Performance controls
When the PERFORM button is illuminated, the Performance controls sub-page is displayed in the Perform / Arp / Effects section.
The Performance controls sub-page provides eight knobs, two XY pads, and a set of ‘ADSR’ envelope knobs – a total of 16 controls. These can be assigned to modulate parameters in the same way as Alchemy’s other modulation sources. In addition to these assignable controls, the Performance section has its own gain stage with a dedicated ‘Snapshot Vol’ control.
The eight knobs can each be named, by clicking in the field below a knob and typing a name. Similarly, a pair of fields is provided for naming the X and Y axes of each XY pad.
Right-clicking (control-clicking) any perform knob opens a pop-up menu with the usual MIDI Learn/Unlearn commands, plus the following more specialized functions:
- Delete Modulation — offers a list of all the targets receiving modulation from the knob; selecting an item in this list deletes the corresponding modulation assignment.
- Swap With — allows you to exchange all the modulation assignments between the knob you’ve clicked and any other performance control selected from a list.
- Copy Setting to all Snapshots — updates all eight snapshots so that the current value of the knob you’ve clicked replaces the stored value of that knob in each snapshot. For instance, if you want the set the master Sustain knob to 100% in every snapshot, simply turn the knob to the 100% position, right-click it, and choose this command to apply the new setting to all eight snapshots.
Right-clicking (control-clicking) an XY pad opens a pop-up menu containing similar commands for both the X and the Y axis.
Remix Pad
An Alchemy preset contains eight ‘snapshots’ of Performance control settings, numbered 1 to 8, and accessible via the numbered grid at the far right of the Performance controls sub-page. By default, snapshot 1 is selected, and outlined with a white box.
To make a new snapshot, set each of the Performance controls as desired, click the FILE button, choose ‘Store Snapshot’, and select a number from 1 to 8. (Or choose ‘All’ to store the current Performance control settings in all eight snapshots. Note that this will overwrite all eight of the existing snapshots.)
You can ‘morph’ between Performance snapshots in real-time by clicking and dragging the white box around the Remix Pad. The Performance control knobs will update smoothly as you go.
Note: to select a snapshot precisely, double-click it. (See also ‘Keyswitching’, below.)
Auto Assign and other controls
The FILE button on the Performance sub-page opens a pop-up menu with the following options:
- ‘Copy Snapshot’ stores all the Performance settings of the currently selected snapshot in a buffer.
- Paste Snapshot’ pastes all the Performance settings from the buffer to the currently selected snapshot.
- ‘Copy 1 to All’ copies all the Performance settings of snapshot 1 into snapshots 2 to 8.
- ‘Clear’ cancels all modulations by the Performance controls, resets all the controls to zero, and clears the knob and pad name fields.
- ‘Auto Assign All’ automatically assigns all the Performance controls to appropriate parameters in the current preset. It also intelligently creates a random set of snapshots, as variations on the settings in snapshot 1. This is the quickest way to get started with the Performance controls. Try it!
- ‘Auto Assign Empty’ automatically assigns all the unused Performance controls to appropriate parameters in the current preset. It doesn’t interfere with any Performance controls assignments you have already made, and it doesn’t create snapshot settings.
- ‘Store Snapshot’ lets you store the current Performance control settings into the current snapshot, or into your choice of snapshots 1 to 8.
- ‘Swap Current Snapshot’ lets you exchange the settings of the current snapshot with those of another snapshot of your choice.
Keyswitching
It’s also possible to switch between Performance snapshots using your MIDI controller keyboard.
From the Octave pop-up menu, select a MIDI note name (e.g. ‘C4’). The first eight notes of that octave (including both white and black keys, e.g. C4–G4) will be assigned to snapshots 1–8. Hit one of the assigned keys on your controller to select the corresponding snapshot.
Note that MIDI notes assigned to snapshots in this fashion will not trigger normal notes in Alchemy. To ensure that notes play normally across the entire range of MIDI note numbers, choose ‘None’ from the Octave menu.
Modwheel
The Modwheel pop-up menu links the modwheel to one Performance control of your choice (any knob, or the X or Y axis of either pad).
Therefore assigning the modwheel to modulate any target in Alchemy is a two step process:
- Assign one of the Performance controls to modulate the target.
- Link the modwheel to the Performance control you assigned in step 1, by selecting that control in the Modwheel pop-up menu.
Recommended performance control assignments
The performance controls can, of course, be assigned any way you find useful. But if you are a sound designer creating presets for others to use, it is recommended that you follow the same guidelines that were established for Alchemy’s factory presets. These guidelines, along with the rest of the Camel Audio ‘House Style’ for preset designers, are described on the Sound Designer Guidelines page.