Alchemy tutorial introduction for MainStage
The following sections contain information to assist you as you start to explore sound creation in Alchemy.
Given the flexibility and variety of Alchemy synthesis engines, you can take a number of different approaches to sound design.
If you prefer to tweak existing settings, it may be more suitable to use features that affect the entire instrument. At the simplest level this is achieved with performance controls such as the Transform pad. See Alchemy basic synthesis tweaks in MainStage and Alchemy performance controls in MainStage.
If you prefer to build sounds from scratch—parameter by parameter—you can. See Alchemy source overview in MainStage and Create Alchemy sounds from scratch in MainStage.
Alchemy also features advanced morphing capabilities that facilitate cross-synthesis to create new sounds. See Alchemy elemental morphs overview in MainStage.
Whatever approach you favor, you can achieve new and interesting results. Experiment and familiarize yourself with each approach. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and often a combination of methods may strike the best balance for your needs.
When programming a sound from scratch in Alchemy, the best approach is to work on each component of the sound in isolation.
To start, you need a plain vanilla setting. You can revert to this setting by choosing File > Initialize Preset in the Name bar. The default setting is sonically uninteresting but provides a useful starting point for several examples.
Important: Use of Initialize Preset automatically turns on wide unison mode. See Alchemy wide unison mode.
