Mac: Using MainStage as 'cheap' VEPro

A comment in a samples forum suggested that it’s possible to use Apple’s MainStage app as a sample server to Dorico, like VEPro.

The advantage being that you could run Dorico native on M1 Macs and still use Intel plug-ins through MainStage (which has Apple’s secret sauce for mixing architectures).

This is all beyond my pay-grade, but I thought I’d mention it here, in case it’s useful for anyone.

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I did this a few years ago and put a thread up on how to do it. I don’t remember all the details but there’s a fundamental flaw in the sequencer for Logic, which I think is the same in MS maybe, that compresses all the input MIDI to one channel. Basically it strips out the channels before they route to the tracks. The obscure MIDI editor mode - that weird GUI from the early days, allows you to play some games but it doesn’t really work.

So you can’t use Logic for more than 16 channels routing, can’t remember but I think MS too. It led to me switching to Nuendo where that is a breeze. But yeah I’d recommend instead getting a light version of Cubase and using that as it’s built-in, just buying a Steinberg external sound card will get you a light one for free.

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Dan’s original post on this topic is here:

Thanks Daniel, but I meant this one

Here’s the key part

FWIW I’d just get VEP, they run a sale around Black Friday. It’s not terribly expensive, and now we have these Steinberg dongles looking for a use :grin: