This is intended. The convolution reverb effect downmixes the signal to have the same number of channels as the IR, or to be mono, depending on whether LINK mode is enabled.
This is not unique to the convolution reverb effect. Effects that alter the channel format continue to do so even when bypassed. This is a limitation of effect bypass that exists to allow effects to be bypassed on the fly without having to destroy and recreate the associated mixer connections.
I can see why this might seem confusing. In truth, the “wet” and “dry” signals aren’t truly separate; every effect consumes a single input signal and produces a single output signal, and the “wet” and “dry” levels just determine how the input signal is processed to create the output. In a sense, there is no truly dry signal, only the possibility of a wet signal that’s very similar to the input.
In the case of effects that produce output in a channel format that differs from the channel format of their input signal, this is still true.
If you want the truly dry signal, I recommend inserting a send to the left of the convolution reverb effect. Note that, as sends add a fixed amount of latency to their signals, you may want to add a send to the right of the convolution reverb effect to carry the wet signal, so that the dry and wet signals are perfectly synchronized and do not exhibit phasing when mixed.
This sounds like a bug. I’ll add it to our bug tracker.
This sounds like another bug. I’ll add it to our tracker.
Unfortunately, we’ve yet to write that chapter of the FMOD Studio User Manual. It’s in our backlog of planned improvements, but has not yet been scheduled for writing.
For now, we recommend checking the effect reference chapter of the FMOD Engine User Manual - and of course, if there’s anything that that documentation doesn’t make clear, we’d be happy to answer any questions you have.