What's up with sidechaining?

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:49 pm

Everyone seems to be excited about side-chaining. Isn't it supposed to work with external plugins anyway? Live 6's manual explains plain and simple how to route an audio signal to the sidechain input of a plugin. Does it work, does it not?

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:51 pm

None of Live's native plugs until v7 had sidechaining, and this is an important function for any fully-featured DAW to have. Until now, you had to rely on 3rd party plugs to do this, so having it in Live's compressor, autofilter, and gate are indeed very very welcome.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:53 pm

Ah, ok. Thanks!

thumperjack · Post by **thumperjack** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:29 am

isn't it the same thing when you send two audio signals to one return track?

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:31 am

thumperjack wrote:isn't it the same thing when you send two audio signals to one return track?

NO.

thumperjack · Post by **thumperjack** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:25 pm

whats the difference then? like sending your bass track and kick track to the same return with a compressor, so the bass ducks when the kick hits...thats not sidechaining?

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:52 pm

It's when you have a kick signal trigger a compressor so that the compressor ducks the bass every time the kick signal hits the set threshold. What you're talking about is two signals mixed into one, and then using a compressor with an internal sidechain, and that isn't always the best result.

A common example of overuse of this technique is the Daft Punk sound.

ChiDJ · Post by **ChiDJ** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:03 pm

nebulae wrote:A common example of overuse of this technique is the Daft Punk sound.

Overuse?

I would be more privy to say "excellent utilization of"

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:06 pm

ChiDJ wrote:
nebulae wrote:A common example of overuse of this technique is the Daft Punk sound.
Overuse?

I would be more privy to say "excellent utilization of"

I would agree...I should have said a not-so-subtle use...sort of in that very-stinky-french-cheese kind of way. Amo, can you explain further?

jeskola · Post by **jeskola** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:16 pm

Was just wathicn that D Ramirez video at lunch there.
Explains Sidechaining and shows you itin action quite nicely.

http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/sho ... hp?t=44690

keeko · Post by **keeko** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:51 pm

Has anyone else tried the sidechain on the the Auto-Filter yet? Try feeding in your drums as sidechain.

Nice!

boraxx · Post by **boraxx** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:04 pm

i have a question regarding this:

say i have a full kit in one track, maybe made up of the different hits in different racks. is it possible to just send one of these hits (say, the kick drum) to the sidechain, instead of the WHOLE drum kit? from what i gather the external instrument device could do this but im not sure. this would make life easier.

boraxx · Post by **boraxx** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:15 pm

in live 7, i mean