MIR is coming out now. I'm very pleased with such an easy to use environmental reverb. But still there is some flaw in this reverb. Although this problem can be heared long ago when we are using GigaStudio and VSL. If someone listened to the MIR conceptual mix "Picture at exhibition", you may notice that when violin ensemble plays high and long notes, the sound is thin, likes a solo violin playing or a much small ensemble is playing. In contrast real recording of these passage or notes should be lush, and is enough to judge that they are played by an _ensemble_.
Back to 2004, I have noticed that no matter what convolution reverb I use, when I play high and long notes using VSL's 14 player violins ensemble, the sound itself is thin and didn't sound like played by a 14 players ensemble. But when I disable reverb, only listen to dry sound of ensemble, it sounds good.
I realized that it is not the sample itself makes this wired problem. So I took a look into this problem but with no luck. When MIR is announced, I really think this may be a solution to this problem. But after hearing some of its example, I have to say it's disappointing.
So I re-take a look into this issue. And here is some result. May or may not be helpful, but I found may be it's logically correct.
Samples are stereo waveforms. We both know using a stereo system, sound can be "replayed back" in an environment. And stereo is enough for re-creating the original sound scape. even if original sound is created by multiple sound source(like string ensemble). But there is a problem when using convolution reverb on stereo signal that holds multiple source sound. Think that what is the difference between an ensemble placed on stage and a stereo signal processed by a stereo IR convolution. When an ensemble is place on stage, actually every single player is "covolutioned" by the environment using different IR. Each player's position difference makes every sound different, and this effect may be the key to a lush sound by ensemble in an environment. Using a stereo sample processed by a stereo IR convolution is different from this. I am sure if you place two speakers in a hall on stage in the position of an ensemble, and do some playback using dry samples, it will be different from a real ensemble playing in the hall on stage. In other words, stereo signal is not enough for re-create soundsource's slight environmental difference in a multiple soundsource situation.
So how to solve this? In my view the best way is to capture IR in 14 player positions and convolute 14 different solo violin recordings, and mix them together. Actually this is how the environment itself did its magic to ensemble sound. But it's not possible, even if MIR can have different place's IR, 14 different solo violins by sample is hard to create. I have tried another way. I don't have MIR so I can only use Altiverb to do this. Think what is the difference if you move from one speaker to another when they are playing an stereo signal? Yes, the PAN is different. so if I assume that IR can follow the same pattern, try to convolute dry signal using different pan in IR or result, and slightly introduce some delay(most right and center to microphone's distance is different, so their is some slightly delay), then mixed them together. I trid this and the result I have to say, is good. at least better than dry sound through a stereo IR. But still it's far from perfect because IR is almost the same.
That's why I am thinking about MIR.
MIR introduced multi placement IRs. If I can divide my ensemble sound(actually copy and paste them, because we can't get different part in a sampled ensemble) into small part, eg. one is 0 - 30% stereo image width, one is 30% - 60% and the last one is 60% - 100%, then let them go through MIR's different placement and with some slight delay in each part, the sound must be more perfect than my experiment.
And I think if this is correct, then may be MIR can have some built-in function for string ensemble.
Still, I only did some rough experiments and logically thought about this idea. It may be not correct, but actually, it's fun to compare the difference between digital simulations and the reality. And it is these difference makes the reality real.
Thanks.
And sorry for my poor English :)
YWT
(or may be I should use my new name Hikari?)
