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Alchemy's Modulation Panel Alternative


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NOTE: This thread is about the drop down menu, not the panel itself where all the modulation list is.

 

I've always found the modulation panel very confusing. On the left side it says "Targets", but when you click it it first shows you the modulator, not the target and then you have duplicated information, because if the Filter CutOff is being modulated by both the LFO and the MSEG, then it will show Filter CutOff on both LFO and MSEG menus. To me, that's a bit useless, because then why do we need the Show Targets button on the right?

Here's what it looks like now:

890324363_ScreenShot2021-05-12at7_43_21AM.png.ad1c8189c08a42e67c56f6368876986c.png

 

Why having the modulator first? If we want to see what a modulator is controlling, we can just click the corresponding tab (for example the LFO) and then click Show targets. That itself is already a good way to create organized sections.

 

My approach would be to keep the Show Targets on the right where we can see what that particular modulator is affecting. I would only sort them alphabetically

1128720108_ScreenShot2021-05-12at7_43_48AM.png.0996be1f6fe4984b3cffd7ad41c098af.png

 

Then on the left we would see the list of all parameters being modulated (the real Targets) and inside each target we would see the individual modulators, but also an "ALL MODULATION" option which would be the same as clicking the knob/fader. I think that clicking a knob/fader can be useful sometimes, but when you are seeing another panel, it's a bit of a waste of time clicking other tabs to go back to the parameter's panel. So here's my idea (I would sort them alphabetically though):

dw-alchemy-modulation.jpg.e34449777a3ca9557c4af8383bbbef0f.jpg

 

What do you guys think?

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In the current modulation pane, the target you select appears at the top, then you can see a list of all the modulations affecting that target without having to click to open any pop-up menus. Would that be lost with your suggestion? For example here my Master Vol is modulated by AHDSR1, Velocity, LFO1 (Sine), and KeyFollow. I can quickly click different knobs in Alchemy to choose them as targets, and immediately see the list of all modulations affecting them.

 

297041772_Alchemymodulations.png.399e4ee71f8a96273ed1f8bf373fac2a.png

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In the current modulation pane, the target you select appears at the top, then you can see a list of all the modulations affecting that target without having to click to open any pop-up menus. Would that be lost with your suggestion? For example here my Master Vol is modulated by AHDSR1, Velocity, LFO1 (Sine), and KeyFollow. I can quickly click different knobs in Alchemy to choose them as targets, and immediately see the list of all modulations affecting them.

 

Alchemy modulations.png

 

No, the only thing changing would be how the dropdown menu is organized, plus the “all automation” option at the top which would behave the same way as when you click a parameter and it shows the list (just like your image).

 

So when you click the menu it shows the targets first, not the modulators. If you want to see what targets a particular modulator is affecting then you click one of the horizontal tabs be click Show Targets.

 

So basically the left panel would be focused on the targets, and the right panel (along with the tabs) would be focused on the modulators

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So when you click the menu it shows the targets first, not the modulators.

I'm not a fan of the idea I'm afraid, I find it confusing? You've already determined which target you're working with (in the menu at the top of the MODULATIONS pane), so I don't see the point of listing the target again inside the pop-up menu which is essentially a "Modulation source" menu: I shouldn't see a choice of different targets in that menu.

 

It looks like you're on an older Logic version, the one listed in your signature I assume? I don't see any targets listed in the source pop-up menu here in 10.6.2.

 

668321818_sourcepop-up.png.9df7e2448bf1d41b2ccbf92416f04eba.png

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which is essentially a "Modulation source" menu: I shouldn't see a choice of different targets in that menu.

 

It's not a modulation source menu, it's a target menu, that's why it says Target, not Source ;)

An LFO is not a target, it's a source, so why do I see the sources when I click the Target menu?

 

I don't see any targets listed in the source pop-up menu here in 10.6.2.

 

You are looking at the wrong menu. I'm talking about the Target menu, not the individual sources menus.

Target Menu:

646748230_TargetMenu.png.e4776b650bf91db7274373793061b4aa.png

 

Source Menu:

188730770_SourceMenu.png.8bfc0cebd6c67c585f37d28cb6b9a518.png

 

Look at this scenario: I'm editing some modulation for Tune Coarse B and now I want to edit the modulation that's affecting the Classic Reverb's mix knob, which is inside Effects, then the D tab, all the way to the right (where I need to scroll horizontally).

1595983277_1-initialstate.thumb.png.efe14907318def91b4eba61377eb3dd9.png

 

Right now, for the sake of clarification, I know it's the Sequencer, but let's say I didn't know. Well, I click the Target Menu and what do I see? Sources! Now I start hover over each source to see if I can find the Classic Reverb's Mix.

2-menu.png.2119bb257d5219af48ede356a56ee3a3.png

 

Hover over 1, it's not here:

3-menu1.png.9835b27aa2056fa9a790a8c3373a05e2.png

 

Hover over 2, it's not here:

3-menu2.png.503fd145e43672ab72d516474fa9477e.png

 

Hover over 3, it's not here:

3-menu3.png.15eabbc67fd562e9ba28e7922b35f4dc.png

 

Hover over 4, here it is! Now imagine if you have a super complex preset with lots of automation, with lots of sources and targets, how much time it takes you to find it:

3-menu4.png.37f0596176e1544e2092fdf5af3293ae.png

 

The other option is to go and click the knob itself. Since it's deep inside the effects, here's what I need to do: click the Effects tab

4-bottom1.thumb.png.c0a9feea79d49e379863b840c443c29b.png

 

Click the D tab

4-bottom2.thumb.png.5e066ed64ae8b7c984ba707ef2efe57f.png

 

Scroll horizontally

4-bottom3.thumb.png.51f428b11a4c1307dbfb4e43fc27fe01.png

 

Click the knob

4-bottom4.png.f18dfd3868a3aec193b5bfa410385d33.png

 

 

Now if you go to the initial image where you see the Tune Coarse modulation, if I knew that the Sequencer was modulation the Classic Reverb's mix and I wanted to edit it I could just

1 - Click the Sequencer tab

2 - Click the Show Targets and pick the Target I want to edit.

 

 

Now of course you can argue that if we did that way, where do the Note Property and other modulations go when it comes to menu? Well, that's another issue, but regarding this one where it says Targets, it doesn't seem logical. For the other modulation maybe we could have another tab with specific things that don't have a tab right now? Look at how Serum shows the whole list of modulation

serum.gif.081efb2c39f9b0af2cd97680d7a74c37.gif

 

 

My whole point is that I rarely think "I want to edit the LFO XYZ" or "I want to edit the MSEG XYZ".

I think "I know that I want to edit the LFO that's affecting a specific knob (let's say the Reverb Mix)". Well, I would click the Target menu, pick Reverb Mix and then inside it would show me LFO.

At the same time, as I said, if I wanted to edit a specific LFO, since I know the source, I would just click LFO and pick the one I wanted (the numbers menu) or pick the Target on the right.

 

Sorry for the long reply, but it's hard to explain with just a few words hahaha

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Oh ok I thought you were clicking one of the Source pop-up menus below.

 

Still when I click my target menu I don't see any modulation sources. Only targets:

 

Modulation Targets.png

 

Well in that case it means they actually noticed it didn’t make sense to call it Target and showing Sources ;)

I guess it was part of an update then. Since I can’t update to 10.5 and above, I will have to wait until I get a new Mac...

 

I’m glad they fixed that! Thanks for showing it

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