How to Use Alchemy to record some bass

1 Choose an instrument

Add a track to a song; tap Alchemy Synth in the Keyboard panel. Tap the default instrument (above the touch surface), pick Plucky Synth Bass, then tap Done. Set the keyboard behaviour to Glissando and the octave to 0.

2 Set up the keyboard

Tap the Keyboard button (above the keys, third from the right); select a size you’re comfortable playing. Turn off Velocity. Ensure you can see keys A2 to G3. If not, set the keyboard behaviour to Scroll, drag, then change it back.

3 Play some notes

Tap/hold some notes to get a feel for the keyboard controls and the instrument. Experiment with dragging the framing box as you play to hear how it can dramatically change the feel and tone of the selected instrument.

4 Turn on the arpeggiator

Tap Arpeggiator (second from the right) and turn on Run. You can adjust the arpeggiator’s note order, range and octave range. Hold down a key. Notice the sound alternate between the note you’re holding and one an octave higher.

5 Set your octave range

With the key still held down, tap the up arrow next to Octave Range, so it’s set to 3. Immediately, the arpeggiator will play across three octaves, which sounds a bit more interesting. Now it’s time to get recording…

6 Record your bass

If you’ve followed earlier parts of this series, we’ll use a progression that works with the world instruments used last issue. Tap the red record button and then hold notes as follows: E3 (beat 1); C3 (3); A2 (4); G3 (5); F3 (7); D3 (8); A2 (8.5).

7 Make adjustments

If you find it tricky to get the timing of the changes right, tap the Settings menu (the spanner, top right) and adjust the tempo. Remember you can re-record your bass line as many times as you like, until you’re happy with the result.

8 Experiment further

As Alchemy is a MIDI instrument, it records note data rather than rendered audio. This means you can play your recording and retrospectively change how it sounds by adjusting dials and pads, or even selecting a new instrument.

9 Transpose your notes

Tap the Track Settings button (three slider icon, top left). In Track Settings > Transposition, adjust the octave to make your bass higher or lower. Go up a level. Under Output, tap solo (headphones) to listen back to your bass track alone.