Questions about Joue

Is Joue an alternative to MainStage?

Yes, for playing a show’s sounds live on a Mac: songs, patches, layers and splits, with Audio Unit plugins and EXS instruments. It’s built for theatre, where a crash mid-show is not an option. See Coming from MainStage for how they compare.

Does it play my EXS instruments?

Yes. Channels › Import EXS brings an EXS instrument in, finds samples that have moved, and keeps the samples with the show. Instruments that only run inside Apple’s own apps, such as Alchemy, don’t come across.

Which plugins does it run?

Audio Unit instruments and effects, Apple’s and third-party ones. Each runs in its own process.

What happens if a plugin crashes on stage?

Only that plugin stops. Joue restarts it in under a second; if it fails again, Joue switches it off and tells you, and everything else keeps playing.

What Mac do I need?

Apple silicon, macOS 26. Joue loads patches ahead and lets go of old ones within a memory budget, so a big show runs on a smaller Mac.

Do I need a keyboard controller?

Not to try it. The Mac’s own keyboard plays the show, and you can click keys on the screen.

What does it cost?

Nothing while it’s in beta. Beta licences last a month and come from us; the beta ends in Q1 2027.

Something else? Get in touch.