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How to change patches from your MIDI controller in MainStage

By Ben Wiinanen | February 19, 2025

I’m going to show you how to set up buttons on your MIDI controller to go forward and backward through patches in MainStage. This method will let you control patches without touching your Mac. I’ll be using the KeyLab Essential 61 as an example, but this can be applied to pretty much any controller.

Step-by-Step Process

Option 1: Using Default MainStage Patch Controls

  1. Open MainStage and load your concert file.
  2. Go to the Layout view.
    • You’ll see the default patch navigation controls—‘Patch Forward’ and ‘Patch Backward’—already available.
  3. Assign Buttons:
    • Click the patch navigation button (either Forward or Backward).
    • Hit the Assign button in the top bar.
    • Press the button on your MIDI controller that you want to assign to this function.
    • Do the same for the other button (Forward or Backward) and assign it to the corresponding MIDI controller button.

Option 2: Manually Assigning Buttons to Patch Navigation

  1. Add Two Buttons:
    • In Layout View, grab two buttons and make them smaller (optional—this just helps with visibility and tidiness).
    • You can remove any text labels to keep the layout clean.
  2. Assign Functions:
    • Select the first button and click Assign.
    • Press the button on your MIDI controller you want to assign to the Previous Patch.
    • Do the same for the second button but assign it to the Next Patch function.
  3. Configure Global Actions:
    • Go to the Edit mode and make sure you’re working in the main concert file (this affects all patches).
    • For the Previous Patch button: Click the button, go to Actions, and select Previous Patch.
    • For the Next Patch button: Do the same and select Next Patch.
  4. Troubleshooting:
    • If the buttons are skipping patches or not behaving as expected, check for overlapping patch navigation controls. MainStage might be conflicting with the built-in patch-up/down actions.
    • To fix this, go back to the Actions menu and delete any existing patch navigation commands.
  5. Test Your Setup:
    • Go to Perform Mode and test the buttons. Now, when you press the MIDI buttons, your patches should move forward or backward as expected!
Posted in MainStage Basics