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We try to set default volume levels where we think they’ll work best for most productions. Using an expression pedal is practically essential for playing a keyboard book with musicality, but it also gives you real-time control over your volume level. Occasionally, you may want to adjust a volume level beyond using an expression pedal in order to suit your personal playing style, or in response to your specific production. First, determine if you want to make a change to an instrument on one specific patch or instead to all the instances of an instrument or sound effect throughout the entire show.

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Adjust one instance

Follow the following steps if the instrument is generally at a good level but you want to adjust one specific instance of it.
1

Navigate

Switch to Edit mode and navigate to the patch you want to edit.The Channel Strips panel lives on the right side of the MainStage window. (If it isn’t visible, choose View > Show Channel Strips.) The Channel Strips panel shows all of the channel strips on the selected patch.
2

Adjust fader level

Click and drag the channel strip’s fader up or down to make the necessary volume adjustment.Main Stage Channel Strip Fader Pn
3

Save

Choose File > Save to save your concert file.

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Adjust throughout the entire concert

If you want more than one instrument to be louder throughout the entire concert, you might consider alternatively increasing the overall volume externally (e.g., using the master volume knob on your audio interface) and then lowering the other instruments in MainStage. The more you increase in MainStage, the more likely you will experience audio clipping, so increasing the overall volume externally and lowering other levels internally can avoid distortion and still accomplish the same goal.
1

Navigate

Switch to Edit mode and navigate to a patch where the channel strip is that you want to edit.The Channel Strips panel lives on the right side of the MainStage window. (If it isn’t visible, choose View > Show Channel Strips.) The Channel Strips panel shows all of the channel strips on the selected patch.
2

Add Gain plug-in

On the channel strip, click on an empty slot at the bottom of the Audio FX plug-ins and choose the Gain plug-in.Main Stage Channel Strip Gain Plug In Pn
3

Adjust gain

Adjust the gain knob to your desired level. We recommend starting in increments of ±2.Main Stage Gain Plug In Gain Knob Pn
4

Save

Choose File > Save to save your concert file.

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Check the levels

If you are increasing volume levels, always keep an eye on your output levels. You can do this by adding a meter in Layout mode and mapping it at the concert level in Edit mode to the output level. More simply, you can look at the peak level displays above the channel strip faders in Edit mode. You should generally try to avoid going above 0.0, especially for prolonged periods, or else you may hear audio clipping or distortion. Main Stage Channel Strip Peak Level Display Pn
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