Alchemy modulation rack controls in Logic Pro for Mac

Modulation components are shown only in advanced view. Click the Advanced button to switch to advanced view.

Normally, two things happen when you click a knob. First, the modulation rack associated with the knob is displayed. Second, if a modulator has already been assigned to the first slot in the newly displayed rack, the corresponding control panel is shown to the right. Some modulators don't provide a control panel.

In two cases, however, Alchemy prevents these things from happening. If the knob you click is on a modulator control panel (if you click LFO Rate or AHDSR Attack Time, for example), Alchemy assumes you want to adjust the modulation of the current target instead of switching to a new target. Similarly, if you click a modulation Depth knob in the modulation rack, Alchemy assumes you want to adjust the depth, so the current rack view is retained.

You can still view and edit modulation assignments in these cases. If a knob is located on a modulator control panel or in the modulation rack, Control-click it to open a shortcut menu with several commands. Choose Show Modulation to display the modulation rack associated with the control.

Note: Some parameters cannot be modulated. Knobs in the Perform section aren't modulation targets because they're designed for use as modulation sources. If a parameter is set with a menu command rather than a knob, you cannot modulate it, such as with loop mode or Filter type.

Modulation rack parameters

Back button: Shows the previously selected modulation target. The Back button is visible once you Control-click a modulation Depth knob and select Show Modulation from the shortcut menu.
Modulation Target pop-up menu: Shows the selected modulation target and allows you to select any active modulation target. Up to ten modulation slots are shown below the Target pop-up menu. Each slot in the modulation rack has identical controls.
On/Off button: Turn the modulation source on or off. Off deactivates the modulation assignment but doesn’t remove it from the slot.
Modulation Source pop-up menus: Choose the modulation source. Choose None to remove a source. Modulators are grouped by submenu. Choose New (modulator) to create additional modulation sources of the chosen type. Many modulator types allow up to 16 discrete modulation sources to be created. Each of these modulation sources can have independent parameter settings and can modulate different targets.
When you assign a source, a new slot appears below the selected slot. Up to ten modulation slots are available for each target.
Edit (E) buttons: Display the modulator in the control panel in the right half of the modulation section.
The button is dimmed if the control panel for that modulator is currently shown or if the modulator doesn’t have a control panel, such as Note Property, MIDI control, or Perform control.
ModMap pop-up menus: Assign, create, or delete a ModMap. A ModMap is used to process the output of other modulators. See Alchemy ModMap in Logic Pro for Mac.
Depth knobs: Set the modulation intensity in a range from -100% to 100%. Double-click to reset Depth to zero.
Smooth knobs: Causes the target to respond more gradually to modulation at values above zero. If you find that rapid filter or amplitude modulation causes unwanted sonic artifacts, one solution is to add a small amount of smoothing. Larger values can also produce interesting effects.
Note: The Smooth parameter isn't available as a modulation target.
Scroll bar: Drag vertically to view modulation rack routings (slots) that aren't currently visible. The scroll bar is shown only when the number of assigned slots exceeds the modulation rack display area.

Mod Targets

The Mod Targets button at the top right of the modulation section opens a pop-up menu with information about all your modulation assignments.

Mod Targets button: Click to open a pop-up menu, showing all the modulation targets organized by modulators and ModMaps. Click a menu item to show that target and all its modulators in the modulation rack.
- Current Modulator Targets: Shows all modulation targets that are controlled by the currently viewed modulator control panel.
- All Targets: Shows all the modulator types used in your current modulation assignments. The submenus list the individual modulators with the target they're controlling.
- Remove Unused Modulations: Click to remove all modulators that aren’t assigned to any target.
- ModMap: The submenu lists all the ModMaps in your modulation assignments that are used to shape the output of specific modulators, controlling a target.

Select, create, or change a modulator in the modulation rack

In Alchemy in Logic Pro, click a slot in the modulation rack, then choose an item from the pop-up menu.

Remove a modulation assignment from the modulation rack

In Alchemy in Logic Pro, choose None from the modulation rack pop-up menu.
The modulator has no effect on the currently selected target but remains available for assignment to other parameters.
Note: Depending on the situation, you may prefer to use the On/Off button for a modulation slot to deactivate the routing temporarily. This retains all parameter settings of the modulation source.

Delete further modulation assignments from the modulation rack

Alchemy doesn’t provide just one, but up to 16 modulators of certain types, such as LFOs or AHDSRs. That means you can have up to 16 LFOs, each with a different configuration. Any of these 16 LFOs can be used as a modulator for a modulation assignment.

In Alchemy in Logic Pro, click a slot in the modulation rack, then choose Parameter group > Del parameter name (and number) from the pop-up menu.
For example, you would delete LFO 2 by choosing LFO > Del LFO 2 from the pop-up menu.

Find targets for a modulator

The modulation rack shows all modulators (sources) assigned to the currently viewed target. The Mod Targets button at the top right of the modulation section opens a pop-up menu, showing all targets modulated by a particular modulator.

In Alchemy in Logic Pro, click the Mod Targets button to open the pop-up menu, showing all used modulators assigned to modulation targets.
If you initialize Alchemy by clicking the File button, and then choose Initialize Preset from the pop-up menu, you can open the Mod Targets pop-up menu to see that:
- AHDSR 1 modulates Master Vol.
- Velocity, a note property, modulates Master Vol.
- Ctrl C (74 Bright) modulates Filter 1 Cutoff.
- No other modulations are assigned.

Remove all unused targets

In Alchemy in Logic Pro, click the Mod Targets button, then choose the Remove Unused Modulations entry from the pop-up menu.
All currently unused modulations are handled as follows:
- Any modulators assigned to a section which is turned off will be unassigned. For example, if Aftertouch assigned to Additive FX Harmonic A : Odd/Even, it will be unassigned when the additive module is turned off for A.
- Any modulators (LFOs, AHDSRs, MSEGs, Sequencers, Modmaps) will be removed if they aren't assigned.
- Any ‘Max' modulations will be removed if the same value can be achieved by changing the static value and removing the Max modulation.

Download the guides:

Logic Pro User Guide: PDF

Logic Pro Instruments: PDF

Logic Pro Effects: PDF

Control Surfaces Support Guide: PDF

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