How do I play different instruments in a concert?

Question

I use MainStage in live performances with a pair of sound-less keyboards (Alesis Q49, Q25).  I want my keyboard to make different instrument/sounds (what is correct word?) for different songs in a concert.  Example:
Song 1: Grand Piano
Song 2: Pop Flute.
So here's what I do
Open a concert.
Enter edit mode.
Add a patch in the list on the left.  This becomes Patch 1, for Song 1.
In the Channel Strip on the right, click the first rectangular button.
Navigate to Grand Piano and select it.
Add a second patch.  This becomes Patch 2, for Song 2.
Make sure that Patch 2 is selected in the list on the left.
In the Channel Strip on the right, click the first rectangular button.
Navigate to a Pop Flute sound and select it.
Now in the list on the left, go back and select Patch 1.
Expected Result: Channel strip should revert to Grand Piano.
Actual Result: Channel strip stays on Pop Flute.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Jerry Krinock

Answer 1

Hi
I'm not sure what you are doing wrong, so try this:
1) New Concert using the "Keyboard" template (the one with only 1 Patch in it, but a full set of Screen Controls)
2) In Layout Mode, select the Keyboard Screen Control, click the Assign button and play your MIDI keyboard. This will assign the in-coming MIDI. You may want to repeat this process later for the other Screen Controls that you want to Assign and Map.
3) In Edit mode, you should now have 1 Patch (Electric Piano) that you can hear when you play your keyboard.
4) In Edit Mode, Click the + at the top of the Patch List to make a new Patch.
5) In the Patch Inspector at the bottom of the screen, select a Software Instrument Patch (say, pre-mapped:01 Keyboards:01 Acoustic Piano:Grand Piano. This will load up an Instrument Channel Strip, and the Screen Controls will be pre-mapped to useful parameters.
6) Repeat Steps 4 & 5 to load other patches as needed.
CCT