Learning Sidechaining!!!!

I

iJackPot

New member
I'm trying to learn sidechaining and I basically get the concept of sidechain. You use it to duck out sounds to make room for another sound etc. While i watch youtube tutorials on the subject they show examples of what it does and I can't really hear a difference. Even If i follow what there doing on the tutorial i still can't hear the sound actually sidechaining. I think I hear it but that's only because I think I know what i'm looking for. Maybe I'm looking for it to be more of a dramatic change when you sidechain.

Can anyone help me really understand, I feel like i'll never use this in my mixing if I don't know how it's going to help me or if it's realistically helping me.
 
Try to use the videos and set your tracks up in the same fashion, then play around with the threshold and ratio knob on your compressor. There's no way you won't hear any difference.
 
What genre is covered on this tutorial you're talking about? also, if the sidechain is applied to some frequencies of the sub, you won't hear it, you'll feel it.

Sidechain plays a huge hole on House, Techno and Trance music (but isn't limited to those genres). Pick a Deadmau5 track, for example, and you'll know right away how sidechain works.
 
I think it should also be pointed out that "sidechaining" as a concept isn't really just limited to what's being talked about here - which is about sidechain compression. Any device (be that hardware or plugin) allows it to be triggered by an external ("sidechain") audio signal.
 
Ddream said:
What genre is covered on this tutorial you're talking about? also, if the sidechain is applied to some frequencies of the sub, you won't hear it, you'll feel it.

Sidechain plays a huge hole on House, Techno and Trance music (but isn't limited to those genres). Pick a Deadmau5 track, for example, and you'll know right away how sidechain works.
Click to expand...

It was a 3 part series and showed 3 different types of genres. hiphop, house, etc. I just wanna know when I should do it basically is what i'm asking...or if at all. Cause to me all the beats I made I never used sidechain and I think they should good and feel good.
 
Last edited:
The only moment where you should add sidechained compression is while you're mixing (unless you're going for a more lofi sound), to perhaps get a better bassline or get better cooperation between different instruments (but even here it's nothing essential).
Otherwise, you only add sidechained compression where you want it to be when it's for artistic purposes.

Experiment and find your sidechained sound. You know what it technically does, and know how to set it up, so just go ahead and try stuff out. :)
 
if you have gross beat, theres a preset called side chaining. It's a relatively simple way to get the effect. It pumps the sound your side chaining on the offbeats. When the beats hit on 1,2,3, and 4 the sound will fade away and come back right after creating a quick off beat crescendo and diminuendo effect.
 
steffeeh said:
The only moment where you should add sidechained compression is while you're mixing (unless you're going for a more lofi sound), to perhaps get a better bassline or get better cooperation between different instruments (but even here it's nothing essential).
Otherwise, you only add sidechained compression where you want it to be when it's for artistic purposes.

Experiment and find your sidechained sound. You know what it technically does, and know how to set it up, so just go ahead and try stuff out. :)
Click to expand...


Thanks!!! I'm just having a problem hearing the difference, even in tutorials I'm like what the hell are they going threw this long process nothing changed. But I do know how to set one up thats for sure.
 
Last edited:
iJackPot said:
Thanks!!! I'm just having a problem hearing the difference, even in tutorials I'm like what the hell are they going threw this long process nothing changed. But I do know how to set one up thats for sure.
Click to expand...
I don't recall if you send the links to the videos you've watched, but I bet it was about making a kick and a sub work nicely.
 
Ddream said:
I don't recall if you send the links to the videos you've watched, but I bet it was about making a kick and a sub work nicely.
Click to expand...

Yeah something like that, but I also found other ones. Sometimes I hear the difference but if the music is more complex that's when I start to not hear the sidechain but one the video was very beginner friendly and I heard it sidechain but dont know how thats going to help me in the long run.
 
iJackPot said:
Yeah something like that, but I also found other ones. Sometimes I hear the difference but if the music is more complex that's when I start to not hear the sidechain but one the video was very beginner friendly and I heard it sidechain but dont know how thats going to help me in the long run.
Click to expand...

And that leads to one of my answers: you'll notice it more on genres like techno, house, electro-house and trance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top