Now, audio files are pretty “big” in terms of storage space on your computer. For example, a good sampled piano instrument will have little short recordings of every note on a piano, at various intensities, with the pedal on or off, etc. Sampler instruments, in contrast, are based on playing back “samples” of an instrument. Unlike sample-based instruments, synthesizers are (as a rule of thumb) not as RAM intensive, because they aren’t storing actually audio files, just little programs for producing and processing the wave. These instruments are very CPU-intensive, because every time you play a key on the keyboard your CPU has to generate that wave, run it through all the modulations and effects, and produce that beautiful output that makes your worship pastor smile (or, not…) Retro Synth is an example of a synthesizer instrument: In a basic synthesizer instrument in MainStage, your CPU is generating a sort of virtual wave, and then applying all sorts of modulations and effects to that wave to get an output. Synthesizer instrumentsįundamentally, a synthesizer works by generating and modulating a particular wave. In MainStage there are two basic instrument VST types: synthesizers and samplers. Most people are familiar with that idea, but here is how it translates to MainStage… When you are trying to solve a math problem, your “CPU” is doing the work, but when you’re trying to remember where you left your keys it’s your “RAM”.

Your CPU is like the thinking part of your brain, and RAM is like the memory part of your brain. Here’s what’s going on:# MainStage CPU and RAM utilization Ever wonder why MainStage is running slow, or why you’re hearing weird pops or cracks, or why switching patches creates this terrible awkward pause in that awesome huge pad you were using to usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit? Yeah, me too.

Mainstage 3 worship patches