I am probably going to avail myself of some good pricing an go for a MAC Mini - now I know C3 will not run on Apple, so would Mainstage be the best alternative to use on the MAC platform?
You have a selection of Mainstage, Camelot, and Gig Performer. None of them anywhere close to C3.
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haha, spoken like a true devotee - had some feedback from Mainstage users who differ 
I agree re Camelot - I have run it alongside C3 on the PC…it has major issues with the multi-threading and some other stuff as well, which I won’t go into any more here!
Always wanted a MAC, but never been able to afford one until now …just got a MAC Mini M1 this
morning 
As I’ll be keeping the Intel NUC for Internet and moderate gaming (all music stuff is going over to the MAC) I’ll be able to do a side by side.
I am a devotee, but doesn’t mean I haven’t been exposed to the others. The truth, is the truth. And, the Mainstage users can’t use C3, so they really can’t comment. I think you will see how far progressed C3 is, compared to the others…night and day. But good luck with that. 
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Weeellll, I sort switch off once folks start preaching “night and day” and the “best ever” and other such hyperbole. But thanks for the input
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You’ll see! But enjoy the performance of that M1 anyway!
I almost sprung for an M1 MacBook MAX w/64 gigs, but research showed I could stay with Intel these days and still get very similar performance AND a desktop config with all the ports I’d need minus a million dongles. So, it won.
Terry
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Why come here for advice, then dis those that responded because they didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear? “Switching off” Corky is not recommended by most of us here on this forum. Proceed at your own risk.
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Mainstage is okay provided your needs are VERY simple, but some things that are dead simple in Cantabile are crazy difficult or impossible in Mainstage.
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Ok, I wasn’t going to respond to this but I will…it wasn’t advice it was fanboy hyperbole! Objectivity must be maintained no matter how fervently one holds a view on a particular bit of gear.
If you actually read the OP instead of jumping on the fanboy wagon as well, you will see the salient question was: Is Mainstage the best alternative to use on macOS. You will also read I prefaced that with "now I know C3 will NOT run on MAC.
So there you have it…I was NOT denigrating Cantabile as you fanboys seem to think…seems the minute anyone posts something even REMOTELY suggesting a query of its place at the top of the mountain, out of the woodwork you come riding your white chargers and waving the banners!
If I could use C3 on macOS I would still be using it.
Been looking at it and the manual, it can get some rather intricate setups running. Different to Cantabile, yes, but just as capable…After all, really, at live gig, all that is needed, for me anyway, is to run the instruments I want to use, bringing them in an out when I need and to run some tracks. It’s not rocket science and tbh, does not need some of the arcane setups I see folks have created here.
That live mixer view (which afaik is NOT available in C3 - well not without a LOT of tweaking and adding this and that) will be very useful.
Now please, no more…I will not be responding any further and I will not even be reading this thread anymore.
Although I daresay there will be those who will STILL post as they think they need to have some sort of a say, or “defend the flag” so to speak. But you’ll be “preaching to the converted” as I will not be reading them.
Can I just ask all that we keep things civil here? Posts are starting to get a little inflammatory, and there is no need for that.
We are all entitled to our opinions, and if we do not agree with what is being said then there are the options to reply constructively or move on
This is a friendly forum and let’s keep it that way…
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Well, my answer would be: “How the hell should I know?”. Who asks a Mac question on a Windows software forum and then expects an accurate answer?
Who the heck has enough time and money to buy both a Mac and PC, Mainstage and Cantabile, and learn how to program them both? One way or another, if you’re an individual, you’re going to get the system to do what you need based on the (probably already available) hardware you started with, and stick with it. If you’re working as a keyboard tech for Billy Joel, it’s a different story, but I suspect most of us aren’t that lucky.
GIGO
If you want to use software on a Mac with the M1 chip, please make sure that it is M1 native.
I know that Gig Performer is M1 native, I googled about Camelot Pro but haven’t found any information regarding M1 builds.
I wouldn’t consider Mainstage, as it is really for the most simple use cases.
Anyway, the best advice you can get is to try these apps, take a look at their communities, see some Youtube videos and check out their user manuals.
I am the right guy to answer.
I turned to Mac one year ago. I tested all the possible ways to get a system close to Cantabile.
Mainstage is a weak solution: RAM management is really a big delusion. After a concert with 20 songs and 10 VST you are blocked with empty RAM. This means unpredictable system performance, system error messages, a total failure. I tested it with a 16 gigabyte M1 MacBookPro and I found this situation unacceptable.
I delivered some orchestra tracks for a musical project with Mainstage (asked by producer) and I never used it anymore.
Camelot is a good system, very well designed if you use hardware synths (long list of devices with automatic preset match). It was not attractive to me one year ago because program changes on VSTs were not possible. Maybe now it’s different.
I chose without a doubt GigPerformer.
With that software I was able in a weekend to switch all of my concerts that I had in Cantabile.
One warning: it is designed in a totally different way from Cantabile, you must learn that to implement your perfect setup.
Strong point is a vital and competent community like here, so you can ask support and get an answer in few minutes.
This makes a huge difference.
I would have preferred a Cantabile on Mac, but sadly this is not on Brad’s plans.
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This is probably just a cathartic response and a bit off course of the OP, but a month ago the keyboardist with whom I play lost his Kuzweil 88 key hardware synth (Not sure of the Model, but the Pitch wheel was drifting and swinging all the tuning. Evidently a common problem since it’s failed 2x on his synth). Anyhow, he decided to go full VSTi. I’ve been running C3 on a laptop and using a foot controller (Like a Taurus) to play some simple VSTi, send MIDI to a Kemper, and send MIDI to an X32. All he would have noticed during our playing was the stability, Show Notes at my feet, and quick program changes along with the audio of my system. Tap a pedal and C3 coordinates all the hardware. Rock solid… always…
He came over one Saturday and we went through all our songs, programmed sounds, split the boards, etc. for a few sets with C3. I had a monitor for the Show Notes mounted above the keys and a midi foot pedal to change programs. I showed him all the C3 mapping, splitting, filters, routing, racks, and other things that I like about C3. I knew I had him hooked on C3. How could he not be?
To make an informed decision, he went over to another musician that uses a Mac and Mainstage; and I do respect him for that effort. Evidently I was the minority report as he ended up buying a Mac to run Mainstage.
All I could think was, “Brad’s gonna to slap me…”
I’ve got two takeaways from this thread:
- There are Mac people and there are PC people
- If Mainstage is a bust, I’ll suggest GigPerformer
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And there is also Mac people who are also PC people!
I am a heavy mac user for my general computing. I am typing this reply on a 2020 iMAC which is joy to use and also my main development platform.
But couldn’t objectively comment on the OP question as I have never used it for music, so do not know tools like mainstage. Why PCs then? Because I am perfectly happy with the PC investment I have in the studio and live on stage, and I still have the odd cherished VST that is PC only…
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