Sidechaining

Sidechaining made easy

Although many are confused by the whole concept of sidechaining, it's a very useful processing technique, one you can't afford to ignore

idechaining is an extraordinarily fun, useful and creative production process, but its also a potentially confusing one. Things arent helped by the subtly (but crucially) different ways in which its implemented. We think it's time for a bit of clarification Essentially, sidechaining is the process of using a different signal to trigger a processor (such as a compressor or gate) to the actual signal being processed. Like the term insert, it derives its name from the good old days of hardware mixing, when using sidechain features literally meant creating a chain of processors that was then inserted on the side of an existing signal path. There are two main types of sidechaining. One describes the process of splitting an incoming signal into two identical signals, with one triggering the processor (a compressor, for example) and the other being processed by it. The signal being used to trigger the processor will usually have some type of EQ controls on it, which can be useful if your signal contains some keyboards and a kick drum, for example, and you want to filter out the low frequencies so that the compressor isnt triggered by each kick. This is the type of sidechaining you see on some of Ableton Lives plug-ins. But its the second type that were most concerned with here, as its far more versatile. Also known as key sidechaining, it involves using an entirely different signal to modulate your processor to the one being processed. Over the next few pages well have a look at some ways to implement sidechaining in various sequencers, and then go through some of the useful applications that make it all worthwhile. cm
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KEY SIDECHAINING
sidechain key AUDIO INPUT

KICK (for example) COMPRESSION TRIGGERED/ CONTROLLED

Compressed Dry

AUDIO

COMPRESSION APPLIED

AUDIO OUTPUT

SYNTH (for example)

INPUT

COMPRESSED OUTPUT

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Sidechaining

Implement key sidechaining

In the old days, key sidechaining was simply a matter of sending the signal you wanted to use for triggering the sidechained device to that devices sidechain input, and then inserting the device into the signal path you wanted to process. So, for example, you could use a kick to trigger a sidechained compressor to process a bass track. Now, if you use Logic Pro or Reason, things are just as simple (if not simpler), but some sequencers do make things a little trickier Sonar, Cubase and Live all spring to mind! Fortunately, there is always a way around these types of problems, and were going to illustrate this using db audiowares Quantum FX package, which is spectacularly good value and very simple to use. There are other methods for different sequencers, of course. For example, if you own a sidechain-enabled plug-in such as Crunchessor or Waves' C1 compressor, theres an elaborate grouping technique that allows sidechaining in Cubase SX3 (described here: http://forum.cubase.net/phpbb2/ viewtopic.php?t=28660), but trust us when we say that Quantum FX is by far and away the easiest method that weve found. Whichever sequencer you use, though, there is almost always a way, so if you cant find any mention in the manual (as is the case with Cubase, for example) then its certainly worth Googling With all that out of the way, lets crack on with setting up and using sidechaining.

How to implement sidechaining in STEP BY STEP Reason

Reason 3 is tailor-made for teaching yourself about sidechaining, as it's based around visual representations of real gear. Start with two sound sources (were showing a Redrum and an NN19 sampler) and insert an MClass compressor between > one of them and the mixer. >

Connect the output of your sidechain source (in this case, the Redrum) to the sidechain input on the compressor. If you want to use a signal that features in your mix, you'll need to use a send on your mixer, an additional send on your source unit (Redrum > has sends) or a Spider audio merger/splitter. >

Now your MClass Compressor will be taking its signal from the sidechain source. If it doesnt seem to be responding properly, make sure the connections are correct. Also, make sure that any send level knobs are turned up (if applicable), and that the sidechain source is generating a signal!

STEP BY STEP Logic

Logics sidechaining is actually even simpler than Reasons, although perhaps not as obvious, as without Reasons virtual recreation it requires a little mental visualisation. Start out by creating two tracks. These can be audio or MIDI instruments, just > as long as both are generating an audio signal. >

Now its simply a matter of inserting a sidechain-enabled plug-in (such as a gate or compressor) into one of the audio tracks and selecting a sidechain source form the menu. Available selections include any of the audio tracks, the external > input and all of the available buss channels. >

We need to play with the routing to get extra insert effects in here. The easiest way is to send the signal we want to use, complete with inserted effects, to a buss and use that as the source. To use a source without applying it to the mix, pull the volume down on the source channel.

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Implement continued

Sidechaining tricks

STEP BY STEP Sonar, Live, Cubase STEP BY STEP Fix poor timing

Some sequencers (Live, Sonar and Cubase, for example) dont support inbuilt sidechaining. Fortunately, theres a great plug-in package called Quantum FX that can handle this for us. Start by setting up two audio-producing tracks > one to act as the sidechain source, the other to be affected. >

Whenever you get people playing together, you get at least as many subtle timing variations as you get players. This can be cool, but if theyre all playing or singing the same part, things can get a little loose. Fortunately, we can fix that with some judicious sidechained gating. Start by grouping all of the parts on > one auxiliary channel or buss. >

Insert Quantum FXs SideDyn into each channel and set each to the Voice ducking preset. The compressor features a switch that indicates whether or not it is sending or receiving a signal, so set the sidechain source channel to send and the channel to be processed to receive the signal. Quantum FX will now > cleverly route the signal. >

Now insert a sidechain-enabled gate into the group channel youve just created. Listen through all of your parts (backing vocals, guitars, whatever they are) and pick the one that has what you consider to be the best sounding timing (the tightest, grooviest, etc). Now simply route the signal from the channel of > the one you chose to the gates sidechain input. >

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If we want to apply extra processing, we need only remember what we learned from the Reason and Logic walkthroughs and use our sequencers internal routing facilities. And if you want to silence the source audio, simply lower the volume (but dont mute the channel if its a MIDI channel). And you can even assign a Quantum FX send to an input channel. Handy!

We carefully tweak our gate settings (particularly Threshold, Amount, Attack and Release) to smooth over the opening/closing action of our gate. The chorused group of parts will now only pass through the gate when the best-timed signal triggers the gate to open. Et voila: the sound of all the parts with the timing of the best.

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Sidechaining tricks STEP BY STEP How to make chopping effects

If youre anything like us, youre a sucker for choppy edits of the type you find littered throughout Mylos debut album. Now, you can get these by manually shortening each part of an arrangement, or by painstakingly drawing in volume commands in microscopic detail, but wed rather use a sidechained gate. Create a track and put a long, > sustained string pad on it. >

Now create another channel with some type of loud sound with fast attack and short release (you can use drums, but youll be limited to short, percussive bursts of sound). Were choosing a nice, full bass sound. Now, lower the volume of the bass sound and insert a gate with very fast attack and release times into the string pad channel. Route the bass to > the gates sidechain. >

Start your sequencer. By playing your bass channel you can manually control when the gate opens, allowing the string signal through. You can create chopping effects, rhythmic bursts anything! And it neednt just be strings you can apply this effect to your entire track, to drum loops, vocals anything!

STEP BY STEP How to create ducking effects

Probably the most well-known use for sidechaining is using a kick or other percussive sound to duck the level of another signal. There are a number of reasons to do this as a creative dynamic effect, as a way to duck your bassline so the kick punches through more and makes the bass pump rhythmically, and so on. You need to start with a > bassline and a kick drum track. >

Insert a sidechain-enabled compressor into the bassline track. Send the kick drum track to the sidechain. Use the compression controls to control the pumping as the kick engages the compressor and then releases it again. To improve this, here's a tip: if your bassline requires additional compression, apply this first so that it doesnt cancel > out the pumping. >

And there are other uses, of course! Route a spoken vocal into the sidechain of a compressor across a main output for that voice-ducking effect where the music gets quieter as you speak. And by splitting a sibilant vocal, inserting a compressor and sending one copy to the sidechain via an EQ to emphasise the sibilance, you can create the classic de-essing effect.

PRO TIPS
REDUCE RELEASE TIMES One of the main causes of messy synth basslines is overly long release times on the generating synth patch. If you have access to the original MIDI file and synth plug-in, its often worth shortening the release time to keep things tidier. If you cant do that, insert a gate and use another bassline to control exactly when the bass sounds via a sidechain. LAYER OVER Kick drums are like any other kind of sound in music production they sound much better when layered. You can even use a sine wave playing at the same time to add weight. If you do, send the combined sine wave and kick drum sound to a buss, insert a gate and (if possible) send the kick sound to the gates sidechain so that they sound together. REIN IN REVERB Reverb applied to hats can often overwhelm a mix. If you do use it, insert a gate right after the reverb and then send the original hi-hat signal to the sidechain on the gate. This will give you the nice reinforcing sound of the reverb only when the hi-hat is actually playing. Then simply use the gates release to extend the apparent reverb tail. HAT AMBIENCE Hip-hop groups like Mobb Deep utilise a nice sidechaining effect to get ambience using hats. To copy it, play a thick hat pattern, insert a compressor and then send the vocal signal to the sidechain. This will cause the hats to duck when the vocal is sounding, filling the rest of the time with some really thick, eerie hat ambience.

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