MainStage gives you a massive collection of plug-ins and sounds to fuel your performance. The ever‑growing Sound Library is also a powerful source of inspiration, thanks to Patches that allow for rich layers of instruments and effects — and Smart Controls that let you easily shape any sound.
Play with amazing sounds using authentic re-creations of vintage equipment, powerful modern synthesizers, and complex multisampled instruments.
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We redesigned and improved our most popular plug-in — the EXS24 Sampler — and renamed it Sampler. The new single-window design makes it easier to work with sampler instruments while remaining backward compatible with all EXS24 files. An expanded synthesis section with sound-shaping controls brings more depth and dynamics to your instruments — it features twin filters with parallel and serial routings, and five filters modeled after both analog and modern synths. An extendable modulation section allows you to add more sources and destinations as needed. And the reimagined mapping editor adds powerful, time-saving features that speed the creation of complex instruments — including editing commands for automatic mapping, automatic loop finding, and analyzing and splitting samples into zones. Use the zone waveform editor to make precise edits to sample start/end and loop ranges with an option to snap to transients or zero crossings. And save time with new drag-and-drop hot zones.
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Quick Sampler is a fast and easy way to work with a single sample. Drag and drop an audio file from the Finder, Voice Memos, or anywhere within MainStage. Or record audio directly into Quick Sampler using a turntable, microphone, or musical instrument. In a few steps, you can transform an individual sample into a fully playable instrument. With Flex Time, you can keep your sample playing at the same speed no matter which notes you play. And with Slice Mode, you can split a single sample into multiple slices — perfect for chopping up vocals or breaking up and resequencing drum loops.
Auto Sampler lets you easily create fully playable sampler instruments from hardware instruments, other software instruments, and effect plug‑ins.
Open Drum Kit Designer and select a kit. You can swap pieces to build a custom kit, choosing from a diverse variety of snares, kicks, toms, hi-hats, and cymbals. Finesse the sound of each drum by adjusting the tuning, dampening, and gain. And enable stereo or mono room and overhead mics. Each kit comes with its own unique mix designed by an industry hitmaker. Choose a more elaborate Producer Kit and it loads with a Patch that gives you access to the full multichannel mix, along with all the processing and routing the producer used. Once you see how the pros get their signature sounds, you can go with their techniques — or tweak away.
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This powerful but easy-to-use plug-in creates synthesized drum sounds. Choose from a diverse collection of drum models and shape their sound with up to eight simple controls.
Alchemy, the ultimate sample-manipulation synthesizer, is the most powerful instrument in MainStage. It comes with an enormous library of over 3000 sounds and a keyword browser to quickly zero in on what you’re looking for. Powerful Performance Controls invite you to explore and play with the sounds you choose. Alchemy is a monster of a synth with multiple sound-generating engines, including additive, spectral, formant, granular, and virtual analog. It’s also a robust sampler that can import Sampler instruments. Groundbreaking morphing and resynthesis features let you manipulate and combine samples in extraordinary ways. And the vast number of filters, modulation routes, arpeggiation options, and effects makes for limitless possibilities.
These two realistic plug-in instruments feature sophisticated articulation controls. They allow for the nuanced gestures a human performer would make when playing solo or ensemble string and brass instruments.
A versatile synthesizer that delivers sounds ranging from classic analog to modern digital. The synthesis engine features three analog-modeled and wavetable oscillators, as well as dual multimode analog resonant filters and extensive modulation options.
A powerful set of vintage synths — all with intuitive controls — make it easy to re-create your favorite electronic sounds from the ’70s and ’80s. Go for analog tones like earthshaking bass, textures, screaming leads, sweeping pads, and sawtooth waves. Or use distinctive digital sounds like bells, plucky bass, and brash leads.
Play authentically re-created models of the Hammond B3 organ, the Mellotron, the Hohner Clavinet D6, and the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and Hohner electric pianos — with all the character and quirks of the originals.
The Arpeggiator transforms simple chords into elaborate performances. Go with professionally designed presets, or shape the evolving performance by adjusting the rate, note order, and octave range of the notes. And add swing to help the Arpeggiator groove with the feel of your song. Additional MIDI plug-ins give you even more ways to generate and shape MIDI notes and controller data. Scale velocity, generate a rapid-fire series of notes, transpose incoming notes or conform them to a scale, and more.
Sculpture is a unique physical modeling instrument that produces tones no other synthesizer can. By re-creating the sound of vibrating materials like wood, glass, nylon, or metal, it generates uncommon and creative variations of strings, bells, chimes, and other instruments. You can change the virtual body of the instrument to everything from guitar to cello, flute, and more. Control how the instrument is plucked, bowed, or otherwise played. And use the X/Y pad to morph between materials. A deep set of modulation parameters produce movement and evolving textures. When you’re looking for a completely unexpected sound, Sculpture gives you incredible options.
Use plug-ins to help you perfect or manipulate the color and personality of your tracks.
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Bring DJ-style effects and transitions to your performance with a collection of stutters, echoes, filters, vinyl scratches and stops, reverse playback sounds, bit crushes, and gating effects.
ChromaVerb is a high-end reverb plug-in that uses unique modeling to reproduce both natural and otherworldly acoustic spaces. It features 14 different models with tempo-synced parameters, up to 100 seconds of decay, and a colorful visual spectrum that provides meaningful feedback so you can see how reverb complements your tracks.
The Vintage EQ collection brings authentic re-creations of three of the most revered analog hardware EQs, with support for mono and stereo and control over analog saturation and heat.
Add rhythmic movement to your performance by arranging filters, effects, and independent step sequencers to create and control a wide range of treatments over time. Eight different effects can be organized in any order to tailor diverse sound-design options to your needs.
The powerful Compressor features a fully scalable interface inspired by the look and feel of legendary studio favorites. Seven models provide a wealth of options. And the Histogram Meter view lets you instantly see the results of your parameters, controls, and knob movements.
Add punch and presence to your bass, drums, synths, and guitar with this powerful multi-effect plug-in. Seven effect blocks, including distortion, modulation, and bandpass filters, can be combined to dial up a range of sonic colors in your tracks — from mild sheen to thick, bass-heavy distortion.
Versatile, scalable multiband EQ includes eight bands: highpass, lowpass, low and high shelving filters, and four flexible parametric filters. The frequency analyzer provides a graphical look at your sound so you can quickly zero in on refining your performances. Mid-Side mode splits the audio into mono (center) or stereo (hard left/right), giving you more flexibility in how you shape your mix and widen the soundstage.
With built-in EQ controls and adjustable volume, filter, and density envelopes, Space Designer features a real‑time convolution process that produces a reverb nearly indistinguishable from that of a real room or hall. Choose from over 1000 included IR samples or work with your own. An intuitive hands-on graphic interface and the unique ability to synthesize dense reverbs make Space Designer equally suited to both sound design and music production.
Ringshifter combines a ring modulator with a frequency shifter effect in a clear, compact interface. The ring modulator mode adds a metallic or clangorous sound and the frequency shifter alters the frequency relationship of the original harmonics, resulting in sounds that range from sweet and spacious phasing effects to robot-like timbres.
Re-create legendary sounds and craft your own unique tones by mixing and matching 25 amp heads, five EQs, 10 reverbs, 25 speaker cabinets, and seven mics that you can position freely around the speaker cone. Play through tweed amps from the ’50s and early ’60s. Classic American silverface and blackface combos. A full range of British stacks and combos. Ultra-high-gain metal stacks. And even rare amps that would be hard to find in the real world.
Get creative with over 35 stompboxes — all meticulously crafted to reproduce the tones and responsiveness of the originals they’re modeled after. Experiment with classic delays, echoes, and reverbs. Run your signal through some of the most coveted overdrives and distortions. Try out dynamic pitch transposition or dive-bomb effects. Choose from all your favorite choruses, flangers, tremolos, and other must-have modulation boxes. Or turn up the funk with vintage and modern wahs or an octaver. The Pedalboard interface makes it easy to reorder and swap your pedals and to creatively route your signal for thousands of combinations and virtually unlimited sounds.
Perform your bass through authentic models of three vintage and modern bass amps and cabinets. To get the perfect tone, switch between two types of input channels. Swap out cabinets and amps. Position one of three mics on different speaker cones. Or blend between amp and DI box signals, just like in the studio. You can also use graphic or parametric EQs to fit the bass in your mix. And easily level performance dynamics or sustain with a compressor before or after the EQ.
70GB of content provides a massive, rich sonic palette, to help you bring your song to life.
If you love the sound of classic analog and digital synths, you’ll find plenty in the library to inspire you. Created with Retro Synth, ES2, Alchemy, and other MainStage plug-ins, a deep selection of Patches brings that vintage vibe.
The library is filled with modern synth sounds created with powerful instrument plug-ins like Alchemy and Sculpture. Electronic musicians, enjoy your choice of pulse-pounding bass, stabbing synth leads, and pumping pads.
The Vintage Keyboard plug-ins provide the foundation for tons of Patches that recall the classic sounds of Rock, Pop, Gospel, and R&B. If you need a funky clav, a growling B3, or a chiming Whirly, you’ll find them — and many more — all here.
Add texture and color to your performance with a wealth of ever-evolving and richly layered Patches. The MainStage Pro Sound Library is perfectly suited for creating a sound that evokes just the right environment or emotion.
Work with a massive collection of electronic and urban loops, covering everything from Hip Hop to Electro House, Dubstep, Modern R&B, Tech House, Deep House, Chillwave, Vintage Breaks, Indie Disco, Disco Funk, and Blues Garage.
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Add more to your music compositions with an ever-expanding variety of themed sound packs containing loops, presets, patches, Drum Machine Designer kits, and Live Loops grids.