Tempo overview

Each concert has a tempo, which you can change while you are performing. You can change the tempo by selecting a patch or a set with its own tempo setting, change the tempo in real time by tapping a new tempo, or have MainStage receive tempo changes from incoming MIDI messages.

When you open a MainStage concert, the tempo setting in the Concert settings is used until you change the tempo using any of the available methods. When you change the tempo, MainStage uses the new tempo until you change it again, or close the concert.

You set the tempo for a concert in the Concert settings, which appear in the lower-left corner of the MainStage window when the concert icon is selected in the Patch List. By default, the tempo for new concerts is 120 beats per minute (bpm).

Some plug-ins available in MainStage, including delay and tremolo effects, synthesizer LFOs, and the metronome, can require a specific tempo.

Set the tempo for a concert

  1. In the Patch List, select the concert icon.

  2. In the Concert settings, click the Timing tab, then set the tempo using the Tempo slider or value slider.

    Figure. Dragging the Tempo slider in the Concert Inspector.

You can use patches and sets to change the tempo when you select the patch or set while performing. For information about patch tempo settings, see Change the tempo when you select a patch. For information about set-level tempo settings, see Change the tempo when you select a set.