Dry/Wet

[Mauro Camino]

Hello. I would like that in some future version of Cakewalk every channel in every plugin slot has a Dry/Wet knob, like FL Studio does for example. It is true that nowadays most plugins have Dry/Wet but still there are several that don't, and it would be a better alternative to having to create auxiliary channels.

[Will.]

That is just a patcher that is built-in to FL Studio's FX bin.

There are great free patcher plugins out there that you can grab for yourself. I believe the Bluecat patcher is free? 

Creators of FL Studio at the time had the idea to "SENT" post sends to its FX bin directly within the track/channel/strip, but the only way to achieve this - was to build a patcher plugin directly into its FX bin (wouldn't be surprised if its the same stock patcher plugin.) 

This came with some hiccups and challenges. By doing this they did not think of something extremely crucial at the time - and that is the pre-fader send. That is why you get the Fruity Send as a plugin insert separately. 

It was a great idea. It eliminates having to create extra track sends for a Dry/Wet signal. Meaning: Say you have a two-track project - just a plain guitar and piano, with both of them only using 5 plugins. That means for each plugin you'll have to create a track - a return track (Aux/Bus.) This means a 2 track project will then turn into a 12 track project, with 10 of those just for each plugin. That is why they created this feature. 

This came at a much greater cause as well. The user now has to do more steps, just to route some things around for some pre-faders with a plugin insert. So to give you a suggestion/answer to your request. Just create a send for the plugin with no dry/wet knob/slider/switch/button. Much-much easier. 

Requests are always welcome, but before we make them, a little bit of knowledge and research must be done to see if this will work and if it will benefit the entire CbB community | OR | if it will cause the company extra money and unnecessary work for the development team. Like creating an extra plugin for a pre-fader send with more routing codes and steps. 

By the way . . . Welcome to the forum. Be warned! You might get burned for this one. This is part of the inauguration of a new member! It's how we show "love." ?

Edited March 13, 2022 by Will_Kaydo

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

Many plugins have it build in but that's what FX send / returns are for - and you only need one instance of your FX

[John Vere]

This one has me scratching my head. 
 

First there’s effects that belong in the bin  and effects that should be on a bus dedicated to them. 
This goes back to analog console days. 
The tracks  pro channel and the effects bin are the equivalent of insert patch points. This was where we would insert a compressor or EQ using the mixers insert jacks. 

Then you had auxiliary sends and returns which is where you connected your reverb and delays. 

You have to always keep that signal flow in mind. Anything that goes in the bin or pro channel the single is going to pass though 100%. Even if an effect has a wet/dry option you pristine audio is being processed 100% by that plug in. It’s all numbers being crunched. Do you want your pristine audio crunched any more than was necessary?

So bottom line is only use insert type effects in the bin and pro channel.

Those are effects that should be 100% wet anyway. Like guitar sims and effects  , EQ and compressors. 
If an effect doesn’t have any control over it’s applied amount, wet/dry, then it was not designed as an insert effect and belongs on an auxiliary send.
Then your  pristine audio will make it to the master bus unscathed and the effects are added as a side chain to taste.  
One of the reasons some peoples mixes sound better that others is having a clear understanding of signal flow.  
 

Edited March 18, 2022 by John Vere

[Byron Dickens]

On 3/12/2022 at 10:06 PM, Mauro Camino said:

it would be a better alternative to having to create auxiliary channels.

No it would not.  Learning how to use the (virtual) console properly is preferred.

[Vlad Rakhmailov]

Yes it would. Good option which would always be at hand in case one needs it and neutral in other cases. A universal and fast solution for parallel processing with any plugin. Always a welcome addition to existing functionality

Edited April 4, 2022 by Vlad Rakhmailov

[Starship Krupa]

On 3/18/2022 at 8:29 AM, John Vere said:

If an effect doesn’t have any control over it’s applied amount, wet/dry, then it was not designed as an insert effect and belongs on an auxiliary send.

Not necessarily, unfortunately. Or at least I think there are some that should have been "designed as an insert effect" but somehow the Dry/Wet knob got left off. Maybe in an attempt at verisimilitude, trying to emulate old hardware designs.

For the number of times that I've encountered FX with no Dry/Wet controls and want to be able to control that, the Cakewalk Console has served just fine.

And as you pointed out, by trusting a plug-in's Dry/Wet control, you're trusting that the developer has implemented it correctly. I've encountered more than one EQ plug-in that wasn't flat when bypassed using the plug-in's own "power" switch.