Side Chaining

[7 below]

In an effort to stop Bunchie being the only topic starter here:

Sidechaining - I know what it is and I know what it does, but does anyone know:

A) a VST compressor that does it
B) how I can get it working in ACID if it needs two inputs

?

Otherwise how do you do it?

[Turbulent Llama]

What is side-chaining, ive always tended to avoid this topic due to not understanding it..

Can someone give me a simple explanation?!

[7 below]

From what I understand - its a form of compression where your input is compressed in relation to a signal input - e.g a b-line is compressed when the kick drum fires.

This is the effect known as 'ducking' - to bring out 'stabby' sounds in the mix

[Turbulent Llama]

From what I understand - its a form of compression where your input is compressed in relation to a signal input - e.g a b-line is compressed when the kick drum fires.

This is the effect known as 'ducking' - to bring out 'stabby' sounds in the mix

ahhhhhh, seems quite simple, which makes me wonder why i didnt get this before!?? lol it was a while ago i came across it i spose...

[7 below]

It can solve all your bass drum problems or it can make your tune sound shit.. I just haven't had the chance to try cos I can't find a plugin that I can figure out how to use in Acid...

[Turbulent Llama]

It can solve all your bass drum problems or it can make your tune sound shit.. I just haven't had the chance to try cos I can't find a plugin that I can figure out how to use in Acid...

Im sure i used to use a VST compressor which had a side chain functionality, i'll try and dig it out, Ive gone back to using RComp now cuz its so simple/quick to use and produces an ok result.

Have you had a look on KVR?

[7 below]

It can solve all your bass drum problems or it can make your tune sound shit.. I just haven't had the chance to try cos I can't find a plugin that I can figure out how to use in Acid...

Im sure i used to use a VST compressor which had a side chain functionality, i'll try and dig it out, Ive gone back to using RComp now cuz its so simple/quick to use and produces an ok result.

Have you had a look on KVR?

yeah, couldn't really find anything free apart from one - but it didn't really make much sense as to where I can put the signal and the input in, if you know what I mean...

[Alan Bench]

In an effort to stop Bunchie being the only topic starter here:

 

I was hoping some other folks would start to post something!

In answer to your question...There's a free sidechaining compressor available from here:
http://www.ismusic.ne.jp/slim_slow_slider/vst/

Not sure how it'd integrate with Acid though. 

[7 below]

In an effort to stop Bunchie being the only topic starter here:

 

I was hoping some other folks would start to post something!

In answer to your question...There's a free sidechaining compressor available from here:
http://www.ismusic.ne.jp/slim_slow_slider/vst/

Not sure how it'd integrate with Acid though. 

thats what I've been trying.. I might try mixing lots of things down first and then try again - make things simplier and probably what it needs to work...

[ASBO]

From what I understand - its a form of compression where your input is compressed in relation to a signal input - e.g a b-line is compressed when the kick drum fires.

This is the effect known as 'ducking' - to bring out 'stabby' sounds in the mix

Completely right sir, but sidechaining is also a more general term for linking up a signal to any compatible module, ie a noise gate. You could take a hi-hat line in your tune and sidechain that output to your gate which could be on, say, a vocal sample!
Innit! There's lots of possibilities as long as your module has a sidechain fac.

[7 below]

From what I understand - its a form of compression where your input is compressed in relation to a signal input - e.g a b-line is compressed when the kick drum fires.

This is the effect known as 'ducking' - to bring out 'stabby' sounds in the mix

Completely right sir, but sidechaining is also a more general term for linking up a signal to any compatible module, ie a noise gate. You could take a hi-hat line in your tune and sidechain that output to your gate which could be on, say, a vocal sample!
Innit! There's lots of possibilities as long as your module has a sidechain fac.

in which case this sounds very much like the kind of thing that I couldn't do in Acid and would have to use reason instead.. I'll give it a whirl!

[bubonic]

I tend to Bass Kick / Bass Line compress a lot of my tracks, but use nuendo and the waves c1 compressor. 

[jimmy5b]

depending on what gear you have depends on ya plug ins etc. Most of the plugs in logic 7 have sidechain options...

however if you are looking for that choppy sucky sound thing then you can do it by using a compressor. With a few tweaks you can get it rocking...

this is a trcak i have had signed to a house label, Saw Recordings (Satoshi Tomiie's label), and i used that effect on it...

http://www.alienhead.co.uk/~jimrivers/nutrax/restore.mp3

i wacked my drums and the pad thru same bus and then stuck my comp on and played about until it was working...

dunno if thats helpful and you might hate it, but hey...

[ASBO]

i wacked my drums and the pad thru same bus and then stuck my comp on and played about until it was working...

Jigga

[Gecko]

this is a trcak i have had signed to a house label, Saw Recordings (Satoshi Tomiie's label), and i used that effect on it...

http://www.alienhead.co.uk/~jimrivers/nutrax/restore.mp3

Nice one jim! always happy to hear people getting their stuff out... just need to work on getting something signed myself!  

really simple example of sidechaining is where a DJ talks over the Radio, the Voice of the DJ causes the main mix/music to decrease in volume (like a noise gate basically). I haven't used the Logic side chain yet but i hear it quite easy. The wave C1 compressor is a complete faff... u have to set up Left and Right channels and piss about. It annoyed me! Anyway, the TC Works plugins have a side chain and I hear its ace. Good plugin compressor too.

For best results buy a hardware compressor. They really aren't that expensive... think gilbatron picked up a valve compressor for just over £100 and it shits on any plugin i've ever used. WELL worth the money

I'm the same as most though... i figured side chain was something complicated when its really not. I'd like to get more familiar with it so it became just a common tool in my production (when needed of course)

anyway, nuff waffling... liking this 'The Desk' section.. get us geeks altogether

d

[bubonic]

this is a trcak i have had signed to a house label, Saw Recordings (Satoshi Tomiie's label), and i used that effect on it...

http://www.alienhead.co.uk/~jimrivers/nutrax/restore.mp3

Nice one jim! always happy to hear people getting their stuff out... just need to work on getting something signed myself!  

really simple example of sidechaining is where a DJ talks over the Radio, the Voice of the DJ causes the main mix/music to decrease in volume (like a noise gate basically). I haven't used the Logic side chain yet but i hear it quite easy. The wave C1 compressor is a complete faff... u have to set up Left and Right channels and piss about. It annoyed me! Anyway, the TC Works plugins have a side chain and I hear its ace. Good plugin compressor too.

For best results buy a hardware compressor. They really aren't that expensive... think gilbatron picked up a valve compressor for just over £100 and it shits on any plugin i've ever used. WELL worth the money

I'm the same as most though... i figured side chain was something complicated when its really not. I'd like to get more familiar with it so it became just a common tool in my production (when needed of course)

anyway, nuff waffling... liking this 'The Desk' section.. get us geeks altogether

d

Yeah the C1 compressor used to be a mission until they released the sidechain version 

[chris]

really simple example of sidechaining is where a DJ talks over the Radio, the Voice of the DJ causes the main mix/music to decrease in volume (like a noise gate basically).

'Tis called ducking, apparently.

[Gecko]

I've been side chaining my face off all week! Its SO easy, i can't believe it slipped me by so easily. I'm using the Logic compressor (as discussed earlier) and its a freaking doddle. loving it and it sounds great

even if u don't like that pumpy synth thing that its caned on, its great for other drums and high hat patterns> its like an instant mixdown, the bass drum always stands out and the other sections suck around it, so nice

anyway, thats enough excitement for one day!

d

[7 below]

I've been side chaining my face off all week! Its SO easy, i can't believe it slipped me by so easily. I'm using the Logic compressor (as discussed earlier) and its a freaking doddle. loving it and it sounds great

even if u don't like that pumpy synth thing that its caned on, its great for other drums and high hat patterns> its like an instant mixdown, the bass drum always stands out and the other sections suck around it, so nice

anyway, thats enough excitement for one day!

d

cool, I don't think its doable in acid unfortunately - reason has got an m-class side chaining thing - but that would mean taking my drum track to reason which is an arse...

[Kings]

DB ProComp is an advanced compressor/expander plugin for Cubase VST.     4$
$F  Features : Cross-channel triggering (side-chains) for things such as     4$
$F  * Synchronised gating (eg use a drum part to gate an overdriven guitar)  4$
$F  * Ducking (automatically fade out one track when another increases)      4$
$F  * Synchronised limiting (use one track to limit sounds on another)       4$
$F  also features true stereo operation.

I'm surfing around looking for other vst plugins that duck, and I stumble upon this little string, "aw!",
So I thought one of u's would like this info, copied and pasted straight from an .nfo file accompanying the db ProComp I'm now using, to "duck".
It works, but I am looking for another that might do the trick a little better.
I'm off to try the Logic compressor it sounds alright.