In this post and video, I’ll show users of Ableton Live and Mainstage how to streamline Mainstage patch changes. 

Mainstage and Ableton Live both have infinite possibilities.  That is why one of the biggest hurdles is finding an efficient way to make them work for you. You need methods for setup and performance that don’t consume all your time and focus.

I’ve known about the ability to trigger Mainstage patches from Ableton for some time. I didn’t start doing it, though, until I wrapped my head around how it could work in my setup.

Once I realized that I was setting up my Ableton loops in much the same way that I was doing a lot of my patches, it clicked. Now, when I use a song with multiple dynamic levels of loops and multiple dynamic levels of patches, I create a link within Ableton. Then, instead of two actions while I’m playing, I get by with one action.

Video tutorial

In this latest video, I demonstrate two things: 1) how I organize my loops and patches in order to work together, and 2) the technical steps to streamline patch changes.

I use an Ableton template that saves me some steps with the patch change setup every time. If you would like to try it, you can register for a free download below!