Logic, Cubase, Mainstage, Komplete 11 Query

[fatar760]

Right then....

So, I'm looking to upgrade my entire recording/live playing set-up and am looking for some advice.

I've been a PC/Cubase Studio 4/Dimension Pro user for nearly ten years. I started upgrading my set up back in August when I (finally) bought a Mac and purchased Mainstage. At the time I continued to use my old set-up as I had quite a bit of work on and didn't really have the time, or money, to upgrade any further.

I work in theatre, where Mainstage is now considered the 'norm' for live performance. I also have to create my own click tracks for various shows.

What I'm looking for is a whole host of new sounds to use alongside my current RD-800 keyboard and a DAW. I'm stuck as to whether Komplete 11 will be able to accommodate both these wishes. I obviously know that Mainstage comes with a number of patches but, must say, that I haven't been overly impressed with those that I've heard and used so far.

If I was to get Cubase pro 8 with Komplete 11 and to use the latter with Mainstage and my RD-800 sounds would that all be possible? Or does Komplete and Mainstage not work in that way?

Or am I missing something with these Mainstage sounds and are those what I'd be stuck with if I decided to scrap Cubase and invest in Logic?

Would appreciate any advice on this matter!


Mike

[Winstontaneous]

Hi fatar760, welcome to KVR!

I have Logic, Mainstage & Komplete 10. Since Mainstage lacks a timeline, are all your cues/backing tracks triggered from the keyboard, or is it wired into show control software that also handles lighting/visuals, etc?

My current band is a performance art project involving as much as I can play on bass/guitar/keys plus live vox and backing tracks (Ableton Live) and video. I think Ableton's scene-based Session view, great MIDI control surface support, and low resource use make it ideal for this kind of situation. Mainstage (on my 2012 MBP) takes far more RAM/CPU than any other DAW I use, while the same patches use almost no resources in Logic. Checking at logicprohelp.com, this is not an uncommon situation.

What sounds are you hoping to get from Komplete? Orchestral instruments, cinematic drama, juicy synth tones, realistic pianos? It does all this and much more...Komplete includes so many tools (Kontakt sampler, Reaktor, FM8, Massive, Absynth to name a few) that it's easy to get lost in experimentation.

Do you want to include Cubase in this live workflow or use it to generate backing tracks to use in Mainstage? I'm mixing my Ableton and Logic projects down to no more than 8 audio stems per Ableton scene for reproducible but live-improv-ready arrangements.

Logic probably makes more sense than Cubase if you're committing to Mainstage. For $199, Logic is an incredible value with a deep toolset that can create almost any sound you want. Its sample library doesn't approach Komplete in either breadth or depth, but is usable nonetheless. Alchemy and Sculpture synths are sound-design powerhouses.

[fatar760]

Hiya and thanks for the reply,

So maybe, I think, I don't appreciate quite what each of software's actually offer.

For my last show I created backing tracks on Cubase, exported them as WAVS (8 to 10 stems) and then those were fired by a sound op using Qlab. I then primarily used the patches on the RD 800 (pressing a button on the keyboard to cycle between each). I used Mainstage with about 3 or 4 patches for another keyboard I had on top of the RD-800.

What I'd like to do, is have both keyboards going through Mainstage and for the sounds that I use on the BTs to also be available for any live playing (my current version of Dimension Pro won't install on the mac and, as this is what I used to create the sounds, isn't possible)

So patch wise I'd like access to a wide range of all the sounds you listed plus, in particular, good brassy and organ patches and quirky synth sounds. And those sounds could be triggered by either keyboard.

I have no idea where to start really. Can I use Mainstage in this way?

[Winstontaneous]

Your best bet for detailed Mainstage questions is gonna be: logicprohelp.com Mainstage forum.

If you can't get Dimension to work on Mac you could try a) re-synthesizing from soundfiles using Alchemy (it's in Mainstage) or b) using Mainstage's Autosampler. You can get fantastic quirky synths in Mainstage/Logic (Alchemy, RetroSynth & Sculpture) and the Vintage B3 organ is good as well, but realistic brass is best served by external sample libraries.

[fatar760]

Thanks mate,

Yes, I'd posted this in the Apple communities forum too, but not the Logic one (I guess the programs are more connected than I first thought!) Tried posting on the link you sent but have been waiting for about 12 hours of an activation email!

So, I would be able to play Komplete patches on Mainstage in a live set-up but it might eat up a lot of processing power?

[waltercruz]

Yes, you can open all your Audio Units on Mainstage.

it won't take a lot more of processing than opening an Audio Unit on another DAW I guess.



I've been working with Mainstage in the last 5 or 6 years, very reliable.

[fatar760]

Is Mainstage a DAW?

[waltercruz]

Is Mainstage a DAW?

Kind of. It's a 'stage daw', you can load Audio Units, Effects, create channels, create group channels and load wavs to use as backtracks.

[fatar760]

And how would my RD800, and the sounds it uses, fit into all this?

[waltercruz]

And how would my RD800, and the sounds it uses, fit into all this?

hum, you could use your RD800 as a controller, to play synths and samples inside Mainstage. And of course, you can play the RD800 sounds too

[fatar760]

That's good to hear as that's what I'd like to do. Although no idea how I'd actually set it all up so that I can play the RD sounds as well as any AU ones...