Sidechain compression

zearo

New member
please learn how to do this simple method. I overlooked it for the longest time and ever since I have took the time to learn it my beats have vastly improved.
 
I hardly ever use sidechain compression actually. I'm not a fan of the squashed sound it gives me.. If I'm just looking to punch my kick through a bassline I usually end up sidechaining an EQ or filter.
That always ends up sounding better on my stuff, and opens up more creative applications too..

But with a lot of styles sidechain compression is pretty much part of the signature. So yeah, learn it!
 
Hey, what DAW you are using ? I actually know an easy method with a gate plugin :) Just only with logic but I think you could do the same with other DAW, I actually have an idea of a plugin for sidechain just don't have a slight idea how to code (but I think it could be revolutionary and different from all of the sidechain plugins (kickstart, volume shaper) on the market and better than a compressor :( It actually depends on what kind of track you want to use it I think if it is a 4/4 track then its easy to the kicstart or the volumeshaper
 
most daws have a gater in them as stock devices.
romero's kick is a plug that automates the volume without compressing dynamics. to do it also, since that's what it does.
 
It' s pretty much a must-use technique for any kick heavy track, even if you only slightly compress to where it's barely noticeable.
 
If you're using sidechaining a lot, I'd recommend giving something like LFOtool a look. I still use ducking sidechain (eg using kick to duck a bassline in dnb), but imo using something like LFOtool gives you WAY more precision. I find using a compressor set to s/c mode gives me a mushy, loose sidechain, whereas LFOtool is tight and precise. I have also used Kickstart which imo does not sound as tight as LFOtool.
 
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