Getting "That" Sound

The combination of the "holistic" approach of MIR Pro 3D with the more conventional, "analytic" methods of modern DAWs forms a scalable environment for both straightforward as well as highly complex musical mixing tasks. As soon as you need additional colors or processing options not supplied by the MIR Pro 3D engine itself, you can switch to your host's mixer and add any tool you have in mind. The same holds true for automation and remote control. As soon as a static setup is not enough, automation is just a click (or two) away – please refer to the host application's manual for more information.

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by all those options! Getting "that sound" is easier – and especially more intuitive – with MIR Pro 3D than you may think. First steps with MIR Pro 3D

Please make sure that your audio system, your Vienna Instruments (or any other virtual instruments), DAW or Vienna Ensemble Pro as well as your RoomPacks for MIR Pro 3D are installed properly; make sure that your licensers are in place and drivers up-to-date.

The following instructions are only intended to enable a quick start – more information on individual topics can be found further on.

  • Open your host application, create a new project, and chose the appropriate speaker configuration (Stereo, 5.1 Surround …) – always start with the maximum number of output channels planned! You can add a stereo channel in a surround environment, but not the other way around.
  • Existing projects which implement Vienna MIR Pro / MIR Pro 24 can be opened without the need of manual migration.
  • If you haven't done so already, configure MIDI and audio connections according to your needs.
  • If you are starting a project from scratch, define your DAW's audio sources – Vienna Instruments, other virtual instruments, audio tracks … Please note that MIR Pro 3D works best with dry or almost dry, centered (stereo) signals.
  • Define MIR Pro 3D as an audio insert/inline effect of the instrument and audio tracks you want to process through it. The tracks will appear as individual instrument icons in MIR Pro 3D's main view, which opens as soon as you enter its first instance as an insert effect.
  • Now you can select the MIR Venue of your choice as well as the preferred Main Microphone Position within the Venue, and load it.
  • Choose the Main Microphone's output format or create your own (unless you have loaded an existing project and want to continue using its output format).
  • MIR Pro 3D provides specific Instrument Assignments and Profiles for Vienna Instruments, which will take care of the proper settings for, e.g., your violin ensemble. You can change individual values setting out from there, or find your own ideal configuration if you don't want to use the profiles. Of course, you can apply dedicated Profiles to 3rd-party instruments or audio tracks, too, or select one of the General Purpose Instrument Profiles.
  • Drag the instrument's (or audio channel's) Icon to the desired position on the stage of the selected Venue and adjust its direction, as well as volume and stereo width (if the default values don't fit).
  • Alternatively, you can click on the command bar's "View – Preset Management", press , or click the "theatre" icon (top left). Here you can assign Venue and Role Presets for instruments – more about that later.
  • Press Play or play some notes on your MIDI keyboard. If you run MIR Pro 3D with a DAW, you can also press Shift in MIR to start and stop playback – this also works through Vienna Ensemble Pro. Adjust the parameters of your Instrument Icons in real-time, or use the detailed instrument settings on the right side. In many Venues you can try the factory-provided Role Presets for Vienna Instruments, or create your own. Additional audio processing plug-ins can of course be employed in your DAW or Vienna Ensemble Pro's Main Mixer.
  • In your host, adjust the output volume of your Master Bus.

... hear your virtual orchestra play in full depth and glory! – And don't forget to save your project.

Large parts of MIR Pro 3D will be more or less self-explanatory – despite all the hi-tech going on "under the hood". The following paragraphs are meant to familiarize you with MIR Pro 3D and should get you going within little time. There's enough to do anyway if you're planning more complex set-ups!