MainStage is a beast of a program, and with that power comes some pretty hefty CPU and memory demands. If you’re seeing the CPU meter maxing out more than you like, try making these plug in tweaks:

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1. Space Designer

This plugin uses CPU-intensive math to simulate a reverb, which can lead to CPU spikes. Substitute in a Silververb Reverb plugin to save some serious power, or use a master reverb bus for all of your patches (i.e. instead of using multiple Space Designer plugins, piping all audio to a single instance).

2. Compressors

Many people put compressors on all of their channel strip plugins, thinking they’re evening out the levels. With a bit a tweaking of your software plugins, you can even out your sound and save power by removing a compressor.

3. EXS24

The EXS24 is very efficient, but large sample libraries can hurt your CPU and memory. Reduce the polyphony to drastically improve your performance.

4. Equalizers

While MainStage’s Equalizer plugin is super efficient, you can save a little bit of processing power by tweaking the tone shaping features in the software instrument. For instance, both the Vintage Organ and Vintage Electric Piano have basic EQ built in.

5. Combine FX using Pedalboard

The Pedalboard plugin has everything from phasers to basic EQ, and can be used as a one-stop shop for all things FX. Also, the drag and drop design of the plugin is super fun to use!