rexxzecutioner
Member
Here I will discuss a technique that has been so valuable to producers and engineers over the years. Sidechain compression esseintially is using the signal from one source to trigger a compressor to work on another. You might not know exctly why one would do that by now, just after reading what it does. There are two main uses that I typically get out of this method, and I will discuss them.
First, there is the problem with the kick drum and bass guitar conflicting with each other in the mix. Since these two instruments share the same energy, the kick is often lost in the mix due to the masking from the bass, and this really sucks because typically you want to hear the kick drum. So what sidechain compression will do to fix this problem is allow the kick drum to trigger the compressor on the bass so you will be able to hear the attack of the kick.
There are different ways to set up the sidechain compression depending on which hardware and software you use, but it will generally involve a process similar to this:
There will be three elements to this process. Your trigger, your compressor, and your target. The trigger in this case is the kick, and you will need to have a compressor module that allows for sidechaining to even make this work, so be sure you have the feature before beginning. The target is what signal you want to be compressed, in this case the bass.
I will post how I did this process in Cubase SX 3.1.
1. Create a Audio-Stereo-Group called "Sidechain".
You see the plugin "Waves C1 Comp-sc" in the picture. Install this plugin in the Sidechain-Group (or any compressor you have with sidechain capabilities).
Put the Output-Panning of this group into MONO (right click on the panner, select "stereocombined panner" and drag both stereochannels into the center)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase1.gif[/img]
2. Duplicate your kick track. Root the 2 kicks into 2 different channels. Look at the picture. Rename one channel to "KICK" (the original one) and the other one you give the name "TRIGGER".
You can also see that KICK is routet to the masterchannel of the Soundcard. TRIGGER is routet to a Group called "Sidechain". This is important, do it!
Maybe you allready recognized that the channel TRIGGER is balanced hard to the left. Do it! You will see why.
Only one of our two kicks is sent to the listeners ear. The other generates an internal signal for the sidechaing group. The TRIGGER-kick sends a signal which triggers the envelope and the dynamics. See the next pictures how it works.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase2.gif[/img]
3. Locate your bassline-channel. In my example its an audiochannel called "Bass".
You just have to do 2 things: Send the Output to the Group "Sidechain"
And put the Panning to the hard right.
There are 2 Signals now routing into the Sidechaining-Stereo-Group. On the left channel is our TRIGGER-Kick and on the right channel is the "Bass".
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase3.gif[/img]
4. Open The Sidechaingroup. edit the plugin WAVES C1 comp-SC.
Change the Key mode to L -> R, now the left input is the key for the right output. This means that the TRIGGER-kick which is sent on the left channel generates an envelope which manipulates a signal on the right channel (the "Bass"). We want to manipulate the bassline with the envelope of the TRIGGER-Kick.
Edit smart hard parameters for Treshold, Ratio, Attack and Release. You will see that the visualation-diagramm shows a movement. The Y-Axis shows the volume-signal on the light side and the X-Axis shows the volume-signal on the right side.
In this example (taken from a real production) all audiosignals from the right side (TRIGGER) above 34.9 dB (Threshold) will reduce the signal of the right side (Bass) with an Attack of 2.51 / Release: 244 / Ratio: 4.99:1
Make experiments with it and listen how the wave of the bassline drops away when the Kick hits. If you listen only the bassline on the right channel you forgot to set the Output of the Group into MONO. (see Step 1)
If you did all correctly.... enjoy! Make experiments, finetune the parameters.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase4.gif[/img]
---
Now, you can also use sidechain compression on a snare reverb. A lot of times you will want to put verb on a snare to give it dimension and ambience, but you don't want it to sound washy whenever the snare is being played rather quickly. A quick remedy to this is to trigger a compressor on the reverb track with the actual snare track. That way your snare will have reverb on it, and then it will be slowly compressed to make sure there isn't a large build up of reverb!
First, there is the problem with the kick drum and bass guitar conflicting with each other in the mix. Since these two instruments share the same energy, the kick is often lost in the mix due to the masking from the bass, and this really sucks because typically you want to hear the kick drum. So what sidechain compression will do to fix this problem is allow the kick drum to trigger the compressor on the bass so you will be able to hear the attack of the kick.
There are different ways to set up the sidechain compression depending on which hardware and software you use, but it will generally involve a process similar to this:
There will be three elements to this process. Your trigger, your compressor, and your target. The trigger in this case is the kick, and you will need to have a compressor module that allows for sidechaining to even make this work, so be sure you have the feature before beginning. The target is what signal you want to be compressed, in this case the bass.
I will post how I did this process in Cubase SX 3.1.
1. Create a Audio-Stereo-Group called "Sidechain".
You see the plugin "Waves C1 Comp-sc" in the picture. Install this plugin in the Sidechain-Group (or any compressor you have with sidechain capabilities).
Put the Output-Panning of this group into MONO (right click on the panner, select "stereocombined panner" and drag both stereochannels into the center)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase1.gif[/img]
2. Duplicate your kick track. Root the 2 kicks into 2 different channels. Look at the picture. Rename one channel to "KICK" (the original one) and the other one you give the name "TRIGGER".
You can also see that KICK is routet to the masterchannel of the Soundcard. TRIGGER is routet to a Group called "Sidechain". This is important, do it!
Maybe you allready recognized that the channel TRIGGER is balanced hard to the left. Do it! You will see why.
Only one of our two kicks is sent to the listeners ear. The other generates an internal signal for the sidechaing group. The TRIGGER-kick sends a signal which triggers the envelope and the dynamics. See the next pictures how it works.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase2.gif[/img]
3. Locate your bassline-channel. In my example its an audiochannel called "Bass".
You just have to do 2 things: Send the Output to the Group "Sidechain"
And put the Panning to the hard right.
There are 2 Signals now routing into the Sidechaining-Stereo-Group. On the left channel is our TRIGGER-Kick and on the right channel is the "Bass".
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase3.gif[/img]
4. Open The Sidechaingroup. edit the plugin WAVES C1 comp-SC.
Change the Key mode to L -> R, now the left input is the key for the right output. This means that the TRIGGER-kick which is sent on the left channel generates an envelope which manipulates a signal on the right channel (the "Bass"). We want to manipulate the bassline with the envelope of the TRIGGER-Kick.
Edit smart hard parameters for Treshold, Ratio, Attack and Release. You will see that the visualation-diagramm shows a movement. The Y-Axis shows the volume-signal on the light side and the X-Axis shows the volume-signal on the right side.
In this example (taken from a real production) all audiosignals from the right side (TRIGGER) above 34.9 dB (Threshold) will reduce the signal of the right side (Bass) with an Attack of 2.51 / Release: 244 / Ratio: 4.99:1
Make experiments with it and listen how the wave of the bassline drops away when the Kick hits. If you listen only the bassline on the right channel you forgot to set the Output of the Group into MONO. (see Step 1)
If you did all correctly.... enjoy! Make experiments, finetune the parameters.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/ ... ubase4.gif[/img]
---
Now, you can also use sidechain compression on a snare reverb. A lot of times you will want to put verb on a snare to give it dimension and ambience, but you don't want it to sound washy whenever the snare is being played rather quickly. A quick remedy to this is to trigger a compressor on the reverb track with the actual snare track. That way your snare will have reverb on it, and then it will be slowly compressed to make sure there isn't a large build up of reverb!