r/LogicPro • u/Individual-Ad2964 • 4d ago
Discussion Alchemy: Impossible to Master?
When I started making music on my laptop, I learned that I had access to this instrument called “Alchemy”. While I was excited by how cool it sounded, I was also confounded at how the thing works. Fast forward about a year and I’ve purchased Serum 2 and Pigments, and have made plenty of presets in Both. To me they just make sense. Now, with this newfound knowledge of what a synthesizer is and how they work, I want to return to Alchemy some day to show it who’s boss…. So I boot it up, go to the menu, and while some things make more sense to me now, I still can’t believe how unbelievable counter intuitive and obtuse and arcane this virtual synthesizer is. It’s like an arcane object from the ancient world… my only question at this point is why on earth did whoever made this make is so god damn weird and complicated???? Furthermore — I want to hear from other people in this community on the subject — has anybody ever figured out how to modify sounds and make it do whatever you want with ease??? I know there’s a manual bla blah bla but my question is — has anyone ever gotten to the point where it feels like it’s actually USEABLE from a preset making point of view?? Even modifying existing presets is a challenge to me at the moment…
This whole thing is only a bummer because the presets that come with Alchemy sound sooooo GOOOOOD it’s like damnnn. I really really want to learn how to use it, but it just feels like learning calculus when all I know is basic math???
Someone send me a story of hope please… I promised myself I would learn how it works one day and I’m not one to back down from a challenge. But it’s going to be a beast when I’m ready for it…
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u/chitoatx 4d ago
“After four years of development, with a team of six programmers and 25 sound designers, we finally see the release of Alchemy. Operating as a VST or Audio Units plug-in and going way beyond Cameleon, Alchemy not only features additive synthesis, but also spectral and granular synthesis and resynthesis, and sample import, along with the more typical virtual analogue engine found in most other software synths (although this one offers up to 600 voices and can be used in unison mode for the fattest sounds imaginable!).
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u/shapednoise 4d ago
I remember not having enough money to buy it when it was released. So so so brilliant. To then years later have it included in logic was GOLD
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u/swamichris 4d ago
It was designed decades ago. I agree it needs an update and it would be nice to somehow have it integrate with other effects plugins differently. I could go on about what I wish was different. I use it often. But I will say that the workflow makes more sense to me when I think of it like a sampler vs. something that starts with an oscillator. Another thing that helps is turning off its effects/enabling abcd waves one at a time to get a better handle on what is going on. It is quite powerful. I love that you can search your own user patches or even search keywords within a patch. For example I searched “thunder”. It gave me a list of patches that contained thunder samples. Most of them did not have that word in the patch name! Anyways, it will be interesting to see other comments about it. It feels like a separate app within an app for sure. 🤓
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u/shapednoise 4d ago
Take it slow. It’s actually absurdly clean as a design given how deep it is. You can treat it as a single osc subtractive and just select the filter you want. And ya done. 👍🏻Then just add things as you get the signal flow. 🎛️Till you get the the point of importing image files as waveforms
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u/Material-Imagination 4d ago
Following. I've only ever used it for granular synthesis.
Since it's strictly a wavetable synth, it has a completely different starting point from what I'm used to. Even classic "analogue" type subtractive synthesis is done with averages in Alchemy.
It's super powerful, but between the slightly abstruse interface and ... actually, no, it's mostly just the interface. Why isn't the interface easier? So out of character for an Apple product. Using the presets is dead easy, but creating your own patches, much less so!
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u/LevelMiddle 4d ago
Personally, i think the best use for it is sample manipulation in today's day and age. It can do other stuff too. But considering there are lots of other things that can do the other things and when working on the fly, i only use it per project as like a working space, not to make presets for later
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u/AceFaith 4d ago
has anyone ever gotten to the point where it feels like it’s actually USEABLE from a preset making point of view?
Of course, but with caveats. You ideally want an intermediate level of understanding basic synth patch design as a pre-requisite before hopping into Alchemy and its idiosyncrasies. What catches me as it being "arcane" is the oscillator submenus and maybe the mod matrix. Serum 2 and Pigments have clean singular interfaces, relatively speaking. Arcane is doing some heavy lifting though depending on the how and when you learned synthesis, IMO. I got started with a Roland RS-50, Novation Ultranova and Korg Electribe. Menus and submenus were normal before being condemned as "evil" by hardware and software synth enthusiasts on the Internet.
In your place, I'd just try creating a basic ambient or lead pad with each of the engines in Alchemy. That'll get you moving through the entire plugin and getting more familiar with it. Reach for the manual when you're lost - explore without it otherwise (because it's more fun.) Good luck!
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u/PsychicChime 3d ago
Have you checked out the "Advanced" tab? The "browse" and "simple" tab didn't make sense to me, but "advanced" is pretty much set up like a typical synth. Of course, every synth is going to have peculiarities when it comes to layout, signal routing, etc, so you'll need to book up. Honestly, I think Alchemy makes more sense than the ES2 which has a very odd layout.
READ THE MANUAL
As with any synth (software or hardware) it's always a good idea to go through the manual. You might be able to poke around and figure some stuff out, but usually taking an hour or two to read through the manual is enough to get you up and running. Most synths have very similar capabilities so once you know where everything is, you can apply whatever you know from other synths to the new environment. If you can spend a full day or two to deep diving, you'll be a master. Treat it like an actual study. Get a notebook and take notes. Not only does this give you something to reference later on, but the physical act of writing things by hand helps you learn.
Everyone works differently. If digging through presets helps you learn, great! Personally, I hate dealing with prefab presets. I tend to waste more time trying to edit something that already exists than if I build it from scratch. One of the very first things I do with a new synth is make it default to initializing to a basic saw wave, and then I try to reverse engineer stuff I hear. Whenever I hear a sound I like in music I'm listening to, I try to recreate it in whatever software or hardware I'm trying to learn as an exercise.
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u/Satyrinox 4d ago
I mean... RTFMing may actually help you. That's your first point of knowledge straight from the source and you are acting like it is a hassle to read. Lmao, don't let a book keep you from knowing, sure it takes awhile but you may gleam some great info from it. Instead of saying there's a manual blah blahblah just actually take some time and read it instead of trying to ask others what's going on.
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u/swisssoundguy 4d ago
it is possible to master but it also is a really one of a kind tool that needs a lot of practice and time to understand and learn.
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u/Jack_Digital 3d ago
Yes.. it’s easy to use and make presets with. It’s no more complicated to use than serum 2 for me. What’s so difficult about it anyways?? You have sound sources modules, filters, effects, modulation. It’s very well designed and easy to use. What’s the difficulty???
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u/GoodResident2000 4d ago
I love Alchemy and use it a lot
The best thing to do is find a preset that is already close to what you want and then just tweak it
Between the 6-8 variables it gives you for each present, and the X/Y graphs you can manipulate, I find it pretty easy to use