Camel Audio's Alchemy Virtual Instrument

A few years after the release of the fantastic Cameleon 5000 additive synthesier, comes the release of Alchemy. Well what can we say about this synth? Well apart from the fact that it is a sound designer's dream come true! Okay, we will be a bit more objective than that!SO the basics,Alchemy blurs the boundaries between sampling and synthesis, and allows you to manipulate sounds in ways which are impossible with conventional samplers. It features additive, spectral and granular synthesis and resynthesis, sampling, and a fat sounding virtual analog engine with unison and pulse width modulation. You can morph or crossfade between sources. You can import your own samples from SFZ, WAV or AIFF files. A wide range of analog modelled filters are included, in addition to a flexible rack of effects which includes all those from CamelPhat and CamelSpace as well as many new effects such as a high quality reverb. The innovative modulation system is extremely flexible, yet easy to use. Alchemy also features a powerful arpeggiator with the ability to import the groove from any MIDI file for immediate synchronization to your beats. You can find all the details in the easy to read manual.Of course me being me, I love the fact I can use my own samples (one of the downsides of something like Omnisphere). In fact that is crucial to me, and the fact I am do so much to my samples means I am in seventh heaven! As an exisiting Cameleon 5000 user (and Camelspace), the upgrade cost was very very enticing and something that I could not turn down.Downsides1)Slightly limited soundbank (although it still makes for a very large download!) which I don't think full explores all the possibilities of the synth.2)CPU hungry, well this isn't really a downside, but is something that need to be taken into consideration. You may find youself having to bounce or freeze tracks if you aren't running a super spec'd machine. On the plus side, bouncing does mean you can further mess around with your newly created audio, which can be very creative and a lot of fun!3)The amount of time you spend exploring this instrument, you didn't want a life did you!