[....] I don't see why anyone would want synthetic sound sources to sit in some kind of "natural" ambience either. It's completely counterintuitive. Just imagine how silly that wound sound.
Ha! This is most likely the first time on these pages that I don't agree with you completely, Jimmy. 8-)
As a matter of fact using MIR Pro is a great way to add some "dimension" to otherwise two-dimensional synthetic sounds. And an example, I used the drier MIR Venues like ORF Studio 2 or even Studio Weiler / Stoneroom for some extra "fat" in synth-stabs quite often (... which does wonder on "wall-of-sound"-like power chords from electric guitars, too).
Other scenarios I ran into: Imagine some dry "blips" and "clicks" that melt into an acoustic percussion-set, or a "Lucky Man"-like synth solo that benefits a lot from a huge cathedral, or some airy pad that suddenly gains a choir-like quality from some real space. It goes without saying that all sounds with some kind of "hybrid" appeal that sound quasi-realistic (like you get from Physical Modelling syths) are especially thankful for some MIR treatment. 😉
Just keep in mind that less can be more in these cases, so don't be shy to reduce the dry/wet-ratios to something like 30/70 or even 20/80 in a non-orechstral conetxt.
Kind regards,
/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library