Feature Request: Wet/Dry control for every plugin

[Jeremy Jensen]

Since not every VST has a wet/dry control, Cakewalk should allow us to individually control the wet/dry of any plugin we add to a track, bus, or clip. 

[fskelley]

I just ran into this need and searched for "cakewalk add wet dry control to an effect", hoping someone had already figured it out. Sure I can fake it, but it will be messy. Unless somebody here knows a quick and easy method.

[JohnK]

How would it be different to the chorus and reverb dials on a MIDI track? i.e. CC91 & CC93 

If the specific VSTi does not support Reverb or Chorus, you can add the VST FX Effect to the audio track (or better through  an AUX bus), Are you asking for an automated control/dial to do these steps for you?

[Glenn Stanton]

unless it's a specific single track effect, i use an aux track or aux buss to share the effect and can automate it etc. but maybe adding an aux track next to the track that needs the wet/dry balance adjusted and perhaps automated, is the most direct way. one could also use the effects bin in the pro channel to possible do the same with the channel tools etc.

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

You can already do this with something like Bluecats Patchwork

[chuckebaby]

Would be nearly impossible to implement as you would need the code for every plug in out there and no developers will do that.

I do love the idea though, its just impossible for 3rd party plug ins.

[reginaldStjohn]

In studio one you can "route" your VSTs in the plugin bin so that you can create splits, merges etc. and then move or add plugins to any spot along the path. That way you can do a parallel effect and control the wet dry mix even if the plugin does't support it naively. It is really just like adding a bus or aux track but all done withing the channel.

[Josh Wolfer]

On 8/19/2020 at 2:16 PM, reginaldStjohn said:

In studio one you can "route" your VSTs in the plugin bin so that you can create splits, merges etc. and then move or add plugins to any spot along the path. That way you can do a parallel effect and control the wet dry mix even if the plugin does't support it naively. It is really just like adding a bus or aux track but all done withing the channel.

I imagine the trick would be guaranteeing phase coherence. This may be one of those seemingly low-hanging fruit request, that ends up being more challenging to do right in the end. Just a thought. 

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/19/2020 at 5:29 AM, chuckebaby said:

Would be nearly impossible to implement as you would need the code for every plug in out there and no developers will do that.

I do love the idea though, its just impossible for 3rd party plug ins.

To elaborate, plug-ins "expose" various parameters to the host (Cakewalk). Mostly this is used for automation. In Cakewalk, we can also access them via the Plug-In Chain feature.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is no standard assignment for these parameters like there is for MIDI CC's. The plug-in reports them to the host with their full names (whatever the plug-in developer wants to call them) and then the host displays those.

Of course, with plug-ins that don't have a Wet/Dry control in the UI, it's not likely that they will have them available as parameters, either.

To do this outside the plug-in is a matter of creating a parallel routing path. To see how to do that with the existing program, look up tutorials on "New York compression" or just parallel plug-in routing. That's the way to do it while you're waiting for CbB to get the feature.

[chuckebaby]

8 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

To elaborate, plug-ins "expose" various parameters to the host (Cakewalk). Mostly this is used for automation. In Cakewalk, we can also access them via the Plug-In Chain feature.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is no standard assignment for these parameters like there is for MIDI CC's. The plug-in reports them to the host with their full names (whatever the plug-in developer wants to call them) and then the host displays those.

Of course, with plug-ins that don't have a Wet/Dry control in the UI, it's not likely that they will have them available as parameters, either.

To do this outside the plug-in is a matter of creating a parallel routing path. To see how to do that with the existing program, look up tutorials on "New York compression" or just parallel plug-in routing. That's the way to do it while you're waiting for CbB to get the feature.

you are correct, FX chains can and do control parameters, but unless every manufacturer assigns the same wet/dry parameters to each plug in or somehow has a code name to interact with the learn function, its just a mixed bowl of salad. 

[Max Arwood]

I little knob would be nice.  I have been using Waves Studio Rack for this. In this Shell like-plugin you can multiband, wet, dry and pan all installed plugins. (Bad part- It only supports waves plugins). May be someone else will write a generic version of this. Yes this can be done easily on a Aux track or even better use use a send to a bus??

The easiest way is on a bus.  I usually have a ton of buses in projects. Not just reverbs, but saturation bus, several compression  buses for parallel compression. The project I have been working on today has bus AA (#27)

Maybe they could add a knob for us in  FX Chains, a mix knob could be added to the assignables - That would work. Multiple routings could even be set up like in Studio Rack.

https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=Mixing.35.html

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

1 hour ago, Max Arwood said:

May be someone else will write a generic version of this. Yes this can be done easily on a Aux track or even better use use a send to a bus??

 

As mentioned above about a month back . Bluecats Patchwork will already do this 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Mark Morgon-Shaw

[Max Arwood]

19 hours ago, Mark Morgon-Shaw said:

As mentioned above about a month back . Bluecats Patchwork will already do this 

Do you use patchworks? I was looking at it and Cantabile last year for a live keyboard setup idea I had. I didn't even realize what all it could do!  Thank for the heads up. Just watched some tutorials - Patchwork looks great! Does it do multiband splits? And does it do splits inside of splits? Those are a couple of things I really like about Waves. Bad thing about waves - no 3rd party -waves plugins only, what a bummer.

Thanks!

Max

[Light Grenade]

On 8/19/2020 at 1:29 PM, chuckebaby said:

Would be nearly impossible to implement as you would need the code for every plug in out there and no developers will do that.

I do love the idea though, its just impossible for 3rd party plug ins.

Every plugin in Reaper, including 3rd party plugins have wet/dry control so it's certainly possible. 

The small dial next to 'UI' is a wet/dry control. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Light Grenade

[petemus]

Certanly doesn't require any source code to plugins. Its just a matter of routing a selected portion of the audio past the plugin and certain portion through it. A great idea! Biggest problem would probably be where to put the wet/dry control in the UI...

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

9 hours ago, Max Arwood said:

Do you use patchworks? I was looking at it and Cantabile last year for a live keyboard setup idea I had. I didn't even realize what all it could do!  Thank for the heads up. Just watched some tutorials - Patchwork looks great! Does it do multiband splits? And does it do splits inside of splits? Those are a couple of things I really like about Waves. Bad thing about waves - no 3rd party -waves plugins only, what a bummer.

Thanks!

Max

Hey Max

I only know about it because a few years back I was helping someone who moved to ProTools from X2 ( he was doing a degree course so he had no choice ) and it was a way of being able to use some of his old cakewalk plugins on the new DAW.  So after it was all done I didn't personally have any use for it apart from the odd time I went round to help with stuff. Never used it in a live scenario.

I have AKAI VIP which is great for accessing all your instruments under once interface and layering/stacking them so that might be worth look but again I don't play live so it's not my use case sorry. 

[chuckebaby]

On 9/15/2020 at 7:44 AM, Light Grenade said:

Every plugin in Reaper, including 3rd party plugins have wet/dry control so it's certainly possible. 

The small dial next to 'UI' is a wet/dry control. 

Ahh yes. So its not necessarily a wet dry control, it's more of a knob to mix the plug in with the original signal.

 

[Jeremy Jensen]

On 9/18/2020 at 6:57 AM, chuckebaby said:

Ahh yes. So its not necessarily a wet dry control, it's more of a knob to mix the plug in with the original signal.

 

That's what I'm asking for. That's also what I thought a wet-dry control was.

[Will.]

@Jeremy Jensen This is how I do my Wet/Dry effect. Plus, you have more control over the effect too.  You can add a Mono effect with the interleaved set to mono - it does not affect your Stereo instrument track at all. 

GIVE AWAY TIP: Extremely handy step when you're doing Mastering. SHHHH!

As soon as I can get this GIF to insert URGH!

The site don't want to take the GIF sorry. It shows a (-200) ERROR message - so pictures it is. 

1: Insert your instrument track and record a few notes. 

2: Insert an Audio Track. 

3: Route the Input of the Audio Track to your instrument track. 

4: Mix to your desired taste by lowering the instrument fader to balance out the volume levels with the newly created wet effect and vice-versa. It makes good work for side chain too.  

Note: This routing method does not work by sending the instrument track output to an Aux track and works only on "Instrument Track Inserts" 

Enjoy. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Will_Kaydo

[Mark Conrad]

I want a Wet/Dry control on all audio plugins. Using other software to do it works, but it should be built in. That's just my opinion. I for one really want this feature.