What is a sidechain compression?
What is a sidechain compression?
Sidechain compression is a bit different. It is a type of compression where the effect level on one instrument is controlled by the volume level of another instrument. A common example would be making the compression level on a bass controlled by the output volume of the kick drum.
Why is it called sidechain?
Sidechaining was born when Shearer conceived of a compressor with a “side” signal chain (separate to the main trigger signal) with an EQ slapped on it – rather than evenly compressing the incoming signal, this “de-esser” would only be triggered when the specific sibilant sounds appeared.
Is sidechain compression necessary?
Sidechain Compression is a wonderful tool to fix problems. However, in the end, it is more than that. It is a tool that knows no limits. You can use it to create rhythmic volume swells (also called “pumping“), or you can create tremolo effects on choirs, guitars, and synth pads.
What is a sidechain in mixing?
For those who are unfamiliar, sidechaining means using the output of one track, such as a kick drum, to alter the compression on another track, such as a bassline. In simple terms, it’s a way to set up your mix so that when one sound comes in, another one quiets down.
How do you use a sidechain compressor?
Here’s how to set up sidechain compression.
- Insert a compressor onto the bass track (select a compressor with a sidechain or key input).
- Select the kick drum audio as the sidechain input.
- Adjust the threshold and ratio controls so that the bass is compressed by the desired amount whenever the kick drum hits.
How do I set up sidechain compression?
What is sidesidechain compression and how does it work?
Sidechain compression is essentially regular compression with more specific automation. It works to duck the volume of a particular frequency to create space for another instrument/expressed signal.
What is ghost sidechain compression?
Ghost Compression – A technique commonly used in EDM music, ghost sidechain compression involves sidechaining a track to a track that has no volume. This produces an effect where the synth or instrument sidechained to has the signature volume duck, but with no presence of the sound it was linked to.
What is sidechaining in audio processing?
Sidechaining is all about interaction between a signal processor and an audio source (usually one that’s different from the audio that’s being processed). Stated that way, I know it sounds kind of dull, but consider some of the reasons why sidechaining is cool:
What is an example of sidechaining?
For example, if we have a kick coming in at about 80 Hz for beats 1-4, and a bass sound also around 80 Hz, we can use sidechaining to make space for the kick to be heard. If there are too many instruments/sounds at a particular frequency, the mix tends to sound muddy, unbalanced, and unprofessional.
