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  4. Best direction for the players to face in MIR?

  • Best direction for the players to face in MIR?

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     Although I always point the players towards the conductor in  MIR, I have now noticed that often sections like the cellos or sometimes 2nd violins, tend to sit level with the conductor front of stage, so in MIR this means the cellos should face sideways, and not angled towards the audience. 

    This is somethng I have always avoided, thinking that there should be some projection towards the audience, but maybe this is not always so, does anyone have any ideas on instrument facing direction, maybe I have been missing something here.......
  • DietzD
    VSL Team
    DietzD
    last edited
    last edited

    Andy, the conventional orchestral seating we are used to is a result of aesthetical and practical considerations, defined (and restricted) by the acoustic conditions on typical orchestral stages, the intervisbility between conductor and musicians, as well as visibility and audibility of the orchestra from the audience's POV.

    Personally, I'm convinced that nothing should hinder us from turning an instrument _away_ from the conductor if it sounds better like that - now that we can. 😉 ... I've also tried to make this very clear in the manual (p. 51 ff):

    @Another User said:

    Collected Hints for Your Daily Work with Vienna MIR Pro


    • Move the Instrument Icon to another position on the stage. Don’t follow the visual impression of MIR Pro’s Main View slavishly! If the flute sounds better when it seems to sit right between the first violins – just do it. The orchestral arrangement doesn’t have to look beautiful; it should sound good.
    • Rotate the Instrument Icon away from the direction that seems to be the “logical” one for a real player. More often than not, a hall will react very differently when the main acoustic impact of a source changes. For example: If you need more “splash” for a trumpet fanfare, turn their Icons away from the Main Microphone for more reflections from the rear walls. If you’re longing for a more pronounced left-right positioning impression for a certain Instrument, turn it into the respective direction. Remember: The dry sound doesn’t change [when rotated] as long as you don’t switch on “Dry Directivity” in the Instrument Channel – Again: Don’t be fooled by the fact that in reality the players always look at the conductor. Who knows how many times a seemingly “wrong” orientation of an instrument on stage would actually sound better?
    • Try the different Character Presets. It’s so easy, really. We have put enormous efforts into the creation of useful, individual timbre presets for almost each and every Vienna Instrument; there are sensible general settings for most other sources, too. HINT: Although it might be tempting to use similar Character Presets (e.g. “Air”) throughout an arrangement over and over again, it is advisable not to overdo it. The (intended) colouring could become obtrusive. Try to differentiate sounds rather than to make them sound the same. 

    [...]

    A good example is Guy Baco's brand-new MIR Pro demo called "Paradise Express". Especially in case of the string sections, he set up his instruments within MIR very differently than I thought it would be the "proper" way. But the results prove him right: The whole piece sounds exceptionally lush and spacious.

    /Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library