Here is what to expect from the next major upgrade of Orinj – to version 10.
Session logs and restore points
I have wished many times that I could go back to a previous point in a session, but I often did not keep track of how the session has changed since. Sessions should keep some track of changes and allow return to some previous points in time.
Stereo stock effects
This means two things:
- Some mixing of the left and right channel wet signals.
- Differences in the left and right channel after the effects.
Orinj is very good at keeping the left and right channels of a signal separate. In some cases, however, it is good to try some bleeding between the channels. A reverb is one such effect, since natural reverberations will cross over the sound panorama. A compressor is another interesting one, as some compressors can act upon the combined left and right signal rather than treat each channel separately.
Many stock effects in Orinj already allow differences in the wet signal in the two channels after the effects. The Orinj delay, for example, allows for different delays and decays in the two channels. But not all effects do and some should. A stereo distortion, for example, can sound nice.
Meters and faders
I am not a proponent of "visual mixing." People should listen to their mix more than watching the shapes of waveforms or the values of VU meters. In some cases, these are useful. It is easier to apply a compressor if you know where the signal peaks.
Thus, Orinj needs better VU meters that mark dB values as well as "stick" max values over time so that they are easier to read.
Mixer window
Better VU meters also mean a mixer window. The current Orinj session view is the mixer window. You can see all tracks with their volume, pan, effects, and automations. But the session is large and requires a good amount of scrolling. A separate mixer window will solve this, by condensing meters, faders, and effects in a smaller space.
Master channel control
Users can control the master channel very well even now, except for one thing: automations. Gain automations over the master channel can be particularly important. It would be nice for the master channel to be used and controlled in the same way as with every track, so that users can automate controls over time.
Mid-side mixing
In principle, there is no difference between left-right and mid-side mixing. You can compute the signal from one to the other and vice versa. But, if some users are more comfortable with mid-side processing, then we should provide this option.
Monitors
Orinj already has a phase oscilloscope and a spectrum monitor. It could use a LUFS meter, a spectrograph, and a pitch monitor.
Dry and wet control
We were very selective in choosing which effects will have a dry-wet mix and which will not. Current compressors, for example, do not. Rather, they have the option for parallel processing, where the dry and wet signals are mixed at their original amplitudes. But a dry-wet mix control does more, as it allows the dry and wet signals to be mixed in different proportions.
Similarly, the current equalizers do not have dry and wet mix controls. But such controls could deepen or reduce EQ without changing faders.
authors: mic
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