wanted in the channel strip itself. On the left side, in the channel strip inspector, I assigned the channel strip to one of the MIDI chanels (one of the keyboards I created in the layout tab).
Then on the right side at the upper right corner of the channel strip I hit the "+" to add a second channel strip to the same patch. I added the plug-ings I wanted and again in the inspector on the left I assigned it to one of the other channels. I created 4 channel strips in the patch.
The result was a multitimbral setup with piano, strings and sound effects on 4 different channels. All active at the same time but only sounding when I selected a MIDI performance in the controller that sends note data to these channels.
It worked very well at my gig last week. Still a couple of details to iron out, such as disabling volume control for certain channel strips.
Hope others find this helpful.
Carlos

Similar Messages

How to play multiple instruments simultaneously on different MIDI channels?

I'm very new (today!) to Mainstage and I have a Yamaha HX-3 organ with three keyboards (Upper - Channel 1, Lower - Channel 2, Pedalboard - Channel 3). I'd like to play all three channels live simultaneously with a different instrument on each one (ie. Piano, Organ and Bass) but I can't figure out how to do this.
I've managed to setup a concert with all three keyboards on different MIDI channels with three different instruments but I can only play one of the keyboards at a time. The other two show MIDI keyboard activity but no sound...HELP!
I also have Native Instruments Komplete 7 if that would help in this regard (I know the Hammond organ sound in Komplete lets me play all three keyboards at the same time).
Thanks,
Don Thompson.

First create 3 keyboards in Layout mode and assign each to its own MIDI channel (I think you may have done this already). Then, create three channel strips, either at the Concert, Set, or Patch level with the three sounds you want to use. Each Channel Strip can be assigned to a different keyboard from your layout. To do this, go to Edit mode, select a Channel Strip, and look at its attributes in the pane below your layout. I don't have MS in front of me but there should be a dropdown list with the keyboards that you have in your layout. Just pick the right one for each strip and you should be good to go.

Help! I can't get Mainstage (2 or 3) to map patches to different midi channels

I recently upgraded to Mainstage 3, partly in the hope that I could solve this problem I've had.
So, I use an M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 and I want to have 2 channel strips on 1 patch: an organ sound controlled by the keyboard and some drum samples controlled by the drum pads.
In layout mode, I've set the keyboard to Channel 1 & the Drum pads to Channel 10 and in edit mode I've set each channel strips' midi input to the appropriate multitimbral settings.
When I play the drum pads I only get drums - so that's working fine - but when I play the keyboard it triggers both channels, and no amount of tweaking has got me round this issue.
I've tried to go into the Axiom Pro settings and change stuff there but haven't had much luck (though i'm not as well learned with the inner settings of the keyboard so I wonder whether there's something I can do there)
Can anyone help? I really want to multitask!
Thanks

For this scenario, you add 2 MIDI actvity or keyboards to your workspace. Name one "Organ" abd the other one "Drums" and assign both to your Axiom, but set the MIDI channel for the "Organ" to 1 and for the "Drums" to 10. Here's where the splitting by MIDI channel happens.
Now, switch from Layout to Edit mode and set the MIDI input of the organ channel strip to Keyboard "Organ" and the MIDI input of the drum channel strip to Keybaods "Drums". The Multitimbral setting in that section converts the MIDI events from the Keyboard objects and if the instrument reacts to all channels, it won't make a difference. This is meant for some AUs, that support Multitimbrality, like NIs Kontakt or the Apple's Vintage B3, that can make different sounds for upper, lower and pedal manuals.
Small re-cap: If you need to split by MIDI channels, you need to do this in Layout mode by adding objects, that react to a specific MIDI channel only.
Hope this helps!
DaCaptain

Assigning midi channels

I want to assign various instruments to a differnent midi channel per instrument, then on my midi controller press midi channel 3 for example and mainstage changes to the patch I would have set-up in the application. Having difficulties working this one out and finding any info on the subject. Hope you can help.
Thanks
P

boothman wrote:
When I change the midi channel on my keyboard, Mainstage is not changing the patch
Hi
Mainstage offers a variety of Patch Changing methods:
Mouse/Trackpad
Key Commands
In-Coming MIDI Program Change messages
Assign in-coming MIDI messages to buttons mapped to next/previous patch etc.
Assign a hardware control and map it to the Patch/Program number action
MS does not currently allow you to change (MS) patches using MIDI channel alone.
What you originally asked was basically how do I setup MS such that I can address different Instrument Channel Strips by changing MIDI channel on my controller.
You can do this as described above: make as many Instrument Channel Strips (in ONE PATCH) and assign them to different MIDI Channels as described in my previous post.
You could then set up additional MS Patches with another bunch of strips setup similarly. You would need to change MS Patches by one of the methods described above
HTH
CCT

Multiple midi channels in one region

Hello,
I've been using Logic since version 4.7, but haven't tried the following in a version newer than 5.5.1. Not sure what functionality might have changed, so here goes...
I'm having issues with having notes with different midi channel assignments in a single region. I have 3 audio instrumets on midi channel one, two, and three, respectively. I have a midi instrument whose midi channel is set to all, that is patched to all three audio instruments in the environment. The track containing my region is playing back on the midi instrument, not the individual audio instruments. I have assigned channels 1, 2, and 3 to individual notes in the region, yet when it plays, all 3 audio instruments are triggered for every note rather than only the instrument whose midi channel matches the note's channel.
Thanks in advance,
JG

Thanks for the responses! The issue is that the three audio instrument objects in the environment are not respecting it's assigned midi channel. Yes, the channel splitter will split the incoming midi channel, but I shouldn't have to use the splitter if I set the midi channel on instrument 1's parameters pane to channel 1, and if the the midi channel is set to channel 2 on audio instrument 2 ect. So in the above example, no matter how how many different events I send on different midi channels to audio instrument 1, audio instrument 1 should only respond to midi channel 1. However it responds to all midi channels. Again, the channel IS NOT SET TO ALL.
So here's a simple test:
-Instantiate Logic's EFM1 on audio instrument 1
-Set audio instrument 1's midi channel in the parameters pane to midi channel 4
-Create a blank midi region with the pencil tool on audio instruments 1's track in the arrange window
-Open up the blank region in the matrix editor
-With the pencil tool, create a few notes.
-Then open up the same region in the event list editor and make sure that all the notes are on a midi channel other that channel 4.
-Play back the region and EFM1 will play back not respecting it's channel assignment!
Hope this clears some stuff up.

How do you change the midi channels of a region?

Lets say i have a region recorded on midi channel 1, how do I change the notes to be midi channel 2? Thanks

Depends.
First of all, are you talking about a MIDI region or an Audio region (Audio regions can "be on a MIDI channel", so to speak, if they contain controllers, i.e., volume, pan, etc.).
So let's say you're talking about MIDI regions for now.
The first order of business is to recognize that the actual channel of the MIDI events contained in the region is determined primarily by the MIDI channel that your controller is sending on. For simplicity sake, let's say your controller sends on channel 1, and the track you're recording on is set to play MySynth on channel 1.
If you're wanting to change the channel from 1 to 2, chances are you want to do this to assign this part to play a different sound on a multi-timbral synth. Let's say that the MySynth object -- as seen in the Environment -- is indeed a multi-timbral synth. If the synth selected for that track is currently assigned to play MySynth 1 (i.e., channel 1), just change it to MySynth 2 (from the track's menu).
Now, if you opened the Event Editor, you'd see that the channel of the MIDI data is still on channel 1! This is normal. Logic is able to "channelize" the data when you select a destination instrument that is on a different MIDI channel from the one that the data was recorded on. So if your track is now set to play MySynth 2, you can go into the Event Editor all day and change the MIDI channel of the data, but it will still be channelized to channel 2 because that track is assigned to play MySynth on channel 2.
There are many many reasons why you might still want to change the MIDI channel of the data in the Event Editor despite the channelizing that goes on. But without going into a whole shpiel about these kinds of applications, just know that the primary way to change the MIDI channel is to select an instrument on the desired MIDI channel.

I'm not expert with input midi channels...

Hello, you can see my system. I add thet I've got two keyboards a M-Audio Key pro 88 and an Edirol PCR-30. I would like to do the simplest thing on earth. I've read on the Reference manual but I couldn't get out: how can I use the two keyboards on two different midi channel to play in concert two different audio instrument on different tracks? I've tried to change the midi channel and the port in Instrument object's parameter box but this didn't work (as I've seen on the manual these parameters works on midi outputs and not on midi inputs). Someone can help me?
iMac 2 GHz Intel core duo 20" 1,5 GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.8) Audio Inteface ESI Quatafire 610

Hello, you can see my system. I add thet I've got two
keyboards a M-Audio Key pro 88 and an Edirol PCR-30.
I would like to do the simplest thing on earth. I've
read on the Reference manual but I couldn't get out:
how can I use the two keyboards on two different midi
channel to play in concert two different audio
instrument on different tracks? I've tried to change
the midi channel and the port in Instrument object's
parameter box but this didn't work (as I've seen on
the manual these parameters works on midi outputs and
not on midi inputs). Someone can help
me?
iMac 2 GHz Intel
core duo 20" 1,5 GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.8) Audio
Inteface ESI Quatafire 610
They work for input also i.e.
Kbd 1, set to transmit on midi channel 1 and assign the ES2 to receive on midi channel 1 in the Object parameter box.
Kbd 2, set to transmit on midi channel 2 and assign the EVP88 to receive on midi channel 2 in the Object parameter box.
Then shift select both in the track list.

How to access audio instruments as midi channels from midi keyboard?

Hi!
This is my first post here.
I use mostly Logic Pro 7 as a sound module with my keyboard. I have a song file in Logic that I made some time ago, where I've linked every audio instrument to a corresponding audio channel (same midi channel). All channels are in record mode, and thus every audio instrument is assigned a midi channel - and I can play different audio instruments by changing the midi channel on my midi keyboard.
Now, I want to create more tracks, so I can have more instruments to choose between. That doesn't work.. I try to make a new logic file and do the same thing with more channels, but I can't remeber how I made this work in the first place. I've been trying for hours and hours, and I'm going nuts here.
I would extremely grateful if anyone could tell me how this is done.
(No rewire/extra software is necessary.)
Thanks for reading.

Welcome!
It's fairly straightforward. On each audio instrument, assign a MIDI channel in the parameter box - so eg Audio Instrument 1 is set to MIDI channel 1, Audio Instrument 2 is set to channel 2 etc.
The key part is in your song settings "File -> Song Settings -> Recording" to make sure "Auto demix by even channel" is ticked.
Now, shift-click on the record buttons for all your audio instruments, and when you send on MIDI channel 1, you'll play the first one, switching to channel 2 you'll play the second one, and so on.
The max you can do is 16 channels at once, afaik, as the sequencer input doesn't retain port info (which is a bit of a shortcoming in my book, but there you go...)

NI products only sound midi channel 1 of instrument instance

Set it up right. Multichannel Instrument cabled to Audio Instrument in Environment. But only channel one responds in every sub-channel selected in the arrange window. Whew! This is driving me crazy. What am I doing wrong? Port=All. Name of midi channel changes as it should in the parameter window, but I can only hear midi channel one in any subchannel when triggered from keyboard. The only way I can hear the other instruments is to use the NI onscreen keyboard. Still all midi info plays back on midi channel one which is not the sound I want for everything.
What a work out: an exercise in futility. Any ideas?

After letting the problem rest a couple days, I returned to it and got the setup to
work. I don't know for sure what I was doing wrong in the first place but here is
what I did differently that worked:
Before opening Audition, I opened keyrig.exe and set up the MIDI channels for the
instruments I wanted. I then SAVED the instrument profile for the GM4 module in the
GM4 Patch folder under the Keyrig Data folder (I think the folder names are correct
but am doing this from memory).
Then I opened Audition, did what I needed to do to get the keyrig loaded to play on a
MIDI track. I left the MIDI input on <All> and the output on <None> in the Sequencer.
I then clicked on Settings which brought up the keyrig.exe control panel. Then on
the GM4 module I LOADED the profile I had made above. Then, as I selected each
channel via the keyboard, I got the correct instrument and was able to record them. So
by "preloading" the instruments instead of trying to select them while in Audition,
the setup worked.
Observations: Audition and the keyrig.exe software do not like each other. If I had
the keyrig.exe software open (Settings) and accidentally clicked in a non-button area
of the interface, Audition crashed. Once I loaded my profile as above, I could then
assign new instruments to different MIDI channels from within Audition but since it
was easy to crash Audition while keyrig.exe was open, I would try to avoid it. Once
set up--it was a blast to goof around with the different sounds.

Certain tracks assiging random MIDI channels to notes

Well, not exactly random. With some consistency, when I record on certain -- but not all -- EXS24 instrument tracks, the recorded notes take on MIDI channel assignments other than the channel on which they were transmitted (by various elimination processes, I've confirmed that the problem is NOT with my controller keyboard). Moreover, notes that lie within the upper octave (e.g., the keyswitch octaves for low register instruments) take on the correct transmitted MIDI channel –- channel 1 -– but all other notes will appear assigned to MIDI channels such as 5, 9 and 13.
Deleting the offending audio object from the environment, then restoring it or recreating it, solves the problem for an individual Logic session, but (I think) upon reboot the phenomenon recurs.
Anyone every heard of or experienced anything like this. Solution?

Thanks for taking a look.
To answer your most immediate question, my transport verifies that I am transmitting on channel 1. Likewise when I set the controller to transmit on channel 2, it confirms receipt of data on channel 2. No effect on result. That is, funny funny MIDI jumping occurs. Ha. Not.
When you say "a ton of tracks", are you seeing more than the 7 tracks that I've preserved in the arrange window? There are indeed a ton of instrument objects, but I've deleted most of the tracks. If you're seeing more than 7, then we've got another layer in this mystery.
If you expand the view of the arrange window, you'll notice that the regions have names that indicate the origin of the data they contain. I originally suspect this had something to do with routing, hence the region name references to output assignments (e.g., bus 9 = ch 1). Later I realized out assignments had no effects on the process. At measure 40, you can see the ascending MIDI channels, with the arithmetic pattern continuing uninterrupted as I changed instruments.
See especially the "snare and new snare" track, where the data at first recorded in accord with the channel jumping, and where, after the assigned audio object was deleted then recreated, the data recorded on the correct channel. This phenomenon, by the way, rules out the controller keyboard as the source of the trouble.
Further confirming that the controller is not the problem is the fact that this weird MIDI channel arithmetic game does not occur in new sessions called up from a different template. There is something wrong with the file.
When you got MIDI channel 1, you might have been on the "fixed tracks" – "snare" and "EVB3". Try "bassi", among others. Meanwhile I've noticed another clue (if indeed there exists a decipherable cause): when I set my controller to transmit on channel 2 instead of channel one, all data records
By the way, does the EVB3 play for you? Not for me (but see my previous post about this little oddity).

How to record multiple midi channel data to multiple midi tracks in Logic?

Dear All,
I have an electric organ from Yamaha, and it has 3 keyboards, upper keyboard, lower keyboard, and pedal keyboard. They are all running in different midi channels:
i.e. upper keyboard: midi channel 1
lower keyboard: midi channel 2
pedal keyboard: midi channel 3
When I try to create 3 midi tracks in Logic to listen to the 3 keyboards, I found that their midi signal just mixed together. Meaning, all 3 midi tracks can listen to all 3 keyboards...
Please noted that I am using a single USB Midi interface (1-in, 1-out) to connect the electric organ with macbook.
Can someone give me a help here? I suppose I can setup 3 midi tracks in logic to listen to 3 keyboards signal separately.
Thanks,
Eric

Ahrenshof wrote:
I had a similar situation when I first got LS and received this useful reply from Apple-
in Settings>Recording, check the box for "Auto demix by channel if multitrack recording".
Be aware that the Settings are song specific, compared to Preferences, which apply
to all songs. Set your controllers to send on specific MIDI channels and set the same channels in the inspector of your tracks.
I have a 2x2 midisport however, so I don't know if you will have an issue because you have only 1 I/O.
If so, you might have to learn about 'Multi instruments", I haven't had the need.
Yes, this is correct. We have two recording stations with ESI M4U 4x4 midi interfaces. We are recording 4 instruments at the same time and they all send their data on a different channel. I created midi instruments for all of them in Environment just to have them more easily available in the Arrange window. Also make sure you have the correct midi channel set per track in Logic.
When the option to "auto demix by channel" is set and you are recording, it may seem that Logic is recording only on one channel (only one region being created). But as soon as you hit stop, it will expand to multiple channels.

Record Enable on Multiple Midi Channels

Longtime Logic user here.
First of all, I have never really understood certain parts of record enabling midi channels. Sometimes, I will be switching between midi channels to record a new instrument, and the old midi channel will stay Record Enabled, and sometimes it doesn't.
Sometimes, when two midi channels are record enabled, one of them will have a grey "R" with a little red R instead of the normally full red "R". (I know, it's confusing)
And sometimes when you choose an Aux track that is linked to a Midi channel with multiple outputs, it acts like it is Record Enabled. This means, you have an Aux track selected, but you can play a midi instrument, like a different instrument is selected.
These were always part of Logic, for as long as I used them, and I just learned to deal with them without thinking too much about why one thing happens.
With Logic Pro X, I just found a bug that makes these other things matter.
I was working on an Aux track for a multi-output midi instrument.
Then I clicked onto a different midi instrument, to begin recording onto it. What happened was the Aux track was still "Record Enabled" even though there is no "R" button on an Aux track. So, when I hit the keyboard, two different midi channels were playing, even though one of them was an Aux track without a record enabled button.
I was able to clear it, by selecting a different midi channel, and clicking around until there was only one midi channel playing. But at this point, Logic's weird programming is starting to be an issue that I wish they would address.

Mate, i'm so sorry - Between LP9 and LPX i was using Ableton and i think i've confused myself, just spent 10 minutes looking for the option in Logic as i could see the option in my head when replying.
However, it was in Ableton.
It's Logic's characteristic i guess? I've had a few oddities record-enabling tracks but have put it down to being a new release, things like enabling and not actually hearing any notes, clicking the R on/off and suddenly it's ok.
My problem has always been with Logic, i have this OCD-like nature where i click away from a track after making a change, and it STILL catches me out as i go to record an track above gets overwritten if i'm looking away - So totally understand your frustrations.
Not sure why it has to be fixed like that really, must be some deep rooted reason like it would blow up if there were no track record-enabled and you pressed the record button maybe?

How Can I separate my MIDI Channels with layered instruments in MainStage 2 With my Axiom 61?

I have been at it for 3 days straight. I want to play an internal instrument (EVB3 for example) and trigger samples with the EXS24 without triggering notes from the other instrument. I have my keyboard set to MIy help meDI channel 1 and my drum pads set to MIDI channel 10. The still play together. I've tried changing MIDI input on both channel strips to multitimbral, Channel 1 for the keyboard and channel 10 for the drum pads. Still playing together. I've tried changing attributes in the Mapping screen. Still...
I don't think its the Axiom. I've tried changing MIDI CC numbers but then it won't talk to either instrument. I'm currently using MIDI cables into a 3rd generation M-Box. I've tried using USB as well. Please, somebody help me!!

Sorry for the late responce, I've been in program mode and haven't had a chance to come back to this.
I figured it out. It was an option that I had over looked in the Assignments & Mapping tab in Edit Mode. At the bottom of the window that says All Devices. In that menu there is another tab that says Channel 1-16. If you click where it says Unassigned, down in the Screen Control Inspector there is a checked box that says "Send unassigned MIDI to all Channel Strips". If you uncheck that box then everything works perfectly. It is a little extra work having to assign the keyboard everytime you ad a channel strip but when you have to do some serious programming it's worth it.
Anyone who needs to program with multiple devices should uncheck this right out of the gate. It will save you from pulling your hair out.
Thank you Bruno for your help. It is much appreciated.

Assign instruments to Midi channels?

Hi. How do i set up instruments/patches in mainstage and only have them work on specific midi channels?
For example being able to have 16 patches, each with an individual midi channel.
Is this possible in Mainstage3?

Hi
Use the "MultiTimbral" function in the Channel Strip Inspector to specify which strips respond to which MIDI channels, per patch.
CCT

Multiple MIDI Controllers in MainStage Problem

Hey there, I just assigned two different MIDI controllers to two different instruments as was recommended in this discussion (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2280561?start=0&tstart=0), but after I tweak the sounds a little bit one of the controllers always just goes back to playing the instrument from the other controller.
For instance, I assigned Keyboard A (Arturia 49 Laboratory) a piano sound and Keyboard B (Alesis Q49) an organ sound. It worked beautifully at first and but now Keyboard B is playing a piano sound as well. The instrument strip shows the organ sound still though. And if I try switching Keyboard B to another sound it just keeps playing piano (although it displays whatever sound it "should" be playing).
Any ideas on this?

You have 2 keyboards in the layout? And they both work with the right physical keyboard? If that is the case, the input for the channel strips are probably not set to the right workspace object.

Assigning different midi channels to Mainstage

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