Mainstage Mondays: Transferring Files From Logic Pro to Mainstage

I love that Logic Pro and Mainstage share the same plugins and software synths, and I often find myself wishing I could swap patches between Mainstage and Logic Pro. 

I did a ton of research, and while there’s not a way to move entire patches between apps (Apple developers, if you’re reading this, please add this in an update!), there is a way to move individual channel strips between programs. Here is how to do it: 

1. Open Mainstage. Select the concert you want to export your channel strip from. 

2. Select the patch you want to use, then click on the Channel Strip that holds the actual software synth. 

3. This is where it gets a bit tricky. If the patch is running through any send fx or other busses, the channel strip may not sound right when you transfer it to Mainstage. Check to make sure it isn’t using any send fx, and if it is, recreate the fx in the channel strip. 

4. Click on the “Setting” section of the channel strip, and select “save channel strip setting as. . .“.

5. I recommend creating a folder with the kind of patch that is, and saving it in that folder for future use. 

6. If you ever want to find this preset folder again, the file folder on your computer is under username>Music>Audio Music Apps>Channel Strip Settings> Instrument.

That’s it! To move files from Logic Pro to Mainstage, simply follow the same progression from the channel strip window in Logic Pro.