by Dave1992 » 12 Feb 2014, 01:55
Thank you for the great read! It did cover a lot of questions I had, but there still remains one.
My question rather concerns a live setting, which will potentially also influence a purchase decision I am making at the moment (which is why I can't just try it out and see for myself, yet).
The live scenario I have in mind is as follows:
I would like to use my NS2's sounds, but also use it as a midi controller running on a Macbook with Logic, using Mainstage. This general part is covered very nicely in the tutorial, I believe. But it's the practical details that are so crucial in a live setting that I am not completely sure about, yet. Ideally, I would like to create a "setlist-scenario" (in Mainstage, for instance), where I would change to the next patch (changing patches in my NS2 AND in my software simultaneously, depending on what is required in the following song/song section) by pressing a button (on my NS2 or on my Macbook). However, all different programmes should be different in their setup, so that I would be able to play my NS2 Rhodes in "Song 1" while my software synth would be mute, then press only one button to access "Song 2" and play synths from my Macbook/Mainstage which would also be controlled with the knobs on my NS2 (but with the in-built sounds from my NS2 turning mute automatically, of course), and then press that button again to acces "Song 3" which would layer my NS2-piano with strings from Mainstage. Ideally, I would like each parameter setting (=which knob on my NS2 controls which parameter in my software) to be unique for each "Song".
How to set this up for one song is quite clear to me after having read that wonderful tutorial, using the two slots on my NS2. But I'm not sure whether and how to make my live scenario work, where a programme change on my NS2 would change the settings in Mainstage accordingly (change to the next song/patch) and load midi-settings unique to each patch. It would require every single patch/programme to be adjusted perfectly and to be able to be saved as it is, so that accessing "Song 4" gives me all the sounds I need from my NS2 and all the sounds I need from my Macbook, all the saved parameters for each sound and all the midi assignations for the patch coming from my Macbook.
Is this doable? If so, how?
If not, are there any practical alternatives to guarantee a seemless live setting where making use of the NS2's in-built sounds and controlling sounds from Mainstage with my NS2 is possible, loading complete pre-arranged patches on both by pressing one button?
I know this question might be very detailed, but it would not only help in creating a proper live setting, but mainly help in deciding what kind of gear to buy next.