Especially on modern computers, MainStage is remarkably stable and it’s unlikely that you will experience a serious issue during a performance.

However, electronic equipment can be unpredictable and it’s still a good idea to have a backup system in place just in case. After all, it’s better to have a few moments of a piano-only backup while your computer restarts than to have no sound at all.

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Use your keyboard’s built-in piano sound

If you are using a keyboard with built-in sounds, simply plug in your keyboard’s audio output to the sound system separately from the audio from the interface. As this would be intended only for emergencies, you can use the left (mono) channel only. Be sure to include the built-in keyboard audio as part of your sound check so the sound team can set appropriate levels.

During the show, keep your keyboard’s volume level all the way down. Should you ever experience an issue with MainStage, you can turn up the keyboard volume and play on your keyboard’s piano sound while your computer restarts.

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Using a redundant computer

Most long-running professional productions run a backup computer with MainStage simultaneously alongside the main computer. Because this requires additional equipment, this is usually prohibitively expensive for most theatre companies and is therefore beyond the scope of this documentation. Broadly speaking, however, to set this up you will need:

  • A second Mac computer running MainStage.
  • An audio switching device such as the all-in-one Radial SW8-USB.
  • A switching device for video and peripherals. The Sabrent KVM Switch allows you to switch between two HDMI feeds with the press of a button, while also controlling both computers with a single mouse and keyboard.

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