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  • dry/wet ratios

    I have this question for Dietz, and anyone else with some hands-on experience who might be interested --

    what are the dry/wet ratios you use generally for orchestral sounds? I am worried about getting too much reverb and making things muddy. I've been using around 55% for strings, around 48% for brass, less for woodwinds and even less for percussion/harp. Does this approximate what you try to do? Do you have any tips on this subject? I'm trying to emulate a concert hall, so it is a lot of reverb I am trying to use without getting muddy.

    Thanks,
    William

  • Sorry William, I can't give you plain numbers here as I never mix "through" a reverbation system. I always use AUX-sends to generate an effect-signal which is then blended with the dry parts according to taste. IOW - my ears tell me when it sounds right, and even this differs from mix to mix.

    Maybe someone else with a different working-style can offer some guidance here ...?

    /Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

    /Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library
  • last edited
    last edited

    @Dietz said:

    Sorry William, I can't give you plain numbers here as I never mix "through" a reverbation system. I always use AUX-sends to generate an effect-signal which is then blended with the dry parts according to taste. IOW - my ears tell me when it sounds right, and even this differs from mix to mix.

    Maybe someone else with a different working-style can offer some guidance here ...?

    /Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library


    I am probably not qualified to give an opinion on mixing purposes in particular, but I would say that, IMHO, in music the most important, before all technical kind of knowledge, is educating your ear by listening 1000 + hours and then taking, sometime courageous, decisions on what your (educated) ear is hearing. Without this, the most sophisticated equipment will be worth nothing. I am right Dietz?

    Iwan

  • Besides, from my lack of expert knowledge I would say those ratios would vary hugely from a lot of different factors, such as kind of reverb, and different settings on the reverb.

  • Yes, it's probably true that it is subjective and should remain so. It's just that I've noticed that it is easy to lose persepective gradually and end up with a master that is messed up. I guess I've gotten a little better at avoiding that, but in my situation, it is particularly dangerous because I'm tryiing to create a very huge sound - almost cavernous, like a cathedral, without getting everything soupy and that is very difficult.

  • Ive been using 100% wet with Waves IR1 scoring stage. With somethings its a bad idea, but it is the purpose of the plugin to "place" the sounds in the space and at say %50 you placing half the sound in the space and half on the cones of your speakers. Although the mic position of where the IR was recorded becomes rather important to the type of sound your after.

    Casey