Dry / Wet Blending
Every effect in Arkestra has a Mix slider. This lets you dial in any effect subtly without committing to its full output.
The concept
Section titled “The concept”| Value | Result |
|---|---|
| 0% | Completely dry — original signal passes through unchanged |
| 50% | Equal blend of original and processed output |
| 100% | Fully wet — only the processed output is shown |
Using dry/wet
Section titled “Using dry/wet”The Mix slider is visible on every effect card. Drag it left or right to adjust.
Modulating the Mix
Section titled “Modulating the Mix”Like any float parameter, the Mix value can be modulated. Common uses:
- LFO → beat-synced effect pumping (sidechain feel)
- Audio → Kick → effect slams on the kick then decays
- MIDI CC → manual live control from a fader
Right-click the Mix slider → Map To… to assign a modulation source.
Blend modes
Section titled “Blend modes”The blend mode on a VideoEffect controls how the wet signal composites over the dry signal. The blend mode selector sits next to the Mix slider in the effect card.
Modes are grouped in the picker the same way most compositing tools group them:
| Group | Modes | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Mix, Max, Luma Key | Mix is a straight crossfade. Max keeps the brighter of the two signals per channel. Luma Key fades dark areas of the wet signal out. |
| Darken | Darken, Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn | Result is never brighter than the dry signal |
| Lighten | Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge, Add | Result is never darker than the dry signal. Add is good for glow and light effects. |
| Contrast | Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light, Hard Mix | Darken below mid-grey, lighten above it |
| Inversion | Difference, Exclusion, Subtract, Divide | Difference/Exclusion invert where the wet signal is bright. Subtract removes wet from dry. |
| Component | Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity | Combine hue, saturation and brightness from the two signals separately |
| Special | Optical Flow | Dry content flows into wet along a motion field |
| Transitions | Center, Sides, Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Slide, Zoom In/Out, Rotate, Darker, Brighter | Wipes and moves. Fully transitioned when Mix reaches 1. |
Every mode has a Blackout variant. It’s used automatically when the track’s Blackout setting is on. With Blackout on, the dry signal fades to black over the first half of the Mix range and is replaced by the wet signal over the second half, so a Mix of 1 shows only the wet signal.
Access the blend mode by clicking the mode selector next to the Mix slider in the effect card.