Multiple inputs for Logic Pro 9 Mainstage with Apogee gio

by **Headrc** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:50 am

I am a total newbie to Logic Pro ....and will be starting with Logic Pro 9. I want to use it for recording and music production ...but also for live performance. I am interested in the Apogee Gio for my electric guitar ....but also will be having a vocal mic through a TC Helicon Voice Live 2 (USB connection) , stereo acoustic guitar mic through Apogee mini Me, a midi controller for Logic Pro sof synths etc. and maybe some other items run through an Alesis Multimix Firewire ....depending on what Logic Pro can or cannot do for me. I have read about running in the aggregate mode for various inputs. Is all this going to work in the aggregate mode ....or am I crazy? I have read about problems with the Apogee gio in aggregate. I look forward to any input this forum may give on this. If this is not going to work ....what will work for inputs from a Vocal mic, stereo acoustic mic, electric guitar input and a midi controller simutlaneously in Logic Pro 9? Right now I will use a MackBook Pro, 2.5 ghz with 4 GB RAM and an external drive. If the computer needs to be upgraded I am prepared to go a Mac Pro ....but not until I know what I need.

by **Headrc** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:33 am

OK ...looking around the forums here ...I am getting more and more pessismistic that this is not going to work unless someone else tells me otherwise ....seems like mainstage is designed for one input at a time .....i.e. for an electric guitarist or a keyboard player ...but not as an overall solution. I would still like to find out if anyone is doing all of this in Mainstage ...and how...what interface etc.

by **mmm42** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:54 am

Headrc wrote:seems like mainstage is designed for one input at a time ....

No, MainStage supports many inputs at once. If the interface doesn't have that many, you can combine them as an Aggregate Audio Device to be one virtual audio device.

However: the concept of MainStage only allows one patch being selected at any given time. For a guitar player and a keyboarder sharing the computer this will probably not work.

by **Headrc** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:08 pm

Hi thx for the reponse ..well at this time ...this will be all me ...one man band. But I have read several strings here that it seems various ppl have tried to have mainstage be a complete production tool .....but with undesirable results. Is this another "in theory" software promise?? Does anyone use it with various inputs like I have described to positive results? I am trying to decide whether Logic Pro 9 is juts going to be my music recording/composition tool ....and go with hardware solutions that I already have for live performance ....or to really invest thetime and $$ to try and make Logic Pro 9 and mainstage my complete live performance solution.

by **Headrc** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:38 pm

Ok ...what if I used an all in one box with mutiple A/D inputs and midi ....on the Ableton forums ...semms there is such an animal. So will Logic Pro 9 with Mainstage do what I want to do?? Better than Ableton Live?

by **Headrc** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:37 pm

Ok ....so if I get something that is an all in one unit like the RME 800 or comparable ....now the obvious question am I heading down the right path here for a live situation. Is Logic Pro Mainstage going to answer vocal processing, guitar processing and control, looping, midi controlled samples and synths all in one package that is stable? Or am I really asking for trouble here...meaning I should stick with existing dedicated hardware solutions that I have? My thinking in pursuing this is consolidation and opening up new enhancements ..but if it is more trouble than it is worth than of course it is not worth the investment.

by **shivermetimbers** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:27 pm

So you will be a 'one man band?'

Okay, let's say you are all set up, will you be playing many different instruments?
Will you be using backing tracks?
How will you be playing your backing tracks?
Will you be trying to do as much live performing or will 99% be pre-recorded?

by **Headrc** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:32 pm

I will be trying trying to do as much live playing as possible. Not really backing tracks ....occasionally thouhg that will happen in the form of a loop that I can start and stop ...or move to another loop. I do all this now with hardware solutuions.

by **Timc** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:23 pm

Heard

I'm also a newbie doing a similar thing to you. I can tell you that what you want to do is very possible.

So far I have set up main stage to control 3 vocals guitar (and control effects) and keyboard instruments. I also playback 3 different backing tracks simultaneously. Isthis the kind of thing you want?

If it is let me know and I'll outline how I do it

Tim

by **Headrc** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:13 pm

It sounds similar ....not so much on the backing tracks ..although may be occasionally. I try to do as much as possible with me playing live .....play samples with my feet, switch between acoustic and electric, playing keyboards pads with my feet, kick in loops to play over or create a loop, switch different electric guitar sounds, use a vocoder ....anything I can do to creat as big a sound I can without using tracks. So please do outline what you are using. Even more so ...do you find it more streamlined and of advantage to do it this way ...again I already have a setup that works ...but I am looking for improvements and enhancements ....not just replacement. Thx ...RH

by **Headrc** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:04 am

And if anyone else is trying to accomplish this ...I would love to know your setup

by **Timc** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:02 pm

Ok here's what I do like you I was going to trigger samples with my Gio but I quickly realised that the playback plugin is the way forward. I now create all the sounds I need in logic first then bounce the different tracks and add them to a playback channel strip in main stage. I usually have three strips. One for bass one for drums and one everything else but you could have as many as you like. I then create transport buttons which are multi mapped to each of the playback channels.

For live stuff I use the Gio just as a midi controller not as audio interface. The Gio doesn't have enough inputs for me. I output from my tascam to both my pa and my guitar amp. I send just guitar effects to my guitar amp for playing live and control the effects with Gio. The playbacks are routed separately to the pa.

I reckon trying control lots of hardware devices live would be a headache and you'd be dancing the fandango trying to trigger stuff live withe Gio.

I've probably not been. Very clear so feel free to ask questions,

by **Headrc** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:04 pm

Hey there ...actually you are being very helpful although I have no experience with Mainstage or Logic Pro yet ....I have it and have loaded but hav e not had time to start to understand it. However .....it seems like the midi controller and audio interface aspect does work .....but the audio inputs should all be through one device I assume you are using that Tascam unit for that. How are the a/ds on that unit? It is pretty inexpensive ..... but I am really critical of A/Ds so as far as the audio interface they have to match what I can presently get my Apogee mini me. Thx again for the response ..

by **Timc** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:22 pm

Not sure I can recommend the tascam. It is very good value for money and has a lot of inputs but I am having issues with logic crashing and with the occasional feedback loop in ms. Both issues are not life threatening and I'm not sure it's anything to with the tascam or not

Not sure I know what a/ds are

by **Headrc** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 7:56 am

Hi ...once again thx for the response ....however there is another issue that has just surfaced for me. I fooled around with he Mainstage guitar stuff with my apogee mini me .....a high quality interface ...and discovered the latency problem. I cannot get 0 latency ...which for my playing needds is what it needs to be ...so unless there is a way around this ..this whole concept goes out the window. Thx RH

by **dhjdhj** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:45 am

Are you cerain about that? I have two MOTU 828 mk3 devices configured as an aggregate device and so I have 20 or so inputs.
But when I create an audio track, I only get offered input 1-2. I'm able to select any pair of outputs so MS is seeing the aggregate device, as far as I can tell.

mmm42 wrote:
No, MainStage supports many inputs at once. If the interface doesn't have that many, you can combine them as an Aggregate Audio Device to be one virtual audio device.

However: the concept of MainStage only allows one patch being selected at any given time. For a guitar player and a keyboarder sharing the computer this will probably not work.

by **CCTMusic** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:25 am

dhjdhj wrote:Are you cerain about that? I have two MOTU 828 mk3 devices configured as an aggregate device and so I have 20 or so inputs.
But when I create an audio track, I only get offered input 1-2. I'm able to select any pair of outputs so MS is seeing the aggregate device, as far as I can tell.

Hi Aggregate Input device works OK here (MS 2.2.1 and MS2.1.3 and with multiple audio interfaces...though not 2x 828mk3)

Are you sure that you have the Aggregate setup correctly (are the inputs available in Logic for example)?

CCT

by **dhjdhj** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 10:14 am

I'm mostly using them with a custom app I wrote in MaxMSP and have access to all inputs. Maybe I didn't configure MS right....I'll take another look.

Multiple inputs for Logic Pro 9 Mainstage with Apogee gio

Multiple inputs for Logic Pro 9 Mainstage with Apogee gio

This is not going to work??

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