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Before every performance

  • Ensure that your computer is plugged in
    MainStage can be energy intensive and may drain your battery quickly. Keep your computer plugged in to avoid your computer shutting down during a performance.
  • Quit all apps except MainStage
    On macOS you can usually close application windows without quitting them, which means that they will still run in the background. Ensure that you quit all other applications completely so that MainStage is the only thing running.
Many apps launch on startup and run quietly in the background, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and VPNs. We recommend that you completely quit these programs.
  • Turn off Wi-Fi
    This will also help prevent your computer and apps from trying to update automatically in the background.
  • Turn off Bluetooth
    When Bluetooth is on, your computer will continuously look for Bluetooth devices to connect to. For this reason, we do not recommend using any Bluetooth peripherals (e.g., mouse or keyboard) during performances.
  • Turn on Do Not Disturb
    This will prevent your computer from displaying non-critical alerts and other distractions.

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Perform mode

Always use Perform mode when performing by pressing the Perform button in the toolbar or choosing View > Perform in Full Screen. By default, Perform mode opens in full screen. This means that your screen controls are as large as possible for maximum legibility. Perform mode helps your computer run as efficiently as possible by disabling background processes like OS-level autosave, Spotlight, and Time Machine.

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Have a great show!

If you’ve followed these instructions and suggestions, you should have no problems with MainStage! If you experience any issues, don’t hesitate to contact us.