Step-by-Step Guide to Opening Your Kontakt Libraries in MainStage

MainStage comes with excellent factory sounds, but if you want to make the leap to hyper-realistic pianos like those from Nord or Yamaha, or modern synthesizers, you'll inevitably have to use Contact.

Many keyboardists get confused when trying to link the two programs, but the process is actually quite simple. Here are the steps to load any Kontakt library into your MainStage concert.

Step 1: Create a new channel

1. Open your concert in MainStage and select the patch (sound) to which you want to add Kontakt.
2. On the right side of the screen (where the faders or mixer are), click the "Add" button (+) located in the upper-right corner of the mixer.
3. Choose "Software Tool" (Software Instrument) and click Create.

Step 2: Load the Kontakt plugin

1. On your new channel, look for the dark gray section that says "Entry" the "Instrument" (he usually says E-Piano the Classic Electric Piano (by default).
2. Hold down the mouse button on that slot (don't just click—hold it down) to bring up a menu.
3. Scroll down to: Instruments AU (AU Instruments) -> Native Instruments -> Kontakt -> Estéreo (Stereo).
4. Use: Depending on which version you have installed, it might say Kontakt 6 or Kontakt 7.

Step 3: Load your library

1. When you complete the previous step, the black window typical of Kontakt will open.
2. Now all you have to do is go to the browser on the left or the "Files" tab, locate the folder where you downloaded your piano sounds, and drag the file with the extension What's wrong? toward the center of the black screen.

And that's it! Now the MainStage channel is powered by Kontakt's powerful engine. Play a few notes to make sure you're getting sound, and be sure to save your concert (Cmd + S).