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Using Gigmeister with MainStage and Gig Performer

Jan 22, 2026

Gigmeister

If you play keys or guitar in a live band, there is a good chance you use Apple MainStage or Gig Performer to host your virtual instruments and effects. Both are excellent at what they do: load plugins, switch patches, and process audio in real time with rock-solid stability.

But they are built for one player at a time. And if you have ever tried to coordinate patch changes across a full band — keyboards, guitar rig, drum triggers, maybe a lighting desk — you know that each player managing their own host independently leads to problems. Missed cues, wrong patches, awkward gaps between songs.

Gigmeister is not a replacement for MainStage or Gig Performer. It is the layer that sits above them and runs the show.

What MainStage and Gig Performer Do Well

Both apps are patch hosts. They load your virtual instruments (piano, organ, synth pads, guitar amp sims) and let you switch between configurations using MIDI program changes. Their strengths:

• Low-latency audio processing with optimized plugin hosting
• Complex signal routing (splits, layers, effects chains)
• Per-patch settings for volume, EQ, effects parameters
• Setlist organization of patches in performance order

MainStage is built into the Apple ecosystem and works seamlessly with Logic Pro sounds. Gig Performer is cross-platform, supports both VST and AU, and has a visual wiring view that makes complex routing intuitive. Both are purpose-built for stage use and both are great at their job.

Where the Workflow Breaks Down

The problem is not the host. The problem is everything around it.

Each player is an island. Your keyboard player has their MainStage setlist. Your guitarist has their Helix presets. Your drummer has SPD-SX kits. None of these systems talk to each other. When the band decides to swap songs 4 and 7 in tonight’s setlist, every player has to manually reorder their own rig.

No shared context. The singer is on verse 2, but the keyboard player loaded the wrong patch because they thought the band was on the bridge. There is no single source of truth for “where are we in the show right now.”

Patch switching is per-device. Even within MainStage or Gig Performer, switching patches means the player has to tap a button, click a mouse, or step on a pedal assigned to that specific host. Multiply that by every device on stage and you have a lot of manual actions per song.

No visibility for the rest of the team. Your sound engineer cannot see your MainStage setlist. Your lighting operator does not know what song is next. The band leader has no way to push a setlist change to everyone at once.

How Gigmeister Fills the Gap

Gigmeister acts as the band-level conductor. It manages the setlist, the song metadata, and the MIDI messages that tell every device on stage — including MainStage and Gig Performer — what to do.

One Setlist Controls Everything

Build your setlist once in Gigmeister. Assign MIDI program changes to each song for every device in the band. When you advance to the next song, Gigmeister sends program changes to all devices simultaneously:

• Your keyboard player’s MainStage receives PC 23 on channel 1 and loads the Rhodes patch
• Your guitarist’s Helix receives PC 4 on channel 3 and loads the clean rig
• Your drummer’s SPD-SX receives PC 12 on channel 10 and loads the right kit

One action. Every device switches. No one has to touch their individual host.

Per-Section Patch Changes

Songs are not one patch from start to finish. You might need a piano for the verse, a synth pad for the chorus, and a lead sound for the solo. Gigmeister’s step-based navigation handles this.

Define steps for each song (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo) and assign different MIDI program changes to each step. When you advance to the chorus, MainStage or Gig Performer receives the right program change and loads the chorus patch. Your guitarist’s rig switches at the same time.

This is something neither MainStage nor Gig Performer does well on its own. They can switch patches, but they do not know what section of the song you are in. Gigmeister provides that structure.

MIDI Clock Sync

Gigmeister sends MIDI clock at 24 pulses per quarter note, locked to the song’s tempo. MainStage and Gig Performer can slave their tempo-synced effects to this clock:

• Delays that are perfectly in time with the band
• Arpeggiators that follow the song tempo
• Tremolo and modulation effects that pulse on the beat

You can even set per-step tempo changes. If the bridge slows down to half time, Gigmeister adjusts the clock and your host’s synced effects follow automatically.

MIDI Clip Playback

Upload MIDI files to Gigmeister and trigger them on song or step start. These clips play back through your host’s loaded instruments:

• Trigger a synth sequence loaded in MainStage
• Fire a one-shot sample via Gig Performer
• Auto-loop a MIDI pattern for the duration of a section

Clips are tempo-scaled to match the current song BPM, so they stay in sync even if you adjust the tempo.

The Setup

Getting MainStage or Gig Performer working with Gigmeister takes about 15 minutes.

1. Connect via MIDI

Connect your Gigmeister device (iPad, iPhone, laptop, or desktop app) to your host computer via USB-MIDI, a MIDI interface, or a virtual MIDI bus if both apps run on the same machine.

2. Configure Your Host to Receive

In MainStage: Go to Layout mode. Set your Concert to respond to MIDI program changes on your chosen channel. Each patch in your Concert already has a program change number — just make sure the numbers match what you configure in Gigmeister.

In Gig Performer: Open the MIDI settings for your rackspace. Enable “MIDI Program Change” listening on the appropriate channel. Gig Performer maps rackspaces to program change numbers, so rackspace 1 responds to PC 0, rackspace 2 responds to PC 1, and so on.

3. Assign Programs in Gigmeister

Open any song in your Gigmeister library. Go to the MIDI tab. Add your MainStage or Gig Performer instance as a device (generic MIDI device works — just set the channel). Pick the program change number that corresponds to the right patch in your host.

Do this for each song. If you use step-based navigation, assign per-step programs too.

4. Build Your Setlist and Play

Drag your songs into a setlist. Hit play. When you advance songs — by swiping, tapping, or using a foot pedal — Gigmeister sends the program changes and your host loads the right patch.

What Each Tool Does Best

Think of it this way:

Responsibility	MainStage / Gig Performer	Gigmeister
Host virtual instruments	Yes	No
Process audio in real time	Yes	No
Complex signal routing	Yes	No
Manage the band’s setlist	No	Yes
Switch patches across all devices at once	No	Yes
Per-section MIDI automation	Limited	Yes
Share setlist with the whole band	No	Yes
Share setlist with sound engineer	No	Yes
Chord sheets and lyrics on stage	No	Yes
MIDI clock sync to band tempo	No	Yes
Work offline at the venue	Standalone	Yes (offline-first)

MainStage and Gig Performer manage your sounds. Gigmeister manages your show. Together, they cover the full workflow from soundcheck to encore.

Tips for a Smooth Setup

Match your program change numbers. The most common issue is a mismatch between what Gigmeister sends and what your host expects. MainStage and Gig Performer both number from 0, but some documentation shows 1-based numbering. Test every song before the gig.

Use dedicated MIDI channels. Put MainStage on channel 1, Gig Performer (if another player uses it) on channel 2, and hardware devices on higher channels. This prevents crosstalk.

Send changes during transitions. Some patches take a moment to load, especially if they use large sample libraries. Advancing to the next song a beat early, during applause, or during stage banter gives the host time to load without audible gaps.

Keep your host’s own setlist as a backup. If the MIDI connection fails mid-gig, you want to be able to manually step through patches in MainStage or Gig Performer. Set up their internal setlists to mirror your Gigmeister setlist as a fallback.

Getting Started

If you already use MainStage or Gig Performer, Gigmeister plugs right into your workflow. Your host keeps doing what it does best — hosting plugins and processing audio. Gigmeister adds the band-level coordination that a single-player host cannot provide.

Create a free account on Gigmeister and connect your first device. Check the MIDI documentation for detailed setup instructions.

Tags:

• midi
• integrations

How to Run an Efficient Band Rehearsal

Jan 18, 2026

Gigmeister

Rehearsal time is expensive. Not in money — in coordination. Getting four or five adults with jobs, families, and side projects into the same room at the same time is a logistical achievement. When you finally get there, wasting half the session on songs everyone already knows is a crime.

Here is how to run rehearsals that actually move the band forward.

The Core Problem

Most bands rehearse the same way every week: show up, play through the setlist top to bottom, chat for 20 minutes, play through it again, go home. This feels productive because you are playing music, but it is not. You are spending 80% of your time on songs that are already tight and 20% on the ones that actually need work.

Flip that ratio and your gigs get noticeably better.

Prioritize by Need, Not Preference

Before rehearsal, figure out which songs need the most attention. The criteria:

New songs that have never been played together. These need full arrangement work — intros, endings, transitions, who plays what where.

Songs with upcoming gigs that have not been rehearsed recently. If you have a show on Saturday and have not played “Superstition” since last month, it goes on the priority list.

Songs that went wrong at the last gig. Missed cues, wrong endings, tempo drift. These need targeted work, not just another full run-through.

Songs everyone is comfortable with go to the bottom of the list. You do not need to rehearse your bulletproof opener every single week.

Practice tracking makes this objective instead of subjective. When you can see that you last practiced a song three weeks ago and it is on next Saturday’s setlist, the priority is obvious. Gigmeister tracks when each song was last practiced and surfaces songs that need attention automatically.

Structure Your Session

A two-hour rehearsal with no plan turns into a three-hour hang. Here is a structure that works:

Warm-up (10-15 minutes)

Play something loose. A jam, a simple song everyone knows cold, or just noodle together to get ears and fingers warmed up. This is not wasted time — it gets everyone in sync and shakes off the day.

Focused Work (60-75 minutes)

This is the core of the rehearsal. Work on 3-5 songs that need the most attention. For each song:

1. Talk through it first. Identify the specific sections that need work. “The bridge transition is sloppy” is more useful than “let’s just play it.”
2. Isolate problem sections. Do not play the entire song if only the bridge needs work. Start at the bridge, work it until it is solid, then run from the verse into the bridge for context.
3. Run it once fully. After fixing the issues, play the whole song start to finish once. If it falls apart, isolate again. If it holds together, move on.
4. Log it. Mark the song as practiced so you know where you stand for next time.

Full Run-Through (20-30 minutes)

If you have an upcoming gig, run a portion of the setlist in order. This is not for fixing problems — it is for practicing transitions, stage banter timing, and the flow between songs. Treat it like a mini-performance.

Wrap-Up (5-10 minutes)

Discuss what to work on individually before next rehearsal. Assign homework: “Learn the new song’s chord changes,” “Practice the drum fill in the bridge,” “Figure out the harmony part.” Specific tasks, not vague instructions.

Track Your Practice

Memory is unreliable. “When did we last rehearse that song?” turns into a five-minute debate that nobody wins. Practice tracking removes the guesswork.

After each rehearsal, log which songs you worked on. Over time, this builds a picture of:

• Which songs are well-rehearsed and gig-ready
• Which songs have not been touched in weeks
• Which songs consistently need extra work (maybe they are too hard, or the arrangement needs simplifying)

Gigmeister’s practice mode tracks sessions automatically and generates smart suggestions for what to rehearse next. Songs appearing on upcoming setlists that have not been practiced recently get flagged. Songs you play every week drop to the bottom of the suggestion list.

The Practice Queue

Build a practice queue before each rehearsal. This is your agenda — an ordered list of songs to work on, prioritized by need.

Building the queue takes five minutes before rehearsal and saves twenty minutes of “so what should we play next?” during the session. Share it with the band so everyone knows the plan.

Add songs to the queue, drag them into priority order, and check them off as you work through them. If you do not finish the list, the remaining songs carry over to next time.

Individual Preparation

The biggest rehearsal time-saver is not a rehearsal technique at all — it is individual preparation. If every band member shows up knowing their parts, rehearsal becomes about polish and ensemble playing instead of teaching each other songs.

Set clear expectations:

• New songs: Everyone should know the structure and their parts before rehearsal. Chord sheets, recordings, and notes should be shared ahead of time.
• Existing songs with changes: If you are rearranging an ending or adding a new section, share the updated chart before rehearsal.
• Homework from last session: Follow through on assigned tasks.

A band where everyone prepares individually can accomplish in one rehearsal what an unprepared band takes three rehearsals to reach.

Common Time Wasters

Gear troubleshooting. Set up and sound-check before the scheduled start time, not during it. Arrive 15 minutes early.

Playing songs from top to bottom repeatedly. If the verse is fine and the chorus is fine but the bridge is a mess, playing the verse and chorus four times to get to the bridge is wasting everyone’s time.

Debating arrangements during rehearsal. Creative decisions are important but slow. If a song needs significant rearrangement, one or two people should work it out before rehearsal and bring a proposal. Rehearsal is for execution, not committee design.

No breaks. Two hours straight without a break leads to diminishing returns. Take five minutes every 45-60 minutes. Get water, stretch, check your phone, then get back to it.

Make It Stick

The best rehearsal habits are the ones that become automatic. Track your practice, build a queue before each session, and structure your time deliberately. Your gigs will be tighter, your band members will be less frustrated, and you will get more done in less time.

Get started with practice tracking in Gigmeister or read the full practice mode documentation to set up smart rehearsal suggestions for your band.

Tags:

• practice
• guides

Chord Sheet Formatting for Live Performance

Jan 14, 2026

Gigmeister

A chord sheet that is easy to read in your living room can become impossible to read on stage. Between dim lighting, a music stand two feet away, and the pressure of a live performance, formatting matters more than you think.

Here is how to format chord sheets that actually work when it counts.

The Problem with Most Chord Sheets

Chord sheets you find online are formatted for screens, not stages. They have tiny text, inconsistent spacing, chords jammed between lyrics with no clear alignment, and way too much content on a single page. Printing one of these and putting it on your music stand is a recipe for squinting through half your set.

Good stage chord sheets share a few qualities: large readable text, chords positioned unambiguously above the lyrics they belong to, minimal clutter, and no page turns mid-song if you can avoid it.

Bracket Notation

The most reliable way to embed chords in text is bracket notation. Place the chord name in square brackets at the exact position where it falls in the lyric line:

[Am]Sitting on the [G]dock of the [C]bay
[Am]Watching the [G]tide roll a[C]way

This format is clean, unambiguous, and works consistently across rendering engines. Every chord is clearly tied to a specific word or syllable. There is no guesswork about where the change happens.

When rendered, the brackets are stripped and the chords appear above the lyrics, aligned to the exact character position. Gigmeister uses this bracket notation throughout — you type chords inline and they render with correct positioning automatically.

Chords Without Lyrics

For instrumental sections, chord-only lines work with the same bracket syntax:

[Em] [G] [D] [A]
[Em] [G] [D] [A]

Section Labels

Mark sections clearly so you can jump to any part of the song at a glance:

[Verse 1]
[Am]Sitting on the [G]dock of the [C]bay

[Chorus]
[G]Sitting on the [Em]dock of the [C]bay [D]

Keep section labels consistent across all your songs. If you use “Verse 1” in one song, do not use “V1” in another. Consistency means your eyes know what to look for.

Two-Column Layout

Longer songs can run to two or three pages, which means page turns during performance. A two-column layout solves this by fitting more content into the same vertical space.

Two-column works best when:

• The song has more than 20 lines of content
• You are reading from a tablet or a landscape-oriented screen
• You want the entire song visible at once without scrolling

It works less well when:

• The song has very long lyric lines that wrap within a column
• You are on a narrow phone screen

Gigmeister supports two-column layout as a per-song toggle. Enable it in the song editor and the chord sheet splits into two columns automatically.

Font Sizing and Readability

On stage, you are typically reading from 2 to 4 feet away. Here are practical guidelines:

Tablet on a music stand (2-3 feet): 16-20pt for lyrics, 14-18pt for chords. Most tablets handle this well in portrait mode.

Laptop on a keyboard stand (3-4 feet): 20-24pt minimum. You have more screen real estate, use it.

Printed sheets on a music stand: 14pt minimum for lyrics. Bold the chords or use a contrasting color if printing in color.

Phone on a mic stand clip: Honestly, avoid this if you can. If you must, use the largest font that fits and strip everything except chords and section markers.

The rule of thumb: if you have to lean forward to read it, the font is too small.

Transpose Without Rewriting

Different instruments, different keys. Your vocalist wants the song in Eb, your guitarist learned it in E, and your keyboard player can play in anything but prefers concert pitch.

Per-user transpose solves this cleanly. Each band member sets their own transpose offset for each song. The underlying chord data stays the same, but everyone sees the chords in their preferred key.

This is far better than maintaining multiple versions of the same chord sheet. One source of truth, personalized display. Gigmeister handles transpose per user — your +2 semitone offset does not affect what your bandmates see.

Stripping Content by Role

Not everyone needs the same information:

Vocalists mostly need lyrics with section markers. Chords are visual noise.

Instrumentalists mostly need chords and structure. Full lyrics get in the way.

Consider offering both views from the same source. A “hide lyrics” mode shows only chord markers and section labels. A “hide chords” mode shows clean lyrics. Same chord sheet, filtered by role.

AI-Assisted Chord Sheets

If you are starting from plain lyrics and need to add chords, AI can speed up the first draft significantly. Paste in your lyrics, and AI analyzes the harmonic structure to place chord markers.

A few caveats:

• AI-generated chords are a starting point, not a finished product. Always review for accuracy.
• Complex jazz harmony, unusual voicings, and slash chords trip up AI models regularly. Expect to correct these.
• Simple pop, rock, and folk songs with standard progressions get surprisingly accurate results.

Gigmeister Pro includes AI chord sheet generation that outputs bracket-notation chord sheets you can edit immediately.

Formatting Checklist

Before you take a chord sheet on stage, run through this list:

• Font size: Readable from your performance distance?
• Section labels: Clear and consistent (Verse, Chorus, Bridge)?
• Chord placement: Unambiguous — every chord aligns to the right word?
• Length: Fits on one page or screen without scrolling? If not, use two-column.
• Transpose: Set to your instrument’s key?
• Clutter: Stripped out tab notation, comments, and other studio-only content?

Get Started

Build your chord sheet library with bracket notation, per-user transpose, and two-column layout. Create a free Gigmeister account or read the full chord sheet documentation for setup details.

Tags:

• chord-sheets
• live-performance

Building the Perfect Setlist: A Musician's Guide

Jan 10, 2026

Gigmeister

A great setlist is not just a list of songs. It is a plan for how you are going to take an audience on a ride over the course of a night. The difference between a band that gets rebooked and one that does not often comes down to how well the set flows — not just what songs you play, but the order you play them in.

Here is a practical framework for building setlists that work, whether you are playing a 45-minute opening slot or a four-hour wedding.

Start Strong, Finish Stronger

Your first song sets the tone. Pick something the band plays confidently, that gets energy into the room quickly, and that does not require a long intro or buildup. You want to make a statement in the first 30 seconds.

Your last song is what people remember. Save one of your strongest tunes for the closer. If you are doing an encore, the real closer is the encore — the song before it just needs to make the audience want more.

The Energy Curve

Think of your set as a wave, not a straight line. The energy should rise and fall intentionally:

Opening block (songs 1-3): High energy. Establish the vibe. Get the audience engaged. These should be songs you could play in your sleep.

Mid-set dip (songs 4-7): Bring it down slightly. This is where you can put a ballad, a deep cut, or a song with a longer instrumental section. The audience needs contrast to appreciate the highs.

Build back up (songs 8-10): Ramp the energy again. Each song should be a small step up from the previous one.

Climax and close (last 2-3 songs): Your biggest songs. Maximum energy. Leave everything on stage.

For multi-set gigs, apply this pattern to each set independently. Each set should have its own arc.

Key Transitions

Playing three songs in a row in the key of G is fine musically, but it can start to sound monotonous. Vary your keys across the setlist. Some transitions that work well:

• Same key: Works when the tempo or feel changes significantly
• Up a half step or whole step: Creates a natural lift in energy
• Relative major/minor: Smooth transition (Am to C, Em to G)
• Fourth or fifth: Strong, satisfying movement (C to F, G to C)

Avoid awkward jumps like tritone intervals (C to F#) back to back unless you have a clear transition planned. A few seconds of silence or stage banter can reset the listener’s ear between songs that clash harmonically.

Tempo Pacing

Tempo is as important as key for flow. Three fast songs in a row will exhaust the audience (and the band). Three slow songs will lose the room.

A good rule of thumb: alternate tempos in groups. Two uptempo songs, then a mid-tempo, then a ballad, then back up. The exact pattern depends on your setlist length and the venue.

For dance bands: your audience needs tempo variety to catch their breath. Nobody dances for 90 minutes straight. Give them peaks and valleys.

Timing Your Set

Know exactly how long your set needs to be and plan accordingly. Add up song durations, then add transition time between songs:

• Tight transitions (straight into the next song): 5-10 seconds
• Normal transitions (brief tuning, count-in): 15-30 seconds
• Banter breaks (talking to the audience): 30-60 seconds

For a typical 45-minute set of 10-12 songs, you will lose 3-5 minutes to transitions. Plan for it.

The Setlist as a Living Document

Your setlist should evolve with every gig. After each show, note what worked and what did not:

• Did the energy dip too long in the middle?
• Was there an awkward key change that needed a longer transition?
• Did the audience respond better than expected to a particular song order?

Use this feedback to refine your next setlist. The best setlists are not built in one sitting — they are iterated over dozens of gigs.

Get Started

Build your setlists with drag-and-drop ordering, automatic duration tracking, and section markers for multi-set gigs. Create a free Gigmeister account or read the full setlist documentation for setup details.

Tags:

• setlists
• live-performance

How to Use MIDI Program Changes in a Live Band

Jan 7, 2026

Gigmeister

If you play keyboards, guitar effects, or any MIDI-capable instrument in a live band, you have dealt with the scramble of switching patches between songs. You are mid-set, the last chord of “Take Me to the River” is still ringing out, and you need to get from your Rhodes patch to a synth pad before the intro of the next tune. Fumbling through menus on stage is not a good look.

MIDI program changes solve this. Here is how they work and how to set them up for a seamless live show.

What Is a MIDI Program Change?

A MIDI Program Change (PC) message tells a device to switch to a specific preset. It is a single byte value from 0 to 127, giving you access to 128 programs on any given MIDI channel.

When you send PC 42 on channel 1 to your keyboard, it loads program 42. Simple enough. But most modern instruments have far more than 128 presets, which is where bank selection comes in.

Bank Select: MSB and LSB

The MIDI specification added Bank Select messages to extend beyond the 128-program limit. Bank selection uses two Control Change (CC) messages sent before the Program Change:

• Bank Select MSB (CC 0): The “coarse” bank selector. Values 0-127.
• Bank Select LSB (CC 32): The “fine” bank selector. Values 0-127.

Together, MSB and LSB can address up to 16,384 banks, each containing 128 programs. That is over two million possible patches — more than enough for any device.

The message sequence always goes in this order:

1. CC 0 (Bank MSB) — select the bank group
2. CC 32 (Bank LSB) — select the specific bank
3. Program Change — select the patch within that bank

Some devices only use MSB, some use both MSB and LSB, and some ignore bank select entirely. Check your device’s MIDI implementation chart to know which messages it expects.

MIDI Channels

MIDI supports 16 channels per connection. Each musician’s gear typically lives on its own channel. A common setup:

• Channel 1: Main keyboard (piano, Rhodes, organ)
• Channel 2: Synth (pads, leads)
• Channel 3: Guitar multi-effects processor
• Channel 4: Backing track trigger

This isolation means one program change message will not accidentally switch patches on another player’s gear.

The Problem with Manual Patch Changes

On a typical gig night, you might play 20 to 30 songs. If you have two MIDI devices, that is 40 to 60 patch changes. Do any of these manually and you will eventually:

• Load the wrong patch
• Miss the intro of a song while scrolling through presets
• Forget which program number goes with which song

The answer is automation. Store the correct program change for each song, and let software send the messages as you advance through the setlist.

Setting Up Automated Program Changes

The basic workflow for automating MIDI program changes on stage:

1. Document Your Patches

Before you touch any automation, make a list. For every song in your repertoire, write down which patch you need on each device. Be specific: device name, bank number, program number, and the patch name for reference.

2. Configure Your MIDI Routing

Connect your devices via USB-MIDI or 5-pin DIN cables to your tablet, phone, or laptop. Make sure each device is assigned to a unique MIDI channel.

3. Assign Programs to Songs

In your setlist software, assign the correct bank and program number to each song for each device. When you advance to the next song in your setlist, the software sends the program changes automatically.

4. Test Before the Gig

Run through your entire setlist at home or in rehearsal. Verify every patch loads correctly. MIDI numbering is notoriously inconsistent — some manufacturers number programs starting from 0, others from 1. A program listed as “001” on your keyboard might be MIDI program change 0.

Device-Specific Quirks

Every manufacturer handles MIDI slightly differently:

• Nord keyboards use a lettered bank system (A:11, B:23) that maps to specific MSB/LSB combinations
• Line 6 Helix expects Bank MSB for setlist number and PC for preset within that setlist
• Kemper Profiler uses CC 0 for performance slot and PC for rig within it
• Boss GT-1000 uses Bank MSB/LSB pairs that map to user and preset banks

This is where pre-configured device profiles save you hours of reading MIDI implementation charts. Gigmeister supports 49+ devices out of the box with correct bank/program mappings already set up.

Per-Song Configuration

The most practical setup is one where each song in your library has MIDI programs saved for each device. When you build a setlist and start performing, advancing to the next song triggers all the right patch changes at once.

In Gigmeister, you configure this in the MIDI tab of each song. Select your device, pick the program by name (no need to memorize numbers), and you are done. During performance, swiping to the next song or pressing a foot pedal sends all program changes simultaneously.

Foot Pedal Navigation

Hands-free navigation is critical for performers. Map a MIDI CC message from a foot pedal to advance songs in your setlist. This way, your hands stay on the instrument and your patches change automatically as you step through songs. Learn more about MIDI foot pedal controls.

Tips for a Reliable MIDI Setup

Use short cables. Long MIDI cable runs introduce latency and data errors. Keep cables under 15 feet when possible, or use USB-MIDI for direct connections.

Send program changes early. Some devices take 100-500ms to load a patch. Advancing to the next song a beat early, or using software that sends changes during the transition, prevents audible gaps.

Have a backup plan. If your MIDI rig fails mid-gig, know how to manually select your most critical patches. Write the top five on a piece of tape stuck to your keyboard.

Test with your full rig. MIDI issues that do not appear with a single device can surface when you add a second or third device. Test everything connected together.

Getting Started

If you want to stop fumbling with patches on stage, set up MIDI automation in Gigmeister. Add your devices, assign programs to songs, build your setlist, and let the software handle the rest. Read the full MIDI documentation for setup details and supported devices.

Tags:

• midi
• live-performance