MainStage Sound Collection: Volume 1
A collection of 15 sounds curated and crafted for marching arts designers.
These are some of my favorite "go-to" patches that are found directly within the MainStage sound library. All the patches have been customized with different settings and adjustments. Use these sounds as building blocks to your creative process.
INCLUDED PATCHES:
- Synth Soft Bells: Perfect for sparkly moments. Could double with vibes / bells to give melodic content depth and character.
- Mr. Frosty: Slightly mellower bell synth. Could double with vibes / bells to give melodic content depth and character. Works best in the middle register - and as a blended sound. Don’t over do it. Play with the high shelf in the EQ to make the patch more subtle.
- Bellsphere: Very prominent bell synth - great for impacts / sparkle shimmer moments. Really punchy - will definitely support metals in the front ensemble. Really recognizable sound, use sparingly. Play with the high shelf in the EQ to blend the sound into the ensemble.
- Aurora over Iceland: Really mellow, soft, beautiful, rich, resonant patch. Perfect for adding warmth and richness to the melody. Works well in the low to mid register. Turn off the overdrive to increase the subtlety. Watch out for piercing frequencies in your speaker system.
- Dreamy Piano: Dreamy, cinematic. Perfect to create a mood. Give this patch space to do its work. Mid-register is best. Play with the overdrive for presence, and the Chroma Verb for space.
- Blue Carpet Harp: Mellow and warm harp - hybrid synth. Great for tracking moving lines in both metals and woods. Will add a lot of depth and richness to the moment. Balance the “Blue Carpet” patch down to remove thickness and reverb. Bring the harp patch down to soften the attack.
- Church Choir: Standard Choir patch - play with the EQ to bring prominence up or down in the mix. Works most effectively when balanced down in the mix.
- Purity Pad: Gorgeous warm pad that will add depth to any moment. Play with the “release” in the ES2 to adjust length of decay.
- Strings: Standard string patch - EQ’d and Reverb for blend in front ensemble situations. Like the choir patch - this one works best when a little lower in the mix. Play with the EQ to adjust the character and presence of the sound.
- Blue Carpet - Warm: Another pad similar to Purity - with a little more color to the sound.
- Dies Irae: Power impact patch for large epic moments. Don’t over do it with this one - it will take over the ensemble - but used at the right time will add a ton of richness and fullness to the sound.
- Pizz Bass: A great alternative to using longer sustained bass patches. Just the right amount of punch and attack to add depth, but the decay give room to the other frequencies in your composition to shine through. Highly recommended for impacts with smaller ensembles - won’t over power your if used correctly. Play with the overdrive and EQ to adjust overall presence.
- Sub Bass: A good go to synth bass patch. Play with the Attack and Release in the ES1 menu to craft the sound to blend with your ensemble.
- Sub Bass Pizz: A mix of the 2 previous patches - a hybrid. Play with the decay and attack in the ES1 menu.
- Staccato Strings: Staccato strings - with depth and richness. Lots of mechanics happening with the plugins to create that stereo image. Play around with all the settings to get it to blend with your ensemble. Great for creating driving moments.
