MainStage Mondays: Using Click Tracks Live

I got a great email from Nathan this week about setting up a metronome in MainStage: 

Hey Eric, thanks for the info on your website.  I was wondering if you could help with a question about using the metronome live.  I am very new to using my keyboard as a MIDI controller using MainStage and want to keep the metronome only on my monitor and not to the FOH.  I have a Yamaha mox8 with two outputs (R L/mono) that is connected to DI box which is then routed to the main board.  I see on the preferences that I only have Outputs 1-2.  If I buy a DI box with multiple outputs will this solve the problem or am I limited to the two outputs on my keyboard?  

Thanks,

Nathan

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for writing! This is one of the more common things I get asked about- here's how to set it up so you can send a separate mix to your stage monitor without having to buy a lot of extra equipment or be reliant on a sound guy to set it up: 

IMPORTANT: I'm making two assumptions here: first, you're routing your output to a powered floor monitor that has either 1/4 inch inputs or XLR inputs. Secondly, that you don't mind having your click come out of the main floor monitor onstage. Personally, having a click play onstage doesn't work for me and I use earbuds instead of a floor wedge, but the principle is the same.

1. In MainStage, pan all of your instruments hard right (that includes all send effects and busses). For better tone, put a Gain software plugin on all of the channel strips by going under utility>gain in the instrument strip window, and click the "mono" button in the plugin window.

2. Insert an Ultrabeat software plugin at the "set" level (click on the folder on the LH part of the screen, and create a click track. You can download a click track preset for free that I created here. Make sure it's panned hard left.

3. Hit the spacebar. You should hear the click track coming through the left output only.

4. Run an instrument cable from the headphones out either directly or via a direct box into your monitor. You should be able to hear both the click and your instrument coming through the amp. 

5. Run an instrument cable from the right output on your MOX out either directly or via a direct box into your FOH mixer. This should only be your instrument outputs, and not your click. 

One more word to the wise- make sure that you don't plug in the left/mono output when you're configured this way, or your levels will change. Also, make sure to experiment with the levels at home and at the stage to make sure everything sounds consistently the same volume. Good luck!