Automating Live Vocal Effects Changes

[RockStarCD]

So I would like to Automate a Delay to happen at certain points during playback of a song. I have my playback files all synced up using MainStage’s Beat-Mapping. I know there is a way to automate MIDI Program Changes using @Dewdman42’s Script? My question is can I automate CCs to control plugin parameters in the same way? Essentially I’d like to be able to have the audio fade in to the delay when I need it, without having to control it live. It would just be automated like in Logic (except not at all like Logic because MainStage doesn’t have native timestamp automation 🙄). Right now I have my live vocal track and a vocoder going to a bus. Then I have the EVOC 20 Synth on an instrument track with that Vox bus side chained in, on analyze mode so I just get the pure live vocal coming through. After that I have the Gain plugin, and the Scripter “MIDI to Plugin Parameter” in MIDI FX is assigned to gain knob. So…. Now what?…. 😳

[Dewdman42]

Consider burning the fade in into the actual audio file you are using in the looper 

[RockStarCD]

Well that was my first thought, but I want it to affect the live vocal I’ll be singing. I don’t know of a way to automate the bus fader into the delay bus. If I could do that all my problems would be solved. I am considering pre-recording the delays I want and just playing them back during the performance. The next gig is Dec 2 so I am gonna do that for now so it will be ready on time. But in a perfect world those effects would happen live.

[Dewdman42]

I don't have access to a mac right now to peek around in mainstage to see what is possible in terms of attaching a smart control to the BUS fx.  If you can attach a smart control to it, then you can control it with midi.  if you can control it with midi then you can put the fade into a midi file and drive it that way one way or or another.  You may or may not have to send the midi to an IAC port in order to loop around into the input of Mainstage again...trial and error you'll figure it out

[RockStarCD]

Yea I gotta figure out how to play a midi file in MS too. Because that would be the optimal way. Then I could just export the midi file out of logic, load it in MS, and voila.

[Dewdman42]

here are some threads about midi files in Mainstage:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7627558

I personally found the built in midi file to be a bit finicky and some others have noted some peculiarities with it...but it's built in.  You can try to start there.  I haven't tried any of this in a number of years, so maybe its better now.

Next level up is to get a third party  midiFx plugin you can host on an instrument channel in your mainstage mixer that is able to play midi sequences..ideally one that has a simple midi file player so you can just create the midi file in logic and bring it over.  PlogueBidule has one, but you have to buy it ~$100.  It's hard to find a simple plugin to do this, you usually have to get some larger plugin which happens to have this capability in it and might serve the purpose for you.  I don't have access to my mac right now to see what I have that includes this, sorry I can't be more help, do some research I know there are some ways to do this.

A third alternative is to use the Scripter script I wrote, which is on Gitlab, but this is for power users only and I don't have time to walk you through how to use it other then the docs that are already on gitlab..you can find it here:

https://gitlab.com/dewdman42/MainstageMidiPlayer/-/wikis/home

In order to automate the patch changes to your external synth, you put one of those sequencers on an instrument channel in a midifx plugin slot, and then you use external synth for the instrument, and send the midi to the external keyboard you are using.

For automating your BUS, that depends on if you can setup midi controllable smart controls on the BUS channel in mainstage, sorry I don't have access to a mac right now to try it.  If you can make the FX parameters midi controllable vi smart control, then again you setup another instrument track with a sequencer plugin...and external instrument...except send this one to an IAC port, it will loop around into the input of Mainstage..but what I don't know is how you get that input feeding the smart controls on the BUS..that is for you to figure out or others here to help you with...Until I get a mac back on my desk I can offer no further help in that regard..but that is one way to automate the bus.

you'd have to use two separate midi files in that case, one for the BUS and one for the patch changes to your synth.

You are asking about an advanced outside-the-box trick with Mainstage and its not for beginners, if you are not up for understanding it and figuring it out, you probably shouldn't be using it on stage, IMHO.

 

 

[RockStarCD]

Oh I’m definitely interested in learning and understanding what I need to be able to automate all kinds of stuff in Logic. I just feel like everything I see has some essential missing piece. But it may just take the hours of sitting and trying things to start understanding it. But you are awesome DudeMan42!