Global vs. Icon Dry/Wet mix

[PaoloT]

Hi,

I've not yet fully understood when to use the Global (in the Output section) or the Icon's Dry/Wet mix. Sorry if it is detailed somewhere in the documentation, or somewhere in the forum, but I've missed it.

The Global mix, I presume, is the room's reflectivity. Moving it changes the position of the absorbers, and is general for all the instruments in the room.

What the Icon's mix is for is less clear for me. I see each Instrument Profile also contains this setting. Is it meaningful for the position of the instrument on the stage, in the same way it is when using the traditional multi-layer reverb techinque? Or is it just a matter of refining the sound to taste?

Thank you for making it clearer for me.

Paolo

[Dietz]

The main parameter is individual Icon's Dry/Wet ratio. It defines the volume relation between the (readily positioned, rotated and widened) direct ("dry") signal component and the room's ("wet") response to this signal. The reason why this isn't just a simple pair of two volume sliders or the like is that this isn't a fixed value: Unless you haven't de-selected "Distance Dependent Scaling" for the respective Icon this relation will change when you change its distance from the Main Microphone. - Look at it as the perfectly time-aligned spot mic mixed with the room captured by the Main Microphone.

The global Dry/Wet Offset OTOH is just that: An offset. This fader increases or decreases the individual Dry/Wet ratios of all Icons on a MIR Venue's stage by a chosen percentage. The reason for its existance is that you will run into situations quite often where you suddenly realize that a mix is too wet or too dry already. Another good way to use it is to start a mix at a generally drier or wetter basic setting. - It's important to keep in mind that there will be no "absolute wet" (when using negative values) or "absolute dry" (when using positve offsets) any more for an individual Icon, so use it carefully and consciously.

... neither of the two parameters have to do with (or try to mimic the effect of) absorbers. :-) If you want to make your room less reverberant you might want to scale the overall reverb length by means of the Reverberation Time fader.

HTH,

[PaoloT]

Dietz, thank you for this detailed explanation. So, if I understand correctly I have to consider the individual Icon's Dry/Wet control like the balance between the direct and room signals in the mix. It's not the relation between the direct signal and the room (that is inherent to the room and the position of the instrument), but the balance between the spot mic and the main/room mics. If defines how "clear" the direct signal is in the mix, with more or less presence of that particular spot mic.

Please let me add an analogy: moving the Icon's Dry/Wet slider is a bit like changing the position of the Close and Room mic faders in the Synchron Player. In MIR you have a single control to mix them, in Synchron Player two (or more) separate faders.

Paolo

[Dietz]

@PaoloT said:

[...]

Please let me add an analogy: moving the Icon's Dry/Wet slider is a bit like changing the position of the Close and Room mic faders in the Synchron Player. In MIR you have a single control to mix them, in Synchron Player two (or more) separate faders.

Yes, that's another valid analogy.

[PaoloT]

https://forum.vsl.co.at/topic/51017/Meaning Of Instrument Wet Dry/281268

[Dietz]

Yes, but this thread you linked to is also a telling example of how to overcomplicate things to such an extent that neither questions nor the answers add additional information anymore, just different wordings describing the same handful of facts over and over again. Be prepared. 8-)

[Dewdman42]

oh come on now Dietz.  did you really hate my questions that much?  ;-)

Language could be a barrier, but anyway, I felt that thread was very enlightening also.  Thanks for entertaing it!

Glad to see more clarification on this thread.  Until now I have not played much with the wet/dry slider on each icon, but I will try that more now!